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SERMONS 
 
 PREACHED IN CHINA 
 
 REV. WALTER M. LO¥RIE 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 ROBERT CARTER & BROTHERS, 
 
 286 BROADWAY. 
 
 185 1, 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1851, 
 
 BY WALTER LOWRIE, 
 
 In the Clerk's Office for the Southern District of New York. 
 
 STEREOTYPED BV TBOMAS D. SMITH, PRINTED BY K. O. JKNKINV 
 
 210 WILLIAM STREET. NASSAU STREET. 
 

 .^ PRIITCETOIT ^' 
 
 \thsologigal/ 
 
 %%IIT:^iri. 
 
 PREFACE 
 
 The following sermons were all prepared and preached in 
 China, at Macao, Ningpo and Shanghai, as will appear by the 
 times and places noted on each respectively. 
 
 For more than two years after they were received from China, 
 there was no thought of giving any of them to the public. His 
 father's family indeed perused them with interest, as memorials 
 of one very dear to them. During the present year they were 
 read by others, and they believed that if they were pubHshed, 
 they would be acceptable and profitable to the religious commu- 
 nity. An esteemed friend who cherishes the memory of the 
 departed Missionary, assumed the entire charge of the edition, 
 stipulating merely that the proceeds of the sale should be paid 
 to the Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church. 
 
 The circumstances under which the most of these sermons 
 were prepared and preached are thus given by himself in a letter 
 to a friend, dated Macao, Dec. 27, 1844. 
 
 " Since April, 1843, 1 have preached in English, once a week, 
 to a small congregation of English and Americans, some of whom 
 are pious. It is the custom of most of the missionaries just to 
 take printed sermons and read them off, which is well known 
 by the people. I have done so myself several times, but never 
 liked the plan, nor felt comfortable in adopting it. As the peo- 
 ple who attend are very intelligent, I found it required a good 
 deal of care to prepare sermons that would be profitable ; and 
 that I could give most instruction in the fewest words, and with 
 
IV • PREFACE. 
 
 least labor to myself, by writing out my sermons. I have done 
 this commonly, and have now nearly fifty written discourses, 
 besides several skeletons. As I lost all my written sermons 
 when shipwrecked, the preparation of these has been attended 
 with some degree of labor, and takes as much time as I can at 
 present afford to give. I felt, indeed, some scruple about giving 
 so much time to a work not directly the one for which I came 
 here, but felt satisfied about it on considering that I am still 
 young, and the labor and study of preparing sermons would be 
 of essential benefit to me ; and I have found it so. Preaching is 
 a very delightful work, and I have only regretted that I could 
 not give more time to it." — Memoir, p. 288. 
 
 When he reached Ningpo, his preaching in English was less 
 frequent, as the brethren of the Mission conducted the English 
 service in rotation. His last sermon preached in Shanghai, it will 
 be seen, was but a few weeks before his lamented death, whicli 
 occurred on the 19th of August, 1847. 
 
 The last sermon he preached to the native Chinese in Ning- 
 po, just before leaving that city to join the translating commit- 
 tee in Shanghai, is also given, in a translation by the Rev. Mr. 
 S. Culbertson, as well as the original Chinese, in the colloquial 
 dialect of Ningpo, expressed in Roman letters. 
 
 These sermons were neatly and plainly written, and they are 
 published as they come from the pen of the author. Had they 
 been revised by himself, they would doubtless have been im- 
 proved. But this was not to be. They have been carried 
 through the press by his father, and although the task has re- 
 newed, and even deepened, many sad recollections, it has not 
 been without profit to himself. 
 
.•>^^' > . ,-'^<. 
 
 .r - ^'^ ^ 
 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 SERMON I. 
 
 Page 
 Christ made Sin for Us. 2 Corinthians v. 21 1 
 
 SERMON 11. ■ 
 Praise. Psalm cxvii 10 
 
 SERMON III. 
 Healing the Ten Lepers. Luke xvii. 1 2-19 17 
 
 SERMON IV. 
 Resurrection and Ascension of Christ. Luke xxiv. 50, 51 26 
 
 SERMON V. 
 Influence of the Spirit. John xvi. *7 34 
 
 SERMON VI. 
 Jacob's Prayer. Genesis xxxii. 9-12 43 
 
 SERMON VII. 
 Plants of the House of the Lorp. Psahii xcii. 13 51 
 
 SER]\ioN vni. 
 
 Terms of Discipleship. Luke ix. 57-62 58 
 
 SERMON IX. 
 Walking with God. Genesis v. 24 66 
 
 SERMON X. 
 I AM A Stranger in the Earth, Psalm cxix. 19 75 
 
VI CONTENTS. 
 
 SERMON XI. 
 
 Page 
 Coming unto Cheist foe Rest. Matthew xi. 28-30 86 
 
 SERMON XII. 
 Messianic Peopuecies in Genesis. Genesis iii. 15, ix. 26, 2*7, Ac 94 
 
 SERMON XIIL 
 Emmanuel, God vrna us. Matthew i. 23 104 
 
 SERMON XIV. 
 Sanctification of the Sabbath. Exodus xvi. 22-30 117 
 
 SERMON XV. 
 Chkist Crucified. 1 Corinthians i. 23, 24 129 
 
 SERMON XVI. 
 Human Natuee Coeeupt and Sinful. John iii. 5 138 
 
 SERMON XVII. 
 The Sufferings and Death of Christ. Matthew xvi. 21 147 
 
 SERMON XVIII. 
 The Law of God. Matthew v. 18 157 
 
 SERMON XIX. 
 Adoition. John i. 12 165 
 
 SERMON XX. 
 
 The Golden Calf at Sinai. Exodus xxxii. 34, 35 173 
 
 SERMON XXI. 
 Communion of Mosks with God. Exodus xxxiii. 11 182 
 
 SERMON XXII. 
 The Blessing of Trusting in Christ. Psalm ii. 12 191 
 
 SERMON XXIIL 
 The Publican and the Pharisee. Luke xviii. 9-14 198 
 
CONTENTS. vii 
 
 SERMON XXIV. 
 
 Page 
 >Maetha and Mary. Luke x. 38-42 207 
 
 SERMON XXV. 
 The Rich Man and Lazarus. Luke xvi. 19-31 215 
 
 SERMON XXVI. 
 Baptism of Christ. Matthew iii. 13-17 224 
 
 SERMON XXVII. 
 The Uncertainty of Riches. 1 Timothy vi. 17-19 232 
 
 SERMON XXVIII. 
 Believing Prayer. Matthew xxi. 22 241 
 
 SERMON XXIX. 
 Salvation by Grace. Ephesians ii. 8 251 
 
 SERMON XXX. 
 Saving Faith. Ephesians ii. 8 261 
 
 SERMON XXXL 
 The Grace of God sufficient. 2 Corinthians xii. 9 271 
 
 SERM<JN XXXII. 
 Connection of Divine Agency with Human Efforts. Philippians ii. 12, 13. . 281 
 
 SERMON XXXIII. 
 The Disciples in the Storm. John vi. 1 6-21 289 
 
 SERMON XXXIV. 
 
 Our Present Knowledge imperfect. John xiii. 7 297 
 
 SERMON XXXV. 
 -fL Invitation to come unto Christ. John vii. 37 303 
 
 SERMON XXXVI. 
 Unwillingness to come unto Christ. John v. 40 • 317 
 
VIU CONTENTS. 
 
 SERMON XXXVn. 
 
 Page 
 Our Times in the Hand of God. Psalm xxxi. 15 325 
 
 SERMON XXXV III. 
 
 CuRiST AS THE Searchee OF Hearts. Johii ii. 24, 25 335 
 
 SERMON XXXIX. 
 The Peopitiation of Cheist. John ii. 1, 2 346 
 
 SERMON XL. 
 Ode Offences. Matthew xviii. 7 355 
 
 SERMON XLI. 
 Peeaching to the Gentiles. 2 Corinthians ii. 12-17 363 
 
 SERMON XLII. 
 Repentance. Acts ii. 38, 39 373 
 
 SERMON XLIII. 
 The Geace of Christ. 2 Corinthians viii. 9 384 
 
 SERMON XLIV. 
 Depaeting feom God. Luke xv. 18, 19 394 
 
 SERMON XLV. 
 Retuening to God. Luke xv. 20 405 
 
 SERMON XLVI. 
 The Loed is oue Judge. 1 Corinthians iv. 1-5 415 
 
 SERMON XLVn. 
 Servants— Sons— Heir.'*. Galatians iv. 7 425 
 
 SERMON XLVIII. 
 What think ye of Christ ? Matthew xxii. 43 435 
 
 SERMON TO THE CHINESE. 
 The Punishment of Hell 448 
 
TH53OLOGI01L/ 
 
 SERMON I. 
 
 CHRIST MADE SIN FOR US. 
 
 He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the 
 righteousness of God in him. — 2 Corinthians v. 21. 
 
 The writings of the Apostle Paul are distinguished by an 
 uncommon vigor and animation. His whole soul was in every- 
 thing he undertook ; and whether we see him in social inter- 
 course, or in his epistolatory correspondence, or in his great work 
 of preaching the Gospel, his mind was still bent to the one object 
 of proclaiming salvation through Christ and Him crucified. 
 Hence his writings are distinguished by frequent emphatic sen- 
 tences, which breathe out the ardor with which he engaged in 
 his work. A remarkable trait in his epistles is the frequency 
 with which he comprises an outline of the whole plan of salva- 
 tion in a single sentence. They are outlines, it is true, which 
 need to be filled up from other parts of his writings, yet are they 
 complete outlines. Many examples could easily be given, among 
 them are the following. Jesus Christ is, of God, made unto us, luisdom, 
 and righteousness, and sanctijication and redemption, 1 Cor. i. 30. 
 So also, these, Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, 
 being made a curse for us, Gal. iii. 13. Ye ivho sometimes were far 
 off, are made nigh hy the blood of Christ, Eph. ii. 13. It became 
 him, for lohom are all things, and by tohom are all things, in bring- 
 ing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation 
 perfect through sufferings, Heb. ii. 10. Not to multiply examples, 
 it is sufficient to add, that the text is an example of the same 
 kind. He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that ive 
 might be made the righteousness of. Ood in him. It is further re- 
 markable, that all these compendious outlines of the plan of sal- 
 vation, present it to our view, each in a different light. It is too 
 glorious an object to be fully comprehended, if considered only 
 in one aspect. So glorious is it, indeed, that it shall be an eter- 
 
 1 
 
2 CHRIST MADE SIN FOR US. 
 
 nal subject of contemplation to the saints in heaven, and it is no 
 wonder that the apostle felt as if he could not dwell upon it too 
 long, or present it in too many aspects to his hearers and readers. 
 And after all, how little do we know of it ! At present we see, 
 but as through a glass, darkly. Hereafter, it may be our happy 
 lot to behold luith openface^ the glory of the Lord, being changed into 
 the same image from glory to glory^ even as hy the spirit of the Lord^ 
 1 Cor. iii. 18. In the words before us there are three things 
 worthy of notice. 
 
 1. The character of Jesus Christ. He knew no sin. 
 
 2. The treatment he received by divine appointment. He 
 hath made him to he sin for us. 
 
 3. The object of this treatment. That ive might he made the 
 righteousness of God in him. 
 
 He knevj no sin. The expression is remarkable. There was 
 no sin in himself, neither did he approve of it in others, or coun- 
 tenance it in any way. His great object in coming to the world 
 was to destroy sin, and how then could it be supposed that he 
 would have any fellowship with it ? There is a nicety in the idiom 
 of the original here, which is not susceptible of a literal transla- 
 tion into our language. Not only does the expression used import 
 that he never had sinned, and was in no proper sense a sinner — it 
 also implies, that he was and is so holy, that the idea of sin cannot 
 be conceived of, in connection with him. His name therefore is 
 synonymous with holiness itself, and he is purer than gold seven 
 times tried in the fire. 
 
 It is hard for us to conceive of a sinless being in human form, 
 dwelling upon the earth. We see so much of sin around us, we 
 feel it so constantly within us, intruding as it does into our most 
 holy services, that we scarce can comprehend how any one par- 
 taking of our nature can be free from it. How was it possible 
 that Christ should never sin ? In conduct we can with little dif- 
 ficulty suppose that his outward deportment was blameless. Nay, 
 we can even conceive of one of our race who so carefully guards 
 himself, that his tongue never errs — but how shall the heart be 
 kept so pure, that no stain shall ever defile it? How shall that 
 mirror be preserved so bright, that the face of God may be seen 
 therein, reflected with unclouded clearness ? But let us not 
 measure Jesus Christ by our own low standard. Partaking as 
 he did of our nature, he was yet infinitely superior to us. The 
 world tried to allure him, and Satan used all his cflbrls to tempt 
 
CHRIST MADE SIN FOR US. 3 
 
 liim to sin, but in vain. We have the testimony of his nearest 
 friends to this effect. The beloved disciple who leaned upon his 
 bosom, declares. In him ivas no sin, 1 John iii. 5. Peter, who 
 once in fear denied him, afterwards yielded up his life for him, 
 and before he died, testified, He did no sin, neitlier was guile found 
 in his moutJi, 1 Pet. ii. 22. But we are not left to gather this from 
 the testimony of his friends alone. He himself, when surrounded 
 by bitter enemies, who were seeking to kill him, and who even 
 then had the stones in their hands with which they meant to 
 stone him, could appeal to them. Which of you convinceth me of sin? 
 John viii. 46. How brightly did his perfect innocence shine, 
 even by the confession of his enemies, when they crucified him 
 as a malefactor ! His accusers were obliged to seek false wit- 
 nesses when they sought matter of accusation against him. Matt. 
 xxvi. 59. One of his own disciples betrayed him, but even he 
 repented himself, saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the in- 
 nocent blood, Matt, xxvii. 4. The judge who gave sentence 
 against him took water and washed his hands before the multitude, 
 saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person. Matt, xxvii. 24. 
 The thief crucified along with him said, This man hath done 
 nothing amiss, Luke xxiii. 41 ; and the centurion who executed 
 him, declared, CertoAnly this was a righteous man, Luke xxiii. 47. 
 God himself, to whom he committed his spirit, accepted of him, 
 and testified to his perfect holiness by raising him again from the 
 dead, and exalting him to rule over all. 
 
 It was needful that our Saviour should be thus holy. He 
 came to destroy sin, and therefore should have no fellowship 
 with it. He came to be a sacrifice for sin, but the law required 
 that the sacrificial lamb should be without spot or blemish. He 
 came to satisfy the offended justice of God, and it was therefore 
 necessary that justice should have no claims against himself He 
 came to teach the way of holiness, and to show by his own ex- 
 ample what it really is — but how could he do this, if not per- 
 fectly holy himself? He shall come to be our final judge, but the 
 judge of all must be above every suspicion of evil. He will be 
 the object of adoration and praise to the myriads of the heavenly 
 host forever and ever : but this he never could be, if not perfect- 
 ly holy, for those heavenly beings could not adore an unholy God. 
 
 2. Yet of this Being, thus pure and holy, it is expressly declared, 
 he hath been made sin for us. This of course cannot mean, that 
 any change was wrought in him, causing him to become unholy 
 
4 CHRIST MADE SIN FOR US. 
 
 — for this is abhorrent to all our ideas of his character, and to all 
 the declarations of the Scriptures respecting him. The meaning 
 is not that in himself he became sinful, but that in the eyes of 
 others, and especially of God the Father, he was made sin for us. 
 Without entering into the various controversies regarding the 
 meaning of this and kindred passages of Scriptures, it is sufficient 
 to remark, that its obvious meaning is two-fold. He was made a 
 sin-offer iwj for as, and in order that be might become such a sin- 
 oflfering, he was regarded and treated as a sinner. This last is the 
 prominent idea, and as it completely includes the other, alone 
 needs to be considered. 
 
 The object of Christ in assuming our nature was to make 
 atonement for our sins, and thus rescue us from the condemning 
 power of the law. This could be done only by his taking our 
 place, and suffering the punishment due to our sins. In other 
 words, by his becoming surety for us, and in being regarded and 
 treated as if he and not we, had been the object of divine wrath ; — 
 and surely it needs but little knowledge of his history to see that he 
 was thus regarded and treated, for no human malefactor ever suf- 
 fered such accumulated sorrows as met upon the head of Christ. 
 The prophet who foresaw his advent so long beforehand, predict- 
 ed that he would be a man of sorrows, and acquainted icith grief 
 Is. liii. 3, and his whole history amply confirms the prophecy. 
 
 1. The very first step in his course on earth was one of the deep- 
 est humiliation. lie had been seated on the highest throne in the 
 univer.se, and the splendors of the Godhead shone around his 
 brow. Adoring angels bowed before him, and in the hosom of the 
 Father he was dailij his delight, rejoicing always before him, Pro v. 
 viii. 30. But when the appointed time came, he left that throne 
 with its adoring hosts. lie tore himself away, in a measure, from 
 his communion with the Father, and veiling for a while the glo- 
 ries of his Divinity, he assumed the form of man, — the lowest, 
 for aught wc know, of all the rational creatures he had made. 
 Rut this great humiliation cannot be better expressed than in the 
 words of the apostle. Jieiiig in thefoi-m of Ood, and thinking it no 
 rohbei-y to he rqual icith God, he made himself of no reputation, and 
 took vpon himself the farm of a servant, and was made in the like- 
 ness of man, Phil. ii. G, 7. And when he came into the world, 
 what station did he assume ? Not that of a wealthy and power- 
 ful monarch. No troops of courtiers waited on his step.s, — no 
 human armies moved at his command. A few women ministered 
 
CHRIST MADE SIN FOR US. © 
 
 to him, — a few fishermen attended him, and the humblest fare 
 supplied the demands of nature. No palace received him, for 
 oftentimes, though the foxes had holes, and the birds of the air had 
 nests, the Son of Man had not ivhere to lay Ms head. And what 
 treatment did he receive from those whom he came to save ? In 
 the emphatic language of the evangelist. He came unto his own, 
 and his oivn received hiin not, John i. 11. Although he moved in 
 so humble a sphere, he enjoyed but little of the amenities of so- 
 cial life, — for we read of but few families that loved to receive 
 him, — of but few persons who dared to continue with him, when 
 the rulers set their faces against him. He was an object of scorn, 
 and contempt, or else of reproach ; of untiring malice, and of 
 unceasing persecution to the body of the nation among whom he 
 moved. Possessing the keenest sensibilities, and the liveliest 
 sympathy for everything that is lovely among men, he was tried 
 again and again with the unkindness and desertion of friends, — 
 with being forsaken by his own disciples in the hour of his ut- 
 most need, — and being betrayed by one who had often eaten of 
 his bread, and seen his works, and done wonders in his name, 
 and that too, for a sum that only equalled the pitiful price of a 
 slave! Desirous to do good to those with whom he associated, his 
 kindness was often met by refusals or neglect, so that he could 
 do no mighty works among them by reason of their unbelief 
 Possessing, as he did, the utmost conceivable abhorrence of sin, he 
 was 3'et obliged to associate daily and hourly with those whom he 
 himself described as being like sepulchres, fall of dead men's hones 
 and all tincleanness, Matt, xxiii. 27. Possessing as he did, the most 
 perfect knowledge of the human heart, he saw that many of those 
 with whom he associated, even while they professed kindness and 
 respect, were thinking evil of him in their hearts, Matt. ix. 4, such 
 knowledge could not but be painful to him, — but how much 
 more painful was it, when they openly, and to his face, called 
 him a blctsphemer and a devil, Matt. ix. 3 ; John viii. 48 ; John 
 X. 33. No wonder that in sorrow and in indignation, he ex- 
 claimed, iSay ye of him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into 
 the ivorld, thou hlasphemest! John xviii. 36. What is so hard to 
 bear as misrepresentation and slander ? Even when supported by 
 conscious innocence, it is a bitter thing to have one's character 
 unjustly traduced; but who ever drank so deep of this bitter cup 
 as did Jesus Christ? 
 
 But passing by all the other sufferings of our Saviour, con- 
 
6 CHRIST MADE SIN FOR US. 
 
 sider for a moment those that attended the close of his life. The 
 copiousness of that most copious of all languages in which the 
 New Testament is written, is exhausted in the effort to portray 
 the sorrows of his soul. The sufferings of his body were great, 
 when his siceat ivas as it were great drops of blood falling down to 
 the ground, and when so great was his exhaustion, that the presence 
 of a heavenly messenger was needed to strengthen him ; but as 
 an old writer has well remarked, it was " the sorrows of his soul 
 that were the soul of his sorrows." He began to be sorrowfid and 
 very Iieavi/, and said, My soid is exceeding sorrowful even unto death, 
 Matt. xxvi. 37, 38. Nor was this agony a mere temporary cloud 
 that passed over his mind. It lasted all that " dark and doleful 
 night" and all the next day, when surrounded by the insulting 
 priests and jeering crowd, — and when liurried through the forms of 
 a mock trial, to the cross. Upon that torturing tree he gave vent to 
 his sorrows in the exclamation, My God, My God, lohy hast thou 
 forsaken me? and as if even this strong exclamation did not ex- 
 haust the intensity of his feelings, and human language were 
 insufficient to express the sorrows of his soul, he cried again 
 with a loud voice, and gave vj) the ghost, Mark xv. 34, 37. 
 
 Much comment is unnecessary here. What malefactor ever 
 suffered, as Christ did ? Who Avas ever regarded and treated as 
 a sinner, worthy of the severest sufferings, if he was not ? And 
 be it observed too, that all this did not come upon him without 
 the knowledge and consent of the Father. This we miglit know, 
 even if it were not so revealed— but it is expressly so declared. 
 Not to mention that Christ himself recognized this, when he 
 prayed. Oh/ my Father, if it be possible, let this cu]) jmss from me, 
 the apostle in tlie text plainly asserts it to be the intention of the 
 Father, that these things should come upon him. He hath made 
 him to be sin for ?<.s,— although it was by wicked ha7ids that Christ 
 was crucified and .slain, yet it was also by the determinate counsel 
 and fore-knowledge of God, Acts ii, 23. 
 
 For what purpose, then, was Christ thus afilicted ? Why did 
 God suiler all these evils to meet upon him ? For himself, as an 
 innocent and holy being, he could not suffer. Some men may 
 account for his suflerings by saying, that God in his sovereignty 
 may inflict sufferings even on an innocent being. But this is°not 
 so. God may deprive an innocent being of the life he gave it, 
 but, and I say it with reverence, God himself cannot, and will 
 not, inflict one moment's suffering upon an innocent being, and 
 
CHEIST MADE SIN FOR US. 7 
 
 still less upon his own Son, unless tliat being be so connected 
 with guilty creatures, that his sufferings are for their sakes. And 
 this was the case with Christ. Not for himself, but for us, was 
 he regarded and treated as a sinner. Not for himself, but for us, 
 was his soul made an offering for sin, — not for himself, but for us,« 
 did he humble himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death 
 of the Cross. He loas made sin for us, that ive might be made the 
 righteousness of Ood in him. This was the great object of the suf- 
 ferings of Christ, and to this, in the last place, is your' attention 
 invited. 
 
 Naturally, we are all sinners. I know that men are slow to 
 believe this doctrine, for of all others it is the most unpalatable 
 to our self-love. But if there be any contidence to be reposed on 
 the universal testimony of experience, — if there be any truth in 
 the word of God, then this doctrine is true. "We are guilty in the 
 sight of God ; we are exposed to his everlasting curse ; we are 
 condemned already, and if a way of escape be not found, the 
 punishment that divine and eternal justice demands will be 
 inflicted on us. In order that we may escape, it is not suffi- 
 cient that from henceforth we should live perfectly holy lives, 
 even if that were possible, which for us it is not. There is a long 
 catalogue of sins marked against us, which must be all wiped 
 away ere we can go free. These sinful hearts of ours, too, must 
 be thoroughly renewed, and strength be afforded us to persevere 
 in the way of holiness, or there can be no hope for us. But how 
 shall all this be done ? No efforts of our own could deliver us. 
 No created power can perform all that is required. Ask the 
 friendless and penniless captive, who lies chained in his deep 
 dungeon, to pay his ransom and go free, and will he not say, that 
 you mock him, by such a proposal ? So should we say, to those 
 who tell us that our own righteousness can save us. No ; this 
 work exceeds all the powers of nature, but it does not exceed the 
 power of Christ. The object of his deep humiliation, and of all 
 his intense and bitter sufferings, was to atone for our sins, and to 
 procure a righteousness through which we might come with 
 acceptance before God. All this he has done, by his obedience 
 unto death ; and now the only question that remains is, How 
 shall we obtain the benefits thus procured for us ? The answer 
 to this is contained in the words of the apostle before us, that we 
 might be made the righteousness of God in him. By the words, in 
 him, the apostle here refers to that intimate union which exists, 
 
S CHRIST MADE SIX FOR US. 
 
 and must ever exist, between Christ and all tliose who partake 
 of the benefits of his salvation. It is a union so intimate, that 
 Christ and his people are considered as one body,— he the head, 
 and they the members,— and the work done by him is regarded 
 •as if it were done by them, and the sufferings endured by him as 
 if endured by them, and the righteousness of which he is the pro- 
 curer is considered as belonging to them. This union between 
 Clirist and every one of his true followers, so vitally important to 
 the salvation of the soul, is effected by faith,— that living, saving 
 faith, which receives Christ, and rests upon him alone for salva- 
 tion, — which renounces all confidence in our own merits or works, 
 and pleads only the merits of Christ, and which shows itself to 
 be genuinely working by love, and producing tliose effects upon 
 the heart and life Avhich the word of God requires. Would you, 
 then, be saved from sin, and be made the righteousness of God ? 
 My direction to you, is that which the apostle gave to the jailer 
 at Philippi, Believe in the Lord Jesus Clirist. So shall it be accom- 
 plished, and ye shall be saved. 
 
