i»ii»^ ■*• DANIELS & SMITH'S *i *> Cheap Book Store, *| f No. 3fi North Sixth St. X J PHILADELPHIA. ^| "/.//. '01^ Srom f 5e feifirat^ of (profeBBor TTtfftant Igenrg (Screen Q^equeat^e^ fig ^im fo t^e feifiratg of (Princeton t^eofogtcdf ^emtndrg Ja-nes, John Angell, 1785- 1859. le Christian professor "ddressed n THE CHRISTIAN PROFESSOR ADDRESSED, IN A SERIES OF COUNSELS AND CAUTIONS TO THE MEMBERS OF CHRISTIAN CHURCHES. BY JOHN ANGELL 'JAMES. NE w-york: D. APPLETON & CO., 200, BROADWAY. 1 838. NEW-YORK : HENRY LUDWIG, PRINTEFl, No. 72, Vesey-street. PREFACE. The substance of most of the chapters of this volume, was delivered in a course of sermons addressed to the church of which the Holy Ghost hath made me overseer. The seasons chosen for delivering them were those Sabbath mornings on which the Lord's Supper was administered ; and this time was selected, because it may be supposed, that if ever the minds of Professing Christians are more than usually softened to receive the impression of practical truth, it is when the eucharistic em- blems of which they are about to partake, stand uncovered before them, and as they silently point to the cross, say in the ear of faith, " Ye are not your own, for ye are bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's:' When I look into the New Testament, and read what a Chris-r tian should be, and then look into the church of God, and see what Christians are, I am painfully affected by observing the dissimilarity; and in my jealousy for the honour of the Christian Profession, have made this effort, perhaps a feeble one, certainly an anxious one, to remove its blemishes, to restore its impaired beauty, and thus raise its reputation. What my opinion of the prevailing state of religion in the present day is, will appear still more clearly in the following pages, and especially in the chapter devoted to the consideration of this subject. That evangelical piety is advancing and spread- ing over a wider surface, I have not a doubt : but what it is gaining in breadth, it is losing, I am afraid, in depth. Politjcg, IV PREFACE. and their sad accompaniments, party strife and animosity ; trade carried on as it has been, with such rage of competition, and upon such a basis of credit, and to such an extent of speculation ; together with that worldly spirit to which an age of growing re- finement and luxury usually gives rise, are exceedingly adverse to a religion, of which the elements are /aUA, hope, love. The church of Christ, in all the sections of it, is sadly mixed up with the world as to its spirit, and many of its customs ; and the great body of the faithful, are far less marked in their separation from the followers of pleasure, and the worshippers of Mammon, than they ought to be. " Ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God,'''' is the description of a religion too rarely to be seen in this day. A few years ago, an attempt was made to call the attention of the churches, to the subject of a revival of piety, and some efforts not wholly ineffectual were made to rouse the slumbering people of God, and induce them to seek for a more copious effusion of the Holy Spirit. But the call to united and fervent prayer, soon subsided amidst the busy hum of commerce, the noise of party, and the strife of tongues. Still, however, I believe, notwithstanding, that the cause of the Lord is advanc- ing upon the earth, and that the work of grace is begun in many persons, whose lot and whose grief it is, to be far more occupied with things seen and temporal than accords with their happiness. Some of the great masters of painting have manifested their skill in taking portraits of themselves. Conceive of one of those noble pictures, fresh from the artist's pencil, presenting in the magic of drawing and colouring, an almost speaking representation of the great original. By some neglect, however, it is thrown aside, and in its unworthy banishment, amidst the lumber of an attic, soon becomes covered with dust and dirt, till its beauty is disfigured, and its transcendent excellence is disguised. Still, in despite of these defilements, there is the likeness and the work' PREFACE. V manship of the immortal author, which, by a careful removal of the accidental adhesions, again shine forth upon enraptured spec- tators, as a glorious display of human genius. Is it a profane or unworthy simile, to say that a Christian in his present state of imperfection, is something like this ? He is the image of God, as delineated by God himself, but O, how covered with the dust and impurities of his earthly condition ; still, however, beneath that blemished exterior, there is the likeness and workmanship of the Great God, and which, when purified from every speck and disfigurement, He will present in its restored state to the ad- miring gaze of the universe. I am anxious, that as much as possible of the imperfections of • the Christian character should noiv be displaced in our earthly sojourn, and as much as may be, of its great excellence should now be seen. For if we profess as Christians, to have the mind of Christ, and to bear the image of God, how tremblingly anxious, how prayerfully cautious should we be, not by retaining any thing in our conduct, which is opposite to the Divine nature, to circu- late a slander against God himself. There is an ineffable beauty in the Christian character, as de- lineated by our Lord Jesus Christ in his personal ministry, and by his holy apostles, and there wants nothing but the tolerably fair copy of this in the conduct of all who bear the Christian name, to silence, if not convince, the spirit of infidelity. If the Christian church were composed only of persons whose charac- ters were truly formed upon the model of the Sermon upon the Mount, or the Apostle's description of charity, there would be no need of such defences of Christianity as those of Lardner, But- ler, Paley, and Chalmers : men would see that Christianity came from heaven, because there was nothing like it upon earth. The gospel is its own witness, but then its testimony is so often contradicted by its professed believers, so far as their conduct VI PREFACE. goes, that it is got rid of on the alleged unbelief of its freinds, for it is said, if they believed it in reality, they would act in greater conformity to its requirements. When the Church of Christ, shall by its spirit and conduct, bear the same testimony for the gospel, as the gospel does for itself, then in the mouth of these two witnesses, shall the truth of Christianity be established, be- yond, I will not say the power of refutation, for that it is already, but beyond the possibility of objection. It is I think, extremely probable, that great injury is done to the Christian character and profession, by an abuse of the commonly admitted fact, that there is no perfection upon earth. By the aid of this humiliating concession, it is to be feared that many recon- cile themselves to far more and greater imperfections, than are in any case compatible with consistency, and in some with isincerity. There is no perfection. But is there no command to us to seek after it ■? Is it not our duty to obtain it 1 The man who does not make it the object of his desire and pursuit ; who does not wish and endeavour to obtain every kind of holy excellence, and in every possible degree, has reason to doubt the reality of his religion. A professing Christian ought to he a character of uni- versal loveliness^ in which no degree, not even the smallest, of any kind of known imperfection should be allowed to remain. It should be with him as to holy character, as it is with persons of much neatness and nicety as to their dress, who are not only ren- dered uncomfortable by great defilements, but who are uneasy till every discernible speck of dust is removed, and the whole garment presents an unsullied surface. There is such a thing as moral neatness, which, in addition to freedom from and abhor- rence of greater sins, adds a sensitiveness to lesser ones, and a studious effort after universal purity. Perfection is our duty ; perfection should be our wish, and perfection our aim ; by which I mean to say that a Christian is not to allow himself to practice PREFACE. Vll any degree of any sin ; and is to seek every possible degree of every holy virtue. How different an aspect would the Christian Profession present, if all who made it were to make perfection of character their aim, and according to apostolic exhortation were to ^^ perfect holiness in the fear of God,'''' and to stand forth before the world, " blameless and hannless, the unrehukaUe sons of God.''"' It was not my intention in this work, to enter into the consi- deration of private, experimental, or doctrinal religion, so much as into its practical parts ; and to contemplate the believer rather as a professor, than a Christian, or at least, rather as a Christian in relation to the church and to the world, than in his individual capacity,' or in his retirements. To have followed precisely in the same track as Mr. Jay, in his lovely work, " The Christian Contemplated," would have been worse than unnecessary, I design this little volume as a sequel to " The Church Mem- ber's Guide," and as an amplification of some topics touched upon incidentally in that work. It has been the fate of that book, to obtain for its author a notoriety which he certainly did not con- template in composing it. Advantage has been taken, by one of the tricks of controversy, of the admissions of abuses to which, like every thing else that is good, the principles of nonconformi- ty have been subjected in the practices of some of the churches, to turn these candid exposures, against the whole system of vol- untary churches. This is a disingenuous artifice, a miserable sophism, a dangerous weapon, since no system in this world of imperfection can stand before it ; no, not even that set up by Apostles themselves ; for the same kind of evils, which I have acknowledged are to be found amongst us, are to be traced in all the primitive churches planted and superintended by inspired men.* * Mr. Hall, in replying to one of his opponents in the controversy on " The Terms of Communion," complains indignantly of the same species of disingenuous warfere. Speaking of some quotations that had been made from his own writings, he says—" It is obvious that he who wishes to judge of them fahly, must view them in their pro- Vlll PREFACE. Perhaps the same means will be employed in reference to this vol- ume. If so, those who use them are quite welcome to them. To guard, however, as much as possible against misconception, or misrepresenation, I would affirm, once for all, that I think pro- fessors of all denominations are much below their privileges, their principles, and their obligations ; and that I have not ad- dressed the contents of these chapters to my own flock, because I think they are behind others in piety, but because I wish them to be above and beyond the average religion of the day. It will be expected, perhaps, that I ought to take some public notice of a volume of letters addressed to me by Mr. Beverley. I do not know that the circumstance of my name being placed in the title page of that book, lays me under any obligation to no- tice its contents at all, much less to reply to them. I can have no hesitation, however, in briefly adverting to that singular pro- duction. My own opinion of it, and of the author's other works, accords in some measure with those which have been already ex- pressed from other quarters. It is a book which can please none, and yet may improve all, if indeed they are in a mood to receive and profit by what is administered in no very gentle manner. It may be called, to use an artist's phrase, a study in church polity, in which among some things to commend, there are more to per place, accompanied with their respective prooft and iUustrations ; and that to tear them from their connection, and exhibit them in their naked form, as though they had been expressed in the author's own terms, is a direct appeal to prejudice. The ob- vious design is to deter the reader at the outset, and to dispose him to prejudge the cause before it is heard. To mingle in the course of controversy insinuations and inuendos which have no other tendency than to impair the impartiality of the reader, is too common an artifice ; but such an open barefticed appeal to popular prejudice is of rare occurrence. (Not rare now.) It is an expedient to which no man will conde- scend who is conscious of possessing superior resources. To this part of the perform- ance, no reply will be expected, for though the author feels himself fully equal to the task of answering his opponent, he confesses himself quite at aloss to answer himself. Like a certian animal in the Eastern part of the world, who is reported to be ex- tremely fond of chmbingatree for that purpose, he merely pelts the author with his own produce."— Hall's Works, vol. li. page 229. PREFACE, IX condemn. There are some truths, but many fallacies. As a writer, Mr. Beverley is more of a caricaturist than a portrait painter ; and a satirist rather than a censor. His great fault lies in speaking too dogmatically upon subjects, with which he can be from his situation but imperfectly acquainted, and in drawing general conclusions from too narrow a range of facts. I trust we shall never adopt his views on the subject of a learned ministry ; and on the other hand, never be induced to put learning in the place of piety, as the only or first qualification for the sacred office. Our ordination services admit, perhaps, of improvement, but cannot be dispensed with, intended as they are, to introduce a minister to pastoral functions, but not to consecrate a priest for sacerdotal offices. It is difficult to believe that Mr. Beverley wishes to be the founder of a new sect ; I would rather charitably hope that his desire is to bring back those which already exist, to what he conceives to be the primitive simplicity of apostolic Christianity. Yet, why has he placed himself in the situation of a voluntary outlaw from the Christian church ^ More of a destructive than a reformer, he is skilful in demolition, but is prepared with no scheme for reconstructing the ruin he has occasioned. He is capable of doing something better than he has yet achieved. He can write with eiFect, and will write with good effect, when he will allow pious earnestness, and courteous fidelity, to gain the ascen- dant in his composition, over caustic severity, and an exaggerated representation of the faults both of systems and their supporters. Passages of considerable beauty might be selected from all his productions, but there has been in most of them a want of seriousness, which makes them more adapted to please the scoffer, than to improve the believer. Still, however, I wish his last work, nominally addressed to myself, to be widely circulated and attentively read. Even his X PREFACE. sarcasms may do good ; and his fierce, and almost lawless severi- ty may be turned to account. He has told us some faults of which we are guilty, though not perhaps in the degree he has represent- ed : and he has accused us of others from which, I think, we are clear ; the former let us amend, the latter avoid. His gravest accusation is, that we have too little spiritual piety, and brotherly love. Whether he be thought the fittest man to tell us so, or whether he has told us of it in the best manner, let us not stay to ask, but bow to the rebuke, which, in common with all other de- nominations, and perhaps not more than they, we deserve, and en- deavour by God's grace to improve. I hesitate not to express my conviction that he wishes to do us good, though it may be doubted whether he has chosen the best method of demonstrating his re- spect, or promoting our edification. J. A. J. Edgbaston, April 21, 1837, CONTENTS CHAP. 1, Page WHAT THE CHRISTIAN PROFESSION IMPORTS - - - - 13 CHAP. H. THE OBLIGATION AND DESIGN OF THE CHRISTIAN PRO- FESSION 28 CHAP. HI. THE DANGERS OF SELF-DECEPTION - 39 CHAP. IV. THE YOUNG PROFESSOR 55 CHAP. V. AN ATTEMPT TO COMPARE THE PRESENT GENERATION OF PROFESSORS WITH OTHERS THAT HAVE PRECEDED THEM G3 CHAP. VI. THE NECESSITY AND IMPORTANCE OF PROFESSORS NOT BEING SATISFIED WITH LOW DEGREES OF PIETY, AND OF THEIR SEEKING TO ATTAIN TO EMINENCE - - - 88 I CHAP. VII. THE DUTY OF PROFESSORS TO AVOID THE APPEARANCE OF EVIL --- 101 CHAP. VIII. ON CONFORMITY TO THE WORLD - - - • - - - - 116 XU CONTENTS. Page CHAP. IX. ON THE CONDUCT OF PROFESSORS IN REFERENCE TO POLITICS - 132 CHAP. X. ON BROTHERLY LOVE 146 CHAP. XL THE INFLUENCE OF PROFESSORS 165 CHAP. XH. CONDUCT OF PROFESSORS TOWARDS UNCONVERTED RELA- TIVES 187 CHAP. xni. THE UNMARRIED PROFESSOR 205 CHAP. XIV. THE PROFESSOR IN PROSPERITY -------- 218 CHAP. XV. THE PROFESSOR IN ADVERSITY 240 CHAP. XVI. THE CONDUCT OF PROFESSORS AWAY FROM HOME - - - 258 CHAP. XVIL THE BACKSLIDING PROFESSOR - - - 275 CHAP. XVIII. ON THE NECESSITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT's INFLUENCE TO SUSTAIN THE CHRISTIAN PROFESSION - - - - -290 CHAP. XIX. THE DYING PROFESSOR 314 CHAPTER I WHAT THE CHRISTIAN PROFESSION IMPORTS. A PROFESSION of Christianity is the most solemn engage- ment on earth, and he that makes it, is either one of the best or one of the worst members of society. Much then does it become all who call themselves by the name of Christ, to inquire with the deepest anxiety, whether they are suffi- ciently aware of the nature and obligations of the act which they performed, when, by entering into fellowship with the church of God, they publicly said, "I am a Christian." Being apprehensive that there is much ignorance on this subject, and much neglect even where there is not ignorance, I most earnestly entreat the serious and prayerful attention of all professors who may read these pages to what may now be stated, as to a matter personally and individually applicable to them. To "profess" means " to declare publicly and solemnly something that we believe, or that we intend to do ;" so that a "profession" of Christianity signifies, a public, solemn and emphatic declaration that we believe the truths and sub- mit to the obligations of Christianity. The translators of the Scriptures have given in our English version, two ren- derings of the same original word, sometimes construing it profession, and sometimes confession. In this they have con- formed to a diiference which modern use has established, 2 14 IMPORTOFTHE and by which profession means, the declaration of our reli- gious faith in the ordinary and tranquil circumstances of the Christian Church, without any reference to persecution ; while confession means the avowal of our beliefj in times of danger, and before persecuting rulers. A confessor is synony- mous with a martyr : while a professor means simply a person publicly declaring himself a Christian. Still, how- ever, it must be admitted that as there is no difference in the original Scriptures, so there is none in reality ; for he who makes a profession of religion declares, if he be sincere, his intention to seal his testimony, if required to do so, with his blood. It may not be amiss to present the reader with some of those passages of holy writ in which the two words are em^ ployed. Speaking to Timothy, the apostle Paul tells him that he had " professed a good profession before many wit- nesses." — 1 Tim.vi. 12. This refers to the declaration of his faith before the Church : while in the next verse he is said to have witnessed or testified a good confession before Pontius Pi- late. Jesus Christ is called " the Apostle and High Priest of our profession." — Heb. iii. 1.; and in Heb. iv. 14, it is said, " Seeing we have a great High Priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our profes- sion." The passages in which the other term is used are still more numerous ; only a few of which need be given. "Whosoever" said Christ, "shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in hea- ven." — Matthew, x. 82. " If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thy heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved : for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." — Rom. x. 10, 11. " Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God." — 1 John, iv. 15. CHRISTIAN PEOFESSION. 15 Let US now consider, First. — What the Christian profession includes : It is a public, solemn, and emphatic declaration to this effect, "• I am a Christian ; I wish to be considered one ; and I mean to live as one.^* Or, to use the comprehensive language of Christ, it is confessing him before men. It is important to remark that whatever be its import, it has spe- cial and explicit reference to Christ ; it is not a declaration of belief merely in the existence, attributes, and purposes of God, as the Creator, Preserver, and Governor of the uni- verse; an avowal of Theism, as opposed to idolatry; no, it is a profession of Christ : whosoever, said our Lord, shall confess me, I will confess him : whosoever repeats the apostle, " shall confess that he is raised from the dead shall be saved ; to him every tongue shall confess." This is both instructive and impressive, and contains a strong presumptive proof of his true and proper divinity. The Christian church is a col- lection of witnesses for Christ ; a public embodied testimony to Christ : a spiritual temple, bearing on its lofty front the inscription " to the glory of christ." Every thing under the New Covenant refers to him ; the Sabbath is to honour HIM, it is the Lord's day ; the Eucharist is to commemorate him ; the Christian profession is to testify of him : so that if Christ be not divine, we are under a dispensation which seems to shut God out. Religious worship and obligations are di- verted from God, and directed to a creature. There was nothing like this under the Old Covenant. Moses was but a servant of the house under that economy, and is not held up as receiving the honour of a proprietor ; but Christ is a Son over his own house ; and this is our profession, that we are Christ's. 3ut what is it concerning Christ that we declare when we make a profession of him 1 We profess to believe in him md receive him as the Son 16 IMP ORT OF THE of God, and the Saviour of the world, divinely appointed by the Father as the Word who was in the beginning with God and was God, to be the great Prophet by whom is made known to man the nature of Jehovah and his purpose of re- deeming mercy towards our fallen race ; and that with docil- ity and meekness we receive all his doctrines, whether declared by his own personal ministry on earth, or by his inspired apostles, however mysterious their nature, or hum- bling their tendency. We profess that we are convinced of sin as transgressors of tlie law of God, that we repent of our manifold and aggra- vated transgressions, that God will be just in our destruction, and that hating and forsaking iniquities, we mean to live a righteous and holy life. We profess that as sinners lost and condemned, not only by the fall of Adam, but by our own actual transgressions, we truly believe in him and thankfully receive him as the divinely appointed Priest and sacrifice for sin, and that we rest exclu- sively upon the infinite merit of his obedience unto death for the justification of our persons, together with all the blessings of grace here, and glory hereafter ; and that through faith in him we have received a present and do really hope for an eternal salvation. We profess that we cordially receive Christ and cheerfully submit to him as our King, Lawgiver, and Judge, who has promulgated his Laws in the Nev/ Testament, and who re- quires an unhesitating, unreserved, willing, affectionate and uninterrupted submission to his authority, however self-deny- ing that submission may sometimes be as regards our ease, wealth and worldly esteem. We acknowledge his right ta rule over the body, with all its senses, organs, members, and appetites ; and the soul with all its varied and noble faculties. We declare that the rigid, refined, severe morality of the sermon on the Mount, and the law of charity laid down in the CHRISTIAN PROFESSION. 17 epistle to the Corinthians, are and shall be the rule of our con- duct ; and that as Christ has enjoined it, we will, by God's help, follow whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report. And also since he has instituted various ordinances of religion for his own glory, and our benefit, such as the Sabbath, the sacraments and other public services, we will punctually, and seriously, and constantly observe them. We profess that we receive Christ as our pattern and ex- ample-, and that we are determined, as God shall assist us, to conform ourselves to him in our spirit, temper, and conduct j that we will strive to come, as near as our circumstances will allow, to Him, who was so dead to this world, that he renounced wealth, rank, ease, fame — so holy that he could appeal to the most malignant of his foes for the sinless purity of his conduct — so submissive to the divine will, that he drank the deepest, fullest, bitterest cup of human wo, without a murmur — so meek and lowly, as to bear the greatest injuries and insults with unruffled serenity and placability — so full of benevolence, as to pray for his foes, to die for them, and save them. Yes, we say to the world, " Look at Jesus of Naza- reth in his holy and beneficent career, or in his ignominious and agonizing death ; see him whose whole character was a compound of purity and love — and there is our model." We profess to receive his cause and kingdom in the world, as ours; to identify ourselves with true religion, and to unite our hearts with the church as the most important commu- nity on earth ; we avow that whatever relative and temporal importance may attach to the cause of literature, science, liberty, commerce, yet the salvation of immortal souls is the most momentous interest in the universe, and that our time, influence, talents and property, are at Christ's command, to promote this object. We profess that we have received Christ as the scope and end of our very existence ; that we have ceased to live for 2* 18 IMPORT OF THE wealth, ease, or reputation, as the supreme object of pursuit ,- that for us to live is Christ ; and that so as he is honoured by us it is of secondary consequence in what situation or circumstances he may place us for this purpose. We profess to be looking for Christ's universal spiritual reign and second coming to manifest himself to his church and to judge the world, as the supreme object of our joyful hope ; and compared with which, all the greatest changes and most glorious revolutions that are expected on earth, are but as insignificant and uninteresting events. We profess that we hope to be accepted by Christ in the day of judgment; expect to be received into his heavenly kingdom, where we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is, and dwell for ever with the Lord ; and that till then we are living by faith on earth, sending our affections after him to glory, and considering our situation in this world as that of an affectionate wife left for a season for wise reasons in a strange land, and looking forward with eager anticipation to the time of meeting with her husband, to part no more ; and that by the prospect and faith of that glory to be revealed, we have overcome the love of life and fear of death. We profess that for the performance of duties so solemn, so weighty, so important, so difficult, we have no ability of our own, that all our dependance and hope are founded on the supply of the spirit of Christ Jesus ; and that conscious of many defects, we are humble before God and man, and constantly need the exercise of God's forbearing and forgiv- ing mercy. Such is the Christian profession. What height, what length, what depth, what breadth ! Well might we ask, who dare take it up ? Or who taking it up can sustain it 1 We now consider. Secondly. — Hoio his profession is made. What I have before stated contains the matter of our pro- CHRISTIAN PROFESSION. 19 fession, but in what manner is it to be made? What is the precise formal act in which it consists ? To whom, and in what way, is the declaration of our faith to be delivered ? If we go back to the promulgation of Christianity, we find our Lord delivering the following commission to his disciples, " Go ye and teach, (or make disciples of, as the word signi- fies,) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." In compliance with this charge, the apostles required all who believed in Christ to be baptized, join themselves to the church, receive the Lord's Supper, and observe the other ordinances of the Christian re. ligion : and upon a profession of their belief in Jesus, they were received into the fellowship of the faithful. This their declaration of faith, accompanied as it was by baptism, and their reception into the church, was their profession. Till they did this, however frequently they may have attended the Christian assembly, however deeply they may have been convinced of the truth of the gospel, however freely they may have communicated their sentiments to any members of the church privately, they made no confession, and were not ranked among professors. In the conventional use which the term has acquired among our churches, it means much the same thing, and signifies a person's declaring to the pastor and the church, with which he desires to be associated in visible communion, his repent- ance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ; and on the ground of that declaration, after it has been examined and found to be conformable to the mind of God, and sin- cerely made, so far as appears by inquiry, his being received into the church. It is his public witness to those whom God has authorized to receive the confession, his testimony to the character and work of Christ, and of the state of his own mind towards him. Publicity in the scriptural manner, is essential; there may be religion, sincere, fervent religion, but till we 20 IMPORTOFTHE have publicly and formally before the pastor and church, declared ourselves believers, profession there is none. With us then profession means the act of joining ourselves with the people of God, upon an avowal of our sentiments, accom- panied by a declaration, that we believe we are justified by faith and truly regenerated by the Holy Spirit. It is professing this I say puhlicly, Before the church ; the particular church with which we enter into fellowship, and before that as the representative of the whole catholic church. We say to the church, " I take your God to be my God, your Saviour to be my Saviour, your people to be my people, your ordinances to be my or- dinances. I partake with you of the common salvation, and like precious faith. I receive you as Christians, and beg in the name of our common Lord, to be received as such by you." It is a profession before the world. It is saying, "Hear ye children of men, ye that are disobeying God, and neg- lecting Christ. I was one of you, but I am no longer one of you ; I can no longer live as you do, and as I once did. I am in Christ a new creature ; old things are passed away, and all things are become new. I come out and am separate from the world, and give myself up to Christ and his church, to follow him in all things, as my Saviour, Ruler, Pattern ; and I consent, and am willing you should be judges how far 1 fulfil my .solemn obligations." And then, be it recollected, the declaration is made not only before the world, but in the world, in the shop, in the market, in the exchange. It is a profession not only for Sabbath days, but for all days ; not only for the place of religious convocation, but for the places of secular resort. " Wisdom crieth without, she uttereth her voice in the streets ; she crieth in the chief place of con- course, in the openings of the gates, in the city she uttereth her voice;" and her children must do the same, honouring CHRISTIAN PROFESSION. 21 by imitating their motlier. To the man who invites or tempts them to an unkind, untrue, unjust, dishonest, malicious word or action, or who suspects them to be capable of one, they should reply, " I profess Christ, and can I deny or betray him?" It is a profession before angels, who, as the ministering spirits that minister to the heirs of salvation, must be the spectators of their conduct — before devils who tremble as they hear those solemn words " 1 am a Christian," drop from their lips, and from that moment have all their enmity and subtlety roused and employed to make them if possible faith- less to their calling — yea, it is a profession before God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus Christ bends from his throne to hear them utter the an- nouncement '• I am a Christian," and from thenceforwards ever looks from his seat ©f glory to see how they fulfil the obligations which they have thus publicly, solemnly, and voluntarily taken upon themselves. He never loses sight of them for a moment, but is ever watching to see how they sustain his name, his dear, and sacred and honoured name, which is above every other name, and which they have con- fessed before men. What a profession, and how publicly made ! By how many spectators you are surrounded and watched. From the hour you call yourself a disciple of Christ, the church with a tender interest, the world with malignant curiosity, angels with kind solicitude, devils with rooted enmity, God with a jealous eye, and Christ with tender sympathy, mark every step of your progress ; for " ye are come to Mount Zion, and unto the city of the Hving God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assem- bly, and church of the first born which are written in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant." 23 IMPORTOFTHE This view of the nature and obligation of the Christian profession is confirmed and forcibly stated in the following address to persons on their joining the church, taken from a Manual used in one of the Presbyterian churches in America. EXPLANATION. "You have now presented yourselves in this public man- ner before God, to take his covenant upon you — to confess Jesus Christ before men, — to testify your faith, and hope, and joy in his religion, — practically to condemn your former selves, together with the ' whole world ' as ' lying in wicked- ness,' — unreservedly to dedicate yourselves to the service of your Creator, — and definitely to incorporate yourselves with his visible people. You are about to profess supreme love to God, sincere contrition for all your sins of heart and life, and faith unfeigned in the Lord Jesus Christ. You are about publicly to ratify a solemn compact to receive * the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost,' as revealed in the Scriptures, in all the agencies they execute for the govern- ment of the world, and in all the offices they sustain for the salvation of the Church ; and to ' walk,' henceforth, ' in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, blameless." ENCOURAGEMENT. " We trust you have fully considered the purport of these several professions and engagements. The transaction be^ fore you is solemn in its nature, and will be followed with eternal consequences. God and holy angels, as well as this Church, these spectators, and your own consciences — your Pastor and these Elders, are witnesses. Your vows will be recorded in heaven ; they will be publicly exhibited on your trial at the last day. Nevertheless, with these re- flections you need not be overwhelmed. In the precious name of Jesus Christ, which is ' as ointment poured forth,' you may ' boldly enter into the holiest, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the vail. CHRISTIAN PROFESSION. 23 that is to say, his flesh : and having a High Priest over the house of God, you nnay draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having your hearts sprinkled' with his atoning blood, 'from an evil conscience, and your bodies washed with pure water,' by baptism, according to his ap- pointment. For ' this is he that came by water and blood,' even Jesus Christ ; not * by water only, but by water and blood : and it is the Spirit that beareth witness that the Spirit is truth.' God is indeed great in majesty, infinite in power, ' glorious in holiness,' inflexible in justice, and ' fear- ful' even in 'praises: ' still, he is abundantly 'merciful and gracious ; ' and as such, manifests himself by graciously condescending, through Jesus Christ, to enter into covenant with sinners. You may venture, then, in the filial spirit, ir- reversibly thus to commit yourselves, and trust to his pro- mised and inviolable ' faithfulness,' for strength to discharge your obligations, and perform your engagements. DEDICATION. " And now, in the presence of God, angels, and men, you do solemnly avouch the Lord Jehovah to be your God and portion, the object of your supreme love and delight ; and THE Lord Jesus Christ to be your Saviour from sin and death, your Prophet to instruct you, your Priest to atone and intercede for you, and your King to rule, protect, and enrich you ; and the Holy Ghost to be your Illuminator, Sanctifier, Comforter, and Guide, looking to him for light, grace, and peace ; unto this TRIUNE GOD — this wonder- ful " Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," into which we are baptized — you do now, without reserve, give yourselves away, in a covenant never to be revoked, to be his willing servants for ever, to observe all his commandments and all his ordinances, in the sanctuary, in the family, and in the closet. You do also bind your- selves by covenant to this Church, to watch over us in the 24 IMPORT OF THE Lord, to seek our purity, peace, and edification, and con- scientiously to submit to the government and discipline of Christ as here administered ; counting it a privilege and a favour — not a privation and a grievance, — to be subject in the Lord, to that authority which himself hath established in his church, and which he hath made it not more the duty of his officers to exercise, than of his members to obey. " All this, in the divine strength, you do severally profess and engage. ACCEPTATION. " In consequence of these your professions and engage- ments, we do affectionately open our arms to receive you as members of this Church, and, in the name of Christ, declare you entitled to all its visible privileges. We welcome you, as brethren in Christ, to this fellowship with us in the la- bours and the blessings, the toils and the honours, the crosses and the crowns, the trials and the rewards of the Gospel of our risen Redeemer : and on our part, engage, in his strength, to watch over you, to seek your edification, and to aid your progress through this wilderness to the fields of real pleasure beyond it. Should you have occasion, in providence, to re- move from us, to live within the bounds or in the neighbour* hood of another Church, we shall hold it our duty to give, as it will he yours to seek, a recommendation from us, which will place you under the watch and care of that portion of the family of Christ : for, hereafter, you can never withdraw from the pale of the church, or live in the neglect of sealing ordinances, without a breach of covenant. EXHORTATION. "And now, beloved in the Lord, let it be impressed on your minds that you have entered into a solemn condition, from which you can never escape. Wherever you may be, and however you may act, these vows will remain upon you through life. They will follow you to the bar of God, and CHRISTIAN PROFESSION. 25 in whatever world you may be fixed, they will abide upon you to eternity. You can never again be as you have been ! You have unalterably committed yourselves, and henceforth you MUST be the servants of God ! Hereafter, the eyes of the world will be upon you, and as you demean yourselves, so will religion be honoured or disgraced. Only let your conversation be as it hecometh the Gospel of Christ, and you will be a credit and comfort to us : but if it be otherwise, you will be to us a grief of heart, a stumbling-block, and a vexation ! and if there be a wo pronounced upon him who offends one of Christ's little ones, wo, wo to the person who offends a whole Church ! But, dearly beloved, we hope better things of you, and things which accompany salvation, though we thus speak. May the Lord strengthen you, and .give you a comfortable passage through this transitory life, and after its warfare shall be accomplished, bring us alto- gether into that blessed Church, where our communion shall be for ever perfect, and our joy for ever full. Grace be with you. Amen." Christians, ye who make this profession, and make it thus does not the subject require and demand your very serious consideration, and your devout and prayerful examination whether you are sincere and consistent ? Do you under stand what is included in that all-comprehensive appellative "A Christian," in that public declaration, I am a Christian' Have you studied your name, analyzed your profession' Are you aware what the world, the church, and angels ex pect from you, and what God and Christ demand of you' Or have you thrust yourself into the church, rushed to the Lord's table, and thoughtlessly assumed the Christian name in ignorance? Do you understand your profession, and does the world believe that you are sincere in it ? While you are telling them that you are Christ's, is your conduct such, that they are compelled to admit the truth of it? 3 26 IMPORTOFTHE Do they see a copy of your profession written out in living characters upon all your conduct ? Perhaps the view that has been given of the Christian profession may startle some of you and make you tremble : I wish it may ; for there is need of trembling with some. Should you endeavour to protect yourself against these searching inquiries, by affirm- ing that I have represented the subject in too alarming an aspect, and have made the Christian profession too compre- hensive, and too strict, I ask for proof My appeal is to your Bible. I cite but one passage, " None of us liveth to him- self, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord, and whether we die, we die unto the Lord ; whether we live, therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ both died and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living." — Rom. xiv. 7 — 9. This is what is required in every professor of reli- gion, to live and die for Christ ; to have no separate existence from the dominion of Christ, so as to be enabled to say with the apostle "for me to live is Christ." Is this our profession or is it not ? If it be, are we aware of it, or are we igno- rant of it ? Too comprehensive and too strict it may be for some, and if so they are none of Christ's ; they had better abandon a name which they do but dishonour, and a profes- sion which they only contradict; but better still is it that by studying it afresh they should strive by divine grace to come up to the high and holy standard. What cause for deep humiliation does this subject afford to the most eminent and consistent professors. Even the best of them must take shame and confusion of face to them- selves that they have lived so far beneath their own public declaration. Well is it there is mercy for saints, as well as sinners ; for even the most distinguished of them must ex- claim, " God be merciful to me a professor." O how little have we by ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty years, honoured CHRISTIAN PROFESSION. 27 Christ, glorified God, recommended religion, strengthened the church, and blessed the world. Wherefore be ye clothed with humility. Shall we not from this time begin afresh. Let us read over this imperfect outline of our profession, this sketch of our covenant with the Lord, this bond of surrendry to him, this record of our vows, and with a deliberate purpose, and a believing dependance on the promised help of the Spirit of God, let us consecrate ourselves afresh to the glory of Christ, according to the tenor of our Christian profession. 28 THE OBLIGATION AND DESIGN OF CHAPTER II. THE OBLIGATION AND DESIGN OF THE CHRISTIAN PROFESSION. It is every man's duty to confess Christ. But there is a previous duty to be performed, and that is to receive him. We should first he a Christian, and then declare ourselves such ; and anxious, most anxious, yea tremblingly anxious should we be, not to advance to the second position, till we have taken up the first. Every thing is, or should be, sub- sequent to this. The business immediately to be done by any human being, any fallen creature, is to believe the Gos- pel, and be at peace with God. He should, without any de- lay, have the faith of God's elect, and as soon as he has it he must avow it. We must not, either through timidity, or from any prudential considerations wish to keep our religion a secret, or covet to go by a secluded and unobserved path to heaven. It is not enough for us to commend ourselves to God as sincere, but we must acknowledge our faith " before men.^^ This is most clearly and most solemnly taught us by our Lord ; " Whosoever shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father who is in heaven : but whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven." — Matt. x. 32, 33. " Whosoever, therefore, shall be ashamed of me, and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed when he cometh in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels." — Mark. viii. 37. " Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, isaith the Lord." — 2 Cor. vi. 17. ''The word is nigh thee, THE CHRISTIAN PROFESSION. 20 even in thy mouth and in thy heart, that is the word of faith which we preach, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and beUeve in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man beheveth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." — Rom. x. 8 — 10. I have already described what this confession means, and shown that it is substantially the same as profession : and it now only remains to bring forward these solemn passages in proof that it is our duty to make it. The bare reading of them is enough to show that this is binding upon our conscience, by all the weight of divine authority. Christ forbids not only open enmity but secret love ; not only public rebellion, but con- cealed allegiance. Fie has commanded a profession, and made it one of the laws of his kingdom, under the peril of our being disowned by him : and he who refuses to comply with this law seems to put his salvation in jeopardy. The design and uses of this profession are manifest, and should be constantly kept in view. I need scarcely pre- mise that it is not to make us Christians, for it supposes that we are such already. It is a fearful, though it is to be ap- prehended, not an uncommon thing, for persons to substitute the profession for the possession, and to consider that they become Christians, by saying publicly they are such. The ends of profession are various, some of them refer to Christ. It is confessing Christ, and intended, as we have already shown, to honour him by a public declaration, that we have believed his divine mission, as the Son of God and Saviour of the world ; the Mediator between God and man ; the Prophet, Priest and King of his Church ; that we worship him as our God, rely upon him as our Saviour, and serve him as our Master. This is, of course, to glorify him, it is to fulfil the prediction that to him every knee should bow, and every tongue confess. Yes, every professor adds another voice to 3* 30 THE OBLIGATION AND DESIGN OF swell the chorus of praise that is rising to the honour of Jesus ; adds another witness to the multitude that speak of him to the world, and roll his name round the globe ; adds another trophy to the spoils which are accumulating in the Church to celebrate his victory over sin and Satan. It is a sweet and cheering reflection to the professor, that his very connexion with the Church, if it be maintained with consis- tency, is to the honour of Him who hath bought him with his blood. But there are designs relating to ourselves. It rescues us from the reproach and wipes off the stigma of our being Christ's enemies, and puts upon us the honour of being ac- counted his friends. The great multitude of mankind lie under the disgrace of being the foes of Jesus ; and this in appearance is the case with all who have not separated themselves from the number by a profession. There may be real Christians among them, who in other parts of their con- duct are sufficiently distinguished from them, but they are like Peter in the hall of the High Priest, among the foes of Christ. They are in the enemy's camp, though they do not wear his colour and costume. When we join the Church, we say publicly, " Account me no longer an enemy of Christ. I believe in him, adore him, love him, and serve him." Who would not be eager to say this ? Who would have a sha- dow of a shade attaching to them of being his enemy ? Who does not glory in the thought of saying to those who despise and reject him, " I am not one of you. I cannot treat the Saviour as you do," Profession gives us a right and title to all the privileges and comforts of communion with his church. It is our say- ing to his disciples " I come into the house in the Master's name, and take a seat at his table invited and accepted by him. He has given me a share in all the immunities of his family." It is therefore our act of association with his people, THE CHRISTIAN PROFESSION. 31 our title of admission to the fellowship of the faithful. Till we profess, they have no warrant to receive us, and when we do, they have no right to reject us. We have then a claim upon their confidence, their sympathy, their affection and their prayers ; and they upon ours. How cheering the idea, that we have thus acquired an interest in the hearts of the brethren, the communion of the church, and the supplications of those who have power with God to prevail. The solemn festivities of the sacramental table, the consultations and de- cisions of the church meetings, the maintenance of the come- ly order of Christ's house, all belong to us then by grant and covenant. Nor is comfort the only benefit that results to us by pro- fession, but holiness, help, safety. Trees grow best in plan- tations and forests ; so do Christians in church fellowship. Christ has gathered his people into churches, that they may enjoy the benefits of reciprocal watchfulness, care, help, and love. Christians do, or should, rally round one another, to warn them that are unruly, to comfort the feeble minded, to support the weak. They are commanded to exhort one an- other daily, lest any be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Profession draws many friendly eyes upon us, and many afiectionate arms around and underneath us. It is a bond upon our constancy. Publicity has a tendency to make us watchful and cautious. We have taken up a character ; we have placed ourselves on high ; we have in- vited notice ; we have said before many spectators — Here in thy courts I leave my vow, And thy rich grace record ; Witness ye saints who hear me now If I forsake the Lord. It might perhaps be thought that if a consciousness that the eye of God is upon us, be not enough to preserve us, the 32 THE OBLIGATION AND DESIGN OF additional recollection that we are under the surveillance of our fellow-creatures will not increase our vigilance and circumspection. But this is contrary to fact. In certain states of mind we are wrought upon more by what we see, than by what we believe : the eye of faith may be some- times too dim to see Him that is invisible, and then it is well that the eye of sense can see those that are visible. Pastoral oversight is another benefit which profession brings to us, and is designed to bring. Is it no privilege, or even a small one, to have the wise counsels, the affectionate reproofs, the wakeful care, the tender sympathy, the fervent prayers of a minister of God ? Profession has a purpose that relates to the church. It gives visibility to this holy community. The Church is God's witness in the world, and every one who joins it strengthens the testimony. It speaks by its embodied piety, and by its united voice, for Christ. Every one who enters its com- munion adds something to its strength and its stability. But for profession, it would cease to appear as a Church. Nor does each professor only add to the visibility, and do some- thing for the permanency of the Church, but also for its utihty. It is God's instrument for illuminating and convert- ing the world : the golden candlestick containing the lamp of truth ; the magazine of ways and means for evangelizing the nations of the earth ; and every one who becomes a member carries an addition of zeal and piety to render it more and more efficient. Profession is for the world. This we have already shown in what we have just considered, but it might be more extensively dwelt upon. " Ye are the salt of the earth, ye are the light of the world," said Christ to his disciples. The Church is the pillar and ground of truth, intended to hold up, to send round, to hand down, the truth . to show what truth is, what faith is, what holiness is ; to exhibit the text and a THE CHRISTIAN PROFESSION. 33 living comment upon it too : to send out life-giving voices at- tended by life-giving actions ; to speak for God to, and act for God upon, the dark and inert mass around. The true Church of Christ is evidently designed not only to receive the truth by faith for its own sake, but to reflect it, by profession, for the world's sake. It seems to bear much the same relation to the word of God, as the moon does the sun; and to perform some- what the same function in the spiritual economy as the satel- lite does in the planetary system. It is not the original source of hght, for that is the Bfble; but it is the recipient and deposi- tory of this light, which it receives for its own benefit, and reflects for the benefit of a benighted world. The church revolves in the attraction of this moral orb, and exhibits to those who would not otherwise receive them, its glorious beams. Hence, by the Lord's Supper, which is strictly and exclusively an ecclesiastical ordinance, the church is said to ''show forth" the death of Christ till his second coming. The word signifies to " publish openly and effectually," " to declare in a joyful and emphatic manner." To whom is this declaration to be made ? Not to the church, for they are to make it. Not to the angels or spirits made perfect, for they do not need it ; but to the careless, impenitent, and unbeliev- ing world. The death of Christ, as a sacrifice for sin, is the great truth of Christianity ; it is not so much a doctrine of scripture, as the scripture itself; it is in fact, the new cove' jiant: and the church, gathered round the sacramental table, and jointly partaking of the elements of bread and wine, in believing remembrance of the atoning death of the Lord Jesus, is, in that act, as well as by its well known pub- licly declared sentiments, a witness for Christ, and a preacher of him to the world. He is thus evidently set forth crucified for sinners, who are thereby invited to behold him as the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world. Every time the church is gathered together, the " Eride," 34 THE OBLIGATION AND DESIGN OF the Lamb's wife, lifts up her entreating voice, on behalf of hef divine Lord, and says to those who are despising and reject- ing him, " Come to Christ for salvation." Every professor, therefore, who joins himself to the church, both by his de- claration of faith and his approaches to the table of the Lord, sends forth the invitation to unbelievers, •' Come to Jesus, and be saved."* The visible Church, i. e. the collective body of professors is, I repeat, the golden candlestick placed in a dark world to hold forth in their profession the hght of truth, of holiness, of love, and consequently of happiness. This light, it is true, shines forth as we have said from the word, but the great multi- tude will not come within the range of its rays ; and it is therefore designed by a merciful God intent upon their salva- tion, that it shall be reflected upon them in a manner which they cannot avoid, in the conduct of those who profess to have received it. Hence, believers in that one solemn scene, where they are brought together round the visible symbols of their redemption and their union, are said to show forth the the Lord's death till he come. Every consistent professor is a light shining in a dark place, shining not for himself but for others ; shining to guide men to Christ, to his church, and to his heaven : a friendly lamp in the world's dark course, to assist them in finding their way to everlasting life. Can any thing be mentioned more solemnly admonitory as to the duties of professors or their responsibility ? How clearly should the light of truth shine forth in an enlarged, correct, and scriptural acquaintance with the doctrines of grace. How clearly should the light of holiness shine forth in all holy conversation and godliness ! How clearly should the light of love shine forth in brotherly kindness and charity ! And * Does not this expression of the apostle's plainly prove that the Lord's Supper ought to be observed publicly before the whole congre- gation? How else can we by that act " shotofoi'th^^ the death of Christ > THE CHRISTIAN PROFESSION. 35 how clearly should the light of happiness shine forth in the peace that passeth understanding, and the joy unspeakable and full of glory ! O, let it not be forgotten that a profes- sion is designed to be a light for the world ; and then again it may be asked, " What manner of men ought we to be? " Have we considered these matters deliberately and with an intelligent mind? Have we asked ourselves the solemn question, " For what purpose have I come out of the world into the church, and have I answered, and am I answering that purpose? Am I a living martyr and faithful witness for Christ? — making him known and causing him to be loved? Am I an index to the cross, a waymark to heaven ? Do I bear the image of Christ, and show the world for what pur- pose he came into the world, and died upon Calvary ? Am I a useful addition to the church, increasing not only its bulk, but its strength, its beauty, and its health ? — giving it visi- bility, not only as an ecclesiastical corporation of nominal Christians, but as the receptacle of heavenly communica- tions, the vestibule of the celestial temple, yea, the tabernacle of God with man, and having the glory of Jehovah? Have I added any thing to its spiritual excellence, and its moral power ? Or have I been a mere appendage, a lifeless ad- junct, a useless addition, and more of an encumbrance than a help to its utility ? As regards myself, what benefit have I derived from my profession ? 1 have obtained a public right to church privileges ; have taken my seat at the table of the Lord, and appropriated to myself my share of the blessings of fellowship and the prayers of the brethren. What am I the holier and happier for these things ? Have I grown in grace, and found the communion of saints to aid me in a pre- paration for the fellowship of the blessed in heaven? Have I found that my profession has indeed proved a bond upon my constancy, and made me watchful, circumspect, and cau- tious ? Has it separated me from the world, and kept me 36 THE OBLIGATION AND DESIGN OF separate in association, spirit, and conduct? I have had the watchful eye of my pastor upon me, and have received his admonitions pubHcly and privately, and am I the better for this, and a comfort to his heart 1 As respects the world, what good has it derived from me? Has the end of my profession been accomplished in reference to the unconverted part of mankind ? What have they seen in me calculated to subdue their prejudices against religion, and to conciUate their affection to it ? Have I shown them the light of truth, the beauty of holiness, and the power of love ? Like a lesser magnet touched by the mighty loadstone of Mount Calvary, have I drawn men to Christ ? Are there any who in looking to me, will say, there is the instrument of my conversion? " Such interrogatories as these ought to be pressed home by every professor on his conscience at seasons, and such should frequently occur, of solemn examination into the state of the soul. It may be, that some will read these pages who have not yet publicly professed faith in Christ, although they have reason to hope that they possess it? But why not profess it ? Have you considered our Lord's demand, Mark viii. 37; or the apostle's declaration, Rom. x. 8? Sit down and study those passages — ponder them well — apply them to your own case : and will you any longer believe secretly, when re- quired to profess publicly? " I am startled," you say, "at the vast comprehension of a profession." True, it is vast : but it is demanded of you : yes, both the possession and the profession. "I am afraid I shall disgrace my profession if I make it, as many have already done." True, they have : millions of souls have been helped on to perdition by the mis- conduct of nominal Christians : and you ought to tremble at the idea of adding to the number : but God's grace is suffi- cient for you. The way of duty is the way of safety, and THE CHRISTIAN PROFESSION. 87 none are so likely to be kept from falling as they who enter on their course with a holy /e«r of falling. Besides, are you not dishonouring God by making no profession, and are thus guilty of the inconsistency of actually doing wrong lest you should do it? "But I can go to heaven without making a profession." How do you know that? Perhaps not. It may be necessary for t/ou, although some others may have reached the heavenly shore without it. It is not for us to say of any obvious duty, " I can go to heaven without it." Not that I mean to insinuate justification is by works ; or, that absolute perfection is essential to salvation — but what I mean is this ; God requires obedience in all cases of known duty, and where we make exceptions, he may be so displeased as to give us up to ourselves, and leave us to turn back again to the world. '* But if I make a profession I shall displease my friends." " Whoever will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoso- ever will save his life shall lose it ; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul, or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul ? Whosoever, therefore, shall be ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed when he cometh in the glory of his Father, and with his holy angels." Mark, viii. 34 — 38- This is unbending, awful lan- guage. What is the favour or displeasure of friends to this? Is there aught in the fear or frown of any mortal under hea- ven, that should deter us from our duty in the view of such a peril as this ? " But my parents or my husband do not make a profes- sion, nor are they fit for it, and they would not like for me to join the church without them, and I should scarcely like it myself." If they will not go to heaven, should that allow 4 38 THE OBLIGATION AND DESIGN, &C. you to reject any of the means that help you thither? If they will not honour Christ, should that hinder you from doing it ? Will you disobey the Saviour out of compliment to any earthly friend whatever? It is your duty, your solemn duty, and is it better to please men or God ? Perhaps your decision in this matter may be blessed to them. If not, you are to do what is right without considering consequences. Abandon excuses and objections then, and confess with the mouth, even as God has given you grace to believe with the heart. THE DANGERS OF SELF-DECEPTION. 39 CHAPTER III. THE DANGERS OF SELF-DECEPTION. The professors of Christianity may be divided into three classes, — the sincere, the hypocritical, and the self-deceived. Of the second class there are very few. I have rarely met with them. It is not often that any one attains to such a pitch of audacious and disgusting wickedness, as to make for some sinister purpose, a profession, which at the time, he knows to be false. But while there are few that are inten- tionally deceiving others, there are very many who are un- consciously deceiving themselves. Alarming consideration ! To be self deceived in a matter of such tremendous impor- tance as the salvation of the immortal soul ! To suppose that we are justified before God, while we are under the condem- nation of his righteous law ; that we are truly regenerated, while we are still in an unconverted state ; that we are the children of God, while we are the children of the devil ; and that we are travelling to heaven, while each day, as it passes, leaves us nearer to the bottomless pit ! The very possibility of such a case should rouse our lukewarm souls, excite all our fears, and put us upon the most cautious and diligent ex- amination. PROFESSION IS NOT POSSESSION. This common, hackneyed, yea, true and impressive senti- ment, is thus put out by itself^ in bold and prominent relief, that it may attract the reader's attention, and come upon his heart and conscience with all possible emphasis. A church 40 THEDANGERSOF member is not necessarily a real Christian ; and outward communion with the members, is no certain proof of vital union with the Divine Head. It is to be feared that fatal mistakes are made by many on this momentous subject. Among those who pay little or no attention to religion, it is very commonly supposed, that dying is somehow or other to fit them for heaven ; that some mysterious change is to pass upon them then, by which they shall be meetened, for the kingdom of glory; as if death were a converting ordinance, instead of a mere physical change ; a sacrament of grace, instead of a mere dissolution of our compound nature. Others attach the same mistaken notion to the act of uniting with a Christian church, making a profession of religion, and receiving the Lord's Supper, is in some way or other to effect a change in them, and by a process of which they can form no definite idea, make them true Christians. But there are others, who, better taught, attach no such incorrect opinions to church fellowship; who admit the necessity of faith and re- generation, as perquisities to communion, but who, afler all, deceive themselves in the supposition that they possess those qualifications. First. — I shall prove that such self-deception is not only possible, hut frequent. This is evident from the many warnings against it, con- tamed in the apostolic writings. " Be not deceived,^' is an admonition thrice repeated by Paul, in his first epistle to the Corinthians. — Chapter iii. 16; vi. 9; xv. 33. How impres- sive is his language to the Galatians, "If any man think him- self to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth him- self." — Galatians, vi. 3. The apostle James follows up the same subject. " Do not err my beloved brethren — Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." — James, i. 16, 22. What solemn admonitions are in other places given on the work of self-scrutiny! '* Examine SELF-DECEPTION. 41 yourselves whether ye be in the faith ; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates." — 2 Cor. xiii. 5. "Let every man prove his own work." — Gal. vi. 4. But what can equal the force and impressiveness of the apostle's language and caution in reference to himself? " I keep under my body and bring it into subjection, lest that by any means after I have preached to others, I myself should he a cast-away^ — 1 Cor. ix. 27. If such a man, the greatest, the holiest, the most distinguished member, minister, and apostle of the Chris- tian church, found it necessary to exercise such caution, what must be the need of it on our part ? The danger of self-deception is also apparent from the alarming declarations of Christ. In the parable of the sower, he divided the hearers of the word into four classes, of which one only is composed of sincere believers, although two, at least out of the other three, are represented as receiving the word and professing it for a while. How solemn and awa- kening are his words in the sermon upon the Mount. " Not every one that saith unto me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but he that doeth the will of my Father, who is in heaven. Many will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name I and in thy name have cast out devils ? and in thy name have done many won- derful works % And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you ; depart from me ye that work iniquity." — Matt. vii. 21 — 23. These persons were not only professors, but of high standing in the church ; they were confident of their safety ; yet they were lost ; and there were many of them ! I Dwell upon the facts recorded in the New Testament — Judas, though he ended as a dissembling hypocrite, began in all probability as a self-deceived professor. One apostle out of twelve a false professor ! What multitudes at one time followed Christ, and in some way believed on him, among 4* 43 THEDANGERSOF whom were many of the rulers oT the Jews ; and yet so great was the number that afterwards abandoned their profession, that our Lord put this question to the twelve, — " Will ye also go away ? " implying that the rest had nearly all left him. Peter speaks of some " who after they had known the way of righteousness, had turned from the holy commandment deli- vered unto them." — 2 Peter, ii. 21 : and John, in describing the case of some in his time, says, " They went out from us, but they were not of us ; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us." — 1 John, ii. 19. Let any one read attentively the addresses to the seven churches of Asia Minor, contained in the second and third chapters of the Apocalypse, and observe the description of those communities, given by one who could not err ; they seem to have contained, at least some of them, a great pro- portion of merely nominal Christians. Yet these were churches under the care of an apostle. Does not our observation confirm the fact of the danger of self-deception ? To say nothing of open apostates who turn back to sin, error, or the world, and who are cast out of the church, how many are there that still remain, who though their inconsistencies are not sufficiently gross to make them the subjects of discipline, too plainly indicate by their total want of all spirituality and earnestness of piety, that they have nothing of Christianity but the name ! It is no violation of the law of charity to say that persons so worldly in their spirit, so unsanctified in their temper, so little inter- ested by the concerns of Christ's kingdom, either in their own church or in the world at large, are making but an empty and heartless profession. However painful, then, the fact may be, it is a fact that the danger of self-deception is alarmingly great. Secondly. Let us now inquire into the causes of this delusion. SELF-DECEPTION. 43^ The first and chief is, mistaking the forms and restraint of a religious education, or a little temporary excitement of the feelings, for a real change of heart. Nothing short of this change is true piety. As partakers of a fallen and corrupt nature, we must be renewed, and not merely a little altered. "Except a man be born of water and of the spirit he can- not enter into the kingdom of heaven." The imagination may be interested, the feelings may be moved, the conduct improved, and yet the heart remain unchanged. As long as this is the case, there is no abiding principle, no root of god- liness in the soul. Every thing but the new nature, will subside ; all will fall off but this. It is to be expected that under the exciting preaching of the present day, many will be impressed, seem to be converted, and walk well for a time, who are not renewed ; their opinions are scriptural, their conduct is correct, and they are admitted to the church upon a profession of their faith : and there is no reason why they should not be. After a while the novelty of religion ceases, their affections grow cold, and although they do not, perhaps, become profligate or leave the church, they settle down into a mere formal attendance upon the means of grace, and re- main in this miserable state, till death sends them into the eternal world. The danger is increased by the present external peace and unmolested liberty of the church. In the primitive days of Christianity, and often since, the profession of religion was attended with imminent peril of goods, liberty, or life. Per- secuting laws were in force against those who believed in Jesus, and confessed their faith. They had, indeed, to take up their cross, and it was through much tribulation they en- tered the kingdom of God. In such circumstances it might be imagined, no man would profess himself a Christian, who was not really one. We can suppose that a prison, and a stake, would be a sufficient check, not only upon hypocrisy, 44 THEDANGERSOF but upon mere nominal religion. But even this was not al- ways effectual — self-deception existed even then. How much more likely is it that it should prevail now, when a profession of piety, so far from exposing us to scorn, contempt, and suf- fering, is a means of procuring for us an increase of esteem and affection ? Evangelical religion and an avowal of it, are become almost fashionable. There is now no fiery or- deal to pass through as a test of our sincerity ; no sifting process to separate the chaff from the wheat ; and as a na- tural, though fatal consequence, many profess religion, wha are strangers to its power and efficacy. The wide and easy access to communion which is af- forded hy some churches increases the danger. It cannot be said of them, as it is of the church mentioned in the word of God, that their gates shall be opened continually and shall not be shut day nor night ; for they can scarcely be said to have any gates at all ; or if they have, there is no porter at the gate, to ask the sign of him who enters. True it is, the entrance ought not to be made narrower than Christ has made it. No unscriptural terms of communion should be im- posed; no bars nor obstacles set up to keep out those who have a right to enter in ; no scaring usages adopted to fright- en away timid minds : — but surely somebody, either pastor, or people, or both together, should with holy caution. Chris- tian tenderness, and experienced minds, examine those who wish to be admitted to fellowship ; not indeed for the sake of in- dulging and showing inquisitorial authority, but for guarding the young disciple against deception ; and, also, if he be not correct in his views either of the truth or of himself, for teaching him the way of God more perfectly. If, therefore, nothing more be required, than for a person to declare him- self a Christian without any examination, how great is the danger of his " thinking he is something while he is nothing." SELF-DECEPTION. 45 The injudicious persuasions of ministers and friends, have led many to make a profession of religion, before in fact they had any real religion to profess. A too eager wish to have a large church, and thus to magnify their pas- toral importance, and to multiply the proofs of their useful- ness, a most censurable, because injurious kind of ministerial vanity, has made some far too hasty in introducing persons to Christian communion : others from feelings of false deli- cacy have, amidst many suspicions of its sincerity encour- aged a profession, rather than wound the minds of the candi- dates, by suggesting a doubt of their real conversion to God. While there are some, who acting upon the supposition that religious impressions are likely to ripen into conversion by the advantages of church fellowship, encourage the subjects of them to come forward and publicly profess their faith in Christ before they have any. Nor is the conduct of some good people less injudicious sometimes towards their rela- tions. A husband feels a pang in his heart at every sacra- mental season, at the wife of his bosom rising and retiring from his side, when he is about to receive the eucharistic memorials. To a wife, who to all her natural affection for her husband, adds a tender solicitude for his eternal welfare, it is a great and painful deduction from her spiritual enjoy- ment that she goes alone to the supper of the Lord. Pa- rents long to have their children with them in the fellowship of the church. Hence, in all these cases, there is sometimes much persuasion used to induce the unprofessing relative to assume the name, and make the confession of a Christian. Now, where there is a firm hope, a hope founded on con- vincing evidence, that the object of sohcitude is truly regen- erated, and made a partaker of saving grace, this is very proper : — but where this evidence is wanting, where there is no good ground for believing that a spriritual change has taken place : it is a most misplaced and mischievous anxiety 46 THEDANGERSOF to wish such persons to enter into the charch. It is aiding their self-deception, and being accessory to a delusion, which places them at the farthest remove from salvation. They are much more likely to be converted out of the church, than in it. Many who have persuaded their friends to make an untimely, because insincere profession, have lived to repent of their mistaken anxiety, by seeing accumulating evidence, that their relative, though a church member, was certainly not a Christian. The improper reliance that some professors have upon the strict mode of examination adopted by most of our churches is another source of delusion. They have been interrogated by the pastor, whose scrutiny has been aided by some of the deacons or members ; they have submitted either verbally, or in writing, a statement of their opinions, and feelings, as well as a history of their alleged conversion to God, and on this ground have been received and approved as truly regenerated. " Can such judges," they ask them- selves, •' be mistaken ? Such examiners, so competent, so impartial, so particular, form a wrong conclusion? No." Their piety is thus authenticated, their profession attested, and their safety undoubted. All is right. Such is their reasoning ; and when in after times a doubt is raised, raised perhaps on grounds which ought to be conclusive, as to the fact of the falseness of their profession, they silence the voice of conscience, by pleading agamst its testimony, their admis- sion to the church after the most rigid examination. Hence, the importance of the pastor's never giving, at the admission of a member, an opinion that he is truly converted, but throw- ing the whole judgment of the case upon the member's own conscience as in the sight of a heart-searching God ; and thus making him responsible for the consequences of any wrong conclusion he may draw concerning his spiritual con- dition. SELF-DECEPTION. 