 We may learn, from the review of what has been said: 1. The 
 exceeding greatness of the love of God, and of Christ. You have 
 often heard of the sacrifices that some have made for their friends, 
 but who of you ever heard of sacrifices and sufferings endured for 
 friends, such as Christ endured for his enemies ? Make the case 
 your own. Would you consent, even for a few years, to live in 
 poverty and reproach for another? to walk in our streets with 
 the finger of scorn pointed at you ? to bear the sneers and malice, 
 and the insults and persecutions, of those in every way beneath 
 you ? Christ has done more, infinitely more than all this, for his 
 enemies ! Scarcely for a riglitbous man will one die. Per adventure 
 for a fjood man, some would even dare to die : but God commendeth 
 Aw love to ?<s, in Uiat ivliile we were yet sinners^ Christ died for us. 
 Rom. v. 7. Surely, herein is love! 2. We are also taught by it, 
 very impressively, the vilencss of sin, and its hatefulncss to God, 
 when, for its extirpation, Christ was willing to he made sin for us. 
 Men may count sin a light matter, while they roll it as a sweet 
 morsel under their tongues, — but Christ thought not so, when he 
 left liis high and glorious habitation to make atonement for 
 it, — he thought not so, in his bitter agony in the garden, — he 
 thought not so, when stretched upon the cross between heaven 
 and earth. It ought to produce many serious thoughts in our 
 minds, when we consider that it was not for himself, but for us, 
 
CHRIST MADE SIN FOR US. 9 
 
 that he suffered all this. And surely, if there is a spark of ingen- 
 uousness left in our minds, it will occasion us bitter mourning 
 that we have been the direct means of causing all this suffering 
 to fall upon him. Suppose that the imprudence of any one of 
 you had caused a beloved friend to lose property and life together, 
 with what feelings would you reflect npon your conduct after- 
 wards ? It was in reference to such a feeling as this, that it was 
 predicted by the prophet, They shall look upon him who7n they have 
 'pierced^ and they shall mourn for him^ as one mournethfor his only 
 son, and they shall be in liitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness 
 for his first-born, Zech. xii. 10. 
 
 Finally. We learn hence the completeness of this salvation, 
 and the importance of diligently seeking to secure an interest in 
 it. It cannot be supposed that Christ would suffer so much, and 
 yet leave his work unfinished. It cannot be supposed that any 
 flaw is to be found in that which was devised in the councils of 
 eternity, and wrought out in time, with such expense to the Son 
 of God. He hath done all things well. And surely, if he has 
 thought it worth his while to do all this for us, it is more than 
 worth your while, my hearers, to see to it that you lose not the 
 benefits of what he has done, 'and now so freely offers to you. 
 Hoio shall you escape, if you neglect this great salvation? 
 
 Macao, April 30, 1843. 
 
SERMON 11. 
 
 PRAISE. 
 
 Oh jirnise the Lord, all ye nations; praise him, all ye people. For his merciful 
 kinJnes!» is great towards us; and the truth of the Lord enduretli forever. 
 Praise ye tlie Lord.— Ps.vlm cxvii. 
 
 This is the shortest psalm, Lut by no means tlie least impor- 
 tant in the whole book. Its author is not eertainlj known, nor 
 the time of its composition. It is an exhortation to praise Jeho- 
 vah, on account of his great goodness, and foithfulness in keeping 
 his promises. But it is not merely an exhortation. It includes a 
 prophetical address to all the nations of the earth, showing that 
 all the human race is to be united* into one harmonious body, and 
 that not merely the Jews but also the Gentiles should engage in 
 the worship of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This is 
 manifest not only from an examination of the psalm itself, but 
 also from the testimony of the apostle Paul, who quotes it in the 
 Epistle to the Romans, xv. 11. After affirming that Jesus Christ 
 was a minister of (he circumcision^ that is, of the Jews, to confirm 
 the promises made unto the fathers; he adds, that another object 
 of his mission to the world, was that the Gentiles might glorify 
 God for his mercy, — which he confirms by adducing this among 
 other i)rcdictions of the Old Testament. 
 
 The first vcr.se contains an exhortation to all nations, to praise 
 Jehovah ; and this exhortation, according to the usual parallelism 
 of Hebrew poetry, is immediately repeated in slightly different 
 words. 'J'he following verse gives the reasons why Jehovah is 
 thus worthy to be })raised, and the psalm concludes with the ex- 
 hortation with which it commenced. Praise ye the Lord. This 
 address to the nations of the earth comes in the name of the 
 united church of the Jews, and the Gentiles. Once there was no 
 such union, — for the Jews, proud of their distinction, as the 
 chosen people of God, refused all intercourse in religion with 
 
PRAISE. 11 
 
 other nations ; and tlie Gentile bating sucli exclusiveness, and 
 dreading a religion that required such holiness of heart and life, 
 refused to associate with the Jew. But the cross of Christ has 
 broken down the middle wall of partition, and made both one, 
 and the writer of the psalm appears to have forgotten that such a 
 distinction existed. The conception of the mercy of God through 
 Christ has swallowed up every envious and jealous thought, and 
 he is only anxious that all nations should praise that being whose 
 attributes are so gloriously manifested towards our race. 
 
 Oh prcdse the Lord, all ye nations ; praise him, all ye people. 
 Praise is the giving to another the honor due for his excellent 
 qualities. When applied to God, it is the natural and unfeigned 
 exhibition of our esteem for those attributes, which excite our ap- 
 probation. It implies a right apprehension of the mighty acts, 
 and the excellent greatness of the Lord. It implies that we possess 
 some knowledge of the goodness of the Lord, and that his glory 
 is above the earth o.nd the heavens. The command, praise ye the Lord, 
 is one that is frequently repeated, and not simply repeated, it is 
 also enforced with an array of motives which show it to be a 
 command of great importance. In some of the psalms, the sole 
 object seems to be to call upon men to magnify the name of the 
 Lord ; and we meet but with few examples of devotion in the 
 Scriptures in which praise does not form a part. There is a dis- 
 tinction to be made between praise and thanksgiving. We praise 
 God when we declare his glory, — we offer thanksgiving when we 
 recognize his goodness as exercised towards ourselves. The former 
 may be offered with acceptance, when the heart is overwhelmed 
 with sorrow, for God is oftentimes glorified in the fires, Is. xxiv. 
 15, — but it is hard to offer the latter if the mind is not in a cheerful 
 frame. Yet it is not possible to offer either aright, if the heart 
 be at enmity with God. It is true that God makes even the 
 wrath of man to praise him, and to show forth his own glory, 
 but this is contrary to, or aside from their intention, and they are 
 not therefore accepted. It was no merit in the Assyrian monarch, 
 that he executed the commission and the charge against the peo- 
 ple of God's wrath, for he meant not so, neither did his heart think 
 so, Is. x. 7. It was no worthy action in Balaam, that he declared 
 so truly of God, that he was not a 7nan that he should lie, nor the 
 son of man that he should repent, Numb, xxiii. 19, — or that he 
 predicted so much good to Israel. His heart's design was to curse 
 Israel — his wish was that God might repent — and it was only by 
 
12 PRAISE. 
 
 constraint that lie spake as lie did. Jehovah obtained glory to 
 himself, by the words of his mouth, but he punished him for the 
 thoughts of his heart. None can praise God aright but those who 
 truly love him, and the command with which the psalm opens, to 
 praise the Lord, requires that we turn to him, with the whole 
 heart, in order that we may praise him. 
 
 But why are we thus earnestly called upon to celebrate the 
 praises of God ? Why should we, who are surrounded with so 
 many pleasing objects, turn aside from them to worship a being 
 we have never seen ? We need not turn aside. Everywhere there 
 is a place to praise him, and every object around us answers our 
 questions. The world we inhabit is one vast temple, erected for 
 the glory of God, and every object it contains, bears an inscrip- 
 tion that proclaims his excellency. It was the contemplation of 
 the attributes of God, as displayed in the beauty and magnificence 
 of our earthly home, with its varied ornaments and comforts, — 
 and still more, in the wise and bounteous supplies provided for 
 the necessities of our immortal souls, that called forth the psalm- 
 ist's grateful adoration. But more than this. The child of God 
 rejoices in his Father's attributes, not merely because of the in- 
 terest he himself has in them, but because of their intrinsic and 
 infinite excellence. We admire more, the fulness of a river, than 
 the little stream which merely quenches our thirst ; so we adore 
 the hand that bountifully supplies the wants of all, and scattering 
 showers, even on the desert, has still an abundance left, — more 
 than we should the same hand, were we the sole recipients of the 
 benefits it conveys. 
 
 The attributes of God here mentioned, as worthy of our 
 special gratitude and adoration, are mercy and truth. It is re- 
 markable how often these two attributes are conjointly mentioned. 
 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as Iceep 
 his covenant and his testimonies, Ps. xxv. 10, and Abraham and 
 Jacob, as well as David, and hosts of others, have found reason 
 to say, Mercy shall be built up forever ; thy faithfulness shalt thoxi es- 
 tablish in the very heavens, Ps. Ixxxix. 2. By the mercy of God is 
 to be understood his free and undeserved favor towards the hu- 
 man race, which is especially manifested in the redemption of our 
 race through Christ ; while by his truth, is evidently intended 
 his faithfulness in performing all his promises, and in continuing 
 to exercise towards his peo])le the mercy which he once began to 
 exercise. As Moses said to the Israelites, so may it be said in our 
 
days, The Lord thy God is a merciful God; he will not forsake thee, 
 neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers ivhich he 
 made unto thern^ Deut. iv. 31. 
 
 For his merciful kindness is great towards us. The kindness of 
 God is that favor which he exercises towards all his creatures, 
 and that compassion in supplying their wants which are both so 
 conspicuously displayed in his sending his son to redeem us. 
 There are various other ways in which his kindness to his crea- 
 tures is shown, but none which contain such a high evidence of 
 his love as this. It is the crowning proof and includes all the 
 rest. It is merciful, for we had not the slightest claim upon him 
 for any good thing. Nay, the very word mercy includes the 
 idea that the persons towards whom it is exercised are offenders, 
 and deserving of punishment, and such is really our case. 
 
 This mercy is not exercised towards us in that contracted 
 manner, that our feeble conceptions might have anticipated. It 
 is God who bestows it, and the gift is offered with a fulness and 
 a freeness worthy of the giver. His mercifd kindness is great 
 towards its, but not after our ideas of greatness. The ocean is 
 great when it reposes in the calm, or rolls in the tempest ; the 
 earth is great in the vastness, and swiftness, and precision of its 
 annual motion ; and the starry heavens, and the untold systems 
 of worlds beyond them, are great, and these all declare his glory ; 
 but his merciful kindness is greater far than these, for the fulness 
 of the sea is but a drop compared with those wells from which 
 the waters of salvation are drawn ; and the magnificence of the 
 rolling world and shining stars but dimly twinkles when com- 
 pared with the radiance that beams from the cross of Christ. 
 Count not this language, mere exaggerated declamation. Lift 
 your eyes to that bright world whose inhabitants dwell in the 
 immediate presence of God. Behold the multitude which no man 
 can number^ of all nations, and kindred^ and tongues, and people 
 standing before the throne, and, before the Lamh^ clothed with ivhite 
 robes, and ivith palms in their hands, Eev. vii. 9. Who are these? 
 Whence came they ? By what right do they thus stand before 
 the throne ? Well may we ask such questions ! These were 
 once men of like passions with ourselves, and compassed about 
 with infirmities like our own. How came they to enter heaven 
 and possess such a glorious inheritance ? Through no worthi- 
 ness of their own, but through the mercy of God in Christ. 
 That mercy was great, but who shall declare all. its greatness? 
 
14 PRAISE. 
 
 It prompted the Son of God to assume our nature— to be made 
 sin for us— to suffer and to die in our stead. Hear their own 
 song of praise to him — Thou art worthy^ for thou wast slain, and 
 hast retkemed lis to God hy thine own blood, Rev. v. 9. Surely 
 man cannot fathom the depths of God's love, nor worlds exhaust 
 the fulness of God's merciful kindness. Great as it is in itself, it 
 is if possible still greater when we consider to whom it is exer- 
 cised. Not to the angels, greater in might and excelling in 
 jx)wer, who kept not their first estate — but towards us, worms of 
 the dust enslaved by sin, exposed to all the miseries of this life, 
 and to the pains of hell forever — towards us who had no deliverer 
 and no hope, and who were rapidly hastening on to death — the 
 death of the bodj^, and more terrible still, the death of the soul — 
 the second death. Yea, His merciful kindness is great towards us. 
 No obstacles appalled the Son of God. No difficulties deterred 
 him from completing the work he had begun. Strong in the 
 might of his divinity, he stood alone against opposing hosts, and 
 vanquished Satan and his legions, to bring salvation to us. 
 
 It was no merely temporary impulse that prompted him thus 
 to act. It was no merely transient deliverance that he wrought. 
 His merciful kindness is great towards vis, and his truth endureth 
 forever. Mercy prompts him to form his purposes of love, and 
 to give us great and precious promises, and his unchanging truth 
 and fidelity sustains those purposes, and fulfils those promises. 
 There Avas gloom and sadness in our world when our first parents 
 ate the forbidden fruit. 
 
 " Eartli frcmlilcd from her entrails as again 
 In pr\nga ; and nature gave a second groan. 
 Sky lowered and, muttering timnder, some sad drops 
 Wept at completing of the mortal sin 
 Original." 
 
 What hope could there be for man after such an ofilmce? 
 Xonc, had not mercy filled the throne. But mercy prevailed, 
 and in the .sentence pronounced upon the serpent was contained 
 an intimation that God had not utterly cast off the human race. 
 It is mc).st dwply interesting to trace the various steps by which 
 mercy advanced in the design of saving men, and how amidst all 
 (liniciiltios, and obstacles, the faithfulness of God sustained the 
 purposes that mercy first devised. At one time almost th- 
 wliole human tacc had utterly apostatized from God, and it be- 
 
PKAISE. 15 
 
 came necessary for him to sweep them from off the face of the 
 earth. But there was one man who still retained his integrity, 
 and mercy preserved him alive, when the flood of waters de- 
 stroyed the rest of mankind. In his family the church was per- 
 petuated ; and when, again, the posterity of Noah had almost all 
 departed from God, one of his descendants was chosen to be the 
 depositary of the promise of God. To Abraham were the prom- 
 ises made, exceeding great and precious ; for in him, and in his 
 seed, were all the families of the earth to be blessed. Trace the 
 history of his descendants till the time of Christ, and behold 
 how the mercy of God bore with them in their provocations, and 
 how his faithfulness to the covenant made with their fathers sus- 
 tained them in the wilderness, and fed them in the desert ; how 
 it delivered them from the hands of their enemies, and prospered 
 them in the works of their hands ; how as a Avise father, he chas- 
 tised their iniquities, and as a covenant-keeping God he pre- 
 served them a peculiar people, until the appointed time for the 
 completion of the covenant. The Son of God appeared upon 
 earth in due time, and the faithfulness of God still sustained him. 
 Had it not been so, we might almost have feared, that great as 
 was the love the Saviour bore for men, still when the trying hour 
 came, and in his agony in the garden he prayed. Oh, my Father^ 
 if it he possible^ let this cup pass from me, he would have shrunk 
 back from the work of redemption. But no ! The truth of the 
 Lord endureth forever. He would not make void his promises to 
 Abraham, nor suffer his purposes to fail. The final results of all 
 his mercy and truth to man, you may see, in the great multitude 
 whom No man can number^ who stand before the throne, having come 
 out of great tribulation^ and washed their robes, and made them white 
 in the blood of the Lamb, Eev. vii. 14. The song they sing is 
 known to themselves alone — but surely, if they could now ad- 
 dress us, who meet in the courts of God's house below, it would 
 be in the words of the psalm we are considering, His merciful 
 kindness is great towards us, and the truth of the Lord endureth for- 
 ever. Praise ye the Lord. 
 
 I presume there are few in this house, who do not admit the 
 propriety of obeying the command contained in this Psalm, or 
 who do not hope to experience the mercy and faithfulness of God, 
 even in the highest manifestation of which it is capable, and of 
 which we have just been speaking. But on what grounds do 
 you hope to experience this mercy ? or be benefited by this 
 
16 PKAISE. 
 
 faithfulness of God ? For, be it remembered, though the mercy 
 of God is offered to all, it is not partaken of by all. Nay, there 
 is too much reason to fear, that the great majority of nominal 
 Christians never know by experience what it is. Men are in the 
 habit of resting on some general belief that God is too merciful to 
 condemn them forever. Some vague and indefinite notions of 
 his goodness and grace float across their minds, and they do not 
 trouble themselves to inquire farther. This is the error on which 
 millions of immortal souls are lost forever. God is merciful, yea, 
 infinitely merciful, — but he is merciful in his own way, and that 
 way is so clearly delineated in his word, that men are utterly in- 
 excusable if they do not see it, and walk therein. Common mer- 
 cies are bestowed upon all without exception, the evil as well 
 as the good, for he maketh his sun to shine, and sendeth rain 
 upon the just and the unjust; but this special mercy is to be 
 obtained only by those who are in Christ. For to those out of 
 Christ, our Ood is a consuming fire^ Heb. xii. 29. There is none 
 other name given under heaven among men, whereby we must he saved, 
 hut the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Acts iv. 12. This is 
 the reason why the saints in heaven ascribe so much honor to 
 the Saviour, because he redeemed them by his own blood. Mercy 
 does not wait for those who know him not ; but to those who have 
 fled to him for refuge, as the only hope set before him, there is 
 preserved, by the faithfulness of God, an inheritance that never 
 ends, and a crown of glory that fadeth not away. 
 Macao, May 7, 1843. 
 
SERMON III. 
 
 HEALING THE TEN LEPERS. 
 
 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of 
 Samaria and GaUlee. And as he entered a certain village, there met him ten men 
 that were lepers, which stood afar off: and they hfted up their voices, and said, 
 Jesus, master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said. Go show 
 yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass that, as they went, they were 
 cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and 
 with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him 
 thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering, said. Were there not 
 ten cleansed ? But where are the nine ? There are not found, that returned 
 to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy 
 way: thy faith hath made thee whole. — Luke xvii. 12-19. 
 
 It was always characteristic of our Lord Jesus Christ, that he 
 went about doing good. Whenever we hear of him, be it in his 
 youth, when sitting in the temple among the doctors of the law, 
 or in his manhood, when his public ministry had commenced, he 
 was still about his Father^s business, and so faithfully, that the zeal 
 of God's house even consumed him. The honor and glory of 
 God, and the happiness and wel&re of perishing men, were the 
 great objects before him. "Like a current of vital air, he went 
 through the length and breadth of the land, and his course was 
 marked by long lines of light and gladness." Where he trod, the 
 flowers sprang up beneath his footsteps, — where he looked, the 
 dark clouds disappeared, — where he spoke, sorrow fled, and those 
 who mourned were comforted. The number of miracles he per- 
 formed was truly wonderful. We are not to suppose, that he 
 wrought only those mighty acts which are either recorded or 
 alluded to in the gospels. The evangelist John expressly assures 
 Tis, There are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they 
 should be written every one, I suppose that the world itself could not 
 contain the boohs that shordd he written., John xxi. 25. It was not 
 the object of the Holy Spirit, in recording those of which we pos- 
 
18 HEALING THE TEX LEPERS. 
 
 sess accounts, merely to excite an empty wonder and astonish- 
 ment,— they were written for our instruction. They were in- 
 tended to be deeply pondered, and to be compared with other 
 parts of the Scriptures, in order that we may fully comprehend 
 them, and mark the evidences of divinity that illuminate every 
 act of our blessed Lord. 
 
 The miracle here recorded seems to have been performed in 
 the course of our Saviour's last journey to Jerusalem. He had 
 previously been spending some time in Galilee, under the juris- 
 diction of Ilerod. Luke xiii. 31, 32. The distance from the bor- 
 ders of Galilee and Samaria to Jerusalem, was about fifty miles, 
 in a direct line ^ but he seems to have gone in a circuitous direc- 
 tion, sometimes visiting parts of Samaria, and at others parts of 
 Galilee. Being his last journey, he was anxious to visit as many 
 places as possible, and to proclaim in each the near approach of 
 the kingdom he was about to establish. As he entered one of 
 the villages on his route, he was met by ten of those melancholy 
 and disgusting objects, some of whom are yet found as objects of 
 curiosity and compassion in the East. They were lepers. Of the 
 leprosy of the Scriptures, and in what respects it differed from the 
 disease of that name in modern times, it is difficult to obtain a 
 perfectly satisfactory account. It was a disease deeply rooted in 
 the system, and affecting the whole body. At first, it commonly ap- 
 peared in the form of a small reddish spot, either in the forehead or 
 elsewhere. From this, it gradually spread over the body, accom- 
 panied by ulcers and sores. The joints became distorted, — the fin- 
 gers sometimes dropped off from corruption, — and the miserable 
 being lingered on, sometimes for years, an outcast from all society, 
 but that of beings like himself; a mass of corruption, until the 
 system was broken down, and he sank to the leper's grave. The 
 •body of one affected with this disease was covered with scales, or 
 scurf, which were generally white, — hence the expression, so fre- 
 quently occurring, a hper loliile as snoio. It is somewhat uncer- 
 tain whether it wiis infectious or not. In Judea, it was regarded 
 as an immediate judgment of God. The leper was unclean, and 
 no efforts wore emjiloyed to heal him. The rules for the treat- 
 ment of leprous persons, which are laid down with great minute- 
 ness in the licvitical law, required that the leper be shut out from 
 all intercour.sc with society. Even his parents or children, or the 
 wife of his own bosom, did not dare to approach him. He was 
 unclr.in, and his tfiucli, like that of a dead body, polluted every- 
 
HEALING THE TEN LEPERS. 19 
 
 thing he handled. He was obliged to wear mourning, and keep 
 aloof from every uninfected person, himself warning them not to 
 approach him too nearly. The leper, in tohom the plague is, his 
 clothes shall be rent, and his head hare, and he shall put a covering 
 wpon his upper lip, o.nd shall cry. Unclean, unclean. All the days 
 ivherein the plague shall he in him, he shall he defiled ; he is unclean ; 
 he shall dwell alone ; without the camp shall his hahitation he, Lev. 
 xiii. 45, 46. 
 
 It is difficult to conceive of a more melancholy position than 
 that held by the lepers. Afflicted with an evil and an unclean 
 disease, and entirely uncertain when, if ever, it should be removed. 
 Shut out from all society, and under the ban of the Divine dis- 
 pleasure. Hope must have died away in the heart, when the priest 
 looked upon them, and pronounced them lepers, — and the com- 
 mand to. depart and dwell alone, must have filled them with 
 despair. 
 
 " Depart, depart, oh child 
 Of Israel, from the temple of thy God, 
 For he hath smote thee with the chastening rod, 
 
 And to the desert wild. 
 From all thou lovest, away thy feet must flee, 
 That from thy plague his people may be free." 
 
 Thus it was with these of whom we here read. Eelief they 
 could find from no human source ; but they had heard of the 
 fame of Jesus, and hoping that he might compassionate their 
 distress, and be able to relieve them, they put themselves in his 
 way. They did not dare to approach near to him, and therefore 
 stood afar off, — but they lified up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, 
 have mercy on us. It was an appropriate prayer for a leper to 
 offer. It was short, but it was heartfelt, and it was effectual, be- 
 cause it was addressed to that compassionate High Priest, who 
 was easily touched with the feelings of human infirmities, and 
 who never turned away a needy suppliant. We are not told the 
 feelings that filled his mind when he saw them, but it is not hard 
 to conjecture. On a former occasion, a single leper applied to 
 him for cleansing, and his heart was moved with compassion 
 towards him ; but here was an accumulation of misery, that could 
 not fail to awaken all his sympathies. He determined to relieve 
 them, but he did it in a way that tried their faith, and showed 
 their true characters. Instead of healing them on the spot, as he 
 could easily have done, he simply commanded them to go, and 
 
20 HEALING THE TEN LEPERS. 
 
 show themselves to the jrriesls. This was a tacit promise to heal 
 them. According to the Je^vish law, the priests alone had a right 
 to pronounce men clean from the leprosy, and as that law was 
 still in force, Christ, who came to fulfil all righteousness, on all 
 occasions obeyed its precepts. His sending them to the priests, 
 therefore, was equivalent to saying, By the time you have ar- 
 rived at Jerusalem, you shall be healed, and the duly authorized 
 ministers of the law shall receive you again, to the privileges 
 from which you have been so long debarred. It will be imme- 
 diately seen, that this was quite a trial to their faith. The journey 
 to Jerusalem, to men in their situation, was a long and fatiguing 
 one ; if they should not be healed before their arrival there, it 
 ■would be one of much trouble and inconvenience, for they could 
 not associate with any whom they might meet ; and if they should 
 not be healed at all (for such a suggestion doubtless occurred to 
 them), then their labor would be in vain ; they would be laughed 
 at, and sent away with renewed disgrace. To oppose all these 
 considerations, they had only the simple words of Christ, Go, 
 shoiv yourselves to the pnests. But their confidence in him, and 
 their desire for healing were so great as to make them disregard 
 all such suggestions, and in obedience to his command they went. 
 How richly was their faith rewarded! As they tvent they ivere 
 cleamed. They seem to have gone but a little way, when they 
 found the scales fall off from their bodies, and felt the warm 
 blood rush healthily through their veins, and the vigor of new 
 life beating in all their limbs. Their flesh came again as the flesh 
 of a little child, and they were clean ! Who shall describe their 
 joy at this sudden and unhoped for change? The sick man 
 rejoices when his fever has left him, and he slowly regains his 
 wonted health and vigor, — the exile rejoices when his eyes once 
 more rest on the home, and the friends of his youth, — the con- 
 demned criminal rejoices when his chains are struck off, and his 
 prison doors opened and himself sent forth free,— but the joy of 
 tlic lepers must have been greater than theirs. Here was deliver- 
 ance from a loathsome, painful, and incurable disease,— one that 
 shut them out from the society of friends, and which was indeed 
 the condemning sentence of God himself. No longer exiles, no 
 longer outcasts,— the temple of their God was reopened to them, 
 and the scenes of their youth invited their return. Life, and 
 health, and home, and friends,— these had been strange words to 
 them, but they were strange no longer, for the rent garment, and 
 
HEALING THE TEN LEPERS. 21 
 
 the covering on the lip, and the ashes on the head were removed, 
 and the cry unclean^ unclean, no longer proceeded from their lips. 
 
 No wonder that one of them, when he saw that he was cleansed, 
 turned immediately back, for he does not seem to have waited till 
 he went to Jerusalem, and with a loud voice glorified God. No 
 wonder that he fell down at his feet, giving him thanks. Imagine, 
 if you can, the words in which those thanks were expressed. 
 Doubtless, language would be poor to picture forth the emotions 
 that struggled in his breast, at such a time as that. 
 
 But who, or what was he who thus returned to glorify God ? 
 One who had never before read this account, would be disposed 
 to say. Certainly he was a Jew, early trained to acknowledge the 
 true God, and offer to him his thank-offerings and praise. For 
 some great sin he had been thus sorely afflicted, but now the 
 heavy hand of God is removed, and he has returned to own his 
 renewed obligations ! But alas ! for the hardness of the human 
 heart. Alas ! for its insensibility to the favors of the giver of 
 all good. Of the ten who were cleansed, nine appear to have 
 been Jews, and one alone, a Samaritan ; and yet he, of whom the 
 least might have been expected, was the only one sensible of his 
 duty. The Samaritans were a mongrel race, descended from the 
 remnants of the ten tribes who were left in the land, when the 
 nation was as a body removed, and the heathen whom the Assy- 
 rian king sent to occupy the land. They corrupted the worship 
 of God by the addition of numerous idolatrous rites, and in at- 
 tempting to serve the Lord., and worship graven images^ they became 
 objects of greater detestation to the Jews than even the heathen 
 themselves. The Jews had 7io dealings with the Samaritans^ and 
 our Saviour himself, declared that they worshiiyped they knew not 
 what. It was therefore hardly to be expected that a Samaritan 
 leper, should show more gratitude and true devotion, than 
 those who had been carefdly trained in all the laws of the Jewish 
 faith. Hence, the expression of our Lord, Were there not ten 
 cleansed ? he exclaims, hut lohere are the nine ? It was a severe 
 censure he cast upon them, when he added, There are not found 
 thai returned to give glory to Ood, save this stranger. Yet, though 
 he came alone, and though he was a stranger and an outcast, he 
 was not therefore received with the less favor. He came to that 
 good Shepherd, who cares even for the weak and diseased of his 
 flock, — who does not refuse any, however despised by those that 
 are strong. Our Lord looked upon him with favor, and graciously 
 
22 HEALING THE TEN LEPERS. 
 
 Baid, Arise, go thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole. By liis 
 faith in Christ in the first instance, he was cured of his leprosy, 
 but by his living faith exemplified now in his gratitude, he ^vas 
 delivered from that more dangerous disease, the leprosy of sin. 
 His soul was made whole, and he was henceforth numbered among 
 the chosen people of Christ. We are not told anything farther 
 respecting either him or his companions. Doubtless, they all 
 proceeded to Jerusalem, in order to be received with due formality, 
 to the rights and privileges of Jewish society, — and from what 
 we have already seen of this Samaritan, we may well suppose, 
 that as he went along, he would jmUish the matter much, and blaze 
 it abroad, as did the first leper whose cleansing is recorded in the 
 gospels, Mark i. 45. 
 
 There are many important lessons taught by this miracle, but 
 space and time, allow the mention of only the following : — 
 
 1. "We are taught here very impressively that all faith is not 
 saving faith, — nay, that men may possess much of a certain kind 
 of faith, and yet be very far from securing the approbation of 
 God. It is perfectly manifest that all these lepers had faith in 
 Christ, and even in a high degree. They believed that he was 
 both able and willing to heal them, and when commanded by 
 him to undertake a long journey, they unhesitatingly obeyed, 
 though they had only his word to depend upon, as the ground 
 of their hope for cleansing. Nor can we possibly suppose, that 
 when they found themselves so completely cured, no joyful emo- 
 tions passed through their minds. It is hard to believe that they 
 were so depraved as not to feel at least a transient glow of grat- 
 itude to him whose word had healed them. Perhaps they made 
 many promises to themselves, and resolved that at some time or 
 other they would show their sense of the obligation conferred 
 upon them. But we do not hear that they ever sought again the 
 face of their benefactor, while we do hear him censuring their in- 
 gratitude. Were there not ten cleansed, but ichere are the nine f And 
 we hear him higlily commending the conduct of the Samaritan, 
 who acted so diflerently from his companions in suffering, and in 
 blessing — Arise, thy faith hath made thee whole. In what respect 
 then did his faith dilfer from theirs ? In this, that it icrought by 
 love, and purified the heart. The sense of obligation brought him 
 back to the Saviour's feet, and the praises that were uttered from 
 his lips, were only the expression of his heart's deep emotions. 
 Their faith afTccted only the understanding, and therefore differed 
 
HEALING THE TEN LEPERS. 23 
 
 in no respect from that possessed bj^ Simon Magus, wlio believed 
 and was baptized, and yet remained in tlie gall of bitterness and 
 the bonds of iniquity, or that of the devils who helieve and tremble. 
 This affected his heart, and showed itself in his life ; and the 
 commendation which the Saviour bestowed on him, and the 
 words with which he dismissed him, showed that his faith was 
 acceptable to him. 
 
 2. The record of this miracle gives a melancholy picture of 
 human nature, and of the insensibility of men to the favors they 
 receive from their Creator. We are apt to think that those who 
 receive great favors from God must be very grateful, and that those 
 highly distinguished by him in outward advantages, will be pro- 
 portionately zealous in his service. Certainly this should be so, 
 for the natural impulses of the heart demand it. But, alas ! it is 
 far otherwise. Great privileges do not show great grace. Often- 
 times those most highly favored are least sensible of their obli- 
 gations ; while true gratitude and zeal for God are found where 
 least expected. In the case of the ten lepers, he alone," from 
 whom the least was to be expected, was found to possess the 
 right spirit. The conduct of the Jewish lepers, was but in minia- 
 ture, that of the Jewish nation. No people on earth were so 
 highly favored as they. What nation was there who had God so 
 nigh unto them as the Lord their God was, in all things that they 
 called upon him for ? and what nation was there that had 
 statutes and judgments so righteous as theirs ? What nation 
 was there that had received so many tokens of God's favor, or 
 had made so many professions of zeal and gratitude and obe- 
 dience as they? Yet, when their own long-expected Messiah 
 came among them, how did they receive him ? He came to Ms 
 own^ and. Ids oion received him not, John i. 11. The publicans and 
 sinners believed, but they themselves in scorn exclaimed — Have 
 any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed? From the east and the 
 west, the Gentiles came and sat down with Abraham in the 
 kingdom of heaven, but through their own madness the children 
 of the kingdom were cast out. It was a terrible retribution that 
 befell the highly-favored cities on the coast of the sea of Galilee, 
 Woe unto thee, Chorazin ! Woe unto thee, Beihsaida ! and thou Ca- 
 pernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell; 
 for if the mighty worJcs which had been done in thee, had been done in 
 Sodom, it would have remained unto this day, Matt. xi. 21, 23. 
 
 But while you wonder at, and condemn the criminal negligence 
 
24 HEALING THE TEX LEPERS. 
 
 and unbelief of the Jews, beware lest you seal your own condem- 
 nation. The privileges of the Jews were no greater than those 
 that we enjoy ; and there are but too few among ourselves who 
 rightly improve the mercies granted to us. Who of you can say, 
 I have rendered again unto the Lord according to the benefits re- 
 ceived from him ? God hath but poor service from many who 
 are most bountifully fed by him. He hath more rent, and better 
 paid him from a smoking cottage, than he has from some stately 
 palaces ! 
 
 3. This miracle is especially important as showing the power 
 and character of Jesus Christ, in pointing out to us the way for 
 needy sinners to approach and obtain his grace. It has already 
 been mentioned that the Jews considered the leprosy incurable by 
 human skill. They never used any means to cleanse those af- 
 flicted with it, but committed their case entirely to God, as the 
 only being able to relieve them. The curing of the leprosy 
 therefore was one of the strongest evidences of a divine mission. 
 When Moses was sent to be the leader of the Israelites one of the 
 proofs he gave, was the curing of the leprous hand. One of the 
 most remarkable instances of the way in which the Israelites re- 
 garded this disease is found in the account of Naaman the Syrian. 
 When his royal master sent him to Ahab, that Elisha might cure 
 liis disease, the Israelitish king supposed that the Assyrian 
 monarch wished to seek a quarrel with him by requiring him to 
 perform an impossibility. He rent his clothes, and said, Am I 
 God to l-ill, and to maJce alive, that this man doth send unto me to re- 
 cover a man of his leprosy? 2 Kings v. 7. But when these men 
 came to Christ to be cleansed of this incurable disease, he made 
 no objection, — with a word he removed their plague, and sent 
 them away rejoicing. By his own power he relieved their mala- 
 dies; and without reluctance, received the worship that one of 
 them offered him in return. He was God, who had power to hill 
 and to make alice, and to recover men of their leprosy; and the 
 worship they offered him, he received as justly his due. 
 
 4. The manner in which he received the lepers, and sent them 
 away, aff(jrds us great encouragement, when we wish to make 
 supplications to him. In but too many particulars our case is as 
 mi.serablc, and liclpless, and hopeless, as that of the lepers them- 
 selves. The poison of sin has so pervaded our whole nature, 
 that we arc hy it utterly defiled. It shuts us out from tlie society 
 of all holy beings, and utterly unfits us for communion with God, 
 
HEALING THE TEN LEPERS, 25 
 
 or for engaging in his service. The leper did not dare to appear 
 in the temple of God, or pollute with his touch the vessels of the 
 sanctuary. Sin ruins the soul, and brings destruction upon it, as 
 surely as the plague of the leprosy destroyed the body. It is 
 also as totally incurable by human efforts as that was, and 
 nothing less than divine power can remove it from us. 
 
 " Sin, like a venomous disease, 
 
 Infects our vital blood ; 
 The only balm is sovereign grace, 
 
 And the physician, God." 
 
 But pitiable and hopeless as our case is, if we look only to our- 
 selves, there is deliverance if we but seek for it, Jesus Christ is 
 as able to save us from sin, as he was to cure the leprosy. Matt. 
 ix. 6. He alone has such power. Under the ancient Jewish 
 law, none but God could cleanse the leper ; none but the priest 
 pronounce him clean. Christ as God forgives our sin; as our 
 great high priest he both pronounces and makes us holy. This 
 he is ever ready to do. If we but come to him as the lepers 
 came, feeling our misery, feeling a desire to be relieved, believing 
 that he is able to do it, then, though conscious guilt may make 
 us stand afar off^ yet if we lift up our voices, and cry unto him, 
 Jesus ^ Master^ have mercy on us. He will hear our prayers, and 
 grant our request. And this is our only hope, but, blessed be 
 God, it is one that shall not be disappointed. 
 
 Macao, May 21, 1843, 
 
SERMON lY. 
 
 RESURRECTION AXD ASCENSION OF CHRIST. 
 
 And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands and blessed 
 them. And it came to pass while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and 
 carried up int(» heaven. — Llke xxiv. 50, 51. 
 
 The object of the mission of Jesus Christ to the world was 
 the sublimest that ever entered into the mind of any being in the 
 universe. He came to overcome Satan and vanquish death. He 
 came to rescue a race sunk in misery and enslaved by sin. He 
 came to assert the honor of God, — to proclaim the glory of his 
 character, — to show the excellency of his nature, and to recover 
 his rightful dominion over the world. These were objects worthy 
 of tlie might of him who came to save. If obtained, no tongue 
 could declare their greatness ; but as well may be supposed, they 
 were not easily accomplished, — for in this world, nothing great is 
 ever effected without labor and sacrifice, and in this case especially, 
 the way to glory led through shades and sorrows. The day is 
 bright beyond conception, but it was ushered in by a night of 
 darkness and of storms. 
 
 Very sad must have been the feelings of the disciples of 
 Christ when they saw him ignominiously crucified, — but still 
 more so, when they saw him giving up the ghost, and followed his 
 lifeless and mangled body to the tomb. It was a sepulchre hewn 
 in tlic rock, a great stone was rolled to the door, a seal set upon 
 it, and a guard placed. That day was the preparation for. the 
 Sabbath. It was usually a time of solemn joy, — but not so now 
 to tlic little band of Christ's followers. They had, strangely 
 enough, misunderstood all that he told them concerning the 
 kingdom he was about to establish. Tiicy utterly forgot his pre- 
 diction that ho must be put to death, and its cheering accompani- 
 ment, that he should rise again. The great stone and the seal, 
 
RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION OF CHRIST. 27 
 
 and the guard and death himself had removed the object of their 
 hope from their eyes, and to their unbelief it seemed as though 
 God's promise had now failed, and Christ's power been ended. It 
 seemed as if Satan's victory were now complete, and hope for a 
 while deserted them. We trusted that it had been he which should 
 have redeemed Ismel, Luke xxiv. 21. But now our enemies say 
 in their hearts, Ah, so would we have it. We have sivallowed him 
 up, Ps. XXXV. 25. It was the preparation, and the Sabbath drew 
 on — the emblem of peace and rest, but it brought no rest to them, 
 for the disappointment of cherished hopes is a bitter thing, and 
 the dearer the hope, the bitterer the disappointment. Hope de- 
 ferred even, maketh the heart sick, but hope utterly lost, is like 
 the giving up of the ghost. 
 
 The Sabbath passed away with them in silence and sorrow, 
 for though hope had apparently left them, they could not forget 
 Him. His looks of affection were pictured on their hearts, and 
 the music of his words yet lingered in their ears. As the next 
 day dawned, several women proceeded to the place where they 
 had seen him laid, with spices and ointment to embalm his body. 
 Last at the cross, they were also first at the sepulchre. So com- 
 pletely had they given up the hope of ever seeing him they loved 
 alive again, that their only solicitude was to preserve the dead body 
 from decay, and to lavish upon it the attentions they could no 
 more give to him. But wonderful events had occurred. It was 
 the Lord of life who had been laid in that lonely tomb, and death 
 had no power to retain him a moment longer than he chose. 
 By his own power he burst those bonds, John ii. 19. x. 18. In 
 his late conflict he overcame and destroyed him that had the 
 power of death, that is, the devil. True, he became obedient, even 
 unto death ; but it was of his own accord, that he gave up the 
 ghost, and it was but for a little time that he suffered the grave 
 to possess his body. When the time appointed in the counsels of 
 God, and fixed by his own predictions, had come, he rose trium- 
 phant over death and the grave. Vain were all the efforts of his 
 enemies to detain him. The stone and the seal, and the guard, 
 and death itself were less to him than the cords with which Samson 
 was bound, which were but as the flax when it toucheth the fire. 
 There had been an earthquake, — an angel from heaven descended, 
 to roll the stone away, — and he that was dead arose, not like 
 Lazarus in his grave-clothes, again to die, — for he left the garments 
 of mortality behind him, and lives for evermore. All this must 
 
28 RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION OF CHRIST. 
 
 have happened before the dawn of day ; for Mary Magdalene, 
 who seems to have come first to the sepulchre, came while it was 
 yet dark, and even then saw the stone taken away. In her fear 
 she left the companion with whom she came, and ran to call Peter 
 and John. While she was absent, another company of women 
 on the same affectionate errand came, and saw ai vision of angels, 
 who assured them that He whom they sought was not there. 
 Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not Itere, hut is risen, 
 Luke xxiv. 5, 6. When they had gone, Mary Magdalene returned 
 with Peter and John. The two disciples inspected the sepulchre, 
 but saw no angels, and departed, wondering at what had taken 
 place, and Mary remained alone, weeping at the sepulchre. It 
 was then that Jesus appeared to her. Tears dimmed her eyes, 
 and she knew him not, till in his own familiar voice he said unto 
 her, Mary, She turned herself and saith unto him, Rahhoni — Mas- 
 ter ! After this he appeared to the other women, and sent them 
 also to inform his disciples of his resurrection. But it was hard 
 for them to believe this announcement. The news was too good 
 to be true ; and like Jacob of old, when told that Joseph was yet 
 alive, their hearts died within them, and they could not believe. 
 Return from the dead was no common event; the grave is not 
 easily satisfied ; death does not readily yield up his prey. Even 
 after the Lord had appeared to Simon, and to the two disciples 
 going to Emmaus, they could scarcely believe ; and it was not 
 till he himself had come among them and upbraided them for their 
 hardness of heart and their unbelief, that they were convinced, 
 and even after they were convinced, astonishment and fear and joy 
 so overpowered them that they were confounded, and scarcely 
 knew their own minds. For very joy they believed not, and 
 wondered, until from further and frequent intercourse with him, 
 they were satisfied that there could be no illusion. He shoiced 
 himself alive to tliem after his passion, by many infallible proofs, be- 
 ing seen of them forty days. Acts i. 3, and at one time, by as many 
 as five hundred of the brethren at once, 1 Cor. xv. 6, speaking to 
 them of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. Those 
 were pleasant interviews they liad with him, when again they 
 heard his gracious words, and saw his wondrous works. But it 
 was not his purpose to remain with them in his human nature on 
 earth. It was not necessary, — nay, it was not desirable, for him- 
 self had told them. It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I 
 
RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION OF CHRIST. 29 
 
 go not away^ the Comforter will 7iot come unto you ; hut if I depart 1 
 will send him unto you, John xvi. 7. 
 
 The time drew near when he should depart out of this world 
 unto the Father ; and having loved his oivn which were in the ivorld, 
 he loved them to the end, John xiii. 1. In affectionate converse, he 
 led them out by an oft frequented road, as far as to Bethany. 
 Could we but have heard that conversation ! But no record of it 
 is left to us. His last recorded words were spoken in Jerusalem, 
 and included the promise of the speedy coming of the Spirit. 
 What further he said as they accompanied him to Bethany, we 
 know not ; perhaps it would not be well, for any but those called 
 to be apostles, as they were, to know. 
 
 A very common mistake prevails as to the place of Christ's 
 ascension ; owing to a misunderstanding of the account in the 
 Acts of the Apostles, most persons have supposed that it was from 
 the top of the Mount of Olives, and a church has even been 
 erected on the spot from which he is supposed to have ascended. 
 But this is certainly incorrect. The text expressly asserts, that 
 He led his disciples out as far as to Bethany, beyond the Mount of 
 Olives, a7id lifted up his hands and blessed them, and while he blessed 
 them he luas parted from them, and carried up into heaven. Oh, 
 what a time was that ! they had gathered around him to hear his 
 last words, they gazed upon him with solemn awe, for already the 
 glories of the upper sanctuary beamed around him, and while 
 they beheld he was taken up, — not in haste, nor in fear, but slowly 
 and majestically he ascended, and a cloud received him out of 
 their sight. When Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind 
 by a chariot of fire and horses of fire, Elisha could exclaim, My 
 father. My father, the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof, but 
 the disciples of Christ uttered no words, for their emotions were 
 too deep for utterance. They were like men already released 
 from the earth, and seemed to have already entered the portals of 
 the eternal temple. What was the world with all its petty con- 
 cerns to them, when they saw their risen Lord ascending, and 
 found the inhabitants of the heavenly world standing by them in 
 their triumphal apparel ? The whole life of our Saviour on earth 
 had been an object of most peculiar interest to the angels. They 
 had predicted his coming, and announced his birth, and sung the 
 glory of his advent. They had ministered to him in the desert, 
 and strengthened him in the garden, and watched over him in 
 the grave. They had welcomed him as he returned to life again, 
 
so RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION OF CHRIST. 
 
 and two of them stood now by his disciples, to say to them, This 
 same Jems, which is taJcen up from you into heaven, shall so come 
 in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. Unnumbered 
 hosts of them received him as he left the world and proceeded to 
 his high throne in the heavens. The chariots of God are twenty 
 tliousand, even thousands of angels : the Lord is among them as in 
 Sinai, the holy place. Thou hast ascended on high; thou hast hd 
 captivity captive, Ps. Ixviii. 17. Truly, we may say with the 
 Psalmist, God is gone up loith a shout, the Lord with the sound of a 
 trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises, sing praises to our King, 
 sing praises, Ps. xlvii. 5. 
 
 It is not easy to estimate too highly the importance of the 
 doctrines of the resurrection and ascension of Christ. It was a 
 subject of frequent and express prediction by himself. From that 
 time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples how that he must 
 go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief 
 priests, and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day, 
 Matt. xvi. 21. It was the proof he gave of his divine mission, 
 when asked by the Jews what sign he gave, and by what au- 
 thority he acted, he referred them to his resurrection — Destroy 
 this temple, and in three days / ivill raise it up, John ii. 19. So 
 well were these predictions known, that after his burial, the Phar- 
 isees came together unto Pilate, saying — Sir, we remember that 
 that deceiver said, while he was yet alive. After three days L will rise 
 again. Matt, xxvii. 63. Had he not risen, therefore, we could 
 have regarded him in no other light than as a jDrophet of lies. 
 We must have considered then that all his claims to be the 
 Saviour of the world were false, — that he was a deceiver, — and to 
 whom then could we have gone ? As the apostle says, If Christ 
 he not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain — 
 ye are yet in your sins, 1 Cor. xv. 14. Of what avail then had it 
 been to us, that he assumed our nature, that he dwelt among 
 men, that he wrought miracles, that he preached glad tidings, 
 that he suffered and died ? If he rose not again we are most 
 miserable, and must lie down in sorrow. But blessed be God ! 
 wonderful as the account is that tells us of his resurrection, it is 
 one that cannot be doubted — for no fact in history is so iirmly 
 established. The day we celebrate as the Lord's day, is alone 
 a suOicient proof. Why does tlie whole Christian church observe 
 the first, instead of the seventh day of the week as the Sabbath ? 
 
RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION OF CHRIST. 31 
 
 Because on this day Christ rose from the dead, and it is there- 
 fore a day of gladness and joy to our souls. 
 
 The power of God as displayed in the resurrection of Christ 
 is especially worthy of our notice. It is no common thing to see 
 the grave give up its tenants, and those that sleep in the dust to 
 arise. Especially in this case was it little to be expected. The 
 God of this world, the devil, of whom it was a terrible charac- 
 teristic that he had the power of death, Heb. ii. 14, had peculiar 
 reasons for wishing to keep the Saviour in the tomb. He well 
 knew that the continuance of his power, and the preservation of 
 his kingdom among men, depended upon his defeating the pre- 
 dictions of Christ, and preventing his resurrection. To this 
 point therefore was all the ingenuity and malice of hell directed, 
 but all in vain. 
 
 He who had power to lay his life down, had also power to take it 
 again, John x. 8, and on the third day he showed himself the 
 conqueror of death and the grave. Behold here, the working of 
 the might of God's power, as the apostle expresses it, which he 
 wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead, and set him at 
 his own right hand in heavenly places, Eph. i. 19, 20. 
 
 The effects of the resurrection of Christ are most glorious, 
 and to us of the deepest moment. It was the seal of all he did, 
 and the completion of our salvation. The work of atonement 
 for sin was accomplished when he exclaimed on the cross — It is 
 finished, and died for our sins ; but the work of redemption was 
 not completed until he rose again for our justification, Rom. iv. 25. 
 It was thus that he destroyed death, — it was thus that he led cap- 
 tivity captive. He thus became the first fruits of them that slept, 
 and his resurrection is the pledge that all his followers shall like- 
 wise rise to glory ; as he has overcome death, so all his followers 
 shall. The grave may for awhile possess their bodies, but its 
 possession shall be but for a little time. On the morning of the 
 Sabbath he rose from the tomb, leaving his grave-clothes behind 
 him. When the morning of the Eternal Sabbath shall dawn, 
 our bodies shall be raised incorruptible, no more to return to the 
 dust ; and we shall be changed. It will not be long till that time 
 comes. It was but a few hours that Christ lay in the tomb, it is 
 but a short time that we shall lie there, and if we have known 
 the fellowship of his sufferings, — if we be now dead to the world, 
 and our life be hid with Christ in God, then shall we also appear 
 with him in glory. Then shall it be said to us, Thy dead shall 
 
32 RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION OF CHRIST. 
 
 live, with my dead hody shall they arise. Awake and sing ye that 
 dwell in dust : for thy deiv is as the deiu of herbs, and the earth shall 
 cast Old the dead, Is. xxvi. 19. But it should excite jou to watch- 
 fulness and diligence, to know that it is not every one who 
 shall rejoice at that solemn time. Blessed and holy is he that hath 
 part in the first resurrection : on such the second death hath no poiuer, 
 hut they shall he priests of God and of Christ, Eev. xx. 6. 
 