47 Look at these things, and learn whence the danger comes, and how imminent the danger is of self-delusion as to our state before God, and our safety for eternity. It is not say- ing too much to affirm, that multitudes are thus deluded. The dark memorial of the Laodicean church is a fearful proof that whole communities of professing Christians may be in this appalling condition. It is one of the cunning arti- fices, the deep devices, the artful machinations of Satan, to lead men into self-deception, when he can no longer hold them in careless indifference ; to ruin their souls in the church, when he cannot effect it in the world ; to lull them asleep by the privileges of communion, when he cannot continue their slumber amidst the pleasures of sin. O how many is he leading captive this way? How many is he conducting to perdition, whom he has first blindfolded with the bandage of a false profession? How many are there in all our churches, who are in this awful state ! Thirdly, We now contemplate the consequences of this self-deception. It corrupts the purity of the church. Members in this state, are the wood, hay, and stubble, in the walls of the spiritual temple, which disfigure its beauty and impair its strength. They are Achans that trouble the camp of Is- rael, and bring down the displeasure of the Lord upon its hosts. They are the disease of the spiritual body which swell its bulk, but destroy its health. Do they by their prayers bring down the blessing of God upon the pastor or the members 1 Alas ! they pray not for themselves. Do they by their piety diffuse vitality and energy through the community 1 They are cold, lifeless, dead. Do they by their consistency attract others to the church 1 On the con- trary, they disgust and repel. Instead of aiding the force of that concentrated light, by which the church shines upon the dark world around, they envelope it with smoke. Instead 4S THEDANGERSOF of acting as the salt of the earth, they bring corruption into the kingdom of Christ. They are not only negatively an in- jury, but positively : they do harm at all times, but especially on occasions of strife, they are the fuel that feed the flames of discord. As it respects religion they disparage and injure it, not so much by raising against it the cry of hypocrisy on the ground of their immorality, as by lowering its standard, de- preciating its value, diminishing its power, carnalizing and secularizing it, and reducmg it to a greater conformity to the spirit of the world: so that many persons seeing no differ- ence between such professors and themselves, except the mere circumstance of profession, think such a religion not worth their notice. But as to the nominal professor himself, how truly awful is the consequence of his delusion. He is perhaps the most hopeless character on earth. Before he assumed the name of Christ, there was hope of him that he would be impressed, convinced, and converted, by some of those discriminating discourses which point out the difference between a regene- rated and an unregenerated man ; those pungent appeals to the conscience which are so often blessed in awakening them that are without — but now he is proof against all these. He is a professor, a church member; and with this as his shield he wards off every arrow of conviction from his heart. These things he says are for the unprofessing, not for him. Gluietly his conscience sleeps amidst all the thunders that roll from the pulpit, while the lightnings carried off by the con- ductor of his profession, touch not his false hopes, and leave him amidst all secure. He puts away from himself all the threatenings of the word, though they are pointed at him, and takes to himself all the privileges and consolations of the righteous, though he enjoys none of them. If at any time the power of the deception begins to be shaken by the efforts of SELF-DECEPTION. 49 a half-awakened conscience, and there rises up a suspicion, that he is not a truly religious man, Satan aids him to regain his delusive quietude by the usual suggestion, that he is a professor, a church member, and that though he is not per- fect, he is not farther from it than many others : he only partakes of the general delusion of the times, and if he be wrong, who is right ? Besides, what is he to do ? He is a church member, and would he begin again ? Would he repent, believe, and be converted now 1 Such logic is gene- rally successful, and the poor creature lies down again to sleep on the sleep of death. Notwithstanding the great number of professing Christians which exist, and the great numbers of unconverted ones too, how rarely do we meet with any who were converted after they became professors ? How seldom do any such come to their pastor, and express a fear, and follow it up, that they have never been truly changed. Hence it is, that some ministers feel it to be the greatest perplexity of all their pastoral avocations, to give answers to persons, who come to advise with them on the subject of making a profession. If from suspicion that their hearts are not yet right with God they dissuade them, they may be discouraging those whom they ought to receive and encour- age : sending away a babe that ought to be laid in the bosom of the church : breaking the bruised reed and quenching the smoking flax : — while on the other hand, if they encourage the inquirer to come forward, they may be strengthening the delusion of a self-deceived soul, and become accessory to the ruin of an immortal spirit. Some conscientious men have found and felt this to be the very burden of their lives, and from which there is no way of gaining relief or ease, but by laying down the marks of true conversion, begging the que- rist to bring forward his heart to this test, sta' ^ng what is implied in a Christian profession, and making him, as has 5 50 THEDANGERSOF been already said, responsible for the judgment of his own case, and all its consequences too. But extend your views to another world, and anticipate if you can, the consequences of self-deception as they exist and are perpetuated through Christianity. Bunyan, in his inimi- table allegory, the " Pilgrim's Progress," after represent, ing the rejection of a false professor, called Ignorance, who had knocked at the portals of heaven, and asked admission, concludes his book with these awfully impressive words, " Then I saw that there was a way to hell, even from the gates of heaven^ as well as from the city of destruction.^^ A professor in hell ! ! Tremendous idea ! Horrifying thought ! After spending his time on earth in the nominal communion of saints, to spend his eternity in the real fellow- ship of devils in hell ! After belonging to the society of God's people : joining in all their services and their privi- leges ; transacting with them the business of his kingdom ; uniting with them in the expulsion as well as the reception of members — then to be sent away into the prison of lost souls. O how dreadful would it be to be separated from the church of God now, to pass under the sentence of excommu- nication, to be exscinded as a corrupt member of the body, and given over to Satan — but what is this to the sentence of excommunication from the church triumphant, pronounced by Jesus Christ himself at the last day ? O to hear him say, depart ! Who does not feel the force of those impressive verses : — Thou lovely chief of all my joys, Thou sovereign of my heart, How could I bear to hear thy voice, Pronounce the sound, depart? The thunder of that dismal word Would so torment my ear, 'Twould tear my soul asunder, Lord, With most tormenting fears. SELF-DECEPTION. 51 O wretched state of deep despair, To see my God remove, And fix my doleful station where I could not taste his love. Fourthly. — Let us now consider what means are neces- sary and proper for you to adopt to avoid deception. Dwell upon the subject. Ponder it deeply. Let it take hold upon your mind, and your mind take hold upon it. Let it not be dismissed from you with the same ease as you send into oblivion many other subjects of a religious nature. It is unusually momentous, and has an awfulness about it far be- yond the usual topics of reflection. The very idea is ter. v'l^G, a self-deceived professor ; a professor going to perdi- tion ! The frequency of it makes it still more alarming. If it were only a bare possibility, an occurrence that might ex- ist, yet that rarely did exist, it would still demand our serious attention — but when it is so common, that it is to be feared there is scarcely any church in which there are not some in this situation, and no large church in which there are not many, how serious, how alarming a matter does it become ! You should bring the matter liome to yourselves, and admit not only the possibility of the danger in the abstract, or in reference to others, but in reference to you. Your profession does not necessarily imply the actual possession of religion. You must not receive it as evidence that you are Christians. In those moments, and such it is presumed you spend, when with more than usual anxiety you ask the question, " Am I really a child of God ?" it is not enough to reply, " I am a professor : " for this in any state of the church, and especially the present one, is not a proofs scarcely a presumption, that you are born again of the Spirit. It is possible then, that^^o?^ may be deceived, and you should not imagine that there is any thing in your circumstances \o render the idea inapplica- ble to you. 52 THEDANGERSOF You should dread the tliougld of being deluded. Its fearful consequences should be solemnly meditated upon, se- riously and piously revolved. It should be often said, with holy trembling, " Oh, if I should be at last deceived ! " You should examine your state, frequently, deliberately, solemnly, and impartially. Time should be set apart, occa- sionally, for the special purpose of prayer and self-scrutiny. You should have times and opportunities of more than usual length and earnestness for self-examination, when you should look again, and with more intenseness, upon your evidences of personal religion. When your form.er and your present state, your supposed conversion, your conduct, and the state of your affections, shall all come under review, — when with a wish not to be deceived, you shall ask yourselves for the reasons of the hope that is in you. It is too important a matter to be taken for granted ; the consequences of decep- tion are too awful and remediless to be carelessly risked. Nor is it enough to trust to your own examination. Aware of the deceitfulness of the human heart, and our proneness through self-love to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think, and at the same time recollecting how much interest we have in believing we are right, you should beseech God to make hioivn to you your real condi. tion. You should carry to him the prayer of David, " Search me, O God, and know my heart ; try me, and know my thoughts ; and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."' — Psalm, cxxxix. 23, 24. You should deal honestly with God, and tell him that you wish to know your state, and that you deprecate as the hea- viest judgment that could befall you, being deceived. If you have reason, upon examination, to think you have taken up a false opinion of your case, do not blind yourselves to your condition; do not conclude against evidence, that you are safe ; do not attempt to silence the voice of con- SELF-DECEPTION. 53 science or corrupt its testimony : this is worse than useless^ it is most alarmingly dangerous, and is the last stage of the delusion. Instead of this, begin afresh. What is to hinder you ? If you are not converted, you may be. Let not the idea of a false profession throw you into despondency. God is as willing to forgive the sin of a false profession as the sin of no profession. The blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse you from this sin. Now repent, now believe, now hope, now love. God waits to be gracious even yet. It is not too late to be renewed yet. The door of mercy is not closed yet. Sincerity of pro- fession is not beyond your reach yet. Begin to be in earnest- Determine to trifle no longer. Set apart time for private pray- er, reading the scriptures, and holy meditation. Be diligent in attendance upon the public means of grace. Make a fresh and entire surrender of yourself to God. But especially look by faith to Jesus Christ, for the pardon of your past insincerity, lukewarmness, and worldliness. Be humble, very humble in your own eyes, and before God ; but still do not despair. Exercise dependance upon the Spirit of all grace, confide in his power, and rely upon his mercy. Be thankful that since you were in error, you have discovered it, and have not been permitted to go on in darkness till you had stumbled over the precipice into the yawning pit of destruction below. If, upon examination, you have good reason to think all is right, rejoice in Christ Jesus. Let the peace of God which passeth all understanding, rule in your hearts, to which ye are called, and be ye thankful. " Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God, speak ye comfortably to Jerusa- lem." This discourse is intended not to disturb the peace of God's people, but to destroy the false confidence of his dis- guised foes. There are two classes of professors to whom the alarming appeals of it do not apply ; the first, are those eminent Christians who have the fullest assurance of hope» and whose assurance is sustained by the joy of faith, the obe^ 5* 54 THE DANGERS OF SELF-DECEPTION. dience of love, and the patience and purity of hope : whose reh'gion is so vigorous and influential as to be self-evident to themselves and others. They have scarcely need to ask the question, "Am I a child of God ?" for the proofs of it are ever within them. Blessed state ! happy Christians ! and all are invited to become such. But there is another class , who are not likely to be deceived ; those who are truly, and sometimes sorrowfully, anxious about the matter ; who are often trying themselves by the Word of God ; who know, if they know any thing, they would not be deluded for ten thousand worlds; who, notwithstanding their many imperfec- tions, their painful consciousness of defects, still know they do love the Lord Jesus Christ, though with too lukewarm an affection ; who, notwithstanding all their doubts and fears, are conscious of a real and sometimes an intense longing after holiness. Be comforted, ye timid followers of the Lamb : self-deceivers are rarely afraid that this is their state and character. Dismiss your fears and go on your way rejoicing. THE YOUNG PROFESSOR. 55 CHAPTER IV THE YOUNG PROFESSOR. Br the Young Professor, I mean the person lately con- verted, and who has but recently assumed the Christian name, whether in the morning or the meridian of his days. I cannot do better than submit to the consideration of such persons, the following judicious advice given by the justly celebrated Jonathan Edwards, of America, to a young lady, who had just commenced the life of faith. " My dear young Friend, " As you desired me to send you, in writing, some direc- tions how to conduct yourself in your Christian course, I would now answer your request. The sweet remembrance of the great things I have lately seen at S , inclines me to do any thing in my power, to contribute to the spiritual joy and prosperity of God's people there. " 1. I would advise you to keep up as great a strife and earnestness in religion as if you knew yourself to be in a state of nature, and were seeking conversion. We advise persons under conviction, to be earnest and violent for the kingdom of heaven: but when they have attained to conver- sion, they ought not to be the less watchful, laborious, and earnest in the whole work of religion ; but the more so, for they are under infinitely greater obligations. For want of this, many persons, in a few months after their conversion, have begun to lose their sweet and lively sense of spiritual things, and to grow cold and dark, and have ' pierced them- 56 THEYOUNG selves through with many sorrows ; ' whereas, if they had done as the apostle did, (Philippians, iii. 12 — 14.) their path would have been ' as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.' "2. Do not leave off seeking, striving, and praying for the very same things that we exhort unconverted persons to strive for, and a degree of which you have had already in conversion. Pray that your eyes may be opened, that you may receive sight, that you may know yourself^ and be brought to God's footstool ; and that you may see the glory of God and Christ, and may be raised from the dead, and have the love of Christ shed abroad in your heart. Those who have most of these things, have need still to pray for them ; for there is so much blindness and hardness, pride and death remaining, that they still need to have that work of God wrought upon them, further to enlighten and enliven them, that shall be bringing them out of darkness into God's marvellous light, and be a kind of new conversion and resur- rection from the dead. There are very few requests that are proper for an impenitent man, that are not also, in some sense, proper for the godly. " 3. When you hear a sermon, hear for yourself. Though what is spoken may be more especially directed to the un- converted, or to those that, in other respects, are in different circumstances from yourself; yet, let the chief intent of your mind be to consider, ' In what respect is this applicable to me ? and what improvement ought I to make of this, for my own soul's good 1 ' "4. Though God has forgiven and forgotten your past sins, yet do not forget them yourself: often remember, what a wretched bond-slave you were in the land of Egypt. Oft- en bring to mind your particular acts of sin before conver- sion ; as the blessed apostle, Paul, is often mentioning his old blaspheming, persecuting spirit, and his injuriousness to the PROFESSOR. 57 renewed, humbling his heart, and acknowledging that he was the least of the apostles, and not worthy ' to be called an apostle,' and the ' least of all saints,' and the ' chief of sin- ners j ' and be often confessing your old sins to God, and let that text be often in your mind, ' that thou mayest remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth any more, because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord God.' " 5. Remember, that you have more cause, on some ac- counts, a thousand times to lament and humble yourself for sins that have been committed since conversion, than before, because of the infinitely greater obligations that are upon you to live to God, and to look upon the faithfulness of Christ, in unchangeably continuing his loving kindness, notwithstand- ing all your great unworthiness since your conversion. " 6. Be always greatly abased for your remaining sin, and never think that you lie low enough for it ; but yet be not discouraged or disheartened by it ; for, though we are ex- ceeding sinful, yet we have an advocate with the Father, Je- sus Christ the righteous ; the preciousness of whose blood, the merit of whose righteousness, and the greatness of whose love and faithfulness, infinitely overtop the highest mountain of our sins. "7. When you engage in the duty of prayer, or come to the Lord's Supper, or attend any other duty of divine wor- ship, come to Christ as Mary Magdalene did : — (Luke, vii. 37, 38;) come, and cast yourself at his feet, and kiss them, and pour forth upon him the sweet perfumed ointment of divine love, out of a pure and broken heart, as she poured the pre- cious ointment out of her pure broken alabaster box. " 8. Remember, that pride is the worst viper that is in the human heart, the greatest disturber of the soul's peace, and of sweet communion with Christ ; it was the first sin commit- ted, and lies the lowest in the foundation of Satan's whole 58 THEYOUNG building, and is with the greatest difficulty rooted out, and is the most hidden, secret, and deceitful of all lusts, and often creeps insensibly into the midst of religion, even, sometimes, under the disguise of humility itself "9. That you may pass a correct judgment concerning yourself, always look upon those as the best discoveries, and the best comforts, that have most of these two effects : those that make you least and lowest, and most like a child ; and those that most engage and fix your heart in a full and firm disposition to deny yourself for God, and to spend and be spent for him. " 10. If at any time you fall into doubts about the state of your soul, into dark and dull frames of mind, it is proper to review your past experience ; but do not consume too much time and strength in this way : rather apply yourself^ with all your might, to an earnest pursuit after renewed experience, new light, and new lively acts of faith and love. One hew discovery of the glory of Christ's face, will do more toward scattering clouds of darkness in one minute, than examining old experience, by the best marks that can be given, through a whole year. "11. When the exercise of grace is low, and corruption prevails, and by that means fear prevails ; do not desire to have fear cast out any other way, than by the reviving and prevailing of love in the heart : by this, fear will be effectu- ally expelled, as darkness in a room vanishes away, when the pleasant beams of the sun are let into it. " 12. When you counsel and warn others, do it earnestly, and affectionately, and thoroughly: and when you are speak- ing to your equals, let your warnings be intermixed with expressions of your sense of your own unworthiness, and of the sovereign grace that makes you to differ. " 13. If you would set up religious meetings of young women by yourselves, to be attended once in a while, be- PROFESSOR. 59 sides the other meetings you attend, I should think it would be very proper and profitable. " 14. Under special difficulties, or when in great need of, or great longings after, any particular mercy for yourself or others, set apart a day for secret prayer and fasting by your- self alone ; and let the day be spent, not only in petitions for the mercies you desire, but in searching your heart, and in looking over your past life, and confessing your sins before God, not as is done in public prayer, but by a very particu- lar rehearsal before God of the sins of your past life, from your childhood hitherto, before and after conversion, with the circumstances and aggravations attending them, and spread- ing all the abominations of your heart very particularly, and as fully as possible, before him. , " 15. Do not let the adversaries of the cross have occasion to reproach religion on your account. How holily should the children of God, the redeemed and the beloved of the Son of God, behave themselves. Therefore, ' walk as chil- dren of the Hght, and of the day,' and ' adorn the doctrine of God your Saviour ; ' and especially, abound in what are call- ed the Christian virtues, and which make you like the Lamb of God : be meek and lowly of heart, and full of pure, hea- venly, and humble love to all ; abound in deeds of love to others, and self-denial for others ; and let there be in you a disposition to account others better than yourself " 16. In all your course, walk with God, and follow Christ, as a little, poor, helpless child, taking hold of Christ's hand, keeping your eye on the marks of the wounds in his hands and side, whence came the blood that cleanses you from sin, and hiding your nakedness under the skirt of the white shin- ing robes of his righteousness. " 17. Pray much for the ministers and the church of God; especially that he would carry on his glorious work which he has now begun, till the world shall be full of his glory. J. E." 60 THEYOUNG If it be necessary to add any thing to the contents of thig excellent letter, I would deliver it in the following particu- lars. Set out in your profession with clear and impressive ideas of what it implies, and for what purpose it is to be made ; and for this end, read with great attention the previous chap- ters which treat on these subjects. Seek to possess and to retain a comfortable sense of your interest in the blessings of salvation, even the witness of the Spirit that you are a child of God ; and remember that evi- dence of piety is not so much to be sought in strong and high emotions of any kind, as in real humility, self-distrust, hunger- ing and thirsting after righteousness, sorrow for sin, and a continual effort to regulate your thoughts, feehngs, and con- duct by the word of God. Do not expect to find in your own case, every thing you have heard or read of, in the experience of others. In the work of grace there is substantial uniformity, and circumstantial variety. Especially, remember that religion is not a princi- ple of such self preserving energy, as that when once planted in the soul, it will continue to thrive and increase without ef- fort — but on the contrary, is of so tender and delicate a na- ture as to require great, constant, and persevering anxiety, watchfulness, and care. Do not expect to be made happy by religion unless you become eminent Christians. They who would enjoy their profession must drink deep of the wells of salvation. A luke- warm, half-hearted Christian, enjoys neither the world nor re- ligion. Do not make the average piety of professors the model or standard of your own ; but look to the standard set up in the word of God. Consider not what professors are, but what they should be. Many are deceiving themselves, and if you copy them in their delusion, you will follow them in their PROFESSOR. 61 l-uin. This being satisfied to be as others are, has had a more disastrous influence on the church and the world than all other causes put together. Remember that your evidence of religion ceases when any thing else has the first place in your thoughts and affections. Never suffer any day to pass without reading a portion of Holy Scripture ; and be jealous of every book that becomes a rival with the Bible. Acquire and maintain great tenderness of conscience, and recollect that there are no little sins for a professor. Begin your Christian course with habits of usefulness. A constant desire and aim to do good as instruments of saving sinners, and raising the standard of piety and benevolent ac- tivity in our fellow Christians, is one of the ends of our con- version, and a convincing proof of its reality. Do not neglect religious duty, because you suppose your feelings are not right at the time. Action begets emotion : and the right feeling comes with the right doing. In the great work of mortification do not despond and give up the work, although often defeated in the attempt to con- quer and eradicate a corruption. It must be conquered ; it may be by divine grace assisting your endeavours ; and it will be, if you are resolute, and persevering. Recollect, you as much need supporting and preserving grace, as you did converting grace. Regeneration supplies no stock which makes you independent of God. "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." — Gal. v. 25. "We must know what is the exceeding greatness of God's power to US-ward who believe." Our every action as believ- ers, must be performed in the dependance and confidence of faith.* * I recommend an admirable little pocket Tract, entitled " Directions for Persons just entering on a Religious Life j " price 2d. Publislied by Ward & Co, 6 62 THEYOUNGPROFESSOR. Do you need encouragement ? Are you alarmed at the difficulties and dangers of the way ? Does your heart faint to think how many have made shipwreck of faith and a good conscience ? Consider you enjoy the sympathies and pray- ers of the whole church — the watchfulness and care of the pastor — and what is of far more value and consolation, the notice, the love, intercession, and the support of the Great and Good Shepherd, who gathers the lambs in his arms, and carries them in his bosom. He will not forget the lambs : their feeble bleat attracts his notice, their helplessness draws his attention, and for them he puts forth all his pastoral kind- ness and skill. Consider also, that when Jesus Christ begins a good work he will carry it on to perfection. You have all the infinite resources of the Holy Spirit to depend upon, and to draw from. Exceeding great and precious promises, which are all yea and amen in Christ Jesus, are continually speak- ing encouragement to you from God. And behold in the church around you, professors gray in the service of the Lord, who were once young and trembling as you now are, but who have been kept through all the duties, the difficul- ties, and the temptations of perhaps forty or fifty years ; — and if you look into the unseen world, there are miUions round the throne, who have been kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. The faithful love, and all-suffi- cient grace which have kept them, can and will keep you. With these considerations " go on your way rejoicing."* ♦ Many of the particulars summarily expressed in this chapter will be amplified in the subsequent parts of the book. COMPARISON OF PROFESSORS. 63 CHAPTER V. AN ATTEMPT TO COMPARE THE PRESENT GENERATION OF PROFESSORS WITH OTHERS THAT HAVE PRECEDED THEM. "Say not thou," says the wise man, "what is the cause that the former days were better than these, for thou dost not wisely inquire concerning this." — Eccles. vii. 10. This lan- guage could not have intended such comparisons as are cau- tiously made for the sake of promoting improvement, but only such as are peevishly instituted to cherish discontent, and to justify misanthropy. It has been common for good men of every age to complain of the degeneracy of their times, both as regards the world and the church. " Had it all along been true, it is impossible to conceive, bad as the world is, how much worse it must have been. The truth is we are on many accounts exceedingly incompetent judges. There is much difficulty in taking a comparative view that shall be sufficiently comprehensive and impartial of our own and other times. We are extremely apt to confine our estimate to par-* ticular descriptions of character and deportments of conduct, which happen, whether from accidental circumstances, or from our peculiar mental temperament, to have more parti- cularly attracted our attention and impressed our minds, and to overlook the endless variety of modifications and aspects under which the corruption of our nature displays itself; to 64 COMPARISONOF forget that in human society, there is a fashion in morality, as there is in every thing else, of which it is the very essence to fluctuate and to show in successive periods capricious and changeful predilections ; that religion and virtue, though de- clining in the quarter of the country which forms the imme- diate sphere of our observation, may be reviving and making progress in another ; that when the prevalence of any parti- cular vice has been the occasion of suffering to ourselves, we naturally feel and speak strongly under the irritation of self-love, magnifying to our imagination, both the intrinsic enormity of the evil and the extent to which it is practised. So much do these and other causes affect the judgment, that two persons, differing in circumstances and in mental consti- tution and moral sentiment, shall produce from the very same scene of life and manners, descriptions so unlike each other, as that we shall be at a loss to believe the identity of the sub- ject ; just as two painters, following each his own taste and fancy, may, from the same assortment of objects, by variety of grouping and arrangements, by the different degrees of retirement or of prominence given to each, and by their op- posite styles of colouring and shadowing, present us with two pictures so totally dissimilar, as that we may look long and narrowly ere we discover the points of coincidence."* These remarks, so true and so wise, should impose cau- tion on any one who attempts to institute a comparison be- tween his own generation of professors, and those that have gone before. But still most ages have some features so broad, and so deeply marked, that any man with even mode- rate sagacity and impartiality, may venture to pronounce upon them. In speaking first of the excellencies of the present race of professors as compared with some that have preceded it, I may venture to mention as no unimportant or * Dr. Wardlaw on Eceles. vol. 1, page Mb, PROFESSORS. 65- undistinguished one, a more marked and decided tone of re- ligious sentiment; a more 'public and explicit avowal of evangelical doctrine. I do not mean merely a belief in the doctrine of the Trinity of persons in the Godhead, and the great fundamental truth of the atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ; but in connection with these, the all-important doc- trines of justification by faith alone, and the regeneration of the heart by the Holy Spirit. These are now not only held by the great body of orthodox Dissenters, and Wesleyan Methodists, but by a large proportion of the clergy of the church of England ; and are put forward without hesitation or reserve, in bold and striking relief in their preaching. From the Restoration till within the past twenty years, these glorious and fundamental truths lay enshrined in most churches in the prayer-books of the Establishment ; but they have now obtained a resurrection from the desk, and an ascension into the pulpit, from whence they are exhibited and preached with divine success. A life-giving system of doctrine has taken the place of a dead theology and a cold morality : and the sentiments of Wickliffe, Cranmer, Hooper, and Ridley, are again heard in the scenes which formerly resounded with their voices. As to the Dissenters, a clear bright effulgence of the truth has broken forth from that cloudy divinity, which at one time too extensively prevailed, and seemed rather intended to conceal, than to reveal the Sun of Righteousness. It must be admitted that a century ago there was a vagueness of sentiment among many of the non-conformist ministers ; evangelical doctrines were merged in devotional feeling ; the trumpet gave an uncertain sound from a number of their pulpits : and many of the people knew neither their own opinions nor those of their pastors on the person of Christ, or the work of the Spirit. Arianism or Sabellianism threw a dark cold shadow over many of our churches, in which piety drooped and zeal lived not at all, 6* 66 COMPARISON OF But the age of indifference and latitudinarianism is past : a zeal for the truth as it is in Jesus has sprung up ; vague theological generalities have given place to definite Christian sentiments : no pastor is received, no preacher is heard, no member admitted to our fellowship whose orthodoxy is sus- pected. Confession both of evangelical doctrines and their vital influence upon the heart, is required of all who take the oversight, or enter into the communion of our churches. It is delightful also to notice with how much greater clear- ness and precision the doctrines of grace, as they are called, are now put forth from the pulpit and the press, than they were at one time when enveloped in the clouds of those sys- tems of theology which border so closely on Antimonianism. The writings of Williams, and Fuller, and Scott, and Ward- law, have caused the truth to be seen in its own pure bright light, and delivered multitudes from the iron fetters of a hard, cold, and merciless theology. Our land is vocal with the joyful sound of the preaching of Christ crucified, calling the dense population of our cities and great towns, and the inhabitants of our smaller towns and villages to the Cross for salvation. The Church, and the Meeting-house echo to each other the name that is above every name, and the worshippers of both, commingle with each other, as they pour forth from their respective places of worship, with their souls thrilling with the notes of the same heavenly music of redeeming love. Nor ought I, while speaking of the pulpit, to omit the press, from which evangelical truth is flowing in the copious streams of its millions of publications. Infidelity, heresy, and irre- ligion, have not monopolized the glorious art of printing. To say nothing of other Institutions, I mention only the Religious Tract Society, that spiritual armoury for the church of Christ, where the whole levy-en-masse may be supplied with the weapons of truth, and are furnished according to their PROFESSORS. 67 ability, for the conflict with the powers of darkness. Who will deny, that this zeal for the truth, clear, defined, evan- gelical truth, is a heart-revivinoj feature of the age 1 Dr. Owen, after lamenting the decay of vital religion in his day, goes on to say, — There is yet another considera- tion rendering the present state of the Christian religion in the world yet more deplorable. The only principle of evan- gelical obedience, is sacred truth and our faith therein. That alone is the doctrine which is according to godliness, and all acceptable obedience to God is the obedience of faith. What- ever "men do, or pretend unto, in a way of duty unto him, whereof the truth of the Gospel is not the spring and measure, which is not guided and animated thereby, it is not what God at present requireth, nor what he will eternally reward. Wherefore, although men may, and multitudes do, under a profession of that truth, live in open rebellion against its power ; yet the wounds of religion are not incurable, nor its stains indelible, whilst the proper remedy is owned, and wants only due application. But if this truth itself be cor- rupted or deserted, if its most glorious mysteries be abused or despised, and if its most important doctrines be impeached of error and falsehood, if the vain imaginations and carnal reasonings of the serpentine wits of men be substituted in their room, or exalted above them, what hope is there of re- covery ? The breach will grow like the sea, until there be none to heal it. If the fountains of the waters of the sanctu- ary be poisoned in their first rising, they will not heal the nations unto whom they come. Where the doctrine of truth is corrupted, the hearts of men will not be changed by it, nor their lives reformed." This is strictly true. But blessed be God, I do not think that this dark omen is over us. No such portent, as the orb of truth sinking into the clouds of heresy, or the mists of latitudinarianism, now hangs on the horizon of the church of 68 COMPARISON OF Christ. True, there are some things which if not checked, look with mahgn aspect on the spiritual brightening pros- pects of the Church of England. There is no lover of our Lord Jesus Christ, but what must unfeignedly and heartily rejoice in the wondrous revival of pure Christian doctrine within the pale of her communion ; and none but what must tremble for the result of the attempt now being made by cer- tain Oxford Professors and Divines, aided by somf high church periodicals, to arrest the progress of what may be termed the second Reformation, and to arrest it by reviving, in part, the errors which the first was designed to abolish. But it will not succeed. If it should, then may it be safely affirmed, that the Establishment is destined to die, not by the hand of any of its foes, but by the matricidial violence of its own children. But there is far too much genuine, healthy, and determined Protestantism in the Church of England to warrant any great apprehension of such a result. Nor is it any considerable abatement from the statement I have made of the prevalence of sound Christian doctrine among the professors of religion in the present day, that the deluded followers of Irving have in some measure multiplied, and astounded the land by their extravagant absurdities. Fanaticism, m some form or other, is always sure to make its appearance, and do its mischief in an ardent and excited age ; just as thunder storms gather and explode amidst the fervid heat of summer. The high temperature of religious feeling, when unchecked by sober thought, supplies the elements of such fantastic notions ; but they must, in the nature of things, soon spend themselves, and leave the atmosphere calm, and clear, and bright. Not, however, that I mean to say that the Christians of our day are much given to the perusal of theological trea- tises, or are profoundly learned in the science of divinity. Far from it. Nothing but what is strictly orthodox in senti- PROFESSORS. 69 ment will be received, but then they are content with small portions of knowledge, and those must be such as can be ob- tained without the cost of much time, or the labour of much thinking. There was an era when the church of God thought herself much indebted to those devoted men, who furnished not their own times alone, but all coming ages with such admirable materials for thinking, and such abundant food for meditation, in their incomparable volumes ; when private and even unlettered Christians were familiar with oc- tavos and even quartos ; when Hall and Reynolds, Owen and Baxter, Howe and Bates, Doddridge and Watts, were the daily companions of the people of God. But who con- verses with these venerable fathers now ? What is the cur- rent sacred literature of the pious in this age ? Who now thinks of purchasing any thing but magazines and reviews, memoirs, elementary treatises, and compends of truth ? How strange it would bo to find a serious friend or neighbour late at night studying Edwards on "the Freedom of the Will," Dvvight's Theology, or Scott's Essays. If Christians read, it must be something sound, and this is a cause of gratitude ; but it must be also short. Something that is new and mo- ving — something that may be read without much thought. A considerable portion of the religious reading of Christians in the present day is religious intelligence : it lays hold not merely of the imagination, but of the holiest and most philan- thropic feelings of the heart : it is happily become abundant in consequence of the operations of our religious institutions ; it is cheapened down to the pecuniary resources of almost the poorest individual ; and moreover it supplies the great sti- mulus which not only sustains but increases benevolent exer- tion. He that would attempt to stop these sources of infor- mation would not only rob myriads of Christians of some of the purest joys they will ever taste this side of heaven, but would cut off the streams of beneficence which flow through 70 COMPAEISONOF the channels of our societies to irrigate the moral deserts of the world. But still we must take care that even this spe- cies of reading may not become engrossing. If zeal increase, knowledge should increase with it. An exclusive or pre- vailing taste for religious news will be followed by some of the lamentable effects which result from the reading of works of fiction. The mind will in both cases be gradually unfitted for deep and patient investigation. A constant and intent application of the mind to exciting facts, will indispose it for the contemplation of principles ; and produce an unceasing demand for something new and striking, which will go on in- creasing the appetite for novelty, till what is old, and plain, and simple, will become utterly tasteless and insipid. I mention now another excellence by which the professors of the present age are distinguished, and it is indeed a noble one — I mean that spirit of holy zeal for the propagation of religion, both at home and abroad, which is so general and so active. The Puritans, and fir.st Non-conformists, it must be admitted, did little in this way, for indeed they had little or no opportunity : the ruthless, bloody, and remorseless spirit of persecution, left them no other way of diffusing Christianity, than by the example of their suffering patience, or by flying before the storm of oppression, and carrying the gospel into the land of their exile. This they neglected not to do, and the gigantic Republic of the United States of Ame- rica is in great measure the result of their migration ; a country destined to share with the father-land, the honour of converting the world to Christ. But coming forward half a century in the history of the churches of our own order, we find them when protected by the act of Toleration, drawing the curtains around them and lying down to slumber upon their newly obtained liberty. More than a century was given to their inglorious repose ; more than a century was lost to the world : during which, PROFESSORS. 71 probably, two thousands of millions of immortal souls went into eternity, unpitied and unsanctilied. It is melancholy now to look back and think of the silence and inactivity which reigned over the Christian world before the present mission- ary spirit arose. The valley of dry bones spread out before our forefathers, but none went forth to prophesy to the slain. There were no Sunday schools, no Tract societies, no Bible societies, for our own country ; and no Missionary societies for foreign nations, except such as had little else than the name. The state of the poor at home, and of heathen na- tions abroad, was almost as well known then as now ; there were printing-presses then as there are now, and also ships, colonies, and commerce — but next akin to nothing was done for the conversion of the world. Blessed be the God of love and truth things are different now : he has poured out the beginnings of his grace upon this age, and has awakened and called his people to the work of evangelizing the world. They begin to understand and to feel that the spirit of Christianity is essentially a proselyting spirit; that to diffuse the gospel is no less a duty than to believe it ; and that no man can really fulfil all his duties as a Christian who does not in some way or other seek to make his neigh- bours such. Look around on the Christian church. Every denomination has its Missionary Society, and every congre- gation its missionary organization. Every object on which the eye of benevolence can rest which needs its exertions, has its separate and appropriate confederacy of mercy for its relief; so that it is almost difficult to mention a subject of sorrow, ignorance, or wickedness, which is not found in his own special classification, with the provision for relief suited to his peculiar circumstances. Let any one visit our Metro- polis in the month of May : that beautiful season of the year, so wisely selected to harmonize the appearances of the world of nature and of grace, when the budding hopes and spring- 7^ COMPARISON OF ing prospects of both, are put forth together ; let him witness the signs of holy activity which are conspicuous even amidst the teeming population and multitudinous pursuits of that wondrous city ; let him read the long list of public meetings occupying a large portion of the whole month ; let him sum up the number of societies for diversified objects, all connect- ed with the spread of religion through one channel, and over one part of the world or other ; let him count the stations oc- cupied and the agents employed ; let him compute the money collected, and hear the reports read — and then let him say if God, has not granted in his sovereign mercy, one rich and glorious distinction to the professors of the age in which he lives. In support of all these Institutions, think of the money, the time, the gratuitous labour, and the influence that are bestow- ed; and think also of the increasing spirit of liberality going through our churches ; the poor give now what the rich gave formerly, and some of the rich give in a year what their wealthy ancestors scarcely contributed in a whole life. The single guinea is multiplied into tens, and into hundreds. There is a continual expansion of the heart going on, which is preparing for the time when " holiness to the Lord shall be written on the merchandise of Tyre and the bells of the horses." Sums are contributed which would astonish those who have gone to their rest, if they could visit earth again. And when money cannot be given in this proportion, how many are giving their time, and for that purpose taking it from domestic enjoyment, literary leisure, innocent recrea- tion, and necessary repose. Persons of all ranks, and all ages, and both sexes, are engaged. Evangelization is the cry of the day, the watchword of the age : so that the person who gives nothing, and does nothing, is charged with defi- cient, and suspected of questionable, piety. PROFESSORS. 73 Not that we have yet reached the height of our duty, and are doing all we ought to do : far, very far from it. We are vastly below our obligations. Those that come after us, will smile at our notions of liberality, and our grand-children will be ready to question whether we rightiy understood the meaning of the term. What we are beginning, they will carry on and improve. Ours is but the spring, which by the time it reaches them, will have swollen into a stream ; but still through God's grace, we are doing something and must do more. The tradesman must give a larger share of his profits, and the rich man dip far deeper into his purse. There must be a prevailing willingness to practice self-denial, and to make sacrifices for the cause of Christ. We are yet immea- surably below our principles and professions in what we do for the conversion of men's souls. If we really believe that the loss of one human soul is a greater catastrophe than the wreck of an empire, or a world, what are we doing to prevent the loss of millions of such souls? Our zeal ought to be and must be more fervent, and it should also become more pure. There is in this day far too much blowing of trum- pets ; too much display ; too much parade and ostentation ; too much noise and bustle : too much " come, see my zeal for the Lord; " too much individual and congregational van- ity ; and too much forbidden incense and strange fire in the censers of those who minister at the altar. This is to be re- gretted as well as acknowledged ; and should be amended as well as acknowledged. God will not give the full mea- sure of his blessing till we serve him in a better spirit, with deeper humility, and a more devout mind. But still, the spirit of the age is an active and a liberal one. The great principle begins to be recognized, that every church is, or ought to be, a home and foreign missionary society in itself^ and every member of every church, in one way or other, a missionary. It begins to be felt that each 7 74 COMPARISON OF Christian is put in trust with the gospel for the benefit of the world, and that he is an unfaithful trustee, abusing his trust, and incurring a dreadful responsibility if he does nothing to spread Christianity in the world. I look upon this spirit as the morning star of the millennial day ; it is a revival of primitive Christianity, and will not fail to bring up the latter day glory. It is of more consequence than all the organiza- tions of religious zeal, all the noble institutions of the day ; for if these were all by any means destroyed to-morrow, it would cause them all to be rebuilt on a larger and an im- proved scale. The spirit is abroad, which is to lead all nations into the fold of Christ ; and after making every deduction from the zeal of the present day which is demanded on account of impure motive, there must be a vast mass of genuine piety in existence, to draw forth so much liberality and effort for extending the kingdom of Christ. There has been nothing like it since the days of the apostles. God has shed upon us some of his choicest gifts and richest honours ; may we not be insensible to our high distinction. What renders this missionary spirit the more remarkable in itself, and the more to be relied upon as a token for good, and a proof of its heavenly origin, is the extraordinary cir- cumstances of the age during which it has carried on its operations. It commenced amidst the throes and convulsions of nations, that were caused by the French Revolution, and sent forth its first messages of peace and good will to the world, when the hearts of the people had scarcely ceased to palpitate with the enormities of the reign of terror. Who, at such a time, could think of the miseries of distant coun- tries, when they were trembling for the existence of their own ? Yet at such a time, amidst the dread of invasion from abroad, and the fear of intestine commotion at home, a society was formed for the conversion of the world. During all our (national struggles with the Galilean conqueror, it held on PROFESSORS. 75 its noble career as little diverted from its course as the angel flying through the midst of heaven with the everlasting gos- pel for all nations, might be supposed to be by the noise of the winds, or the tumults of the ocean. It neither paused in war, nor relaxed in peace, nor lost its power to interest the public mind, amidst the greatest political excitement which ever agitated the nations of Europe. The poor Pagan living in sin, and dying in despair, was never forgotten, when kings were tumbling from their thrones, and crowns were rolling in the dust. National bankruptcy has threatened us, but still amidst the crash of falling banks and houses of com- merce, no one ever dreamed of stopping the supplies necessary for missionary operations. Such a thought never entered the mind of our directors, as suspending our zeal till the storm had blown over. And now what is the aspect of the times ? Was the contest of parties ever more fierce ? Was the fever of excitement ever higher ? Was there ever a a time when so much animosity, ill-will, and engrossing party spirit were in operation? And what has become of the missionary cause ? There, there it is; floating like the ark over the depths of the deluge, safe and calm amidst the uproar of the elements, piloted by heaven, and bearing the destiny of earth. O what a spectacle does the kingdom at the present moment present, of glory on one hand, and dis- grace on the other : all parties wrangling with each other, yet all struggling for the conversion of the world : retiring from the scenes of their common warfare, to pursue each in his private sphere the works of charity and peace. It was a glorious scene at one of the May meetings in the metropo- lis, when, upon the resignation of a popular ministry, the country was at the highest pitch of political enthusiasm, and the beam of our national destiny was trembling in the bal- ance, to see with what abstraction of mind and unabated zeal the different societies went to their labour of love; an4 76 COMPARISONOF to behold how the evangelists of the world pursued their work, amidst events which almost paralyzed trade. And at this present moment, not a single missionary society is neglected, nor does any one party relax its missionary ardour for the sake of pursuing with greater single-mindedness any sectarian object. Nothing diverts the attention of the friends of missions from their object, nor damps their zeal, nor di- minishes their liberality. The gospel is spreading abroad, while the friends of it are withdrawing from each other at home. Does it not look therefore as if God had indeed called us and keeps us to our work of converting the world, and bound us to it by a tie which nothing shall break ? And what a delightful thing is it to think ofi that though we are break- ing from each other, we cannot break away from helping a perishing world. Is not this a token for good, a bright omen shedding a lustre upon many dark signs. Secondly. I now go on to point out our defects and blemishes, and show wherein we come short of others that have gone before us. 1 . Professors are in danger, and in too many instances fall into it, of neglecting those parts of religion which are strictly personal, and substituting a social for an individual piety. Religion, in the first and most important view of it, is essentially a personal and individual concern. It is an affair between God and a man's own soul. Each person has, to transact with Jehovah through Christ for himself. In the midst of the Church, and as a member of it, he is still dealt with by God apart and alone. He has individual privileges. He is singly as much the object of the divine love of the Father, the purchase of the Son's blood, and the communica- tion of the Spirit's influence, as if the whole scheme of re- demption were contrived and executed for him. He may, without hesitation or presumption, say, " God is my God ; Christ is my Saviour ; the Spirit is my Sanctifier ; mine is PROFESSORS. 77 the covenant of grace, with all its varied, rich, eternal bless- ings ; mine the promises of the word : heaven, glory, im- mortality are all mme." Yes ! it is with each Christian in the world of grace as it is with each man in the world of nature ; the latter has the whole effulgence of the sun pour- ing upon him, as much so as if there was not another eye but his to behold the splendour; and the former has the whole plenitude of divine grace descending upon his soul as truly as if there were no others that needed or shared it. Blessed thought ! he has individual consequence, and does not derive it all merely from his association with the church. But then he has individual duties, as well as privileges. The whole and entire obligations of the moral law ; of the rule of Christian love; of the duty of mortification of sin, rest upon him ; he is to believe, to hope, to love, to pray for, and by himself. He has his own soul to be saved ; his own heart to be renewed and sanctified ; his own temper to be rendered meek, gentle, and benevolent : and nothing can re- lease him from the obligations to do all this, no, not even the most assiduous attention to the welfare of others ; for zeal cannot be a substitute for piety. The attendance at the com- mittee-room cannot be an excuse for neglecting the closet ; and the support of a society can be no apology for neglect- ing to mortify a corruption. Yet there is a tendency in this day to forget this. It is a day of association and organiza- tion ; men act much with others, and there is an imminent danger of losing sight of religion as a personal, private, and individual concern. We are too much drawn away from our closets and ourselves. Our eye is taken off from our own hearts and diverted to others ; we lose the habit of silent meditation in that of discussion ; we have become inapt for self-conference ; we are so accustomed to excitement, that there is a dullness in solitude ; we are so wont to lean upon others that our piety seems scarcely able to walk or stand 7* 78 COMPARISON OF alone. We find it difficult to detach ourselves from our fel- lows, and make ourselves the first and separate object of our solicitude, and to carry on what belongs to us in an isolated state. Private prayer is neglected for that which is social ; the Bible for the sermon ; and the closet for the committee- room. The great system of revealed truth is not sufficiently brought before us in its grandeur, glory, and demands, as a matter for our individual contemplation, reception, and appli- cation. This is one defect. 2. Another, and which is akin to it, is a want of that high-toned piety and deep devotional feeling, which char- acterized the Christians of some pant ages. This remark will apply to the professors of all denominations. The life of faith, and hope, and prayer, is too low with them all. En- grossed too much by trade, politics, and social entertainments, with the exception of a little time redeemed for the public institutions of the day, they have scarcely any leisure for the exercises of the closet, and the high communings with God, in which those who have gone before us indulged. Thus the diaries, memoirs, and funeral sermons, which have been handed down to us from past times, seem to indicate, that if we excel in diffusing religion, our ancestors did in exemplify- ing it ; and that if we are above them in active zeal, they were our superiors in serious, humble, and spiritual piety. " The increasing demand of the great Christian public," says Dr. Humphrey, of America, "is for excitement — for some- thing that will produce strong feeling, and gratify an over- craving curiosity. Like the Athenians, and the strangers which were there, how many would apparently be glad to spend their time in nothing else but either to tell or hear something neiv. Hence the religious dissipation of large towns — the eagerness of inquiry after new preachers, and the running from one place of worship to another, for the mere gratification of a vain curiosity. Hence the growing PROFESSORS. 79 aversion of any thing didactic and argumentative in the pulpit, and the increasing demand for what are called popu- lar discourses, so that unless the preacher makes some strong appeals to tlue sympathies and passions of his hearers ; unless he take them out into the grave-yard, or carries them to the abode of recent widowhood, and supperless orphanage ; or transports them to Juggernaut or the Ganges ; he is dry and heartless, or plodding and metaphysical, and, of course, scarcely to be tolerated. To sit, as our fathers of the last century used to do, Sabbath after Sabbath, under sound doc- trinal discussion, and to see the hour-glass turned before the improvement of the sermon, who could endure it?" The excitement of the passions, rather than the elevation of the soul to God and the cultivation of the heart, seems to be the religion of a great many of the present day. Of the crowded and deeply affected audiences that hang in breathless silence upon the popular preachers in the church, the chapel, and the meeting-house, and fancy themselves so powerfully im- pressed by the discourses of their favourite minister, how few, comparatively, are found spending their hours in the closet, plying the work of mortification of sin, promoting the spirit of charity, communing with God, and rising on the wings of faith and hope to the contemplation of eternity. My opinion, then, is, that the number of real Christians is great- ly increased, but that in general they are not eminent ones, so far as relates to the higher class of devotional and per- sonal excellences. Religion is spread over a wider surface, but in these things, it has lost in depth what it has gained in breadth ; it is the religion of activity rather than of m.edita- tion ; of the imagination rather than the heart ; of the place of public resort rather than the retirement of the closet ; and with the bustling spirit of prosely tism, does not blend enough of the deep conviction, elevated devotion, and patient self- denial of martyrdom. 80 C O M P A R I S O N OF 3. Perhaps a want of conscientiousness may be charged upon many of the professors of the present day. I occupy no narrow sphere of observation, and am acquainted, either personally or by report, with many Christians of various de- nominations, and I am compelled to believe that there is among them all a sad deficiency of that exquisite tenderness of conscience, which is the most unequivocal sign and ex- pression of eminent piety. Bright and illustrious examples, I allow, there are in every section of the church at this day, and not a ^e\w of them either, of Christians watchful and jealous over themselves, even unto trembling, lest they should sin against God or man ; sensitive even to painful ness on the subject of transgression ; and whose whole life is a holy mixture of vigilance, penitence, and prayer. But, ah ! how many are there of an opposite character, whose conscience, though sufficiently alive to the greater acts of transgression, has neither vision to discern the criminality of little sins, nor susceptibility to feel them. Where are the men who, by the indulgence of a single feeling contrary to purity or love, or the utterance of a single word opposed to truth or kindness, or the performance of a single act, which in the smallest de- gree infringes the law of justice, honour, or mercy, would feel an instant wound in the spirit, which nothing could mol- lify or heal but a fresh exercise of reffentance and faith ? — the men who have placed their consciences in the light of revelation, and who live both in reference to small things and great, in habitual reverence of this faithful monitor and awful judge % There are some such, but they are too few in any division of the Christian church in this day. This want of conscientiousness is strikingly apparent in the mode of conducting the affairs of business. This, however, will be enlarged upon in a subsequent part of the volume, as will also — PROFESSORS. 81 4. Conformity to the world, which is now one of the sins of God's professing people. 5. There is probably scarcely any deficiency of the church in the present day, as compared with preceding generations, more apparent than the neglect of domestic religion. This, I believe, is generally admitted, and not without reason. In addition to the devout and regular performance of family prayer, night and morning, the evenings of the Sabbath were by our forefathers a consecrated season for the catechetical instruction of the children. The father, with patriarchal grace, acted as the prophet as well as the priest and king of his household ; and as a consequence naturally to be looked for, the churches were principally replenished from the fa- milies of the righteous. Is it so now % Are the communi- cants at the Lord's table, either in the Church of England, among the Methodists, or the Dissenters, chiefly composed of "the children of the kingdom? " How is this, but from a relaxation of domestic religion 1 Family prayer, though in few families omitted, is not performed with that constancy, solemnity, and fervour, which is calculated to interest and to edify ; parental authority is not maintained with that steadi- ness which is adapted to inspire respect, and that affection which is likely to secure obedience ; and as to the judicious, diligent, and engaging communication of religious instruction, which is necessary as well to inform the mind, to enlighten the conscience, and to form the character, it is in some fami- lies almost entirely neglected. I bring no false accusation, when I affirm that in many houses both among Episcopahans and Dissenters, the heads of which stand high among the professors of the day, family religion is but the form of god- liness without its power. On the other hand, it is my hap- piness to have been the delighted witness, and that in many cases too, of the blessed and holy results of a good system of domestic religious instruction. But it cannot be said that this 82 COMPARISON OF generally prevails in the religious world. Far more solici- tude is felt, and far more pains are taken by many, to edu- cate their children for this world than for the next, and to fit them to act their part well for time, than to prepare them for the scenes of eternity. Catechetical instruction, I lament to think, has fallen too much into desuetude, and has gone out of fashion with many. True, it is, that a judicious and well-informed parent can dispense with such helps, and lead- ing his children at once to behold the wide expanse of reli- gious truth, as it spreads out in boundless grandeur in the Bible, can point out the separate beauties and harmonious scenes of the whole prospect. But this is not the case with all. They need something more than the scriptures, and can do little except in the way of catechism. Besides, it is a question, whether the adoption of both plans is not, when both are well conducted, the most perfect method of conveying religious truth to the minds of the young. A catechetical answer, if well drawn, not only helps the me- mory of the learner, but aids his understanding too; it is the rays of many separate passages of scripture converging at a point, which reflects back its light upon the very source whence it is derived. It is the abuse of these helps, not their use, that is to be discouraged. Our generation is rich in ad- vantages of another kind — I mean those numerous interroga- tory exercises upon the scriptures which have been published for the instruction of the young, and which leave the present generation of parents still more inexcusable if they neglect the religious education of their children. * It is to be recol- lected, however, that the communication of knowledge is only one jjart of a religious education. The head may be attended to, while the heart is neglected; and it is the ob- * Of the numerous works of this kind that have come under my no- tice, I have seen none superior to that of Mrs. Henderson, -which 1 very cordially recommend both for the use of families and Bible classes. PROFESSORS. 83 vious tendency of this age to carry on the one far in advance of the other. It is the mistake of the people of the world in the business of general education, to attach more importance to literature and physical science than to virtue ; and no less the mistake of pious people in their systems of religious edu- cation, to be more earnest in communicating scriptural know- ledge, than in forming the religious character. Here then is the defect to be supplied, a want of deep anxiety, and judi- cious, persevering, and prayerful effort to train up our chil- dren in the way they should go, and to prepare them to be- come members first of the church on earth, and then of the church in heaven. 6. The last thing I shall mention as an inferiority of the present generation of professors to their ancestors, is a cer- tain kind of fickleness in their religious profession, a want of fixedness, and gravity in their Christian habits. Often hastily assumed, it is of course lightly held, and easily changed or modified. It is painful to observe what very trivial causes in some instances, will induce an alteration in their whole conduct, and lead some to break their religious connex- ions, to retire from the place where their fathers worshipped God, and forsake the minister who had been blessed to their conversion. Nor does the instability stop here, for they can shift themselves from one denomination to another with as much ease as they can their cushions and their books from one chapel to another. Continual migrations are going on from the Church of England to Dissenters, and from the Dis- senters back to the Church ; and between the different deno- minations and congregations of non-conformists. Where this is really the result of conviction, it must be approved and not condemned ; for no man should consider his religious senti- ments merely in the light of an hereditary possession, but as a matter of intelligent and conscientious preference; it is be- neath the dignity of a man, much more the profession of a 84 COMPARISONOF Christian, to have no other reason for our belief, than that it was held by our fathers before us. But how many cases are there in which persons are neither held by hereditary prejudice, nor moved by an enhghtened conscience, but ac- tuated solely by pique, fashion, or convenience. Some are carried about by the shifting tides and variable winds of po- litical opinion and party spirit, others by genteel associations, and more still by the impulses of imagination and taste. It is the loud and bitter lament of a splendid but papistical wri- ter in the Quarterly Review, that a large portion of the mem- bers of the Church of England have lost much of their vene- ration for, and attachment to, the Church, as such, and are moved and influenced only by the weaker, and more variable affection for her formularies and her ministers; and are con- sequently sunk down from the feehngs of high churchmen, to a level approaching that of dissent. Woeful apostacy ! Sad degeneracy ! Perhaps, however, there may be found in all denominations too great a predominance of taste and feeling over judgment and conscience in matters of religion, though not as in this case, a diminished reverence for the Church as an ecclesiastical abstraction. Observe the influence which one popular preacher has in large towns and cities over the members of his own denomination, whether it be the Establishment or the Dissenters. This fresh wonder, like the new moon, sets the whole ocean in movement, by the attrac- tion of his genius, always causing a high tide to follow upon his appearance, and leaving the opposite shores proportiona- bly deserted. Old and tried clergymen and pastors are for- saken for this youth of much rhetoric and a fine voice ; and that not by young females only, but by those whom the ve- teran minister had been the instrument of converting from the error of their ways, and in labouring for whose spiritual edification he had brought on himself the increasing infirmi- ties of a premature old age. It does indeed appear to me PROFESSORS. 85 and has to others, that reUgion has lost something of its steadi- ness, its seriousness, and its dignity, and has acquired too much of the flutter and the vanity of a thing of fashion and excitement. I do not want the chain of caste to bind men to their hereditary opinions, nor family prejudice to make them ecclesiastical fixtures in the place of their fathers, nor the gloom of superstition to invest them with the air and mien of spectral forms — but a profession of religion is the most so- lemn, though most joyful thing on earth, and ought to be sustained in all its exercises and habits, with an appropriate seriousness, dignity, and conscientiousness. Such, then, is my own estimate of the state of professors in the present day. I have been anxious neither to charge them with faults of which they are not guilty, nor to exten- uate such as truly belong to them : nor on the other hand to deny or to flatter their excellences. I see many things to lament, and most of all the bitter animosity which exists be- tween the two great bodies of Protestants in this kingdom, or at any rate in one of them towards the other ; but I see much to inspire me with gratitude for the present, and hope for the future. I am not one of those who in the signs of the times see nothing but portents, and in the voices of passing events hear nothing but denunciations. Our position is that of nature in early spring, when there may be far more of cold wind, and biting frost, and drifting snow, than there was during many of the hybernal days; but withal, these signs of lingering winter are blended with symptoms of approach- ing summer. I have pointed out what is wrong with the hope of helping to set it right, and I have adverted to what is good with the design of making it better. I have not ut- tered the language of querulousness and discontent ; for I feel there is no occasion for them. No age that has yet ex- isted makes me regret that I wa§ born in that which is now passing over us. I believe the world is not only growing 8 86 COMPARISON OF older, but wiser and better ; and that Christ's body, the church, is increasing not only in bulk, but in vigour. Many evils exist, but they will be, I hope, removed or subdued, by the Spirit of God accompanying his truth. Nothing will be permitted to hinder the advance of Christ's kingdom. " Though," says South, " there be a lion, a bull, a venomous serpent, and a fiery scorpion in the Zodiac, yet still the sun holds on his way, goes through them all, brings the year about, [covers the fields with verdure, the trees with fruit, and the earth with yellow harvests,] finishes his course, shines and is glorious in spite of such opposition." So will it be with the orb of the moral world. Still, however, as the record of the past is preserved for the improvement of the present, and the memorial of the present is to be kept for the benefit of what is now the future, if in looking back we find virtues in our ancestors which we have not, or which we possess in less degrees, let us add their excellences to our own ; and if they are seen to possess faults which we find not in ourselves, let us be thankful for, though not proud of our superiority. If they excelled us in the devotional, and spiritual, and conscientious, and we excel them in the active, the liberal, and the diffusive ; let it be our business instead of endeavouring to settle which is the more excellent way, to unite them both, which is unquestionably the most excellent. Let us feed the lamp of zeal which we are holding up amidst a dark world, with the oil of piety. Let the light of truth shine forth from a heart burning with the fire of holy love. In the beautiful pyramid of Christian graces, which the Apostle has raised, he laid the foundation in faith, and placed charity at the apex, as if to remind us that the personal virtues must support the relative ones. As the priests of the Levitical economy, hallowed themselves for the work of the Lord in the temple, so must the Christian priesthood, the professors of Christ, sanctify themselves, not PROFESSORS. 