 The ascension of Christ was a further step in his exaltation. 
 He who had humbled himself so low for our sakes, who had not 
 shrunk from the loathsome grave, was now to he exalted far above all 
 principality, andpotcer, and might, and dominion, and every name that 
 is named not only in this world, but in the ivorld to come, Eph. i, 21, 
 It would, doubtless, have been pleasant to have had him remain in 
 this world, to our weak faith, and often fainting hope, and flag- 
 ging zeal ; it would have been encouraging to have had a visible 
 head to resort to. But it was not necessary, while the reasons 
 for his going away were such, that it was better he should depart. 
 lie has gone, that he might send the Comforter. He has gone to 
 intercede for his people, for he ever liveth to make intercession for 
 them, Ileb, vii. 25. He has gone that he might exercise the prov- 
 idential government of this world — yes, of all worlds in behalf 
 of his blood-bought church. It may cause a smile on the part of 
 some to hear so much importance attached by us to the afifliirs of 
 the too commonly despised church of Christ. It may subject us 
 to the charge of overweening vanity and self-conceit, when we 
 claim for her, the special care, and deepest thoughts of the infinite 
 Jehovah ; but this arises from ignorance of her true importance 
 in his eyes. When we read such passages as this— //e that 
 touchdh you, touchcth the apple of his eye, Zech. ii. 8 ; and this, God 
 hath mark Christ to he head over all things for the church, Eph. i. 22, 
 it will be seen that it is impossible to estimate too highly her 
 dignity and value in the eyes of her Maker. She is a crown of 
 fjlory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand cf her 
 God, Is. Ixii. 3. 
 
 The Saviour has gone to prepare a place for his disciples, and 
 he himself has added, If I go and prepare a place for you I ivill 
 come again and receive you unto myself that where I am there ye may 
 he also, John xiv. 2, 3. 
 
 It is for this that we wait. The world may now look down 
 upon the church of Clirist, and scorn our expectations of future 
 glory, as the vain dreams of enthusiasts, or the silly ravings of 
 
EESURRECTIOISr AND ASCENSION OP CHRIST. 83 
 
 fanatics ; but we know in wliom we have believed. He ascended 
 in the clouds to heaven, and the angels who stood by his apostles 
 as they gazed up after him into heaven, assured them that he 
 should so come again in like manner as they had seen him go 
 into heaven. He shall come as he went, in the clouds^ and yet 
 not altogether as he went, for but few of the human race wit- 
 nessed his departure ; and though crowds of angels attended him, 
 but few of them were visible to human eyes. But not so shall he 
 come, Tlie Son of man shall come in the clouds of heaven with foioer 
 and great glory, Matt. xxiv. 30. He shall come in the glory of his 
 father^ tvith the angels, Matt, xvi. 27, Behold he cometli with clouds: 
 and every eye shall see him, and they also ivhich pierced him, and all 
 tlie Icindreds of the earth shall ivail because of him. Rev, i, 7, 
 
 The solemnity and sublimity of that coming, I shall not at- 
 tempt to describe ; but as an ambassador of him, who we believe 
 shall come to he our judge, I exhort you to be in readiness for his 
 coming. Let your loins he girded about and your lam^ps burning , 
 and ye yourselves, like unto men that loait for their Lord, Luke xii. 
 35, 36, God grant that when he comes we may not be forced to 
 cry unto the rocks and the mountains to fall on us, and cover us 
 from his presence ; but rather may look up, and welcome his 
 coming with joy, knowing that our redemption draweth nigh, 
 
 MxVGAO, May 28, IS'IS. 
 
SERMON Y. 
 
 INFLUENCES OF THE SPIRIT. 
 
 I tell you the trudi : it is expedient for you that I go away ; for if I go not away, the 
 Comforter will not come unto you ; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.— 
 John xvl 1. 
 
 TiiEKE was a touching scene exhibited in an upper room at 
 Jerusalem, when these words were uttered, and the painter's 
 imagination and skill has been called into exercise more than 
 once to depict it. Let us for a moment exchange places with the 
 disciples, and imagine their thoughts and feelings. They had 
 now been living with the Saviour for three full years, and shared 
 his lot in every variety of circumstances. They had followed 
 him in all his wanderings, they had been hungry and thirsty with 
 him. AVhen wearied, they had sat at his feet, when refreshed, they 
 had walked again at his side. They had seen his miracles. They 
 had marked the glow of intelligence and joy diffused over the face 
 of the blind, when the light of day first shone upon their hitherto 
 darkened sight ; they had observed how the dumb praised him, 
 and those who had been deaf listened to his gracious words. 
 They had seen the lepers approach him without fear, and the 
 lame follow him with unfaltering steps. They had witnessed the 
 joy of the desolate widow, as she bent over her only son restored 
 to life by him. They had themselves experienced his power. 
 lie had fed them in the desert, and saved them when the tempest 
 had threatened to swallow them up. They had followed him 
 through evil and through good report, trusting that he should 
 redeem Israel. They had seen him reviled by the wicked, and 
 mocked by the scribes and pharisecs, till t^hcy felt ready to call 
 for the fire of heaven to consume their opposers. The}' had seen 
 many turning back, and walking no more with them, while they 
 them.sclvcs, knowing that he had the words of life, still clave to 
 him. They had been with him in the holy mountain, and had 
 
INFLUENCES OF THE SriKIT. 35 
 
 seen him when his face did shine. They had heard the voice 
 which proclaimed from heaven, This is my beloved Son. They had 
 but lately accompanied him in Iiis triumphal entry into Jerusa- 
 lem ; they had heard the multitude shout Hosannah ! and hoped 
 that now should be the end of all sufferings, and the consumma- 
 tion of all their hopes. 
 
 But, strangely enough, after all this, they heard him exclaim, 
 even in a public assembly, Now is mij soul troubled, and what sJtall 
 I say? Father, save me from this hour, John xii. 27. In private, 
 they marked that he became more solemn and sad than before. 
 The pale and pensive face of the man of sorrows, is now more 
 deeply furrowed by grief Mysterious influences weigh down his 
 spirits, — a strange conflict is evidently going on within his bosom, 
 and they are awed to silence by a sympathy which they feel, but 
 cannot comprehend. The paschal supper follows, and then that 
 scene of unequalled and sublime condescension, when Jesus, know- 
 ing that he came from God, and went to Ood, riseth from supper, and 
 laid aside his garments, and took a towel and girded himself, and 
 poured ivater into a basin, and washed his disciples' feet, and wiped 
 them with the toivel wherewith he ivas girded, John xiii. 3-5. After 
 this, they heard that startling declaration, One of you shall betray 
 me, which seems to have been made at the very time they Avere 
 observing the supper, which he appointed to be a lasting memo- 
 rial of his death. He sees the sorrows that fill their hearts, and, 
 ever mindful of others' sufferings, even in the midst of his own, 
 he consoles them with the words. Let not your hearts be troubled, 
 ye believe in God, believe also in me. Again he tells them he must 
 depart, and soon they shall see his face no more. With counsels, 
 and warnings, and advice, and the sweetest strains of consolation, 
 and the kindest words of infinite affection, he occupies the pass- 
 ing moments. Though away from them, he would not leave 
 them comfortless. He would still be with them, to watch over, 
 and to protect, and to keep them. It was the farewell address 
 of a love stronger than death, and we may easily conceive how 
 his words would thrill through the hearts of the disciples. But 
 still they were sorrowful at heart. How could it be good for 
 them, that he should leave them, and be seen no more ? His in- 
 structive parables, — his wonderful works, — his kindness, and for- 
 bearance, and compassion, how could they live without these? 
 One and all they declare, they would rather die than leave him, 
 though, alas ! they knew not so well as he did, the fickleness and 
 
36 IXFLUEXCES OF THE SPIRIT. 
 
 feebleness of their affection for him. With great condescension 
 and kindness, he shows that his departure was not a thing to be 
 grieved at ; that, on the contrary, it was a necessary part of his 
 great phan for saving the world, and that it was indispensable, in 
 order to fit them for the parts they had to perform. I tdl you the 
 truth: it is expedient for you that I go away ; for if I go not away, the 
 Comforter will not come unto you ; but if I depart, Iioill send him unto 
 you. It is a remarkable passage, solemnly and affectionately in- 
 troduced, and worthy of special notice. Who is this Comforter? 
 and what is the work he performs, which makes his coming so 
 important and desirable ? 
 
 The Comforter is the Holy Ghost, otherwise called the Spirit 
 of truth, and the Spirit of Christ, the third person of the glorious 
 Trinity, equal with the Father and the Son. He was known to 
 the ancients, for in the record of creation we are told that tlie 
 Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters, Gen. i. 2. His per- 
 son and character must have been often a subject of earnest 
 inquiry to those who expected the coming of Christ, for he is 
 most distinctly spoken of in the Old Testament, in reference to 
 that coming. But the full revelation of his character is found 
 only in the New Testament, and especially in this last discourse 
 of Christ. But everywhere in the New Testament he is spoken 
 of in terms of the highest honor. The names and titles of God 
 are given to him, and he is described as exercising divine attri- 
 butes, acquainted with every secret thought, Eom. viii. 26, 
 searching all things, even the deep things of God, 1 Cor. ii. 10. He 
 is called the Spirit of Christ, because, in the economy of redemp- 
 tion, he belongs to Christ. He was, in a manner, purchased for the 
 church by his death. He is sent forth by Jesus Christ, and the great 
 object of his mission is to testify of Christ. Obtained by Christ's 
 death, he is sent forth by his prayers. When our Saviour ascended 
 up on high, and led captivity captive, he also gave gifts to men ; 
 and of all his gifts, the first and the greatest was this, the gift of 
 the Holy Spirit; and oh, what a gift was this ! It came down at 
 first, with a fulness, and freeness, and profusion, that astonished 
 even those who had been expecting it, and confounded those who 
 had not. It was on the day of Pentecost. The disciples, in obedi- 
 ence to the command of their ascended Lord, still tarried at Jerusa- 
 lem, and their prayers rose constantly with one accord for the ful- 
 filment of his promi.sc. Suddenly, there came a sound from heaven, 
 as of a rushing mighty wind, — cloven tongues of fire appeared, — '■ 
 
INFLUEN-CES OF THE SPIRIT. 87 
 
 they were all filled with tlie Holy Gliost, and spake with other 
 tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 
 
 The sensation j)rodaced in Jerusalem was astonishing, as well 
 it might be. The remembrance of the crucifixion of Christ had not 
 yet died away, and the hearts of men were not at ease, when they 
 thought of his predictions. When this new wonder was noised 
 abroad^ the midtitude speedily gathered together^ and were confounded 
 at what they saw and heard. A few timid Galileans, without in- 
 fluence or authority in the state, without wealth or honor among 
 men, were now seen boldly advocating the cause of him who 
 had been so lately crucified in scorn. Known to all men to be 
 unlearned and ignorant men^ they were heard speaking strange 
 and difficult languages, with a fluency and accuracy that no 
 human preceptor ever imparted. Known to be men brought up 
 among themselves, and possessing no power that other men did 
 not possess, and distinguished by nothing, except that they had 
 heen loith Jesus, they were now seen working great aiid notable 
 miracles, which none of their enemies dared to deny. Wonder- 
 ful, too, were the effects produced by their preaching. Eloquence 
 has been defined as "the art of persuasion," but how could these 
 fishermen be eloquent, who had never been taught in the schools ? 
 How should they be able to persuade men to embrace the doc- 
 trines of the crucified Jesus, when the chief priests and pharisees, 
 the wise and the learned, without excejDtion, opposed him ? Yet 
 on the very first day of their preaching, three thousand men were 
 pricked to the heart by their words, and, asking What shall ive 
 do ? were baptized, and added to their number. Nor did the in- 
 fluence stop here. Miracle followed upon miracle, conversion 
 followed after conversion ; daily were added to them such as should 
 he saved. The multitude of them that believed were of one heart and 
 of one soul, and no wonder, for one and the self-same Spirit 
 wrought in them all. The influence spread abroad. It began in 
 Jerusalem, but it stopped not there. Persecution began, and the 
 disciples were scattered ; but they went everywhere preaching 
 the word, and still, as they preached, men became obedient to the 
 faith.- The mongrel Samaritans believed, — a stranger from dis- 
 tant Ethiopia was baptized, and went rejoicing to his own land, 
 where he proclaimed the same truths. The Gentiles were called ; 
 Cornelius, and others with him, believed ; and, from that moment, 
 the apostles went abroad to all nations. Standing before the 
 wealth of Ephesus, and the luxury of Corinth, and the learning 
 
38 INFLUE^X'ES OF THE SPIRIT. 
 
 of Athens, and the proud power of imperial Rome, they spake of 
 Jesus and the resurrection. Everywhere they were scorned, 
 everywhere they were opposed, everywhere persecuted, yet in 
 every place the invincible power of the Spirit selected and 
 brought to them those that should be saved. It was a time of 
 overturning among the nations ; but the Spirit of God moved on 
 in his conquering course, until the name of Christ was proclaimed 
 in the temples of ancient Eome, and the palace of her monarchs 
 acknowledged his sway. 
 
 "We are sometimes so dazzled by the splendor of the first man- 
 ifestation of the Spirit as to be incapable of attending to the less 
 brilliant tokens of his presence in our own times. Indeed there 
 are those among nominal Christians in our day, of whom it 
 may be said, as of the disciples whom Paul found at Ephesus, 
 they have not so much as heard whether there he an Holy Ghosts 
 Acts xix. 2. But there is an Holy Ghost. There are influences 
 of the Spirit now diffused, and now felt, among the churches of 
 Christ, and till time shall end those influences shall be diffused, 
 and be felt. It was an express promise of our Saviour, that the 
 Comforter should abide icith his people forever^ John xiv. 16. It 
 is the distinguishing character of the people of Christ, that 
 the Spirit of Christ dwells in them, Rom. viii. 9 ; and of the 
 church of Christ, that it is a spiritual house offering up spiritual 
 sacrifices unto God, 1 Pet. ii. 5. I pray your attention for a 
 few minutes longer, while we consider some of the works of the 
 Spirit, as wrought in our times, and as they must be wrought in 
 our own hearts, if we wish ever to see the face of our God in 
 peace. 
 
 One of the names given by the Saviour to the Comforter who 
 came to supply the wants of his own bodily presence, is the 
 Spirit of truth, John xv. 26. It is an expressive and appropriate 
 name, for he comes to enlighten men, of whom it is most truly 
 said, that naturally we walk in a vain show, and follow after 
 shadows, and falsehoods. Mortifying as the truth is, it is yet in- 
 contestable, that we arc ignorant of God and his true character,— 
 of tlie real nature of sin, of our own condition, and of the way of 
 .salvation. AVc think ourselves wise, and that we know all these 
 things, but it is not so, for the natural man receiveth not the things 
 of Gr>d. We are wise for this world, but not for the next ; and 
 therefore these things are foolisliness unto us, 1 Cor. ii. 14. We 
 inay even be acquainted with the letter of the word of God but 
 
INFLUENCES OF THE SPIRIT. 39 
 
 its real import is hidden from us, till the Spirit of truth has 
 opened our eyes ; for the God of this ivorld hath blinded the eyes of 
 them ivhich believe not, lest the glorious gospel of Christ, loho is the 
 image of God, shoidd shine unto them, 2 Cor. iv. 4. Now the object 
 of the Spirit is to remove this blindness, and to lead into all truth. 
 Hence he is sent to convince the ivorld of sin, of righteousness, and of 
 a judgment to come, John xvi. 8. The knowledge of sin, of the 
 sinfuhiess of our own hearts, though a deeply painful and most 
 humbling knowledge, is yet one of the first importance. Xo dis- 
 ease that affects the whole constitution can ever be removed, un- 
 less its real nature be shown, and its sores probed even to the 
 bottom. The Spirit of Christ performs this painful process by 
 shov/ing the true nature of sin, and its odiousness, as committed 
 against so glorious a being as our God. He takes the soul of 
 man, and drawing off his thoughts from surrounding objects, sets 
 before him in long and terrible array, the sins of his youth, and 
 of his more matured years. He leads him to the unerring stand- 
 ard of God's word, which requires perfect holiness, and shows 
 how every thought has been turned aside. He arms conscience 
 with her native power, and bringing the sinner into the presence 
 of God's perfect justice, bids him consider faithfully who he is, 
 and what he has done, and asks, what retribution awaits conduct 
 such as his has been ? The differences in men's natural constitution 
 and temperament will greatly modify their feelings at such a time 
 as this ; but there is no man who has been wrought upon by the 
 Spirit of God, faithfully to ask himself these questions, Avho does 
 not tremble at the view of himself thus obtained, and cry out 
 with the Philippian jailer, Wha,t must I do to be saved? It is a 
 dreadful thing to stand, as men are sometimes brought to stand 
 in the full light of the Spirit of truth, as it shines upon their ini- 
 quities, and reveals the ineffable justice of God. It is a fearful 
 thing thus to fall into the hands of the living God. But how shall 
 we escape the sword of his justice ? How shall we flee from the 
 wrath to come ? How shall these souls that are dead in sin, be 
 made alive to God ? Come from the four winds, breath, and 
 breathe ujyon these slain that they may live, Ezek. xxxvii. 9. The 
 Spirit of Christ must answer these questions, and it is his work to 
 do it. There is a way of escape, and Christ is that way. No man 
 Cometh to the Father but by him. Would you find that way and walk 
 therein ? Then seek the Spirit's influence, for it is the Spirit who 
 testifies of Christ and leads men unto him, John xiv. 26 ; xv. 26 ; 
 
40 INFLUENCES OF THE SPIRIT. 
 
 xvi. 14, 15. It is his great object to show the character of Christ, 
 and why he suffered ; to set forth the efficacy of his death, and 
 the sufficiency of his salvation. When the serpent-bitten Israelites 
 were perishing in the wilderness, Moses erected a brazen serpent 
 on a pole, and bade them look and live. The skill of the painter 
 has represented that scene, when friends brought their friends, 
 and a mother her child, and turned its dying gaze to the wonder- 
 working sign. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the tvildsrness, so 
 must the Son of Man he lifted up; that lohosoever believeth on him 
 should not perish, hut have eternal life, John iii. 14. The Spirit of 
 Christ here performs for us the office that no friend, no tender 
 mother even, can perform. He brings the crucified one before 
 our eyes, and bids us look and live. Do you smile at this, and 
 say, Hoiv can these things he ? The age of miracles has passed. In 
 what way then does this mysterious Spirit perform his operations ? 
 I answer. He works by means ; and though the age of miracles 
 be passed, that of supernatural influences has not. A sermon, a 
 letter from a pious friend, a remarkable providence of God, an 
 open bible. These are some of the means ; and his influences 
 accompanying them work upon the heart, sometimes gently and 
 sometimes powerfully, but in ways that we cannot explain. 
 Ilave you never felt them ? lias an old truth never darted upon 
 3'our mind, with a vividness and force that startled you, as 
 though it were a new revelation ? Have you not felt yourselves 
 at times impelled to the consideration of serious things ? Have 
 you not wished at times that you knew what shall befall you 
 when you shall enter the untried realities of the other world, to 
 which we so rapidly hasten ? 
 
 " Hath a voice within 
 Nf'er whispered to thy secret soul, 
 
 Urged thee to leave the ways of sin, 
 And yield thy heart to God's control ? 
 
 Sinner, it was a heavenly voice, 
 
 It was the Spirit's gracious call, 
 It bade thee make the better choice. 
 
 And haste to Bcek in Christ thine all." 
 
 These influences of the Spirit arc to be carefully improved. 
 There is a wonderful depth of meaning in the words of our Lord, 
 21ie xuind hlowct/t zvhcre it listcOi — so is every one that is horn of the 
 iSpirit, John iii. 8. Learn a lesson from the sailor. The winds 
 
INFLUENCES OF THE SPIRIT. 41 
 
 he encounters are not ulways favorable, but lie knows that with- 
 out the wind his voyage will never be made. It is his object, 
 therefore, to seek those regions where the most favorable breezes 
 blow, and he is anxious to improve the slightest puff of air. Sail 
 after sail is lifted to the sky, and spread to the breeze. Every 
 change in the force and direction of the wind is carefully noted, 
 and the corresponding changes made in the canvass of his vessel, 
 day by day, and night by night, with untiring perseverance he 
 observeth the winds and regardeth the clouds. And is he not 
 wise to do so ? Would you not blame him if he pursued any 
 other course ? Precisely alike is our situation, the same as his 
 is our duty. We are sailing over the sea of life ; unknown cur- 
 rents are carrying us among unseen dangers, and the Spirit's in- 
 fluences are the only breezes that can waft us to our port in 
 heaven. Watch then as the sailor watches, and earnestly pray 
 for those influences, and you shall obtain them. Where is the 
 dead sea, that is never ruffled by the breeze ? Where is the man 
 who has never felt the stirrings of the Spirit ? But neglect those 
 influences, misimprove those gracious impressions, which every 
 man who has heard of Christ has felt, and who can you blame if 
 the currents sweep you on the shoals, and you make shipwreck 
 of your souls forever? 
 
 I know of no part of the Scriptures which contain such im- 
 portant and delightful truths, as those that speak of the Holy 
 Spirit, and his efforts to turn men unto God. But there are no 
 truths guarded by such awful sanctions as these ; for those same 
 scriptures tell us, that though the Spirit sulfereth long and is kind, 
 yet he v;ill not always wait. They speak of grieving the Spirit, 
 of quenching the Spirit. They speak of the fearful looking for 
 of judgment and fiery indignation in the breasts of those who have 
 rejected his offers of mercy. It is a melancholy thing to see a 
 blasted tree in the greenwood ; or a becalmed ship at sea drifting 
 on the rocks, when but a few miles off, the Avinds are careering 
 in their playful courses. But more melancholy and sad is the 
 condition of him, of whom God has said. He is joined to his idols, 
 let him alone, Hos. iv. 17. Yet such there are, for the Spirit of God 
 luill not always strive, and the sin against the Holy Spirit is the sin 
 that will not be forgiven. 
 
 The Holy Spirit is the author of Eegeneration. Hence it was 
 that our Saviour said with such solemnity to Nicodemus, Verily, 
 
42 INFLUENCES OF THE SPIRIT. 
 
 verily, I say unto thee, except a man he horn of ivater and of the 
 Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God, John iii. 5. 
 
 The Spirit does not leave believers when he has led them to 
 Christ. lie dwells in them as an holy temple to the Lord, and 
 abides with them forever. It is his to form every virtue in the 
 heart, and cherish every emotion of good. It is his to mortify 
 sin, and to strengthen against temptation. It is his to strengthen 
 us, helping our infirmities, and enabling us in praj^er to plead for 
 the things we need. The Spirit itself maheth intercession for us 
 with groaninrjs that cannot he uttered, Rom. viii. 26. 
 
 The influences of the Spirit in the heart, and the fruits of the 
 Spirit in the life, constitute the great distinction between the men 
 of God and the men of the world ; for while the latter go on 
 adding sin to sin, the former are known by the fruits of the Spirit 
 in their lives, which are love, joy, peace, goodness and faith. 
 
 The doctrines respecting the Spirit of God, are both important 
 and mysterious. Those who are proud of their own powers, and 
 will receive nothing which they cannot comprehend, despise them 
 as mere fantasies. But the Bible is full of mysteries. Every- 
 thing around us is full of mysteries. Man is a mystery to him- 
 self Is it then unlikely that the plan of our salvation should 
 contain revelations that our own reason would never have dis- 
 covered ? No, my hearers; when we have searched all the heights 
 and fathomed all the depths of the created universe, — when we 
 have walked in search of the depths, and the gates of death have 
 been opened to us, and all these hidden things been revealed to 
 us, then we may complain that we cannot comprehend all that is 
 said concerning that Spirit loho searcheth all thing9, even the deep 
 tilings of God, 1 Cor. ii. 10. In the mean time, it is ours, with 
 holy reverence, to obey his influences, and to admit him into our 
 hearts. It is our part to walk, not after the flesh, but after the 
 Spirit ; knowing that if any vian have not the Spirit of Christ, he 
 is none of his, Horn. viii. 9. 
 
 Macao, June 4,1843. 
 
SEKMON VI. 
 
 JACOB'S PRATER. 
 
 And Jacob said, Oh God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the 
 Lord which saidst unto me. Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I 
 will deal well with tliee ; I am not worthy of the least of all thy mercies, and of 
 all the truth which thou hast showed unto thy servant ; for with my stafif I passed 
 over this Jordan, and now I am become two bands. Deliver me, I pray thee, 
 from the hand of ray brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will 
 come and smite me, and the mother with the children. And thou saidst, I will 
 surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be 
 numbered for multitude. — Genesis xxxii. 9-12. 
 
 The life of the patriarch Jacob was a life of much affliction 
 and sorrow. At the age of more than six score years, when he 
 stood before Pharaoh, he said, The days of the years of my pilgrim- 
 age are an hundred and thirty years : few and evil have the days of 
 the years of my life been, Gen. xlix. 7. The causes of his afflictions 
 were various, but that which chiefly distressed him, and for the 
 longest period made hira an exile from his father's house, was his 
 contention with Esau his brother. It is a melancholy thing that 
 in this world, our greatest sorrows often arise where we naturally 
 expect the greatest happiness. Thus Jacob found that a brother 
 offended is harder to be won than a strong city^ and their contentions 
 are like the bars of a castle^ Prov. xviii. 19. 
 
 After spending twenty, or, as many with great reason, suppose 
 forty years, away from his father's house, Jacob received a divine 
 command to return to his own country. It does not appear that 
 he had received any intimation of his brother's feelings towards 
 him, during their long separation, and the command that bade 
 him return did not inform him what reception he should meet 
 from the injured and revengeful Esau. Yet he had various cir- 
 cumstances to encourage him. The divine command itself was 
 amply sufficient. Added to this he was cheered by the appear- 
 ance of two bands of angels, sent to guard him on his way, and 
 
44 JACOBS PRAYER. 
 
 to assure him of the divine iDrotectiou. Tet as he drew near the end 
 of his journey, fears began to arise and distraet his mind. He 
 knew that he had injured his brother; he knew his violent dis- 
 position ; and knew too, that if Esau still retained his anger, it 
 was in vain for him, encumbered Avith his family and flocks, to 
 think of escaping from him. The messengers that he sent to find 
 grace in his sight, brought back an answer by no means calculated 
 to allay his fears. We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh 
 to meet thee, and four hundred men iviih him. The purpose of Esau 
 in coming with such a host, is not stated, but the probability is, 
 that he came to execute his long-cherished purpose, eve7i to slay 
 Us brother Jacob, Gen. xxvii. 41. So at least Jacob thought, and 
 as may well be supposed, he was greatly afraid and distressed. For 
 a while he seems almost to have forgotten the divine command 
 and promises, and the guardian host, which though invisible still 
 surrounded him, (Ps. xxxiv. 7.) He had toiled long in a foreign 
 land, in the day the drought consumed, him, and the frost by night, and 
 sleep departed from his eyes, Gen. xxxi. 40. He was now return- 
 ing to spend, as he hoped, the evening of his days in peace, with 
 his flocks and his wealth, his children and his friends, in the land 
 of promise. But before he had even entered that desired land, 
 or crossed the Jordan that separated it from the profane world 
 around, he found himself in danger of losing all and life itself, 
 from the hands of a brother. With no ordinary experience, even 
 in his life of frequent reverses, he took every precaution to avert 
 at least a part of the threatened danger; and dividing the people 
 Oiat loere with him, and his fiocJcs, and herds, and camels, into two 
 bands, he said, Jf Esau come to the one company and smite it, then 
 tiie other company ivhich is left shall escape. This was all the prepa- 
 ration he could make, but it was not all that he could do ; and 
 alarmed though he Avas, he looked up to God, and gave utterance 
 to his feelings in a prayer, which in appropriateness, simplicity, 
 fervor, and excellence, is equalled only among the prayers of the 
 Bible. 
 
 To us, who are as much called upon as ever the ancient 
 patriarchs were to address ourselves to God in prayer, it cannot 
 but be interesting to know what words they used in their 
 addresses to the throne of grace, and with what arguments they 
 enforced their supplications, and the prayer before us is full of 
 instruction on both these points. Jacob commenced his prayer 
 in a manner which, while it expressed strong confidence in God, 
 
Jacob's prayer, 45 
 
 combined also some of the strongest reasons that could be urged 
 why God should hearken to him, and grant his request. He did 
 not appear before him as one who had had no previous communi- 
 cations with him. The suppliant was well known to the Almighty, 
 as his fathers were before him. Oh God of my father Abraham, 
 and Qod of my father Isaac. It is not an unmeaning form of 
 words that is used, when God is called the God of Abraham, and 
 Isaac, and Jacob. He is also the God of all men, but he is never 
 called the God of Cyrus, or of Eome, as he is called the God of 
 Abraham, and the God of Israel. He is in a peculiar manner 
 their God, for he formed a covenant with Abraham and his 
 descendants, promising to them all needed earthly blessings, and, 
 above all, the gift of his own Son, Jesus Christ. This covenant, 
 and every blessing connected with it, is referred to everj^ time 
 that God is addressed as the God of Abraham, and it was because 
 Jacob trusted in that covenant, that he thus calls upon God, He 
 pleads his covenant relation with him, as the descendants of those 
 to whom special promises had been made, as a reason why he 
 should be delivered, in this his time of distress. He had alsp 
 another reason for hoping for deliverance. He had not needlessly 
 run into danger. He had not left the path of duty, but was now 
 acting in obedience to an express command of God, Might he 
 not, therefore, expect that God would put forth his hand and 
 protect him? It is not the custom of God to forsake his people 
 in difficulties, when those difficulties come upon them in the way 
 of obedience to his injunctions, Jacob had been for many years 
 a stranger sojourning in a strange land, but though he sore longed 
 after his falher''s ho7ne, yet he would not take a step thitherward, 
 till assured it was agreeable to God's will that he should do so. 
 That will was finally intimated to him, and in obedience to it he 
 acted. While thus acting, these difficulties came upon him, but 
 he comforted himself by saying, it was not himself, but the Lord, 
 which said unto him, Return unto thy country, and to thy hindred. 
 And besides the encouragement he derived from his covenant 
 relation to God, and the consciousness of being in the path of 
 duty, he was farther sustained by having received a special promise 
 of protection. Had God merely commanded him to go, it would 
 have been a sufficient warrant to expect protection, but God had 
 also said unto him. And I loill deal well with thee. Stronger 
 grounds of encouragement, he could not desire ; more explicit 
 assurances of good, he could not need. These grounds of encour- 
 
46 Jacob's prayer. 
 
 agement, be it observed, were not in himself, but in God, and it 
 w°as well for Lini that he had such grounds for eneouragement, 
 and such assurances, on which to rest his faith ; for in himself he 
 felt that he had no title to the favor of God, and no claim on his 
 mercy. The creature of his bounty, and fed by his hand, he 
 could see that he had still grievously erred in many points, and 
 gone astray, while he had done nothing, and could do nothing, 
 that should make God a debtor to himself He could not but 
 feel, as he looked back, that he had sinned greatly in deceiving 
 his father, and imposing upon him by false pretences ; and that 
 Esau had just cause of complaint against him, for supplanting 
 him of his birthright, and defrauding him of his expected blessing. 
 It was, therefore, with deep humility and contrition that he now 
 confessed himse\^ unworthj of the least of all God's 7nercies, and his 
 truth. How different was his language and his spirit from that 
 of his proud descendant, the pharisee, who boldly stood up in 
 the temple to demand the favor of God, as the simple debt of jus- 
 tice due to his good deeds ! But true piety is ever deeply hum- 
 bled before God, and Abraham, and David, and Job, as well as 
 ?J"acob, always abased themselves when they spake unto God, and 
 confessed themselves undeserving of his mercies. 
 
 Jacob, amidst all his fears and confessions of guilt, was not 
 unmindful of the mercies he had received from God, and he refers 
 to them in his prayer, partly that he may express his thankful- 
 ness for them, and partly that he may encourage himself with 
 the hope of other mercies from God. Had the Lord so highly 
 favored him in times past, and will he now desert him ? Surel}'" 
 not. True, he was afraid, for danger was very near. True, he 
 was unworthy, for he had been a great offender; but still he 
 could not forget how the mercy of God had ever led him along, 
 and how his truth and faithfulness had still sustained him. It is 
 wonderful how soon the memory will run over all the events of 
 a long lifetime, and place them in one vivid picture before the 
 mind. Space and time are nothing to the living principle within 
 us; and in scarcely more time than it required to speak the 
 words, had Jacob recalled his feelings, when, solitary and alone, 
 he crossed the Jordan. He thought of his sojourning in the land 
 of Mesopotamia, and how there from a small one, he had become 
 a strong nation ; and he is now returning, rich in all kinds of 
 posscssion.s, to the land of his birth. In all that time the good- 
 ness of the Lord had been great to him, and he cannot but speak 
 
Jacob's prayer. 47 
 
 of all the mercy and truth he had showed to his servant^ for with my 
 staff I passed over Jordan^ and now I am become two hands. Thus 
 the remembrance of past mercies encouraged him to hope for 
 mercies yet to come. 
 
 The prayer itself is a remarkable one. He prays for deliver- 
 ance from the hand not of a sworn and hereditary enemy, but 
 from the hand of his own brother. Deliver me^ I pray thee, from 
 the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau ; for I fear him, lest he 
 will come and smite me, and the mother with the children. The expres- 
 sion, to smite the mother with the children, was a common one to 
 denote the extreme of cruelty and rage. The comparison seems 
 to be taken from those who robbed bird's-nests, taking away both 
 the mother and the young, and leaving the nest utterly desolate, 
 and it shows well how greatly Jacob feared his brother. Sin has 
 brought strange things into the world. It has brought confusion 
 and contention into the abodes of order and harmony, and armed 
 man against his brother. It has obliged the weak to lift up their 
 voices to God, who ruleth over all, for protection from those very 
 persons who ought to have been their surest defence. 
 
 The prayer of Jacob was short, as the most of those recorded 
 in the Scriptures are. It needs not many words, nor vain repe- 
 titions, to make known our wants unto God, for his ear is ever 
 open to hear, and his heart ever ready to compassionate those in 
 any distress. It was also to the point, for Jacob knew what he 
 wanted, when he made his prayer unto God ; and it was hearty 
 and sincere, for he felt his need of Divine assistance. Though 
 he prayed for deliverance from the hand of Esau, who sought his 
 life, his prayer breathes no unkind spirit towards him. He still 
 calls him his brother. 
 
 But when a man is in earnest in urging any petition, either to 
 man oi- to God, he will not rest satisfied with the bare presenta- 
 tion of his request. He will also urge it by the force of every 
 argument in his power. His whole prayer is a continued series 
 of arguments with God, Before he gave utterance to his peti- 
 tion, he addresses him as his covenant God, and pleads that he 
 was directly commanded to put himself in his present dangerous 
 position. He urges the special promise of favor he had received, 
 and draws an argument also from the past mercies of God, and 
 even from his own present fears. All these he spreads before 
 God. All these he pleads along with his petition. But he has 
 still another argument to plead. In the gracious intercourse of 
 
48 Jacob's prayek. 
 
 God with liis fathers, it had been promised to Abrtdiam and Isaac, 
 that tliey should be greatly increased and multiplied, and that in their 
 seed all the families of the earth should be blessed. This promise 
 had been relocated to Jacob, many years before the present time, 
 when he was fleeing without a companion from the face of Esau. 
 Should his brother now be permitted to wreak his vengeance 
 upon him, and smite the mother with the children, where would 
 be the faithfulness of God? or how could his purposes be accom- 
 plished, in making of the seed of Abraham, and Isaac, and 
 Jacob, a great nation ? 
 
 But we shall very improperly limit the force of the promise, 
 if we confine it to the mere personal descendants, and temporal 
 interests of the race of the patriarchs. Its main reference was to 
 Christ, and the salvation he was to procure ; for he was to be 
 born from among the descendants of Jacob, and in him were all 
 the nations of the earth to be blessed. It was this, therefore, 
 which Jacob had in mind, when he pleaded with God: Thou 
 saidst, I IV ill surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the 
 sea, which cannot he numbered for multitude. His prayer was, 
 therefore, really a prayer in the name of Christ, and, using such 
 an argument with God, it could not but prevail. He obtained, 
 therefore, that which he prayed for, and when he met his brother, 
 the lion was changed into a lamb. And Esau ran to meet him, and 
 embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him, and they ivept, 
 Gen. xxxiii. 4. 
 
 It is a sublime thing to pray. Even on earth, when a subject 
 is favored with an audience with his monarch, he comes before 
 Lim with reverence ; he carefully prepares himself, that no re- 
 mark he makes may prove displeasing to his superior ; and he 
 earnestly expects to receive some benefit from him. If such 
 feelings possess our minds, even in our dealings with our fellow- 
 creatures, and on matters of merely temporal interest, how much 
 more should our hearts be filled with reverence, in the presence 
 of the Holy ^fajesty of heaven, when our dealings with him con- 
 cern our soul's eternal well-being. It is true he shows great 
 grace in condescending to hear us, and we may always approach 
 him with confidence ; but beware lest that confidence degenerate 
 into raslinesH or familiarity. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let 
 not thy heart he hasty to utter anything before God; for God is in 
 heaven, and thni upon earth ; therefore, let thy ivords he few, Ecc. v. 2. 
 
 Study, therefore, the })raycrs of such men as Jacob, and 
 
Jacob's prayer. 49 
 
 David of old, for they are complete and copious formiilas for our 
 direction. The man whose heart is deeply imbued with reverence 
 to God, and with a due sense of his own sinfulness, will reverently 
 worship his Creator, and humbly confess his own offences. Filled 
 with gratitude for past favors, he will acknowledge his dependence 
 upon God for thfm all, and will pray for a continuation of the 
 same. His petitions will not be mere lip service. He will be 
 anxious to receive what he asks for, and while he prays with 
 submission to the will of God, it will yet be with earnest cries ; 
 nor will he fail to bring arguments to plead with his Maker, 
 Whatever other arguments he presents, he will not fail to plead 
 in the name of Christ, and so doing, he shall be certain of receiv- 
 ing his requests, if they be such as shall be good for him to 
 receive. Hitherto^ said our Saviour, in his last address to his dis- 
 ciples, ye have asked nothing in my name. AsTc.^ and ye shall receive, 
 that your joys may hefidl, John xvi. 24. 
 
 Among all the evidences of the possession of true religion in 
 the heart, few are better than the habit of humble, fervent, per- 
 severing prayer. Our spiritual life is so dependent upon supplies 
 of grace from above, and on constant intercourse with our Maker, 
 that a prayerless Christian is a solecism in terms, and an impossi- 
 bility in fact. The lirst evidence of being a child of God is 
 given, when it is said, as it was said concerning the persecuting 
 Paul of old. Behold, he prayeth ; and the hj^pocrite's character is 
 pointed out, when it is said. Will he always call npon God? Job 
 xxvii. 10. By prayer, we derive every blessing from above. 
 The atmosphere we breathe is unftworable to the growth of reli- 
 gion, and it is only by prayer we can receive those supjplies that 
 are essential to our spiritual well-being. 
 
 " Prayer is the Christian's vital breathy 
 The Christian's native air, 
 His -watchword at the gate of death, 
 He enters heaven by prayer." 
 
 Yet it is a duty and privilege sadly neglected; for it is not enough 
 merely to say. Lord, Lord, or to repeat a form of words, while 
 the heart goeth after vanities. True prayer is a spiritual thing, 
 and requires a spiritual frame of mind to offer it aright, and God 
 will accept of the broken prayer, and the half-suppressed sigh of 
 the contrite heart, when he would turn away from the polished 
 speech and well-chosen petition of the self-confident, unhumbled 
 pharisee. 
 
 4 
 
50 Jacob's prayer. 
 
 Fellow-Christian! what is the character of your prayers? 
 You may find a good test of your growth in grace and Christian 
 standing, simply in the character of your prayers. In the prayer 
 of Jacob, of which a hasty review has been made, you see that 
 everything is to the point, that there is no wandering, no point- 
 less, uncertain petitions, no repetitions. lie came to the throne 
 of grace, and he had an errand there. On what errand do you 
 come ? Or do you come, merely because it is a matter of 
 course ? He had a petition and a request to offer. "What is your 
 petition and your request ? He came, desiring an answer. Do 
 you desire an answer to your prayers ? He came with his mouth 
 filled with arguments. The covenant of God, a command to 
 himself, a special promise, a general promise, that included the 
 coming of a Saviour, — all these were his arguments. Do you 
 bring arguments? do you plead promises in prayer? If jon 
 read the Bible carefully, and pondered over it, you would find 
 both subjects enough to pray about, and promises and arguments 
 with which to fill your prayers. It is careless reading of the 
 Scriptures, that is one cause of your barrenness and coldness in 
 prayer. 
 
 But further. Jacob's prayer had a full confession of un worthi- 
 ness connected with it, and also a thankful acknowledgment of 
 mercies received. These are also parts of prayer. "Praj'^er is 
 the offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to 
 his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and 
 thankful acknowledgment of his mercies." Do your prayers con- 
 tain these essential parts ? I do not ask, have they this form ? 
 It is most likely they have, — but do these parts of your prayers 
 come from your hearts? My brethren, if you would prosper, 
 and be accepted in your prayers, I would advise you to study 
 and imitate the prayer of Jacob, particularly in these five 
 things : — 
 
 1. Have an object when you come. 
 
 2. Plead for it earnestly, with all due arguments. 
 
 3. Confess your own unworthincss. 
 
 4. Acknowledge the mercy of God, which has so long sup- 
 plied you. 
 
 5. And, lastly, lot all things be done in the name of Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 Macao, June 18, 1843. 
 
SERMON VII. 
 
 PLANTS OF THE HOUSE OF THE LORD. 
 
 They that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. 
 Psalm xcii. 13. 
 
 The fertility of oriental climates produces many and splendid 
 objects to gratify the eye, and gives rise to equal splendor in 
 imagery and comparison. The Bible is an Eastern book, and its 
 poetry like other eastern poetry, breathes the fragrance of an at- 
 mosphere of spices. Every object of beauty is drawn into the 
 service of religion, and one familiar with its pages sees almost 
 nothing around him that is not sanctified by its frequent allusions 
 and comparisons. The sentiment of our text is founded on a 
 comparison drawn from the forest trees of the land of Palestine. 
 The preceding verse had compared the righteous to the stately 
 and towering palm, with its nourishing fruit, and to the cedar of 
 Lebanon with its spreading shade, and its undying greenness. 
 The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree : he shall groiv like the 
 cedars in Lebanon. Continuing his comparison, the Psalmist de- 
 clares. Those that are planted in the house of the Lord, shall flourish 
 in the courts of our Ood. 
 
 It is proposed to inquire into the meaning of the expression, 
 planted in the house of the Lord, and to show the connection be- 
 tween such planting oxidi flourishing in the courts of God. 
 
 The church of God is oftentimes compared to a garden, filled 
 with every variety of flower and plant and tree. Yet as in all 
 our gardens, weeds infest the ground, and thorns and thistles and 
 noxious plants usurp the places reserved for useful and ornamental 
 trees, — so it is in the garden of God, It is not every plant, that 
 makes a fair show, which has a right to stand there. There may 
 even be branches of the useful vines, which bearing no fruit, 
 shall be taken away, John xv. 2, and of those which are utterly 
 
52 PLANTS OF THE HOUSE OF THE LORD. 
 
 useless, the stern decree has gone forth, Cut it clown, why cumhereth 
 it the ground? It becomes therefore a matter of the utmost moment 
 to discern between the bad and the good ; to distinguish between 
 the Trees of righteousness, the branch of his planting, and those 
 which bearing only wild and noxious fruits, are rejected and nigh 
 unto cursing ; whose end is to he bimied, Heb. vi. 8. 
 
 The planting here spoken of is evidently something more than 
 mere external form. It certainly implies that that which is planted 
 possesses a living principle within, which grows and flourishes 
 when once its roots are placed in the appropriate soil. This 
 planting, therefore, in the house of the Lord— or, divesting the 
 expression of its figurative dress— this numbering of any one in 
 the church, and among the people of God, does not consist in ex 
 ternal rites and ordinances alone. That baptism is a solemn and 
 important and most useful ordinance, is admitted by all, who pay 
 any respect to the institutions of our God ; but that baptism 
 alone, or the Lord's Supper alone, or both of them together, can 
 save the soul, is an error of the most dangerous kind, and worthy 
 of the cunning and malice of the god of this world who invented 
 it. Baptism is not regeneration. If the blood of bulls and of 
 goats could not take away sin, shall the sprinkling of a little 
 water on the outward body, ^vash away the stains of the unseen 
 soul? Did not Simon Magus, who believed and was baptized, 
 still remain in the gall of bitterness and the bonds of iniquity ? Did 
 not Judas rise from the Lord's table to go to his own place, with 
 the fearful declaration sounding after him, good ivere it for that 
 man, if he had never been born, Mark xiv. 21. Thousands there 
 are, you may have known such, who have been baptized in the 
 name of Christ, and yet by their conduct shame the very heathen 
 themselves. Shall their baptism save them ? The confessions of 
 faith of all the reformed churches are on this point, plain and 
 explicit. Thus in the twenty-seventh of the articles of religion 
 of the Church of England, it is expressly called, — not regenera- 
 tion, — but "a sign of regeneration or the new birth, whereby, 
 a.9 by an instrument they that receive baptism rightly, are grafted 
 into the church." Such is its true nature. It is merely an instru- 
 ment, and if rightly used, is of excellent service. But if there 
 be nothing but the instrument, — if a man be merely received into 
 the visible church by this outward ordinance, — if there be no root, 
 and living principle, — and if that living principle do not exert 
 itself and grow, — then he is only a dry stick in the house of God. 
 
PLANTS OF THE HOUSE OF THE LORD. 53 
 
 He is not planted there. The blast shall prostrate him to the 
 ground, and he shall be gathered and cast forth with others, to 
 become fuel for the fire. Neither by this planting in the house 
 of the Lord are we to understand, a mere profession of religion, 
 even though it be joined to external morality, and a blameless de- 
 portment. It is not enough merely to read a prayer or two, and 
 perhaps glance at the Bible for a short time every day. It is not 
 enough to be a regular attendant at the house of God, and while 
 there to give a respectful hearing to the messages delivered by his 
 servants. It is not enough to obey all human laws, and act with 
 justice and kindness towards one's neighbors. All this is well 
 and commendable. It is essential to the well-being of society, 
 and the happiness of the social circle ; and it is especially impor- 
 tant as leading to better things. But I repeat it, all this is not 
 enough. You may have all this, and perish forever. You are 
 not satisfied when you plant a fruit tree in your garden, and come 
 to it year after year seeking fruit, if you find it standing tall and 
 erect in the place where you planted it, but fruitless. It may not 
 disfigure the scene, but why these leaves and blossoms, if the 
 solid reward of the labor bestowed upon it be wanting? Cut it 
 down, ivhy cumbereth it the ground? And is a mere externally 
 blameless deportment all that God expects, when himself has told 
 us. The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentle- 
 ness, goodness, faith, Gal. v. 22. AVill he be satisfied with mere 
 outward show, the leaves and flowers of lip service, who looks at 
 the inward man, and values the sighing of the contrite heart, and 
 the praise of the grateful soul, more than gold or gems ? 
 
 Neither will it be deemed sufficient, if one, in addition to an 
 admission to the church by baptism, and a generally correct de- 
 portment, adds also, a zeal for external ceremonies, and a polemic 
 eagerness for discussion on disputed points in religion. There 
 may be much of this where there is no real interest in religion. 
 The Pharisees were extremely eager to defend the religion they 
 professed, and they would compass sea and land to make one 
 proselyte. But this did not secure for them the approbation of 
 our Saviour. On the contrary, he pronounced the spirit that 
 actuated them to be the spirit of this world, and not of God, and 
 declared concering them. Every plant that my heavenly Father hath 
 not planted, shall he rooted up. Matt. xv. 13. 
 
 We are not therefore to judge by mere external appearances. 
 Many look fair and flourishing for a time, who do not continue 
 
54 PLANTS OF THE HOUSE OF THE LORD. 
 
 long. When tJie wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers 
 of iniquity do flourish ; it is that they shall he destroyed forever, Ps. 
 xcii. 7. It is a terrible description that is given of such, b}^ the 
 apostle Jude ,— and a terrible fate awaits them. They are trees 
 whose fruit ivithereth, without fruit twice dead, pinched up by the roots, 
 to ivhom is reserved the hlachness of darkness forever, Jude 12, 13. 
 
 By those planted in the house of the Lord, we are to under- 
 stand such as not only enjoy the ordinances of religion, and the 
 care of the divine husbandman, but such as show also, that they 
 have a principle of spiritual life to be cared for, and bring forth 
 fruit answerable to the care bestowed upon them. In other words, 
 they are living, growing, and active Christians ; drawing their 
 spiritual life from above, and constantly tending thitherward, as 
 the trees stretch out their arms towards heaven. 
 
 That anything planted should grow and flourish with vigor, 
 it must have its roots deeply imphmted in appropriate soil ; it 
 must be watered by frequent showers of heaven ; it must be pro- 
 tected from the cold blasts and nipping frosts of winter as well as 
 from the sun's too scorching rays. It will need constant care and 
 attention ; and its luxuriance and waywardness, must be trimmed 
 and restrained by the use of the pruning knife. If it be a good 
 tree it will be constantly growing ; while its roots strike deeper 
 into the earth, its branches will rise higher towards heaven ; its 
 trunk will become more solid, it will yield less to the blasts that 
 sweep around it ; and its plentiful fruit will satisfy the expecta- 
 tion of him who watched and cherished it with so much care. It 
 will continue vigorous and healthy, even in old age, and the 
 children of him who reared its first shoots, will rejoice in its wide- 
 spreading shade. 
 