87 by animal sacrifices and ablutions of water to the purifying of the flesh, but by renewed faith in the Lamb of God, and a new baptism of the Holy Ghost, for the greater work, to which God in his providence has called them in the conver- sion of the world. We must separate ourselves from the love of the world, to this stupendous achievement, this high and holy service, by more of the life of faith, the power of prayer, and the self-denial of true godliness. A dispensa- tion connected intimately with the scheme of redemption, the moral destinies of the world, and the glories of eternity, is come upon us, and committed to us, and it is to be feared we are not ready for it. We are going forth to our vocation, but it is rather in the feebleness than the fulness of our strength. Never, O never, may wa forget that religious societies, however well supplied with funds, are to us but as the hands and the arms of Sampson were to that wondrous man when he did his mighty deeds ] but that it is piety, humble, fervent, spiritual, believing, praying piety, that is as the lock of his strength, which enabled him in the name of God to triumph even in death, over Dagon and his idolatrous worshippers. THE IMPORTANCE OF CHAPTER VL THE NECESSITY AND IMPORTANCE OF PROFES- SORS NOT BEING SATISFIED WITH LOW DE- GREES OF PIETY, AND OF THEIR SEEKING TO ATTAIN TO EMINENCE. It is obvious, both from the nature of religion and the metaphors employed in the word of God to describe it, that it may exist in various degrees, just as life may be found in all stages from the feebleness of approaching death, to the full vigour of glowing health : from the sickly infant, to the vigorous adult. So it is in religion, there may be the bud and the fruit ; the dawn and the decline of day ; the glim- mering spark, and the full blaze. All true Christians are really converted, but all are not equally sanctified. There is an essential difference of nature between the least eminent Christian and the most excellent worldling, but it is not al- ways perceptible to us. My object in this chapter, is to ex- cite the ambition of professors to seek after high attainments in piety. The present race of Christians can scarcely be considered eminent ones in some things. This has already been touched upon in a previous chapter. Politics and trade have an unhappy tendency to lower the tone of spiritual piety, and even the spirit of enterprise in benevolent and re- ligious institutions, may, without care, call off our attention too much from our own personal religion. The dew of di- vine grace, and the fine odours of devotional feeling may ex- hale from the soul, by the warmth of a bustling zeal, as well as by the ardour of secular pursuits, and the fervour of party politics. E M I N E N T P I E T Y . 80 Perhaps it may be well to state, what is meant by eminent piety. Real personal godliness consists of the union of scriptural opinions — spiritual affections — a tender conscience — good morals — and Christian love : eminent piety, there- fore, means all these same elements united and carried on to a high degree. A great regard for, and relish of, evangelical sentiment is necessary : a discriminating mind that attaches much im- portance to right opinions, in opposition to that spurious can- dour and destructive latitudinarianism which thinks it of little consequence what a man believes, provided he acts well. With this must be associated a large measure of spiritual affections, or what in common discourse is called spirituality of mind ; a great and prevailing taste for divine and heaven- ly things j a walking with God ; living by faith ; setting our affections on things above ; being dead to the world ; a prone- ness to devout meditation ; a delight in prayer ; a fondness for the Scriptures ; a disposition to retire from company to hold communion with God ; an ardent love to religious ordi- nances ; an enjoyment of the peace that passeth understand- ing, and a frequent experience of the joy that is unspeakable and full of glory. This is eminent religion. It must contain much laborious and painful mortification of sin in the heart. The New Testament every where supposes the indwelling of sin in believers, and every where enjoins its mortification. There is " still a law in our mem« bers warring against the law of our mind, seeking to bring us into captivity to the law of sin which is in our members." " The fiesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh ; and these are contrary the one to the other, so that we cannot do the things that we would " Hence, we are called upon " to crucify the flesh, with the affections and lusts thereof; to mortify the deeds of the body;" "to strive against sin;" "to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of 8* 90^ THE IMPORTANCE OF flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." He is, therefore, most eminent in rehgion who is most engaged to the work of mortification of sin ; who deals with his heart as a most neat and cleanly woman deals with her house, not enduring that one filthy room or one unclean spot should be found in it. This struggle after universal holiness, inward holiness, perfect holiness, this is eminent religion : a desire and endeavour after purity of heart; a real and vigorous pursuit after absolute perfection. It includes, also, an exquisite tenderness of conscience ; a mind that trembles at sin ; and shrinks like the apple of the eye from slight offences, as well as greater ones ; a holy watchfulness against sins of the tongue, and of the imagina- tion, and of the heart, as well as of the life ; a constant pen- itential frame for our manifold imperfections. Nor must we omit to mention as essential to eminent piety, a high-toned morality ; a sense of honour; an inflexible in- tegrity, not to be seduced by the greatest temptations, and most flattering prospects. Liberality for the cause of Christ proportioned to our circumstances, is also necessary to exalted religion ; a mind so penetrated and filled with a sense of God's love in Christ Jesus to us, as shall make us willing to give freely to the cause of God, of that property which he has first given to us. Nor is the description complete without mentioning a large portion of that charity which the apostle so beautifully des- cribes in the 13th chapter of the first epistle to the Corinth., ians. The spirit of love must be in us, or there is no religion; there must be much of this spirit, or there cannot be eminent religion. This, this is piety. Love is religion, and the man who is greatly wanting in this, let him have what else he may, is low in personal godliness. Connected with all this must be the prevalence of evan^ gelical motive ; a constant impulse supplied to the soul from E M IN E NT P lETY. 91 the belief and sense of the love of Christ. The nnoral ex- cellence of Christianity is not an abstract system of ethics, a mere sense of propriety leading to a cold, heartless, though still well formed character; it is a constant movement of the heart in the splendour and attraction of the cross of Christ. " The love of Christ constraineth ws," is the spring and rea- son of all Christian piety. He is eminent in religion in whose heart Christ dwells by faith ; who is rooted and grounded in love ; who knows the love of Christ which passeth know- ledge, and to whom this divine love is as the warmth of its spiritual life, the pulsation of the heart, the source of heathful action ; who loves his wife, as and because Christ loved him : who forgives his enemy, because Christ forgave him ; who is benevolent to others, because Christ was full of grace to him; who lives in all holiness, because Christ died for this purpose in reference to him ; this is eminent piety, to be al- ways in sight of the cross, having fellowship with Christ in his sufferings, and being made conformable unto his death ; so that we shall truly comprehend the meaning and feel the force of the Apostle's words, *' fok me to live is christ." The union of all these constitutes eminent religion. It is not a great prominence of any one of them, to the neglect of others ; but the combination in tolerably equal proportions of these varied excellencies. Symmetry means beauty ; and symmetry means the union of many good features or parts in due proportions. One good feature, though of surpassing loveliness, if combined with others, that are as much below mediocrity, as this is above it, will not make a beautiful or interesting countenance. One striking excellence if associat- ed with defects and deformities, instead of throwing them back into shadow, serves only to render them more conspi- cuous and more offensive, by the power of contrast. This applies strictly to religion. A man, though seemingly emi- nent for spirituality, yet if low in morality ; or if deficient in 92 THEIBIPORTANCEOF liberality, yet lukewarm in spiritual affection; or if very upright, and also devotional, yet of known bad temper, can- not be eminent in religion. Great and lamentable errors on this subject have prevailed in the Christian world, and it is necessary that they should be rectified. It has been too commonly supposed, that spiri- tuality alone, apart from the other things mentioned, consti- tutes a high degree of religion ; and hence many have passed for eminent Christians simply on the ground of fervid feeling, although perhaps lamentably deficient, in tenderness of con- science, a sense of honour, or Christian charity. It is the symmetrical union of all the varieties of Christian excellence, that forms moral beauty ; the association of high devotion with justice and truth ; the character that ascends the mount to commune with God, and then comes down to reflect the light of the excellent glory upon man in moral virtue ; the blending of the dispositions that prepare us for heaven, with those that fit us to adorn our stations and bless our species upon earth. The Apostle in speaking of the church says, " From whom the whole body fitly joined together and com- pacted with that which every part supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh in- crease of the body unto the edifying of itself in love." — Eph. iv. 16. As far as it can, this may be applied to individual personal religion. We must not pay attention to one part, and endeavour to carry that to "perfection, to the neglect of the rest, but seek eminence in all. If it were lawful to make comparisons on such a subject, we should say that mediocrity in all, without the absence of any one part, is better than great attainments in one to the total neglect of several others. But our obvious duty is to seek after perfection both of parts and of degrees. There seems to be too much of the distribution of the va- rious Christian excellences among many persons, and not E M I N E N T P I E T Y . 93 enough of the concentration of all of them in each professor. Sometimes we see an individual, generous and public spirited, but he is perhaps austere and tyrannical at home ; or else he is wanting in a nice and delicate sense of honour in his commercial transactions; or his personal religion is luke- warm or defective. Here is a second, he is a partaker of a zealous and enlightened attachment to orthodox sentiment, but he is too covetous, or too much given to unsubdued tem- per. A third is upright and honourable as a tradesman, a pattern of all that is just, true, honest, lovely and good report, but he is sadly deficient in spirituality of mind and religious affections. A fourth, is spiritual above most, fond of medi- tation, and much given to prayer, but is at the same time somewhat puffed up with pride, censorious, and sadly wanting in zeal for the spread of Christ's kingdom in the world. Thus we find, in looking round on the Christian church, that the various excellences and beauties of the New Creature, seem rather shared by many than possessed by each. True it is that we may conceive it possible that one grace may shine forth in more conspicuous glory in the Christian char- acter than the rest, but still it may be assumed as an indispu- table fact, that it is barely possible to have one excellence in great and rare perfection, without the rest being in some mea- sure in considerable strength also : and much less is it pos- sible to have one towering virtue, associated with many im- perfections of equal strength and stature. Eminence in piety, then, signifies, as I have before said, our having all the parts of the Christian character in considerable strength, and in tolerable proportions. If motives are necessary to urge you to obtain this emi- nence, how many, and what cogent ones, are at hand : but motives to what ? To personal religion ? No ; you, as pro- fessors have, or are supposed to have that already: to emi' nent religion ; to high degrees of piety ; to vigorous, fervent, 94 THEIMPORTANCEOF and exalted devotion? Consider then, how the subject is en- joined upon you in the word of God. " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart and soul and strength" '• Be zealous of good works." " Be Jilled with the fruits of righteousness," " What manner of persons ought you to be in all holy conversation and godliness." "Be ye perfect as your Father who is in heaven is perfect." Astounding idea ! To be perfect — not perfect as glorified saints — not as angels — but perfect as God. Oh ! this is almost overwhelming ; almost enough to throw us into despair ! Eminent piety is the way to happiness. It is joy, and peace, and bliss — the sunshine of the heart, the Sabbath of the soul, the resting-place on which the heart lays down its load of cares, and anxieties, and sorrows. There is happiness in faith, but it must be strong faith ; happiness in hope, but it must be lively hope ; happiness in love, but it must be fer- vent love. The religion of many professors is useless to them. It does nothing for them. They derive no good from it. They are neither comforted in trouble, grateful in prosperity, nor sustained in anxiety by it. They hear some talk of their joys, and hopes, and seasons of communion with God, but they are strangers to these things : in short, their religion is a mere dead form. In the case of some other professors, their reli- gion is an actual incumbrance, a hindrance to their happiness, rather than a help. They are spoiled for the world, without being fitted for the church. They cannot go to fashionable amusements, and yet they have nothing in the place of them. Their soul dwells in a wilderness, a bleak and cheerless de- sert, where no pleasant plant grows, not even the deleterious flower of sinful pleasure. The happiness of religion, is re- served for those whose piety is sincere, and the higher degrees of its happiness for such as have large measures of holiness. God is the fountain of life; and in his light only you can see light : you must press.nearer to him, if you would enjoy him. E M I N E N T P I E T Y. • 95 His dwelling is in the holy mount, and you must ascend to him there, if you would have joy and peace in believing. You have read the biography of eminent saints, and some- times have exclaimed in almost an agony, " Why am I a stranger to their delights'?" The answer is easy, "Be- cause you are a stranger to that elevated piety from which their joy sprung." The same measure of faith would have been attended in your case, with the same degree of holy joy. You are too worldly, too proud, too irritable, too prone to violate the rule of duty in little things, too careless in your walk ; and must therefore grow in grace, before you can in- crease in religious comfort. The continuance of religion in the soul, is exceedingly precarious if it be not eminent. In many cases, piety is so superficial, feeble, lukewarm, and undecided, that it soon dies away amidst the cares, the comforts, and the pursuits of life. It has not root, strength, or vitality enough, to resist the in- fluence of the calm, much less the shock of the tempest. It is like a taper, that needs not the gust of wind to blow it out, but which expires in still air, for want of oil to keep it burn- ing. We see many and melancholy exemplifications of this. Young females, who in single life seemed to have religion, have lost it all amidst the cares of a family ; many a servant who in his dependant situation, was a consistent, though not an eminent professor, has become a confirmed worldling upon entering into business as his own master: many an individual whose piety was sustained by the aid of quickening and powerful preaching, has relapsed into utter carelessness, when taken away from these refreshing ordinances. In all these instances, religion withered away for want of root. In other cases, it has been destroyed, laid prostrate at once, by a vio- lent attack of temptation, or some sudden change of circum- stances. There is, therefore, no safety but in a heart estab- lished by grace ; a clearness of view, a strength of principle, 96 THEIMPORTANCE a deep-rooted conviction, and a peace that passeth understand- ing keeping the heart and mind in the fear of God. Oh what disclos-ures would days of persecution make if they were to come again ; in such sifting times how many professors who now excite no suspicion of their sincerity, would be blown away as the chaff. We see this in part exemplified now, by the influence of ordinary troubles upon some of these. In prosperity they are cheerful, regular, and apparently consist- ent; but see them in adversity, what poor, dispirited, despair- ing creatures they are. Not a ray of comfort reaches their heart; not a smile is on their countenance; every pleasant prospect is vanished, every hope is extinguished, and they are as bleak, desolate, and forlorn, as the veriest worldling on earth in the wreck of his fortune. Would it be thus if there were eminent piety 1 And who is it that does honour to religion, raises its cre- dit and reputation in the estimation of the world? Not he whose piety is so feeble, so fluctuating, and attended by so many imperfections, as to leave it quite doubtful whether he can be truly a religious man. Not he who on being named as a church member excites the astonishment of by-standers, that he should be accounted a Christian. No, the little he has, does more harm than if he had none at all. He had better give up the name, for nothing but that remains, and the very name acquires reproach by being associated with so much that is unworthy of it. Such persons had better abandon their profession altogether, if they are resolved not to improve. It is the eminent Christian, the man whose re- ligion makes him obviously holy, happy, and useful ; whose piety not only proves its own sincerity, but its own strength; who is decided, consistent, and earnest ; this is the man of whom it may be said, "wisdom is justified of her children." How will your usefulness be increased by eminent piety. Pure zeal is the emanation of true godliness, and in proportion EMINENTPIETY. 97 to the strength of the latter, will be the fervour of the for- mer. It is the love of Christ constraining us, that will keep us steadfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. Excitement from other causes, impulses from other sources, will subside ; it is this, this only, that can supply a constant spring of activity and liberality. This will give permanency and regularity to our efforts, and will be likely to give success also by bringing down, through the instru- mentality of fervent prayer, the blessing of God on all we do. And then grace and glory are inseparable ; grace is glory begun, and glory is grace completed ; grace is the seed, glory is the crop, and in proportion to the seed will be certainly the harvest ; for what a man soweth that shall he also reap. That there are different degrees of honour and felicity in the heavenly world, is clearly a doctrine of scripture, and it is proposed there as an incentive to seek after high attainments in godliness. Our future happiness or misery, though the former is strictly a gift of grace, and the other an award of justice, will unquestionably spring out of the character we attain to in this world. A very large proportion of both heaven and hell, will consist of something ivithin us; will arise from what we are ; in one case from perfect holiness, and in the other from absolutely matured sin. There will be, of course, external objects that will contribute to the ex- ercises of these different states of mind, but the states of mind themselves, will be the seat of misery or bliss. Hence then it is evident, we are now continually meetening for one or other of these conditions, and so close is the connexion be- tween grace and glory, that it is probable not a single act of true piety, not an effort, not a motive, not a feeling, is without its influence upon our eternal state. Every holy desire, volition, word, purpose, and action, is something carried to the formation of the eternal character ; just as every little dot of the painter's pencil is something contributed to the 9 93 THEIMPORTANCEOF completeness of the picture. So, on the contrary, every single sin on earth is an addition to the character and tor- ment of a damned spirit in hell. What a motive, then, is this consideration to exalted piety, to high degrees of religion. All you acquire in this world, is an accumulation going on for the next. This is laying up treasures in heaven, grow-. ing rich towards God, and becoming affluent for eternity. The eminent Christian is preparing for some high post in the kingdom of God, and for a station of double honour in the realms of immortality. O professors, let me, with all the earnestness of which I am capable, or which I am able to express, exhort and entreat you to seek after higher attainments in piety than you pos- sess. You are living too low, far too low ; beneath, much beneath your duty, your privilege, your principles, and your profession. Your religion is too much a religion of mere opinions, and forms, and ceremonies ; of mere abstinence from gross immorality, coupled with an attendance upon an evangelical ministry. Where, O where, I ask again, as I have done before, do we see the life of God in the soul, the heavenly mind, the work of faith, the tender conscience, the image of God, the mind of Christ, the impress of eternity ? Who have conquered the world by faith ? Who have set their affections on things above 1 Who are making it their great business to prepare for the coming of Christ, and their blessed hope to look for his arrival ? Where are the epistles of Christ known and read of all men 7 Where are the pecu- liar people 1 Where the witnesses for God ? Where are they to whom we can point and say, " Behold the men and women who look not at things seen and temporal, but at things not seen and eternal?" Awake, arise, shine; listen to the fearful language of Christ to a Christian church of antiquity — " I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot. I would thou wert either cold or hot. So, then, because EMINENTPIETY. 99 thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth." — (Rev. iii. 16.) Tremble at this awful denunciation, lest it should come upon you. Begin, from the perusal of these pages, to seek after higher degrees of personal religion. Ee not satisfied with present attainments. Even the apostle Paul resolved to for. get the things that were behind, in a desire to press on to greater excellence. And can you be satisfied ? Beware of making the perilous, yet frequent experiment of ascertaining with how little piety you can reach heaven. They who are seeking just enough religion for this purpose, will find out to their eternal confusion, that they had not enough. The love of God, like the love of money, is never satisfied with its possession. Real grace in the soul is ever seeking after increase, and any approach to a contentment with what you have is a proof you have none. You must grow. It is your solemn duty. God demands it ; your happiness and your safety require it. It is as much your duty to be eminent Christians, as it is that of others. No reason for this applies to them, which does not equally apply to you. A higher degree of holiness is attainable by you. The grace that is necessary for this, is within your reach. You are not to imagine that there is any peculiarity in your case, which for, bids the hope of improvement. God's grace is all-sufficient; the Holy Spirit is omnipotent. You are commanded as matter of duty, invited as matter of privilege, to be eminent in religion. O take up the wish, the purpose, the determina^ tion. Make it an object that you must accomplish, an attain- ment you must secure. Set about it in earnest. Give yourself to reading, to meditation and prayer. Set apart time, sufficient time for all the purposes of private devotion ; for communion with your own heart, and for communion with God. Resist the encroaching, absorbing, destructive influ- ence of the worl^ in anj forin. Consider you have a soul tq 100 IMPORTANCE OF EMINENT PIETY. be saved, a hell to avoid, a heaven to obtain. Your profes- sion cannot do this for you : rely not upon that ; feel as if the work were all to be begun; let there be the same earnestness, the same diligence, the same solicitude, as there were when you commenced the pursuit of eternal life. Adopt the Bible afresh as the Book of books : let nothing supplant this precious volume. One great cause why the piety of this age is so feeble and so languid, is because the Bible has in many cases been swept away by a flood of uninspired publications. The pure milk of the word has been neglected, or has been so diluted, as to leave but little nourishment in the mixture, and the new-born babe, as matter of course, has remained dwarfish and sickly. Even the biography of the most distinguished saints, which ought to form a part of the Christian's reading, and is eminently calculated to fan the flame of devotion in the soul, ought not to be allowed to dis- place the word of God. Again, I say, professors awake, arise, shine. " To be carnally minded is death ; to be spirit- ually minded is life and peace. If ye be risen with Christ* seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth ^on the right hand of God. Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God."-^Col. iii. 1^3. DITTY OF PEOFESSORS 101 CHAPTER VII THE DUTY OF PROFESSORS TO AVOID THE APPEARANCE OF EVIL. " God hath called us unto holiness." — 1 Thes. iv. 7. Im- pressive idea ! It is our very vocation to be holy. Holiness was the image of God in which man was created, against which the envy and malignity of Satan were directed, and which he dashed at and destroyed, when he found himself unable to reach the divine original. Holiness is the end of all God's dispensations towards his people, whether of Pro- vidence, of Grace, or of Glory. Holiness will constitute the perfection of man's moral nature in heaven; it is the spotless garment in which the seraph ministers before the throne of the Eternal ; it is more, for it is the beauty of the Divine Being himself; not so much a separate attribute of his na- ture, as the perfection of all his attributes. " God is light, and in him is no darkness at all ; " and from the midst of fiis excellent glory, he is ever calling to us and saying. " Be ye holy, as 1 am lioly^ True religion is conformity to God> and God is holy. Herein is Christianity distinguished from idolatry, and its infinite superiority above the classic pagan- ism of antiquity demonstrated. Some of the philosophers, especially of the Stoic sect, delivered many fine sentiments and ei^en beautiful maxims of a stern and rigid morality, but their ethics had no connexion with their theology. " The; 9* 102 PROFESSORS TO AVOID THE gods of the Pagan heaven were Uttle better than men's own evil qualities exalted to the sky, to be thence reflected back upon them, invested with Olympian charms and splendours. A mighty labour of human depravity to confirm its own do- minion ! It would translate itself to heaven, and usurp divin-. ity, in order to come down thence with a sanction for man to be wicked." So that while men in Christian lands become wicked for want of religion, those that dwell in heathen coun- tries become wicked hy religion. The moralist and the priest are in opposition to each other, and the former, if he would succeed in making men better, must caution them against al- lowing the latter to bring them within the precincts of a tem- ple, or introduce them to the presence of a God. But it is the excellence and glory of Christianity, that its refined morality is founded upon, and arises from, its pure theology ; which contains every possible motive and every necessary means to holiness. Our great business then in this world is to be made and kept holy. Our whole life is to be one in- cessant struggle against that moral evil, which is all around us and within us. " We are calledj'^ I repeat the expres- sion, " to holiness^ How emphatic, how comprehensive, is the apostolic admo- nition which is the subject of this chapter, " abstain from all appearance of evil.^^ — 1 Thes. v. 22. Some expositors ren- der the expression thus, " abstain from every sort or kind of evil." In this sense, it is a most important precept. Evils are of various kinds and degrees, and it is a Christian's duty to avoid them all. He must not reconcile himself to any one thing that is contrary to God's word. He must declare war, and maintain irreconcilable hostility against every sin. But, probably, the true meaning of the text is the com- monly received one, that we are not only to abstain from those things that are really and manifestly evil, but from such APPEARANCE OF EVIL, 103 as are only doubtfully and in appearance such. We must avoid not only the identical thing itself, but all shows and re- semblances of it. 1. Professors should abstain from the smallest beginnings of evil, the first buddings of sin ; those things which would not be noticed in others, and are made apparent, like faint stains upon cambric, only by the white ground of their pro- fession ; and which after all, in the estimation of many, are so small and insignificant, as to be rather appearances than realities. Little sins lead on to greater ones, and if they did not, and were not feared on account of what they may lead to, should be shunned for their own sakes. A female, vain of her beauty, is annoyed not only by sores upon the counte- nance, but by freckles. A professor is not to be vain of the beauty of holiness, but still he is to be watchful of it, and must therefore avoid the smallest disfigurement of it by sin. . 2. We must not venture to the extreme verge of what is good, nor try how near we can come to evil, without actually committing it. The boundary, as I have elsewhere remarked, between right and wrong, is an invisible line, which many rash adventurers have passed, ere they were aware they were approaching near to it. Besides, though it may be quite perceptible, and avoided by those who are near, yet persons who are close to it may appear to others, who look from a distance, to be gone over it. It is a most dangerous thing for ourselves, to go as near sin as we can without com- mitting it ; and as to observers, there are many to whom we are certain, in such a position, to seem to be committing it. All sober, serious, conscientious, and considerate Christians, try to keep far within the territory of holiness, being aware that the border country is generally disputed ground, and much infested by marauders from the opposite land, who are lying in ambush to make captives of those who adventure be- yond the line of their defence. But there are many of an 104 PROFESSORS TO AVOID THE opposite description, who have so httle circumspection and tenderness of conscience, that if they can but keep themselves from that which is intrinsically and notoriously evil, make no scruple of venturing upon the borders and edges of sin. 3. We must take care not to "let our good be evil spoken of:" for even virtues may be sometimes so exercised, or exercised in conjunction with such circumstances as to give them the appearance of evil. There is, in some instances, as great a want of judgment in the doing of what is good, as there is in others a want of conscience in the doing of what is evil, and, in the end, with much the same result ; I mean, the disparagement of religion. It is truly painful to think how much of real and even eminent holiness has, in some cases, been witnessed, not only without admiration, but with disgust ; and has been spoken of rather with contempt than applause, merely in consequence of the encrustations of folly by which it has been disfigured. A professor, eminent for her earnest solicitude about her soul, in her anxiety to grow in grace, and keep up the vitality of religion, will, perhaps, neglect all the duties of her household, and leave a sick child to servants, in order to attend a prayer-meeting or a sermon. A second, in his zeal for the cause of Christ, will give that property for its support which belongs to his creditors. A third, in his hatred of sin, will be guilty of all kinds of rude- ness in reproving transgressors. Mercy sometimes degen- erates into a pernicious weakness, justice into harshness, spirituality into cant, humility into meanness, devotion into superstition, and a tender conscience into a diseased one. If it be injurious, and most injurious it is, to the cause of holi- ness, to give the names of virtue to vice, and thus reconcile men to a bad thing by the potent spell of a good word, it is not much less so, perhaps, to disgust men against what is really good, by affixing to it the appearance of what is evil. Names have a mighty influence in human afiairs. Henc© APPEARANCE OF EVIL. 105 the WO denounced against those who call evil good, and good evil ; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness ; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter ! — Isaiah, v. 20. 4. The rule commands us to abstain from what appears to ourselves of doubtful propriety. There are many things, of which the sinfulness is so manifest ; which have so much of the palpable substance as well as the appearance of evil, that they are shunned without a moment's hesitation, by every one who has the least regard to the authority of God. But there are others, the criminality of which is not so clear, and of which, therefore, even a good man may stand in doubt. We oftentimes meet with such things, and are in much and painful indecision whether we may carefully venture upon them or not. This is the state of mind, which has been called " a doubting conscience^ The apostle has laid down rules for guiding us safely out of this dilemma, and which are sufficiently plain for all ordinary cases. "He that doubteth is damned (condemned) if he eat, for whatsoever is not of faith (that is, which a man does not believe he may lawfully do) is sin." — Rom. xiv. 23. Doubts about the pro- priety of an action are strong presumptive evidence that it is unlawful, for they must have their origin in the perception of some appearance of evil. Still there are persons of such a timid and nervous constitution, of such a physical incapabili- ty of coming to any conclusion that shall be free from all scruples, that if they never acted till they had got rid of all doubts, they would never act at all. The following rules may, perhaps, be of service to such persons, and indeed to all. When in the proposed actions all the doubts lie on one side there need be no hesitation. When one action will promote our interest, and the other oppose it, the probability is, that the way of duty lies in the course which is disadvantageous to us. It is always best, in doubtful cases, to take the safer side ; that which, as far as we can judge, will involve least 106 PROFESSORS TO AVOID THE risk of our own reputation, and the comfort and well-being of others. It is well, in some difficult cases, to suppose the affair to belong to some body else, and to look at it, as far as we can, as theirs, and then to ask ourselves the question, ** How should I judge for ilitmV^ and, vice versa, to suppose them looking upon us, and to say, " What will be their opin- ion how I ought to act." In all cases we should consult the word of God ; but not, however, to find passages which will favour that side of the question to which we are already, perhaps, inclined, but with a sincere desire to know the will of God, and, at the same time, accompanying this exercise with fervent prayer to God for direction. If, after all, we should be still in doubt, we may then ask the opinion and ad- vice of some discreet Christian friend or friends, on whose judgment and conscientious impartiality we can rely. When we have thus endeavoured to know what is right, we are to proceed to action, and should not allow ourselves to be checked, interrupted, or distressed by any speculative doubts, or by the fears and misgivings of a sensitive and somewhat morbid imagination. We must be led by judg- ment, and, in some cases, against the doubts and fears that arise from these sources. There is frequently an apprehen- siveness which makes some persons pause and hesitate, and almost resolve to turn back, even when their judgment urges them on ; just like that groundless fear, which makes a timid traveller doubt and ready to return, although the finger-post over his head, and the mile-stone by the w«ayside, tell him he is right. A really sincere desire to know and do the will of God, at all risk and all costs, will rarely leave a person in much doubt, as to what is right to be done, God has prom- ised to guide the weak in judgment, and to show them his way. As a general principle, then, it holds good, that what appears to be evil is evil, and must be abstained from. We must not go on against the convictions of our judgment, nor even its APPEARANCE OF EVIL. 107 well-grounded fears. When conscience meets us in the path we are going, striding across the road, as did the Angel to resist the progress of Balaam, we must not resolve to force a passage, and continue our course. A question will, perhaps, arise in the minds of some, of this import, " Are we bound in all cases, to follow the dic- tates of conscience? If so, as conscience is often misin- formed, and erroneous, we may sometimes do that conscien- tiously which is evil." True it is, as Christ foretold his dis- ciples, many have thought they did God service when they persecuted and murdered his saints. And the apostle tells us, that in his unbelieving state, he verily thought he ought to do many things contrary to Jesus of Nazareth ; and yet, though he did it ignorantly, at the dictate of an erroneous conscience, he calls himself^ on that account, " the chief of sinners." It is not to be doubted that others do many evil things, and yet act conscientiously therein. How, then, are we to judge % If we say that conscience is not to be followed in all things, we depose this internal monitor from his throne, and affirm that we are not always bound to do that which we believe to be right ; while, if we say we always are to follow conscience, we seem to prove, that some do right in sinning against God, because they do it conscientiously. It will help us out of this difficulty, to consider what is conscience. It is that power which the mind possesses of judging its own actions, by comparing them with some ac- knowledged rule of conduct, and of approving or condemning them according as they agree or disagree with it ; together with that susceptibility of self-approbation, or pain of remorse, which follows the verdict. Conscience is not the rule of action, but the faculty of judging ourselves hy a rule. This rule is the word of God. When, therefore, the question is asked, " What is right ? " we answer, not what conscience, but what the Scriptures declare to be so. Still, however, 108 PROFESSORS TO AVOID THE the question returns, ought we not to do that which we be* lieve is enjoined upon us by the word of God ? I answer, yes : but then we ought also to form a right judgment of the word itself. We are responsible for our opinions. Our duty^ therefore, may be thus stated : our conscience must he first directed hy the rule of Scripture, and our lives guided hy our conscience. It is certainly true, that if we act in opposi- tion to our conscience, we sin ; and no less true, that we sin if our conscience is opposed to the word of God. We hence see the necessity of searching the Scriptures with trembling awe, simplicity of mind, and earnest prayer to God. And we may rest assured, that whatever we do, which is con- demned by this mfallible rule, will be considered and treated by God as sinful, notwithstanding it has been done at the dictate of conscience ; for the error of the judgment must have originated in something wrong in the heart, some defi- ciency of caution in examination, or some prejudice or selfish end we wished to serve, by which evidence was resisted, and a wrong conclusion drawn. 5. We ought in many cases to abstain from what appears evil to others. Here, of course, some exceptions must be made. If any thing which is good in itself should appear evil in their eyes, we are not in this case to avoid it. The whole Christian religion appeared evil in the eye of the Pagans among whom it was first propagated, and was persecuted by them as such. Protestantism appears evil in the eyes of Papists : Nonconformity appears evil in the eyes of High Churchmen; and spiritual piety appears evil in the eyes of worldly-minded people to this day. In all cases of this kind, and in whatever is our duty to God, we must disregard the opinion of the world, and do what is right. To all who would turn us from the path of duty, we must give the apos- tle's reply, " Whether it be right to obey men rather than APPEARANCE OF EVIL. 109 God, judge ye." We must not venture upon a scandal to the church, to avoid a scandal to the world. It would be a most preposterous kind of charity to please men by disobey- ing God. Though all the world should utter its howl against the strictness of our religion, and demand a relaxation of it, we must not gratify their humour, nor seek to win them, by relaxing the least part of that severity which the law of God and our own conscience require of us. If the strictness of our religion should, as it sometimes may, accidentally prove an occasion of sin to our neighbour, we are not, even on that account, to abate it. There is no doubt that fervent and consistent piety does oftentimes excite not only the ridicule, but the rage and malice of the wicked. It has not unfrequently happened, that they have been pro- voked into a truly diabolical spirit, and have been irritated by the religion of their friends into greater lengths of wicked- ness, till those very friends have been ready to conceal or give up much of their religion, under the idea of preventing the wickedness it seemed to occasion. But this is wrong. Our Lord was a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence to the Jews ; some were scandalized at his doctrine, as a de- spiser of the law of Moses ; others at his conduct, as being a glutton and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sin- ners, and a Sabbath-breaker: but yet for all these calumnies he altered nothing in his teaching or in his conduct, but amidst all their clamours still went on preaching and doing. Those that are his disciples must also go on in their course of spiritual religion, although they should perceive that evil men on this account, wax worse and worse in their hatred of God and his people. Much spiritual discretion, I admit, is required not to offend unnecessarily, by adding to our religion that which God has not commanded ; by performing religious duties out of place and season ; by the rigid main- tenance of an unprescribed precision; and especially by 10 110 PROFESSORS TO AVOID THE needlessly obtruding our piety in a way that looks like osten- tation and parade. All sacrifice of principle, and violations of consciences ; all giving up of acknowledged duties for the sake of preventing the outbreaks of wickedness, softening prejudice, and conciliating good-will, is doing evil ourselves, to keep others from doing it. Nor must we sacrifice our principles, and act in opposition to our conscience, even to please the church of Christ. We must separate from what we deem to be an unscriptural com- munion, and abstain from what we consider a sinful practice, although it be under the condemnation of many professors of religion, or even the majority of them. Separation from our brethren without a cause, and opposition to them without sufficient reason, are evil, as disturbing, without grounds, the unity and peace of the church; but where there is ground and reason for these, such conduct is strictly proper. " If that appear a duly to us," says Bishop Hopkins, a former Prelate of the Irish Church, "that hath an appearance of evil to the generality of the most sober-minded and serious Christians, why now though this should not presently sway our consciences, yet it should engage us to make a strict search and inquiry, whether it be our duty or not ; if it be that which is contrary to the opinion and practice of holy and pious Christians, it ought to have this authority with us, to put us to a stand, and to make us examine whether that we account a duty, be a duty or not. As, for instance, some among us at this day are persuaded that they ought to wor- ship God one way, and some another ; and what appears to be a duty to one, hath the appearance of evil in it to another. Why, now, follow^ neither of these because it is their judg- ment and practice ; but yet if thy persuasion be contrary to the persuasion of the most pious and sober-minded Christians, this ought so far to prevail as to make men suspect lest they are mistaken, and to put them upon diligent inquiry and an APPEARANCE OF EVIL. HI important search into their grounds and arguments : but after all, still follow that which you ' are convinced in your own conscience is your duty, how evil soever it may appear to others, one way or another." These remarks must com- mend themselves by their candour as well as truth, to every honest mind, and had they been acted upon by the bulk of professing Christians in every age, would have spared the ecclesiastical historian the trouble of recording the thousand angry controversies and horrid persecutions, wiiich have dis- figured his pages, and disgraced the various parties which for the time have gained the ascendant in Christendom. Schism and persecution would never have existed, though many separations would : but the seceders would have acted cautiously and conscientiously, while those from whom they had retired, perceiving upon what motives they had acted, would have reverenced the principle, however they may have la, mented the act, and neither attempted to crush them with the arm of power, nor brand them with the charge of schism. The appearance of evil which we are to avoid out of regard to the feelings of others, is such as appertains to things indif- ferent, or in other words, is connected with the enjoyment of our Christian liberty. Amidst the infinite diversity of human opinion, it is to be looked for, that some things of a perfectly neutral character, which may be done or not done without blame in either case, will appear evil to some ; and from which, therefore, in some cases, it is both matter of charity and duty in a Christian to abstain. The manner in which we are to use our liberty in things indifferent is stated at length in Rom. xiv., and 1 Cor. viii. A question had arisen in the primitive church, about the lawfulness of eating meat that had been offered to idols, and of attending the feasts that were held in the heathen temples in honour of the god. Some of the primitive professors reasoned thus, " 1 believe the idol to be a mere nullity, and therefore can, not only eat the flesh 112 PROFESSORS TO AVOID THE of animals that had been offered in sacrifice to him, but I can even go to his feast, for the so-called deity is, in my esteem^ a nonentity, a mere name." " But," says the apostle, "take heed, lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stum- bling-block to them that are weak. For if any see thee which hast knowledge, sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols ; and through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish for whom Christ died^" — 1 Cor. viii. 9 — 11. Now, observe the apostle's noble, charitable, and self denying resolution, "Wherefore if meat make my brother to offend, (i. e. if my example lead him to sin) 1 will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend." The same reasoning is applied to a similar case stated in Rom. xiv., and the same conclu- sion is come to; "Let us follow after the things that make for peace, and things whereby one m y ecify another." " We then that are strong, ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. Even as Christ pleased not himself" This, then, is the law of Christian liberty in things indifferent. When we do those things which we know to be lawful, yet still not obligatory, but which others think to be sinful, we do not act charitably, and such things there- fore should be avoided : to do them is not an act of duty, for they are confessedly indifferent, and to leave them undone is not an act of sin : while the doing of them, in such circum- stances, is attended with many disadvantages. 1. Your own piety is brought into suspicion. 2. Others may be unneces- sarily grieved, and the communion of saints be interrupted. 3. Some may be led by your example to do the same things in opposition to their conscience, and even to go much further in what is wrong. APPEARANCE OF EVIL. 113 Still, this deference to the opinions of others, has its limits, nor does it, in any case, forbid the attempt to remove their scruples by argument and persuasion. We are not obliged to consult the whims and caprices of every ignorant or fasti- dious individual who chooses to take exception to our con- duct; nor to submit to the unreasonable and impertinent in- terference of every one who assumes a right to call us to account; much less to solicit the opinions of our neighbours on all occasions, for this would be endless and ridiculous ; but still a man who is regardful, and every man ought to be regardful, of his own Christian reputation, the credit of reli- gion, and the comfort, especially the safety of his neighbour, will often say to himself, in reference to a particular action, or course of actions, " Well, although I crmld do this with a clear conscience, because I believe it is quite lawful; yet, as I am not obliged to do it, and I know it is thought to be wrong by others, I will abstain from it, lest I injure my reli- gious profession in their estimation, or lead them, by my example, to do the same thing, in opposition to their own con- science." Many a professor has injured, if not ruined his reputation for ever, in the estimation of some j)ersons, by ac- tions which appeared quite lawful in his own eyes, and, per- haps, were really so, but they were not thought so by those observers of them. Their decision was contrary to charity; but his conduct was no less contrary to prudence. Repu- tation is a thing which no man may trifle with, but which every one must watch whh a sleepless and jealous vigilance; and it is assailable from so many quarters, and wounded by such small, and, seemingly, contemptible weapons, that we must never be off our guard It is not enough to do what we know to be good, but we must ever be studious to avoid what others imagine to be evil. We must not only be harmless as doves, but wise as serpents. It is our duty, in some cases, to yield to the ignorance we cannot enlighten, 10* 114 PROFESSORS TO AVOID THE and to give way to the prejudice we cannot convince. We must never, I allow, carry our candour so far as to give up principle to our own harm, nor bow to prejudice to our neighbour's ; but when we can give way without the risk of injury to ourselves or our neighbour, and with the probabi- lity of good to both, no obstinate attachment to our own opinion should prompt us to stand out. Great sacrifice of feeling, and considerable self-denial, will be sometimes neces- sary to act upon this plan : but, then, what is religion but one continued course of self denial. Taking up the cross is the condition on which alone we can be accepted as a dis- ciple of Christ. It may, perhaps, occasionally inflict a wound upon our pride, make a deduction from our self-im- portance, and be felt as an abridgment of our independence, to make this concession to weakness or fastidiousness ; but it is due alike to ourselves, to our neighbour, and to God. It is the law of religion ; and, after all, is the perfection of hu- man character, which consists of the admixture, in due pro- portions, of the opposite elements of self-wilfulness and ser- vility. Sin, in any form, and in any degree, is so evil, and should be felt by the Christian to be so hateful and disgrace- ful, that he should wish to stand clear of it, and be acquitted, not only in the court of conscience, and of God, but at the bar of every human being upon earth. His religious char- acter, as a professor, should be as dear to him, and guarded with as much care, as that of her social reputation to a fe- male, to whom it is not sufficient to know that she has com- mitted no violation of the law of chastity, but wishes to avoid what might appear to be such, in the estimation of all, and who would not be suspected by a single individual in the world. Professors, consider this close and comprehensive rule of conduct. It is not enough not to do evil, for we must not even seem to do it : we must avoid the first for the sake of APPEARANCE OF EVIL. 115 conscience, and the second for the sake of reputation ; the first for our own sake, the second for our neighbour's sake; and both for God's sake. It is not enough to ask concerning an action, " Is it lawful 1 " but " is it seemly ? " nor must we say, " Prove that it is evil, and I will abstain from it; " but "If it has the shadow, though it has not the substance, the mere show of evil, I will avoid it." And if, then, we are to avoid the resemblances of evil, how much more evil itself: if what only some men think to be sin, how much more what all men know to be such. And, while we are to abstain from the mere hkenesses of evil, we are also not to be content with the mere likenesses of good ; the former as too much, and the latter as too little, to content a Christian mind. By giving ourselves to follow the shadows of evil, we may sink to perdition, while the mere shadow of good will never lead us to heaven. 116 ON CONFORMITY CHAPTER VIII. ON CONFORMITY TO THE WORLD. There is such a precept as this in the New Testament, '' Be not conformed to this world.^' It is unrepealed, and in full force ; and is as binding upon us, as it was in the days of the apostles. There may exist difficulties in the way of ascertaining its meaning, its applicableness, and its limits, but it has a meaning. Christians, and even expositors of scripture, may differ in their opinions of its import, but still it is a rule of Christian conduct. There are passages similar to it in other parts of the word of God ; such as the following, to which the reader is earnestly requested to turn. — 1 John, ii. 15, 16. Matthew, vi. 24. Gal. i. 10. James iv. 4. To what does the rule apply 1 Not merely to actual vice : im- morality is forbidden in other places where its acts are enu- merated and branded : nor on the other hand, can it intend to set the Christian in all things in direct contrariety to the world. It is not a command to useless and unmeaning singu- larity for the sake of singularity. The world is sometimes and in some things right ; and in all that is kind, courteous, polite and honourable, in all the innocent usages of society, in all the pure tastes and lawful pursuits of our neighbours, we may be conformed to the world. But there are many things which occupy a kind of middle place between these two things ; they are not absolutely immoral, nor are they innocent, pure, lawful, for a Christian. They are sinful, but TO THE WORLD. 117 yet not what are usually denominated vicious : and some of them are things lawful in their nature, and made wrong only by excess. They are matters which a man may carry on, and yet not lose his reputation with the multitude, even as a professor ; and yet they are forbidden. What is the meaning of the rule ? It will help us to determine this, if we turn back and con- sider what a profession of religion implies — which is, that we take the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, Lord, and exam- ple ; are supremely intent upon the salvation of our souls as the great end and object of existence : and make the word of God the rule of our conduct. In these things we are differ- ent from the world around us. This, in fact, constitutes the difference. We acknowledge ourselves to be a peculiar people, and that this separation is visibly maintained by our entire submission to the laws of Christ. We say to all around us, " Whatever you seek, I am seeking salvation ; whatever rules of conduct you observe, I obey the laws of Christ, as laid down in the New Testament. I am governed by these laws in all things : and I cannot allow you to obtrude upon me your rules of action. I am determined in what is right or wrong, not by the law of honour, or fashion, or ambition, but by the commands of Christ." Now this is really the im- port of a Christian profession, and therefore conformity to the world must be tried by this. The member of a commu- nity or of a family situated in the midst of other states or fa- milies, must be governed by the laws of his own community, and must not allow the laws of these other states or families to be obtruded upon him, but must obey his own. So the Christian church is a community situated in the midst of the world, and has laws of its own, which it must obey, and not allow the world to impose upon it their maxims, customs, and rules of action. It is not to allow a foreign jurisdiction to come in and modify and relax its code, under the pretext that 118 ONCONFORMITY it is too rigid or severe : too much in opposition to the systems that prevail around. A professor, as long as he is such, must obey the precepts of Christ's kingdom, and if he will not, he should retire. The church is Christ's community, peculiar in its nature, different from all others, being a strictly spiritual kingdom, which is not of this world : it is peculiar in its de- sign, being intended to show forth the glory of God in its present sanctification and eternal salvation, through Christ. It must keep up, not let down its singularity; it must maintain its peculiarity of nature and design, as a holy, heavenly body, and not do any thing to soften it down, and blend itself with the kingdoms of this world. All attempts, on the part of its mem- bers, to accommodate it to the community by which it is sur- rounded, is an encroachment on the authority of its head, and incipient alteration of its nature, and a frustation of its design. We are now prepared to see what conforaiity to the world is forbidden to a professing Christian. 1, A conformity/ of Spirit : and what is the spirit of the world 1 It is described by the apostle, where he says, " thei/ mind earthly things^ — Phil. iii. 19. This is a concise, emphatic, and accurate description of a worldly man ; his supreme, yea, exclusive desire, aim, and purpose, is to get as much, and enjoy as much, of the world as he can. He thinks of nothing else, and wishes for nothing else. His hopes and fears ; joys and sorrows ; desires, and dread, are all of the earth, earthly. This is set forth in another form by the Psalmist, " There be many that say, who will show us any good?" This is also an emphatic description of a worldly mind, an exclusive regard to, and wish for, earthly posses-, sions and enjoyment. We have still another representation of it in the rich man in the parable, who, upon the increase of his wealth, is made to say, " Soul thou hast much goods laid up for many years, take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry." — Luke, xii. 19. Here, then, is a worldly spirit, ^ TO THE WORLD. 119 making the world the highest object of pursuit, and the chief source of enjoyment. This shows itself in various ways ; a love of pleasure in one ; avarice in another ; ambi- tion in a third ; exclusive delight in home in another. In proportion, therefore, as a Christian partakes of this, he is worldly-minded. If he appear like one whose supreme aim is to be rich and happy on earth ; if he appears to be conti- nually intent on increasing his wealth and multiplying his comforts; if he look like a man, who is entirely occupied in enjoying himself here, no matter how remote he may be from covetousness, or ambition, or sensuality ; no matter how pure and innocent his tastes may be, he is a worldly-minded man. It is the intention of Christ's kingdom to exhibit a community who live by faith ; whose dehght is in God ; whose joy and peace come from believing ; who are not so much seeking to be happy now, as preparing to be happy hereafter. Just in so far as it appears that a Christian is more anxious about the body than his soul ; earth than heaven ; time than eter- nity; temporal possessions, than eternal salvation ; and just in so far as he seems to derive his happiness from things of sense, rather than things of faith, he is conforming to the world; for the spirit of the world is an earthly spirit. 2. Our nonconformity to the world must include in it a stern refusal to adopt those corrupt principles, or rather that want of principle, on which a great part of the modern system of trade is conducted. I dwell on this subject, with a repetition, that many will dislike, and because of its great importance and necessity. We are commanded to follow whatsoever things are true, just, honest, lovely, and of good report; and we are to do nothing that is contrary to this rule. This is the Christian law of trade ; this is the New Testament system of commercial morality, from which we may not depart. In reply to all this, it is said by many pro- fessors, that if they do not, in some degree, conform to the 120 ON CONFORMITY practices of others, in the manner of conducting their busi- ness, although their practices cannot be justified on the ground of scripture, they cannot Hve, Then, I say, they ought not, in their meaning of the phrase, to live. For what does it mean ? Not that they cannot subsist, but that they cannot live so comfortably ; cannot have so good a house, such elegant furniture, and such luxurious diet. What saith Christ, — " If thy hand offend thee, cut it off; it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands, to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched." — Mark, ix. 43. " Whosoever will come after me, let him deny him- self, and take up his cross and follow me." — Mark, viii. 34. There was an age of the church, when its members were re- quired to burn a little incense to the statue of the gods or the emperors, and upon non-compliance with the command, were hurried off to be torn to pieces by lions in the amphitheatre. Upon that single act, because it was regarded as a test of Christian character and influence, depended not only their property or liberty, but their life ; and myriads sacrificed their lives rather than conform. What is now the ordeal 1 What is now the trial of integrity ? Not an act of homage to Jupi- ter, or Trajan ; but bowing the knee, and burning incense to Mammon. And shall there be no martyrs for Christian mo- rality, even as there were once martyrs for Christian doc- trine ? If the early Christians could not serve God and Jupi- ter ; shall we try to serve God and Mammon ? If they hesi- tated not to sacrifice their lives for their profession, shall we think it hard to give up a portion of our gains 1 Trade is the trial of the church in the present day, and fearful are the dis- closures which it makes. Other ages, besides our own, have been, in some measure, exposed to this trial. The disciples of Wycliffe, says the Roman Inquisitor, Reinher, are men of a serious, modest, deportment, avoiding all ostentation in dress, mixing httle with the world : they maintain them- TO THE WORLD. 121 selves wholly by their own labour, and utterly despise wealth, being content with bare necessaries. They follow NO TRAFFIC, BECAUSE IT IS ATTENDED WITH SO MUCH LYING, SWEARING, AND CHEATING. They are chaste and temperate, are never seen in taverns, or amused by the trifling gaieties of hfe." To go out, or keep out of business, however, in or- der to avoid its snares, is not required of Christians ; but it is evidently their duty to avoid all ways of transacting it that are contrary to the rules of the word of God : the morality of which does not fluctuate with the customs of men and the manners of the age. If we cannot get any thing more than bread and water, without lying and fraud, we must be con- tent even with this hard fare. 3. We are not to conform to the world, by a deference to its opinions, on questions of right and wrong. Our opinions must be taken from the word of God, and must be in accordance with that. It must be our standard of sentiment ; and we must not adopt any other. It must be the reason and only reason, why we approve or condemn any thing. We must ask the question, '• what saith the scripture on this subject?" and not, "what saith the world ? " Having as- certained what is the will of God, what is the law of Christ, we must never want, or care about, the world's opinion ; much less must we seek, or in any way desire to bring down the law of Christ to the world's taste or approbation. We must neither do a thing, nor avoid it, simply because the world approves or disapproves of it. In many things we shall coin- cide with the world, but it must not be for the sake of con- ciliating their favour, or commendation, but because the thing itself is right. There is, in many Christians, an ex- cessive and sinful deference to the opinion of worldly people an obvious wish to stand well with them, to get as near to them as they can, without being actually of their party ; a constant aim and endeavour to conciliate their esteem, by 11 123 ON CONFORMITY humouring their prejudices, thinking, as much as possible, as they think, saying as they say, doing as they do, till the world conclude that these compliant professors are almost won to their party. An anxiety to gain the world's good opinion, on the part of a Christian, is a decisive evidence of that conformity to it, which is sinful. I do not advocate or recommend rudeness, misanthropy, or vulgarity ; a Christian may be, and should be, polite, courteous, and refined : but not because the world admires these things, but because they are right. He should seek to please his neighbour ; but then it is only so far as he can please God, and his own con- science, and even then, not to gain his neighbour's applause, but for his good to edification. He should, of course, be anxious to have the world's testimony to his Christian integ- rity and consistency : but this is not from a deference to the opinion of the world, but for its welfare, his own reputation, the credit of religion, and the glory of Christ. To give up any one single point of duty, however minute ; to alter any one single religious custom, or habit ; to relax in any one conscientious pursuit, or even to conceal any one peculiarity of our profession, from a dread of the ridicule of the fashion- able, the contempt of the wise, or the neglect of the great: and on the other hand, to do any thing, however trivial or insignificant, which our conscience tells us is sinful, in order to avoid these consequences, is a fearful indication of con- formity to the world. 4. We ought not to conform to the world, in such of its social habits, customs, and practices, as are directly or indi- rectly opposed to the laws of Christ, the spirit of true piety, and the ends of a Christian profession. By this rule, theatrical representations must be condemned, as opposed to the laws of Christian morality ; and balls, card- parties, and public concerts as opposed to the spirit of religion and the ends of a Christian profession ; and for this TO THE WORLD. 123 same reason, large mixed parties, where religious exercises are excluded to make way for dancing, music, and singing. It may not be possible to say, exactly, how many persons, nor what kind of occupations, shall constitute a party, into which a Christian may lawfully adventure : we can only state general principles, remind him of the important design of his profession, and then refer him to his judgment and conscience. It is obvious that the tendency, in the present day, is not to- wards too much separation and seclusion, but towards too much company, and company too much mixed, for Christian association and edification. The large and gay parties which some nominal Christians frequent, are an inappropriate ad- junct, and exposition of their profession. There is little in such circles congenial with the spirit of piety ; little that is calculated to promote spirituality of mind ; little that befits a person^ set apart to be a follower of the Lamb, a witness for God, and a probationer for heaven. The song, the music, the frivolous discourse, the gay apparel, assort but ill with the spirit of penitence, of prayer, of faith. A professor, in such a situation, can neither get good, nor do good ; he not only cannot introduce his religion, but he cannot promote the cause of common humanity; nor communicate or receive useful knowledge. Parties are convened for amusement, and every thing besides this is thought out of season and out of place. Now, it may be difficult to prove, apart from his profession, that these things are wrong ; but then, by his profession, he must be tried. I am speaking of professors. A professor is one who is Christ's ; one who desires to obey him, and to promote his glory in the world ; one whose desires may be summed up in the supreme wish and aim to be assimilated to Christ, to be prepared for eternal glory, and to bring his fellow-men to be partakers of the same hope : one who is praying and seeking to be dead 10 the world, to crucify the flesh, and to get ready for the coming of the Son of God. Is it so, or is it not ? If not, 124 ON CONFORMITY what does a profession imply ? If it does imply all this, then here is a rule of action, a test of the propriety of a thousand things, which might otherwise be the subject of much debate. •'A child can much more easily decide whether a thing be right, by considering if it will be acceptable to the mind of his father, than he could settle its propriety by argument. So a Christian can more easily decide what is right, by consider- ing what will be approved by the mind of Christ, than by reducing it to the touchstone of logical proof. The inhabitant of Sparta could see at once that many things were incon- sistent with the design of his republic, and his character as a Spartan, which he could by no means settle in an abstract manner. Whether the aim of the Athenian was proper, or the mild and soft pleasures of the Corinthian, he mjght not be able to settle by argument, but they would not be the way to train up the Lacedemonian. So it might become a question of ab- stract casuistry, about a thousand scenes of amusement. It might be easy to argue by the hour m favour of parties of pleasure, and theatres, and ball-rooms, and gaiety, and all the variety of fashionable life, and the mind might ' find no end in wandering mazes lost.' But apply the safe rule before us, and all mist vanishes. Since the beginning of the worlds it is to be presumed, that no professing Christian ever dreamed that he was imitating the example of Jesus Christ, or promoting his own salvation, or the salvation of others, or honouring the Christian religion, in a theatre, a ball- room, or splendid party of pleasure. And equally clear would be this decision in reference to multitudes of pleasures, which it is useless to specify. Our profession must be the test of what is right, or wrong, for us ; or rather the word of God, which we profess to make the rule of our conduct." * * •' The Ruleof Christianity in regard to Conformity to the World." Reprinted from an American edition of a Sermon, by the Rev. Albert TO THE WORLD. 125 This test will decide what is improper in dress, furniture, equipage, social intercourse. All restless ambition to rise above our condition and circumstances, to outshine our equals, and vie with superiors ; all anxious desire and eager endeav- our to appear genteel, and to be thought so ; all unnecessary- extravagance and show even when our income can sustain it ; every thing in short that evinces a disposition to be ad- mired by the world, that looks like the workings of a mind more intent on earth than heaven, more solicitous to be happy here than to prepare for happiness hereafter, is unquestion- ably a conformity to the world, forbidden by the precepts of God's word, and the principles of our profession. An ob- vious eagerness to be fashionable in our dress, and social habits ; a wish to be considered a person of elegant taste ; an endeavour to maintain intercourse with the gay ; a con- stant change and heavy expense to keep up with the fluctua- tions of fashion, are all violations of the rule of Christianity. And so also is the too common practice of bringing up chil- dren, with a far greater attention to fashionable accomplish- ments, than genuine religion. The piety of their children is the last thing which many who call themselves Christians seem to think of Schools for girls are selected with far greater solicitude about the dancing, music, and drawing masters, and the French teacher, than for the religious char- acter of the establishment ; and in the education of boys, Latin, Greek, and the mathematics, are far more thought of than religion. Barnes, of Philadelphia, by Ball, Paternoster Row. This is an incom- parably excellent discourse, to which I am indebted for many senti- ments and expressions of this chapter; and which I most cordially recommend in its present elegant and cheap form, to all professing Christians. It is printed for the pocket, price 3d. and the profits are given to a charitable institution. Professors ! Buy it : Read it : Practice it. 11* 126 ON CONFORMITY Nor must I pass over another odious and criminal indica- tion of worldly-mindedness among professors, I mean the pre- ference which is often given to the sect with which they will unite themselves, and the congregation with which they will publicly worship God, and which is decided not on the ground of greater adaptation to personal edification, but of worldly respectability. A fashionable section of the Christian church, and a respectable congregation of that section, are among the demands of some, who would be thought pious too, in the present day. They wish to go genteelly to heaven. They have no objection to evangelical sentiments now they can hear them from the lips of a preacher whom the gay and the great flock to hear : and can endure the most heart-search- ing discourses, since they are delivered to assemblies in which the diamond sparkles, over which the ostrich wing waves, to which the silk-worm has lent the satin and the velvet, and which the peer dignifies with the coronet. O who would not be religious when they can join in the same prayer or hymn with the aristocracy of trade or of rank. Alas, alas, such professors had they lived in the days of " the Man of Sor- rows," the reputed son of Joseph, the carpenter, who lived on charity, and whom the common people heard gladly, would have been Jews and not Christians, for the former had the fashion on their side : or had they lived in the days of the apostles they would never have been the followers of fisher- men and tent-makers, but would have gone with the patrician orders to the temples of the gods. Beware then, professors, of the love of the world, even in that form of it which appears most blameless, I mean making it the supreme end of life to get money, though by honest in- dustry, and to live genteelly. "So far," says Mr. Fuller, "is the love of the world from being the less dangerous on account of its falling so little un- der human censure, that it is the more so. If we be guilty TO THE WORLD. 127 of any thing which exposes us to the reproach of mankind, such reproach may assist the remonstrances of conscience, and of God, in carrying conviction to our bosoms ; but of that for which the world acquits us, we shall be exceedingly disposed to acquit ourselves. " It has long appeared to me that this species of covetous- ness will, in all probability, prove the eternal overthrow of more characters among professing people, than almost any other sin ; and this because it is almost the only sin which may be indulged, and a profession of religion at the same time supported. If a man be a drunkard, a fornicator, an adulterer or a liar ; if he rob his neighbour, oppress the poor, or deal unjustly, he must give up his pretensions to religion ; or if not his religious connexions, if they are worthy of be- ing so denominated, will give him up : but he may love the world and the things of the world, and at the same time re- tain his character. If the depravity of the human heart be not subdued by the grace of God, it will operate. If a dam be placed across some of its ordinary channels, it will flow with greater depth and rapidity on those that remain. It is thus, perhaps, avarice is most prevalent in old age, when the power of pursuing other vices, has in a great measure sub- sided. And thus it is with religious professors, whose hearts are not right with God. They cannot figure away with the profane, nor indulge in gross immoralities ; but they can love the world supremely, and be scarcely amenable to human judgment." Christians, I call you to fight the good fight of faith ; one great part of which is, to attack and subdue the world. How can you satisfy yourselves that you are the children of God, if this victory be not gained, when it is said, " whatso- ever is born of God, overcometh the world ; and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." — 1 John, V. 4. Renew the conflict, grapple with the foe, determine by 128 ONCONFORMITY divine grace to conquer. Understand well the means of maintaining the contest and securing the victory. It is by faith alone you can become conquerors. Losses, trials, af- flictions, disappointments, sorrows will not do it : these things have made men hate the world, and flee from it, but not con- quer it ; have broken their hearts in the world, but not from it ; and in some instances have made them cling the closer to what was left. It is faith alone, that can really exalt the Christian above the sphere of earthly things, and raise him to that lofty mind in which he is so satisfied with the present enjoyment of God, and the hope of future glory, that he is neither weary of the world, nor fond of it. Keep faith in ex- ercise ; faith, which by truly believing in the truth of the gospel revelation, realises the existence of invisible and eter- nal glory, and by uniting the soul to God through Christ, accepts the very blessedness of heaven, as our own ineflable portion. Give yourselves more to the contemplation of heavenly bliss. Consider it is the very object of your voca- tion. " The God of all grace has called us unto his eternal glory." — 1 Peter, v. 10. It was matter of the apostle's thanksgiving on behalf of the Thessalonians, that they were called by his gospel " to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." — 2 Thes. ii. 14. What a calling ! And yet by allowing the world to have such power and influence over us, we are opposing the holy, divine, and God-like purpose of drawing our hearts up into heaven, and are pulling them down to earth. Has God revealed to us the heavenly state, set open the very doors and windows of the celestial temple, that we might have the lovely prospect, as far as we can have it, before us, and shall we not behold it ? Does it become us, is it proper, that we should not open our eyes to heaven, when God has opened heaven to us 1 Or shall we, in effect, tell him, that we are too much occupied with the cares of business, the comforts of home, or the enjoyments of life to TO THE WORLD. 129 attend to, or hope for the revealed glory? O how few thoughts we have of it, how little we converse about it ! How little does the prospect of the exceeding great and eternal weight of glory weigh down the griefs of our troubles, or the joy of our earthly possessions. There it is, above our heads, bright and effulgent, yet we are too much taken with the things that are of the earth, earthy, to look at it. "If one should give a stranger to Christianity an account of the Chris- tian hopes, and tell him what they be and expect to enjoy be- fore long, he would sure promise himself to find so many an- gels dwelling in human flesh, and reckon when he came among them he should be as amidst the heavenly choir; every one full of joy and praise. He would expect to find us living on earth as the inhabitants of heaven, as so many pieces of immortal glory lately dropped down from above, and shortly again returning thither. He would look to find every where in the Christian world, incarnate glory spark- ling through the overshadowing veil ; and wonder how this earthly sphere should be able to contain so many great souls. But when he draws nearer to us, and observes the course and carriage of our lives, when he sees us walk as other men, and considers the strange disagreement of our daily conversa- tion to our so great avowed hopes, and how little sense of joy and pleasure we discover ourselves to conceive in them, would he not be ready to say, ' Sure some or other (willing only to amuse the world with the noise of strange things,) have composed a religion for these men which they them- selves understand nothing about. If they do adopt it and own it for theirs, they understand not their own pretences ; they are taught to speak some big words, or to give a faint or seeming assent to such as speak them in their names, but it is impossible they should be in good earnest, or believe themselves in what they say or profess.' And what reply, then, should we be able to make ? For who can think any 130 ON CONFORMITY who acknowledge a God, and understand at all what that name imports, should value at so low a rate, as we visibly do, the eternal fruition of his glory and a present sonship to him the pledge of so great a hope. He that is born heir to great honours and possessions, though he be at great uncertainties as to the enjoyment of them, yet when he comes to under- stand his possibilities and expectances, how big doth he look and speak ? What grandeur doth he put on ? His hopes form his spirit, and deportment. But is it proportionably so with us 1 Do our hopes fill our hearts with joy, our mouths with praise, and clothe our faces with a cheerful aspect, and make a holy charity appear in all our conversations ? " Doth it not argue a low sordid spirit not to desire and aim at the perfection thou art capable of, not to desire that bless- edness which alone is suitable and satisfying to a reasonable and spiritual being? Bethink thyself a little, how art thou sunk into the dirt of the earth ? Is the Father of spirits thy father ? Is the world of spirits thi/ country 1 Hast thou any relation to that heavenly progeny % Art thou allied to that blessed family, and yet undesirous of the same blessedness ? Canst thou savour of nothing, but what smells of earth ? Is nothing grateful to thy soul but what is corrupted by so im- pure and vicious a tincture % Are the polluted pleasures of a filthy world, better to thee than the eternal visions and en- joyments of heaven? What art thou all made of earth? Is thy soul stupified into a clod ? Hast thou no sense with thee of any thing better, and more excellent? Canst thou look upon no glorious thing with a pleased eye ? Thy spirit looks too like the mundane spirit, the spirit of the world. The apostle speaks of it by way of distinction, ' We have not re- ceived the spirit of the world, but the spirit that is from God, that we might know or see (and no doubt it is desire that ani- mates that eye, it is not bare speculative intuition and no more) the things that are freely given us of God.' — 1 Cor. TO THE WORLD. 131 ii. 12. Surely he whose desire does not guide his eye to the beholding of those things, hath received the spirit of the world only. A spirit that conforms him to this world makes him think only thoughts of this world, and drives the designs of this world, and speak the language of this world. A spirit that connaturalizes him to the world, makes him of a temper suitable to it ; he breathes only worldly breath, carries a worldly aspect, is of a worldly conversation. O poor low spirit, that such a world should withhold thee from the desire and pursuit of such glory ! Art thou not ashamed to think what thy desires are wont to pitch upon, while they decline and waive this blessedness ? Methinks thy own shame should compel thee to quit the name of a saint or a man: to forbear numbering thyself with any that pretend to immortality, and go seek pasture among the beasts of the field, with ' them that live that low animal life, that thou dost, and expect no other.' "* Christian professor, would you then be crucified to the world, and have the world crucified to you ; would you in- deed, and in truth, have the spirit of the world cast out of you ; would you cease to be characterized as minding earthly things, and no longer bear the image of the earthly upon your soul as well as upon your body, go daily by sacred medita- tion, to Mount Calvary, and while all the mysteries of redeem- ing love, as concentrated in the cross, there meet the eye of faith, and the visions of celestial glory, seen most distinctly from that spot, attract and fix the transported gaze of hope, you will see the beauty of the earth fade away before you amidst the splendour of a more excellent glory, and feel the love of the world die within you, under the power of a stronger and a holier affection. * Howe's "Blessedness of the Righteous." 133 CONDUCT OF PROFESSORS CHAPTER IX. ON THE CONDUCT OF PROFESSORS IN RE- FERENCE TO POLITICS. In attempting to settle the difficult question of the extent to which a Christian may carry his active concern, in the affairs of civil government, or what are technically called politics, two things must be borne in mind : First, that civil govern- ment and Christianity, though altogether distinct in their na- ture and design, are not opposed to each other. The latter acquaints us with our religious duties, or in other words, how we may serve God here, and obtain eternal salvation beyond the grave ; while civil government though sanctioned and en- forced as to its general principle by the New Testament, is altogether, as to its specific arrangements, a provision of hu- man skill, to secure tranquillity and freedom, during our con- tinuance in the present life. " Between institutions," says Mr. Hall, " so different in their nature and object, it is plain no real opposition can subsist ; and if they are ever represented in this light, or held to be inconsistent with each other, it must proceed from an ignorance of their respective genius and functions." It is manifest then, that there is nothing in politics as such, that is incompatible with the strictest profes- sion of Christianity. Secondly : It is of importance to recol- lect the peculiar nature of that constitution or system of civil government under which our lot is cast, and which is of a compound nature, including a very large admixture and in- fluence of popular interference. The people, as well as the IN REFERENCE TO POLITICS. 133 Monarch and the Peers, are the depositaries of poHtical power, and have a share in the government of the country. They, by their representatives in the Commons, assist in making the laws by which the realm is ruled. They have, therefore, a legal right to interfere, and a right, which is in fact in the view of the constitution, indefeasible. Their interference, when constitutionally exerted, is no stepping out of their place, no usurpation, no invasion of the rights and prerogatives of the rulers. Things were different when the epistles of Paul and Peter were written. There was but the shadow of popular influence left in the Roman government; the power had passed away from the people, and they had little or no oppor- tunity of intermeddling with the affairs of government, except in the way of insurrection and riot, which, of course. Christi- anity forbade, and enjoined upon those of them who had re- ceived the gospel, a submission to the powers that were. Its injunctions on this subject, are strict and explicit, as may be seen by consulting Rom. xiii, and 1 Peter, ii. But surely those passages can never be justly stretched, in a free country, and under a government admitting of popular interference, to for- bid the exercise of those rights with which the subject is in- vested by the constitution. Even allowing that passive obe- dience, and unresisting submission were the duty of the inha- bitants of a country that is under a despotic government, it cannot be proved that those who are in legal possession of popular rights, should renounce them, and give up all active concern in civil affairs. However difficult it may be to as- certain in what way and to what extent it would be lawful for the Christian inhabitants of Austria or Russia, to exert them- selves to obtain a free government, and thus make politics a matter of practical solicitude, there can be no such difficulty as to the lawful interference, lawful both in the view of Chris- tianity and the constitution, of the Christian inhabitants of Great Britain, for it belongs to them of right. 12 134 CONDUCT OF PROFESSORS But perhaps it will be said, the question is not about the right of an Englishman's interference, for this is allowed by all ; but the expediency of a Christian's troubling himself about these matters. It appears to me, that to a certain extent, popular rights are popular duties. Every enfranchised per- son is, by his representative, not only the subject of law, but the maker of law ; and it is not only his privilege, but his duty, to seek, constitutionally, the repeal of bad laws, the im- provement of defective ones, and the making of good ones. As we are governed by laws, and not merely by men, it is of immense consequence what laws are enacted ; and the country, that is, all present and future generations, have a claim upon every Englishman, for his influence in seeking that our legislative code might be as conducive as can be to the welfare of the nation. Is it nothing to a Christian — ought it to be nothing, what kind of laws are made ? Legislation takes cognizance of every interest he has in the world, and unless he is to give up all that concerns his individual and social rights, his domestic comforts, and his trade, he ought to pay some attention to the affairs of civil government. He does not cease to be a citizen, when he becomes a Christian ; nor does he go out of the world, when he enters the church. Religion, when it comes to his heart in power and authority, finds him a member of society, enjoying many civil privileges and performing many duties, and for which he is not now dis- qualified, nor from which is he released by the new and more sacred obligation that he has undertaken to discharge. If we could conceive that civil affairs generally, are too earthly for the spiritual nature that he has now assumed to attend to, there is at least one view of them of transcendent importance to him, even as a Christian; I mean their con- nexion with the great subject of civil and religious freedom. Now, even allowing that civil liberty is a subject too earthly and too exciting, leading too often to the arena, and disfigur- IN REFERENCE TO POLITICS. 135 fng our piety too much with the dust of political controversy ; a subject which brings us too much into parties far removed from the influence of religion ; what shall we say of religious freedom, a blessing so important to the comfortable discharge of the duties of our holy calling, and also to the leisure and opportunity necessary for promulgating religion ? This is a blessing worth infinitely more to us than all our insular or continental colonies in the East or Western Indies, in Africa or in America. This precious deposit, bought by the mar- tyr's blood, and worth even the price that millions have thus paid for it, is in our keeping under God, and ought we not to watch it well 1 We are trustees of this benefit for all future generations. But can we keep it in the absence of civil liberty ? Is it to be abandoned, then, by those very men who most need the blessing, and are most dependant upon it, for their enjoyment, and safety 1 While, therefore, a professor is under solemn obligations to be a loyal subject, or to submit to the King, and honour him as the executive branch of the constitution ; he is also bound to be a patriotic member of the social body, by giving his practical support to the legislative branch. He is to be obe- dient to the laws that are made, but he is also to give his as- sistance in making them. It is his duty to give his conscien- tious vote for the election of his representative in his own branch of the legislature; he may join his fellow subjects to petition for the redress of civil, or ecclesiastical grievances ; and to the extent of his influence, mildly and properly eX' erted, without injuring his own piety and charity, or unne- cessarily wounding the feelings and exciting the passions of others, he may endeavour to direct public opinion in favour of what is just and beneficial. The calm, dispassionate, char- itable, and conscientious exercise of your political rights, without sectarian bitterness, and party animosity, in such measure as does not interfere with your own personal reli- 136 CONDUCT OF PROFESSORS gion, and in such manner as does not wantonly injure the feelings of those who are opposed to you ; which does not take you too much from your closet, your family, and your shop ; if indeed you can thus exercise your rights, is quite lawful for you as professors. These rules and restrictions, however, must be imposed ; for, without them the subject will be sure to do you harm. A Christian must carry his reli- gion into every thing and sanctify every thing he does by it. *' Whatsoever he does, he must do all to the glory of God." Every thing must be done religiously, done in such a manner that no one shall say justly, "this is contrary to his profes- sion." His politics must form no exception to this. Even in these he must be guided by conscience, and his conscience by the word of God. He must look well to his motives, and be able to appeal to the Searcher of hearts for their purity. If his attention to these matters, be such as to flatten his own devotional spirit, take him off from his religious duties, or diminish seriously the power of godliness and the vigour of faith ; if it fill his imagination, make him restless, uneasy and anxious, disturbing the calmness of his religious peace and comfort ; if it interfere more with his business than is good for his worldly prosperity, or with his family more than is consistent with his obligations to instruct and benefit them ; if it injure his charity, and fill his bosom with ill-will and hatred to those who differ from him ; if it lead him into politi- cal associations, and place him upon committees; if it make him looked up to as a leader and champion of a party ; if it cause his pious friends to shake their heads and say, " I wish he were not quite so political ; " we may be very sure, and he may be sure too, that although it is not easy to fix with pre- cision the boundary that separates right from wrong on this subject, he has passed the line, and is on dangerous and un- lawful ground. It is our duty and interest at all times to observe the signs IN REFERENCE TO POLITICS. l37 of the times, and the characteristics of the age, in order to learn the particular errors to which, in consequence of these things, we are more peculiarly exposed. Now it cannot be doubted, that the dangers of professors in the present age, is not to be too little, but too much interested in politics. Party spirit scarcely ever ran so high, and the contention of oppos- ing factions was scarcely ever more fiprce, except in times of internal commotion, than it is now. At such a period, Christians of all denominations in religion, and all parties in politics, are in danger of being too much absorbed by the en- grossing questions, which are the subjects of national agita- tion. At such a time, and amidst such circumstances, we are all in danger of being drawn into the whirlpool, or swept away by the torrent of party questions, and having our pas- sions far too much engaged in the collision of opposing fac- tions. These subjects, next to trade, are likely to become the great business of life, the theme of all circles, and all places. Not a few persons have been so far engrossed by them as to neglect their business, and to be ruined for life, and still more have lost their religion in their poHtical fervour, and in the misery of a backsliding or apostate state iiave cursed the hour in which they neglected the concerns of eter- nity, for the struggles of the times. Their thoughts and affections were so filled with these things, that they could neither talk nor think of any thing else; they became members of political clubs; plunged into the conflict of a contested election ; became members of the committee of one of the competitors; went all lengths in the means usually resorted to on such occasions for securing the return of their favourite candidate; were f und at every po- litical dinner or meeting, and ?.mong the most forward and most zealous — in short, politics were the element in which they lived, moved, and had their being. Who can wonder at the result? Who is astonished at being informed that sucU 12* 138 CONDUCT OF PROFESSORS men have found their way into the gazette, and that their creditors had to pay for the time they devoted to this profit- less subject. What rehgion can live in such a state of mind as this ? The newspaper supplants the Bible ; the speeches and writings of politicians have far more interest for such persons than the sermons of the preacher ; and the attrac- tions of the public meeting far overpower those of the devo- tional service ; spiritual conversation is neither relished nor encouraged, and nothing permitted, or at least, welcomed, but the all-engrossing subject; even the Sabbath day is not ex- empted from the desecration of such topics ; if they do not read the newspapers themselves, they inquire of those who do, or talk with those who are as deeply engrossed as them- selves by the topic. Nothing of piety remains but the name, and even that has been in some cases abandoned. Such are the rocks among which many of all parties, Whigs and To" ries. Churchmen and Dissenters, for I apply the remarks to all, have split. And if it be unmeet even for a Christian to be thus deeply Immersed in party politics, how much more so for a minister of religion : and it is impossible to deny that too many of all denominations have been drawn from their sacred occupa- tions, far more than was becoming, by this ensnaring topic. I am quite aware that there are seasons, when the nation seems to be in the very crisis of its destiny, and when, there- fore, even the servant of the Lord, may feel that his country appeals to his patriotism, and asks him for his help, and when he may scarcely think he is at liberty to remain quiescent and inactive: but such seasons rarely occur in reality, though they do more frequently in men's own imaginations. It is indeed but seldom that the pulpit and the hustings are compatible with each other, and that the minister of reconciliation adds any thing to his dignity or usefulness, by the dust which he gathers up from the arena IN REFERENCE TO POLITICS. 139 of political strife. The harangue of the public meeting gives but little emphasis to the sermon, or but ill prepares those who heard it to listen to much more solemn themes from the same lips in the sanctuary. The minister of the gospel should excite no needless prejudices in any mind, which he is sure to do by becoming a violent political partisan. Most men of all parties have good sense enough to see, that the clergy are far more in their place by the bed of the dying, in the scenes of ignorance, wretchedness, and vice, for the purpose of dispensing knowledge, holiness, and bliss, than in the crowd and clamour, the passions and revilings of a political meeting. The time that is consumed and thus taken away from the souls committed to their care, is, perhaps, the least evil resulting from such pursuits ; the more serious mischief is the influence of their example upon others, and the diminu- tion of public respect both for the office and the object of the ministerial character. It cannot be inferred or imagined, I hope, from any thing I have said, that I wish to detach the great body of Christians from all attention to the affairs of the nation, or co-operation with those who are endeavouring to give them a right direc- tion. My object, in these remarks, is not to neutralize pa- triotic feeling into absolute indifference, nor to paralyze healthful and well-directed efforts for the country's good ; but simply to prevent the former from becoming malignant, or excessive, and the latter from degenerating into the violent action of political partisanship. The conquest of the world which faith is called upon to achieve, is not to tear up patri- otism, that fine flower of humanity, by the roots, but to pre- vent its attaining such a wild luxuriance as would draw away all the vigour of the soil from other and still more important plants, or would wither them by the chilling influence of its too ample shadow. " To stand by as idle spectators of the great interests of the nation, would betray a guilty negli- 140 CONDUCT OF PROFESSORS gence on our parts, at any time, but especially at the present season. If men are ever justified in turning aside from more plodding pursuits, to read the page of events, and to contem- plate the broad face of empire, they are especially called to do so at those critical periods, when the mists are withdraw- ing, and its features are assuming a natural shape." * I do not ask, I do not wish, Christians to give up the world into the hands of the wicked, but only to let their interference be that of religious men, a calm, serene, patriotism ; the more effectual, because of its moderation and firmness, its conscien- tiousness and sanctity. Every man's opinion should be made up, firmly held, publicly known, and consistently acted upon, without concealment or trimming. Neutrality is no man's glory, when great interests are in jeopardy, and great ques- tions concerning them, are in discussion. Christianity, the dearest interest to the heart of every child of God, is, in one sense, independent of all the questions of party politics, and yet, in another, is, in some measure, as to its progress at least, affected by them : and therefore demands such attention from its subjects to the affairs of nations, and only such, as is com- patible with supreme regard to its own pure laws, benign spirit, and heavenly object. As politics, therefore, are not sinful in themselves, but only in that excess of attention to them which takes a man's time too much from his business, em- bitters his heart towards his neighbour who differs from him in sentiment, or diminishes his religious feeling, every one must be careful to observe that moderation which Christianity prescribes in this as well as in all other matters that ap- * Eclectic Review, April, 1837. See a masterly article on "The Progress of Reform." It will be a deep disgrace to the Dissenting Body ifthis periodical should be allowed to sink. It is our own and only Review, which combines literature and religion, and ought to be sup- ported, and well supported too. IN REFERENCE TO POLITICS. 141 peal to our appetites and our passions. That is evil to us, which, either in kind or degree, is evil to our religion. Professors then should be aware of their danger, and watch and pray lest they enter into temptation. Let them never forget that they belong to a kingdom which is not of this world ; that their citizenship is in heaven, and that therefore they should live as strangers upon the earth. As pilgrims, abiding for a short season in a strange city, they should be willing to promote its welfare during their temporary sojourn, but still with their eye, and hope, and heart, upon the land of their inheritance. A deep sense of the infinite importance of eternal salvation and invisible realities; a due impression of the shortness of time and the uncertainty of life ; together with an intelligent consideration of the great end of God in sending us into this world, would repress all undue political fervour, and teach us how to act the part of a patriot, without neglecting that of a Christian ; and make us feel that we were not only inhabitants of a country, or citizens of the world, but subjects of the universe, and that every inferior interest should be pursued with a proper regard to true religion. This we ought ever to be intent upon as our daily work, as that alone which can prepare us for heaven ; so that if we were asked at any time, what we were aiming at, or what we were doing, we might be able to give this true answer, " We are dressing ourselves for eternity. " No pretext, however specious, whether relating to our family or our country, can be a legi- timate excuse for neglecting this preparatory process for im- mortality. Nothing can be conceived of more opposite to the temper of heaven, the disposition of the blessed above, which is unmingled holy love, than the political spirit, which when seen as it is now too often seen, in its most virulent form, is the gall of bitterness and the essence of malignity. If charity be the crowning excellence of piety, how contrary to this divine virtue is the present spirit of parties, which, like 142 CONDUCT OF PROFESSORS a burning volcano, is perpetually pouring from its crater the fiery eruptions of envy, malice, and all uncharitableness. Better, far better," professing Christians, never to see a news- paper, nor know a single fact, nor utter a syllable of politics, than enter into the subject if it must produce in you such a temper as this. But it need not produce it. There may be moderation in this as well as in any thing else. A man may be a religious patriot without degenerating into a malignant partisan. I cannot do better than close this chapter with another quotation from the works of that sublime and gentle spirit, the illustrious John Howe, whose invaluable memoir, as published by Mr. Rogers, is a "Tract for the Times," in- deed. * * " And with a proportionate unconcernedness should they look on, and behold the various alternations of political affairs, no further minding either the constitution or adminis- tration of government than as the interest of the universal Ruler, the weal and safety of their prince or country are con- cerned in them. But now many under the specious pretence of a public spirit, make it their whole business to inspect and pry into these affairs, even with a most meanly private and interested one ; watching over the public beyond the bounds of their own calling ; and with no other design, than to catch at an opportunity of serving their own turns! How many that stand perpetually at a gaze in a suspenseful expectation how things will go ; either joying or hoping to behold any favourable prognostics to the party whereto they have thought fit to addict themselves ; glad or desirous to see it engross power, and grasp the sum of things, not from any sense of duties towards God's vicegerents, not from love of justice or study of public advantage, but that the happier lot may befall or remain to themselves. These men are absorbed and swal- lowed up of the spirit of this world, contempered only to this sublunary region, concorporate with the earth, so as to par- take in all its pangs and paroxysms, and tremulous motions. IN REFERENCE TO POLITICS. 143 By the beating of their pulse you may know the state of things in this lower world, as if they were of the same piece, and had but one soul with it. Let them see times, and a state of things on earth suitable to their genius, and you put a new life and soul into them. Reduce them to despair here, and (so little communion have they with the affairs of that other country,) the most specious inviting representation that can be made to them of the world to come, hinders not, but their hearts languish and die, and become as stones within them. •• But that lofty soul that bears about with it the living ap- prehensions of its being made for an everlasting state, so ear- nestly intends it, that it shall ever be a descent and vouchsafe- ment with it, if it allow itself to take notice what busy mor- tals are doing in their (as they reckon them) grand negotia- tions here below. And if there be a suspicion of an aptness or inclination to intermeddle in them to their prejudice, to whom that part belongs, can heartily say to it (as the philo- sopher to the jealous tyrant,) ' we of this academy are not at leisure to mind so mean things ; we have somewhat else to do than to talk of you.' He hath still the image before his eyes, of this world vanishing and passing away ; of the other, with the everlasting affairs and concernments of it, even now ready to take place and fill up all the stage, and can repre- sent to himself the vision (not from a melancholic or crazed brain, but a rational faith and a sober, well-instructed mind,) of the world dissolving, monarchies and kingdoms breaking up, thrones trembling, crowns and sceptres lying as neglected things. He hath a telescope through which he can behold the glorious appearance of the supreme Judge ; the solemn state of his majestic person ; the splendid pomp of his magni- ficent and costly numerous retinue ; the obsequious throng of glorious celestial creatures, doing homage to their eternal king ; the swift flight of his royal guards, sent forth into the four winds to gather the elect, and covering the face of the 144 CONDUCT OF PROFESSORS heavens with then* spreading wings ; the universal silent at- tention of all, to that loud sounding trunnpet that shakes the pillars of the world, pierces the inward corners of the earth, and resounds from every part of the encircling heavens; the many millions of joyful expectants arising, changing, putting on glory, taking wing, and contending upwards, to join them- selves to the triumphant heavenly host ; the judgment seat, the books opened, the frightful amazed looks of surprised wretch- es ; the equal administration of the final judgment : the ad- judication of all to their eternal states ; the heavens rolled up as a scroll ; the earth and all things therein consumed and burnt up ! " And now, what spirit is there any more in him towards the trivial affairs of a vanishing world ? how indifferent a thing is it with him who bears himself highest in a state of things whereof he foresees the certain hastening end. Though he will not neglect the duty of his own place, is heartily con- cerned to have the knowledge and fear of God more generally obtained in this apostate world, and is ready to contribute his utmost regular endeavours for the preservation of common peace and order in subserviency hereto: yet abstractedly from these considerations, and such as have been before men- tioned, he is no more concerned who is uppermost, than one would be passing by a swarm of flies, which hath the largest wings, or which excels the rest in sprightliness or briskness of motion. And for himself^ he can insert this amongst his most serious thanksgivings, that while the care is incumbent on others, of watching over the public peace and safety, he may sit still and converse with God and his own sedate thoughts. How secure is he in this, that infinite wisdom governs the world ! that all things shall be disposed the best way, to the best and most valuable ends : that an afflicted state shall never befall unto good men, but when it is fittest and most conducible it should do so : that the prosperity IN REFERENCE TO POLITICS. 145 carnal appetite covets, is never denied them but when it would be pernicious ! How calm is he in the midst of external troubles : how placid and serene a spirit inhabits his peace- ful breast ! When all things are shaken round about him, he is not shaken. He bears all sorts of troubles : but cre- ates none to others, nor is disturbed by any himself. But they that delight to see this world rolling or fixed, as may most serve their private purposes, and have a perpetual quar- rel with it, while it looks not kindly upon them: their life is bound up in it, and their pretences to another, are but the languid faint notions of what they never heartily believe nor desire. Upon the whole matter, nothing is more agreeable to this great reputation, than a steady restraint and moderation of our passions towards things without us ; that is, all the several sorts of external objects and affairs, that so variously invite and tempt our observation and regard in this our pre- sent state." 13 146 ON BROTHERLY LOVE CHAPTER X. ON BROTHERLY LOVE. It is a beautiful remark of Mr. Beverley, " That if a well-instructed physiologist were to lose his way in the path- less tracts of the earth, he would nevertheless be able to di- vine the country through which he was wandering, by at- tentively considering the productions of the soil, and the ap- pearance of animal life surrounding him." The flowers that grew in his path, or the living creatures that crossed it, would announce to him in what zone or empire he was bend- ing his course. " So it is in the land of Emmanuel, the de- lightful fruit found there and no where else, is love. Chris- tian love, love in Christ, the divine agape of the word of God, the fruit of the Spirit, the evidence of the twice-born and re- deemed people." Yes, it is indeed true, that love, in the Christian sense of the term, is found no where else beyond the kingdom of the Redeemer, for it grows in no soil but that of Christianity ; so that when it is found, we may assuredly pronounce that we have reached holy land : but is this plant which is indigenous to the church of Christ found even there in profusion, in all its bloom, and beauty ? Ah, no ! but stinted in its growth, dismantled of its beauty, and of dimin- ished fragrance. I join with the above mentioned writer, in acknowledging and lamenting, that there is far too little of this heavenly disposition among the members of Christ's church upon earth, but I am persuaded that there is more of it than Mr. B. is disposed to admit. " Let us suppose," he ON BROTHERLY LOVE. 147 remarks, " that by some unwonted tribulation you are bowed down with a weight of sorrow, and the cup of tears were given you to drink in great measure — would you think of turning to that rehgious society of which you are a member for counsel and sympathy ? Do you feel so bound to your nominal brethren, and are you so confident of the strength of their Christian love, that you have no doubt of their affec- tionate commiseration and tender support ? And do you be- lieve they are so anxious to fulfil the law of Christ accord- ing to the epitome of that law," — Gal. vi. 2; "that you feel confident they will gladly bear your burden? Let every one answer this question according to his experience, his knowledge, and his serious belief" And if they were so to answer the question, myriads and myriads by tears of grati- tude and smiles of joy, would testify to the kindness of their brethren in Christ, during the dark and dreary season of their sore affliction. But a few hours before this page was written, I saw the gloom of the poor man's sick chamber lighted up, and the burden of his suffering alleviated with the sunshine of his countenance, as he threw over the scene of his sorrow, his willing, grateful, and emphatic testimony to the love and sympathy of his fellow members. "And am I," he ex- claimed, as the tear sparkled in his eye, "under the protec- tion of the church? " feeling surprised, not at the un frequency, but at the greatness of this precious privilege. And it is, blessed be the God of love, who has breathed his own nature into the hearts of his own people, no uncommon reward of a pastor's labour, as he holds his official walks among the peo- ple of his charge, often to listen to the report they make of each other's love in the spirit. O what blessed scenes have I witnessed of brotherly kindness within the wide circle of my own church, and rejoiced over them with thankfulness, as sweet and sacred proofs that I had not preached in vaifj 148 ON BROTHERLY LOVE. the doctrine of redeeming love, nor inculcated in vain the necessary fruit of it, the love of the brethren. Still, however, I sorrowfully confess, that among profes- sors of every denomination, and my own among the rest, there is far, very far, too little of this God-Jike temper. We are all verily guilty concerning our brother. We had all need to go again to the cross of our dying Lord, to learn how he has loved us and how we ought to love one another. The measure of tender affection with which Christians should re- gard each other, is so great, that what they have done in this way, seems as nothing. See what is said, and how much, concerning this disposi- tion in the word of God. Scarcely any duty is enjoined with such great frequency, or in so great a variety of forms- It is the peculiar law of Christ's kingdom, " This is my com- mandment that ye love one another, as I have loved you." — John, XV. 12. It is the identifying mark of Christ's disciples, the sign of their caste, the necessary and certain token of their discipleship. " By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." — John, xiii. 35. It is the fruit and evidence of our regeneration. — I Peter, i. 22, 23. " We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren." — 1 John, iii. 14. It is the mark of spiritual prosperity in a church. — Eph. i. 15. It is the ground of apostolic eulogium in individual character. " I thank God, making mention of thee always in my prayers, hearing of thy love and faith which thou hast towards the Lord Jesus and all the saints." — Phil. v. It is the subject of frequent and emphatic apostolic admonition. " Bear ye one another's burdens and so fulfil the law of Christ." — Gal. vi. 2. Nearly the whole of tho three epistles of John were written to enforce this duty. It is dignified with the appel- lation of the NEW COMMANDMENT. Ncw in its kind, its model, its strength, its motives • " as X Jiave lon^d you.^^ Moses ON BROTHERLY LOVE. 149 enjoined us to love our neighbour as ourselves ; Christ has commanded us to love our neighbour in one respect, more than ourselves, for we are, if need be, " to lay down our lives for our brethren." — 1 John, iii. 16. This love is made the test of character at the jndgment day ; the want of it, the ground of condemnation to the wicked, and the possession of it, the ground of justification and approbation to the righteous. ''Inasmuch as ye did it. or did it not, to one of the least of these, my brethren, ye did it, or did it not, to me." — Matt. xxv. Let any man read and study all these passages, and mark the vast importance which is attached to brotherly love, and then let him look round upon the church of Christ, and say if it is not yet lamentably deficient in this duty. We should attentively consider the grounds on which this love is to be exercised. It is love to the brethren, as such ; iove to them for God's sake and Christ's sake — love to them as the objects of the Father's eternal, infinite and unchange- able affection ; the purchase of the Son's agonies and blood ; the workmanship of the Spirit's grace. How dear the saints are to the heart of Christ and of God, none can know but the infinite mind of God. This is the ground of genuine love to Christians; this is the agape of the New Testament, not an affection based on sectarian distinction, or party names; for a Jew, a Mahomedan, a Pagan may have this. If we •can love only Christians of our own denomination or party ; if our love be founded on the Book of Common Prayer ; or on John Wesley's works; or on the Assembly's Catechism, or on adult baptism ; it is not the love of the brethren, but the love of party ; and much of this love of party there is where there is not one particle of love to Christ's followers : the ground of Christian love is this, "ye are Chriffs;'^ any thing substituted for this or added to it, turns our affection into quite another thing. If this single idea be not of itself enough to engage our heart to any one, then we have not 13* 150 ON BROTHERLY LOVE. the love of the brethren. If his relation to Christ as one of his redeemed people, one of the members of his body, anii one who bears his image, be not sufficient to attract our re- gards, except he be one of our own church or denomination ; or if though we admit that he is all this, we feel an instant damp upon our affection, and an alienation of heart, when we are told that he is a Dissenter or a Churchman, a Cal- vinist or a Methodist, we are either altogether wanting or very weak in brotherly love. We may not love, indeed can- not, it would not be right, to love true Christians because they differ from us, but we ought to love them in spite of their dif- ferences. The moral likeness of Christ is that one object the con- templation of which excites this holy emotion. Wherever we discover the image of Jesus, or see a course of action, which evinces the possession of his spirit, there will all the sympathies be awakened, the sensibilities be set in motion, and the feelings cluster which may be the elements of bro- therly love. Let me see an individual of any colour, or clime, or sect, who calls himself a Christian, and who in his con- duct is manifestly governed by a love to Jesus, who is culti- vating the heavenly dispositions, and holy habits of the Gos- pel, who has embarked his heart in the high interests in which God is engaged, and if I have any brotherly love in me, I see a man who has higher claims on my regard and my sym- pathy than the mere natural relations of life can command ; " loving him that begat, I love him that is begotten of him." Bound to the throne of God by those moral excellences which brighten his character and make him an object of de- lightful complacency, I am also bound in affection to every son and daughter of Adam, who beholding the glory of God as it shines in the face of Jesus Christ, has been changed into the same image. And as he is the centre of attraction to them all, and they all alike love to sit at his feet, and im- ON BROTHERLY LOVE. 151 bibe his heavenly spirit, so also do they love to contemplate the faintest reflections of his glory wherever visible. If I were in a foreign country, surrounded by strangers, and saw in different situations, and among different people, the portrait of a beloved and honoured father, I should be intuitively and strongly drawn towards it, in whose house or hands soever it might be found : and that would be the picture which would have most attraction for my heart which bore the strongest resemblance to my beloved parent, although its frame might not be so elegant as that of some others, and it might be in the possession of one whom I did not value so much as my more intimate friends. So let me see the image of God my Father, and Christ my Saviour, whether in the communion of the Church of England or of Rome ; in the Methodist, Baptist, or Independent ; I love it for the sake of the divine original, and that portrait I love best which is most like the original. No one, who is in the possession of the New Testament, and has made himself well acquainted with its contents, can be ignorant of the manner in which this love should, and does operate, where it is really possessed. There can exist no mystery here. Affection needs no schooling and lecturing as to modes of action, seasons of manifestation, and means of benefit. It is all heart to feel, all mind to invent, all foot to move, and hand to administer. It may not be amiss, how- ever, to put Christians in remembrance of what they owe to their brethren ; to those especially with whom they are asso- ciated in the bonds of immediate intercourse and fellowship. They should avoid all occasions of offence ; repress every look, word, or action, that is in the remotest degree calcu- lated to give pain, and consider their brother's peace of mind as sacred as their own. They should be ever willing, ready, and even forward, to exercise the most sincere and tender forgiveness. To be implacable is to be hke the 152 ON BROTHERLY LOVE. devil ; to be forgiving is to be like him who prayed for his enemies, and who was no sooner taken down from the cross, than, in a manner, he seemed to be contriving to save them that nailed him to it. But what is this to the consideration how much he has forgiven us ? To forgive a brother his offences ought to be the easiest and most delightful work which a Christian has to perform, considering what an example he has to copy from, and what a motive he professes to feel. It is beautifully said by an American preacher, " As the little children of one family, who often in the course of the day look angrily and feel soured towards one another, yet say, • good night,' with an affectionate kiss, and in the morning meet again in love, so should it be the care of the dear chil- dren of God to love one another with a pure heart, fervently, and from the heart to forgive every one his brother their trespasses." Another operation of brotherly love \s forbear- ance with each other's differences of opinion, infirmities of temper, and weaknesses of faith. Allied to this, is a dispo- sition to avoid all rash judgments. Love is not censorious ; but is inclined to think well of its object ; to diminish, ra- ther than magnify, its faults ; and to conceal rather than to publish them. Brotherly love will induce a person to speak the language of admonition, and to administer reproof ; but in a manner so gentle, so tender, and so humble, that the object x)f it, unless he be more of a brute than a Christian or a man, in his temper, shall feel that a kindness is done to him, for which there is a demand upon his gratitude and affection, A tender sympathy which leads us to bear one another's burdens of care and sorrow, is essential to this love. A sympathy which, not with impertinent curiosity, but with genuine pity, inquires into the cause of another's griefi to relieve it ; a sympathy which invites the confidence of the mourner, and draws to its own bosom from his oppress- ed^ heart, the secret of the cloud that hangs upon his brow. ON BROTHERLY LOVE. 153 *'0h! there is something that is wanting in the church here," says the same American preacher, whose expression I have already quoted, " something which shall so bind us to- gether, that when one member suffers, all the members shall suffer with it ; when any are in bonds, shall be bound with them : something which shall bring us into a dearer union, and wake up within us a more pure, refined, pervading sym- pathy, which shall be touched with the feeling of another's infirmities, and vibrate to the chord of wo, which is strong in a brother's heart." Love will make us regardful of the wants «/ our poorer brethren! "For whoso hath this world's goods, and seeth his bi*other have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him ? " In these, and in every other way in which we can show our interest in the members of Christ, and our tender regard for their happiness, will brotherly love operate where it exists in reality and in vigour. We may now con- template, for our edification and quickening, one or two bright specimens of this lovely virtue. Read the account preserved in the Acts of the Apostles, of the scenes which followed the day of Pentecost. " Then they that gladly received his word were baptized, and the same day there were added unto them, about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the Apostle's doc- trine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in pray- ers. And all that believed were together, and had all things common ; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted to all men as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple ; and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and single- ness of heart, praising God, and having favour with the peo- ple." — Acts, ii. 41 — 47. Beautiful scene ! Surprising effects ! Where, in all the history of our world was any thing like it, before or since ? This was love. It seemed intended to 154 ON BROTHERLY LOVE. show forth at the very origin of Christianity its mighty power to subdue the selfishness of our nature ; and to set before all ages and all countries, an illustrious example of this heavenly virtue. I need not ask, where is any thing like this now. Consult the history of the church in subsequent times, and even amidst growing corruption in other things, and you will find some bright and lovely exhibition of this spirit of primitive Christianity. In the time of Tertullian, charity was pro* verbial, and it was said of believers, "See how these Christians love one another ;" insomuch, that the hea- thens, surprised to see an union so affectionate, ascribed it to supernatural causes, and imagined that some mysterious char- acters, imprinted on their bodies, operated as a charm, and inspired them with love for each other. There were mys- terious characters, but they were imprinted on the soul, not on the body, and the name and image of Jesus were the charm. Lucian, a satirical Greek writer of the second cen- tury, satirizing them, passed the highest possible encomiums upon them when he said, " It is incredible what pains and diligence they use by all means to succour one another. They have an extreme contempt of the things of this world. Their legislator made them believe that they are all brethren, and since they have renounced our religion, and worshipped their crucified leader, they live according to his laws, and all their riches are common." This is Paganism bearing its testimony at the shrine of Christianity, to the superior excellence of the religion of the gospel. Julian, the apostate, as he is called, paid a fine tribute to Christianity, and its professors of his own times, when, in writing to a heathen priest, he says, " Let us consider that nothing has contributed so much to the progress of the superstition of the Christians, as their charity to strangers. I think we ought to discharge this ON buotherly love. 155 obligation ourselves. Establish hospitals in every place, for it would be a shame in us to abandon our poor, while the Jews have none, and the impious Galileans (thus he calls the Christians) provide not only for their own poor, but also for ours." O Christianity! this is one of thy brightest tri- umphs, when this mahgnant and subtle foe could find no better way of attacking thee than by imitating thy virtues ! EusEBiTJs, an ecclesiastical historian of the fourth century, gives a striking proof of the love of the brethren, in his time, when speaking of a plague which ravaged Egypt, he says, " Many of our brethren, neglecting their own health, through an excess of charity, have brought upon themselves the misfortunes and maladies of others. After they had held in their arms the dying saints, after they had closed their mouths and their eyes, after they had embraced, kissed, washed, and adorned them with their best habits, and carried them on their shoulders to the grave, they have been glad themselves to receive the same kind offices from others, who have imitated their zeal and charity." The acts were, in- deed, imprudent and improper, as Eusebitjs admits; but O, the power of love which induced those acts ! And then, as to the care of these early Christians of their poor; of this we have a famous example in the conduct of the Church of Rome, in the earlier and better period of her history. The Emperor Decius demanded their treasure. A deacon an- swered for the whole church, and required one day to com- ply with the order of the tyrant. When the term was ex- pired, he assembled all the blind, and the lame, and the sick, that were supported by the church and p inting to them, told the Emperor, " These are the riches of the church, these its revenue and treasure. Such were Christians once, in brotherly love. We have purified ourselves, hap- pily, from many of their errors and superstitions, but have we not, in rubbing oflfthe tinsel of their gaudy decorations, rasped 156 ON BROTHERLY LOVE. away also some of the more substantial parts of their piety ? Is there much, I say, of this kind of love in the church now? In urging this divine love upon you, I call upon you to dwell upon your own peculiar principles, as voluiitary socie- ties of Christians, united upon the ground of mutual know- ledge. You are not a church formed by law, or associated by the mere circumstance of geographical boundaries, but on the principle of free consent, and on an acquaintance with each other, as those, who in the judgment of charity are par- takers of the like precious faith, and the common salvation. Scarcely any churches in existence have such means or mo- tives for brotherly love as yours. You know the sentiments, the character, and even the religious experience of those whom you receive to your communion, for you have heard their confessions. And I do not hesitate for a moment in saying, that I believe there is more pure and practical love among you, than, with one solitary exception, I mean the Moravians, is to be found in any other denomination : and you ought from the circumstances I have mentioned to have more. But still you have far, far, too little. Weigh all the particulars I have enumerated, and say if there is not yet a criminal deficiency amongst us 1 And what are the causes of this want of love 1 The external prosperity of the church, its worldly ease, and unrestricted religious liberty is one cause. In times of persecution the sheep run together ; but when the dogs cease to bark, to chase, and to worry them, then they separate and quarrel with one another. Shall we then, suffer our love to each other to grow cool, because we are at ease in Zion? Is this how we improve our liberty, and lempt God to bind us together by the iron fetters of intolerance ? Professors do not properly consider the subject, nor dwell enough upon the ends of Christian fellowship. It is too little ON BROTHERLY LOVE. 157 thought of, or too little studied. They do not stir up their hearts to love one another, because they do not properly con- sider how much they are called to the exercise of this holy and tender affection. The largeness of some of our churches, might be thought by some to be a cause of the deficiency, and I should think so, if It did not exist in an equal degree in smaller ones. Still, however, it must be admitted, that a body of four, five, or six hundred members scattered over the whole expanse of a large town and neighbourhood, cannot have much opportu- nity for personal acquaintance, and for the interchange of Christian sympathy. To meet this case, there should be a more numerous eldership than usually exists, and district as- sociations and meetings of the members should be promoted. I am inclined to think, that the deficiency is in many cases, and in no small measure, to be traced to the pulpit. If the pastor be not a man of love, and a preacher of love ; if he do not both by his sermons and his example, breathe a spirit of affection into his people, and labour to th6 uttermost to do so, there will be a visible want of this essential feature of church prosperity. It has not been with any of us, per- haps, sufficiently an object to promote the love of the breth- ren. We have preached doctrines, experience and morality, faith and hope ; but has charity, the greatest of the three graces, been sufficiently inculcated ? But after all, the chief causes of the deficiency of love, are still to be mentioned ; and these are, the want of true love to Christ, and a selfish worldly mindedness. If we loved Christ more, we should inevitably love one another more, since we love them for his sake. If we felt, as we ought, his amazing love to us, we should love him more fervently in return : and then, as a necessary consequence, we should be more tenderly attached to his people ; nor would less worldly- mindedness, more spirituality of mind, fail to be followed with 14 158 ON BROTHERLY LOVE, the same effect. The most eminent Christians, are most tenderly disposed towards God's dear children, and Christ's dear saints. A love of riches or of grandeur is a cold and selfish temper ; it concentrates a man's attention upon him- selfl and of course withdraws his affection from the church. The present divided and alienated state of the Christian world in this country, is a plain proof, that notwithstanding the pre- valence of evangelical sentiment, love to Christ is by no means so ardent as it appears to be. The rancorous feehng, amounting almost to malignity, with which some professing Christians treat others, cannot comport with a high degree of pure affection to the Lord Jesus. Permit me, then, to enjoin most earnestly, an attention to this interesting and most important duty, a duty which above many, brings in the performance its own reward. Love is happiness ; hatred is misery ; and selfish indifference at best midway between both. And now on this subject, alluding to sentiments already touched upon, I would dwell upon the sin-» gular emphasis which Christ lays on this duty in the follow- ing injunction, " This is my commandment that ye love one another y Every leader of a sect both among the Jews and Heathen, it has been said, had appointed some rite or spe- culative opinion, the belief or observance of which was the badge of distinction of his followers, and by which they were known to be his disciples. Thus Pharisees, Sadducees, Pla- tonists, Pythagoreans, and Epicureans, were distinguished from each other. Each had his leading principle, his fa- vourite opinion, to which he was warmly attached, and by which his party was easily known. With allusion to this custom, the Saviour of the world, the Head of the heavenly sect says to his followers, " This is my commandment that ye love one another ; and hy this shall all men know, that ye are my disciples ; if ye love one another. ^^ " I am incarnate love : none have loved like me : I am the type and pattern of ON BROTHERLY LOVE. 159 love ; and you are the objects of my love. If) therefore, you would prove yourselves the disciples of him who came to teach love, and who taught it by his example, you must love as / have loved, and must love whom I love." Now this in- junction and description of our duty is Christ's law, and no wonder that he should attach such emphasis to it, considering the state of his own mind. The laws of an absolute monarch are always expressive of his character: emanating from his own disposition, they bear the impress of his heart, discover the tyrant or* the friend, and are manifestations of cruelty or kindness. What, then, might be looked for from Christ, but a law of love ; Ms laws for his church came from his heart, and that heart was love. What other king ever gave it as the badge of his subjects, or philosopher of his disciples, that they should love one another ? But Christ has. There is much even in the Christian himself, as the object of our affection, both in what he is, and what he will be, to kindle, call forth, and sustain a pure and exalted flame. That man, amidst ail his imperfections, has germs of immortal excellence in his nature, which in the paradise above will grow and thrive for ever. He is an infant seraph, displaying at present the ignorance, and wilfulness, and waywardness of childhood ; he thinks as a child, he speaks as a child, he acts as a child, but he is to rise to the manhood of perfect and heavenly virtue, and put away all childish things. He is to be holy as an angel, and to run an endless career of spotless purity. You will see him a perfect saint, yea, a per- fect, living, everlasting resemblance of Christ ; as perfect as a mirror is of the sun whose dazzling image is reflected from its polished and speckless surface. You will love that man for ever, and see in him every thing worthy of your love. But this is nothing to the other consideration of loving him for God's sake, and Christ's sake. On that man the mind of God was fixed from everlasting ages ; towards him the 160 ON BROTHERLY LOVE, thoughts and affections of the great God were moving from eternity. In him the heart of Jehovah finds its resting place. That man was in the view of Jesus, when he was contemplat- ing his death, and his salvation was part of the joy that was set before Christ, for which he endured the cross, and despised the shame. Out of love to him, the Son of God became in- carnate, and it was love which sustained him amidst the scenes of his humiliation. Yes, Christ loved him unto the death of the cross, and loved him in death, and loves him beyond death, and by all his own love, and all his ago- nizing method of expressing it, commends him to our love. Next to Christ himself, there is not an object in creation we should love as we do a Christian, for he is not only Christ's representative, but he is the object of Christ's love. In that Christian our heart meets Christ's heart. O, what a depth of meaning, and a cogency of argument, and a force of persuasion, is there in that rule and motive of our affection, for it is both, ''As I have loved you" Who but himself can tell how that is? Who can say how Christ has loved his people? We can see the expression, the outward manifesta- tion of it ; we can look at the cross ; but who can look into the heart? Who can see or understand the love itself? " Jesus Christ was an incarnation of love in our world. He was love living, breathing, speaking, acting amongst men. His birth was the nativity of love ; his sermons the words of love ; his miracles the wonders of love ; his tears the melt- ings of love : his crucifixion the agonies of love ; his resur- rection the triumph of love." And yet we are to love one another as Christ has loved us. We cannot now feel the full force of this ; if we did, we should be unfit for the pre- sent world ; the love of kin and of country would die away, like culinary flames in the blaze of the orb of day. But this full force will be felt in heaven. All the love of kin and of country will have died with the world in which it ejcisted ; ON BROTHERLY LOVE. 161 and we shall see before us not husbands and wives, parents and children, brothers and sisters, fellow church members, and fellow subjects ; but simply objects of Christ's love, who were washed from their sins in his blood, and redeemed by his grace from hell, and who are to be for ever loved for his sake. And thus we shall love them. Every look of com- placency we see him dart upon them, instead of kindling envy, so perfect shall we be in love, will be fresh fuel to the flame of our own pure affection for them. My God, where is this love now 1 Where do we see any thing like it ? A mong a thousand other reasons, for a Christian's desiring to depart and be with Christ, one is that he might feel what it is to love, and be loved for his sake : to have the mystery developed, what it is to love Christ perfectly, and perfectly to love all his saints for his sake. If there be any truth in all this, and it be not fiction or rhapsody, yield to the force of it, and open your heart afresh to the brethren. You have never loved them as you ought ; nor have you ever been beloved as you have a claim to be. O what a beauty and a power of spiritual excellence, lie hidden in the pages of the New Testament, waiting to be developed in some better age of the church, when the Spirit of God shall be poured out from on high. We can imagine that one of the first acts of the church, when it shall appear on earth, having the glory of God, will be to collect the books of ecclesiastical history and consume them to ashes, as if ashamed to know how little the Christians of other ages had loved one another ; and having destroyed these records of their disgrace, they will send after them into oblivion, all the angry controversies which for so many ages had seemed to metamorphose the sheep of Christ into wolves, and his doves into vultures. Christians, for the credit of religion, for the honour of your Redeemer, and for the good of the world, seek to recover in full beauty this feature of ChristiT anity, the love of the brethren, 14* 163 ON BROTHERLY LOVE. I close this chapter with a passage from Mr. Beverley, which I recommend to the serious consideration of all who may read these pages. " The effects of Messiah's reign are to be something more than decent and comely in society ; they are to be wonder- ful, extraordinary, miraculous. — ' The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid.' The changes that shall take place shall be fundamental. ' Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low.' " But if we think that the church has done her duty, when she has established a standard of sobriety, courtesy, and hon- esty amongst men, we are grievously mistaken : she has to exhibit to the world all her children as one family, united as one close-knit and vital body, having one spirit and one life ; bound together, not in the ties of politeness, but of blood ; not in a treaty of civility, but in a family compact of kindred affection. What then are the effects of this mystical union ? Precisely that which is now wanting in the churches ; that all Christians should find their brethren in Christ really and substantially their friends, protectors, and counsellors, in time of need, distress, and apprehension : and that the church should be a port and refuge to the weary pilgrims, who are sore beset and buffeted with the tempest of adversity. "Christians are endowed with mighty privileges, and are made partakers of the divine nature, that they might, by the resplendent and godlike virtues of their society, bring back the glory of God upon earth, manifesting him as he has mani- fested himself to them — the God of love. For if we look upon the earth, out of the precincts of the church, we find it a desolation of selfishness, cruelty, and hardness of heart ; a waste howling wilderness of sin and death ; a habitation of miserable beings, who, without any choice of their own, have been thrust into life for labour and sorrow, for vanity and ON BROTHERLY LOVE. 163 vexation of spirit, and whose sad unfriended condition has led many to entertain hard thoughts of the Creator and Ruler of such a world, as if he was, indeed, the evil demiurge of Manichean theology. But Christians, the body of Christ, have received a commission to display the Creator in the majesty and beauty of his second creation ; to exalt, by their faith and conversation, the Redeemer, the Holy One of Is- rael ; and to show that the earth may be a second paradise in the light and glory of the Sun of Righteousness. They have to prove by the lovely operations of the church, that the second creation is the work of the same God, who, be- ing himself essential goodness and benevolence, did, at the first, suffer the plenitude of his felicity to overflow in thou- sands of channels, receiving from none, but imparting to all the joys and wonders of the first creation ; and though an enemy has embittered the channels, and introduced a curse where there was a blessing, and sorrow where there was joy, and sin where there was innocence, and death where there was life ; and though the earth is filled with wicked men, who, by their active crimes, plunge their fellow-creatures into distress, or, with pitiless apathy, pass them by unheeded, when distress is breaking their hearts ; yet the church, the nation of ransomed saints, have, in the Gospel, and through the unction that teaches all things, received so excellent a plan for a universal restitution, that if they did but exactly follow that plan, and hearken to the instructions they have received, all evils, excepting disease and death, would dis- appear from amongst men, and the astonished world, in an acclamation of surprise and gratitude would cry out, 'Be- hold ! again, the God that made all things, and pronounced them to be good.' " First of all, then, harmony, peace, and perfect friendship must be conspicuous in the church : it must be seen that Christians love one another ; that their union is a wonder- 164 ON BROTHERLY LOVE. working phenomenon, which no wisdom of the world can counterfeit ; that the gates of the Christian enclosure open into the sanctuary of love ; that a man — that is, Christ in his human nature joined to his brethren, and they in him — is a * hiding place from the wind, a covert from the tempest ; ' that when the storm is raging in all the world besides, there is peace there ; that every believer is the brother of every be- liever ; that they are all concerned in the temporal welfare of their brethren, and all deeply interested in their final and everlasting salvation. " But is it so at present ? alas ! let any one who is tho- roughly acquainted with the churches give the melancholy answer ! There are, indeed, Christian societies wherein the poor are treated with kindness and sympathy ; or, in some places, a few of the church-members are united in a pious friendship ; and brotherly love, as far as it extends, produces happy effects ; but, generally speaking, there is a sad dis- tance between the brethren. They know not one another in the bonds of the Gospel ; they are estranged by the cold and distant formalities of the ceremonious world ; they are either too intent on the pursuit of their own interest, or too deeply embedded in the well-lined nest of opulent selfishness, to care for the labour and the sorrows, the beauty and edifi-* cation of the church." THE INFLUENCE OF PROFESSORS. 165 CHAPTER XI. THE INFLUENCE OF PROFESSORS. Amongst the various talents with which God has en- trusted us, and for the use of which a strict account will be required at the day of judgment, injluence sustains a very- high place. Made for society, and placed in the midst of it, we are always acting upon others, and being acted upon by them : a solemn consideration, which we should never forget for a single hour. This applies universally ; we are all per- petually sending forth, and receiving influence. Our spheres of operation are of very different dimensions, enlarging, of course, according to the number, publicity, and importance of the relations in which we stand to the social system ; but ail persons, not excepting the poor widow in an alms-house, have a circle within which they move, and of which they are the centre. Least of all can it be supposed that the profes- sor of religion is without influence. Consider what it is he professes in the way of privilege ; that he is a member of Christ, a child of God, a candidate for immortality, an heir of glory : — in the way of duty ; that he is a saint, a lover of God, an imitator of Christ, a friend of man, the law of God incarnate, a living comment on the Bible, the religion of the New Testament embodied. Such a man must have mfluence of some kind. He, from the very nature of his character and avowed principles, must be acting upon others for good or for harm. Whoever is negative, it cannot be such a person. Think also of the kind of influence he ex- erts ; it is not literary, it is not political, it is not scientific, it 166 THE INFLUENCE OP is not merely moral — but it is spiritual, it is religious. It is an influence not for time only, but for eternity ; not for earth merely, but for heaven or hell. It is an influence which will in some instances go before him into eternity, and in others it will outlive him on earth, and then follow him into his everlasting inheritance of torment or of bliss, in the torment or bliss of those to whose ruin or salvation he has been ac- cessory ; he is ever and every where aiding men to perdi- tion, or to glory. Whether he intends it or not ; whether he considers it or not ; he is sending out an influence which either withers or nourishes the interests of immortal souls. How much then does it become him, to consider well his mo- mentous situation, and the account he shall have to render at last for the results of his conduct. First — I shall consider the influence of professors upon each other. This may be applied either to the members of the same church, to those of different churches of the same denomina- tion, or to those of different denominations. As regards the first, it cannot be questioned or unnoticed, that they act pow- erfully on each other. The word of God abounds with re- marks, precepts, and examples, which imply this. We have the excellences and faults of the saints set before us, that we may avoid the one and imitate the other : we are called up- on to let our light shine before men ; to provoke unto love and good works ; to do good to all ; to edify one another. This reciprocal influence of professors may be seen exempli- fied as well as proved, in various points of view ; such for instance as the following : In their spirituality and heavenliness of mind. Religion is not, as you know, a mere round of ceremonies, or a mere set of opinions ; it is a state of holy affection, a principle of divine life in the soul ; it is faith, hope, love ; a minding of the things of the Spirit : righteousness, peace, and joy in the PROFESSORS. 167 Holy Ghost. It is evident, therefore, that those who profess it, must be always doing* something to raise or depress each other's piety, fanning or damping the flame of each other's divine love. One lively, ardent, active Christian is a bless- ing to the circle in which he moves, and sometimes to the whole church of which he is a member. His prayers at the meetings for social devotion, and his conversation in the com- panies of Christian friends, tend not only to stop the spread- ing lukewarmness of many others, but to kindle a similar spirit to his own in the hearts of those with whom he asso- ciates. He keeps up the spiritual atmosphere of the church, and makes it genial and reviving. While on the other hand^ one worldly-minded, political, convivial professor, whose spir- itual affections, if not wholly extinguished, are smouldering under a heap of earthly cares and tastes, depresses and chills the piety of all who come near him. He is a hinderance. to religious conversation, an interruption to the communion of saints, and an extinguisher upon the devotion of a party. However profitable the intercourse of the company may have been before he entered the room, he soon contrives by anec- dote, politics, or business, to turn the current into some low and earthly channel. It is of immense consequence that we should all consider this subject ; that we should ask the question of ourselves, " what would I wish the church to be to which I belong ; would I have it resemble that of Phila- delphia, which the Lord accused of nothing bad, or that of Laodicea, which he did not praise for any thing good 1 What I wish the church to be, that by divine grace will I seek to be myself; for that in fact which 1 am in my spirit and tem- per, that am I in reality seeking to make the whole body." It has not, I believe, unfrequently occurred, that young converts in the ardour of their first love, and while much un- acquainted as yet, with what is called the religious world, have looked upon the church of Christ as a sacred enclosure, 169 THE INFLUENCE OF within which dwelt scarcely any other than a kind of hea- venly inhabitants ; as a sort of vestibule to the temple above, where as these blessed spirits were putting off their earthly affections, and preparing to enter into the presence of their divine Redeemer, they could think or speak of little else than the glory that awaited them ; and by whom every addition to their number would be hailed with delight, and welcomed as an accession to the fervour of their piety. In such soci- ety, these novices expected soon to attain to the full maturity of the Christian character, and ripen into the greatest per- fection attainable on earth. They anticipated the sweetest and holiest intercourse, an almost unearthly spirituality, and an uninterrupted strain of religious conversation in the com- munion of saints — but alas ! what a woful disappointment did the reality produce; in the sacred enclosure they found worldly-minded professors, almost as intent upon things seen and temporal, as any they had left without the gates; in the vestibule of heaven, they beheld men and women covered with the dust, disordered with the anxieties, and given up to the enjoyment of earth. They saw little but the world in conduct, and heard little else in conversation. A cold chill fell upon their hearts, which seemed at once like a frosty at- mosphere acting upon a newly -exposed plant, to check the ardour of their religious affections ; and even they, lately so fervent, soon sunk and settled down into the lukewarmness of those among whom they had come to dwell. It is true they expected too much ; they had formed a standard for the church militant too nearly approaching that of the church triumphant: but still, even persons with a more correct knowledge of professing Christians, and with more sober ex- pectations of what was to be derived from them, have upon coming among them experienced much less of the benefits of fellowship than they expected. This should not be. Happily it is not always thus. In our churches are to be PROFESSORS. 