 Such, emphatically, is the Christian. lie is planted in the 
 house of the Lord ; for the church is the garden of God, and the 
 plants that arc really planted there, are objects of the special care 
 of their divine master and cultivator. It is a spiritual planting 
 wc speak of, such as the apostle describes when he says, Being 
 planted in the likeness of Christ's death, we shall be also in the likeness 
 of his resurrection, Rom. vi. 5. That is, those who are really 
 members of the church of God, are such as are united to Christ 
 by a living faith, and they thus become one with him. They 
 draw their spiritual life from the merits of his death, and expect 
 in virtue of his resurrection to be raised again from the dead, and 
 made to partake of all spiritual blessings. It is not a mere pro- 
 
PLANTS OF THE HOUSE OF THE LORD. 65 
 
 fession of union that they make, for as the same apostle declares, 
 they are rooted and grounded in the love of Ood — because in Lis 
 love they live. This is the soil from which they derive their 
 nourishment and strength. It is this which supplies every want, 
 which sustains them when languishing, and causes them vigor- 
 ously to increase. Neither is it by any man's own merits or good 
 desert that he is placed in the garden of the Lord, and there en- 
 abled to grow. This is forcibly expressed by the apostle Paul in 
 his comparison of the church to an olive-tree, from which some 
 of the branches were broken off, and others from a wild olive- 
 tree grafted in, to partake of the root and fatness of the olive. 
 Boast not thyself against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest 
 not the root, but the root thee. Thou wert cut out of the olive-tree 
 which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a 
 good olive-tree, Rom. xi. 18, 24. 
 
 The care which God employs in selecting and planting the 
 trees of righteousness in his garden, is exercised over them, as 
 long as they remain in his house below. The church is but a 
 nursery in which they are to remain for a season, until they be 
 ready for removal and transplanting, in a more genial clime. 
 While here, they enjoy his special care and attention. His word 
 comes down like the rain from heaven, Is. Iv. 10, for their good, 
 while his Spirit diffuses his silent influences, like the precious 
 dews of the night, over their souls. The hot blasts of Satan's 
 temptations assail them at times, or the world's chilling in- 
 fluences creep over them, yet he is ever near to observe them, 
 and to shield them from harm if shelter be needed. Sorrows and 
 afflictions often come upon the people of God, and sore bereave- 
 ments strip them of many of those things in which they delighted ; 
 even as you have seen a tree stripped of its leaves, with its 
 branches broken by the storms that raged around it ; but their 
 troubles are all permitted and overruled with a wise reference to 
 their good. For we are like plants that need constant pruning 
 and restraint ; and the wise husbandman will apply his sharp 
 knife with vigor, if he see that otherwise his hopes of abundant 
 fruit may be disappointed. Although this is not the permanent 
 station of God's people — although it is certain that he has nobler 
 work for them to do above, jet even here he expects them to 
 serve him. Herein is my Father glorified, said our Saviour, that ye 
 hear much fruit : so shall ye be my disciples, John xv. 8. Those 
 that be planted in the house of the Lord must show the effect of 
 
56 PLANTS OF THE HOUSE OF THE LORD. 
 
 their superior training, by their vigorous growth and abundant 
 fruit. / am like a green olive-tree in the home of God, said David 
 in his early manhood, Ps. lii. 8 ; and like the palm-tree he still 
 brought forth fruit in old age, 1 Chron. xxix. 1 ; and like the 
 cedar-tree he was fat and flourishing. 
 
 Such is the character of those who are really planted in the 
 house of God below. I am aware that there are those who are 
 said to be planted there, to whom a widely different description 
 belongs. But it is for them to say why they differ from the de- 
 scription he has given of his own people. It is for them to say, 
 when he comes seeking fruit from them, year after year, and still 
 finding none, why they have disappointed his expectations. It 
 is for them to show cause why the axe, which is laid at the root 
 of the trees, should not be applied, and the tree that bringeth not 
 forth good fruit be hewn down and cast into the fire ; and woe 
 unto all such as are not ready when he comes to render him their 
 fruits in iJieir seasons I 
 
 After remaining the appointed time in the house of Grod 
 below, his people are removed to their eternal homes above. The 
 proper time for such removal is known to the great Husbandman 
 alone. It sometimes seems to us as if the excellent of the earth 
 are removed at seasons, when the vacancy occasioned by their 
 absence can hardly be supplied. But it is not so. He ivho has 
 determined (lie times before appointed, and the hounds of men's habi- 
 tation, knows best when to reward the faithfulness of his servants. 
 They are taken away, but it is that they may occupy a nobler 
 station nearer to himself They that be planted in the house of the 
 Jjord on earth, shall flourish in the courts of our Ood in heaven. In 
 that region of eternal blessedness they shall flourish forever. 
 There arc no chilling blasts, nor scorching droughts, to injure tlie 
 fair trees of righteousness. The pruning knife is never needed 
 there ; and of them it may most truly be said. Blessed are they ! For 
 they shall he as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out 
 Iter roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf 
 shall he green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither 
 shall erase from yielding fruit, Jer. xvii. 8. It is one of the pecu- 
 liar iirinciplcs of that state of happiness, that it is subject to no 
 vicissitudes, and never comes to an end. vis the days of a tree are 
 the days of wy people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the ivork oftMr 
 handf, Is. Ixv. 22. 
 
 I have used figurative language freely in explaining this pas- 
 
PLANTS OF THE HOUSE OF THE LORD, 57 
 
 sage of holy writ, because it is a passage that calls for such lan- 
 guage. But let not the comparisons and analogies adduced cover 
 and conceal the important truths they are intended to make known. 
 
 If God's word compares his people to trees planted in the 
 garden, then here is a test by which you may judge of your own 
 character. Are you thus planted in the house of the Lord ? And 
 if that same word declares that it is only those who are planted 
 in his house below, that shall flourish in his courts above, then 
 you have, not merely a test of character, but the strongest of all 
 motives to find where you are placed, and to act accordingly. 
 
 Observe the character of his people. They are planted in the 
 house of the Lord. The people of God are found in the church 
 of God. It is not the teaching of any human master to which 
 they yield implicit obedience. Much may be learned from men, 
 and by the assistance of men, but God's word is the standard of 
 all right — yea, the sum and the substance of all truth. Let it be 
 your study then to understand that word, for the church is built 
 upon it ; nor can you know whether you are in the church if you 
 understand not the obvious declarations of its pages. It has its 
 mysteries, and it has its obscurities ; but the parts that are neces- 
 sary to be understood, are so plain, that the ivayfaring man, though 
 a fool, need not err therein, Is. xxxv, 8. 
 
 But observe, it is not enough to be in the church by mere bap- 
 tism and external participation in its ordinances. You must be 
 2)lanted there if you wish to flourish in the courts of God. Your 
 life must be derived from heaven, and sustained from heaven, 
 and your conduct must be answerable to your privileges. It is 
 fruit the Master looks for from you. Leaves and blossoms are 
 very beautiful ; but the fig-tree that mocked the expectations of 
 the hungry having nothing thereon but leaves only, was cursed 
 and withered away. Matt. xxi. 19. What fruit are you bearing? 
 How much do you glorify our Father in heaven ? If he came 
 now seeking fruit from you, should he find any? And if not, 
 what excuse could you offer him ? how prove your claim to be 
 considered a branch of his planting ? 
 
 Every tree that hringeth not forth good fruit is hewn doivn, and 
 cost into tlie fire. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall 
 enter into the kingdom of heaven ; hut he that doeth the ivill of my 
 Father ivhich is in heaven, Matt. vii. 19, 21. 
 
 Macao, June 25, 1843. 
 
SERMON VIII. 
 
 TERMS OF DISCIPLESHIP. 
 
 And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, 
 Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, 
 Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests ; but the Son of Man hath not 
 where to lay his head. 
 
 And he said unto another. Follow me. But he said. Lord, suffer me first to go and 
 bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead, but go thou 
 and preach the kingdom of God. 
 
 And another also said. Lord, I will follow thee : but let me first go bid them farewell 
 which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man having put 
 his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.— Luke 
 ix. 67-62. 
 
 When Christ came, the secret thoughts of many hearts were 
 revealed. His coming had been anxiously looked for. A general 
 expectation of great things following his advent prevailed, and 
 the whole Jewish nation may be said to have been in the posture 
 of anxious waiting to see what he would accomplish. But his 
 humble parentage and place of abode disheartened many, and his 
 lowly appearance, unattended by trains of courtly followers, dis- 
 gusted more. It was not long after his public ministry commenced, 
 that the scornful cry was heard. Can any good thing come out of 
 Xazardh ? and his friends were told with bitter scoffs, that oiit of 
 Galilee ariwtli no jirophd. Yet notwithstanding these disadvan- 
 tages, as worldly men would call them, his doctrines excited at- 
 tention, and forced a reluctant assent, even from his bitterest 
 enemies. The splendor of his miracles, and the sublimity and 
 truthfulness of his teachings convinced many. Their consciences 
 responded to his calls, though their will remained in opposition 
 to him. Yet some at least were found to follow, and to serve him. 
 lie could have secured many followers, by promises, which as the 
 Son of God he could easily have performed. Ilad he only con- 
 cealed the difficulties that attended a profession of faith in his 
 
TERMS OF DISCIPLESHIP. 59 
 
 name, lie would have been attended by crowds of disciples. But 
 he concealed nothing. As Joshua said to the over-forward Is- 
 raelites, when they declared their readiness to serve the Lord, Ye 
 cannot serve the Lord: for he is an holy God: lie is a jealous God^ 
 Josh. xxiv. 19. So Christ showed plainly the strict and uncom- 
 promising nature of his religion. He held up a crown of life and 
 pointed to eternal joys, as the reward of his faithfal servants ; 
 but he did not hesitate to show the rough and stormy road that 
 led to that crown, and the mart3^r's death by which they often 
 entered on that life. No man ever yet entered the Christian 
 church to whom the apostle Paul did not say, All that will live 
 godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution^ 2 Tim. iii. 12. In like 
 manner our Saviour told all who came unto him, to count the cost 
 before they undertook his service ; for as he said to his disciples. 
 In the world ye shall have tribulation, John xvi. 83. These warn- 
 ings were repeated as often as new offers of service were made. 
 Thus it came to pass on one occasion, as they went in the way, 
 that a certain person offered to cast in his lot among the disciples 
 of Christ. "What induced him to make this offer is not stated. 
 He may have been impressed by the sight of the miracles of 
 Christ. His conscience may have been touched by his solemn 
 words, or the eloquence of him, who spake as never man spake, 
 may have arrested his attention. It appears from the account 
 given by Matthew, that he was a scribe, belonging therefore to the 
 learned class in Judea. It is most probable that he was a person 
 somewhat fond of a life of ease and enjoyment, which at the same 
 time would give opportunities of attending to literary pursuits, and 
 those studies of ethics which were then in vogue in the heathen 
 schools of morality. He seems to have expected peculiar oppor- 
 tanities of gratifying his taste, under the teachings of such a 
 master as Christ ; while the thought of want, or exposure to 
 personal inconveniences, in the company of one who could feed 
 thousands with a few loaves and fishes, — or when the storm raged 
 could still it with a word, appears not to have entered his mind. 
 With much confidence therefore, he approaches the Saviour, Lord, 
 I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. It was a bold promise 
 made, as too many are, under the excitement of the moment, only 
 to be broken when the excitement has worn away. When the 
 Israelites were at the foot of Mount Sinai, with the remembrance 
 of the Red Sea, and of Elim, and of Massah and Meribah, still 
 fresh in their minds, it was easy for them to say, All Hiat the Lord 
 
60 TERMS OF DISCIPLESHIP. 
 
 hath spoken we will do, Exod. xix. 18. But it was not so easy to 
 do as they had said, when water failed them in the desert, and 
 their soul loathed the light bread that sustained them. When 
 Peter was surrounded by his fellow-disciples, and the melting 
 words of Christ's affection still sounded in his ears, it was easy 
 for him to say. Lord, I will lay down my life for thy sake, John xiii. 
 37, but he found it a harder trial than he had expected, when the 
 stern soldiers gathered around him, and a scoffing damsel said, 
 Thou also least with Jesus of Nazareth, Mark xiv. 67. The scribe 
 had seen the miracles of Christ, when the sick were restored to 
 health, and thousands were fed by his miraculous stores. He had 
 listened to his words, when so many crowded to hear him, that 
 they even trod upon one another, and he thought it would be 
 always so. He thought it would be pleasant to be with such a 
 man, and to follow him in triumphal procession from city to city ; 
 but he knew not the toil and self-denial, and the suffering and 
 sorrow of the private life of Christ. He was like a raw recruit, 
 who is willing enough to enlist for the war, but supposes that all 
 can be done in the shade, and amidst delights, without sweat and 
 dust, and beyond the reach of the enemy's arms. 
 
 To try his courage, and to open to him the secrets of his 
 heart, Christ told him his own condition in life. It was not such 
 as he had pictured to himself. Though really Lord of all, he 
 was now a stranger in his own dominions, and though a few 
 friends occasionally administered to his wants, yet house or home 
 of his own, he had none. Foxes have holes, ojid the birds of tJie air 
 have nests, hut the son of man hath not where to lay his head. And 
 as the disciple is not above his Master, nor the servant above his 
 Lord, those who follow him are not authorized to expect better 
 accommodations. Pause for a moment, at this description. They 
 arc Christ's own words, you hear, and the person so destitute is 
 God's own Son! Before all things, — for whom all things were 
 made, — by whose power all things exist, Avhen he came to the 
 earth, and took up his abode among men, the very beasts of the 
 field, and the wandering birds of the air, had better homes than 
 he 1 Is there not meaning in the apostle's words, when he said, 
 Ye know the grcwe of our Lord Jesus Christ; though he was rich, 
 yet, for your sakes, he became poor, that ye, through his poverty, might 
 become rich, 2 Cor. viii. 9. If he has done this much for us, shall 
 we count it hard that he expects his disci])les to walk in his foot- 
 Btcps, to drink of the cup of which ho driuks, and to be baptized 
 
TERMS OF DISCIPLESHIP. 61 
 
 with the baptism wherewith he is baptized ? Has he not a right 
 to say, If any man will come after me, let Mm deny himself and take 
 up his cross daily, and follow me ? Luke ix. 23. What effect the 
 words of Christ produced upon the scribe, is not stated, nor does 
 it concern us to know. The words themselves are recorded for 
 our careful consideration ; and he that will be Christ's disciple, 
 must make up his mind to bear all this, should his Master so 
 require it. He may not see fit to call you to such self-denial ; but 
 if he should, you must cheerfully bear it. 
 
 Another man was seen, for whom Christ had a work to do. 
 He therefore gives him a special call, Follow me He meant to 
 make him a preacher of the gospel. The office of the ministry is 
 of so much importance and solemnity, that no man should under- 
 take it, who has not received a distinct call thereto. A man can- 
 not enter the ministry, as he can the army or the navy, or the 
 jirofession of law or of medicine. It is a solemn thing to be a 
 messenger of the Lord of hosts, to be an ambassador of Christ, 
 and none but those who have suitable qualifications, and a special 
 appointment, should take this office upon themselves. Ordinarily, 
 it is not difficult to discover whether one is called to the ministry 
 or not ; but there are frequently cases in which those who are 
 called to it, hesitate to undertake its duties. A sense of their 
 own unfitness, as in the case of Moses, or an apprehension that 
 they have other and more pressing engagements, deters them 
 from commencing new ones. Thus it was with the person here 
 addressed. There appears to have been no unwillingness to fol- 
 low Christ, but his aged father was at home, and probably nea,r 
 the end of his life. His assistance might be needed, to pay the 
 last sad rites, and filial piety urged him to remain till his father 
 should no more need his services. Lord, suffer me first to go and 
 hury my father. This was as fair an excuse as could be offered, 
 but the Lord did not consider it sufficient. There were others 
 who had less important callings, and who could easily perform 
 all that was required for his father; but for him, there was a 
 work to do, whose importance admitted of no delay. Let the dead 
 hury their dead. Let those whose minds are occupied only with 
 the affairs of this world, who have no proper sense of spiritual 
 things, who are spiritually dead, and have no nobler work to per- 
 form, let them attend to earthly matters ; hut go thou and preach 
 the kingdom of God. This is an employment above all others, and 
 must, therefore, take the precedence of all others. It was not 
 
62 TERMS OF DISCIPLESHIP. 
 
 the object of Christ to depreciate the importance of the social vir- 
 tues, nor did he at all intimate that the dead should not be decently 
 interred ; but he did mean to teach, that, when a man is called to 
 preach the gospel, he must suffer no other engagement to inter- 
 fere with this. He called Matthew, as he sat at the receipt of 
 custom, and he lefl all and followed him. He called the sons of 
 Zebedee, as they were with their father, and they immediately 
 left the ship and their father, and followed him. He called for 
 Peter, he called for Nathaniel, he called for Paul, and they obeyed 
 his call, leaving all for him, and exclaiming, Woe is vie, if I preach 
 not the gospel, 1 Cor. ix. 16. Say not that the sacrifice is too 
 great, or that too much is asked, when this is required. No 
 sacrifice, not even life itself, can be too great, when made for the 
 sake of him, who created us at first, and redeemed us with his 
 own precious blood. It was to the praise of Levi, that the 
 inspired penman wrote concerning him. He said to his father and 
 to his mother, I have not seen him : neither did he acknowledge his 
 brethren, nor know his own children : for they have observed thy ivord, 
 and kept thy covenant, Deut. xxxiii, 9. 
 
 There was still another offer of service made to our Lord, but ap- 
 parently by one who had not properly considered the nature of the 
 service he was about to undertake. He was willing to follow Christ, 
 but he wished first to arrange matters comfortably in his own house. 
 He wished to go and say farewell to those in his own house, but 
 he does not appear to have intended to break off all connection 
 with the world. It was his desire, so to arrange his family 
 affairs («7roTa|«a6«t) as to secure a comfortable retreat for himself, 
 if religion should at any time offer less than he now expected 
 from it. His proposal really amounted to a proposition to keep 
 the world, as well as obey Christ, though it did not bear so much 
 openly on its face. Lord, I will follow thee, but let me first go and 
 bid them fareivell lohich are at home in my house. He was willing 
 enough to follow Christ, provided he could do it in peace with 
 the world, and did not thereby close the door against his return 
 to his old companions. Such followers Christ did not want. 
 The whole heart, or none at all. The world must be totally 
 renounced, and the kingdom of God first and chiefly sought. No 
 man, having put Iris Iiands to tJic jylough, and looking back, is fit for 
 the kingdom of (lod. He that commences any undertaking, how- 
 ever humble it may be, must give it his undivided attention, if 
 he wishes to succeed. More especially is this true in those things 
 
TERMS OF DISCIPLESniP. 63 
 
 that relate to the other world. We cannot serve God and Mammon. 
 He that starts to flee from the devoted city of destruction, but 
 turns and looks back, longing again to re-enter its walls, and 
 enjoy its delights, will never escape to the mountain of safety. 
 Remember Lot's wife. He that comes to the battle-field, but turns 
 his back when the charge is sounded, may indeed save his life for 
 the time, but the victor's crown will never be his. He that com- 
 mences the Christian course, but afterwards, for any cause what- 
 soever, turns back, will find himself totally unfit for the kingdom 
 of God, and his latter end shall be worse than the first, 
 
 • This account is exceedingly instructive, by reason of its show- 
 ing us so clearly the terms of discipleship, and the claims of the 
 religion of Christ. The particular circumstances of each person 
 in this account, are not so much, the objects of attention, as the 
 view it gives us of the spirit required in those who would follow 
 Christ. The circumstances of different men vary, according to 
 the age and country in which they live, and the rank they hold 
 in life ; but the spirit and disposition of each member of the 
 church, of Christ, must be the same, whatever difference there be 
 in his outward circumstances. 
 
 The spirit required in those who would follow Christ, as we 
 may easily gather from the narrative before us, is one that would 
 induce them to give up bodily ease and pleasure, wandering 
 about, as has been done by others — yes, and by the ancestors of 
 some of us — in deserts and mountains, and dwelling in dens and 
 caves of the earth. It is such a spirit as will induce a man to 
 tear himself away from father and mother, from wife and chil- 
 dren, and, if need be, to endure the changed affection, and even 
 the hatred, of those he loves best on earth, for the sake of Christ. 
 It is that spirit which jviH induce a man to look upon the world 
 as perishing dross, and will enable him on occasion to take cheer- 
 fully the spoiling of his goods, and to embrace the stake, and 
 gaze upon the flaming fagots, not accepting deliverance, when 
 that deliverance can be obtained only by renouncing the service 
 of the Master, whose cause we have embraced. It may be that 
 none of those who hear me, shall ever be called upon to make 
 such sacrifices, and endure such sufferings as these, for the sake 
 of Christ. And yet, who shall assure you that you shall not ? 
 In the life-time of nearly all who hear me, all of these sacrifices 
 have been made for Christ, and even death itself has been endured 
 for his sake. Even now do the native Christians of Madagascar 
 
64 TERMS OF DISCIPLESHIP. 
 
 wander houseless in the tangled forests, rather than renounce the 
 service of Christ, and I have yet to learn that Satan is not willing 
 again to raise up persecutions in Christian lands, or that there are 
 not men wicked enough to persecute others for conscience' sake, 
 or that God may not see fit again to purify his church by fire and 
 sword, and thus separate the precious from the vile. 
 
 But all this is not the hardest that a man may be called to 
 endure, for the sake of Christ. A man may suffer martyrdom 
 itself, with but little of the spirit of a true martyr. It is the 
 daily routine of Christian life and duty, that calls for the sorest 
 warfare, and the most painful sacrifices. Were there only a few 
 strong efforts to be made, the work were easily accomplished. 
 But with steady aim, and with single purpose to persevere, even 
 to the end of life, in a course of self-denial, of mortification of sin, 
 and seeking after holiness — this is no easy work. To walk in 
 the valley of humiliation, after being on the heights of prosperity 
 — this is far harder than mere bodily penances and austerities. 
 To live the secret life of faith, and even to feel and act as a 
 stranger in the earth, — to meet and overcome all of Satan's temp- 
 tations, — to quench all the fiery darts of the enemy, — to maintain 
 a constant warfare against every sin that rises in the breast, — this 
 is that which calls for more than human strength. No one, who 
 knows his own heart, will ever promise in his own strength to 
 follow Christ whithersoever he goes. But, through Christ 
 strengthening us, it can be done ; and the sacrifices the human 
 nature shrinks from, will appear to grace as only light afflictions, 
 enduring for a moment, and not worthy to be compared with the 
 exceeding and eternal weight of glory that is to follow. 
 
 The Christian life, therefore, is a life of self-denial. While in 
 these tabernacles, we must walk by fiiith, and not by sight ; like 
 the Israelites who toiled through the desert, in hopes of entering 
 the promised land. But let it not be supposed that the way 
 through the desert is all one of gloom and sorrow. On the con- 
 trary, he who cheerfully endures the self-denial, and fiiithfully 
 performs the duties attending his course, will find incomparably 
 more satisfaction than the votaries of pleasure, or other followers 
 of the world ever enjoy. The Israelites in the wilderness suffered 
 far more from their own sins and follies, than from the self-denials 
 and toils of their route. It was their own murmurings and sins 
 that called down the judgments of God, and brought the plague 
 of serpents among them ; while, during their whole course, they 
 
TERMS OF DISCIPLESHIP. 65 
 
 experienced the daily favor and care of God. Their raiment 
 waxed not old, nor did their foot swell. Manna from heaven 
 supplied their daily bread, and they drank water from the rock, 
 while the pillar of fire and of cloud was their shelter by day, and 
 their light by night. It is thus with the Christian. Follow your 
 Saviour in the path he has marked out for you, and, though 
 often wearied and heavy-laden, it will bring you unto him, and 
 you shall find rest to your souls. 
 
 Macao, July 2, 1843. 
 
SERMON IX. 
 
 ^YALKING WITH GOD. 
 
 And Enoch walked with God, and he was not, because God took him. — Genesis v. 24. 
 
 Enoch, the seventh in direct descent from Adain, was born 
 about A. ii. 622. When he was born, Adam, the father of the 
 human race, was yet in his prime, and as far as we know, no man 
 had yet died on the earth, except Abel. 
 
 The remembrance of the fall of man and his sorrowful de- 
 parture from the garden of Eden must still have been fresh in the 
 minds of men. Doubtless Adam related the melancholy story to 
 his descendants, all of whom must have seen him, and had op- 
 portunities of personal intercourse with him. Nay, Paradise itself 
 remained. Its high walls were visible to all, and the fiery cheru- 
 bim and flaming sword still guarded the way to the tree of life, 
 and offered a living and fearful commentary to the warnings and 
 exhortations of Adam to his descendants. 
 