169 found some, who by their knowledge, piety, and experience, are nursing fathers and mothers of the young Christian, and who, by the blessing of God, breathe into him their own spirit. Our influence upon each other, is very great in promoting or discouraging an attendance upon the means of grace, especially on iveek days. A diUgent and constant resort to the house of God, both for hearing the word and social pray- er, is of incalculable importance to the spirit of piety. If we would grow in grace, and keep up the principle and exercise of faith, we must avail ourselves of all possible, or at least, attainable helps. An irregular attendant upon these advan- tages discourages others, lends the influence of his example to dissuade them from going to the place of instruction, and says to them, in effect, " there is no need of so much dili- gence." Fearful is the injury thus done, and especially by deacons and leading members, when they are inconstant. On the contrary, how influential for good, is he whose place is never vacant, who, as he passes the house of the less regu- lar attendant, says, by his example, " come with us ; " and who, as he meets a negligent brother in the street, causes him to turn and accompany him to the house of God. Our morality is materially affected by each other. I need not say how refined, how pure, how rigid, are the morals of the New Testament, forbidding not only the outward act, but also the inward feeling of sin; commanding not only whatso- ever things are true, pure, just and honest, but also whatso- ever things are lovely and of good report. A professing Christian should be not only eminent in the church fjr his piety, but as eminent also in the world for his morality. We should excel tiie worldling on his own ground ; who is apt to boast of his morals, while he sneers at us for our piety. IVd then, should be above and beyond him, in this respect. His summit should be our lowest level ; his goal should be our starting place. It is evident, notwithstanding the boast of 15 170 THE INFLUENCE OF some, that morals, so far as truth, honesty, and justice are concerned, are at a very low ebb in the world, and I am alarmed and concerned lest the tide should sink in the church. The loose maxims, and looser practices, of modern trade, are finding their way among professed Christians, and principles are now adopted and acted upon, which, if tested by the word of God, cannot be justified ; and yet they extensively prevail. Here again, the reciprocal influence of believers is great, and dangerous. Had the church from the beginning, taken its stand upon the scriptures, and repudiated every thing con- demned by that, there would not have been exhibited in the practices of modern professors, such a mass of questionable conduct as we are often pained to behold. One Christian makes a small deviation from the " whatsoever things are lovely; " another sees it, and goes a step further, to infringe upon the "whatsoever things are of good report; " a third is emboldened by their sanction to neglect the "whatsoever things are true; " and so the matter goes on. Some things are avoided as long as they are confined to the world ; but once seen in the church, they are practised under the con- sideration that if not actually right, they cannot be far wrong, if done by professors. Thus the church goes on lowering the standard of morals, and corrupting itself. A Christian ought to tremble at the idea of venturing one single step be- yond the hne of propriety, and especially in any new case of commercial casuistry; for there are among his brethren, many waiting first to imitate him, and then to plead his ex- ample for going one step farther than he did. Thus he acts the part of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, of whom it is so emphatically and repeatedly said, " he made Israel to sin." One single act of doubtful morality performed by a professing Christian, may be observed by many, and copied by some, who, till that time, never questioned its sinfulness ; and who, from that moment, felt all the safeguards of their character, PROFESSORS. 171 all the defences of their integrity give way before the influ- ence of one, wliom they had been accustomed to look up to, not only as an older and a wiser, but also a holier Christian than themselves; till at length, they went on from one state of delinquency to another, till they made shipwreck of faith and a good conscience together. On the contrary, how noble, how honourable, and how useful is the man, whose stern and steadfast integrity stands firm amidst the shifting and fluctu- ating tides of modern commerce, and commercial devices like a rock against the billows and currents of the ocean. There he is among his breihren, the relic of a juster and more honourable age, the type of what a Christian trades- man should be, and the means of still restraining others prone to wander within the boundaries of truth and honesty. Nor is our influence upon each other inconsiderable, as regards zeal and liberty. There are few things to which the remark, that men move more by imitation than convic- tion, is so applicable as it is to these. " What will others do," is the question often asked, instead of what ought 1 to do ? Let a plan be presented to them of some new effort for extending the Redeemer's kingdom in the world ; some fresh and just demand upon the energies and property of his friends, and instead of examining its merits, they scrutinize its supporters— instead of reading the prospectus, they run over the list of contributors — instead of saying to themselves, what ought I to do, they ask the bearer what their neigh- bours have done. This is a shameful way of supporting God's cause, and yet it is far too extensively prevalent. What responsibility, therefore, does it entail on professors, first to give their names, since names are arguments and re- commendations : and next to couple with their names, a libe- ral and proportionate donation ; proportionate to the merits of the cause, and proportionate also to their own station and jne^ns of assisting it. Especially does this prove the respon? 172 THE INFLUENCE OF sibility o^ricli professors. Their contributions fix the scale of donations, and determine, in effect, whether much or little shall be done. They open or close the hearts and hands of the rest; they cause the stream of liberality to flow full and rapidly, or to stagnate; they, in many cases, determine whether the scheme shall succeed or fail. There are fre- quently to be found liberal minds who devise liberal things, but who, on being informed that some richer neighbour had done much less than they intended to do, are prevented from fulfilling their own purposes although they know they are within their ability, because it would appear cither like osten- tation or ambition, to surpass one so much better able to give than themsi Ives; and thus the cause of Christ is doubly rob- bed, by covetousness on the one hand, and unsanctified mo- desty on the other. Away with such unsanctified modesty : let each man accomplish the desires of his own heart, and obey the dictates of his own conscience, regardless of the conduct of the rich niggard, remembering that his example may work upward, and shame him out of his detestable covetousness. Members of different churches of the same order, do each other much good, by cultivating friendly intercourse, by re- ciprocal interest and sympathy, and by good neighbourhood and co-operation ; or much harm by a spirit of alienation and hostility, of envy and jealousy, of detraction and divi- sion. Yes, different communities act upon each other, as well as diflferent individuals in the same community; and this not only in the way I have already glanced at, but in many others. The Apostle tells us that even in primitive times, the zeal and liberality of one society provoked ano- ther to love and good works; and he actually proposed the example of one church for the imitation of the rest. Every community of Christians has an influence upon others, and an influence of course in the ratio of its magnitude. PTLGFESSORS, 173 wealth, and publicity. This is a circumstance which ought to be well and solemnly considered by all large and affluent congregations, whether in London or in the country. They are to the church at large what the places in which they are located are to the empire. The metropolis, other cities, and large towns, give the tone, in a great measure, to the smaller towns and villages. Hence, lukewarmness, worldly- mindedness, and covetousness, in the larger churches, are almost sure to infect others ; while their spiritual life, activity, and liberality, are very likely to be communicated to the body, of which they are the greater limbs. In reference to the reciprocal influence of professors of different denominations, far more jnight be said than can be said in this chapter. They must and do act upon each other, and that powerfully too. The knowledge and piety, the love and zeal of one section of the Christian church can no more be confined within the pale of its communion, than the air it breathes, or the light it enjoys : nor are the bad influences of party spirit, sectarian bitterness, and political animosity, more likely to be pent up within the community that indulges them, than the pestilential miasmata of a con- tagious epidemic within the house where the disease originates. There is a continual action and reaction going on between the different divisions of the Catholic Church. If a revival of piety take place in one, it will, in all probability, extend to others. The Methodists and Dissenters were doubtless the means of kindling the flame of evangelical religion in the Church of England ; and it may be hoped that the flame of piety which is now spreading in the Church of England will react upon its source, and cause that to burn with still greater intensity. It ought to be felt by each party to be a so emn obligation to promote the spirit of pure and undefiled religion, not only for its own sake, but for the sake of all Our books, our examples, the records of our zeal and liberality overleap 15* 174 THE INFLUENCE OF the boundaries of party, and circulate amongst each other in spile of prejudice and bigotry ; I say in spite of prejudice and bigotry, for such bigotry there is, of which I have myself been the object. God has honoured me by ena- bling me to write a little work — " The Anxious Inquirer," — which, in his infinite condescension, he has blessed to an extent which fills me with astonishment and gratitude. It has obtained favour in the eyes of many, very many pi- ous clergymen of the Church of England, from some of whom I have received testimonies to its usefulness, as hon- ourable to their candour as they are gratifying to my heart. Such men, intent upon the objects of their high and holy calling, and willing, by any proper means, to save souls, have not scrupled to avail themselves of an instrument which they thought was made ready to their hands, though constructed by a Dissenter. Not so, however, with all, for instances have come to my knowledge of evangelical clergymen, having acknowledged the useful tendency of this book, and yet re- fused to circulate it, because of the author's name on the title page. In one case of this kind, a lady was so much hurt by its being refused admission into a religious library, that she immediately purchased a considerable number for circulation. I know not whether 1 ought to make such a concession to bigotry, as the suppression of my name, but if it would at all aid the usefulness by extending the circulation of the book, I should, perhaps, consent to the Tract Society's doing so, to whom it now belongs. I can, I believe, most unhesitatingly declare, on behalf of the body to which I be- long, that they are entire strangers to the feeling which would lead them to refuse to circulate any useful book, because it bears the name of a churchman. As regards the prejudice against myself^ for such prejudice I do know exists in some quarters, I can descend to nothing servile, nothing mean, nothing below what becomes a man, or a Christian, to remove it ; remembering what was once said by a bishop of PROFESSORS. 175 the Church of England, "that prejudice has neither eyes nor ears." I am a Dissenter ; nor would I give up my principles for the wealth that all the endowed churches in Christendom have to offer : and I have written for the cause of dissent; not, however, from factious motives, ia. a rancorous spirit, or with a reviling pen. What I have written is in existence, and still in circulation, and let any man show me a sentence which is contrary to charity or courtesy, and I will blot it from my page. In one instance, and which was the principal cause of the prejudice against me, in certain quarters, I was not merely misunderstood, but grossly and wickedly misrepre- sented, and made to say the very reverse of what I did say. Instead of affirming, as was reported, " that we ought to for- get our Christianity in our dissent : " I actually said that we ought not to do so ! How much of the bad feeling which now exists between different religious parties is to be traced up to some of the organs of public opinion. Let us, however, not carry our antipathies, if any exist, so far as to refuse the circulation of each other's useful books; for this is worse than exclusive dealing, and is deliberately to abandon the church of Christ at large to the ruthless havoc of party spirit, un- checked by one of the most likely means to preserve from utter extinction, the last embers of expiring charity. Wherever and on whomsoever God bestows his gifts and graces, he intends them as the common blessings of the church ; and it is impossible for prejudice and bigotry alto- gether to restrain or resist their influence. We get good in some cases, unconsciously to ourselves, from the very men whom we oppose ; just as we should catch a sweet and rich perfume with which an individual might be scented with whom we wrestled. The lamp that lights my neighbour's house, though he be an enemy, lends its friendly illumination to mine. There is a communion of spiritual benefits where there can be none of persons, I want a greater revival of 176 THE INFLUENCE OF reiigion amongst the Dissenters, that it might do good to the Church of England ; and I want a greater revival of it in the Church of England, that it may do good to the Dissent- ers ; I want it in the Methodists, to do good to both the others, and in both the others to do good to the Methodists. Wherever it begins, it will not, cannot stop. The Spirit of God will not be limited by our narrow views and selfish policy, but will make us blessings to each other, in spite of ourselves. On the other hand, if benefits be communicative, so is evil i and if, in one way, the different sections of the church of Christ are doing each other good ; they are in another doing each other great harm. They are provoking each other to love and good works, as their different religious Institutions can testify ; but they are also provoking each other to strife, contention and enmity, as their controversies and periodicals bear witness. Never was the warfare of brethren so fierce and so rancorous as it is now. Their tongues are sharp swords, and their pens are spears. One party is attacking what they believe to be a corrupt system ; the other in defending it, are reviling the men that are engaged in the as- sault. The conflict cannot yet terminate, for it is for truth ; but still it should be carried on in the spirit of love. We must still contend, for neither party dare quit the field, but let it be like Michael the Archangel, who, when contending even with the devil about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, " the Lord rebuke thee." Let the accuser, and reviler, and defamer of his brethren, remember this ; and, like the serpent who is fabled to spit out her venom before she drinks, cast away the poison of his malice, and then drink of the water of Christian controversy. Let the rehgious incendiaries of all parties, whose tongues are set on fire of hell remember this, and consider, that like other incendiaries, they have no power to stop the flames they have kindled, which PROFESSORS. 177 may not only consume their neighbour's homestead, but reach their own. Every hot, turbulent, and defamatory pro- fessor, thougli not a preacher, or a writer, but only a talker, is a mischief-maker in the church, who not only does what in him lies to drive away charity from his own party, but also to expel it from that of his opponents. He is an enemy to all churches, by the manner in which he defends his own ; and by offering up love in sacrifice, at the shrine of what he calls truth, destroys one half, and that the better half, of what is worth contending for in Christianity. He provokes others to join him in destroying that holy, heavenly temper, which is of infinitely greater value than all the forms of polity, and all the ceremonies ever devised by man, or ever instituted by God ; which these forms and ceremonies were granted and designed to promote ; and which shall survive and flourish, infinite ages after they have ceased to be remembered. I have my opinion, of course, where the most active cause, and the chief blame of this unhappy state of things are to be found, but as I would not add one particle of inflammable matter to the unholy fire, which is raging like a conflagration, I shall abstain from uttering my convictions. I cannot, how- ever, forbear to express my persuasion, that a great part of the anger that is felt by one of the parties, is produced by an entire misconception of the object of the others ; I would not aver, that either of the parties is without all blame, but I cannot think that in this respect they are both equal. O for a truce, to every thing but dispassionate argument, and the charitable use of those methods for obtaining the redress of grievances, which the Constitution puts within our reach. When shall that sweet and holy voice be heard throughout the land, which, learning its melody, and borrowing its iheme from the angel's song, has called the church to unity of spirit, in notes, which He who came to give peace on earth must approve, as the echo of his natal anthem ? When shall that 178 THE INFLUENCE OF dear servant of his Master, whom so many admire, and so few imitate, find that by his heavenly music, he has tamed the fierceness of bigotry, and exorcised the evil spirit of in- tolerance. " O God, do thou in thy great mercy to thy dis- tracted church, bless the circulation, even as I believe thou didst help the composition of that invaluable tract." I scarce- ly need say, I refer to the Rev. Baptist Noel's Tract, entitled "The Unity of the Church." Such, then, is the influence of professors on each other ; a subject, I am persuaded, too little, far too little considered. We have seen the necessity, and felt the importance of con- verting the world ; but have we seen the necessity, and felt the importance of improving the church ? We have been engaged to extend Christianity abroad ; but have we been brought to refine and exalt it at home ? We have acknow- ledged the claims that aliens have had upon us, but have we not withheld ourselves from our brethren ? Is the church the better or the worse for us? Have we done it good or harm by our union with it ? Have we increased the fervour of its piety, or added to its lukewarmness ? Have we raised or depressed the standard of morality ? Have we drawn our fellow Christians to the sanctuary, or led them away 1 Have we warned or paralyzed the zeal of others ; expanded or contracted their liberality 1 We have been doing something. We have stood neither idle nor neutral. Our fellow profes- sors are either better or worse for our association with them. What has been, will be. We shall still continue to send out mfluence, and receive it too. May we therefore consider well our situation and our obligations. Secondly. — But I now go on to consider the influence of Professors upon their families. The power of influence is regulated by three circumstances. By the opportunity which those over whom it is exerted have £)£ observing us ; by the afiection they bear to us, and the PROFESSORS. 179 habit which they have acquired of looking up to us for imita- tion. What, then, nnust be the influence of parents? — Their children are almost continually with them ; they are seen by them in nearly all they do, in their habitual conduct, and in the undress of their character at home. When they little reflect upon it, they are heard in what they say, seen in what they do, studied in their various phases of behaviour, by ears, and eyes, and minds, that are scarcely ever closed. Affec- tion prepares the child to receive impressions from parental conduct ; it warms the heart, and makes it soft and ductile to a father's or a mother's hand. And then, whom has the child been taught to regard with reverence and imitation but his parents? Their plastic influence has been moulding him from the dawn of reason. He knew them first, and sees them most, and loves them best, and therefore is likely to yield to them with deepest submission. What then, ought to be the behaviour at home of a professing Christian? It is not my design to enter at large into the subject and plan of a religious education ; I would merely say, that the whole cultivation, and direction, and management of a child's mind, from the very dawn of reason, and the development of moral emo- tions, should be carried on with special reference to the for- mation of religious character. This should be the one things in reference to his children, of every professor, to which all other things, should be subordinate and subsidiary. Schools, business, situations, preceptors, all should be selected with reference to this. There should be no doubt about this mat- ter, no hesitation nor stopping in this course. But I now refer more particularly to the silent influence of parental conduct ; and it is an undoubted fact, that this is far greater, either for good or for evil, than most parents are aware of. They teach by what they say, they influence by what they do, and also by what they do not say, and do not perform. The father, who, in the best sense of the word, is 180 THE INFLUENCE OF the prophet, priest, and king of his family; and the mother, whose piety is as warm and as consistent as her affection ; this godly couple, who embody a meek, benevolent, ardent, and consistent religion in their character; who are known by their piety to be saints, as well as felt to be parents, exert an influence over the minds of their children, not to be cal- culated by numbers, or described in language. But oh ! the dreadful contrast in the case of those whose unsanctified tem- pers, worldly associations, gay and extravagant parties, po- litical antipathies, trifling conversation, and want of all seri- ousness and spirituality, often lead their children and servants to ask the question wherein their father and master differ from those who make no profession at all. Oh ! what can be expected from such parents, but children that regard reli- gion with insufferable disgust ? When surprise is expressed by children at their parents being church members, we may be very sure that they ought not to be such ; but should it be their conviction and testimony, that if there be a Christian in the world, their father is one, we may be tolerably sure they are right. Every man is best known at home, and if he has established a belief in all v/ho know him there, that he is a Christian, it is a strong presumption that he is sincere and consistent. He may be a hypocrite, but it is not probable, for the disguise of hypocrisy is rarely worn at home ; it is the great coat for the character, to be hung up for use when he goes abroad, but which is to be taken off on his return to the bosom of his family. 1 knew a gentleman, and I have alluded to the fiict in another of my works,* whose history furnished a striking proof and illustration of the power of parental influence. His father was a professor of eminent piety. The son, when a vouth, was worldly, though not vicious; he disliked the re- * "The Family Monitor ; or a Help to Domestic Happiness." PROFESSORS. 181 straints of religion, which were imposed upon hinn under the parental roof^ and wished to be free from the obligations of piety altogether. His easiest way was to persuade himself that religion was but a name, and that all who made a pro- fession of it, were hypocrites. He was determined to test the subject by the conduct of his father. He knew him to be esteemed a saint above most saints ; he resolved, therefore, to watch him most closely, with the resolution, that if by reason of any inconsistency, he saw ground to doubt his sin- cerity, he should conclude that religion was all gross delusion, for if his father was a hypocrite, all others must be so. He began the scrutiny almost with a wish to find some evidence on his own side, but after a micrc^copic examination, nothing could he find in the smallest degree at variance with the good man's profession. The result was, that it had a favourable influence upon his own mind, and led to a decision in favour of true godliness, and he became an eminent Christian. He was a magistrate, a man of unusual power of mind ; a public blessing to the large town in which he lived ; and equally distinguished for the extent of his knowledge, and his talents as a public speaker. Here was the influence of professors at home. Let parents consider this and weigh it well. It is a mo- mentous subject. They are ever doing something to prepos- sess their children m favour of religion, or to prejudice them against it : doing something to draw them into the church, or to drive them into the world : lending a helping hand to lead them to heaven, or to guide them to hell. What tone of ex- postulation is deep enough or tender enough, to address to those who are inconsistent, on such a subject as this ? What note of alarm is loud enough, or startling enough to sound in their ears ? Where, oh ! where, shall be found arrows sharp or barbed enough to pierce their hearts 1 Is it not suf- ficient that your influence is ruining the souls of those that 16 183 THE INFLUENCE OP have no connexion with you, but you must also employ it to send your children to perdition ? Oh ! tremble at the in- terview you must have with them at the day of judgment, and the intercourse you must hold with them for ever in the bottomless pit ! ! Thirdly.— I now dwell upon the influence of professors on the world. This is both direct and indirect ; intentional, or involuntary. By the former, I mean that which is con- centrated in schemes, efforts, and societies to do good to all men either for their temporal or spiritual welfare. Professing Christians are to bless the world by their prayers, their pro- perty, and their energies. Who is to illuminate the dark places of the earth, to convert Pagans, Mahomedans, and Jews ; to set up the kingdom of Christ on earth ; but the church ? We who profess Christ are to make him known. Ours is the awful responsibility to have been put in trust with the gospel. Every Christian's heart ought to contain a spring of blessing to the world, and what an influence is continually going forth fromZion, to change, and it will ultimately change, the moral and spiritual state of the whole earth. But I now more particularly allude to the silent and indi- rect influence of example and conduct; and this is really so great either for the injury or benefit of others that every one ought to tremble for himself Our responsibility on this ground, is truly awful. Multitudes have staked the credit, and even the truth of religion, on the conduct of its profes- sors. This, I admit, is not fair, since God has given it evi- dences of its own, apart from this. The Bible is true, who- soever may prove false. But many will not go to the proofs of Christianity to ascertain its truth, but will do that which is at once more easy and more congenial with the enmity of the heart against God, they will go to the misconduct of Christians, to demonstrate its falsehood. Infidelity sharpens its sword and points its arrows on the stones of stumbling PROFESSORS. 183 cast in its way by men that call themselves believers. Its arguments would be dull and pointless, but for this. Minds that cannot comprehend the subtleties of Hume's argument on miracles, can feel the taunts and sneers of Gibbon against the follies and misconduct of Christians. But apart from in- fidelity, many receive a prejudice from such sources, who take no trouble at all about the question of the truth of reli- gion : it is enough to satisfy them that it does not make its professors better than their neighbours; and they resolve to let it alone. Inconsistent professors, therefore, are the abet- tors of infidelity, of profanity, and irreligion; they are mere caricatures of piety, which they represent with hideous and distorted features, and commend to the ridicule and disgust of those who are already ill-disposed towards it; they are trai- tors in the camp, and betray the cause which they profess to defend. They are destroyers of other men's souls, while avowedly seeking the salvation of their own. No sins have so much power to do mischief as theirs ; and none have been so successful and so destructive. Hell swarms with souls whom inconsistent professors have hurried on to perdition. If a professor of religion be known, and acknowledged, and reported to be a man that never fails to make a hard bargain, always saying of an article he wishes to purchase, " 't is nought, 'tis nought," depreciating its value that he may diminish its price, and never content till he has got it into his possession under the market value : if he has thus acquired the discredit of a selfish, screwing, higgling disposition ; if he make all sorts of pretexts, and all kinds of equivocation to induce a seller to favour him in the buying ; if he be one whom his neighbours do not wish to deal with, if they can get another customer, and whom they feel a reluctance to have any transactions with, because of his artful, over-reaching tricks; ifhehasthe reputation either of a "sharp one," or "a hard one," then his influence upon the worldly part of 184 THE INFLUENCE OF the community is decidedly and unquestionably bad. It is not required that he should be regardless of his own interests, invite oppression, and surrender himself a victim into the fangs of sharpers to be torn to pieces and devoured. Such weakness exerts no influence in favour of piety, but would exhibit it in the contemptible form of a silly dotard. It is in- telligence, sagacity, and firmness, combined not only with honesty, but with honour, generosity, and integrity, and which is able to detect and resist imposition ; which knows and defends its own rights, but cannot allow itself even to seem to make an encroachment on the rights of others, and which makes a man desirable as one to transact with ; it is this that gives to a Christian influence of the best kind in his intercourse with the world. But even this high-toned excel- lence, must be associated with an unostentatious, unobtrusive humility. A forward, pushing, ambitious man, whatever may be his honour in the transactions of business, will dimin- ish the beauty and lessen the force of his Christian profession. I shall recur to this subject again, when I speak of the pro- fessor in prosperity, and pass on to mention another virtue necessary to give to the Christian a right influence upon soci- ety in favour of religion ; and that is, a transparency of char- acter, an unstudied artlessness of conduct. Men must be quite sure that they hear his heart speaking through his lips. There must be nothing which makes them suspect him; nothing which makes them say, " Jie is a deep one ;" nothing which compels them to look cautiously behind him to see what he conceals in his shadow : this would strip him of all his influence, except it be an influence to produce a prejudice against religion. It is also of importance that a Christian should, if his circumstances allow it, be wilHng to co-operate with his fellow-townsmen in all the local institutions that may exist in the place for the instruction of ignorance or the relief of misery. In reference to these things, he should be a pub- 1»110PESSS0RS4 185 lie man, though not of course to such an extent as to inter- rupt his attention to business ; an extreme into which some have fallen. His exertions in this way should, like all other parts of his conduct, bear the impress of his piety, and make his influence to be fell, as a man that fears God. All who see him should perceive that he is guided in his actions by conscience, and not by a regard to favouritism, party, or self-will. Happily we can speak of many of this kind of professors, who exert only a good influence. Yes, millions, notwith- standing the imperfections which cleave to human nature in its best estate, have been the witnesses for God's religion in the world, and have borne a testimony for its holy and bene" volent nature, before which the demon spirit of infidelity has stood abashed, like Satan in the presence of Ithuriel, and felt how awful goodness is. The faith, and patience, and holi- ness, of the saints are one of God's ordinances for the con- version of sinners, and it is an ordinance that has been greatly blessed. The beauties of holiness displayed in all their symmetry and harmony, as they are embodied in the character of eminent Christians, have been employed by the Spirit of God to soften prejudice, and subdue enmity; and they who turned with disgust from religion as it was seen disfigured and deformed in some inconsistent church member, have, by a more pure and lovely manifestation of it, been charmed into admiration, aflection, and imitation. Hence, then, a professor, go where he may, do what he may, and transact with whom he may, is sending out an in- fluence for or against true piety. In his intercourse with men of business, in his conferences with his fellow-townsmen, in his conduct in the social party, in his behaviour to his ser- vants, in his spirit in the pursuits of commerce, and in his temper towards his friends, strangers, or enemies, he is acting out his principles, or opposing them; sustaining or aban- 10* 186 THE INFLUENCE OF PROFESSORS. doning his character ; walking worthy or unworthy of his callincr; and raising or sinking the credit of true rehgion. He is adding to the attractions of the cross, or to its accidental re- pulsions ; is gathering out the stones from the way that leads to it, or making its avenues more difficult. His influence never ceases, and is never confined. He is not, cannot be neu- tral. Whatever road he takes, whether that of consistency or inconsistency, he must to a certain extent draw others with him. His, if he perish, will not be the privilege of perishing alone ; nor will it be his lament, if he be saved, that he has had no influence in saving others. Through all time he is exerting influence, and through all eternity he will be calcu- lating its results ; it goes forth from him unseen on earth, to be collected in enduring forms of happiness in heaven, or of torment in hell. Professors ! never in any place, nor in any company, nor for one hour, forget your influence ! ! ON UNCONVERTED RELATIVES. 187 CHAPTER XII CONDUCT OF PROFESSORS TOWARDS UNCON- VERTED RELATIVES. " I WILL take you, one of a city and two of a family, and bring you to Zion." — Jer. iii. 14. So spake God to the Jews. '• One shall be taken and the other left." So spake Jesus to his disciples : and we see both sayings contin- ually verified in the history of the Christian church, and the experience of the Lord's people. How rarely does it happen that a whole family are believers ; how commonly is it the case that one or two are called, and the rest left. God hath mercy on whom he will have mercy. Consequently most Christians are placed in near connexion with some who are yet in an unregenerate state, which, of course, greatly in- creases the difficulty of maintaining a profession with con- sistency, and yet at the same time increases the obligation to do so. It would be much easier to carry on our religious duties, surrounded by those who would uphold and encourage us by their example, their prayers, their smiles, and their counsel ; but, generally speaking, we are called to maintain our principles amidst those by whom they are opposed. Some have unconverted husbands, others wives ; some have irreligious children, others parents ; some have ungodly bro thers, others sisters; some have wicked masters, others servants. 18S CONDUCT OF PROFESSORS First. — I shall state some general duties, which belong to all alik e. Persons thus situated should be deeply impressed with the conviction that they are placed in circumstances of difficulty delicacy, and danger, which will require great caution, cir- cumspection, and prudence. You have a most arduous part to act, so as not to lose your own piety on the one hand, nor unnecessarily to disgust your friends with it on the other. You need a " spirit of wisdom and understanding, of counsel and of might, of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord, that you may be of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord." Not only would every thing sinful do much harm, but every thing imprudent. A want of judgment would be mischievous, as well as a want of integrity. A good action out of season, or out of place, or done in a wrong manner, would be at- tended with consequences almost as injurious as a bad one. To combine a due regard to our own consistency, with a spirit of prudence towards the prejudices of others, is a most rare accomplishment. Not to allow our firmness to assume the character of obstinacy or uncommanded scrupu- losity in one extreme, nor our caution to degenerate into cowardice or compromise in the other, requires no ordinary measure of grace ; but God has promised to make his grace sufficient, even for this. The confidence of faith, united with fervent prayer, and the spirit of dependance, will bring to you from above the necessary assistance. It is of the last importance that you should see and feel your need of unbending firmness in all things required by God. In matters of absolute indifference, or of mere taste and feeling, you should be pliant as an osier, but in matters of principle, inflexible as an oak. It will be the great object of your unconverted relatives, to subdue your constancy, and to induce you to change your course ; and they will seek to accomplish this object, not by asking you to throw off TO UNCONVERTED RELATIVES. 189 your profession all at once, but by tempting you from time to time, to engage in practices inconsistent with it. They will insinuate that you are unnecessarily rigid, even when tried by your own standard ; they will point to some worldly- minded, inconsistent member of your own church, who ven- tures, without scruple, upon what you refuse to do ; they will assure you that it is but that once, or in that one thing, that they ask a concession ; they will sometimes affectionately entreat, at others angrily demand ; they will ridicule or threaten, as they think they are most likely to succeed ; they will promise to conform to some of your religious prac- tices, if you will only conform to some of theirs, to which you object. Against all these attempts to bend your purpose, or shake your constancy, or destroy your consistency, you must be fortified by a holy resoluteness of purpose, and a simple dependance on Divine grace. " None of these things move me," must be your determination. One concession would only lead to another, till all is relinquished which your pro- fession implies. A calm, determined firmness at first, will save you from much annoyance and perplexity. This unyielding firmness, in reference to what you deem to be your duty, must be maintained, at the same time, with much sweetness of temper, and amiableness of disposition. It must be the inflexibility of principle, sustained by the gen- tleness of love. A professor who has to hold fast his reli- gion, in opposition to his nearest friends, should be the very model of meekness, kindness, and courtesy, in every thing else ; this will convince them that his constancy is the dictate of a tender conscience, and not the caprice of a pugnacious disposition. There should be the most entire and unvarying consisten- cy, and an untiring perseverance. Take care that there is nothing which may justly lead to a doubt of your sincerity, or that would fasten upon you the charge, or even the suspi- 190 CONDUCT OF PROFESSORS cion of hypocrisy. This would create inexpressible disgust. The spectators of your conduct must be the vouchers for your sincerity, and be compelled to testify, that you are, at any rate, self-consistent. Their eyes are ever upon you, with a predisposition to criminate you, in matters of obvious, or even doubtful wrong. They try you by your profession ; and by what other standard should they try you? I would enforce upon your special attention the consideration, that your religion must not be, nor appear to be, an abstract thing, a habit distinct and separable from your social charac^ ter, but that which is a part of it, binding all into unity, symmetry, and beauty. It must not float by itself upon the surface, like oil on water refusing to blend, but must be held in solution, hke sugar in the cup, sweetening the whole. You must let it make you conscientious in common things, as well as devotional in sacred ones ; you must not only be more righteous than your neighbour, but more meek, gentle, kind, and just. You must not only be fitted, by your piety, foj? communion with the members of the church, but by your social excellence for intercourse with the members of the family. Any want of consistency, will sharpen the stings and increase the venom with which your unconverted friends will annoy you ; while an opposite line of conduct will, in many cases, put an end to hostility, even where it does not conciliate regard. It is also of great consequence, that you should present religion to your friends under an aspect of cheerfidness. It should be clearly seen by them that it makes you as happy as it makes you holy. Remember, their opinion of it is, that though it may lead to heaven hereafter, it is little better than penance here; and that, admitting it conducts to realms of light and glory, it is by a path gloomy as the valley of the shadow of death. Many real Christians, by their sombre looks, their monkish stiffness, and lugubrious wailings, have TO UNCONVERTED RELATIVES. 191 confirmed this prejudice. On the contrary, take care to let them see, by your holy, serious cheerfulness, that the king- dom of God is not only righteousness, but peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. Let them see you going on your way re- joicing. Convince them that you can take pleasure in all that is innocently pleasant ; that you can smile with those that smile on whatever is purely delightful ; that you can enjoy with as keen a relish as they can, friendship, scenery, literature, science and the fine arts ; that your aim is only to defecate earthly pleasures of whatever is polluting and dele- terious, and to add to them the more holy, solid, and satisfy- ing delights of religion, the joy of faith, hope, and love. Let it be seen that you are walking in the light of God's coun- tenance, and that your spirit dwells in a Goshen compared with which their state of mind is but as Egyptian night. This is the way to allure them to piety as well as to abate their unkindly disposition towards you. As much as possible avoid all uncouth phraseology, and what may be called religious slang. Do not deal in cant terms or phrases, nor apply scripture expressions, in a way of half seriousness, half joke, to ungodly persons. I do not mean by this that you are to avoid altogether the use of re- ligious terms, or the quotation of scripture language ; but to encumber and disfigure our ordinary discourse with the words and phrases of the old divines, or of systematic and experi- mental theology ; to interject our speech with habitual refer- ences to the Lord, and the "Lord's will," and "the Lord's people," till it sounds either ludicrous or irreverend, or both, is letting our "good be evil spoken of," and strengthening prejudice against piety. In whatever attempts you make for the conversion of unrenewed relations, act with great judgment. In many cases more can be done by the silent influence of a holy ex- ample, than by instruction, admonition, or rebuke. Superiors 192 CONDUCT OF PROFESSORS will not often allow inferiors to admonish them. The proud heart of man refuses reproof from any one, especially from one below him. With all persons example must be the chief instrument of usefulness to unconverted relatives, and with some, it must be the only one. Even where we are authorized to admonish and to warn, great discretion is neces- sary to do it in the best manner, lest we disgust where we intend to benefit. If we would do good we must be kind^ gentle, and affectionate; we must not use a cold, harsh, scolding, or unfeelieg tone, nor affect a magisterial or dogma- tical manner ; but must employ the meekness of wisdom and tenderness of love. We must not dash religion in a person's face, nor pour it down their throat with a drenching force. but insinuate it into their minds, little by little, as tenderly and judiciously as we would medicine into the lips of a sick child, or food into the mouth of a starving man. We must watch for our opportunity, choose the best time and the best circumstances, and especially remember not to be always boring the objects of our solicitude, with a kind of dunning importunity. We must well consider the temper and dispo- sition of the person whom we are anxious to convert, and adapt our methods to his turn of mind ; some will hear a whole lecture from us, others will scarcely bear a hint : some should be alarmed by the thunders of divine vengeance, others moved by the soft music of love's inviting voice : some must be reasoned with, others melted by appeals to the feel- ings : some will bear at one time what they will not at an- other ; we must, therefore, like a wise physician, study well the case, and adapt our treatment to its peculiarity. Two things however, must be remembered in all cases : to do every thing lovingly, and to do every thing prayerfully ; for who can open and change the heart but God ? It may be, that in some cases, you will be called to suffer persecution, and that of the most painful kind, the unkind TO UNCONVERTED RELATIVES. 193 treatment of near relatives ; and thus to experience the truth of our Lord s words, •' 1 come not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in- law against her mother-in-law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household." — Matthew, x. 34 — 36. If this be the case, turn at once and continually, for consolation, to the antidote which Christ has provided for this deep sorrow. " Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake : for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad : for great is your reward in heaven."-^ Matthew, v. 10. It is to this state of things the apostle re- fers, where he says, " Count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations, (or trials.y^ — James, i. 2. Do not be cast down nor faint under your afflictions. They are not for the present "joyous, but grievous; nevertheless afterwards, they yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness." "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy." No seed that can be sown on earth, will yield such a produce of heavenly joy, as the tears of God's persecuted people. These are the light afflictions which are but for a moment, and which work out " the far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." Com- fort, then, ye troubled ones, comfort your hearts ; your crown of thorns, like that of your persecuted Lord, shall soon be exchanged for a crown of glory ; and the cross under which you are ready to sink, be changed for a throne from which you shall never descend. Bear your troubles in the spirit of meekness ; seek for grace to be neither irritated nor sullen ; return not railing for railing, but blessing for cursing. Conquer, or at any rate, soften, hostility by gentleness and passive courage. Smile with love upon the countenance that frowns upon you ; and kiss the hand that smites you. Let not the length or violence of oppression induce you to give up your principles. Take heed against an evil heart of un- 17 194 CONDUCT OF PROFESSORS belief, in departing from the living God. Endeavour so to act, as that they who dislike your religion, may " find nothing against you, but as touching the law of your God." Be firm, consistent, mild, judicious, and affectionate; and then God will not only support you under persecution, but give you honour in the midst of it. Secondly. — I now lay down some directions, which are specially applicable to the various relations of social life. 1. Take that of husband and wife. If the former be a professor and the latter not, let him rather increase than abate the tenderness and affection of conjugal love. He has need of great watchfulness and prayer on his own account, that his wife's want of piety may not diminish his own, and that the defects and blemishes of that, may not be such as to prevent hers. How careful must he be not to have family devotion hindered by her disinclination ; and how diligent must he be to make up for her deficiencies in the religious instruction of his children. How much grace will he need to maintain his own influence, and yet not in any way teach his oflTspring to disesteem their mother, or make her feel that she is lowered in their estimation or his, by her want of piety. Let it be his endeavour to win her to Christ by every attention to her comfort and influence, and to make her feel that he still tenderly loves her as a wife, though he cannot yet consider her as a decided Christian. If, on the other hand, it is the wife who is a professor and the husband not, this is, perhaps, a more difficult and delicate position to maintain with propriety than even the other. In this case she must be anxious and watchful not to allow even the appearance of an air of conscious superiority, much less of the contempt which says "stand by, I am holier than thou." There must be an augmented humility and meek- ness ; an increased tenderness and devotedness towards her husband ; a most exemplary attention to his comfort, and TO UNCONVERTED RELATIVES. 195 that of the family ; in short, the good wife and mother, must be seen in intimate union with the good Christian ; and the former must evidently appear improved and sustained by the latter. She must never reproach him for his want of reli- gion ; never talk at him before his face, nor talk against him, behind his back. Upon her will devolve the religious in- struction of the children and servants, which she must sa- credly maintain, but still in a way as little offensive as possible to him. How beautiful is the advice given by the apostle to females in these circumstances — 1 Peter, iii. 1 — 6. 2. Parents and children. If the former are professors, how uniform and consistent should be their piety, that their children should receive no disgust against religion by what they see in them ; how anxious should they be, and appear to be, to bring them up in the fear of God, selecting their schools, and their situa- tions with direct reference to this object ; how firmly and yet how mildly should they maintain all the religious laws, cus- toms, and habits of their household, against the wishes or the encroachments of their children's irreligion; with how much of gentleness and firmness as opposed to stern severity on the one hand, and to ruinous indulgence on the other, should they maintain the household discipline ; and thus adorn the doc- trine of God their Saviour. But in some cases divme grace has called the children, and passed over the parents ; and where it is so, there re- quires great solicitude, that their piety towards God, be not abused to encourage and justify a want of piety towards their, parents. It will not only not recommend religion, but will excite great disgust towards it, if they see that it has abated aught of that dutiful obedience, respect and honour towards them, which nature dictates, the word of God en- joins, and which they before conversion had been accustom- ed to render. A greater reprpach cannot possibly rest upoji 196 CONDUCT OF PROFESSORS young persons, than for a father or mother to say, " Yes, they are very rehgious in their way, but their rehgion has spoiled them as children, for they seem to take a license to disesteem, neglect, and disobey me because they consider me unconverted." On the contrary, what a beautiful and pow- erful testimony to the excellence of religion is it to hear a parent say, " I was living in entire neglect, and utter igno- rance of religion, till I beheld it exemplified in its loveliest forms in the conduct of my dear child. / saiv her earnest- ness, her diligence, her holiness, and I felt her dutifulness, her kindness, and her tender, yet respectful solicitude towards myself From the time she became a Christian, her con- duct, never very disobedient, was marked by more attention than ever. She has sometimes ventured to expostulate with me on my neglect of religion, but it was always with such reverence, such diffidence, and affection, that it was impossi- ble to be offended : so that by the grace of God, I may say her piety towards me has been the blessed means of mine towards God." Young people behold your rule and pattern. 3. Brothers and sisters are sometimes divided by a differ- ence of religious taste. In such a case those who make a profession should be solicitous by the most assiduous, inge- nious and watchful attention and affection, to conciliate the regards, and to win the confidence of the others. They should with kindness and humility admonish them, and when from home address them by letter ; they should select and recommend suitable books to them ; join with them in all their innocent pursuits and tastes ; avoid all appearance of shunning their society even for religious associates; and make them feel that piety has strengthened the fraternal bond. Sisters, by many little ingenious works of the needle, the pencil, and the pen ; by laying themselves out to meet the wishes, and promote the comfort of unconverted brothers, may be able to endear themselves by the varied devices of genuine TO TIN C ON V E RT ED RELATIVES. 197 love, to those hearts which they should be anxious and watchful, to win to Christ. While brothers, bv all tiiose kind, delicate and polite attentions to sisters yet unacquainted with the power of religion, which females expect as due to their sex ; by paying those attentions not only in the seclu- sion of the domestic circle, but in the publicity of social life; by being in every sense of the word, good brothers, as well as good Christians, may do much, very much, by the blessing of God, in awakening an interest for religion in the minds of those who are so nearly related to them. 4. Masters and mistresses making a profession, are under solemn obligations, not only to hQJust towards their servants in paying their wages, but to err rather on the side of being too generous, than too rigid, in the amount of their wages. There must be a merciful attention to their comfort, in not exacting too much work, in not wearying them by incessant and angry complaints; in speaking kindly to them, and pro- viding suitable and sufficient food and medical attendance in their sickness. There should be a due regard to their spi- ritual welfare, not only by calling them to family prayer, morning and evening, but by releasing them from all unne- cessary labour on the Sabbath, by giving them ample oppor- tunity for attending on public worship, and by privately in- structing them in the principles of religion. Those profes- sors, who have not by their conduct, compelled their servants •to say, " I have a truly religious master and mistress, who are kindly anxious for my comfort in this world, and still more so for my salvation in the world to come," cannot be acting consistently; there is something wanting. Religious servants who are placed in families which make no profession, are called to a situation of equal difficulty and importance. In not a few instances they have been remotely or directly the means of converting their empjoyers: and piety has thus ascended from the kitchen to the parlour. But 17* 198 CONDrcT OF PROFESSORS this has never happened but where the piety of the servant was eminently consistent, uniform, and conspicuous Some persons in this condition have, it must be admitted, so dis- gusted their masters and mistresses, by their consequential airs, their troublesome and angry clamour about their reli- gious privileges, and neglect of their proper duties in order to enjoy these privileges, that they have really resolved never again to employ religious servants. It is when piety makes a servant doubly diligent, dutiful, kind, neat, honest and de- voted, and secures a testimony from her employer, that her piety is thus influential, that she adorns her profession, and walks worthy of her calling. 5. Connexions in trade are sometimes formed between professors and men of the world. This is an undesirable thing, except in those cases where the latter are known to be men of the most inflexible principle, and possessing a high sense of commercial honour. Some such there are, who, in whatsoever things are true, honest, just, lovely and good re- port, are patterns which all professors might copy with ad- vantage ; and which some might contemplate with a blush. Many, however, are of an opposite character, and are very unscrupulous as to the means they employ to increase their trade and their profits. When a Christian is linked with such, his situation is uncomfortable and perilous. It is a dif- ficult thing for a man to act in constant opposition to a part- ner ; but he must oppose him in all those matters wherein he wishes to violate the principles of integrity. He must not allow injustice, fraud, or lying, to be carried on, under the sanction of his name, and if he cannot prevent it, he ought to separate. I knew a tradesman, who, while engaged in a most profitable business with two partners as worldly as him- self, was converted by the grace of God. He became atten- tive to the means of grace, not only on a Sabbath, but on week days. His partners expressed their disapprobation, and TO UNCONVERTED RELATIVES. 199 accused him of neglecting the business. In this, as well as in other ways they wished to interfere with his reli- gious pursuits, which, with him, had now become matters of moment and of conscience. He found he was in danger, and knowing that any accumulation of wealth, weighed against the salvation of his soul, was but as the small dust of the bal- ance, he left the concern amidst the reproaches of some of his friends, and the astonishment of all. But he had the re- joicing that results from the testimony of his conscience, that, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, he had had his conversation in the world. He honoured God, and God subsequently honoured him, for he became more abundantly prosperous than ever. But if he had not, I am persuaded he would have never repented. How careful ought the Chris- tian tradesman to be, that his worldly partner should see nothing in him, but what recommends religion. How much has its character suffered from the conduct of some who have taken in partners on the eve of their own bankruptcy, who have deceived them by false representations of the capabili- ties of a business, or who have carried on a system of selfish encroachments on their share of the profits. It is truly shocking to hear, as we sometimes do hear, persons say that they would rather have for a partner, a man that makes no profession, than one that does. Christian tradesmen, do, do consider this, and tremble lest any part of your conduct should be such as to justify this dreadful satire upon the con- duct of professors. There is one duty to unconverted relatives, and indeed, to converted ones sometimes, which some professors have la- mentably neglected ; I mean the relief of their necessities, where they have been in circumstances of want. One can easily imagine in what reflections some such persons must indulge upon the conduct of those to whom they are nearly related, who are known by them to be members, or officers, 200 CONDUCT OF PROFESSORS perhaps even pastors of a Christian church, and to be com- paratively rich, but who still refuse to help a brother or a sister in their distress ; except it be with a grudged pittance, occasionally wrung from them by the force of an appeal un- usually urgent. "Can it indeed be true" they say, "that my brother professes himself to be a disciple of the compas- sionate Saviour, or to have caught the spirit of Him, who never turned away his ear from a tale of human wo, and yet refuse to assist a sister, pining away in almost absolute want? Is this the way in which he adorns his calling 1 I thought that mercy was an essential feature in the character of a Christian : and admitting that my affliction has been brought on by imprudence, has he no sins to be forgiven, by the God from whom he looks for all his supplies ? I have been told he is the deacon of a Christian church, and has to dispense the bounty of the rich members to their poorer brethren ; does he on his visits of mercy to the habitations of the sons and daughters of poverty, never recollect that he has a sister en- during those privations which he is honoured to relieve? But, perhaps, he considers that as I am unconverted, he need not concern himself about the sorrows of one to whom he is related only by the ties of flesh and blood. Is this the way to draw me to religion? Does his conduct towards his poor relatives, tend to exalt in their estimation the profession that he makes 1 Is this the way to soften the heart of my hus- band, and my children, towards religion ? " Oh ! what ques- tions have they not asked, and what sneers have they not uttered, in reference to that form of religion, which has not even common charity to support it ? Does not the scripture say, " whoso hath this world's goods, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him ? " Oh ! my bro- ther, my brother, did our parents now in their graves, think you would ever leave one of their children, thus to endure TO UNCONVERTED RELATIVES. 201 unpitied and unrelieved, the wants of penury?" — Should such a cry as this ever go up to heaven against a Christian ? And does it not go up against Christians of all denominations, deacons and clergymen too of different churches'? How many tears are shed daily, how many hearts are daily burst- ing, of persons who have Christian relatives that could, but will not help them ? What shall we say, what does the world say of those who figure away at public meetings, and in the lists of contributors to societies, but who suffer their own flesh and blood to be unclothed and unfed? But there are some who are as parsimonious towards the cause of religion and charity, as they are to their own poor relations ; and are never liberal in any thing except to some object for their own gratification. In many cases, I believe, this want of com- passion for needy relatives is the result of that wicked and detestable pride, which is ashamed of them. In others, it is considered to be a righteous retribution, for the rashness, imprudence, and unprincipled conduct, that occasioned the distress. I would not encourage imprudence, or improvi- dence, but when the offender is already suffering her punish- ment, even to a degree of starvation and remorse, that has all but broken her heart, is it for the hand of a professing Christian, a man who owns but for infinite mercy he had been in hell, to inflict by his cruelty, the only blow that is wanting to crush the sufferer to the dust ? Ye rich professors, and ye that are not rich, but are still in comfortable circumstances, let me plead with you on behalf of those who are bone of your bone, and flesh of your flesh. I will not ask you for relief to a relative nearer than a brother or a sister, for to suppose the church of God is disgraced, defiled, insulted, by the union of such a monster as a child that refuses to help a destitute father or mother, is too improbable a conjecture to be made. Ifl in conclusion of this chapter, it might be thought sea» 202 CONDUCT OF PROFESSORS sonable to suggest a few words of encouragement and com- fort; topics of this kind are both numerous and delightful. Think of the grace that hath made you to differ from your unregenerate relatives. While you pity them and mourn over their condition, give God unceasing and unbounded thanks that you are not like them. Cherish the hope that you may yet be useful in persuading some of them to accom- pany you to the kingdom of heaven. Grace when it enters a family, is generally diffusive. You may not now see any influence of your example, nor any answer to your prayers, — but you do not see the end. You may never live to realize your hopes, or gather the fruit of your exertions ; this may be a felicity designed to swell the rapture of the skies. You may meet in heaven, those whom you leave apparently on the road to hell. But you ti'emble for yourself; instead of hoping to be useful to others, you sometimes fear that you shall fall. How can you withstand the influence of example, and solicitation? It is a hard thing to get along with every body to help, how much more with every body to hinder. Hearken to what God says, " My grace is sufficient for thee." Mark that, for thee. Trust it, expect it, hope for it. Look up into heaven by faith, see those millions round the throne, they were all, or nearly all, at one time as you are now. They had the same difficulties, and surveyed them with the same fears as you do — but behold there they are. The great Captain of their Salvation sustained them — the omnipotent, faithful God never forsook them. The arm that sustained them, is not shortened that it cannot save you. " Wherefore dost thou doubt, O, thou of little faith ? " Be not faithless but believing. Anticipate for yourself that blissful world where all the righteous, none but the righteous, and the righteous in the absolute perfection of their righteousness, will be found. TO UNCONVERTED RELATIVES. 203 Sustain your present struggles against the influence and the danger of the examples of the unconverted, by the considera- tion that they will cease with your continuance in this world. Maintain, therefore, with untiring zeal, and an unyielding firmness, your separation from the world, and soon the world will be for ever separated from you. The ungodliness of the ungodly will then no more distress you, but you shall through eternity, delight yourself in the presence of God your Saviour, with the intercourse of the innumerable company of angels, and the spirits of just men made perfect.* If it should sometimes distress you to think of missing those in heaven, who were dear to you on earth, let it stir you up to more affectionate, earnest, and prayerful efforts for their eternal salvation : but let it not lead you to suppose that it will be there, as it is here, a real diminution of your bliss. The mutual recognition of saints in the heavenly world seems highly probable, notwithstanding the silence maintained by scripture on a subject so deeply interesting to all our social feelings, but to our social feelings only. A great deal more inquisitiveness has been exercised in reference to this subject, and much more importance attached to it, than really belong to it. The social feelings arise out of the social ties, and de- pend upon them for their existence and continuance; and consequently when the cause ceases the effect will cease with it. To suppose there can be in heaven, where all our animal propensities, our natural instincts, and our social re- lations exist no longer ; where the very body of the resur- rection will have undergone an entire change of organization, and will bear no longer an affinity to flesh and blood, any near resemblance to the present emotions which are awaken- ed by the names of husband and wife, parent and child, bro- * Some of the topics in this chapter are much more enlarged upon in the Author's work entitled " The Family Monitor." 204 CONDUCT OF PROFESSORS, &C. ther and sister, is to forget the great and entire change which immortality is to make in our nature. It is amidst these dear relationships, these tender charities, and these strong propen- sities, necessary to our earthly sojourn, that we are trained up for that higher, holier, and more intellectual existence ; but these things will fall away from the spiritual body, as its mere swaddling bands in the chrysalis state of its being, in that moment when it shall rise from the grave the pure image of its glorified Redeemer. No; we are compelled to believe, difficult as it may be to conceive of it now, that the absence from heaven, of those who form so large a portion of our happiness on earth, will be no diminution of the bliss of the celestial paradise; though doubtless that bliss will be en- hanced and sweetened by the presence of those we loved below. THE UNMARRIED PROFESSOR. 205 CHAPTER XIII THE UNMARRIED PROFESSOR. When Jehovah had proceeded so far in the work of crea- tion, as to have produced the mineral, vegetable, and irra- tional tribes, he saw that there yet needed a rational and presiding mind to govern the whole, to be his representative in his own world, and to act as the High Priest of this new and beautiful temple of nature, in offering up on their behalf, as well as his own, the praise of all creatures to their Om- nipotent Parent. "And God created man in his own image." Still, however, the last finishing stroke of grace was even yet to be added ; and God created woman, to be the compa- nion of man. " The Lord God saw that it was not good that the man should be alone^ Even then, when all the beauties of paradise as yet unsoiled, bloomed and glowed around him, to please his eye ; when all its melodies and harmonies sent their music through the ear to his soul ; when he fed on fruits which no worm had ever corrupted, no frost had ever shrivelled ; then, when he needed none to wipe the tear from his eye, or the sweat from his brow ; none to coun- sel him, for he was wise ; to comfort him, for he was happy ; none to calm the perturbations of his conscience, for he was innocent ; none to lighten his care, for he was at ease ; none to minister to him in sickness, for he was a stranger to its malady, nor to bear up his head sinking in death, for he was not yet mortal — even then, said his Maker, and who knew 18 206 THE TIN MARRIED PROFESSOR. the being he had made, it is not good for the man to be alone ^ and he made him a wife out of his own body, and married them himself in the garden of Eden ; and blessed them, and said unto them, be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. What an honour, and a necessity did this attach to marriage. It is an institute of God, and an institute of the paradisaic state. And it still survives the fall, the gracious provision of a God, intent in his unmerited bounty upon the comfort of his apostate creatures, for the solace of man, amidst the cares, the labours, and the sorrows of his earthly pilgrim- age. And while it is designed for his comfort in his terrestrial sojourn, it is also intended to help as well as succour him, in his journey to the skies. Itself the type of that closer union, into which his soul is brought to Christ by faith in order to salvation, its tender sympathies, its jealous charities, and its loving ingenuities, are all designed by God to sustain by vi- gilance, and counsel, and prayer, the interests of his immor- tal spirit. The marriage of human beings, is a union of minds as well as bodies, and a union intended to keep up religion in the world, as well as population ; first, by promoting the piety of the parties themselves ; next, the piety of their chil- dren, and through them of mankind in general. Every fa- mily seems to be a miniature both of the church, and of the nation, where the piety of the one, and the subjection of the other, shall be seen in its simplest and its purest form, and from which as it springs, the greater communities shall be fed. But how are these ends to be accomplished, if piety be not a part of the character and conduct of those who enter into the marriage compact ? That people who are not pious themselves, should disregard this, and not choose or wish a holy companion in the journey of life, is not to be wondered at, but to be expected — but that professors of religion should neglect it, is matter both of surprise and regret. THE UNMARRIED PROFESSOR. 207 This brings me to the subject of the present chapter ; the DUTY OF CHRISTIANS TO MARRY ONLY SUCH AS ARE HOPEFULLY PIOUS. This duty is so obvious, and involves so much of their comfort in future life, that it might have been supposed the general performance of it, would render any admonition on the subject unnecessary. Observation, however, confirms the fact, that there is scarcely any branch of Christian obli- gation more neglected ; a circumstance which renders it in- cumbent on the ministers of religion, and the pastors of churches, to call the attention of their hearers to this sub- ject* Let us hear the law of Christ, as delivered by the pen of the Apostle ; " The wife is bound by the law, as long as her husband liveth, but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will, only in the lord." — 1 Cor. vii. 39. To marry in the Lord, must mean, marrying one who is a Christian, at least by profession. This rule, it is true, is by the Apostle applied to the case of widows ; but the same reason exists for applying it to all unmarried per- sons. The other passage usually quoted on the subject, " Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers;" — 2 Cor. vi. 14, refers perhaps specifically to the fellowship of the church, but still by fair inference may be extended to mar- riage. This is the law then, that no Christian should marry any one who is not also a Christian ; or who is not upon good grounds supposed to be such. I say it is the law ; not merely advice, or counsel, but command, and as binding on our conscience as any other precept of the New Testament. * The importance of the subject, and the great neglect of it, must be my apology for again dwelling upon it, after having already intro- duced it into some of my former publications. On this account, I had determined to pass it over in this work ; but on re-considering the matter, I came to the conclusion, that it is so entirely in place here, and concerns so large a number of professors, it ought not to be omitted, and I have therefore devoted this chapter to it, where it will be reati by many, who never saw my other books. 208 THE UNMARRIED PROFESSOR. We have no more right to attempt to annul or evade this command, than we have any other of Christ's laws. Permit me to bring before you, the evils resulting from a neglect of this rule, and marrying an irreligious person. Some of these affect yourselves. Your comfort is materially involved. A difference of taste or pursuit in minor matters, is not conducive to happiness. "How can two walk together, except they be agreed?" This applies to all things, but most of all to the transcendent- ly important affair of religion. This is a subject continually- recurring, entering into all the arrangements of the family, which can never be put aside, except by the professor's con- senting, for the sake of peace, to give up or conceal his reli- gion, and becoming an apostate. You will not merely be left to pursue your own course, without sympathy or fellow- ship from your dearest earthly friend, but by consistently supporting your religion, will perhaps provoke distaste, dis- like, ill-will, strife, and alienation. How many have had to choose between apostacy or domestic peace. Dreadful alter- native ! And where they have had grace to give up their comfort instead of their religion, they have not only died a martyr's death, but lived a life of martyrdom. What have not many wives endured from irreligious husbands, not mere- ly in being the silent but horrified witnesses of their sins, but in being the victims of their wrath. Many a man has been the murderer of his wife without being hanged for it. But where things do not come to this pitch, and the want of re- ligion does not affect in the smallest degree the exercise of conjugal love, yet think of the pain of being obliged to con- sider that good wife, or kind husband, an enemy of God ; if they be in sickness, to have the dreadful thought come into the mind, that they are about to die, and unprepared for the change. Oh ! can you imagine the anguish of a wife, occupy- ing " the dreadful post of observation darker every houi:J* THE UNMARRIED PROFESSOR. 209 watching the slow progress of disease in a dying husband, anxious to catch from his departing spirit, some few words to sustain her hope that he is going to heaven, and then for ever after to be haunted with the recollection, that " he died and made no sign!"— Will you hazard this? Think of the influence of such a connexion on your reli- gion. We all need helps, not hinderances in the walk of faith. With every advantage in our favour, how slow is our progress heavenward ! And how much are we likely to be impeded by a companion, who is ever seeking to draw or drag us back ? Can we rise with such a weight, or walk with such a clog 1 How is our devotion flattened by the constant companionship of one who has no sympathy with us in our spiritual feelings or tastes ? You will often be hin- dered and prevented from attending the means of grace ; re- quired to do things against which your conscience revolts ; and will sometimes give way for peace, in matters which bring guilt and distress into your minds. Even your salvation may be brought into peril. Many cases have occurred in which persons ran well till they were married ; I have known such, and have seen them from that time commence a retrograde coui'se. Apostacy has in myri- ads of instances commenced at the altar. Instead of taking their companion with them to heaven, as they imagined they should, these companions took them to perdition. How in- sidious is the influence of a husband or a wife in decoying the other from the paths of godliness into the ways of the world ; and in some cases how systematic, persevering, and successful. There is the silent influence of example, which alone is powerful ; then there are concealed temptations to little departures from consistency, till by degrees, the poor victim is caught in the snare, and gives up all spiritual piety, and religious observances. I now call upon you to consider the consequences of such 18* 210 THE UNMARRIED PROFESSOR. a marriage upon the children, if there should be any. WrH they be brought up for God, and his church ? Suppose the converted party should labour for the salvation of the family, and labour the more for being left alone in the work, what a counteraction comes from the other. The hearts of the children are by nature corrupt, and have already a bias to- wards evil example. How will they shield themselves from a mother's pious remarks, by a father's irreligious example ? O, with what heart-breaking anguish, has many a pious mother seen her children led away from her side as she was walking with God, and to heaven, by the hand of her own husband, and their own father. With what a mixture of delicacy and distress have I heard some mothers and wives allude to this sad circumstance. Some of the worst families have been those which were the children of parents, one of whom was a professor and the other not. Dwell upon the effects of such unions to the church of Christ. These are inscribed in dark characters upon the page of sacred history. This was the cause that corrupted the Antediluvian church, and became the source of that uni- versal depravity which brought the flood upon the earth. " The sons of God," i. e. the professors of religion in the line of Seth, "saw the daughters of men," i. e. the descendants of Cain, who made no profession of true religion, "that they were fair, and they took them wives of all that they chose." — Gen. vi. 2. In subsequent times the crimes of idolatry flowed in continually upon the Jewish church through the channel of unholy marriages. ''And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, aud they took their daughters to he their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, AND SERVED THEIR GODS. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgot the Lord their God, AND served Baalim and the groves." — Judges, iii. 7, Solomon's history has a fearful interest in reference to this THE UNMARRIED PROFESSOR. 211 subject, and shows that the strongest mind, and the most splendid piety and zeal may be corrupted by ungodly wives. See also how the marriage of Ahab is recorded: ''And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam, that he took to wife Je- zebel, the daughter of Ethbaal, the king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. But there was none like unto Ahab who did sell himself to work wick- edness, in the sight of the Lord, whom Jezebel his wife STIRRED UP." — 1 Kings, xxi. 25. Read the language of Ezra, chapter ix., and also the admonitory words of Nehe- MiAH, xiii. 23 — 27. If we come forward to the Christian church, we may safely affirm that few circumstances have had a greater influence in deteriorating religion in the hearts of professors, or in cor- rupting the communion of saints, than a neglect of the Chris- tian rule of marriage. The pious party has not only had the tone of religion lowered in their own minds, but have been anxious, and in innumerable cases have succeeded, to introduce the other into the church, which by the operation of this two-fold mischief has been grievously injured in its piety and purity. On all these grounds, such marriages are injurious and should be avoided. Perhaps, female professors more fre- quently violate this rule, than men ; which may be accounted for in great measure by the circumstance, that they are the chosen, and not the choosing party. An offer of marriage, where the individual who makes it is even in some tolerable degree respectable, and desirable, is a compliment, so far as it goes, which of itself is apt to entangle a female's heart, at any rate her vanity, and to produce a hesitancy, even where her conscience dictates the propriety of an immediate negative. This hesitancy is greatly increased, of course, when the offer comes from one who is in every respect desir- 212 THE UNMARRIED PROFESSOR. able, with the solitary exception of a want of religion. How many have been induced by the prospect of an advantageous settlement in life, to overlook this one great defect, and to balance the want of piety, by wealth and worldly respecta- bility ; and of these how large a proportion have repented of their sins, and lived to envy the woman, who though struggling with poverty, was blest and happy with a pious husband. It is of great consequence that the mind should be previously fortified against this danger by a deep inwrought conviction of the obligation of the Christian's rule of marriage, and the unlawfulness of violating it. We must not, in any case, have our weapons to seek when we want them to use. If we have then to discuss the propriety of an act gainful in itself, when the temptation to perform it is pressing upon us, we are almost sure to be overcome. The heart is a bad casuist in all cases, but especially in a love affair, or the prospect of a gainful marriage. Young people who are pro- fessors should begin life with this, as one of their maxims, and which they should feel no more at liberty to set aside than they do any other of the precepts of religion, that no inducement should be strong enough to lead a Christian to marry an irreligious person. When a connexion has been formed while both parties were in an unconverted state, a subsequent change in the re- ligious views and feelings of either of them is not a sufficient ground for dissolving the connexion, except by the consent of the other ; but where the engagement was entered into while both parties were professors, and one of them, before marriage, throws off religion, the other is not only authorized by the word of God to terminate the connexion, but is re- quired to do so. The excuses by which many attempt to justify their neg- lect of the Christian law, are often specious, but never valid. Sometimes the hopeful appearances of the individual whom a THE UNMARRIED PROFESSOR. 213 professor wishes to marry, are pleaded. In some cases these appearances are hypocritically assumed purposely to de- ceive ; in others they are a real yielding to the persuasion of affection, and an actual intention to alter the conduct, but far enough off from true religion. Even piety appears lovely in those we love, and may be imitated as far as it can be without the reality, for their sake. The godliness which is seen for the first time in a person, when he desires to gain the heart of a true Christian, should be always looked upon with great caution, and even suspicion. When we wish to think an object of our regard a Christian, a very little evidence will suffice to produce conviction. If the individual whom a per- son wishes to marry, be not a professor, in the sense attached to that term in these pages, it is a presumption, though cer- tainly not a proof, that he is quite undecided in his religious character. It is not, I believe, an uncommon case for Christians to marry unconverted persons under the idea and hope of con- verting them. Is marriage, then, one of the means of grace ? Has the plan usually succeeded where it has been tried % Alas ! how often has the conversion been of another kind, and the professor has been led back to the world ? We must give up all excuses, then, and admit that it is the duty of a professor, to marry only in the Lord. But if it were not, and it was left to his own option, would it not be for his happiness to choose a pious companion ; one who could help him in his Christian course, and enter into his hopes and fears, his joys and sorrows, touching the subject that lies nearest to his heart; one who would aid him to bring up his children in the fear of God, and who would not thwart him in his plans for their eternal interests ; one that would co-operate with him in all his efforts to glorify God, to bless his species, and to extend the church ; one that would sooth him in sickness, sadness, and death, with tlie words of 214 THE UNMARRIED PROFESSOR. consolation, experience, and prayer ; one whom he would be in no fear of losing in the dark valley of the shadow of death J one whom he hoped to dwell with as an angel spirit in hea- ven, after having dwelt with her as an angel in the flesh on earth ? O, who that has tasted the sweet and holy influence which religion imparts to the intercourse of a holy couple, their mingled love and piety, would willingly forego this sa- cred and solemn delight 1 We are not however to suppose, that religion is the only thing to be thought of as a suitable pre-requisite for the form- ation of this union between Christians. There must be a general suitableness in age, rank, education, temper, and taste. It would be an extravagant enthusiasm to imagine that religion, because it is the first thing, is every thing, and that any one who presents himself should be accepted, pro- vided he can make good his pretensions to the character of a Christian. Christianity does not level distinctions, and anni- hilate dissimilarities ; does not convert age into youth, de- formity into beauty, ignorance into knowledge, nor absolute clownishness into elegance ; nor does it ofler an amalga- mation to make these things blend in a harmonious and agreeable compound. Religion is offended by all unseemly things, as well as all unholy ones. Under the law, an ox and an ass were not to be yoked together in ploughing ; nor linen and woollen to be woven into the same texture for garments. And, under the gospel, we are to do nothing unlovely or of bad report^ in the way of incongruous mar- riage mixtures : they are an offence against the dignity, if not a violation of the sanctity, of the institute of matri- mony. Much less is it allowable to professors to treat the prelimi- nary course with fickleness, or levity. The very steps to the altar of marriage are sacred, and no one should act the flirt, [the coquette, or the traitor, there. A darker stain, short THE UNMARRIED PROFESSOR. 215 of gross and palpable immorality, can scarcely rest upon the character of a professor than faithlessness to his engage- ments as a lover. To desert a female, after he has engaged her affections, is a hateful compound of many vices in one ; it is a cruelty which has sent many a lovely girl to her grave or a madhouse; and, where it has not gone so far as this, has withered that peace, which he once cherished with his smiles ; it is a treachery of the basest kind ; a cold, heartless, and often remorseless baseness of mind which should never once be named amongst saints. Nor ought only this extreme of the act to be avoided, but all approaches to it also ; all those attentions which, though unaccompanied by direct proposals, indicate a preference, and may be fairly construed into an intention, should be carefully abstained from, if nothing ulte- rior be contemplated. It is wrong for any one to inveigle the affections of another, and then to defend himself after he has retired, by the excuse, that he never made any proposals, nor even a declaration of attachment. It may be asked, " How are we to know the suitableness of a person for such a union with us, without being with them, and paying attentions which cannot be mistaken ; and if we are not at liberty to retire after we have once committed ourselves, how perilous a thing is marriage ? " To this I reply, hold your heart in abey- ance, till suitable inquiry, and silent, unnoticed observation, have been made. All trifling with the affection of ano- ther, is most dishonourable in every one, and especially in a Christian : and yet this is too often done, and the credit of the religious profession has been materially injured by it. If any thing of importance, any thing likely to affect the future happiness of the parties, should come out during the progress of the acquaintance, which was, in the commencement of it, concealed by either of them, such as liability to serious bodily or mental disease, or deranged worldly circumstances, or insincerity of religious profession, in that case no blame 216 THE UNMARRIED PROFESSOR. can attach to the one that retires. Nor is any censure merited in those cases where the connexion is dissolved by mutual consent. Much reproach has been brought upon some young professors by rash, precipitate, offers to un- suitable persons, from whom it has become, at length, al- most absolutely necessary they should withdraw. Nor can some be cleared from the reproach of imprudently marrying before they had a rational prospect of supporting a family. Expenses increased faster than they were able to meet them. Debts were contracted, means resorted to for liquidating them, forbidden by every principle of hon- our, and disgrace soon followed. It pains me to think of the instances which I have witnessed of young people, once bidding fair to be respectable and respected, not only in the world but in the church also, ruined as to their prospects and reputation, by an imprudent marriage. It is, then, an abso- lute sin, for any one to marry without the rational prospect of supporting a family. It is also a great discredit to young professors, especially while living at home, to form any acquaintance, and carry it on without the knowledge, and especially against the wishes of their parents. I admit there are exceptions to this general rule, but they rarely occur. Disobedience to parental au- thority in this matter, where the children are under age, and in most cases where they are beyond it, is a deep blot upon a Christian profession. The social and domestic virtues should always shine forth with peculiar lustre in the charac- ter of a Christian. A union for life is so serious a matter, so deeply involving not only our own and our companion's comfort, but our piety also ; so powerfully affecting, perhaps, the welfare for both worlds of a family ; so greatly influencing the church of Christ, and the cause of religion in the world — that it THE UNMARRIED PROFESSOR. 217 cannot be treated with too much solemnity, or approached, even in its prehminary steps, with too much caution. Nor is there any thing next to our own salvation, which should be made the subject of so much earnest prayer to God, for direction and guidance. 19 218 THE PROFESSOR CHAPTER XIV. THE PROFESSOR IN PROSPERITY. •'I KNOW how to abound." — Phil. iv. 12. The Apostle claims for himself in these words, one of the most rare and difficult attainments ever made in this world of imperfection and probation ; I mean the right use of prosperity. How few are his imitators ! Prosperity is a comparative term, and signifies an improved or an improving state of our temporal affairs ; in its most emphatic sense it imports a considerable improvement, a great elevation in our affairs, or a rapid ac- cumulation of wealth : some employ the term as denoting any advancement, whether it be in the humbler or more exalt- ed stations of life. A workman or servant is in prosperity whose wages are doubled ; a female is in prosperity who is raised by marriage, from a lower to a higher grade of so- ciety ; the small tradesman is in prosperity who is delivered from the difficulties he once experienced, and is enabled to provide, though it be only a competency, for his family. Still it is usually expressive of a somewhat higher state of things than this, and as indicating a thriving trade, or the possession of considerable property. A professor is to let his light shine before men. This of course extends to every situation in which he is placed. It is to be an ever shining light ; a radiance that is every where to attend him ; it must illumine the gloom of his poverty, and IN PROSPERITY. 219 add even to the splendour of his prosperity. Like the sun, his own appropriated emblem, he should shine the brighter the higher he rises. Prosperity is a gift granted him, that he may glorify God ; a golden talent, to be carried with deep humility and gratitude to the foot of the cross, and consecrated to Him who bought him with his precious blood. It widens the sphere of his opportunity to honour God, a sphere which he should be anxious to fill with a hallowed influence to the very cir- cumference. There are four virtues especially necessary in a state of prosperity. Of these, the first is gratitude. A thankless prosperity is an unnatural and an unholy state. Such a man's heart is hard as the rock, and barren as the sand ; continually receiving the rays of the sun, and the riches of the clouds, but returning nothing. A Christian must not only be remote in his own feelings from that atheistic state of mind, which traces up all to lucky accidents and for- tunate turns, but he must take care to acknowledge God be- fore men, as the sole author of his success. His whole frame and deportment, must be a devout confession of God. It must be seen that he ascribes all he has, not to his own skill, sagacity, or industry, but to the blessing of the Most High. *' By the grace of God I am what I am," must be his declara- tion. On every favour he should inscribe the name of God as the giver, just as we write the name of our friends on their gifts. God should not only be acknowledged, but praised for prosperity. It is a blessing, unless by our abuse of it we turn it into a curse ; and is spoken of as such throughout the word of God. God has not confounded the distinction between plenty and want, nor required us to do so. It is indeed a mercy, and should be received as such, to be released from privation, and care, and necessity. The man who talks of poverty as a good in itself, speaks alike against reason an^ 220 THE PROFESSOR against revelation ; it may be over-ruled for good, and oftea is, but in itself it is an evil. A cause of thankfulness it cer- tainly is, to have the comforts of this life ; and prosperity, both as a means of enjoyment and usefulness, demands our gratitude. Were all our temporal mercies employed as they ought to be, as means of proving to us the enormity of our sins, as fuel to feed the flame of our love, as mirrors in which to see the goodness of Jehovah, as ties to bind our hearts to his service, and as instruments to promote his cause in the vi^orld, prosperity would indeed be felt to be a blessing, and would send us to God with the language of the Psalmist, and with his emotions too, " Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." Watchfulness is the next duty incumbent upon the pros- perous professor, for prosperity is a state of danger. This has been confessed by all, and experienced by multitudes. It is the most trite and hackneyed of all themes, on which mo- ralists as well as divines have equally descanted. In what vivid colours does Asaph pourtray this subject in the 73d Psalm. How often are we in effect told that the prosperity of fools shall slay them. How affectingly is this expressed in the prayer of Agur. — Prov. xxx. 4 — 6. In what alarming terms is it thundered forth in the words of Christ; "How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God. Verily, verily, I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to en- ter into the kingdom of God : " and the fearful sentiment is echoed by the Apostle, " They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition ; for the love of money is the root of all evil, which, while some have coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."-^! Tim. vi. 9, I0» IN PROSPERITY. 221 I seem in reading such language almost to question the truth of what I have before written, and to doubt whether pros- perity is really good ; at any rate it must be allowed to be a dangerous good, and we have seen numerous and melancholy instances and proofs of the danger. How rarely does it hap- pen that persons are not injured by it; how still more rarely that they are the better for it ; so rarely indeed that an indi- vidual who passes through the trial unhurt, is admired as a striking proof of the riches of divine grace ; while he that is really improved by it, is wondered at and talked of as a re- ligious marvel. But, oh ! the myriads of the martyrs of an improved condition ! What multitudes as they ascended from the humble vale of poverty, and emerged from the thorny and sequestered glens which it contained, into the sunny spots and higher grounds of wealth or easy competence, have lost their religion as they gradually rose, till by the time they had reached the summit, it was all gone ; and they who in the val- ley looked habitually up to heaven, as soon as they were upon the flowery mount, looked exclusively at the earthly prospect below them. Some have become heretical in opinion, others have sunk into confirmed and unrestrained worldly-minded- ness, while not a few have plunged into actual and notorious immorality. In the far greater number of instances, however, it has not gone to this length, but only produced a lukewarm- ness, which, without impairing the moral character, has de- stroyed the spiritual one, by leaving nothing of godliness but the form. The danger of prosperity arises from two causes. 1. Its tendency to repress some of the dispositions in which real re- ligion consists. There is little room in such a state for sub- mission to the will of God, for faith, and trust, and hope, in reference to providential arrangements and temporal affairs. Not that prosperity excludes all room for these virtues, but still it must be admitted there is not the same opportunity or 19* 222 THE PROFESSOR call for them as in a state of adversity. And these, be it re- collected, are some of the higher elements and more vigor- ous exercises of true piety. It is true that as regards spiri- tual things, there is as much opportunity, necessity, and call for faith and hope in the one state as in the other ; but as for that daily exercise of patient submission to present priva- tions ; that equally constant trust in Providence for future supplies ; and that steadfast faith in the promise of ultimate good from seeming evil, which the afflicted and necessitous are called to attempt, the prosperous know little of these things. Their religion is apt to become not only enfeebled, but diseased for want of these more athletic and healthy ex- ertions ; just as the sons of affluence, who feed on luxury, who are clad in purple and fine linen, and sleep on down, are puny and effeminate compared with the weather-beaten ma- riner, or the hardy mountaineer. Great caution, much watchfulness, and earnest prayer are necessary, to guard against this danger. It requires much grace indeed to rise upon the wings of faith, and soar above the enchanting scene of things temporal into the region of things eternal, when the former spread out their variegated beauties, amidst the glow- ing sunshine of prosperity ; and with all that is gratifying in present possessions, to yield our hearts to the impulses of hope, and travel onward to the unseen and comparatively unknown future. 2. But the danger of prosperity arises from its tendency to generate and foster some of the evils to which Christianity is directly opposed. Numerous are the weeds, which, though apparently killed by the frosts, and buried under the snows of winter, obtain a resurrection and a vigorous life by the summer's sun ; numerous the noxious and disgusting reptiles and vermin that come forth from their holes when the season of storm is over, to breed and bask in the warmth of the solar beams. Prosperity is that to the imperfections and corrup- IN PROSPERITY. 223 tions of our hearts, which the sun is to these annoyances of our earth. To those whose besetting sins he in that direction, it fur- nishes resources for the indulgence of appetites and the gra- tification of tastes by no means friendly, when carried be- yond the bounds of the strictest moderation, to the spirit of vital godliness. True piety is a self-denying thing, requiring the most rigid temperance in all things. Every approach not only to drunkenness and gluttony, but even tippling and epicurism is inimical to the spirituality and heavenly-minded- ness of true religion. Now it has so happened, that some, with the increased means of gratifying their appetites, have fallen into the snare, and acquired habits of self-indulgence, which have utterly destroyed every vestige of piety in their soul. A haughty spirit and feeling of independence are fre- quently observable in the prosperous ; a temper that seems to say, " Mine own arm hath gotten me this ; " a disposition " to sacrifice to their own drag and to burn incense to their own net : " an insensible and unintentional, but at the same time habitual and sinful leaving God out of their calculations and contemplations ; and a reliance upon their own energies and exertions. There is about some persons a consciousness of power, a feeling of self-buoyancy, as if they could and must rise unaided, and however opposed. Now this is a most guilty temper, a state of mind of great criminality and odiousness in the sight of God, in whom we live, and move, and have our being, and without whom we could neither lift an arm, move a step, or exercise a volition. Pride is another evil against which the prosperous profes- sor has the most urgent need to be upon his guard. It is not requisite here to dwell upon the sinfulness and loathsomeness of this disposition. It is irreligious in itselfj and it is most inimical to religion in its influence. There are various kinds 224 THE PROFESSOR of pride, or to speak more correctly, it is exercised in refer- ence to various kinds of objects ; there is pride of rank, pride of intellect, pride of person, pride of righteousness, — but be- sides all these, there is pride of money. It is of the latter kind I now speak ; that, which to use a common expression, makes a man purse-proud. The union of prosperity and pride is one of the commonest association of things that we ever form : so common that we almost naturally and invari- ably imagine that a rich man must be a proud one ; and are filled with admiration and astonishment where the contrary takes place. This association is referred to in many places of the Word of God. The Psalmist, speaking of the rich,, says, •' With their mouth they speak proudly ; " and in an- other place, " Pride compasseth them about as a chain." In a person whose heart is subdued, humbled, and renewed by grace, we may not expect to see such offensive manifesta- tions of this vice, as in an unconverted individual ; but even in him, prosperity often produces too much of it. He values himself on account of his wealth ; he feels that he is a man of consequence who ought to be looked up to ; gives himself airs of importance ; expects his opinion to be law ; is oracu- lar, dogmatical, overbearing, intolerant, and gives his senti- ments with an emphatic "/think so." He exacts attention, deference, respect : is susceptible of offence if he imagines, himself slighted, and from the high demands he prefers, often does imagine that he is slighted. He is jealous of rivals, suspicious, censorious. Now all this is pride, purse-pride, and it is too often seen in the prosperous professor. He is not perhaps sufficiently aware of it himself, but his friends are, and lament his infirmity. He feels, however, that he is not so happy nor so holy as he once was, but scarcely sus- pects the cause ; " It is in fact the rich man fading away in his ways." It is the worm of pride feeding upon the root of piety. Religion cannot flourish in such a state of mind as IN PROSPERITY. 225 this, for it will prevent that deep humiliation before God, that self-abhorrence, that self-annihilation, that entire dependence, and sense of ill desert which are essential to the spirit of true piety; and at the same time will call into active operation many tempers most inimical to godliness. Akin to this is ambition, or a feeling which disposes a man to be craving after something higher and better than he has, rather than to enjoy and improve what he already pos- sesses. No-ffias-4S forbidden to improve his condition in this world, nor is he required to stop short in the ascending path, or turn out of it, into which he has been led by Providence ; but a restless desire after distinction, and aspiring and dissa- tisfied temper, which makes the level of ordinary circum- stances disagreeable and intolerable ; the envying of those who are on higher ground which leads to the determination at all events to be up with them, is quite contrary to the apostolic injunction, "Seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not." Prosperity is very apt to make a professor seek for gay, or at any rate rich and fashionable acquaint- ance. He must have, he thinks, suitable acquaintance for himself and his children, and if he cannot find them in the church, he goes for them into the world ; he contracts ac- quaintance with such persons ; exchanges visits ; relaxes his religious strictness ; adopts their customs ; and thus by little and little, gives up his spirituality, and becomes a worldling in heart, though he is still a professor by name. Sometimes his ambition takes the turn of a longing desire after secular distinctions and civic honours : he wishes to be a member of parliament, or of a corporation, or of a board of guardians, or of some commercial or political committee. He courts office, for he fancies himself fairly entitled to it, much more than many who already hold it. His mind is much taken up about the means to accomplish his end. He goes into company ; courts notice ; pushes himself forward — and at 226 THE PROFESSOR length succeeds. But is he satisfied ? No. He has reached one summit, but it is only to rest and breathe preparatory to his climbing another before him. He is not at ease, for as the career of his prosperity continues, so he argues, ought the progression of his elevation. But where is his religion all this while ? Alas ! alas ! behind on the road ; or below in the valley. The house of God, the prayer-meeting, the Bible, the family altar, the closet, are all neglected. He is at a political association, or a civic entertainment, or at a party confederacy, when he ought to be hearing a sermon, assisting at a church meeting, or uniting in prayer with his brethren. Ambition of this kind has ruined many professors as such, in these days, and will ruin many more if care be not taken. Perhaps it will be asked, if professors ought to abstain from all such public offices, and refuse all such secular dis- tinctions as those I have alluded to. I reply, certainly not. I am only showing that they ought not to be ambitious, eager, active, to obtain them. When they come unsought and unsolicited ; when they are put upon us, almost forced upon us ; then they may be regarded as coming from God, and as affording us an opportunity of glorifying him, and serving our generation. But even in this case, the Christian should consider that he is set in slippery places, and should watch and pray that he enter not into temptation. The higher he rises, the more he is likely to turn giddy, and the more earnestly should he present that prayer, " Hold thou me up and I shall be safe." Wordly-mindedness is a very common, it may be almost said, a general fruit of prosperity. I do not mean by this term absolute covetousness, but a disposition to seek our hap- piness rather from earthly sources, than spiritual ones. Our profession certainly implies a contrary temper, and supposes that our chief consolation, our habitual comfort, is derived IN PROSPERITY. 227 from the spring of religion, the wells of salvation, the pure river of water of life, clear as chrystal proceeding from the throne of God and the Lamb. But, O how difficult is it to maintain this pure, spiritual, unearthly, heavenly taste in the midst of prosperity ! How difficult is it to help loving the world, when it puts on all its charms, smiles upon us, and caresses us. When we have built a convenient house in a pleasant situation, elegantly furnished it, surrounded it with a beautiful garden and shrub- bery, and made all things ready for our friends ; when our family is as agreeable within, as the scene is pleasant with- out, how difficult is it then to avoid saying, " It is good to be here, let us remain here long, and if it were possible, for ever." The worldling says, " give me such a paradise as this, and I want no other or better heaven." Yes, and even the professor sometimes feels this, though he does not say it. His house, and not his God, is the home of his heart. He lives not by faith in God, in Christ, in heaven ; but by sense, in the enjoyment of his comforts. He goes not to fashiona- ble amusements ; his taste, his habits, and his reputation as a Christian are against this : but he seeks that happiness in his home, which others seek in the ball-room, the theatre, and the card party. Many a man and many a woman, who goes regularly to all the Sabbath and many of the week-day ordinances of religion, and passes for a tolerably prosperous Christian, is miserably low in spiritual piety, and has little en- joyment of God, little communion with Christ, and as little lively hope of glory to be revealed. Prosperity by multi- plying the sources of earthly gratification tends to take us off from those which are spiritual and divine ; tends to car- nalize our affections, to vitiate our holy taste, and to flatten our devotion. Such are the evils to which the successful professor is ever exposed, and which call for his vigilance, caution, and 328 THE PROFESSOK alarm ; not that they are necessarily and always connected with prosperity, for then how could it be a blessing ; but they are the abuses of it against which he should watch and pray. Humility is a grace which such persons are especially required to cultivate. " Walk humbly with thy God," is an injunction which is appropriate to all, but especially to the prosperous. In none can humility shine with such lustre as in them. It is then like the gem set in gold ; the lovely flower putting forth all its beauties in full sunshine ; the action of the lark coming down from his lofty flight to rest in his lowly bed upon the earth. Nothing is more beautiful in our world than the mani- fest association of humble piety and temporal prosperity ; it is the temper of heaven united with the possession of earth. The man who makes this attainment is great in the kingdom of God. His prosperity is maintained without envy in others, and without injury to himself. Let the prosperous Christian then aim at this beautiful combination. His low- liness will not keep him long behind or below his place. There is a buoyancy in prosperity which is sure to raise him to the surface, and place him where he should be : for there is no individual whose assistance and influence are more gene- rally and urgently sought, or more truly valued, than his whose humility keeps pace with his success. Liberality is a most incumbent duty in the situation I am now describing ; and yet it is not a duty always, nor to the full extent of the obligation often performed. In some cases prosperity withers the benevolent affections of the heart, and closes the outlets of mercy. Like those flowers that bloom at night or in the wintry months, but die away before the power of a summer sun ; or others that flourish best in a poor soil, the liberality of some professors seems to become stunted, enfeebled, and contracted, as they increase in riches : the more they have, the less they give. I have read or IN PROSPERITY. 229 heard somewhere, of a person who had been singularly gene- rous while comparatively poor, but who was observed to become parsimonious when he was prosperous ; and who, upon being asked how it came to pass that he who gave so much in proportion to his income, when he had but little, now gave so little when he had so much, made this shocking re- ply, " When I had little, it was not worth saving; but when my fortune became large it seemed an object worthy to be kept together and accumulated." If I do not forget, this confession was made upon a death-bed, and amidst the hor- rors of an awakened and guilty conscience. This is by no means an uncommon, though a very melancholy case. The love of money very commonly increases with the money it- self, and therefore needs to be most tremblingly and prayer- fully watched, lest as property gradually comes in, it steals over the heart and holds it in occupation for Mammon. It sometimes happens that the heart gets corrupted by an ap- propriation of the first fruits of prosperity to worldly show, and an enlarged domestic expenditure. This begets a habit of expense, and produces a scale of living, which goes on increasing, all the while swallowing up prosperity as fast as it comes in, and thus leaving but little for God. On the con- trary, a professor should devote the first fruits of his success to God, and satisfy himself with moderate accommodations, thus enlarging by frugality, both his means of serving God and himself also. Many begin where they should leave off and therefore end worse than they begun. The subject of this chapter is so important, that I must pro- long it for the purpose of most solemnly admonishing at still greater length, not only those who are prosperous, but who are desiring and expecting to be rich. The enemies of reli- gion are continually reproaching its friends with an undue regard to wealth, whose very sarcasms are instructive, though not always just. They assume what is not correct, that re- 20 230 THE PROFESSOR ligion is intended to inspire us with aversion, or at any rate to produce absolute indifference to wealth, instead of merely moderating our desires after it, making us contented if we do not obtain it, and leading us to consecrate it to God if we do. It is not the possession we should dread, but the inordinate desire, the dishonest means, the undue love, and the covetous hoarding of it. I am quite aware, that it is difficult to have money and not love it ; hard indeed to have a golden image in the house, and not worship it. It is also quite evident that covetousness is indeed the sin of the church. In this com- mercial age and country, where men often rise from the workman to the master, and from nothing to affluence ; where the career is open to all ; and where, once engaged in the complexity and onward impulses of a large business, it is so difficult to stop or slacken the pace, there is imminent peril of professors forgetting their high vocation, and living only to get riches. We see them toiling and panting along the road of trade, in pursuit of the golden object of ambition, ap- parently as eager to obtain it, as any who do not profess as they do, to seek first the kingdom of God ; enlarging their desires with every addition to their gains ; and then extend- ing their means to the hmit of their desires. Professors, ye who are in this situation, pause for one short season in your career, and read that solemn admonition, which one who knows both your own hearts, and the secrets of eternity better than you do, has caused to stand out in characters more fearful and intelligible than those which the mystic hand inscribed on the walls of Belshazzar's palace : " How HARDLY shall THEY THAT HAVE RICHES ENTER INTO THE Kingdom of God." There it stands, written in imperishable letters, " that riches render the way to heaven difficult, and smooth the road to hell^ There it is, printed, published, placarded shall I say ? on the road side, yea, on the side posts of the narrow gate, that opens into the path of life, that wealth IN PROSPERITY. 231 is a snare to the soul, and makes salvation difficult. No prophet's inspiration is necessary to interpret this declaration of Christ, nor expositor's comment to illustrate it ; it is so plain that he who runs may read, and he who reads must un- derstand. Good in itself] and capable of doing good, and evil only when it is abused, and yet so often abused that its pos- session is more frequently injurious than beneficial, wealth should never be intensely longed after by any. Professors, take as it were a bird's eye view of the dangers it throws in the way of travellers to eternity. Does it not, as I have shown, produce the pride of life so opposite to the humility and poverty of spirit, which is essential to the nature of true religion ? Does it not generate a worldly-mindedness, which makes its possessor contented with things seen and temporal, and disposes him to mind only earthly things ? — Does it not lead to a prevalent feeling of independence, so unlike that habitual trust and reliance on God, which the Scriptures re- quire ? Does it not originate and keep up, both the care and perplexity of getting, and the anxiety of disposing; and thus exhaust the vigour as well as time, upon worldly objects, leaving the soul neglected, impoverished, and defrauded 1 Does it not draw away the Christian from the means of grace? Does it not corrupt the simplicity of the mind, and the gentle- ness of the character ? Does it not bring guilt upon the con- science, and hardness into the heart, by frequent omissions and refusals to do good with it ; and thus, besides increasing the account against us in the book of God's remembrance, inflict an injury upon our souls now ? Yes, wealth has a tendency to do all this in consequence of the depravity of our hearts, and thus to cast stumbling-blocks in the path of sal- vation : and it may be most truly affirmed, that the far greater danger attends that wealth which flows in upon us as the re- sult of success in business, or in some unexpected manner, than that which descends to us by the channel of patrimonial 232 THE PROFESSOR inheritance, with the contemplation and expectation of which, we have been familiarized from childhood. Will you then earnestly covet and restlessly long for it : what, with all these snares attending it? Do you really believe Christ when he said, "How hardly shall they that have riches, enter into the kingdom of heaven ? It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." — Will you then envy the rich : what, with such snares as these which endanger his soul ? For what purpose has Christ opened hell, and disclosed to us the scene of Dives tormented in its flames, but to warn us against the dangers of wealth 1 Has not God branded as a fool, the man who congratulated himself on his wealth, as a source of adequate and perm.anent enjoyment? Has he not said, " they that will be rick fall into temptation, and many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition ? " If, when standing on the shore after a shipwreck, you saw rolled up by the wave to your very feet, the miser- able corpse of a poor deluded creature, that in trying to escape from the sinking vessel, had so loaded himself with gold, that he could not swim to land, but sunk immediately in the deep ; would you not exclaim, what shall it profit him now ? And, oh ! could you see the more miserable ghost of a lost rich worldling return from the unseen world, and hear him go howling about our earth, " What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world ; or what shall a man give in ex- change for his soul?" would you not be struck with the folly of being so anxious about the scramble for wealth, which is carried on by many, while our world is sinking, and the very weight of which, if they get it, tends to make their escape from eternal ruin the more difficult ? What then would I have you do ? Stop in your career of industry ? Break up your prosperous concern ? Turn from your flattering prospects? Quit the pursuit of wealth to IN PROSPERITY* 233 avoid its dangers? Refuse riches when they are sent by Providence 1 Choose poverty with its privations, because it is less dangerous than affluence 1 No. I advise no such thing. God is omnipotent and all-sufficient, and can make his grace sufficient for the salvation of a rich man, as well as a poor one. What you are to do, is to moderate your anxiety to be rich, to lower your sense of the importance of wealth— to be content, and feel that you could be content if God were to deny you prosperity, or to diminish your for- tune — to avoid a grasping and ever expansive ambition — to let it be seen that your prosperity rather comes upon you, than is anxiously sought by you — to give this impression to those who know and see you, that it has fallen like a shower from heaven, rather than been drawn up as from a well dug with almost consuming labour in the earth by your own hands — and especially to lake care that the riches acquired by honest industry, and unambitious, unengrossing diligence, be diffiised tor the glory of God, and the best interests of man. Wealth justly obtained, and piously spent, instead of a curse is a blessing, instead of diminishing a man's religion, increases it ; and instead of hindering him in his way to heaven, helps him. Where Providence has blessed you then with the pos- session of property, seek for divine grace, that you may be blessed in the use of it, for without the latter, the former is no blessing at all. Rich professors, I entreat you to consider the right uses and solemn responsihility of wealth. The age of miracles is past ; and indeed while it lasted, the employment of pro- perty in the spread of the gospel, was not dispensed with. Read the admonition again, which is addressed to you. — '* Charge them that are rich in this world that they be not high-minded nor trust in uncertain riches, hut in the living God, who giveth us alt things richly to enjoy : that they DO GOOD J THAT THEY BE RICH IN GOOD WORKS, READY TO 20* 234 THE PROFESSOR DISTRIBUTE, WILLING TO COMMUNICATE, laying up in sfove for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.''^ 1 Tim. vi. 17 — 19. Enter into the spirit as well as comply with the letter of this apostolic admonition. By how many motives may the liberal use of your property be urged upon you, each of which ought to be of itself sufficient, and all united, irresistible. You can- not be ignorant that God has made known his will that your property should be so employed. He has commanded it, and thus has not left it to your own inclination or option. Your property is the gift of God, given not for your own use only, but for the glory of his name and the good of his crea- tures. You must give account, in the day of judgment, for every farthing entrusted to your care ; and in that account will be included all that you have spent upon yourselves, all the opportunities you have had of doing any thing for Christ, as well those you have neglected, as those you have em- braced. You have the most powerful and moving of all pos- sible examples set before you in " the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, though he was rich, yet for your sakes became poor, that you through his poverty might become rich." "You are redeemed that others may be delivered ; renewed that others may be converted ; blessed yourselves that you may be a blessing to others, and are so consecrated to God as to be obliged to make it apparent, not from professions but from actions, that the objects to which you are supreme- ly devoted are the extension of the Redeemer's kingdom, in the conversion and salvation of men, the honour of religion, and the glory of God ; that in one word, religion is the GREAT business OF LIFE."* You should remember the incal- * " Is all well ? " a Pastoral Inquiry, by the Rev. Joseph Fletcher, D.D., Is. 6d. I cordially recommend this most admirable and compre- hensive httle work as pre-eminently worthy the frequent perusal and the self-application of all professors. IN PROSPERITY. 235 culably superior value of property when employed for glorify- ing God and saving souls, than vi^hen devoted to personal gra- tification and family aggrandizement. You should consider the influence which benevolence will have upon your own character in strengthening the virtues of Christianity and ripening you for a world of unmingled love. You should dwell much upon the present condition of the world and the claims which its moral miseries urge upon the heart of every Christian ; a world lying in wickedness from which nearly a hundred thousand immortal souls pass away each day, and the far greater number of them, it is to be feared, to the pit of eternal destruction. You should ponder upon the solemn consideration, that the work of soul destruction, the perdition of immortal beings, is thus frightfully going on for want of money to arrest its progress : that hell is filling up with the lost spirits of men, because professing Christians will not sup- ply the means of sending them the opportunity of salvation. You should recollect that you live in an age distinguished above all that preceded it by its growing facilities for doing good, by its clear exposition of the sin of covetousness, by its frequent appeals to the liberality of Christians, and its encour- agement to proceed in the career of benevolence. You should weigh well your responsibility for the influence you exert upon others by your liberality or parsimony. But when and where shall we end in stating the obligations of the rich professor of the gospel ? I will put to you the following case. Suppose the Lord Jesus Christ were to appear to you in a visible form of glory somewhat similar to that in which he appeared to his apostle in the Isle of Patmos, and should deposit in your hands, twenty, fifty, or a hundred thousand pounds, and were to ad- dress you thus : " I entrust this property to your care, with a permission to use a part of it for yourselves, in promoting your own temporal comfort, but the rest and indeed the bulk 236 THE PROFESSOR I require you to lay out in promoting the cause for which I bled upon the cross, and which you know lies nearest my heart, even the salvation of immortal souls. To guard you against any breach of trust, I forewarn you that I shall re- quire an account of every farthing at some future period : and at the same time to encourage your zeal in my interests^ I promise you a gracious reward for your fidelity, when I call you to account for your stewardship. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life that fadeth not away." Would you not feel both honoured in being the almoner of his bounty, and tremblingly anxious to lay out his money to the best advantage for his cause, that when you gave in your account it might be with joy and not with grief? Would you not be afraid almost to spend any thing upon yourselves, lest in comparison with his interests it should be considered too much 1 When about to enlarge or beautify your house, or to modernize your furniture, or to go on an excursion of pleasure at his expense, would you not hear a voice from within asking, "Is this the purpose for which the money was entrusted to your care ? Does this please Christ now ? And will it be a good item in the account at the last day ? " Methinks you would grudge any thing for your- selves, beyond absolute necessaries^ that you might be able to say at last, "Lord it was all spent for thee." Is this entirely fiction 1 True it is that Christ has not appeared personally to you, for we walk by faith ; but he has entrusted money to your care to be employed for him. Yes, that property which you call your own, is not your own, " for ye are Christ's," and all that you have, is his. And he will require an ac- count of it at the last day. By such motives as these, professors, I admonish you to liberality. I lay down no proportions of tenths, thirds, or halves ; for Christ has not done so. Under the Levitical law every thing was demanded by weight, number, and measure ; IN PROSPERITY. 237 but it is not so under the more free, and generous, and spirit- ual dispensation of the gospel. Christ has trusted his cause to our love, our honour, our sense of gratitude. Under the legal dispensation, all things taken into account, a Jew's re- ligion could have cost him little less than half his incom.e ; and yet some Christians talk of a tenth for theirs. I do not say how much is enough for poorer Christians, but I am sure that for rich ones this is a paltry sum to carry to him who gave his all for them. Ye rich Christians, read " Mammon." I say, read it, and not only but/ it. It is become a fashion to purchase it ; I wish it may be a fashion to practice its principles. You are the people for whom it is especially designed, and therefore lay your souls open to its searching inquiries, and let it expel the sin of covetousness from your hearts. Remember the rule of blessing in proportion as you are blessed ; and that, therefore, he whose prosperity flows in upon him by copious streams, but whose liberality is only like drops oozing from a rock, is robbing God, defrauding the world, and rendering it doubtful whether he is a Christian indeed, and in truth. " If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." And now, dear brethren, take the alarm. Prosperity is a dangerous blessing. It is said of Mr. Cecil, that on being informed one of his congregation had become rich, he called upon him one day and addressed him thus : " Sir, I hear you are in great danger." "In danger of what?" said his friend. " I am not conscious of any danger to which I am exposed." "You are growing rich," continued the faithful minister, " and is not that a dangerous condition? " So sen- sible was another good minister of this danger, that, on his having a fortune left him, he devoted three days to humilia- tion and prayer, to be kept from the new perils into which he had been brought. Admit the danger, then. Do not put aside the subject with a light and careless air : this in- 238 THE PROFESSOR creases the peril ten-fold. The man who is walking on the edge of a precipice, but cannot be prevailed upon to take heed to his steps, is almost sure to fall over. A constant sense of your peril will arouse you to caution. Do, do con- sider in how many instances prosperity has been injurious to the souls of men — of men that once stood high in the church as well as in the world. It is the green and flowery mount from which many have slided down into the bottomless pit ; for it has proved to many the occasion of apostacy. And even should it not lead to this, still, without great watchful- ness and prayer, without incessant struggling, you will be sure to lose your spirituality, and gain much injury to your soul. In that case, the more you have of earth, the less you will have of heaven ; your gain here will be a loss to you there. There are, as I have already said, degrees of glory; higher and lower seats in heaven; gradations of honour, and of capacity for bliss in paradise; and though your worldly-mindedness may not be such as to unchristian- ize you, yet it may be enough to make you Christians of a low standard, and therefore fit for only one of the lowest sta- tions of the kingdom of God ; while, on the other hand, sancti- fied prosperity may meeten you for orte of the highest. Thus your prosperity will extend to both worlds ; it will be immor- tal, and you will be made ruler of ten cities. Give yourselves, then, to prayer. Call upon God. His grace can be made sufficient for you, and nothing else can. He giveth more grace, and you need more. " Ask and you shall receive ; seek and you shall find ; knock and it shall be opened to you." " Remember Lot's wife." Remember the prosperous man, whose goods increased in abundance ; but who was cut off in one night from his prospects, his possessions, and his folly. Remember the rich man who was clad in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day, but who died, and IN PROSPERITY. 239 in hell he lifted up his eyes being in torments ; and to whose request for only a drop of cold water, no other answer was given than, " Rennemberthou hast had thy consolation^ May you not pluck the fruits of unsanctified prosperity for ever and ever in hell ; but gather the harvest of a well employed abundance in the kingdom of heaven throughout eternity. 340 THE PROFESSOR CHAPTER XV THE PROFESSOR IN ADVERSITY. It is hard to say which is the more difficult and dangerous effort, to ascend or descend a steep and rocky mountain. In either case, to proceed with safety, is no easy matter. So it is a difficulty with some to decide, whether prosperity or ad- versity be more perilous to the Christian. Each has its snares, and each requires caution, watchfulness, and prayer. Each brings on a crisis in our religious history, and makes us either better or worse. It is an undoubted fact, that by far the greater number of God's people have been found, hitherto, in the humble vale of poverty, or in the secluded retreats of adversity ; a fact, which, in connexion with what the scriptures say, is a strong presumption, that in the judg- ment of omniscient and infallible wisdom, piety is likely to flourish most in the shade. God could cause the sun ever to shine upon his people, and prevent any cloud from obscuring for a moment his rays ; it is not for want of power to make them rich, that he suffers any of his children to be poor. All things are at his disposal and under his direction ; he could give them all a patrimony in this world, which would exalt them above their fellows. He could make them all by acquisi- tion, great in fame, and rank, and wealth—but he docs not — and therefore it must be best that he should not. Each of them may look at the cross and say with an apostle, " He that spared not his own Son, but freely delivered him up. for IN ADVERSITY. 241 US all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things ? " There is no answering that logic: the conclusion is as just as the premises are true. The disproportion be- tween a crumb and a kingdom is not so great as that between a kingdom and God's only -begotten Son. He that hath the Son may infer, with absolute certainty, that he has every thing else, which infinite wisdom sees it best he should have ; there is nothing more certain under the heavens, than that infinite love, after having given a man Christ, can withhold nothing else that is for his real good. How then should a professor conduct himself in ad- versity, so as to glorify God ? By adversity, I intend three classes of persons, — the poor — the unfortunate — and the afflicted. I am aware that the word is usually restricted to the middle class ; but if I were to use it in this limited sense, I should exclude many whom I wish to address. There are some duties which are common to all these three classes alike. Submission to the will of God is one of them. — By sub- mission, I mean the repression of all repining language, the resistance of all rebellious feeling, and the determined opposi- tion of all hard thoughts of God, as if he had dealt unkindly or severely with us ; together with an acquiescence in all he does as right and good. The temper, for instance, which is expressed in such language as this : " It is the Lord, let him do what seemeth good to him." "I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because thou didst it." The grounds of submission are clear views and a firm belief of God's power, wisdom, and love — such a deep sense of our sins as leads us to say, •' It is of the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, wherefore then should a man complain, a living man for the punishment of his sins, since he hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities." — A strong and steady faith in Christ for pardon, peace, and hope 31 242 THE PROFESSOR — a vivid apprehension of eternal glory — and a settled assu- rance that all things work together for good to them that love God. These are the grounds of submission, which cannot exist where they are not, and cannot be absent where they are. A murmuring, complaining, fretful, and peevish Chris- tian, whose words approach as near as possible to rebellion against God, disgraces and belies every principle of his pro- fession. Somewhat of Christian cheerfulness should be manifested by all persons in adversity. If they would glorify God ; if they would cause the light of their principles to shine forth : if they would adorn the doctrine of God their Saviour ; if they would appear different from otlier men; they must break the silence even of submission with the words of con- tentment, and if possible with the notes of praise. They must sing like the nightingale, and shine like the glow-worm in the dark. They must rejoice in the Lord, delight them- selves in God, repose their aching heart on the covenant of grace, and exult in the assurance that in heaven they have an enduring substance. As they sit amidst the fragments of their broken cisterns, they must be heard singing the words of the prophet, " With joy will I draw water out of the wells of salvation." Thus will they glorify God, when the smile of cheerfulness on their countenance looks like the bow upon the cloud, and they render the dark scene of their sor- rows, a means of displaying the resplendent beauties of the Sun of Righteousness. O, how is God honoured by the Chris- tian in adversity, when all his conduct as well as his words seem to say — " I have lost much, but I still possess infinitely more than I have lost or can lose. With Christ as my Sa- viour, God as my Father, salvation as my portion, and hea- ven as my home ; how can /be thought poor or wretched ? " There are also duties peculiar to each of the three classes which I have specified. IN ADVERSITY. 243 I. The poor should be contented, and exhibit to all around the power of religion in reconciling them to their situation in life. A large proportion of the Lord's people are in the humbler walks of society. " I have left in the midst of thee," said Jehovah to Jerusalem, "a poor and an afflicted people." Christ seemed to mark them out as the objects of his special attention, when he said, " The poor have the gospel preached to them." This shows the benign spirit of the gospel, and distinguishes it from every system of philosophy, or art, and false religion. What have the founders of empires, the teachers of science, or the inventors of religions cared about the poor ? Sunk in the low abyss of penury, they lay neg- lected, no one caring to raise them from the depths of igno- rance, vice, and misery, to knowledge, virtue, and bliss. Age succeeded to age, and school to school ; a thousand sects and systems rose, flourished and fell ; but the degradation of the multitude remained. No Howard descended to explore their deep, dark, and cheerless dungeon, to ascertain the weight of their chains, to let the light of heaven in upon their rayless abode, or to sweeten their cup of wo, by the cordial of sympathy ; till one infinitely greater than Howard, and one from whose heart of boundless love, that distinguished philanthropist derived its mercy, appeared upon the stage of our world. The Son of God, and Saviour of mankind, when he came down to earth, lighted in the humble vale of poverty, grew up to manhood amidst its privations, drank its bitter waters, chose his apostles from the same station, and gather- ed his first followers, and founded his church chiefly from among the sons and daughters of penury. Thus, by his ex- ample, his conduct, and his benedictions, Christ seemed not only to strip poverty of its terrors, but to invest it with a kind of endearing honour, as long at least, as it is associated with holiness. Consider this, ye poor of the flock. Are you as destitute as Christ was? — Can ?/ow say .as he did, "The foxes 244 THE PROFESSSOR have holes, the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head ? " Did he not depend on charity for every thing ? His home, his bread, his grave ? Shall the disciple think it hard to be as his master? How easily, how speedily, and how delightfully would it pluck the sting from poverty, when it begins to wound you, and cover its imaginary disgrace, when you are in danger of blushing over it, to recollect, that the character of a holy poor man, was the state in which the Lord of life and glory chose to dwell, during his temporary sojourn in our world. Besides, remember that the Lord hath chosen for you this lot, and he knows your disposition better than you know it yourselves. Some plants thrive best in a poor soil, and sheltered from the sun, as 1 have already hinted, and you are among the number. In the eye of Omniscient Wisdom, your present privations comport best with the possession of the unsearchable riches of Christ, and the enjoyment of the inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away. You are like an heir to an immense estate, whom his father judges it best for his future character and happiness, to keep poor during his minority. Trust in God. " If he has loved you so as not to spare his own Son, but delivered him up for you, how shall he not with him freely give you all things'?" After that amazing donation, you may expect every thing that would do you good. A thousand worlds compared with that are not as a farthing to a kingdom. Would you be rich for this world, and ruined for the next ? — Wealthy in time, to be poor throughout eternity ? Would you sell heaven for all the fortunes upon earth ? Would you not rather be poor as you are, and poorer too, with religion, than rich as the wealthiest man in the kingdom without it? Consider what you have, what grace has given you, though Providence has denied you many things given to others. You have, or will have, all that the love of the Father designed IN ADVERSITY. 245 from eternity for his people, all that the death of Christ ob- tained, all that the Bible promises, all that heaven contains ; and is not this enough to satisfy and bless you, without gold and silver, houses and lands ? Is not Christ in a cottage, to be infinitely preferred to a palace without him ? " Better is little that a righteous man hath, than the riches of many wicked.'''' — Psalm xxxvii. 16. Do you believe this? Then reconcile yourselves to your poverty, and hush every mur- muring word, and repress every repining feeling. Recollect, if you have not the gratification of riches, you have neither their snares nor cares. You mistake, if you suppose, that happiness expands with possession. As to the greater calamities of life, I mean sickness, pain, and death ; together with those mental sorrows which are produced by ingratitude and unkindness, by disappointment, envy and jea- lousy ; these are as heavily laid upon the rich as the poor, and perhaps more so ; while all the more substantial enjoy- ments of our present lot, are as freely bestowed upon the poor as the rich. The poor have health, appetite, sleep, peace of mind, social relationships ; the bright sun, the blue sky, the green earth, the balmy air, the cheerful day, the still night, as well as the rich ; and in addition, if they are Christians, they have all spiritual blessings in heavenly things in Christ — they possess an interest in him, who is the foun- tain of all blessedness, and the possessor of heaven and earth ; they have a charter to all that is good for them, which can- not be revoked— they are enriched through the operations of Holy Spirit, and the influence of faith, purifying their hearts, with a temper of mind and disposition, which are the seeds of true happiness — they have the well-grounded prospect of a state beyond the grave, where every source of sorrow shall be dried up, and every spring of joy opened. And is not this enough to comfort them under the privations of po^ verty ? 31* 246 THE PROFESSOR Let them also remember how short is the term of their destitute state. Wliat a force and a balm are there in the words of the Apostle, " Let those that weep, he as though they wept not, for the time is short." Tears that are so soon to cease for ever may be wiped away with a smile. There remaineth a rest for the people of God. When the labouring man lays down the implements of labour, he knows not that he shall ever be called to resume them. Soon, per- haps sooner than he expects, the flail and the hammer will drop from his hands, to be substituted by the harp of gold, and the palm of victory. How sweet it is to gather up his tools on Saturday evening, and to reflect, " To-morrow 1 shall rest all dayP Let him recollect that the Saturday evening of life is at hand, to be followed by the dawn of a Sabbath, whose sun shall never set. When the labours of the day and its weariness, shall extort an involuntary excla- mation, ''How long,^^ or when, with a feeling bordering on repining, he shall throw down his instruments of toil, to wipe away the sweat off" his moistened brow, let him hear the voice which says to him, " The end of all things is at hand, when thou shall sleep in Jesus, and rest from thy labours.''^ And oh ! how will the privations, and hardships, and sorrows of poverty, prepare for the enjoyment of that fulness of joy, and those pleasures for evermore, which await the Christian at the right hand of God ? Extremes magnify each other, and what will the delectable mountains of heaven be, whose tops are ever gilded with celestial glory, to the man who has as- cended to them from the gloomy valley which has been never illumined by the sun of worldly prosperity. Yes, there's a better world on high, Hope on thou pious breast ; Faint not thou trareller to the sky, Thy weary feet shall rest. IN ADVERSITY. 247 The poor should check all feelings of envy, all disposition of ill-will towards the rich, for this of course is contrary to Christian contentment. They should avoid all tendency to misconstrue the actions and misconceive the motives of their wealthier brethren ; and should sedulously guard against all those who would excite their prejudices by unfounded insinua- tions, and stir them up to turbulent discontent and insubordi- nation. They should endeavour to combine, with a just self-respect, an equal degree of respect for those whom Providence has raised to higher stations. Conscious that in the sight of God they are upon a perfect level with the richest and the greatest, they should yet so far regard the distinctions of society, as to be respectful, courteous, and submissive towards those who are their superiors in rank and property, though not in nature or in Christian privilege. A forward, bold, obtrusive poor man is certainly no credit to the Christian professor. II. I now state the duties of the second class, those who in the most specific sense of the term, are in adversity. I mean the unfortunate, if indeed the word "unfortunate" ought to be admitted to the vocabulary of a Christian. How numerous is this class, how many are there in this trading country who are continually sliding down from wealth or competence into comparative, or actual poverty. What sud- den and painful reverses are some called to experience, and others to witness ! What shifiings of property are perpetually going on ! And oh, how much is the credit of religion, and the honour of the Christian profession involved in these vicis- situdes. How comparatively few descend with honour into the vale below, and dwell there with dignity and grace. How many lose their reputation in losing their fortune. Not that they are designing cheats or determined knaves; but are misled by the deceitfulness of the heart to do many things in endeavouring to avert the impending ruin, which, with 248 THE PROFESSOR whatever specious pretexts they are first prompted and then defended, cannot be justified by the strict rule of Christian integrity. The credit of rehgion, as I have repeatedly re- marked already, has suffered incalculable and irreparable injury in the world's estimation, from the dishonourable con- duct of Christian tradesmen, who have been involved in dif- ficulties ; and even from the misconduct of those whose piety could not be reasonably doubted by any that knew them. There is unusual surprise felt when a professor fails. A fine tribute this to religion, as if it contained, which it does, a power to bless in this world, as well as the next ; and there is also unusual disgust and reproach expressed when he fails under circumstances unfavourable to his reputation ; another tribute to religion, as in itself intended to produce whatsoever things are just, honest, and of good report. Hence, then, it is a matter of indescribable importance that a Christian who is beginning to decline, should make up his mind never, by God's help, to attempt to save himself by sinning against God in violating the least rule of morality ; never to prop his falling fortunes by any thing that is contrary to the principles of fair and honourable trading. A professor involved in commercial difficulties is in the most imminent peril. It is the severest trial of his integrity ; a kind of martyrdom, and a most difficult one too. His very regard to his reputation, and the credit of religion, are sometimes really amongst the temptations to which he yields in doing what is wrong. He dreads a failure, for he knows that with no serious ground of reproach he shall be suspected by the ignorant, blamed by the censorious, and calumniated by the malicious. To avert a calamity so great, he resorts to means which, though far off from downright dishonesty, are still improper and censur- able ; he adopts various and doubtful experiments for raising money ; he borrows of friends with promises of re-payment which he might know, if he reflected for a moment, he has IN ADVERSITY. 249 no hope of fulfilling ; he draws in the unwary by bargains which he must be quite sure they would never make if they knew his circumstances ; he speculates with part of his little capital, and which in fact is not his, in hope to retain and in- crease the remainder ; and if, while doing all this, conscience suggests, as it sometimes will do, that it cannot be right, he quiets the awakened and troublesome monitor, by the allega- tion that it is designed to prevent a catastrophe, which, if it occur, will bring certain disgrace upon his profession, but which, if it should be thus averted, will leave all those trans- actions in concealment. The catastrophe, however, in spite of all these improper expedients comes on, and with it the exposure of what was done to ward it off, and the character and credit of the professor are lost in the wreck, though the salvation of the Christian is secured, yet so as by fire. I would by no means become the apologist for such con- duct. It cannot be defended, but must be condemned ; yet I believe it has been pursued by many a man whose heart will be found at the last day, to have been right with God. The great difficulty with an embarrassed tradesman, is to know when to stop. Like a gamester he is led on by the delusive expectation that the next throw will recover all he has lost. In nineteen cases out of twenty, this hope of re- covery proves fallacious, and only plunges him deeper into ruin. Unfortunately the present age offers too many expedi- ents by which men of declining prosperity, may endeavour by some sudden effort in speculation to avert the impending stroke, and be saved from bankruptcy. How much better would it be, as soon as they are aware of their perilous situa- tion, to consult their creditors as to the propriety of proceed- ing, who would thus be made responsible for whatever risks would be incurred by their continuance. Or, if this be not prudent, as in some cases it may not, how important is it to take counsel with some judicious friend, to whom the whole 250 THE PROFESSOR State of their affairs should be laid open. Nothing, however, is more common, in such cases, than for the person who asks a friend's opinion to disclose only half the real truth and make a partial representation of even that ; just as clients do who consult an attorney in a bad business, and whom they mislead by making him acquainted with only that part of the case which is in their favour. A very considerable degree of difficulty arises sometimes, both on the part of a distressed tradesman and his religious friends, on the subject of borrowing and lending money to assist him out of his embarrassments. The Scripture is certainly explicit in its injunctions on this head. Our Lord says, ''From him that would harrow of thee turn not thou away,''^ — Matt. v. 42. This, however, it is plain must be in- terpreted with a just regard to the rules of prudence. An indiscreet and lavish system of lending, would soon reduce even an affluent professor to ruin, and act as a premium upon imprudence and knavery in others. Yet there is the law, and it is also involved in other passages, which speak of our *' hearing one another's hurdens,^^ and helping one another in difficulty. I believe that one great reason why this rule is so much neglected, is the improper conduct of some who have borrowed when there was no rational prospect of re-payment, and whose failure has not only brought discredit on them- selves, but produced a determination on the part of many not to lend to any one. A man who is really in difficulty, ought to be extremely cautious about asking money in a way of loan from friends ; nothing far short of an absolute certainty of being able to return it, should allow him to solicit their aid. He should, of course, lay open to them even the very worst of his affairs, that they may be in full possession of all par-r ticulars before the advance is made. Christians ought to help one another, but no one ought to put the property of his friends in jeopardy. Much discredit has been thrown on the IN ADVERSITY. 