 Yet in the very sight and presence of him who had fallen 
 from his state of perfect innocence and purity, and in full view of 
 the living and flaming emblems of God's displeasure against sin, 
 mankind were dail}'- becoming more and more corrupt. Sin and 
 misery had already crept over the world. Ungodliness was rife 
 among men. Every imagination of the thoughts of men's hearts 
 was only evil continually, and the fair world which during the 
 lifetime of one then alive, had been the abode of holiness and 
 bliss, was already subjected to the empire of Satan, and with but 
 few exceptions men had departed from God. Adam had many 
 sons and daughters, from whom the whole world was peopled ; 
 but they all seem to have been ranged under the banners of Cain 
 or of Setli. Of Cain, and all his descendants and followers, wc 
 know not that even one was found on the Lord's side. From the 
 descendants of Seth there were several. The church of God was 
 
WALKING WITH GOD. 67 
 
 formed in Lis family, and before the flood, as well as after, there 
 has been no time from the creation until the present period, when 
 God has not had a church on earth. It is, however, too evident 
 that many even of Seth's descendants were ungodly men, and 
 that the church of God was but a little flock, while his eneniioy 
 on earth were numerous and povverfal. Already was it necessary 
 in the time of Enoch to denounce the approaching judgments of 
 God. And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, propliesied, saying, 
 BtJiold! the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints, to execute 
 judgment upon cdl, and to convince all that are ungodly among them, 
 of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of 
 all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have sp)ol:e)i against 
 him, Jude 14, 15. 
 
 It is needful to bear in mind this almost universal defection 
 from Gocl, in order rightly to appreciate the excellency of Enoch's 
 character, and the power of religion in his heart. He lived in an 
 age with much to discourage him. The wickedness of men was 
 all around him, and their hard speeches which they spake against 
 God, daily sounded in his ears. Yet faithful he stood, and so 
 exemplary was his conduct, so perfectly did he walk with God, 
 that he received special marks of his favor, and was exempted 
 from the ordinary lot of men. He was not, because God took him. 
 It may have been while he was preaching to men, and warning 
 them of the judgments of God, that their wrath rose against him, 
 and God, to deliver him from their hands, translated him that he 
 should not see death, Ileb. xi. 5. 
 
 The apostle Paul, in that bright catalogue of holy men, which 
 he gives in Heb. xi. bestows special commendation upon Enoch, 
 By faith Enoch was translated, that he should not see death, for before 
 his translation he had this testimony that he pleased God, Heb. xi. 5. 
 
 It is not so easy a matter to walk with God, as is commonly 
 imagined. Were nothing more required, than a mere externally 
 decent deportment, an outward respect for religion, and an at- 
 tendance upon its outward ordinances, with an occasional partici- 
 pation of some of its more solemn rites, it were all easy enough. 
 But had this been all that is included in the expression to walk 
 with God, the Bible would never have described it, in such terms 
 as a race, a xoarfare, a battle, a pilgrimage, and others expressive of 
 difl&culty, of toil, of suffering, of internal conflicts, and of strug- 
 gling with Satan's temptations. 
 
 How can two ivalk together except they be agreed ? Amos iii. 3. 
 
68 WALKING WITH GOD. 
 
 But naturally what agreement is there between God and man ? 
 God is in heaven and we upon earth. God is all-powerful and 
 all-wise, we frail and ignorant. God is the sovereign ruler of all, 
 we creatures and subjects, and worse than all, the slaves of his 
 bitterest enemy. God is all-holy and just. Eighteousness is his 
 delight, and he is of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot 
 look upon iniquity. Are we not defiled by sin, from the sole of 
 Otpfjot to the head ? How can two beings so diverse walk together ? 
 What can his holiness find in us, but objects of abhorrence ? 
 or his justice but objects of wrath ? Which of his attributes can 
 delight in man, or make him a friend? Naturally we walk con- 
 trary to God, and possessing such a character as he does, he must 
 necessarily walk contrary to us. A change must occur ere God 
 and man can harmoniously meet. But a change cannot occur in 
 the unchangeable Jehovah. His eternal essence and perfect 
 rectitude, do not admit of variableness, nor the least shadow of 
 turning. Heaven and earth shall wax old and be removed like 
 a scroll, while he continues the same. Heaven and earth shall 
 pass away, but his word never changes. In man alone therefore 
 can the change occur, — and its necessity is strongly set forth by 
 our Saviour, when he said to Nicodemus, Verily, verily I say unto 
 you, except a man he horn again, he cannot enter into the kingdom, of 
 God. And how great a change it is ! It is from darkness to 
 light, — from error to truth, — from sin to holiness. The greatness 
 of the change is expressed by the several comparisons in scripture 
 by which it is represented. In the verse just quoted our Saviour 
 calls it a new hirth. There is a vast difference between the condition 
 of the unborn infant as it lies in darkness and silence in the womb, 
 and its life, when its ears hear the sound, and its eyes perceive 
 the light of this world. 
 
 The change is elsewhere compared to a resurrection from the 
 dead. You hath he quickened loho were dead in trespasses and sins, 
 Eph. ii. 1. When the prophet was led out to the valley full of 
 bones, and made to pass by them, and beheld them lying scattered, 
 and naked, and broken, and dried,— could he hope that they 
 would ever live again ? Was it not mockery when the Lord said 
 to him, S(ni of man, can these hones live ? Ezek. xxvii, 3. To man 
 it would seem so, but the answer he gave was wise, Oh Lord God, 
 thou knowcst. Human power could never make them live, but 
 wlicn the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, then there was a 
 noise and a shaking, and bone came together to his bone, and 
 
WALKING WITH GOD. 69 
 
 sinews and flesli came upon them, and the skin covered them 
 above, and the breath came into them and thej lived. Thus, when 
 the power of God is manifested in calling the souls of men back 
 to himself to walk with him, there is a change as wonderful and 
 decided, as when the mouldering skeleton is raised and restored 
 to life again. The change required in order that men may walk 
 with God, is also compared to a new creation, and what is more 
 unlike than nonentity and existence ? If any man he in Christ, 
 there is a new creation, 2 Cor. v. 17. 
 
 These comparisons all express the greatest conceivable change, 
 and they all distinctly inform us that without this change, it is 
 impossible to walk with God. What fellowship hath light with 
 darkness ? When one appears, does not the other flee away ? In 
 our natural state, we are the servants of sin and Satan, but what 
 concord hath Christ with Belial ? No ! men must come out from 
 their natural state, and be separate from the sins and ways of 
 the world, ere God will dwell in them, and walk with them, and 
 be their God. The natural world has its antipathies. Oil and 
 water will not unite ; nor will the fruits of the torrid zone come 
 to maturit}^ beneath the poles. Is it strange then that holiness 
 and sin should be opposed, or that the love of God should not 
 flourish in a heart preoccupied with the world? 
 
 How then do men walk with God? Wherein consists the 
 nature of that mysterious change that fits man for intercourse 
 with his Maker ? How is he sustained from day to day in his 
 heavenward course ? These are hard questions to answer. Who 
 can tell what life is ? You see a plant in its growth — ^you watch 
 it from the moment its tender shoot first appears above the 
 ground, to the period when it stands displayed in all the fresh- 
 ness and beauty of its bloom, and ripened fruitage; but can you 
 understand the process by which a black and naked seed which 
 lies in the palm of your hand, gives rise to a tree whose fruit sup- 
 ports, and whose shade refreshes the birds of the air and the 
 beasts of the field ? You see a playful child, and watch him as 
 he grows up to manhood ; but can you explain that principle of 
 life which makes him to differ from the dead body you have seen 
 consigned to the silent grave ? If you cannot understand even 
 earthly things, how shall the things of heaven be explained ? The 
 principle of spiritual life is as mysterious in its nature as that 
 which sustains the vegetable or the animal world. He alone who 
 possesses it knows what it is ; but even he cannot impart the 
 
70 WALKING WITH GOD. 
 
 knowledge of it to those who possess it not. Talk to a deaf man 
 of sounds, or to a blind man of colors, and what is he the wiser? 
 But though we cannot explain the nature of the life of God in the 
 soul of man, in its hidden and mysterious processes, we can see 
 its effects, we can judge of its causes, and this is all we need to 
 know. 
 
 The difterence between the Christian and the man of the 
 world is, that the former looks chiefly at those things w^hich are 
 unseen and eternal, while the latter is solely careful for those that 
 are seen, and temporal. The Christian walks by faith. The world- 
 ling lives by sight. The secret of Enoch's walking with God, 
 was his faith. By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see 
 death, and ivas not found because God had translated him ; for before 
 his translation he had this testimony that he pleased God. But luithout 
 faith it is impossible to please him, Heb. xi. 56. 
 
 The man who thus walks with God by faith has his eyes 
 opened to see spiritual things, especially God's character and his 
 own, and all his actions and course of life correspond with just 
 views of God's attributes. 
 
 1. He is filled with a deep sense of the sinfulness of his own 
 heart and life before God. The declarations of the sacred Scrip- 
 tures in reference to the natural character of man, are inexpres- 
 sibly painful and humiliating. To be told that in us there is no 
 good thing — to join with David in his confession. Behold I was 
 shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my another conceive me, Ps. li. 5 ; 
 to be so filled with a sense of sin, as to abhor ourselves and re- 
 pent in dust and ashes, as Job did, xlii. 6 ; to see and feel that 
 sin reigns in our mortal bodies, and that the pure eye of God 
 which looks into our most secret thoughts, sees nothing there that 
 is holy; nothing which can deserve his favor; — oh, this is hard. 
 This is the reason why repentance is such bitter work to most 
 men. We like not to think of ourselves, as meanly as the word 
 of God describes us to be, and as enlightened and impartial expe- 
 rience shows we are. We like not to view God's justice and 
 holiness as utterly arrayed against us, and to feel that as long as 
 God remains what he is, we must cither change, or perish for- 
 ever. But this is not all. \Vc might be willing to change, and 
 thus secure the favor of God, could we do it in our own strength, 
 and thus secure to ourselves a part at least of the credit of such a 
 cliange. But the word of God, and our own experience, which 
 combine to show us the depth of our sin, as distinctly inform us 
 
WALKING WITH GOD. 71 
 
 that our own strength is not sufficient, Tbej tell us, that we are 
 dead in trespasses and in sins, Eph. ii. 1 ; and can the dead raise 
 themselves? Could Lazarus in his grave have said, I will now 
 arise and go forth, if the Son of God had not stood and called, 
 Lazarus, come forth f No. Our own righteousness is very dear 
 unto us. "We are loath to give up all dependence upon our 
 own good .works. It is hard to renounce all self-dependence, 
 and to trust our guilty souls upon the sovereign mercy of God 
 above. The first question of the convinced sinner always is, 
 What shall I do to he saved? With what price shall I purchase my 
 deliverance ? Men will stand and hesitate long before they will 
 so humble themselves as to accept of a free pardon. Nay, they 
 will go back and look down into the abysses of the bottomless 
 pit, ere they will consent to enter on that strait and narrow 
 way, which can be entered only by him who comes divested of 
 every earthly load, and casts his naked soul before the Saviour 
 to be clothed upon with his righteousness. No natural man will 
 ever say with the apostle Paul, Yea doubtless, and I count all 
 things hut loss for the excellence/ of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my 
 Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count 
 them hut dung that I may win Christ, and he found in him, not 
 having mine own righteousness which is of the law, hut that which is 
 through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God hy faith, 
 Phil. iii. 8, 9. 
 
 But when the heart is enlightened by divine grace, we shall 
 thus look upon our own character, and acknowledge our own in- 
 ability to save ourselves. And is there no other way of escape ? 
 Must we lie down in sorrow, because our own right hand cannot 
 deliver us ? Oh no ! He who thus looks upon himself, will 
 not be long in seeing that there is a way of escape. Despairing 
 of help in himself, and yet impressed with the absolute necessity 
 of fleeing from the wrath to come, he will look unto him who is 
 mighty to save. His eyes being opened by the mercy of God, he 
 will look unto Christ, and beholding in him a Saviour, every 
 way suited to his wants, he will receive and rest upon him alone 
 for salvation. It is a great thing to see Christ. The very sight 
 of the brazen serpent on the pole restored the serpent-bitten Is- 
 raelites, and a correct view of Christ crucified for sin melts the 
 most hardened heart, overcomes all its objections to the gospel, 
 removes all its fears of the wrath of God,, and gives us full assur- 
 ance of his everlasting love. Henceforth there will be no trust- 
 
72 WALKING WITH GOD. 
 
 ing in self-righteousness — no vain attempts to add to tlie finished 
 work of Christ. 
 
 Such are the preliminary steps to a walk with God on earth. 
 There is a vast variety in the experiences of Christians, as to the 
 ways in which they are led unto Christ. But no man is ever 
 savingly converted to God, who is not made to know the plague 
 of his own heart, 1 Kings viii. 38 ; who has not felt his own utter 
 helplessness, and submitted his soul unreservedly and uncon- 
 ditionally into the hands of Christ. 
 
 2. These steps being taken, what is the after-course of such a 
 beginning? "What is there in the life of him who walks with God, 
 to distinguish him from other men ? If the professed Christian 
 be sincere in his profession, there will be much in his outward 
 deportment to distinguish him from the mass of those around 
 him ; but in a country where outward morality and good order 
 are fashionable, we must look to the heart to find' the chief differ- 
 ence. The heart of the Christian if opened to the gaze of men, 
 would present a strange spectacle. There would be seen in it a 
 constant struggle, between the Spirit of God on the one hand, and 
 the power of sin on the other. Sin reigns in the mortal bodies 
 of all men. Commonly it does not exert all its vigor ; but when 
 occasions offer, or efforts are made to cast it out, it is found to 
 have implanted its roots deep in every affection of the heart, 
 while its virulent poison brings desolation on the soul, Tlic 
 wages of sin is death. When the Spirit of God comes into the 
 heart, inducing a man to walk with God, there must of course be 
 a contest between our natural sinfulness and newly acquired prin- 
 ciples of holiness. It is in vain to ask, why God does not at once 
 make his people perfect in holiness, and free them from everj^ 
 remnant of sin ? It would be easy to answer these questions, did 
 time permit, but it is not necessary. It is sufficient for the present 
 to remark that he has not seen best to do so. lie Avishes to let 
 his people know experimentally, somewhat of the power of that 
 enemy from which he delivers them, and hence it is that the con- 
 test between sin and holiness in the heart of the man of God is 
 often so long and painful. Yet the world, even his most intimate 
 friends, may know little or nothing of what passes in the secret 
 chambers of his own breast. It is only by a slow and lingering 
 death that the power of sin is destroyed in the heart. It is com- 
 ])arcd to crucifixion, a most painful and lingering form of violent 
 death, Thctj that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the aU'ec- 
 
WALKING WITH GOD. 73 
 
 tions and lusts, Gal. v. 24. The heart must be diligently watched ; 
 the emotions of sin must be suppressed ; pride must be mortified ; 
 selfishness cast out ; impurity utterly forbidden ; and everything 
 that exalteth itself against God be cast down. But why spend 
 words in describing that which the pen of inspiration has already 
 so distinctly drawn. In the sixth and seventh chapters of the 
 Epistle to the Eomans, which I recommend to your special atten- 
 tion, is a full account of all that is needful to be known on this 
 subject, illustrated and confirmed by the experience of the apostle 
 Paul himself 
 
 3. Furthermore. The man who walks with God, while thus 
 seeking to mortify sin in his heart, is also earnestly desirous to 
 be made perfectly holy. He hungers and thirsts after righteous- 
 ness ; he earnestly desires to present his heart as a pure offering 
 to the Lord of hosts ; and he labors to render his life conform- 
 able to the profession he has made. He humbles himself before 
 God, Mic. vi. 8. He engages in his worship with hearty desires 
 to honor him, and to experience his favor. He so regulates his 
 life, as that nothing may appear in it displeasing to the Master he 
 serves. He endeavors to bring others also to an acquaintance 
 with God. Enoch and Noah, who walked with God, were 
 preachers of righteousness ; and every Christian, in his sphere, 
 will endeavor to teach men the truth. If his mouth is closed, 
 his example, at least, will testify to the excellence of the principles 
 by which he professes to be actuated. He will walk in peace 
 and equit}^, Mai. ii. 6, and do good to all men as he has oppor- 
 tunity. Far from living for himself alone, he will remember the 
 words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to 
 receive. Acts xx. 35. He will love all men, he will pray for all 
 men, he will do good unto all men, as far as he has opportunity. 
 Nor will all these be done merely for a time, nor by occasional 
 efforts. It will be a settled principle with him. He will perse- 
 vere in the way of holiness, even to the end of life. Opposition 
 he will expect to meet, from within and without, — from men and 
 from evil spirits. But he will go forward, notwithstanding all. 
 Not in his own strength, not in reliance upon his own power, not 
 with the spirit of boasting, but looking unto Christ, through 
 whom he can do all things, in whom is all his strength, and to 
 whom he renders all the praise for all the good he is enabled to 
 do, and for every success that crowns his efforts, and cheers him 
 on his way. Such is the heart, and such is the life of him who 
 
74 • WALKING WITH GOD. 
 
 walks with God. The path in which he must walk, who walks 
 with God on earth, is a rough and thorny one. Even Christ 
 pleased not himself, and how should his followers expect more 
 than their. Master enjoyed. Yet surely it is a glorious thing thus 
 to walk, in intimate and friendly intercourse with the King of 
 kings. Surely it is no common honor to be called, as Abraham 
 was, the friend of God, James ii. 27. 
 
 What manner of men should such be ? Do you profess to 
 walk with God ? Is your heart, then, right before him ? Does 
 your life correspond with such a profession ? Do you act in no 
 respect differently from what you would, if you felt that God were 
 by your side, when you go out, and when you come in ? Is it 
 now a pleasant thought to you, that he sees your inmost heart, 
 hears every word of your tongues, and weighs every action you 
 perform ? Is it your daily care to shape your conduct as not to 
 displease that holy God, before whom you walk? Remember 
 that you cannot escape from his presence, and if you walk not 
 with him as a friend, you must walk before him as an enemy, 
 for among men he recognizes but two classes — those who are for 
 him, and those who are against him. It is therefore yours to see 
 and know whether 3^ou be on the Lord's side or not; and surely 
 it should not be hard to know where you stand. "We judge of a 
 man by his associates. If you walk with the wise, you will be 
 wise. If you walk with the bountiful, how can you be covetous ? 
 If with the compassionate, how be cruel ? If with the holy, how 
 can you delight in sin ? 
 
 Judge, then, your own selves, and see to it that ye walk after 
 ihe Lord our God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and 
 obey his voice, and serve him, and cleave unto him, Deut. xiii. 4. 
 
 Macao, July 16, 1843. 
 
SERMON X. 
 
 I AM A STRANGER IN THE EARTK 
 I am a stranger in the earth. — Psalm cxLx. 19. 
 
 Such is the memorable confession of David, the king and 
 sweet psalmist of Israel. To some, it may appear strange, for 
 there Avas apparently nothing in the latter part of his course that 
 called for such an acknowledgment. It is true that in his early 
 life he was a wanderer, driven to and fro, by the malice of Saul, 
 as a leaf is tossed by the winds, and hunted like a partridge in 
 the mountains ; but in the latter part of his life, everything about 
 him was as settled and home-like as could well be imagined. He 
 was in his own country, and that country enjoyed peace and 
 prosperity. He was among his relatives and friends, and they 
 Avere many and powerful. He was in his own house. He was 
 king over his own country, with everything that could make a 
 throne desirable. His right to the throne was clear and undis- 
 puted, for the anointing oil of God was upon his head ; the peo- 
 ple heartily consented to his authority, and loved and reverenced 
 him. He was honored at home, and respected and feared abroad. 
 Distant nations sought his alliance ; and under his reign, Israel 
 saw its greatest extension and highest prosperity. He reigned 
 securely on his throne, and was assured that his descendants after 
 him should sit upon it; and that, in the course of time, the 
 promised and long-expected Messiah should be numbered among 
 his posterity. What more could he want to satisfy him ? Why 
 should he not quietly seat himself on his throne, and enjoy the 
 luxuries around him? Yet, as far as we know, he never con- 
 sidered himself at home in this world. His constant declaration 
 was, lam a stranger in the earth. The statutes of God were his 
 songs in the home of his pilgrimage, Ps. cxix. 19, 54. In his prayers 
 to God, he said, I am a stranger ivith thee, and a sojourner, as all 
 
76 I AM A STR.^'GER IX THE EARTH. 
 
 my fathers were; hide not thy face from my tears, Ps. xxxix. 12; 
 and in his grateful praises and thanksgivings, near the close of 
 a long life, his confession still was, We are strangers before thee, and 
 sojourners, as ivere all our fathers : our days on the earth are as a 
 shadow, and there is none abiding, 1 Chron. xxix. 15. It is won- 
 derful how prone men are to think this world their home, and to 
 sit down, 05 if they were to abide here forever. A greater, and 
 yet a more common mistake, cannot well be imagined, nor one 
 whose consequences are likely to prove more disastrous. Let 
 rae show you, both from Scripture and from the nature of the 
 case, that this is not your rest; that you are strangers here, and 
 that, therefore, it is your duty to live as strangers and pilgrims 
 in the earth, seeking and pressing forward to a better, and an 
 enduring inheritance. 
 
 1. The Scriptures are full of striking representations of the 
 shortness and uncertainty of life. It is often compared to a dream. 
 A dream may seem long while it is passing, yet it is philosophi- 
 cally certain nothing is more fleeting and transitory, and nothing 
 seems so short when we look back upon it. Life is compared to 
 a vapor. You have seen the morning mist, as it slowly curled 
 around the mountain's brow, and, even while you gazed upon it, 
 the sun's rays had caused it to vanish. Such is life. It is com- 
 pared to the grass. In the morning, it groweth up and flourisheth, — 
 in the evening, it is cut down, and Avithereth. It is like the flower 
 of the field, that spreads its bright leaves to the morning air ; but 
 the noon-day sun withers them, and the night breeze scatters them, 
 or the caterpillar feeds on them, the worm devours them, and the 
 blight destroys them. Life is also oftentimes compared to a jour- 
 ney, and men to travellers. 
 
 This is especially remarkable in the cases of the venerable 
 Hebrew patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Yet at first 
 sight one would not be inclined to regard them as strangers in 
 the earth. They were men of very great wealth and influence, 
 and probably few private men could now be found in any coun- 
 try who could equal them in these respects. Thus of Abraham 
 it is said, Jehovah blessed him greatly, and he became grea.t ; having 
 Jhcks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and men servants, and maid 
 servants, and camels, and asses, Gen. xxiv. 35. The extent of his 
 possessions may be inferred from the number of servants born in 
 his own house, wliom he was able to lead forth to the rescue of 
 his brother Lot. There were no less than three hundred and 
 
I AM A STRANGER IN THE EARTH. 77 
 
 eighteen ; and as tliese could hardly be more than one fifth of the 
 whole number he possessed, he must have been the master of 
 twelve, or fifteen hundred servants, Gen. xiv. 14. And as the 
 chief occupation of these servants was to attend to their master's 
 cattle, it may well be conceived that the number of his flocks and 
 herds must have been immense; so that we need not wonder 
 when we are told that the land was not able to hear them^ Gen. xiii. 
 6. Nor need we wonder therefore to find that Abraham was a 
 man of so much power and influence that even the kings of 
 Sodom and Gerar sought his favor, and formed treaties with him, 
 Gen. xxi. 22, Of Isaac, too, it is recorded that his wealth and in- 
 fluence were very great. The Lord blessed him, and he waxed 
 great, and went forward ; and grew until he became very great. For 
 he had i^ossession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of 
 servants, Gen. xxvi. 13, 14. Such was his wealth and power, 
 that the Philistines envied him, and Abimilech, then king, at length 
 said to him, Go from us, for thou art much mightier than ive, Gen. 
 xxvi. 14, 16. Jacob, too, was a man of great possessions, for he 
 increased exceedingly, and hod m,uch cattle, and maid-servants, and 
 men-servants, and carnels and asses. Gen. xxx. 43. 
 
 With so much wealth — with so much influence — with such 
 certain promises, so solemnly confirmed to them, that that land 
 should be the perpetual inheritance of their children, one would 
 have thought that they would feel at home there. Yet it was 
 not so. They felt and confessed themselves still to be but 
 strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 
 
 It was a touching scene when the venerable Abraham came 
 to Hebron, to mourn for Sarah. He stood up from before his 
 dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying, I am a stranger 
 and sojourner luith you ; give me a possession of a burying place luith 
 you, that I nnay bury my dead out of my sight. Gen. xxiii. 2-4. The 
 only landed estate that he ever possessed in the land of Palestine 
 was a grave — though the whole land was solemnly promised him 
 for an everlasting possession. 
 
 To Isaac, God gave the command. Sojourn in this land, Gen, 
 xxvi. 3. Or as it might be more literally rendered. Be a stranger in 
 this land ; and this command he carefully obeyed, while Jacob, 
 who was always a wanderer, in Padan Aram, Palestine, and 
 Egypt, near the close of his life, speaks of it as a painful pilgrim- 
 age. The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and 
 thirty years ; few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, 
 
78 I Ail A STRANGER IN THE EARTH. 
 
 and have no{ atlamed to the days of the years of the life of my fathers 
 in the days of their pilgrimage, xlvii. 9. It was this constant ac- 
 knowledgment of their being strangers and pilgrims, which in- 
 duced the apostle to speak of them as he does in the Epistle to 
 the Hebrews. By faith Abraham sojourned in the land of 2^romise, 
 as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, 
 the heirs with him of the same promise. For he loohed for a city that 
 hath foundations, whose builder and maher is God. These all died in 
 the faith, not having received the promises, but havhig seen them afar 
 off^ and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pi H- 
 grims on the earth, Heb. xi. 9-13. 
 
 Nor are these solitary examples. Moses, who was learned in 
 all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and who, for aught we know, 
 might have sat upon the Egyptian throne, if he had so chosen, 
 was a wanderer for the greater part of his life, choosing rather to 
 suffer affliction with the people of Ood, than to enjoy the pleasures of 
 sin for a season. And in testimony of his willing choice of such 
 a life, he named his eldest son Gershom, saying, / have been a 
 stranger in a strange land, Ex. xxv. 22. 
 