251 Christian profession by a neglect of this rule. To save them- selves from ruin many have dragged others down with them. It is not that they imposed upon others so much as that they imposed upon themselves. They did not say what they did not believe at the time to be true, but they believed what they ought not to have believed ; and are therefore responsible for their practical errors as others are for their doctrinal ones. It is bad policy, as well as bad morality, to jeopardize the property of others, as it often drains the resources which at the time did them no good, but which afterwards would be of considerable service to them. Where assistance is wanted by a suffering brother, whose difficulties cannot be referred to his own imprudence, and who can be effectually served without much risk, such a man ought not to be allowed to sink. Christian tradesmen, suffer the word of exhortation. Carry your profession with you into your business, and let your character as a tradesman, sustain the honour of your profes- sion. Let the principle of integrity guide you in your shop, and the practice of economy in your house. Avoid, I be- seech you, a showy and extravagant style of living. Be not ambitious of obtaining a large house, elegant furniture, a handsome equipage, and a country residence. What are these things to a man whose heart should be above ? Much less have them, or even covet them, till you are quite sure you can pay for them. Do not let the first flush of a pre- carious prosperity prompt you to launch out into expenses, which you could not be authorized to incur till after a long trial of your success. And then when the tide begins to run, and the ebb has commenced, immediately curtail, and re- trench. Do not continue to hold conveniences and luxuries at the risk of your creditors, determined never to relinquish them till they are torn from you, by the strong hand of law. Let no false shame make you afraid of being suspected to be 252 THE PROFESSOR poor. Have an honest principle which makes you determine never to have a smgle enjoyment at other people's expense, or even risk. If your adversity has been in any measure induced by any fault of your own, confess it both to God and man- Blind not yourself to your own misconduct. Do not shut the windows of the soul, and resolve that no light of convic- tion shall come in, to reveal what is wrong. Struggle not against public opinion ; much less resist the expostulations, or despise the censures of your brethren. Your peace, and honour, and safety, all depend upon an ingenuous confession. The man who says, and says it with a magnanimous frankness, "I have done wrong," rises as he sinks; is exalted by his humiliation, and manifests a remaining power of inward piety and principle, which bursting forth from his soul, like the sun dispersing the mist which had for a season veiled his lustre, scatters the cloud with which for a while he had enveloped his character. But I now proceed to give some directions to those who are in adversity and who may not be conscious of any spe- cial fault, to which they can look, as the cause of their mis- fortunes. If your troubles have been brought upon you by the im- prudence or injustice of others, neither allow your minds to dwell upon their conduct with resentful feelings, nor to stop in the contemplation of second causes. God has permitted it, or they could not have done it. He employs wicked men, and even the wickedness of the wicked, for the fulfilment of his purposes towards his children. Act not atheistically in your affliction, and complain and fret as if your adversity was the result of chance, but let it be seen that you believe in the doctrine of Providence. Manifest a dignified composure, a calm and tranquil mind, that can stand the shock of these storms without having your IN ADVERSITY. 253 confidence in God uprooted. It is said of the righteous " he shall not he moved. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings, his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.^^ Watch against a despairing, reckless temper ; a disposition to give up all for lost ; a feeling of hopelessness, as if you were irrevocably doomed to adversity, and it were useless to make further attempts to gather up into any other scheme the fragments of your broken fortunes. " If thou faint in the day of adversity thy strength is small : " and what is this despondency but fainting ? It is always too soon to despair in this world, in reference either to temporal or spiritual things. Earth is the region of hope. The severest part of winter is just before spring ; the tide is lowest just before it begins to rise ; the break of day issues from the deepest gloom of midnight. Job sunk from a mansion to a dunghill, and then rose from a dunghill to a nobler mansion still. Hope in God ; his best gifts of an earthly nature may be yet to come. Banish despondency. Be of good courage : wait on the Lord, and he shall strengthen thy heart. Besides, consider what mercies are still left. Set one thing over against another ; God does, and so ought you. " All is lost," wrote Francis I. of France, to his mother, after the battle of Pa via, "but our honour." Christian integrity, which still remains with you, is worth infinitely more than all you have lost. You have health, friends, reason, still. But you have richer blessings left than these. Perhaps your children are with you in Christ, and travelling by your side to heaven. You have all the blessings of grace in hand, and all the blessings of glory in hope. You have lost your property, but not your salvation. Earth has fallen from your left hand, but your right lays hold on heaven. You are poorer for time, but perhaps it is only to be richer for eter- nity. Be comforted, all is working together for good ; 22 254 THE PROFESSOR you cannot tell how ; that is not your business ; it is God's to say how, yours to believe it will be so. Watch and strive against a spirit of envy. Perhaps in your descent into the vale of adversity, you have passed some on their way, going up the hill of prosperity. Pray for grace to rejoice with them that rejoice ; this is the best way to make them weep with you that weep. We ought to cast our own cares upon God, and empty our hearts as much as possible of our own sorrows, that there might be room in them for both the joys and sorrows of others. Envy will make the wounds of our mind fester and mortify, and add something of the torments of hell, to the trials of earth. It is poison in the cup of wo. And it is of importance also that you should avoid a jealous and suspicious temper ; a constant susceptibility of offence. Your situation will pro- duce a tendency to this. Aware that you have sunk in pro- perty, you will be apt to think you have sunk in esteem and importance, and that in consequence of this you are slighted and neglected. This will induce a petulant, querulous, and misanthropic temper ; destructive of your peace, and inju- rious to your profession. I admit that every man in whom dwelleth the spirit of Christian charity, will be doubly assi- duous and watchful, not to aggravate the sorrows of adver- sity, by making you feel that you have sunk ; but uninten- tional and only apparent neglects will sometimes occur, which, if you are not vigilant, and blessed with an eminent degree of humility and meekness, will chafe and irritate your mind, and prevent your light from shining in darkness. It should be the study, the endeavour, and the prayer of every Christian, to make his adversity subservient to his growth in grace : and the depression of his circumstances, the means of his moral and spiritual elevation. In many cases it has been so, and spectators have been delighted and astonished to witness a grand and beautiful development of IN ADVERSITY. 255 character, where they supposed that even the principle of piety scarcely lived before. That which looked all earthly matter, and impure mixture, when subjected to the searching test of fire, glowed in the furnace, and ran forth a stream of pure and liquid gold. Yes, the adhesions of pride, worldly- mindedness, and a harsh severity of temper which had en- crusted over, hidden, and disfigured the character, were se- parated, and the profession so imperfect, and even doubtful before, came forth exhibiting not only the loftier graces of faith and submission, but even the minuter beauties of holi- ness, in a spirit of humility, meekness and affection. Nor ought I to omit, that professors singularly glorify God in adversity, by feeling, and causing it to be seen that they feel it to be one of its bitterest sorrows, that they have been the means of injuring others. They have unintention- ally, but still materially, perhaps, involved many in loss. To see a man reckless of the property, and regardless of the misfortunes of his friends, misfortunes of which he has been the cause, is not honesty, much less honour, or Christianity. It should be the aim and determination of every Christian, that by the most unwearied labour, the most persevering di- ligence, and the most rigid economy, he may at length pay every creditor to the full amount of his demands. A legal clearance, is not a moral one. It is a disgraceful sight, even for a man of the world, to be seen rising out of adversity, and living in splendour, while his creditors have not received, probably one half or one quarter of their just due ; such a person may not be called a rogue, but who will call him an honest man ? III. To the third class, I mean those who are in afflic- tion from any of the various causes of human sorrow, whether it be personal or relative trouble, it is not necessary I should say much in addition to what I have already advanced. Let them restrain their grief, and not be swallowed up of 256 THE PROFESSOR overmuch sorrow. An excessive degree of distress, a refusal to be comforted, a disposition to nourish grief, is a temper dishonourable to a professor, who, in the darkest and dreariest scenes of human life, ought not to appear like the men who are without God and without hope. Patience must have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking nothing. Resignation must not only suppress the murmur, but dictate words of confidence and peace. " Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him," must be your declaration, as well as your purpose. Faith, strong, steady faith, which cleaves closer to Christ, in proportion as other things fail, must be in exercise. Hope, as the anchor of your soul, must keep your little bark safe amidst the storm. Meekness must put forth all its power and beauty in preventing peev- ishness, and producing a sweetness of temper in the midst of perplexing and ruffling circumstances. Assurance Ihat all things are working together for good, should bear the soul above the low and cloudy horizon of present trials, and enable it to descry eternal sunshine beyond the storm, and rendered the brighter by the gloom, from the midst of which it is contemplated. While at the same time, a deep concern should be manifested for a sanctified use of every affliction. Anxiety should be manifested to glorify God in the fires, to have every corruption mortified, and every grace strength- ened ; to die to earth, and live for heaven. Thus may the various classes of Christians in adversity, support, adorn, and recommend the religion they profess ; and enjoy consolation in their trouble, derived from the con- sideration that their affliction has yielded something for the advancement of God's cause, and the manifestation of his glory in the world ; while it has been ripening them for that blessed state, where they shall " be before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple. They shall IN ADVERSITY. 257 hunger no more, neither thirst any more ; neither shall the sun Hght on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb that is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto fountains of living waters ; and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." — JRev. vii. 15 — 17. 23* 238 CONDUCT OF PROFESSORS CHAPTER XVI. THE CONDUCT OF PROFESSORS AWAY FROM H O ]M E . Real religion is not merely an occasional act, but a per- manent habit, resulting from an internal principle ; a principle SO fixed as to constitute a moral nature, and so steadily ope- rative, as to form an unchanging character. A real Christian is a Christian always, everywhere, and for all companies : he carries with him his piety wherever he goes, as an inte- gral part of himself. It is not like his dress which may be continually altered, or varied to suit his situation, occupation, and society. He needs it everywhere, he loves it every- where, and is commanded to let it be seen everywhere. Is this, however, invariably remembered and acted upon by professors ? Is there not too much of a chameleon kind of re- ligion, that takes its hue from surrounding objects ? — a flexi- ble, yielding, easy kind of piety, which can accommodate it- self to circumstances, by little sacrifices of principle and con- sistency 1 This is seen most conspicuously in the conduct of professing Christians, when away from home. While in the midst of their connexions, they cannot go far astray without its being noticed; and indeed, the temptations to wander from the line of strict propriety, are there neither numerous nor strong : the eyes of their religious friends and of their pastor are upon them ; they would be missed from the house of God, and seen, by those who know them, in the company of AWAY FROBI HOME. 259 the gay, and in the amusements of the fashionable. Hence they are not so much in danger in these circumstances, as when removed by any cause from beneath the notice of those, who, by office, relationship, or affection, are called to watch over them. Temptations in various ways assail them when from home, from which they are sheltered at home. Sometimes professors are visiting in gay and worldly fa- milies ; in such a situation they require great caution and courage, neither to conceal nor compromise their principles. Such visits are undesirable, and are not to be chosen, but submitted to merely as matter of necessity. There is nothing in such a situation congenial with the spirit of piety ; and they can rarely maintain their consistency, and at the same time give or receive pleasure. Still, however, they cannot always avoid such intercourse, and when they are under some kind of necessity to enter into it, they should be well aware of their difficulties, and pray for grace to be carried through them with honour and a good conscience. They should recollect that they will be both watched as to their consistency, and tried as to their steadfastness, and will need much firmness and circumspection. It is demanded of them by their allegiance to Christ, that while all the rules of po- liteness and good breeding are observed, there be no conceal- ment of their profession, no joining in amusements from which they conscientiously abstain at home, and no attendance upon heretical worship out of compliment to the host ; but on the contrary, an inflexible, dignified and courteous maintenance of their separation from the world, their Christian habits, and religious observances. This is one of their opportunities for confessing Christ. I once spent a few days in a family, in which there was visiting at the same time a young lady, who belongs to a society of Christians that hold it unlawful to as- sociate in any act of worship, either public or domestic, with those who differ from them in ever so comparatively slight a 260 CONDUCT OP PROFESSORS matter. I was struck with the unyielding firmness and un- varying consistency, with which she maintained her unchari- table and exclusive creed. When we assembled for family prayer, she withdrew to her chamber ; when we rose to give thanks at our meals, she kept her seat, and gave plain indi- cation that even in that short act of domestic piety, she took no part. I ought to observe, that there was nothing of ob- trusiveness, contempt, or sullenness in her deportment ; but certainly an unbroken consistency in which she is worthy of imitation, by all who profess a more charitable system. It requires, I allow, great moral courage, when receiving the rites of hospitality, to separate ourselves in some things which they consider quite harmless, from those who are aiming to. contribute to our gratification ; and when called to exercise this act of self-denial, we should do it with due regard to all the laws of courtesy, and with such gentle conscientiousness, as will not give offence to any really polite person. Professors may sometimes he thrown for awhile, hy the ever-varying circumstances of life, into a town, or village ^ where there are none like-minded with themselves in reli- gious sentiment and feeling, and where they are surrounded only by worldly people. Of course such a situation should never be chosen, except it be to carry into it the means of grace ; but it may be, in some cases, the result of circum- stances not to be controlled. In such a scene of moral dark - ness, a Christian, instead of extinguishing the light of his profession, or putting it under a bushel, should cause it, if possible, to shine with a clearer and more public brightness. He should let it be seen at once, that he fears God, and that, however he may be disposed to exchange the civili- ties of life, and the courtesies of neighbourhood, he can do nothing contrary to the strictness of his religion. He must be content to be regarded as precise, narrow-minded, and unfashionable, and never defend himself against the sneers of AWAY FROM HOME. 261 the gay, by putting aside a single practice which his con- science dictates. Nay, he naust go farther, and endeavour, I repeat, to introduce those means of grace, which he does not find in the place of his residence. He must carry his light with him, not only to display it by consistent piety, but to dif- fuse it by holy zeal. In such ways as prudence shall dictate, and opportunity shall allow, he must be " The voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God." And should not the place be quite destitute of the means of grace, and the people of God, but contain a few poor disciples of Christ, and some lowly tabernacle of genuine piety, instead of being ashamed of these humble manifestations of the king- dom of the Lord, he must follow the Saviour, though it be as the shepherds did at the nativity, into an out-house, or as the disci les did after the ascension, into an attic. To forsake the cause of evangelical religion, because it is seen in its pri- mitive poverty, and to associate only with the ungodly, be- cause they are rich and fashionable, is to abandon the church and follow the world. How often and how forcibly has it been submitted to those rich Christians, and to others of moderate wealth, who are retiring from the cares of trade, to the calm seclusion of pri- vate life, whether it is not their duty in the selection of the place of their retreat and repose, to be guided by a view to usefulness, rather than a desire of gratification. One of the first objects thought of by such persons generally is, a popu- lar preacher, and a genteel congregation ; a situation where their Sabbath days shall be delightfully occupied by the good sermons of the former, and their week days by the intercourse of the latter. I know that it is a strong temptation to those who can command the gratification, to place themselves with- in the magic circle of some eminent preacher's ministerial labours, and the elegantly pious society wh ch lie has drawn 262 CONDUCT OF PROFESSORS around him ; but how noble, how heroic, how Christ-hke, is the spirit which causes a man in such circumtances to say, " God has blessed my industry, and raised me to an indepen- dence of the toils and anxieties of business, and I am now retiring to spend the remainder of my days in unmolested quiet. — Where shall I choose my residence, and pitch my tent ? Shall I select some paradisaic spot, where beautiful scenery shall perpetually feast my senses ? Shall I repair to some resort of the gay and the fashionable ? Shall I follow the music of some eloquent preacher, and regale myself con- tinually with the display of sacred genius ? No. I will forego all this, and settle where I can best serve that God who has blessed me with all things richly to enjoy. I will glorify that blessed Saviour, who has bought me with his blood, and whose I am, with all I have. He is my Lord, and I am his servant, and I must settle where I can best serve HIM. I will go, therefore, where his cause is weak, that I might be the honoured instrument of strengthening it. True it is, this will require self-denial, for I cannot expect to hear a distinguished preacher, or find a numerous and genteel congregation in a small country town ; but am I not a disci- ple of him, who prescribed the cross as the condition of re- ceiving me among the number of his followers ? What an honour and a happiness will it be, with which to gild the even- ing of my days, if I should be the instrument of supporting and encouraging some faithful minister of Christ, and building up some low and needy church of the living God. I follow the cloud, therefore, to the scene of usefulness ^ O give me that man's reward in the day of account, the smile, and the " well done, good and faithful servant," which he will then receive from his Lord, and I would resign all the gratification to be derived from listening for ages, if it were possible, to the ser- mons of the greatest of all preachers. And why is there not more of this self-denial ? Why do not wealthy Christians act AWAY FROM HOME. 263 more upon such principles as these 1 Have they not 7iomi' naJly at least consecrated themselves and their wealth to God ? Is zeal for the cause of Christ, compassion for immortal souls, no part of their duty 1 Is absenteeism never found in the Church of the Redeemer, as well as in the sister kingdom % Are not many away from their country, the places that claim them, because they were born there, or have property there, or could do good there ? Ye unemployed Christians, who have thrown off the shackles of trade, " the world is all before you where to choose," make Providence your guide, and follow the cry of souls that are perishing for lack of knowledge. It sometimes happens, that the members of our churches leave home in the capacity/ of female servants, apprentices, and shopmen; and are placed in families, and surrounded by companions that make no profession of religion. Such a situation, presents one of the most trying and severe ordeals, through which a professor in modern times is called to pass. All the countenance, and watchfulness, and assistance, they had been accustomed to receive from parents, companions, or minister, perhaps from all these together, is suddenly with- drawn, and in all the feebleness and timidity of a young Christian, they are exposed to the curious gaze, the ignorant astonishment, the unconcealed sneer, or the embittered enmity of those who are not only strangers to religion, but enemies too. In such a situation, tiiere is not a single individual but what is silently or openly opposed to this young disciple of Christ ; who, cut off from some of the means of grace, and nearly if not quite the whole of ministerial supervision, has to sustain almost daily, the rude assault, or subtle attack upon his principles. He is like a lamb in the midst of wolves ; an alien surrounded by those who are evil affected towards both his country and his sovereign. O how much grace does he need to keep him faithful ? What but omnipotence can pre- serve him? Where it can be avoided, young Christians should 264 CONDUCT OF PROFESSORS not go, or be sent into such situations. But servants and shopmen cannot always, though in many cases they can, choose their situation ; and where no alternative is open to them, and they must go into temptation, let them watch unto prayer, and for their encouragement, let them recollect that he who kept Lot pure even in Sodom, can uphold their in- tegrity where there is every thing to pull it down. Con- sider your situation ; there you are the representative of real religion, of Christ, of God himself^ in one sense, in a place where they are not known. Make no secret of your piety, but let it be seen in all its purity, power, and consistency. Be firm, yield nothing to the rage or ridi- cule of those around you. Be consistent, and let it be seen that you act from conscience and not from caprice. Be good-natured, kind, obliging, and thus conciliate to yourself^ that affection which you cannot win to your piety, and then your piety will be borne with, for the sake of the loveliness with which it is associated. Pray for divine help, and trem- ble lest you should do any thing to excite, as many have done, a prejudice against the religion which your profess. — "Bless- ed is the man that endureth temptation, for when he is tried he shall receive the crown of life, that fadeth not away." Travellers have sometimes a difficult part to act, and are exposed to great temptation ; especially such as are regu- larly employed in a way of business, and who are a great part of their time away from home. The company they meet with at inns, their usual places of sojourn, is generally such as puts their consistency to a test. It is true, there is some improvement in the habits of those who are of this class, inasmuch as education has in some measure refined men's taste, and subdued the grossness of vice ; but with every abatement of this kind, it will be admitted by all who are acquainted with the facts of the case, that a traveller's room is not the place where piety often finds any thing congenial AWAY FROM HOME. 265 with itself : the drinking, and card playing; the filthy dis- course, and the angry debating which are but too often found there, require on the part of a professor of religion, much moral courage, and well-fixed principles, sustained by divine grace, to escape the snare. To some young men, who once bade fair to be respectable, the situation has proved an occa- sion of ruin for both worlds ; and even to those who have been long and deeply rooted in their profession, it has been a severe and painful trial of their principles ; where it has not destroyed their consistency, it has been a constant afflic- tion to their minds. How watchful and circumspect ought a Christian to be in such a situation, in his table habits, in his general conversation, in his whole conduct ; how careful to avoid the irritation of debate on the subject of politics or the questions of trade ; how unwilling to provoke or to be pro- voked ; how firm, yet how gentle ] how pious, yet how cour- teous and gentlemanly : how observant of the Sabbath ; how bold, and fearless, and unconcealed in his profession of re- verence for religion in all its institutes, and all its require- ments ! Such a man, maintaining his consistency with kind- ness, calmness, and dignity ; bearing with unruffled serenity of temper the taunts and sneers of the witling and scoffer, will soon silence the tongues of the scorner, even where he does not subdue his heart to the obedience of faith. It would be well for such persons to make themselves well acquainted with the evidences of Christianity, and also the arguments and the cavils of infidels, that on suitable occasions, they may be prepared to meet and vanquish objections to revela- tion. I believe there is much flippant and shallow scepticism often to be found in a traveller's room. A Christian, whose occupation calls him into such company, should always carry about with him a volume on the evidences of his faith, that he may be qualified to instruct the ignorant, stop the mouths of gainsayers, and relieve the perplexed ; and thus aim to do 23 266 CONDUCT OF PROFESSORS good on his journeys. This he should also endeavour to ef* feet in other ways as opportunity may present itself^ by per- suading, for instance, his companions to accompany him to the house of God. But, O ! how much grace is needful for such arduous and often self-denying consistency ! There are also travellers for pleasure, as well as for busi-- ness ; and they too have their temptations ; temptations which they have not always the courage and virtue to resist. Excursions for pleasure, now become so common, even where they do not extend beyond the United Kingdom, and when made under the most favourable circumstances, are not usu-' ally found to be very conducive to spiritual improvement. The constant succession and survey of beautiful scenery and new objects of interest, do not always lead the mind, " through na- ture up to nature's God," nor produce that pious frame of mind, which led the Psalmist to say in holy rapture, as he gazed on the beauties of creation, " My meditation of thee shall he sweet" The excitation of the mind often prevents, instead of aiding, reflection ; and the curiosity kept on the full stretch of expectation or gratification, too often represses the tranquil exercises of faith and hope ; while the hurry and fatigue of each day's locomotion, leave but little leisure or inclination for the duties of the closet. The senses are so luxuriously occupied, with the things that are seen and tem- poral, as to flatten the desires of the soul after communion with God, and to suspend her intercourse with things unseen and eternal. Thus many a Christian has returned from a journey of pleasure, rather carnalized than spiritualized by what he has seen. This, I am aware, is rather the abuse of travelling, than its necessary eflect, and does not always hap- pen ; and even where it does, the injurious influence is ge- nerally only temporary. Ee it so ; but let us ever be anxious to guard our souls against the snare : the best way of doing this, is to make it matter of prayer before we set out, that AWAY FROM HOME. 267 we may be kept from evil, and then most conscientiously to seek as we wander from place to place, that we may not be permitted to wander from God. A Christian should get good from every thing, and if his mind were as spiritual as it should be, his excursions would be among the all things that work together for this. And as he ought to seek to get good, so he ought to seek to do it. That tour will be a subject of delightful reminiscence in heaven, and a source of gratitude through eternity, on which we can look back, as the means of saving a soul from death, and converting a sinner from the error of his ways. This may be sought by various methods ; some have been con- verted by the conversation of a fellow-traveller in a stage- coach, or steam-packet ; others by means of a religious tract given to them ; and others by means still more casual. One day as Felix Neff was walking in a street in the city of Lausanne, he saw, at a distance, a man whom he took for one of his friends. He ran up behind him, tapped him on the shoulder before looking in his face, and asked him, " What is the state of your soul, my friend ? " The stran- ger turned ; Neff perceived his error, apologized, and went his way. About three or four years afterwards, a person came to Neff, and accosted him, saying, he was indebted to him for his inestimable kindness. Neff did not recognize the man, and begged he would explain. The stranger re- plied, " Have you forgotten an unknown person, whose shoul- der you touched in a street in Lausanne, asking him, ' How do you find your soul 1 ' It was I ; your question led me to serious reflection, and now I find it is well with my soul." This proves what apparently small means may be blessed of God for the conversion of sinners, and how many opportu- nities for doing good we are all continually letting slip, and which thus pass irrecoverably beyond our reach. One of the questions which every Christian should propose to him-i 268 CONDUCT OF PROFESSORS self on setting out upon a journey is, " What opportunities shall I have to do good ? " And one of the points on which he should examine himself on his return, is, " What oppor- tunities have I lost V No one should go from home with- out a good stock of religious tracts; and it would, in many- cases, be proper for those who are in the habit of conducting extempore prayer at home, and who have courage and an easy command of language, to invite the residents of the inns where they pass the night, to join them in an act of solemn worship. Foreign excursions require still more watchfulness and care, not to fall into temptation. Those who travel on the continent of Europe, a practice becoming exceedingly com- mon, had need look well to the state of their hearts, and to their outward conduct. Cut off, perhaps, in many instances from public worship, either because they do not understand the language, or because they find nothing but Popery, they are exposed to the danger of mis-spending the Sabbath, or at any rate, of losing the quickening influence of public ordi- nances; and that in circumstances in which they most need it. Nor is this all. Wishing to see the country which they have taken so much trouble to visit, in all its phases, they frequent places which they would not venture to approach at home. Have not American professors been seen at our horse-races and theatres ? And have not both English and American Christians been seen at the operas in Paris, and at Versailles on the Sabbath, to see the gardens and the water- works of the palace ? If these travellers were to keep a journal of all they see and do, away /rom home, would it do to be read at home, for the edification of their Christian brethren ? But what shall he said of the conduct of some professors at our WATERING PLACES ? It has become almost one of the necessaries of life to Englishmen, to pay a summer or au- AWAY FROM HOME. 269 tumnal visit to the coast, or to one of our inland places of resort. To say that this is wrong in those who can afford to pay for it, is certainly not my intention. That many pur- chase the trip at other people's expense, is an undoubted fact ; for they who have been seen dashing away one year at Brighton, or Cheltenham, have been seen the next year in the gazette. Tradesmen, and even Christian tradesmen too, have ruined themselves, and plunged their families into poverty and distress, by habits of expense and idleness, ac- quired by this annual excursion to the sea. The taste of the age is for luxurious gratification, and it is certainly one of these luxuries to while away a month amidst the beauties of the coast, or the gay throng of a fashionable lounging place. But to do this without ample means of paying for it, is to act dishonestly as a man, and most disgracefully as a Christian. I will suppose, however, that there is no lack of wealth, and that the professor can command the gratification, without putting other people's property in jeopardy; still, are not his spendings for this enjoyment, out of all due proportion with his donations to the cause of Christ ? When did he ever give, in one amount, to any religious object, what he gives, in one amount, for his treat to his family to a watering- place? Nay, put together all he gives to the cause of the Lord for a whole year, and does it equal what he spends upon one excursion 1 How often does he turn away a claimant, sent to him in the name of Jesus, with the excuse that he has nothing to spare ? Perhaps he says this, just after he has been lavishing tens, or scores, of pounds, in riding into the country, or sailing on the sea, and luxuriating in other ways on the shore. When a world is perishing, and immortal souls are sinking daily in crowds to perdition, a Christian should look, with grudging eye, on almost every shilling he spends in luxury, 23* 270 CONDUCT OF PROFESSORS But let it be granted, that professors are liberal in the use of their property for the cause of humanity and religion, and that they can, in all consistency, spend a few pounds a year in recreation, a case that often occurs ;— still, are there no perils for piety in a watering-place ? Temptations abound everywhere, entering like a poisoned atmosphere into every place, but surely no one acquainted with the subject will deny, that they are found in greater number and force in those places, which fashion has set apart for relaxation and amuse- ment. The sudden transition from employment to idleness, is rarely friendly to habits of devotion. It might indeed be supposed, that the Christian, finding himself released from the demands of business, and obtaining thus a respite from the urgent cares of secular pursuits, would hail with delight, a season for meditation and prayer, and convert his absence into one long sweet Sabbath for his soul, to enjoy communion with his God. But does experience prove that the expecta- tion is well founded ? Perhaps " the soft dominion of perfect idleness," and the opportunity for luxurious repose, are more unfriendly to the cultivation of piety, than even the ceaseless round of worldly occupations. We then lounge away our time, without either glorifying God, or benefiting our fellow- creatures. " If a moralist were justified in saying, that but few individuals know how to take a walk, the Christian preacher is certainly warranted in affirming, that but few, even among consistent Christians, know how to spend a month from home." The mixed society to be found in such haunts of pleasure, the amusements which are resorted to, and the general air of dissipation which pervades the whole scene, are all uncongenial with the spirit of piety, which flourishes best in silence and the shade. If^ in the crowded city, men appear as if they lived to get wealth by labour, at a watering-place they look as if it were the object of existence to spend it in pleasure ; in either case, religion seems to be AWAY FROM HOME. 271 banished from their minds. " At a fashionable watering- place," says a competent witness on such a subject, " the incentive to a blameless deportment, arising from the observa- tion of their religious connexions at home, is entirely want- ing ; and multitudes, I am sorry to believe, take advantage of its absence. Indulging a hope that they are unknown, or unregarded, they make religion bow to convenience, while every solicitation of pleasure assumes an imperative charac- ter, and is obeyed, though, at the same moment, the sanctuary of God invites, and conscience remonstrates. They seem studiously to avoid all intercourse with those who belong to their own, or any other religious persuasion. Thus they lay themselves open to associates of another description. Not choosing to be recognized as the self denying humble follow- ers of the Saviour, they place themselves without the pale of the green pastures, which he, as the Good Shepherd, has provided for his flock. The world considers them as its own, and they appear infinitely careful to prevent a detec- tion of the mistake. The facilities of communication with all sorts of persons, are, in such places, likewise nume- rous and great. Formal introductions are seldom neces- sary, and acquamtances are made for the season, which, however respectable as to their situation in life, are so far from making a profession of religion themselves, that they cordially despise it in others." * It is indeed to be feared that some professing Christians when they set out on their summer's retreat, leave their re- ligion at home in order that nothing may interrupt their pur- suit or enjoyment of pleasure. It is true they do not turn * " The Temptations of a Watering Place ; " a Sermon preached in 1835, at Brighton, by Dr. Styles, who was then resident there. This is a most valuable discourse, and ought to be kept constantly in print, and widely circulated, as a Tract which might be of great service to many professors of religion. Dr. Styles, and all other ministers located at Watering Places, could tell us strange tales. 272 CONDUCT OF PROFESSORS away from the house of God on the Sabbath, but where are they at the time of the weekly sermon or prayer meeting ? **A weekly sermon or prayer meeting, indeed," they are ready to exclaim, *• at a watering place ! Why, who ever thinks of such a thing? Surely it is enough to attend to those things at home." Is this a question for a professor to ask ? Does he in such a situation less need the influence of such a means ? No, perhaps, it will be said, but he is not much disposed for them. Very true, he is not : and a plain proof it is of the dissipating tendency of such scenes, and the pernicious influence they exert in disturbing the habits and diminishing the power of personal godliness. Some of our more fashionable professors, doubtless, would feel a little ashamed to be seen by some of the gay acquaintances they have lately made, coming from the lowly place "where prayer is wont to be made," or from the still lowlier company of those who make it. It might be asked, if some are not more frequently seen at the Sunday evening promenade or on the cliffs, than at the week-day services. And yet, per- haps, these persons are very regular at home, but have not strength of principle enough to withstand the current of temp- tation abroad. Many have gone to places of fashionable re- sort to have their profession lastingly injured; and some to lose it altogether. They commenced a retrograde course in religion from that day when they went joyfully and thought- lessly to the coast in search of recreation. Surely, surely, then, it cannot be thought unseasonable or unnecessary to raise the warning voice, and to make it loud and strong when it is becoming increasingly prevalent among professors, to seek in this species of gratification, a temporary release from the dull cares of home, and the plodding pursuits of business. I cannot close this chapter to more advantage than by a quotation from Dr. Styles' Sermon. " The man who fears God, while he sees others idle, AWAY FROM HOME. 273 worldly and selfish, will consider how he may actively be employed in promoting the divine glory. Every place, he will say, shall be the better for my presence. 1 will be the same character everywhere, and in all circumstances : I must act as " Ever in my great task-master's eye : " He beholds me. I cannot flee from his presence, and if I would, how ungrateful, how sinful would be the attempt ! That presence has been my solace in affliction, my support in difficulty, my defence in danger. Why should I wish to escape from it now ? I am a stranger, and unknown, but my ' light is to shine before men.' Let me choose for my companions the righteous, who are the excellent of the earth. Let me inquire what benevolent and religious institutions al- ready exist, that I may forward them to the best of my abili- ty. Can I not suggest others that may easily be established, and thus live to the glory of God, and the good of my fellow creatures ? Let me countenance the ministers of Christ, and assist them by my prayers and example, to stem the torrent of abounding iniquity, and as far as I can, to check the subtle operation of a worldly temper in a situation so full of danger. O ! if our professedly religious visitors, and our residents of the same description, were influenced by such a spirit, what an awful glory would beam from the sanctuary ! What a stream of holy light would shed its influence around, carry- ing irresistible evidence of the truth of religion, illustrating its unrivalled excellence, and proclaiming its infinite import- ance ! A strong line of distinction would thus be drawn be- tween the world and the church. The inconsistencies of Christians would no longer be the jest of the libertine, the scoff of the vain, and the text of the infidel. Ministers, sur- rounded with a numerous audience, would not have to mourn the inefliciency of their labours, nor to weep in secret that 274 CONDUCT OF PROFESSORS. all their efforts are frustrated, by the captivations and the folHes of a world that passeth away. That all this may be prevented, let those who ' name the name of Christ,' both visitors and stated inhabitants, ponder well the peculiar temp- tations and snares, which it is their duty, and will be their happiness, to avoid. If they are disposed to think of them lightly, to imagine that they offer only innocent gratifications, and that to view them as dangerous, and to condemn them as sinful, is neither justified by reason, nor required by Scrip^ ture ; such persons have yet to imbibe the spirit of Chris- tianity, have yet to learn the nature of holiness. It is evi- dent, that however they may be versed in the doctrines and precepts of the sacred volume, there is one important passage which describes the essence and pronounces the eulogy of vital religion, to which they are utter strangers, and which they have not at present the moral capacity to understand, namely, ' Blessed is the man that feanth always,.^ " THE BACKSLIDING PROFESSOR. 27^ CHAPTER XVII. THE BACKSLIDING PROFESSOR* There are three stages of departure from God — spiritual declension — actual backsliding — and final apostacy. They are intimately connected, and lead on, unless stopped by di- vine grace, from one to the other. There have been many persons in these states in every age of the church : there are some now. Our most solemn attention is required for such a subject. Professors are continually falling away from Christ, some only in heart, others openly in conduct ; some partially and for a season, others totally and for ever. The hopes of pastors and churches are continually receiving the bitterest disappointment from the relapses of those who ''did run welly Like the blossoms in the spring, for a time they excited the most pleasing anticipations, but a blight succeed- ed, the blossom went up as dust, and the root appeared to be rottenness. The present chapter will include a consideration of the two first stages only. Declension in Religion, means a diminution of its vigour at the heart ; a loss of the power of godliness, or to use a scriptural phrase, " a leaving of our first love." We have a very expressive description of such a state of soul in our Lord's address to the church of Sardis, " Strengthen the things that remain, that are ready to die." Religion was not all gone, but it was nearly so ; only a little remained, and that was ready to expire. This is a very common case 276 THE BACKSLIDING now. There is no immorality ; no open sin ; but an utter decay of religious affection. The whole amount of piety that is left, is cold, heartless, dead formality. The fundamental doctrines and precious truths of the gospel, though not re- nounced, are not relished and fed upon with that eager appe- tite, keen relish, and exquisite zest which they once were, and they can be very well spared from sermons, if their loss is supplied by displays of eloquence and the flowers of rheto- ric — the means of grace, though not neglected, are mere forms, imparting no quickening power, and yielding no spiri- tual enjoyment — religious affections of peace, joy, love, de- light in God, and hope of heaven, are almost extinguished — the vigour of watchfulness, spirituality of mind, and the seve- rity of mortification are relaxed, under the idea that so much strictness in religion is not necessary — the company of the righteous is forsaken, and their conversation insipid — the ten- derness of the conscience is blunted, and little sins of temper, of trade, of the heart and the tongue, are committed with far less repugnance than formerly — besetting sins, once nigh well subdued, acquire fresh life and power — and, in short, religion has lost its hold upon the mind, the heart, and, con- science, as an elevating, sanctifying, and satisfying reality. Delight in God, the love of Christ, the joyful hope of heaven, have well nigh ceased. Still, as I would not distress the humble and timid disciple, I would observe, that we are not to conclude that religion is declining, merely because our feelings are not so violent and flashy as they once were. If there be a growth in humility and meekness, in tenderness of conscience and self-denial, in a sense of the value of Christ, and in dependance upon the Spirit, there is no declension in piety, although there may be less of vivid emotion than there once was ; just as there is no decay of strength in the human frame, where the sprightli- ness and efflorescence of youth are gone, if the grave robust- PROFESSOR. 277 ness of manhood remains. Nor should the aged believer, mistake the decay of nature for the decline of grace. He hears, he prays, he reads, he remembers, and enjoys with less ability than he once did ; but this is the effect of old age, and not of backsliding. The plant of righteousness seems to droop, but it is because the prop that sustained it has given way. The gracious Redeemer will make the same excuse in this case, as he once did for his slumbering disciples, that " the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." Unhappily, for many, a state of declension exists in their souls without their being aware of it. " Strangers have de- voured his strength," said God, when speaking of Israel, " and he knoweth it not; yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth it not." — Hos. vii. 9. So it is with professors, they are in a state of decay, and yet are not sufficiently aware of the awful fact. It may be worth while to inquire into the causes of this self-ignorance. 1. The natural consequence of decay whether of body or mind is a proportionate insensibility. The old man is not so sensible of his accumulating infirmities as those around him are. He scarcely remembers what he ivas, and is but imperfectly aware of what he is. So it is with the declining Christian, his heart is hardening, his conscience becoming more dull, and his spiritual perception more dim. A totally unregenerate state is death, a state of absolute insensibility, and in proportion as we lose the vitality of religion, we return or approximate to that state. 2. Declension is gradual. It is so in the human frame as age advances, and it is so in religion also. If we passed from the vigour of youth to the decrepitude of age, how vi- sible would be the transition, and how insupportable too ; but it is so slowly made as to be imperceptible, and even tole- rable. It is thus with piety, decay is usually so gradual as to be perceived only by a comparison of distant periods, an 34 278 THE BACKSLIDING exercise, which the backslider is rarely disposed to carry on. He goes back step by step. He first loses the glow of holy affection ; then the spontaneousness of spiritual thoughts ; then the tenderness of an enlightened conscience ; and then the consistency of religious conduct. Private prayer is neglected, then family devotion, and lastly social religion. From neglect of duties, he goes on to the commission of sins. Yet he was at first quite unaware of any deterioration. 3. Self ignorance is often the result of a neglect of the duty of self-examination. Many seem to think, that religion is of so hardy a nature, that when once planted in the soul, like some weed in the desert, or shrub upon the mountain, it must flourish without care or culture. On the contrary, it is a tender exotic of the hot house, that requires the constant examination,cand most devoted care of the gardener to keep it alive, much more to make it grow. How i^ew set apart seasons for close and diligent inspection of their hearts ; and who can wonder, then, that piety should be declining without their knowing it? Would it be a matter of surprise that a tradesman should be on the verge of bankruptcy, without his knowing the situation of his affairs, if he never examined his books, or took stock ? It will not do in temporal affairs, much less in spiritual ones, to take it for granted, we are going on well. 4. What helps the ruinous ignorance is, that professors are apt when they do cursorily examine their state, to adopt wrong standards of character, and to compare themselves with each other, instead of the word of God. " I am no worse than my neighbour," is the excuse not only of the worldling, for his total neglect of religion, but of the profes- sor, for his low degrees of it. Instead of examining the Bible to see what he ought to be, and comparing himself with that, he just looks round upon his fellow Christians, to see what THEY are, and is quite satisfied if he finds himself not below PROFESSOR. 279 others. Alas, alas ! the average attainments of the church of Christ are not such, as that its members having reached these, need not trouble themselves about any thing further. 5. Mistaken symptoms of -prosperity often lead to igno» ranee of our real condition. The hectic flush upon the coun- tenance, and the sparkle of the eye, may be supposed by some ignorant persons to be the marks of blooming health, where, in fact, they are the tokens of incipient consumption. The increased appetite may be regarded as the symptom of returning strength, when in reality, it may be only the har- binger of dissolution ; so in religion also, there are delusive signs of spiritual health and vigour. Increased ability and disposition to talk of religion in the way of explaining and defending its doctrines, may be mistaken for an increased in- terest and influence of it in the heart, whereas it may be nothing but the working of pride, or an efliision of vanity. Zeal for some peculiar notions or forms, may be supposed to be pure concern for God's glory, though all the while it may be the most rancorous party spirit. Liberality in giving, may be self-righteousness or ostentation ; undeviating for- mality may be miscounted ardent devotion ; enthusiatic at- tachment to some novel opinion, may be erroneously sup-' posed to be spirituality of mind. These are but a few spe- cimens of the errors into which men fall, in judging of relir gious prosperity ; and they tend to show the vast importance of our having a scriptural knowledge of the correct tests of personal godliness. In all these ways may professors be kept in ignorance of the state of their souls, and be in a declining condition, without being sufficiently aware of their alarming situation, I now go on to consider the case of the backslider in CONDUCT. I mean the professor, who has yielded to the power of temptation, and fallen into actual sin. The scrip- tures furnish us with melanqholy instances of this in the hi§-. 280 THE BACKSLIDING tory of Noah, Lot, David, Jonah, and Peter ; while our knowledge of the church of Christ in our own days, adds to the number. Some have fallen into intemperance, others into impurity ; others into fraud ; and others into all the varieties of human misconduct. In some cases there have been gross departures from the rule of Christian morals, without its being suspected, and the backslider has pursued his guilty course, without its being known to any one but God and his conscience. Generally, however, the awful tact, sooner or later becomes notorious, and is matter of public scandal. Persons of all ages ; of both sexes ; of the various grades of society ; and of the different sections of the church, have been guilty of the sin of backsliding. That such things should occur, however it may be lamented, can- not be matter of surprise, when we consider the prevalence of temptation, the constitution of human nature, and the im- perfection, and occasional unwatchfulness of the best of men. To such as are in this melancholy and awful condition, I now make my appeal. Is it necessary to represent to you the sinfulness of your conduct 1 But who shall describe its enormity 1 What pencil can delineate in shades dark enough, the aggravated nature of your crime ? — Against what light, what mercy, what professions, what vows, what privileges, have you sin- ned ? Your transgressions include the blackest treason, united with the vilest ingratitude. But I will suppose that you are already sensible of this. Permit me then, to ask you, are you happy ? Impossible, unless your heart is hard- ened, and your conscience is seared as with a hot iron. No, the streams of religious comfort are dried up ; the fountain of life is at a distance, and nothing but a cup of wormwood is its substitute. Faith is suppressed, love quenched, hope clouded, joy fled, prayer restrained, and every spiritual delight vanished. Guilt, shame, darknqss, and defilement, have taken PROFESSOR* 281 possession of the soul. In what agony of spirit have you sometimes repeated those verses : Where is the blessedness I knew, When first I saw the Lord ; Where is the soul refreshing view, Of Jesus and his word ? What peaceful hours I once enjoyed, How sweet their memory still ; But they have left an aching void, The world can never fill. Is not your experience a Hving comment on those words, " Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy back- slidings shall reprove thee ; know, therefore, and see, that it is an evil thing and bitter that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God." It is, or it ought to be, no small addition to the misery of a backsliding state, that it stops your usefulness. In your holier and better days you did good; but what good can you do now % Why, even the declining professor, who still keeps up his place in the church, and among his fellows, has ceased to be what he was. His prayers in public have lost their unc- tion, his conversation in private its savour ; the sick are not visited ; the poor not relieved ; the young not counselled ; the sinner not warned, as they once were. His energies are paralized, his influence gone. He has begun to withhold his property, his time, his labour, from the cause of God, His family, his friends, all see, feel, and lament the alteration. O, how changed from that once useful member of the church of Christ, which he then was. And if this be the case with him, how much more of you, whose misconduct has in effect separated you from all those scenes of usefulness, which he in some measure still frequents. You not only do no good, but much harm. You are not privileged to be even neutral. 24* 2S2 THE BACKSLIDING You diffuse around you the savour of death. If a parent, you prejudice the minds of your children against rehgion, and may Hve to see your sins acted over again in their con- duct, as David did his, in the actions of Ammon and Absa- lom. You harden sinners ; discourage inquirers ; give strength to the arguments of the infidel ; point to the jests of the scoffer, and impudence to the brow of the profane. But consider the imminent danger you are in of falling into future temptations, of sinking deeper into the mire of sin, and departing farther and farther from God. You cannot stop where you are, but must come back in the character of a penitent, or go on to that of an apostate. You are in dan- ger of eternal damnation. " The object at which sin aims, whether in believers or unbelievers, is death, eternal death, and to this it has a natural and direct tendency. And if it does not come in all cases to this issue, it is not because of its being different as to its nature or tendency in some persons, to what it is in others, but because a timely stop is put to its operations. Only let it go on without repentance till it has finished its work, and eternal death will be the issue. What- ever we are, so long as sin lies unlamented upon the con- science, we can have no scriptural foundation to conclude that we are Christians. No real Christian, it is true, will prove an apostate ; yet, while we are under the influence of sin, we are moving in the direction which leads to apostacy. If we are contented with a relapsed state of mind, what ground have we to conclude that it is not our element, or that we have ever been the subjects of true religion?"* I now suggest one or two cautions, and some directions, which are applicable to your case. Do not attempt while the sinful practice is continued, to gain any comfort of mind hy the supposition thai you are a true Christian still, and shall one day be restored to God * Andrew Fuller's Works, vol. iv. p. 460. PROFESSOR. 283 hy penitence and faith. Do not attempt to establish in re- ference to your own case, the distinction between the back- shding of a child of God, and that of a hypocrite. There is a difference, I know, both as to causes and results, but you cannot discern it in yourself, nor can others discern it in you, as long as you are living in sin. There is no view of God's word, nor any recollection of your own experience, that should have the smallest influence to comfort you in sin. There is more in that one sin which you refuse to repent of and forsake, to make it probable so far as we can judge, that you will draw back to perdition, than there is in all your supposed conversion, and in all the doctrines of grace to make it probable that you will be brought to heaven. To take any comfort in the idea of future repentance, while sin is for the present committed and enjoyed, is the most unscriptural, irrational, and shocking of all delusions. Do not allow yourselves to believe that you have repented^ except upon good grounds. Imagine not that you are peni- tent, because you grieve over the sin and condemn it, if you have not forsaken it. You may shed floods of tears, and give up the act to the severest condemnation, without a word of justification or palliation — but if it is not relinquished, you are a backslider still, and such you must remain till you have given up the evil thing. If, on the other hand, you have given up the sin, but still continue to justify or to palliate it, you are far off" from penitence. Nor is it enough to have a partial and transient amendment, produced rather by some temporary cause, such as a sermon, or an alarming event, rather than by a renewed exercise of penitence and faith. Equally inadequate is that amendment which is the result not of deep humiliation before God, but of mere selfish and prudential considerations. And be assured, that you have not yet been brought to the necessary compunction and re- formation, if you love to talk or think of the sin you have 284 THE BACKSLIDING committed. Repentance blushes even to think, much more to speak of our transgressions. It is a silent retiring grace. And it is moreover characterized by the most exquisite sen- sibility in dreading and avoiding every thing that in the re- molest degree tends to, or tempts to the repetition of the sin, so that if we put ourselves in the way of sinning again, we are still in a backsliding state. Backsliders, be not deceived then. And do not, oh ! do not remain as you are. In seeking restoration, take care to use the right means. Mistake not the way back to God. Add not another error to those into which you have already fallen. The following directions may be of service to you. There must he a sincere desire to return. In whatever way we may have departed from God, there must be a sin- cere desire to come back to him again. Without this all di- rections will be in vain, and all means without effect. And do you not desire it ? Is backsliding pleasant 1 Are you as happy as when living near to God, and enjoying the testi- mony of your conscience 1 To quicken your desires and make you long more earnestly for restoration to the enjoy- ment of the divine favour, it may be well to listen to the ad- monition given by our Lord to the church of Ephesus. ''Re- member from whence thou art fallen.''^ Tiiis was not said in the way of taunt ; then it had been severely just, but in the way of friendly counsel. Think, backsliding Christian, what thou once wast, and ask, "Is it better with me now, than it was then?" Think of thy holiness and happiness in those days of thy first and fervent love ; think how sweet, yea sweeter than the honey-comb, were those precious truths, for which you have lately had no relish ; how delightful were those means of grace in which you now take no pleasure : how joyfully you resorted to the house of God, welcomed the Sabbath, and joined in the communion of saints at the table of the Lord : PROFESSOR. 285 with what confidence you drew near to God, while your conscience testified in your favour and took away every dread of the Most High : you had the joy of faith, the com- fort of love, the patience of hope, and a humble conscious- ness of purity — but this is all gone — and O, how changed ! how fallen! Look up to those delectable mountains, from the sunny tops, and verdant slopes, and beautiful prospects of which you have descended into the gloomy and sterile wilderness in which your spirit now roams like the dispos- sessed demoniac in the Gospel, seeking rest and finding none. Return, return to God. Let a sense of duty draw you, and a sense of misery drive you back to him from whom you have departed. 2. You must at once abandon, ajid with abhorrence too, the sin by lohich you have departed from God. You must instantly and without reluctance forsake your evil ways. You must say with the poet, — The dearest idol I have known, Whate'er that idol be, Help me to tear it from thy throne, And worship only thee. " Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." This is the direction for the sinner, and the same applies to the backslider. The hand of faith when it opens to lay hold of Christ, drops the sin it had grasped before. You must part with your sin or Christ. 3. It may be well to consider in what way you have fallen, that your repentance may have a special reference to your trangressions, and that your recovery may be in the way and to the point of your departure. Was it by a sudden temptation plunging you into sin, or by the long accumula- 286 THE BACKSLIDING tion of little sins, that you were prepared for the greater fall ? Was it by pride and prosperity, or by rashness and impru- dence? Was it by neglect of private prayer, or of the Scriptures 1 An exannination of this point is of considerable importance in various ways. 4. You must closely consider and rightly understand the evil nature of your backslidings, as sins committed after your conversion to God. As our first return to God begins with conviction, so must every other return. Such sins as yours have been committed in violation of the most solemn vows and engagements ; without any provocation on the part of God ; and against the greatest and frequently repeated mercies ; they are characterized by singular perils in refer- ence to ourselves, and peculiar danger as regards the well- being of others. But all this is nothing, if your hearts are not duly impressed with these things. The clearer your perceptions are of the enormity of your conduct, the more earnestly you will covet the renewed expressions of divine forgiveness, and the returning sense of pardoning mercy. 5. Consider God's infinite willingness to receive and par- don the penitent and returning backslider. When once the erring Christian is brought to a due and deep sense of his sins, how pungent is his grief, how oppressive the weight of his guilt. He is in danger of sinking into the depths of despon- dency, and viewing himself as an outcast from both God and his people. His sins in all their aggravations appear to his dis- tracted mind. Satan accuses, conscience stings. Every look of every Christian seems to reproach him. And what is worse, God seems to frown, and has, to his perturbed imagination, ap- peared to cover his throne with a cloud from which thunders roll, and lightnings flash, and awful forms of justice come forth. No, thou art mistaken, trembling penitent, the cloud, and the thunder, and the lightnings, and the awful forms of justice exist only in thy imagination. God has scattered over the whole PROFESSOR. 287 page of revelation, invitations, encouragements, and promises to draw thee back to himself From the hour of thy depar- ture he has never ceased to look after thee, and even to follow thee, with messages of wounded love, and inviting mercy. Hearken to a few of them. "O Israel, return unto the Lord, thy God ; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and turn unto the Lord ; say unto him, take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously. I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely ; for mine anger is turned away from him." — Hos. xiv. Can you need encouragement after this ? Will not this cheer you, and be felt as a sufficient warrant to return to God, and hope for mercy. If not, listen to the following pathetic language, " Surely I have heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus, ' Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke ; turn thou me, and I shall be turned, for thou art the Lord my God.' Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he a pleasant child ? For since I spake against him I do earnestly remember him still ; therefore my bowels are troubled for him ; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord." — Jer. xxxi. 18 — 20. What unbelief or despondence can stand out against this? 6. But perhaps you want still more particular directions. Your case is difficult, your situation one of danger and ur- gency. Embrace every oppGrtunity of retirement for read- ing the scriptures, especially those parts which are suited to your case. Turn to such portions of Holy Writ as Jere- miah, II., xxxi. — HosEA, xiv. — Micah, vii. — Psalms, xxv, xxxii, xxxviii, lI. — the parable of the prodigal son, and other portions, which set forth at once the spirit of penitence, and the mercy of God. Be also much in prayer. Solemn ap- proaches to God are eminently calculated to impress the mind with a sense of sin, to inspire us with abhorrence on account of it, and at the same time to encourage our faith in God's pardoning mercy, and our dependance on his restoring THE BACKSLIDING grace. There must he minute and unreserved confession of sin, an utter renunciation of all self-defence, excuses and pal- liations ; a disposition to lay the hand upon the mouth, and united with this a spirit of self-condemnation. We must ad- mit all the aggravations of our sin, and look upon it, just as we may suppose God does. You shall praise God that he has borne so long with your misconduct, and be especially grateful that he did not cut you off in your sins, nor allow you to go on still sinning, and acting out your transgressions to the full extent of their nature and tendency. Set apart special seasons of devotion to humble yourselves before God, by fasting and prayer. Extraordinary cases require the use of extraordinary means. " A day," says Mr. Fuller, *' devoted to God in humiliation, fasting and prayer, occasion- ally occupied with reading suitable parts of the scriptures, may by the blessing of the Holy Spirit, contribute more to the subduing of sin, and the recovery of a right mind, than years spent in a sort of half-hearted exercises." Be neither surprised, mortified, nor offended, if for aivhile, your fellow Christians who are acquainted with your lapses, should look shy upon you, and seem incredulous as to the sincerity of your repentance. " Wherefore should a man complain, a living man for the punishment of his sins. I will bear the in- dignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him." Let the spirit of these passages be in you, and consider what- ever you may be called to endure as light compared with what you have deserved. — In all your approaches to the Saviour, let it be under the character in which you first applied to him for mercy, that of a sinner. " If you at- tempt to approach the throne of grace as a good man, who has backslidden from God, you may find it impossible to sup- port that character. The reality of your conversion may be doubtful, not only in your apprehension, but in itself Your approach, therefore, must not be as one that is washed, and PROFESSOR. 289 needetk not, save to wash his feet ; but as one who is defiled throughout, ichosc hands and head, and every part needs to be cleansed. Do not employ yourself in raking over the rub- bish of your past life in search of evidence that you are a Christian. You will not be able in your present state of mind, to decide that question ; nor would it be of any service to you if you could decide it. One thing is certain ; you are a sinner, a poor, miserable, and perishing sinner ; the door of mercy is open ; and you are welcome to enter in. Let your past character be what it may, and let your conversion be ever so doubtful, if you can from this time relinquish all for Christ, eternal life is before you." — Fuller. In your ap- proaches to God as a sinner, feel as much your need of Christ as you ever did: you can go in no other character than a sinner, and by no other way than Christ. God meets his returning children, just where he meets his repenting enemies, at the cross ; and nothing is so eminently adapted to open all the springs of godly sorrow, as a believing con- templation of the death of Christ. There must be a simple dependance upon the Spirit of God for our restoration. We can of our own accord depart from God, but it requires the omnipotence of his grace to bring us back. — You must he satisfied with nothing short of a complete recovery ; which includes two things, a sweet and comfortable sense of par- don : such a faith in God's promise of mercy, such a full re- liance on the blood of Christ, as takes away all tormenting sense of sin and dread of God, and restores the soul to peace ; and together with this, recovery includes such a victory over your corruptions, as that they shall lie wounded to death be- fore you. And with all this must be united a holy and trembling jealousy over yourself a spirit of deep humility, and abasing consciousness of weakness, a feeling of depend- ance, and a purpose of watchfulness for the future. 25 290 THE INFLUENCE OF CHAPTER XVIII ON THE NECESSITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIt's INFLUENCE TO SUSTAIN THE CHRISTIAN PROFESSION. The duties of the Christian profession are so numerous, so arduous, and so much beyond resources which we have in ourselves, that this volume would be incomplete in a very im- portant and essential point, if it contained no distinct and ex- plicit reference to the assistance necessary to their right per- formance. I devote this chapter, therefore, to a considera- tion of the work of the Holy Spirit, as the source of the believer's strength. There is a passage of scripture on this subject, so fraught with instruction, that it may be well made the basis of what I have now to advance, '' If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." — Gal. v. 22. The premises in this text, contain a striking and beautiful descrip- tion of the nature of true piety ; " it is living in the Spirit : " and its conclusion, an equally beautiful description of its visi- ble development and gradual progress, which is said to be walking in the Spirit. These are inseparable from each other : there can be no spiritual walking without life, and where there is life, there will be walking. The unconverted sinner is in a state of moral death : " he is dead in trespasses and sins." He has animal, intellectual, and social existence, but as to divine and heavenly things, he is as dead to these matters as a corpse is to surrounding THE HOLY SPIRIT. 291 material objects; he has no spiritual perception, no holy sensibilities, no pious sympathies, no religious activity ; he is destitute of all moral vitality. Regeneration is the transition of the sinner from this state into one which is its very op- posite ; it is the impartation and commencement of a new spiritual existence. It adds no new natural faculties, but only gives a right bias and direction to those which, as rational creatures, we already possess. There are two descriptions which the scripture has given us of this new and holy state or condition, into which divine grace brings us. The first is in our Lord's words, •' That which is horn of the Spirit is Spirit." — John, iii. 6. Is Spirit. This does not mean man's intelligent nature, i. e. his understanding, or reasoning faculty ; nor his soul, i. e. his animal nature — these he has already — but it signifies a new moral nature, a spirit which enters into a man's spirit; a spirit put into himself It is not a thing which lies upon the surface of a man, which consists in mere forms, ceremonies, or talk ; but which enters into him, and seats and centres it- self in his mind, and takes possession of his inmost self, as the soul of his very soul. Religion is Spirit : a something pro- duced by the Divine Infinite Spirit, and of the nature and likeness of its Parent, by whom it is begotten. It is a thing, as to its essence and true existence, invisible as the soul in which it dwells, but like that, animating a body with which it is united. When the prophet would speak diminishingly and with contempt of the Egyptian power, he says, " Their horses are flesh and not spirit." Religion, on the contrary, is not flesh, but spirit, as if there were scarcely any thing else that so well deserved the term, and all besides this new, holy, heavenly, divine nature, were too nearly allied to matter to be called spirit. The other term by which religion is described is allied to this ; it is life. How mysterious, how precious a thing is life ! Nothing, in a general way, ijSf 292 THE INFLUENCE OF better understood, yet nothing, upon the attempt to analyze it, more speedily, or completely, evades the power of scru- tiny. What philosopher shall strip this little monosyllable LIFE, of all the mystery that hangs around it, and lay bare to our perception the principle of life ? Religion is life ; not animal, intellectual, or social, but spiritual. In looking into nature, we find a graduated scale of animated beings ; the most insignificant vegetable is above the greatest mass of inanimate matter ; the weed of the wilderness, for instance, is superior to the rock of Gibraltar, because the former has the principle of life. The least insect that crawls, is above the noblest vegetable production, the cedar of Lebanon, or the oak of the forest, because it has a higher kind of life, a principle of volition and locomotion. The child of a year or two old is, in dignity, above the noblest objects of inanimate nature, above the sun in all his glory ; above the ocean or the forest; above the lion, notwithstanding his strength; the elephant, with his sagacity ; or the leviathan, with his bulk ; for that child has a rational mind, and is the subject, not only of intelligence, but of conscience and moral emotion. But a Christian has a principle of vitality in him, which is far above every other kind of life ; the indwelling of the Sfdrit of God in his soul produces that which is the perfec- tion of life itself; the climax of vitality ; the top and flower of animated nature : so that the regenerated peasant is, in the eye of God, a being far more like himself, far more nearly allied to the Infinite, the Parent Spirit, than the greatest un- converted philosopher in the world. This divine life consists of that illumination of the judgment, by which not only the the- oretic meaning, but the moral glory of spiritual things is per- ceived ; together with that love to them in the heart, which is drawn forth in all the exercises of a course of righteous-* jiess. God is light. God is love. Or uniting both together, THE HOLY SPIRIT. 293 God is holy love. So is the renewed mind ; and this is religion, this is life. But it is said, we live in the Spirit. Not simply bi/, but with a still greater intensity and emphasis of meaning, in the Spirit; importing that the Holy Ghost is not only the effi- cient cause and author of our spiritual life, but that he is the sustainer of it; "as if," says Mr. Howe, "the soul had its very situs, or situation, in a region of life, which the Spirit creates for it by his vital, abiding presence." Just as the soul is present with the body, diffusing its vivifying influence throughout all its parts, warming all, sustaining all, moving all, directing all, "till the body may, in one sense, be truly said to be in the soul, rather than the soul in the body ; so is the Holy Ghost in the New Creature, which he has formed in the believer, imparting life to it, clothing it as it were with life, filling it with life, and is all in all of life to it." The Christian partakes of this life in the Spirit, by virtue of his union to Christ by faith. There can be no communi- cation of life apart from Christ. He is the head, and his people are the body : He the tree, and they are the branch- es — all the fulness of the Spirit is in him, and comes from him to his people. " God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son, and he that hath the Son hath life." As no branch that is not united to the tree, and as no limb that is not united to the head, can have life, or retain it ; so neither can there be any spiritual life in the soul without union to Christ. Hence his admonition to his disciples, " abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, ex- cept it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches ; he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit ; for without (or apart from) me, ye can do nothing." — John, xv. 4, 5. Hence also that striking language of the apostle, " Ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." 25* 294 THE INFLUENCE OF Hidden as to its spring, which is in God : a stream fed by a spring, which rises up in the depths of the divine nature. It is exceedingly important that professors should well un- derstand, and often and seriously meditate on this subject, that they may know from what source to draw their supplies for the Christian warfare, and be led to something more, for keeping up the power of godliness in the soul, than maintain- ing a roiind of bodily exercises. There must be a continued exercise of faith in our Lord Jesus, as the source of all spiritual life, a pressing, as it were, still closer and closer to him, to receive out of his fulness, and grace for grace ; and, at the same time, a feeling of dependance upon the power of the Holy Ghost, for all that is necessary to a life of pure, un- defiled, and consistent religion. The apostle calls upon those who live in the spirit, to walk in the spirit. There is great force and beauty in this ex- pression. It is as if he had said, " Since you profess to be alive, arise, walk, act. Prove that you have received a new life, by a new and corresponding course of action. Act out your spiritual nature, in spiritual conduct ; and let a holy mind be seen forming and animating a holy character. And remember, also, that you must even depend for the manifesta- tion of life, on the same power that gave it. Walk in the spirit.^^ This is a just, forcible, and natural argument. All living things act according to their nature. Trees act out their nature in bearing fruit according to the law of vegeta- ble life, which is in them. Animals, whether wild or do- mestic, carnivorous or granivorous, act out their nature, by propagating, and obtaining sustenance, according to the modification of animal life, which is in them. Rational creatures act out their nature by thinking and willing ac- cording to the principle o^ intellectual life, which is in them. In all these cases, there is no dormancy in the principle of vitality ; it is not inert, but active ; and its activity is appro- THE HOLY SPIRIT. 295 priate to its nature, and regulated by its own fixed law. So must it be with the Christian ; he is a species in the world of living beings, pecuhar to himself. He has a life, which, viewed in all its circumstances, is unique in its nature and in the sphere in which it is to act, and he, therefore, is to act out this nature; and as he lives in the spirit, he is also to walk in the spirit. I need scarcely say, that by walking, we are to undei*- stand acting. Mr. Howe, in his admirable sermons on this passage, and to which 1 refer the attention of all who would see an important theological subject, profoundly and beauti- fully treated, has an admirable illustration of this figure, which is ingenious, without being far-fetched, or overstrained. Walking is self motion, proceeding from an internal principle in the thing that moves ; so is religion, not like the mechan- ical actions of an automaton, or the carrying forward of a corpse— it is a voluntary motion, not the being dragged along by force, but a man's freely going forward; so is religion a matter of voluntary choice — it is orderly motion, acting ac- cording to a prescribed course ; not a freakish, wild, eccentric action ; so is religion a procedure according to a rule, a going on in a way laid down and set before us — it is, to a man in health, ^pleasurable motion ; so is religion a way of pleasantness, the healthful exercise of moral energies — it is a continued motion ; so is religion not a sudden and temporary resolve, but a remaining habit — it is a progressive motion ; not a moving backward and forward in the same place, but going onward from place to place; so is religion a progress in knowledge, in faith, in holiness. I shall now state what those acts and habits are, which constitute the course of conduct thus denominated. 1. It is acting according to the Spirit's rule, which is the word of God. The scriptures are given by inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and are his instrument in the great work 296 THE INFLUENCE OF of regeneration and sanctification. All the Spirit's communi- cations are of things promised in the word, and with direct reference to the things revealed in the word. All religious sentiments, all practical precepts, all emotions, are to be tried by the word. This is the standard, the test, the judge. It is the rule by which the Spirit works, and it is the rule by which the subjects of the Spirit's influence are to act. — Dreams, visions, impulses, and unintelligible inward emotions, are not to be regarded, but only the word fairly interpreted. We know nothing of the mind of the Spirit, but as he has revealed it in the scriptures ; and there he has revealed it, and we are " to walk by the same rule, to mind the same thing." We are not to judge of our own state by any sup- posed direct witness of this Divine Agent, but by comparing his work in us, with the description of that work in the word. The apostle has given us a beautiful metaphorical represen- tation of this, where he says, " Ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you ; " or as it should be rendered, into which ye were delivered as into a moidd. — Rom. vi. 17. The metaphor is taken from the art of casting metals ; the believer's heart, softened and melted by the fire of the Spirit's influence, is cast into the mould of scripture, so as to come forth answering to its type, line to line, and feature to feature. The character which the Spirit forms, is according to that which he has delineated in the word. A Christian is the production of a hving, holy being, by the Holy Ghost, according to the rule which he has laid down in the Bible. 2. Walking in the Spirit signifies, our keeping up a prac- tical regard to those objects, of which the spiritual excellence was revealed to the mind, and for which an appetite and relish were imparted in regeneration. New light then broke in upon the mind, things altogether unknown were discovered to the soul, and others, only theoretically known, were seen THE HOLY SPIRIT. 297 in a new and heart-affecting manner. This seems to be the very nature of that discovery which the Holy Ghost makes to thts mind which he condescends in infinite mercy to renew and sanctify— 1 mean a perception of their moral excellence or holiness, accompanied by a taste or relish for them on that account. Holiness comprehends all the true moral excellence of all intelligent beings. It is the excellence, beauty, and glory of the divine character, and the sum of all virtue, in men or angels. It is holiness that constitutes the beauty of the law and of the gospel, of all divine ordinances, and reli- gious institutes. Holiness was the glory of man at his crea- tion, which he lost by the fall, which is restored by regenera- tion, and is consummated in eternal glory. The great design of the Spirit's work in regeneration, is to produce in man's soul, a moral affinity for holiness, a love to holiness, a delight in holiness, and which shall be continually called into activity by the presence of holy objects. Religion, or the divine life in the soul, we have already said is holy love, and conse- quently walking in the spirit is the acting of this holy love upon holy objects. As all life seems to have natural and in- stinctive antipathies to, and aversions from what is injurious to it, so the divine life in the human soul, has an antipathy and aversion to sin, which is its poison, its antagonist prin- ciple, and its deadly enemy ; so that a good man walking, according to this holy vitality, is ever watching, praying, striving against sin. His new nature recoils from it, and he keeps up studiously this holy shuddering of heart. In all life there are certain movements towards its appropriate ob- jects of sustenance and gratification ; vegetables strike their roots into the soil, and open their air and sap vessels to re- ceive the influence of the atmosphere and the earth ; animals are ever carrying into act their appropriate instincts to ob- tain support, and enjoy all the good of which their nature is capable ; the soaring and singing of the lark, the labour of 298 THE INFLUENCE OF the bee, the spinning of the spider, the chasing of his prey by the lion, are all the actions of the Hfe that is in them. The artist working at his bust or his picture ; the poet throwing off the fine imaginings of his genius ; the scholar analyzing language ; and the philosopher examining the laws of crea- tion, are all the workings of intelligent existence. And what are the actings of spiritual life % The pushing onward of the soul, through the visible to the invisible world ; its ascen- sion from earth to heaven ; its passing the boundaries of time and sense, to roam amidst things unseen and eternal ; the faith of an unseen Saviour ; the love of an unseen God ; and the hope of an unseen heaven. — This is walking in the Spirit, walking with God, and visibly walking with him. Enjoying him as the chief good, seeking him as the supreme end, and obeying him as the Sovereign Ruler. I know nothing in which the spiritual life is more distinguished in its actings, from the merely rational one, than in its tending towards God in Christ, as by a law of spiritual gravitation, to its centre. The apostle in one short sentence, has described the whole acting of this new nature ; " for me to live is christ." The Spirit's work in the New Testament, and in the Old too, is to testify of Christ, and to glorify him ; and his work in the believer's heart, has the same object, to lead him to live before the world, for the honour of the Saviour ; and for this purpose, to enable him to derive all his supplies from the fulness that is in him, that Christ may be seen to be all in all to him. This is spiritual walking, the soul's escaping from the region, and rising above the influence, of carnal ob^ jects, and dwelling in a sphere of spiritual things ; finding these to be its vital atmosphere, its native element, its beloved home. 3. To walk in the Spirit implies the cultivation and exer- cise of those holy virtues towards our fellow -creatures, the seminal principles of which were sown in our heart at the THE HOLY SPIRIT. 299 time of our conversion. There is, I believe, a prevalent mistake on this subject among some good people, who appear to suppose that the only design contemplated and accom- plished in regeneration is to give a right disposition of the human heart towards God. That this is its principal object is admitted, but it is not its only one, for it is also designed to give a proper bias towards our fellow-creatures, which we have not till we are changed by divine grace. When man sinned he fell, not only from God, but from his fellow-crea- tures also. Love, which had been created with him and in him, departed from his soul and left him under the dominion of uncontrolled selfishness. The gracious change which restores him to God, restores him to his fellows. In that great renovation, selfishness is dethroned, and love again raised to be regent of the soul. Love, first and supremely exercises itself towards God as infinitely the greatest and the best of beings ; but it does not, cannot stop there, for it is a principle, which from its very nature must expand to embrace the universe. It is worthy of remark, though perhaps, it has not been noticed as it ought to have been, that in most places where the subject of regeneration occurs in Scripture, it is spoken of in connexion with the exercises of a right disposition towards our fellow-creatures ; in proof of this I refer to the following passages — James, i. 18 — 20. 1 Peter, i. 22, 23 ; xi. 2, 3 ; 1 John, iv. 8— IL But I need not go for evidence farther than the context of the passage I am now considering. The apostle in varying his metaphor from the actions of a man, to the produce of a tree, says, " The fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentle- ness, goodness, faith, (i. e. fidelity,) meekness, temperance." — These virtues almost exclusively refer to our fellow-crea- tures ; yet they are the fruits of the Spirit. It is evident that they are most of them, only so many varied operations and exercises of the charity which the apostle so beautifully de- 300 THE INFLUENCE OF scribes in his epistle to the Corinthians. The cultivation of these virtues in dependance upon divine grace, and with a view to the divine glory, is walking in the Spirit ; and " there is one point of view," says Dr. Dwight, " in which the per- formance of these duties more effectually evinces the Chris- tian character and proves the reality of our religion, than most of those which are classed under the head of piety ; it is this: — They ordinarily demand a greater exercise of self- deniaV Yes, it is far easier to hear a sermon, celebrate the Lord's Supper, read a chapter, and pray, than it is to re- press the feeling of envy, extinguish the spark of resentment kindled by a supposed injury, and cast out the spirit of malice. The man who cherishes in his bosom the spirit of charity to his fellow-creatures, from a deep sense of God's love to him in Christ, and who is enabled to make some tolerable profi- ciency in learning of Jesus, who is "meek and lowly in heart," has more of the living power of the Holy Ghost in his soul, than he who is dissolved in tears, or rapt in ecstacy under the burning, melting words and tones of some eloquent preacher. Never can it be repeated too often, or expressed too emphatically, that to walk in the Spirit is to walk in LOVE. When the apostle admonishes us not to grieve this Divine Person, he suggests, by what immediately follows this extraordinary injunction, that it is by the opposite of love that he is displeased ; for, after commanding us to put away angry feelings, and to restrain all passionate language, he adds, " Be ye imitators of God as dear children, and walk in love as Christ also hath loved us." — Ephes v. 5. We can never, as it were, be more entirely going the same way as the Spirit, never press closer to his side, never be in sweeter fellowship and accordance with his mind, than when cultivat- ing the spirit of love. " From his descending on Christ in the form of a dove, as well as from many express declara- tions of Scripture we may with certainty conclude the in- THE HOLY SPIRIT. 301 i^ulgence of all the irascible and malignant passions to be peculiarly repugnant to his nature. Vindictive passions sur- round the soul with a sort of turbulent atmosphere, than which nothing can be conceived more opposite to the calm and holy light in which the blessed Spirit loves to dwell." It is a well known phenomenon in natural history that the dew never falls in a stormy night, so neither does the dew of divine influence descend on that heart which is given up to the raging of tempestuous tempers. It must become calm and still if it would have this blessed privilege. 4. Walking imports a progress in spirituality ; a going on in this divine life, a gradual drawing nearer and nearer to the end of our calling of God in Christ Jesus. All things that have a principle of life, have also a principle of growth, unless they are in a state of disease, or have passed their perfection, and according to a law of their nature begin to decay. If the sapling do not grow it is unhealthy ; if the young lion do not grow it is in disease ; if the child do not grow it is sickly ; for life tends to growth. This is equally true in reference to the Christian, if there he life there should be increase, and if there be not, how can it be said there is walking. All the figures by which the divine life is set forth in the word of God are things of life, and growth : it is the babe growing to manhood ; the tender seedling growing to a tree ; the grain of wheat growing to the full corn in the ear; it is the shining light, shining more and more unto the perfect day. What is set forth in figure, is also enjoined in plain precept, and we are commanded to grow in grace. Now the end to which we are walking forward, is a perfect conformi- ty to the image of God ; a perfect love to our fellow-crea- tures ; a perfect freedom from the lusts of the flesh ; a per- fect separation from all sin ; a perfect emancipation from the love of the world, and every thing that is contrary to the love of Grod ; perfect knowledge, humility, and holy felicity. In 26 302 THE INFLUENCE OF these things, therefore, we ought now to increase. If we are not continually advancing towards this perfection ; if we do not find a gradual influence of divine light and life and power ; more discernable impressions of the divine image : a greater suitableness, so to speak, for God ; a closer acquaintance with him, a higher delight in him, and a more entire devotedness to him, how can we imagine we are ivalking in the Spirit. We may keep moving, but if it be in a circle, a round of empty duties, heartless ceremonies, and cold formalities, what proof have we that we have life, or if we have it, that it is not in a state of disease and sinking back again into death ? Having thus considered what is implied in this spiritual motion of the renewed soul, I go on to point out the relation it bears to its divine cause. It is walking in the Spirit, To do any thing in the Spirit is to do it by his light, and by his power. We need his light to show us what is to be done, and how it is to be done, as well as his power to enable us to do it. The New Testament makes frequent mention of that gracious illumination, which believers receive from the Di- vine fountain of light through the whole course of their Chris- tian life. In the natural world. He who in the beginning, said, "Let there be light," and produced what he called for, repeats in effect the command each morning, and causes the sun to rise upon the earth. The same Almighty Power that formed the orb of day, and produced the splendour of the first morning, still continues to fill that orb with light, and to pour forth his radiance day by day. Let the creating power, as it perpetuates itself in the providential work of preservation be suspended for a single moment, and the light of worlds would become extinct, and the vail of darkness, fall over the solar system. So also is it in the world of grace. The di- vine Spirit is the cause, not only of the first illumination of the sinner's mind, but of the continued illumination of the be- liever's soul. Hence, the prayers of the apostle for the THE HOLY SPIRIT. 303 Ephesian and Colossian Churches. — Ephes. i. 17, 18; Col. i. 9. How beautiful is his language to the former : " Ye were darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord, walk as children of light." — Ephes. v. 8. " Light is here spoken of as the very composition of the New Creature, as if it were a bemg all of light ; now are ye light in the Lord." They are made up of light, being born of the Spirit. The great and glorious God himself is called the God of light, they are called the children of light. That is their parentage. Light descended of light, begotten of light. " God is light and in him is no darkness at all." All converse with him "is walking in the light as he is in the light." It is true that light signifies ho- liness, it necessarily connotes it, but then this only doth im-^ port and signify, that that light which goes into the composi^ tion of a new creature, is efficacious, refining, transforming light, such as makes the soul some way throughout suitable unto the notions of truth, which are now placed in the specu- lative understanding. Such is the noble character of regen- erated souls ; they are children of light, sons of the morning, made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. Yes, this is descriptive of their present condition, and not merely of their future state to which it is generally and exclusively, but erroneously applied. " Giving thanks to the Father," says the apostle, " who hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light." The Christian church, if not the city and metropolis of the king- dom of light, is the suburbs of it ; and believers, enlightened by the Holy Ghost, are already dwelling in the environs of the world of light. They are within reach of those beams of spiritual radiance, which are for ever flowing forth from the fountain of splendour. But they need continued supplies from that fountain to sus- tain, increase, and invigorate the spiritual life within them. The influence of the world is continually opposing and coun^ 304 THE INFLUENCE OF teracting the holy principles of their new nature, and the re- mains of corruption within, rendering the eye of faith weak, its perceptions dim, and the sensibihty of the soul to spiritual objects, dull and obtuse. The whole work of grace in the soul is carried on by the instrunaentality of truth, and through the means of a holy illumination of the mind to perceive and feel it. Spiritual light is that to the principles of holiness in the soul, which natural light is to the seeds of vegetables in the natural world, which cannot germinate or grow without light, and whose growth is suspended during a dark, cold, and cloudy season, in which the rays of the sun are much dimin- ished : so also the fruits of the Spirit cannot grow but in the light of the Spirit. We cannot therefore do without renewed communications of this divine influence, this quickening, vivi- fying illumination. If this be withheld, our graces will ap- pear like the stunted plants, or the diminutive, colourless, tasteless fruits of a short, cold, and cloudy summer. It is only as spiritual truths are seen by us and kept before us, in the clear and holy light which is imparted by the Spirit's influence, and felt by us to be entering like warm sunbeams into the very soul itself, that we can grow in grace. We need fresh communications every step of our course to keep before us the glory of God as our centre, rest, and end ; the loveliness, beauty and preciousness of Christ ; the evil of sin and the transcendent excellence of holiness; the sublimity and importance of heaven, and eternal life : and it is only by the Spirit that this can be done. But we want power or moral ability, as well as light. We need to be disposed, moved, and helped in this divine walking. When a child is born, he is not endowed with a stock of grace, suflicient for him in all the future stages of his growth. Of that child it is said with truth, that in all his subsequent growth and activity, " In God he lives, and moves, and has his being." The living, moving, acting principle of THE HOLY SPIRIT. 305 his nature, is still derived from God ; he lives in God, and does not perform a single action, but as helped by God. So is is with the new-born child of God, he is made to live by the Divine Parent; but no stock of grace is imparted in re- generation, sufficient for all the future continuance, growth, and actings of religion. No, we must live and move in the Spirit of grace, as well as have our being in him. We must all along act by the power of God. In regeneration, a new nature is imparted, composed of many divine, holy, and hea- venly principles ; not only are we then disposed and enabled to perform a single act or succession of acts, but we are brought into a spiritual state ; a holy nature is formed as diverse from our former one, or from any thing else, as the nature of one species of creatures, is from another ; a nature is more than even a habit. Now this nature is not all that we need, but also the continual exciting and helping of it, by the power of the Holy Ghost. Though there is this new na- ture in us, there is something else in us, even the remains of the old and corrupt nature ; and as the latter is continually hindering and opposing the former, the flesh lusting against the Spirit, we need divine power to quicken and aid the spirit, and enable it to gain the victory over the flesh. To walk in the Spirit then, is to do all things through the whole course of our profession in a frame of humble, and unlimited depen- dance upon divine aid. It is our unspeakable privilege, that this gracious assistance is ensured to us by the word of God. It is called " the Spirit of promise," because the subject of so many assurances from God. But even the very command is an implied pro- mise. How encouraging as well as extraordinary are the injunctions, " Be filled with the Spirit.^' " Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might." " Walk in the Spirit ; " as if all the infinite, inexhaustible, and omnipotent power of that Divine Agent, were at our command, and we might have 26* 306 THE INFLUENCE OF as much of it as we wanted, wished, and chose to appropriate to ourselve i A [ew directions in reference to this divine light and power, will occupy the remainder of this chapter. J. Divine agency is not intended to supersede, hut to aid our own exertions. This is the meaning of that remarkable passage of scripture, " Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God that worketh in you to will and to doT The apostle does not say, " as God works in you, there is no need of your working : " but on the contrary, " Do you work, because God works." We must be as di- ligent, as devoted, as intent, as if all depended upon our- selves ; as dependant as if we could do nothing. God doe& nothing without us, and we can do nothing without him. We must walk, but it must be in the Spirit. H then, we would have divine aid, we must not be found in the lying, silting, or even standing posture, but in the walking attitude. We must gird up our loins, take our staff, and set forward, but all in a frame of dependance upon the power of God. "Thou meetest him," says the Prophet, "thatworketh righteous- ness." God's Spirit comes upon the walking, working ser- vant, not upon the sleeping one. 2. Would we have much of the Spirit, we must have faith in the Spirit. This is as necessary as is faith in Christ. There must be an acting of faith, appropriate to the distinct official works of the Holy Trinity in the economy of Re- demption. We must believe in the Father's moving origi- nating love, in the Son's executive grace, and the Spirit's applying power. We must believe in the promises of this divine power, consider it as solemnly engaged to believers by covenant, and as a thing to be expected according to the de- claration of the word of God. It must not appear to us as a matter so vast and surprising as that we can hardly presum^e to calculate upon it ; for this is an obstacle of unbelief that THE HOLY SPIRIT. 307 will prevent the divine communication from flowing in upon ■■us. Instead of wondering at those large communications which have been granted to particular persons and commu- nities, we should attribute it to the unbelief and indolence of the church that they are not- more frequent, and more co- pious. Placed as we are under the dispensation of the Spirit, his gracious communications should no more surprise us, than the showers of rain do in a country where rain abounds ; it is the drought rather, that should be matter of astonishment in such a situation. There is evidently a weakness of faith in the church of Christ, touching this divine communication, 3. There must he a deep poverty of mind, an impressive sense of indigence and dependance, if we would walk in the Spirit and be sustained by his gracious aid. We must feel, as if in our spiritual course, we could not stir a step, nor per- form a single action without him. Our frame of mind should be the very opposite of that of the church of Laodicea, who thought they had need of nothing. We must think and feel, that we have need of every thing. This divine Agent is not likely to bestow his aid, where it is neither valued nor sought. It is fitting that we should feel our poverty, before we are enriched, and cry out. from the depths of our indigence, " Have mercy upon me, for I am poor and needy." 0, where is this sense of need among professors of the present day ? It is an article of their creed, but is it a deep inwrought feeling of their heart? Do they look and talk, as if they felt their destitution ? They mention it in their prayers, and ad- mit it in their conversation, but is not this all ? Whom do we hear mourning their low estate, their deep necessity of divine grace, and expressing their longing for more copious effusions of celestial influence? Who complains of the drought ? Who says, "When will the spiritual rain come ? " Who inquires why the Spirit does not come down upon his church, the garden of the Lord, and upon the wilderness 308 THE INFLUENCE OF and solitary place 1 " It is with a great many Christians as it is said to have been with Sampson. He wist not that the Lord was departed from him. God was gone : his great strength was gone, yet he knew it not, but thought to havo found it with him as at other times. When we walk or run day to day, in a course of ordinary duty, and it may be, get nothing by it, no life, no strength, no influence of the Spirit, how little sense all this while is there of its absence from us? How few that regret the matter ! One would think that there should be strange throbbings and palpitations of heart amongst us to think how little there is of the Spirit of the living God breathing in his own ordinances, and through the nmost sacred, arwi weighty, and important truths that we hear, from time to time. Methinks our hearts should misgive us, and we should be often recounting with ourselves, ' What will this come to ? ' A religion not animated by the Spir- it, in which there is no life, no influence, what will this come to?" 4. If we would have much of divine influence, we must feel an intense desire after this precious boon, united at the same time with a deep sense of our utter unworthiness of it. God is under no other obligation to grant it, than that which he has voluntarily submitted to, in binding himself by his own promise. We are not to suppose that it is this promise, or the gracious communication which it assures to us, that constitutes the ground of our responsibility, as if God could not justly require any thing from us, or punish us for not do- ing it, if he did not grant us his grace. All that is necessary to make us accountable, is a means of knowing what God's will is, natural faculties to apprehend it, and sufficient motives to do it. We have all this without the Holy Spirit, whose influence where it is given is as much an act of pure grace, and sovereign mercy, as the mission of Jesus Christ. We must, therefore, cast away from us all idea of deserving this THE HOLY SPIRIT, 309 bestowment, or claiming it on the ground of justice. We must feel it to be an act of amazing love that God should not only give us his Son, but his Spirit also. That it is an act of most wonderful condescension never to be sufficiently admired that God should make a Temple for the Holy Ghost in our hearts ; a display of infinitely greater condescension, than for the greatest monarch upon earth to take up his dwelling in a cottage of mud for the benefit of his subjects. We should say, therefore, as the centurion did, "Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof." The lower we lie, the deeper we sink in humility and a sense of unworthi- ness, the more we shall have of this blessed power. The grace of God, like the dew, falls everywhere, but falls in greatest abundance in the valley, and lies longest in the shade. But this sense of unworthiness must not check our desire ; we cannot deserve it, but we must desire it ; yes, and with vehement longings of the soul, and pantings of the heart. And can we need to be stirred up to desire so inestimable a benefit ? What ! are arguments necessary to prove to us the value of that without which our body is but the sepulchre of a dead soul, and our whole existence but walking in a vain show? Are motives necessary to induce us to seek after that, without which we are dead while we live ? If we could do without it, we need not desire it ; if we could not have it, it would be vain to cherish any longings after it : but when it is essential to our spiritual existence ; when it is promised by God; when we are commanded to seek it; when the pos- session of it in a large measure may be solicited ; when the possession of it would be followed by such happy results, how earnestly should we covet it, and vehemently pant for it. O { (lid we but properly consider what a glorious com- munication the Spirit of God is, and what a blessed thing it is to be Jilled with the Spirit ; what an honour and a felicity it is to have this Divine Guest taking full possession of our 310 THE INFLUENCE OF soul as his Temple, overshadowing us with his glory, and filling us with his presence as he did the Holy of Holies in Mount Zion, how eagerly should we long for it, and how in- tensely breathe forth the desires of our soul after it. In the visible heavens, we see God above us : in the earth, God around us : in the law, God against us : in Christ, God with us — but in the indwelling of the Spirit, we have God in us. And if it be the presence of God that makes heaven, then by the indwelling of the Spirit we have something of heaven upon earth. It not only leads us to the porch of heaven and the confines of eternity ; not only conducts us to the top of Pisgah, where we may take a survey of the promised land ; but carries us to the Mount of Transfiguration, where be- holding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, we are changed as by the Spirit of the Lord, from glory to glory, into the same image. O Christians ! stir up your hearts to covet this heavenly communication. Let us set before our minds the sad case of those who are destitute of it, or have but small measures of it : how low, and earthly, and vain a life they are living ; how little of God, or Christ, or heaven, or holi- ness there appears in them ; and how much to be dreaded is such a course. Let us consider what blessed fruits, what holy tempers, what spiritual joys, what foretastes of heaven, what blossomings of glory, would result to us from large measures of this divine light and power. Let us, therefore, shake off our indolence, resist the world, put away every ob- stacle to the coming down upon us, and into us, of this holy influence. Let us open the door of our heart, and keep it wide open for the entrance of this heavenly visitant. Let us look for him, wait for him, and long for him, as we should for the arrival of a friend that was to bring us a medicine which would save us from death, or property that was to prevent us from going to prison. 5. If we would have the Holy Spirit to assist us in the THE HOLY SPIRIT. 311 divine walk, we must earnestly pray for it. This is the gracious blessing, which our Lord has encouraged us to soli- cit by that touching appeal which he makes to our own pa- rental feelings : " If ye being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heaven- ly Father give his Holy Spirit to them that ask him." Won- derful passage ! It teaches us that having given us his Son, his Holy Spirit is that next boon which his paternal heart is delighted to bestow; which, like the mother waiting to feed a hungry, crying, and imploring child, he is ready to grant. But oh, where, we ask again, where are those vehe- ment longings after the Spirit, which are breathed forth in fervent, believing, and effectual prayers ? Those pantings after God, those longings and thirstings after righteousness, which are represented as bringing after them their own gratification? To be rich in worldly gain, not rich in spiritual influence, is the object with the great multitude of professing Christians. 6. If we would have the Spirit, there must he a resigna- tion of ourselves to his guiding wisdom, and governing power ; a giving up of ourselves into his hands, to be habi- tually led by him. Just such a surrendry and a following of him, as we should determine upon in reference to a skilful guide, who had undertaken to conduct us over high moun- tains, and by the side of dangerous precipices. How we should mark his footsteps, watch the motion of his arm, as it pointed out the track, and in some instances entreat him to take us by the hand, and lead us forward. So should we give ourselves up to be led and helped by the Spirit of God. There should be a flexible frame of mind, yielding to the gentlest touches ; a docile spirit, learning by the most distant hints. "As the natural consequence," says Mr. Hall, in his invaluable Tract on the Work of the Spirit, " of being long under the guidance of another, is a quick perception of his meaning, so that we can meet his wishes before they are 312 THE INFLUENCE OF verbally expressed ; something of this ready discernment, accompanied with instant compliance, may reasonably be ex- pected from those who profess to be habitually led by the Spirit. You have sometimes felt a peculiar seriousness of mind, the delusive glare of worldly objects has faded away, or become dim before your eyes, and death and eternity ap- pearing at the door, have filled the whole field of vision. Have you improved such seasons, for fixing those maxims and establishing those practical conclusions, which may pro- duce an habitual sobriety of mind, when things appear under a diflferent aspect. The Spirit is said to make intercession for the saints, with groanings that cannot be uttered. When you hve felt those ineffable longings after God, have you in- dulged them to the uttermost ? Have you stretched every sail, launched forth into the deep of the divine perfections and promises, and possessed yourselves as much as possible of the fulness of God"? There are moments when the con- science of a good man is more tender, has a nicer and nnore discriminating touch than usual ; the evil of sin in generalt and of his own in particular, appears in a more pure and piercing light. Have you availed youselves of such seasons as these for searching into the chambers of imagery, and while you detected greater and greater abominations, been at pains to bring them out and lay them before the Lord ? Have such visitations effected something towards the morti- fication of sin ; or have they been suffered to expire in mere ineffectual resolutions 1 There are moments in the experi- ence of a good man, when he feels a more than ordinary softness of mind ; the frost of selfishness dissolves, and his heart flows forth in love to God and his fellow-creatures. How careful should we be to cherish such a frame, and to embrace the opportunity of subduing resentment, and of heal- ing those wounds that it is scarcely possible to avoid, in pass- ing through this unquiet world." THE HOLY SPIRIT. 313 Walk then, brethren, in the Spirit. Let there be an ha- bitual dependance on this divine Agent. The Christian proffission is a great and an awful thing — to fail in it will be dreadful, yea, intolerable misery. To fail here is to fail for eternity, to miscarry in the greatest and most solemn transac- tion in which we can ever be engaged. And fail we must, if the Spirit of God do not help us. We may not become immoral, or infidels, or heretical, or profane ; but we shall lie down and die in worldly-mindedness ; we shall perish in ap- parent respectability and comfort ; we shall sink to the bot- tomless pit, amidst ease, and wealth, and all that is pleasant in this world; we shall go down to the regions of eternal night from the very midst of the church, if we have not the Spirit of God. Be this, then, our supreme, our habitual, our ever-quickening, moving solicitude, to obtain the Spirit of God. There is no other way to live, but by the Spirit ; no other way to walk, but by the Spirit ; this is the principle of holy vitality in our profession, which will render it like a tree verdant in its leafi and abundant in its fruit; but without which, it will be a fruitless vine, withered in its foliage, scathed in its branches and its trunk, and fit for nothing but to be cut down, and cast into the fire. 27 314 THE DYING CHAPTER XIX THE DYING PROFESSOR. " It is appointed unto all men once to die : " There is no exemption, even for believers, from this decree. They are delivered from the sting of death, but not from its stroke ; — still, in one sense, they conquer, like their divine Lord, in being conquered. " If ever Christianity," says Mr. Hall, *' appears in its power, it is when it erects its trophies on the TOMB ; when it takes up its votaries where the world leaves them, and fills the breast with immortal hopes in dy- ing moments." Christ triumphed for his saints, by his own death, and he is continually renewing the victory in them, amidst all the sufferings and decay of their own dissolution. This is beautifully illustrated in the subject of the present chapter; in which we are to contemplate the Christian's termination of her profession on earth, and see her finishing her course with joy. I shall not exhibit to my readers an ideal scene, but lay before them one of those glorious and blissful realities, which are continually occurring in the dying chamber of behevers, that border-land which connects the regions of earth and heaven, and where the darkest scenes of the one are frequently irradiated by the reflected glory of the other. Mrs. P. had been a member of the church under my pas- toral oversight about ten years, and was one of many, who PROFESSOR. 315 never cost her pastor's heart a sigh, till he lost her. Lovely in person, gentle and affectionate in her disposition, she added a lustre to her consistency as a Christian, by all that usually interests us in the general character. Tried much, and often, in the furnace of affliction, her faith, more precious than gold that perisheth, was found unto the praise and honour, and glory of Jesus Christ. At length her last sick- ness came on in the form of a lingering consumption. It found her the happy wife of an affectionate and devoted hus- band, and the fond mother of a son of the age of twelve years, and two daughters, one ten, and the other eight. Possessing such ties to life, she was called to submit, amidst trying cir- cumstances, to the stroke of death. Her profession, always like a clear and steady light, now shone forth with a beauty, that made her departure resemble a glorious sun-set, after a cloudless day. Amidst the alternations usually produced by the flattering illusions of her disorder, she was never elated by hope, nor depressed by fear, but smiled on her physician, whether he spoke of recovery or death. However lan- guishing with weakness, or racked by pain, or harrassed by coughing, she was instantly roused and made happy by one word of death or Christ. Such was the charm of these themes, that I have frequently seen her countenance change in a moment, by their potency, from an expression of great suffering to a smile that looked like a ray of the excellent glory, failing on her previously dim and languid eye. In- stead, however, of speaking of her, or attempting to describe her, I will let her speak for herself. As I was about to leave home for a few days, and supposing that her end was not re- mote, I requested her husband to take minutes of any remark3 that might drop from her lips, in order that I might be in possession of her last testimony to the truths of the gospel, ^nd the power of religion. — The following diary, extending 316 TH E DYING only through ten days, is but a specimen of what occurred almost uninterruptedly for many months. " Tell Mr. James," she said one day, " that the fear and sting of death are both taken away : — the fear, because Christ died for sinners : — the sting, because he fulfilled and magnified the law." And in reply to a remark that death was hard work, " No," she said, " sweet death ! that opens heaven and shuts out earth." August 4. — This morning she awoke exceedingly happy, and said, " What a mercy it is to have a Father in heaven, I wake every morning more happy, with more love to God, and more deadness to the world. O, my happy midnight hours ! The things I most dreaded, I find most mercy in. I cannot say much, but I wish, when I can say a few words only, to utter the praises of that God who is so good to me." At another time she said, " My bliss is too great to be en- dured on earth, and it 's too pure for it. — Oh ! seek God earnestly with all the heart, and then he will comfort you on a death-bed, in the same way he now comforts me. Con- fess to him all your sins, make no reserve, and remember not to put off the confession of little sins, for they will only harden the heart, and delay will make the confession more difficult at last." August 6. — " I have been unspeakably happy," she said, *' to-night. Oh ! seek God with all your heart ; seek him while he may be found, call upon him while he is near." On having her pillows adjusted and made easy, her up- lifted hands and eyes spoke more than words could do, her feelings of gratitude and thankfulness; "How can I suffi- ciently honour and adore God, for all his mercies towards me. I feel my heart almost ready to burst, and my whole soul swallowed up in gratitude and love to him : surely, surely, heaven is begun below ! " PHOFESSOR. 317 Sunday Morning, August 7. — She observed, "Satan has been tempting me in the night, by a sense of past sins, but I have been enabled to beat him off, by praying for faith, and looking steadily at the cross. This life is as St. Paul describes it, a constant fight; I have found it to be so, but the idea that it is so near a close is to me exquisite. — You will (addressing me) find it so yourself, but watch and pray, and you will ultimately triumph. Sin is mixed with every thing here, and remember, whatever comes between the soul and Ood, as a cloud to dim the lustre of his glory, is sin. I was much struck with this idea about eighteen years ago, in attending the theatre, at the particular request of a friend, for I found when I retired to bed, I could not pray, which convinced me of the sinfulness of the theatre, and I never went again." This morning she joined the whole family in singing, *• When I can read my title clear," &c. — She did so in a peculiarly animated manner, but with so trembling and fee- ble a voice, that it was pleasure mixed with pain, and the circumstance will never be forgotten. During the day, such was her patience and resignation, that in allusion to her sufferings she said, " I think I could bear a little more, if God thought fit to lay it upon me ; " and looking upon her poor skeleton fingers, added, " I like to see them ; " and then with an apparent smile of triumph said, ♦' You know you cannot keep me here much longer, I shall soon be gone." August 8. — This last night has been to her a sleepless, restless one ; she appears almost worn out, and to be much engaged in prayer, for waiting patience : she said, " what an unspeakable mercy it is, that I 've not a doubt or a fear ! but pray for me, that I may so continue to the end, for many a good Christian is permitted to be much harrassed by the enemy at the last ; I have been much distressed to-night 27* 318 THE DYING by Satan. I found I could not pray, but the passage after- wards came to my mind, 'there is therefore now no condem- nation to them which are in Christ Jesus ' &c. and this com- forted me. Tuesday. — A few days ago she sent a message to Mr. — that she would send him " Mr. James' Anxious Inquirer ; " with her dying request that he would not only read it attentively, but with prayer, and if he did, she was sure it would conduct him in a safer and surer way to hap- piness, than the one he was now going. To-day she sent the book, and how much was she rejoiced at hearing that he had become so impatient for it, as to send to town to buy one, and was then engaged in reading it : may her prayer that it may be blessed to his conversion, be answered. Wednesday. — To-day she is so exceedingly feeble, that I can scarcely hear her speak ; but with difficulty I caught the following words: "What a mercy it is that the work is finished, and that when in health I sought God with all my heart, in his own appointed way ; I cannot talk to-day, I feel so ill ; but all is sweet peace within : I die, resting simply on the righteousness of Christ." In the evening she said, " My God, my Bible, and my Sa- viour, are increasing sources of happiness, to which I can turn at any moment, without disappointment, and I find them more solid as other things fade away." Thursday. — In reply to the words " God bless you," I ad- dressed to her this morning, she said, " Ah, God does indeed bless me with the choicest of his blessings ; he supplies all my necessary wants, and 'Whatever else I think I want, 't is right to be denied.'" This afternoon she has fatigued and weakened herself by again talking for a long time to Mrs. as to her soul's concern. Mrs. at one time made a great profession PROFESSOR. 319 of religion, and was apparently before my poor wife in the Christian race, but the world has laid fast hold upon her and she has backslidden. My dear wife is nauch interested about her, and considers she is not a lost character, as she appears not only to be aware of, but to feel her sad state, and is an unhappy woman — and augurs much from what she has said to her during the two interviews. Mr. received his present of the book, she said, with much pleasure, and was affected with the idea that there was one in the world who cared for his soul, and intimated his wish, if there was no im- propriety, to see my wife, to which she assented. If he come, may God strengthen her for the interview, for she is deter- mined by the help of God to be plain and faithful, and say much to him. Saturday. — Very ill to-day and yesterday : she suffers much from great difficulty in breathing, and spasms in the chest. When a little relieved, she said — " Oh, what a mercy it is to feel patience and perfect resignation, I can say from my heart. Lord, tliy time, thy will, thy way." Sunday Morning, August 14. — Her prayers for my spi- ritual good, accompanied with her sincere thanks for what she termed my great kindness and affection to her as a hus- band, were very affecting; "Love and serve God," she said, ♦' with all your heart, soul and strength, and let this be a fixed and settled principle in all the concerns of life." In the midst of her sufferings, and they were very severe, she said — ♦' I love God more than ever." In the afternoon, she said — ^' I could not have thought that any one could have suffered so much, and yet live ; and if God inflicts such sufferings upon his own children, what must the pains of hell be to the wicked % O sin ! sin ! Remember all sorrow and suffering are the fruits and effects of sin. I cannot think what the wicked do on a death bed, when the horrors of the mind are added to the pains of the body." 320 THE DYING Sunday Night. — Her sufferings increased, and she was at a loss to reconcile the sufferings of God's people with her be- lief in his great kindness and regard towards them ; and it was apparent that though she had so often said that she had no doubts, no fears, no anxieties, yet that a dark cloud was coming over the mind. " This is indeed," she said, " the hour and power of darkness ; it is horrible." Mr. called on Monday morning to talk and pray with her. His visit much consoled her, and in an hour or two after, her spirit seemed to emerge from the darkness which had for so many hours hung over her, and all was bright sunshine again. She then said — " All is sweet peace again — solid peace. I am as certain of heaven as if I were already there — not that I have merited heaven — no : I have no works, no worthiness, * Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to the cross I cling.' " Tuesday. — The words of the Psalmist — " Thou hast brought me up out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock," &;c., were peculiarly expres- sive of her state and feelings now. Perhaps nothing need be added to this ; I will, however, give the substance of only one or two conversations I had with her during the last few days of her mortal conflict. On one occasiou she said — " I have lain awake night after night, examining the foundation of my hope, but I cannot find a single flaw. I depend entirely upon the sacrifice of Christ for acceptance with God, and not at all upon my own works. I have not a doubt or a fear. I have had my seasons of spi- ritual distress, but have been enabled by God's Spirit to be faithful." Speaking of her children, who had been for some time removed from home, she said — " When I first saw them after PROFESSOR. 321 their return, I felt a pang at the thought of leaving them ; but I prayed for faith, and was enabled instantly to give up, both them and my husband." At another time, she exclaimed — " O that all the world knew what I enjoy, they would not then neglect religion. I now feel the advantage of a remark I met with some time since in an old author : ' It is well to lay up a good stock of prayers for a dying Jiour.^ By which she meant, as ihe author did, that through her whole profession, she had been much engaged in prayer to God for his comfortable presence and gracious support, in her dying hour. She then adverted to the answer of her prayers which she was receiving, and said — " This state of mind is not natural to me. I used to be much afraid of dying, and this led me to be much in prayer; and now see how God is granting my request." About the time of this interview of my own, a friend called upon her, who upon hearing her talk beyond her strength gently admonished her to spare herself. "Oh, it matters not," she replied, " I believe I shall die to-night, and it does not signify ; I wanted to pray for my minister when he was last here, but had not courage." And then lifting up her eyes to heaven, poured forth a most fervent and appropriate prayer both for him and his wife. At a subsequent visit finding her, beyond expectation, alive, I said, " What, still in the flesh ? " and knowing the danger of her becoming impatient to be gone, I asked her if she was wiUing to wait in her suffering state, any time that God might see fit to detain her on earth? "Quite," she re- plied, " quite willing to wait and suffer any time, for I am sure God will give me grace. I am a wonder to myself I am a monument of mercy. O the mercies of God ! What a mercy the work of salvation is all done! What a blessing to have the soul safe ! I have nothing to do but to go. I Am quite ready. When my husband reads the scriptures to ^s^ THE DYING me, I now see a glory greater than I ever saw before. I see them in a new light. No other book but the Bible will do now. I cannot bear, sir, (turning to me, she said) even your books now. Nothing but the pure truth of God icill do now. Sometimes it seems as if God had direct commu- nion with my soul." Then speaking of the generality of professors of all deno- minations, she said — " O what a difference have I seen in those I have had to do with. They do not live near enough to God : they are too worldly. Tell those of our church, from me, to live closer to God, and to give themselves more up to his service. I love the church of which I am a mem- ber. I die in communion with every member of it, but charge them from me, to be less worldly, and to live nearer to God." She then gave utterance to a lamentation over some ac- quaintances whom she feared had been living without spiri- tual religion, and charged me to speak seriously after her decease to one friend in particular, on this subject. After this, followed a strain of exulting hope of the heavenly world : "There I shall see the apostle Paul and all the blessed spirits of just men made perfect : and above all, the Lord Jesus Christ, and be overshadowed with his glory. ^^ A lady of considerable respectability and intelligence, but holding Unitarian sentiments, who had been exceedingly kind to her, visited her more than once, and was so struck with the scene, that she not only wept abundantly but took two of her daughters with her to witness it also, and see how peace- fully a Christian could die. The mind of the dying saint felt some little fear, lest she should not have courage to bear her testimony on 'behalf of her divine Lord, or speak with propriety on those truths which then yielded her strong con- solation. She prayed earnestly to God for help, and help was granted her, and it was delightful to observe with what PEOFESSOR. 323 modest thankfulness she acknowledged the grace she had obtained to be faithful. Indeed it was one pleasing feature of her dying experience that she was anxious to do good to all around her, and scarcely any came to her dying bed, who did not carry from it some instructive admonition. Among others, her nurse was an object of most tender solicitude, and while anxious for her spiritual welfare, she did not forget her temporal comfort, as the following little incident will prove. Among the friends who visited her, was one, who is in the habit of distributing garments to the poor, from whom with great diffidence she solicited a flannel gown, that the poor woman, when she herself was in her grave, might be protect- ed from the cold in her night watches in sick chambers that might not be so warm as that in which she had waited upon her. Such a considerateness of the comfort of others, when flesh and heart were failing her, is a beautiful exemplification of Me charity that is kind. Among other things she uttered during the last day or two of her life, she said — " I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith : henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day ; and not to me only, but to them also that love his appearing." The words " not to me only but to them also that love his appear- ing," seemed to give her peculiar delight. " The nearer I get home, she continued, the clearer I see my Father's house, and the more certain I am I shall be welcome there." On a great increase of bodily pain, she faintly said — " Spirit brighter; suffering very mysterious." Her last words were in reference to her state of mind. " Peace, peace, O sweet peace ! " She died with her finger pointing up to heaven. Behold the dying professor, and receive her testimony to the grace and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, who having put his righteousness upon her, and his spirit within her, has 324 THE DYING called her to join the pahn-bearing muhitude, in making her confession before the angels of God. " Here is the patience of saints ; here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." " I heard a voice from heaven saying, Write, blessed are the dead that die in the Lord, from henceforth, yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours, and their works do follow them." — Rev. xiv. 12, 13. Thus ends, though not in all cases with the same degree of holy triumph, the profession of the sincere, consistent, and exemplary Christian. How bright a scene ! How beautiful and how powerful a testimony to the reality and excellence of re- ligion ! I need not ask, whether infidelity can produce, or ever did produce, any thing like it ; or whether philosophy ever did so with her enchantments. Socrates, conversing so calmly with his friends on the subject of immortality, just before he drank the hemlock, is a feeble exhibition of moral grandeur, compared with ihis. O Christianity ! this is thy triumph and trophy. What a proof is this of an immaterial and undying mind. To see reason in all its power — religion in its sublimest flights : — Then ! when the heart is fluttering in the conflict of mortality ! — Then ! for the soul to soar, with angel flight, till its expressions are so grand, its concep- tions so unearthly, its joys so much above sense, and reason^ and even faith too, that it looks all covered with the cloud of glory, in which it has already, in a measure entered — can this be the mere modification of flesh and blood ? Oh, no ! it is mind triumphing over the weakness of matter. It is the original matter from which the poet has taken his beautiful copy : The holy triumphs of my soul, Shall death iiself outbrave; Leave dull mortality behind, And fly beyond the grave. PROFESSOR. 325 And what was it that this immaterial, imperishable mind was then intent upon 1 On what was the eye of the soul fixed, and to what boundless object were its aspirations rising ? Earth had receded, and carried with it all its king- doms and their glory ; but there was another glory rising to fill its place, in beholding the blaze of which, even husband, children, mother, friends, minister, and church, were all lost sight of. She saw, as with a new sense, granted to dying saints, but unknown to living ones, things almost as unutter- able as those which Paul witnessed in the third heavens ; and loosening from every terrestrial object, sprung forward to lay hold upon immortality. I grant that it is not the privilege of all the children of God, to enjoy so large a share of heaven upon earth as did this dear saint, for it is an undoubted fact, that even some of the most eminent servants of God have been far less favoured in their dying hour than she was. I could mention names of the most distinguished divines of modern times, whoso passage through the dark valley was not irradiated with these bright coruscations of the heavenly glory. This fact has not been unnoticed by others. Can we account for it ? No doubt, in some cases, the nature of their complaint may have had an influence, as certain disorders predispose more powerfully to the depression of the animal spirits than others. Mr. Fuller, during his last illness, laboured under this to a considerable ex- tent, and the celebrated Mr. Scott, the author of the Com- mentary, did the same ; but it was, in each of these cases, the effect of disease. " I never recollect," said the former, " to have had such depression of animal spirits, accompanied with such calmness of mind." "I could be glad," he said, "to be favoured with some lively hopes, before 1 depart hence." " My hope is such, however, that I am not afraid to plunge into eternity." I have no doubt, that both in living saints and in dying ones too, disease has much to do in pre- 28 326 THE DYING venting what is usually denominated comfort ; but surely though disease may, in some cases, prevent comfort, it can- not, in a sane mind, produce it. The experience recorded in this chapter, is unquestionably the in-working of the mighty power of God. That the humbler saints should be thus fa- voured, while useful preachers, and great theologians, who have served God in their own, and will continue to serve him by their works, in all future generations, should be de- nied those bright manifestations of God's presence in death, is an arrangement that must have some ends, and teach some lessons in the divine administration. Does it not show the sovereignty of God, in the bestowment of his favours ? Does it not hide pride from man, by proving that it is not even distinction in the church that can insure the brightest light of God's countenance? — Does it not tend to keep humble, hving Christians, and ministers, and authors of eminence, by remind- ing them, that persons never heard of beyond a narrow circle, may have a more glorious close of their profession than even they? Does it not prove that God holds himself no man's debtor, for what he has done ? Does it not manifest how in- adequate all we do for Christ is to comfort us in a dying hour, and that theological giants, as well as the least child in God's family, can derive no comfort then^ but from a simple de- pendance on Jesus ? Does it not illustrate the power of Christ, in raising such meek and humble saints, such seem- ingly weak believers, into the spiritual prowess of the greatest conquerors of death ? Does it not distribute more widely the honour of doing something for God, and of bringing glory to Christ : so that while some shall do much by their living labours, other shall do it by their dying experience? Does it not encourage the less public professors, who are the greatest in number, to look forward with lively hope and joyful anticipations to the close of life ? Such lessons as these, are of great consequence in the school of Christ, and we can- PROFESSOR. Z%7 not wonder that God should take such methods in teaching them. Professors ! the close of your profession will come, and the nature of that close should be a matter of solicitude to you. Whether your sun shall set in clouds or in brightness, ought not to be a subject of absolute indifference. True it is, that your chief concern should be, to maintain a consistent profession while you live; for this is the most likely way to make a happy one when you die ; but still, when we con- sider how much it tends to edify the church, to hear of the lively faith and hope of its dying members ; and how much it tends also to awaken and impress careless sinners, it ought to be a matter of desire and prayer, that we might finish our course with joy, and glorify God in death. A holy life, and a happy death, and both of them for the honour of Christ, the credit of religion, and the good of immortal souls, should be the object of every Christian's ambition. These two act upon each other ; he who would be happy in death, should be holy in life ; and did we keep the death- bed scene in view, it would be one motive, and that not a weak one, to a life of eminent godliness. Death is a scene in which we can be found but once. We can glorify God through all time, and through all eternity, by ten thousand acts, ten thousand times repeated, but we can honour him but once, in dying ; how much we ought to be concerned then, to do that well, and re- alize the saying — " His God sustain'd him in his dying hour, His dying hour brought glory to his God." For this purpose, we should, like the apostle, die daily. The whole of life should be one continued exercise and dis- cipline for death. All days should be spent with reference to the last, and all objects looked at in connexion with the 328 THE DYING sepulchre. We should never forget " to lay up a stock of yrayers for a death-hedP The prospect of death should not distress us. The fear that hath torment, the dread that brings us into bondage, should be subdued by a distinct exercise of faith, in reference to this awful event. Faith should have exercises, appro- priate to every situation in which we can be found ; we should have faith for life ; faith for death ; faith for eternity. Not only faith in a dying hour, when it is present, but faith for it, while it is yet future. All evils look greatest at a dis- tance, not excepting death itself There is scarcely one fact more borne out by the experience of the church, than that the fear of death diminishes in the heart of God's people, the nearer they approach the dark valley ; for, in truth, the nearer they draw to that scene of gloom, the closer do they come to the heavenly glory, the light of which there breaks on the night of the tomb. Multitudes who, during their lives, could never think of dying, but with some painful solicitude, have been astonished to find how their fears all vanished, and with what peaceful hope they could lie down and expire. Reasons may be assigned for this, which are quite suffi- cient to account for the encouraging fact. In those awful circumstances, the attention, hitherto divided between earth and heaven, is more concentrated, yea, is exclusively fixed on the latter. Like a pilgrim going to the Holy City, who has arrived at its very suburbs, and loses sight of, and inter- est in, the things that had attracted his notice on the road, and sees only the towers, and walls, and domes of the object of his long and weary journey, so the departing saint, now sees only the things that are heavenly, and is occupied in the contemplation of the exceeding great and eternal weight of glory. His dependance upon God^s mercy in Christ Jesus, is now more simple and more firm, in the near prospect of standing in the immediate presence of a Holy God. The PROFESSOR. 329 last remains of pride, self-righteousness, and vain glory, die within him ; his fancied excellences vanish ; his sins appear in their true light ; and he feels more deeply and more de- lightfully that Christ is all in all. With a grasp of faith, new in its power, though not in its kind, he lays hold on the cross, and finds that it can sustain him even when sinking in death. His assurance is then more confident. — He finds the neces- sity of coming to a conclusion about his state. The question must be settled. — Fie cannot now do with doubts and fears, but must have the point cleared up, whether he is a child of God, an heir of glory, or not ; and it is cleared up. He knows and feels that he depends on Christ, and nothing else. He is peaceful in the billows of Jordan; unaflTrighted amidst the shadows of the dark valley ; dead in heart to the world, before he is dead in body ; and hopeful in the prospect of eternity. All this is evidence to him of personal religion ! He is a Christian. Blessed conclusion ! And it blesses him. Assurance, which he had sought through life, comes in death. If it was not a sun to shine upon his path through the world, it is the lamp to cheer him along the dark avenue of the grave. He can die in peace, for he now knows in whom he has believed. But in addition to all this, God is especially near his dying saints, and loves then to grant them the strongest consolations of his Spirit. It seems to be his de- sign and pleasure, to make grace most triumphant amidst the weakness and decays of nature, and to prove that the bless- edness of an immortal soul arises from himself) since he makes it happy by his presence, when every thing else con^ spires to make it miserable. We can imagine that the object most interesting to the heart of infinite love, is the dying martyr, and next to him, the dying Christian. It is the last time till the resurrection morning, in which God permits the world to look upon his children ; and then, when he is tak- ing them away, he presents them with the smile of peace upon ■ • 28* 330 THE DYING their countenance, and sometimes with the song of victory in their lips. He seems to make it a point to meet them in the dark valley, and reserves his strongest cordials for their ex- piring moments. It is said of those that believe in Jesus, that they shall not see death. The grim monster is in the gloomy passage, but Christ interposing between him and the dying believer ; the Christian looking only at the Saviour, passes by without noticing the terrors of the last enemy. God has promised not to forsake his people, even amidst the troubles of life, but he compasseth them loith his presence, amidst the sorrows of death. How rarely do we hear of a consistent Christian, dying in a disconsolate state. That some who have been lukewarm and irregular, who have not been watchful and diligent, are left to disquietude and perturbation in that season, when it is most desirable there should be peace, is very true. God chastises the inconsistencies of their lives, in the season of their death. Purgatory is a mere Popish delusion, but the disciplinary process of a long and cheerless approach to the tomb, is sometimes employed by Sovereign Mercy, to meeten the backslider in heart, for the realms of glory. Seldom, however, is the consistent profes- sor, left to darkness and distress in his last moments ; on the contrary, he usually finds his dying chamber to be the vestibule of heaven, where the anthems of the Redeemed are heard within, inviting him to the work of everlasting praise. Let the consistent professor, therefore, go cheerfully for- ward to his latter end. Let him cast away the fearful ap- prehensions of a dying hour. Not that all kinds and degrees of fear can be totally suppressed. Death is an awful event: and to regard it with careless indifference is the mark of a hardened heart, and not of a renewed one. Some good peo- ple have distressed their minds, and written bitter things against themselves, because they could not altogether rise above the fear of death. But this is needless self-torment. PROFESSOR. 331 There is an apprehensiveness of this great change, which is almost inseparable from humanity, and indeed is one of the safeguards of life, and which is greatly increased, in some cases, by physical temperament. This may co-exist with sincere, and even with eminent piety. Mr. .Tay, I remember, illustrates the subject thus. A man may be in America while his wife and family are in this country. He may wish to be with them, for his heart is there : but still he may dread to cross the Atlantic ocean which lies between himself and them. So a Christian's heart may be in heaven, yet he may dread to pass through death, though it leads to glory. Nothing tends more to subdue this natural fear of the last enemy, than the habitual contemplation of the heavenly state, and the exercise of faith in Jesus Christ, for the dying hour. As a dark object when seen between two resplendent ones, loses its gloomy aspect, and becomes itself almost bright; so death, when viewed between the cross of Christ, and the crown of glory, receives a lustre by reflection which con- ceals, if it does not altogether remove, its horrors. Where- fore let us go on to meet the last enemy with the joint Ian. guage of both Testaments upon our lips. " Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil : for thou art with me ; thy rod and thy staff comfort me." " I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him." " O death, where is thy sting 1 O grave, where is thy vic- tory ? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." Who can lift up the veil and see the Christian in his eternal state? If in an earlier part of this volume, when considering the dangers of self-deception we exclaimed, with shuddering horror, " A professor in hell!" with what transporting de- light may we exclaim, A professor in heaven I But who can 332 T H E D Y I N G follow him into the unapproachable light, the insufferable splendour of the divine presence 1 Mortality is swallowed up of life ; humanity is absorbed in glory. There is one thing, among many others, which deserves a momentary attention ; it is the interview of the sincere, con- sistent, and persevering professor, with " the Lord that bought him." Of that scene, however, little can be imagined but what is suggested, by the words which his Lord will then say to him : " Well done, good and faithful servant ; en- ter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Thou hast taken up my name, and hast not dishonoured it ; entered my church, and not defiled it ; professed my religion, and not disparaged it ; borne my cross, and not added to its ignominy, by inconsis- tency of conduct. Well done, well done." O rapturous expression ! How joyful a sound does such a testimony carry from the mouth of Christ ! O what can be so grateful and reviving to the heart of a good man, as to have the Lord of Hfe and glory say to him, well done ? What a reward for all the labours, and self-denial, and sufferings of a life of piety, to hear God say — " 1 am well pleased with thee ! " But this is not all ; for he will add — " Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord^ " Thou hast laboured well in thy profes- sion ; that is all over for ever, and now enter upon thy rest ^nd thy reward : thou hast denied thyself) but not me, and now I confess thee as my faithful follower before my Father and his holy angels ; thou hast had fellowship with me in my sufferings, and nothing now remains for me and thee, but joy unspeakable and full of glory, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." This is the sum of all felicity. But who shall ex- plain it ? What does it mean ? The joy of which Christ is the object 1 a felicity to be derived from being with him and beholding his glory 1 Or the joy of which he is the author ; which he creates around us and within us ? Or the joy of which he is the possessor ? as though he had said " enter PROFESSOR. 333 into that joy that is now to be common both to me and thee, and of which thou shalt partake with me." It is all these united. Into this joy the faithful professor will be welcomed and introduced by Christ himself It shall not so much en- ter into him, as he into it ; he is not so much to possess it as to be possessed by it ; it is the atmosphere which is to sur- round him, the light which is to shine all over him, the very space which is to absorb him. Into this he is to enter, but never to depart from it ; " the last thing we hear of him is ihat he is gone into joy." ;jt yw^ ^-t^^;V. H j.--.,>. ■m^pj£. ^w<".