 Leaving the times of the Old Testament, and coming down to 
 those of the New, we find the same truth set forth with equal 
 plainness, both in example and precept. Our blessed Saviour 
 himself, the Lord of all, was but a stranger in the earth, while the 
 meanest of the creatures he had made, had their homes. While 
 the foxes had holes, and the birds of the air had nests, the Son of man 
 had not where to lay his head, Luke ix. 58. His holy apostles had 
 no certain dwelling-place. The early Christians lived as those 
 who looked above this world ; and the books of the New Testa- 
 ment are full of instructions exhorting earnestly to such a course. 
 The apostle in the Epistle to the Hebrews, after highly praising 
 the ancient patriarchs, v/ho had acknowledged that they were 
 strangers and pilgrims in the earth, says in reference to Chris- 
 tians of his own time. Here we have no continuing city, but we seek 
 one to come, Ileb. xiii. 14. Therefore it is, that he tells believers 
 in another epistle, Your conversation or citizenship (nohtBla), is in 
 heaven, Phil. iii. 20. The first epistle of Peter, which was in- 
 tended for Christians generally, is addressed to the strangers scat- 
 tered about in different countries. And in the same epistle he ex- 
 horts them to pass the time of their sojourning here in fear i. 17. 
 And again, he beseeches them, as strangers and pilgrims, to abstain 
 fromjkshly lusts, ivhich war against the soul, ii. 11. Thus doth the 
 
I AM A STRANGER IN THE EARTH. 79 
 
 Scripture both by precept and example, teach us to look upon 
 this world, merely as a stage in our road to another. 
 
 2. As the Scriptures are thus explicit in teaching us to look be- 
 yond this world, regarding it merely as a place of pilgrimage ; so 
 we shall find if we consider the circumstances in which Ave are 
 placed, that we are but strangers here. For what is it to be a 
 stranger ? Is not a stranger one of whom it is said, he has no 
 suitable abode or home in the land of his sojournings ; and the 
 time he thus spends is but short compared with that he spends 
 at home ? And is it not true with reference to ourselves, that we 
 have no suitable home in this world ? 
 
 Since sin and death have entered our world, it is most mani- 
 fest that this is not our home. I am not one of those who look 
 upon this world as only one great prison-house — where no sound 
 is heard but that of weeping — no sights are seen but those of sor- 
 row. On the contrary, blasted as it has been by the poisoned 
 breath of Satan, still it has scenes of surpassing beauty ; still has 
 it places that seem almost like the gates of heaven. But yet 
 when every allowance is made, it is not a place of rest, and, man 
 is horn to trouble as the sparks Jiy upward. Man that is born of a 
 woman is of few days, and full of trouble, Job xiv. 1. Consider 
 how much suffering all men are called to endure. Who is there 
 that has not felt the pangs of disappointment ? You have looked 
 for pleasure, and found sorrow ; you have laid your plans for life, 
 and been forced to abandon them, for entirely different pursuits. 
 You have plucked the rose, but, alas, the flower fell as you 
 grasped it, and the thorn alone remained. You Lave delighted 
 in the society of kind friends, and they have died before your 
 faces, and you have buried them out of your sight. 
 
 " Friend after friend departs, 
 Who hath not lost a friend ? 
 There is no union here of hearts, 
 That finds not here an end." 
 
 Or if they have not been removed by death, their affection for 
 you has grown cold, and you have experienced a pain that death 
 could not have inflicted upon you, by finding that those in whom 
 your hearts safely trusted, have proved false to you. How many 
 unexpected misfortunes come upon men ! Who is secure from 
 them ? You may pass years and years in uninterrupted prosperity, 
 and in the moment when you least expect it, all your joys shall 
 
80 I AM A STRANGER IN THE EARTH. 
 
 take wings and fly away, and you shall be left desolate. I well 
 remember tlie morning of a sabbatli-day, when I stood upon the 
 deck of a noble ship, as she ploughed her foaming way across the 
 waters of the China sea. I was conversing with the chief officer, 
 and can recall even now, the tone of exultation with which he 
 said, that he counted himself one of the most fortunate of all 
 those who did business upon the great waters. He had been a 
 sailor from his childhood, and never met with an accident, and 
 his prospects never were brighter than they were at that moment. 
 Twelve hours had not elapsed, when that gallant ship was fast 
 sinking beneath the raging waves. She had struck upon a sunken 
 rock, and filled with water so rapidly that all on board were 
 obliged to leave her and seek for safety in her boats. That offi- 
 cer left the ship with only the clothes upon his back, and after 
 traversing over four hundred miles of the open sea, in that little 
 boat, he was overtaken by a storm, and in sight of land his boat 
 was overturned, and himself dashed against the rocky shore. 
 Bruised and almost senseless, he gained the land, and found that 
 of his five companions, four had been drowned, and that he was 
 a penniless, homeless man — a stranger in a strange land. Would 
 that this were a solitary case ! How much suffering and misery, 
 also arises from the errors even of the good ! A single fault may 
 cause heart-breaking sorrow for a whole lifetime. Surely, a world 
 where such events can happen, never was intended for the home 
 of happy beings. 
 
 3. But even if there were no actual suffering, this world as it 
 now is, was not intended for our home, because it has nothing that 
 can satisfy the ever expanding desires of the immortal mind. The 
 soul of man was made for eternity, and it cannot be, that it should 
 be satisfied with the desires of time. Most men seek for wealth, 
 but who is ever satisfied with the greatest amount of gold and sil- 
 ver ? Arc not those who have the most, constantly grasping after 
 more, and at the same time anxious and alarmed lest they should 
 lose what they have already acquired ? Others seek after honor 
 and power, but who is ever satisfied with the highest honor, or 
 the greatest power? When is ambition full? When do conquerors 
 cease from conquest, if death do not end their course. Others 
 again seek after literary fame, but who is even satisfied here ? 
 Look at the gifted Byron, who with talent and rank, and wealth 
 and fame, to satisfy the desires of a hundred common men, still 
 
I AM A STRAJS'GEE IN THE EARTH. 81 
 
 longed find pined for more, " Bej^ond desire, beyond ambition 
 full," he yet died in utter wretchedness ! 
 
 Who is there that is satisfied in this world? Not one. And 
 if men had the most ardent desire of their hearts gratified, and 
 were allowed to live here forever, they would still find in their 
 bredsts an aching void, which the world could never fill. Ask 
 him who of all men was best qualified to judge — Solomon, king 
 of Israel, who had wealth, and honor, and power, and ease, and 
 wisdom, such as no man either before or since has ever possessed. 
 He made it his business to seek after happiness, for what can the 
 man do that cometh after the king ? You have heard his mem- 
 orable conclusion. Vanity of vanities^ saitJi the preacher^ vanity of 
 vanities : all is vanity. All is vanity and vexation of spirit. Again 
 I ask, are we not strangers in such a world as this ? 
 
 If this world were our home, our final resting-place, it would 
 be a sad world indeed. Even short as our life is, it is too long 
 for many, and our ears are almost daily pained with accounts of 
 those who lay violent hjyids upon themselves, and rush uncalled 
 into the presence of their God, Even those who enjoy the greatest 
 amount of happiness here, will almost wish at times to die. And 
 Paul who counted it an unspeakable privilege, a grace of which 
 he was not worthy to preach Christ on earth, was often in a strait 
 between two conflicting emotions, having a desire to depart, and 
 be with Christ. All experience as well as Scripture testifies aloud. 
 This is not your rest. We may go to and fro, seeking rest, but as 
 Noah's dove found no place of rest for the sole of her foot, when 
 the w-ild waves of the deluge covered the earth, so do our hearts 
 find no rest, where the troubled billows of sin dash so thickly 
 around. 
 
 4. Another characteristic that distinguishes a stranger, is, that 
 his sojourn in the place where he is a stranger is but short. It 
 needs no labored or lengthened proof to show that in this respect 
 we are strangers in the earth. For luhat is your life ? It is even 
 a vapor, luhich quicJcly vanisheth away. In childhood and youth, life 
 in anticipation looks long. As we grow older and look back, how 
 short. Yes, and the older we grow, the shorter it seems. An 
 old man will recount the tales of his boyhood, and tells you that 
 it seems but as yesterday, when he looks back to events in the 
 lives of his friends, over whose tombs the grass of many years is 
 growing. The antediluvians numbered their years by centuries, 
 but they are gone, and their works have followed them, and to us 
 6 
 
82 I AM A STRANGEli IN THE EARTH. 
 
 it is as if they never had a being. The patriarch who numbered 
 more than six-score years, said that his days had been/ei^ as well 
 as evil, and Moses, when five-score years had whitened his locks, 
 declared, tve spend our years as a tale that is told. It is soon cut off 
 and ice fly away. Yes, fly away, for there is none abiding here, 
 and our days make haste to depart. The afflicted patriarch too, 
 in the midst of his long life, had reason to say, My days are swifter 
 than a post, they flee away, they see no good. They are passed ^ away 
 as tJie sicifi ships : as the eagle that hasteth to the prey, Job ix. 25. 
 It is even so. 2fan that is born of a woman is of few days, and full 
 of trouble. Our ajflictions may be hard to bear, but they are but 
 f)r a moment. The end of all things is at hand. The Judge standeth 
 at the door. And there is not one of us, who may not say with 
 David, There is but a step between me and death. I have seen the 
 old oak fall, and the little flower that sprung up beneath its shade, 
 crushed by its fall. So have I seen the patriarch of three-score 
 years and ten, and the infant of a few days, buried in the same 
 grave, and when a few years had passed ^way, it seemed as though 
 the life of one, were almost as long as that of the other. 
 
 Who is there that finds life long enough to accomplish all the 
 plans he has in view ? One man seeks to accumulate a certain 
 amount of wealth. Another, to reach a certain point in power. 
 A third, to see his children comfortably settled in life. A fourth, 
 to get himself a name, yet three of the four shall die before their 
 desires are half accomplished. Some men fill stations of eminent 
 usefulness in the church, and in the state, and length of days for 
 them seems greatly desirable, yet they fade away, apparently, 
 before the half of their work is done. Is this our home ? Is a 
 world, whatever its other sources of enjoyment may be, where 
 such sorrows come upon us, and such disappointments embarrass 
 us, the place where we are to build us mansions for eternity ? Oh 
 no ! Scripture and reason, and sad experience teach us that here 
 we have no continuing city, no suitable home, no happy, quiet place 
 of rest. We are strangers in the earth. As one who feels himself 
 to be a stranger in the earth, suffer me to address you, and to 
 apply practically the truth I have been endeavoring to illustrate. 
 
 1. Do not unnecessarily encumber yourselves with earthly 
 things and cares. You are a stranger here. You arc rapidly passing 
 through this world, and you can carry none of its treasures away 
 with you. Why should you, then, set your hearts upon them, 
 and give all your time, and strength, and affections, to those 
 
I AM A STEANGER IN THE EARTH. 83 
 
 tilings, that perisli even with the using of them ? Why set your 
 hearts on those things that will only retard your progress, and in 
 the end be of no avail to you ? Why load yourselves with that 
 which will but weary you in your course, and, in all probability, 
 cause you bitter regret in the end ? What should you think of 
 the man, who, when running for his life, should stop and loiter 
 by the way, picking flowers, and gathering stones, and loading 
 himself with thick clay ? 
 
 2. I would not recommend a casting away of all the good things 
 of this world, nor blame one for seeking to better his condition 
 here. But it is wrong to seek earthly things as of the first and 
 chief importance, neglecting those that are unseen and heavenly. 
 While you seek after this world's goods, set your affections on 
 those things that are above, and if you are disappointed here, you 
 will not be there. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his right- 
 eousness : all other things needfid shall he added unto you. 
 
 3. As you are but travellers through this world, act as travellers 
 do. You must not expect always to find pleasant roads, nor the 
 accommodations of home at the wayside inns. You must look 
 for bad weather, and be prepared for rough times. Neither must 
 you expect always to find the most pleasant fellow-travellers, nor 
 always to enjoy the society of those whom you most admire. It 
 is true, you are all bound to the same place, — but you take dif- 
 ferent roads, and some are longer, some shorter in arriving. 
 Some may finish their journey before the sun is up ; some when 
 his full rays are beating down upon them ; while others, again, 
 may travel on, till the shades of evening gather thickly around 
 them. Those who started with a crowd, may end their journey 
 alone. But grieve not for this. If you have taken the right 
 course, and are seeking the right place, you shall all meet at last, 
 and, amidst the delights of home, you may recount with joy the 
 dangers and the trials, or the pleasures of the way by which you 
 have been led. Look upon the discomforts which you find, then, 
 as the necessar}^ inconveniences of a traveller's life. Let not your 
 hearts be disquieted for them. They will soon be over, and their 
 remembrance shall hereafter afford you pleasure. The traveller, 
 after his fatiguing journeys, the sailor, in his quiet harbor, after 
 his shipwrecks and toils are safely passed, delights to recount the 
 incidents he has seen, and the dangers he has encountered. So 
 may you, when safely lodged in your everlasting mansions. The 
 troubles and trials you may encounter, should be looked upon as 
 
84 I AM A STRANGER IN THE EARTH. 
 
 real blesings. If your course, in this life, led yon always through 
 the " plain of ease," you would be almost loth to depart. These 
 afflictions are needful, to wean your affections from the world, 
 and quicken you in your heavenward course. Who is there that 
 cannot testify that he has served God better, and longed for 
 heaven more, when outward things looked dark, and storms 
 raged around him, than when all was smooth, and peaceful, and 
 serene ? 
 
 4. But here a question of infinite importance arises. You are 
 strangers here, and travellers to another place. Where, then, is 
 your home ? Whither are you bound ? You are going hence, 
 and it is most certain that you never shall return. Where, then, 
 do you expect to make your permanent abode? Do you not 
 know whither you are bound ? You know you cannot remain 
 here. You know there are but two other worlds to which you 
 can go, — and have you not yet found out to which your course 
 is directed ? 
 
 As I take it for granted that you wish to reach a better world 
 than this, allow me to tell you, that there is but one road by 
 which you can do it, and that, while the life of your soul depends 
 upon your finding that road, and walking in it, wherever it may 
 lead you, it is yet exceedingly difficult to enter, and hard to pur- 
 sue. How strait is the gate, how narrow is the way, that leadeth 
 unto life. How few there be that find it ! On the other hand, 
 there are many wrong roads, broad and smooth, and easily 
 entered, with many by-paths and cross-roads, that are easily mis- 
 taken for the true one, and all of which are crowded by multi- 
 tudes of travellers. Wide is the gate, and broad is the ivay, that 
 leadeth unto death : many there he which go in thereat. You have 
 need, therefore, of a chart of your way, to show you which is the 
 right, and which the wrong road. You have need of a compass, 
 to direct you in your course, and especially you need a guide and 
 defender, who can lead you, and keep you in all the way which 
 you go, and bring you in safety to the end of your journey. All 
 these, however, can be obtained. The word of God is such a 
 chart. It distinctly points out the right road, and so clearly lays 
 down every other, that you cannot mistake them. Therefore it 
 was that David prayed, / am a stranger in the earth ; hide not thy 
 commandments from me. And again he says. Thy statutes have 
 been my songs in the house of my inlgrimage. Study carefully, 
 therefore, the word of God ; and with foith in your heart, which, 
 
I AM A STRANGER IN THE EARTH. 85 
 
 like a compass, ever points to heaven, you will not go astray. 
 For a guide and defender, you have the Lord Jesus Christ him- 
 self. He has trod the way before you, and knows every step, — 
 for he was, in all points, tempted like as we are, though without sin. 
 That road he watered with his own blood, and, through the 
 merits of his sufferings and death, he removed its otherwise im- 
 passable difficulties, and now, whosoever will, may come unto 
 God by him. Study his character ; imitate his example ; walk 
 in his footsteps ; learn of him, and he will bring you in safety to 
 the end of your course, and present you with exceeding joy in 
 the presence of his Father. 
 
 5. Keep the end of your journey in mind, and suffer your 
 thoughts often to dwell upon the glories of the home that God 
 has prepared for those who persevere in the right ways. This 
 will quicken your steps, and cheer your hearts, when fainting 
 under the discouragements and weariness of the way. Why 
 should you not do so ? A child, away from home, will think 
 with tears of his father's house ; and should you be forgetful of 
 the mansions prepared for you ? The last part of your course 
 may be difficult, for it may lead you through a deep and dark 
 river, " over which there is no bridge ;" but if you think as you 
 ought of the habitations beyond that river, it will make you will- 
 ing to go through even those dark rolling waves. Your citizenship 
 is in heaven — your best friends are there — ^your treasures are 
 there — your everlasting rest and happiness are there. Meditate 
 upon these things, therefore, and you will even long to depart. 
 
 But while in your pilgrimage below, remember that you 
 have a very great work to do, and that now is your only time 
 for accomplishing it. Now is the day of salvation, when you 
 must secure the welfare of your soul. Now is the time for glori- 
 fying God ; now is the time for bringing others to a knowledge 
 of himself There is no work or service in the grave, to which 
 you are hastening. Be diligent, therefore, and work while your 
 journey continues, and you will have time enough to rest when 
 your journey is ended. 
 
 Macao, July 23, 1843. 
 
SERMON XL 
 
 COMING UNTO CHRIST FOR REST. 
 
 Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I -will give you rest. Take 
 my yoke upon you and learn of me : for I am meek and lowly in heart : and ye 
 shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. — 
 Matthew xL 28-30. 
 
 It is related of Luther, before lie had entered on his course 
 as a Eeformer, that every time he heard the name of Christ, he 
 turned pale with terror ; for he had been represented to him only 
 as an angry judge."" 
 
 It is strange that any one who has ever heard one word of 
 Christ, could thus represent him. Every attribute of the God- 
 head was found in perfection in him, but some were more fully 
 drawn out than others, by the circumstances in which he was 
 placed. He is a God of holiness, and one might have supposed 
 that surrounded as he was by sinful men, constantly endeavoring 
 to blacken his character, and to thwart his purposes, the threat- 
 enings of wrath would be ever on his lips. But he is also a God 
 long-suffering and compassionate, and surrounded as he was by 
 objects of misery, though all unconscious themselves of their 
 condition, his heart melted over their sorrows, and he proved 
 himself a merciful and faithful High Priest, who could be touched 
 with the feeling of our infirmities. 
 
 It is delightful to contemplate his course through life. He 
 went cihoul doing good and healing all that vxre opjvessed ivith the 
 devil, Acts x. 34. One after another, as objects of distress pre- 
 sented themselves before him, his heart was moved by sympathy 
 for them. A leper covered with sores, and cast out from society, 
 with the weeds of mourning around him, came and knelt be/ore 
 him, and Jesus moved ivith compassion jy^d forth his hand and touched 
 
 *D'Aubign6, i. 123. 
 
COMING UNTO CHRIST FOR REST. 87 
 
 • 
 /n*m, and cleansed him from his leprosy^ Mark i. 4. He saw the 
 widow of Nain, as slie followed her only son to the grave. It 
 needed no words to inform him of the sorrows and desolation of 
 her heart. When tJie Lord saiv her he had compassion on her and 
 said unto her, Weep not, Luke vii. 13. With a word he restored 
 the young man to life, and delivered him unto his mother. With 
 the sisters of Lazarus, he wept at Lazarus' grave, but with the 
 compassion and power which Christ alone possessed, he raised 
 him from the dead. When did he ever forbear to relieve any^ 
 that came to him ? When did he send any away ? And how 
 kindly were his favors given ! Men wondered at his gracious 
 words. Little children loved to be with him, for he took them in^ 
 his arms and blessed them. 
 
 It is true that our Saviour at times spoke in anger. It could 
 not be otherwise. And we read that expression, which conveys 
 such a weight of terrible meaning, the wrath of the Lamb, Rev. 
 vi. 16. Yet even his wrath was mingled with mercy, and his 
 threatenings ended in tears. You have seen the clouds gather 
 blackness, and listened to the thunder's voice, as it rolled and re- 
 echoed through the vaults of heaven. Yet the blackness passed \ 
 away, and the gentle showers came down upon the earth. Even j 
 so it was when our Lord uttered those awful woes against the 1 
 wicked rulers of the Jews. Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees ' 
 — hypocrites — ye shall receive the greater damnation. How can ye 
 escape the damnation of hell ? Yet in the same discourse his heart 
 melted for the city of God, and in grief he exclaimed, Oh Jeru- 
 salem ! Jerusalem ! how often icould I have gathered thy children 
 together as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would 
 not, Matt, xxiii. 
 
 Nor was his love exhausted in words. It showed itself in all 
 the actions of his life, and more especially in his last great work 
 — his death upon the cross for the sins of men. This is the person 
 who utters the words of our text. His character gives him a claim 
 to be heard, — his works for us give him a right to be obeyed. 
 
 The persons addressed are all men. He uses one of the few 
 terms that will apply to all the sons of Adam. He does not say, 
 Ye rich and noble, come unto me, for all are not rich and noble. 
 Neither does he say, Ye poor and degraded, come unto me, for all 
 are not poor and degraded. But, Gome imto me all ye that labor 
 and are heavy-laden, and I ivill give you rest. Who is there, not 
 included in these terms ? Who is there that has no sorrows or 
 
88 COMING UNTO CHRIST FOR REST. 
 
 burdens? That is not troubled with griefs and fears ? That has 
 no causes of disquietude ? Happy man ! if such there be. But 
 think again. Is it not true tliat mem is born to trouble as the sparJcs 
 fly upwards? Job v. 7. Is it not true that all his days are sorrows, 
 and his travail grief? yea, his heart taJceth not rest in the night, Ecc, 
 ii. 23. The occasions of sorrow are various. Wherever happi 
 ness is sought for, sorrow is found lurking. Ricbes take to them 
 selves wings and fly away. Man being in honor abidetli not, 
 Learning wears a man down ; Fame exposes bim to envy and 
 detraction ; Friendships are dissolved by separation or by death. 
 No state or age is free irom care and anxiety. Men talk of the 
 J03-S and happiness of childhood, — but surely tbat is an unobserv- 
 ant look, which docs not discern in the contentions and jealousies 
 and teai-s of childhood, the first fruits of the curse. In sorrow 
 shall thou eat all the days of thy life. Gen. iii. 17. 
 
 It should however be noted, that outward sorrows are but a 
 small part of those that make up the lot of man. If there were 
 peace and quietness in the heart, it would make but little difference 
 if things around were unpleasant. The storms that agitate the 
 sea, extend only a few feet below its surface ; and the inhabitants 
 of its inner depths are not disturbed by tbe commotions above. 
 But it is not so with man. The heart knoweth its own bitterness, 
 and the joyous laugh is often assumed merely to cover up and 
 conceal the deep sea of suffering beneath. There is in the breast 
 of every man an evil heart. It is full of sin, and delights in sin ; 
 but in the nature of things it is not possible to follow sin without 
 also tasting its bitterness. Conscience, the vicegerent of God, 
 lias its station in the heart. You may deaden its tones. You 
 may for awhile silence its voice, but destroy it you cannot. Sooner 
 or later its voice must be heard, and when it speaks of death, and 
 righteousnes.s, of sin, and the judgment-day, of heaven, and of 
 hell, you will find that earthly joys and earthly hopes will not 
 ea.se the mind. It is only by forgetting such things that most 
 men wear the semblance of happiness. Hence, many seek to 
 banish thought. This were Avise, if thereby misery also were 
 banished. But it is not the part of wisdom thus to act. I appeal 
 to your own hearts, are not these things so ? Have you not often 
 found sorrow where you sought for joy? Have you not feared 
 the thought of standing in the presence of God? Has not your 
 own heart often condemned you? Do you not fear to die? 
 
 He who sees all hearts knows what is in man. He has fath- 
 
COMING UNTO CHRIST FOR REST. 89- 
 
 omed tlie deep sea of human sufferings and fears. He came to 
 share tlieir woes, and to relieve their sorrows ; and his heart often 
 melted at the sights he saw. He was a man of sorrows, but not 
 for his own sorrows. He saw men laboring in the service of sin 
 and Satan, — pressed down by a cruel yoke, — driven by a hard 
 master, — serving for his wages, — and such wages ! True, he offers 
 fair, and they knew not that the wages of sin is death. The Sa- 
 viour saw us heavy laden with sorrows, and staggering under a 
 load that Avas carrying us down to the bottomless pit ; and he saw 
 that there was no help for us in ourselves, — none in our fellow- 
 men, — and none even in the holy angels who saw us perishing. 
 Strong then in the might of his OAvn divinity, with compassion like 
 a God, he came down for our relief; and with a heart overflowing 
 with love to us, he calls to every weary, heavy-laden, desponding 
 soul, Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy-laden^ and I will 
 give you rest. 
 
 Hear then the words of Christ. Come unto me. This implies 
 that naturally you are far off from him. Else, why the necessity 
 of coming ? He is the fountain of life, and the giver of every 
 good ; but we keep away from him, nor yield our hearts to his 
 control. What is the consequence ? Away from the sun, how 
 can you have light? Away from the fire, how can you be 
 warmed ? Away from the source of life, how can you live ? 
 And why thus separated from him ? Has he driven you away ? 
 Has he dealt unkindly by you ? Has he ever said seeh ye my face 
 in vain ? No ! We have chosen to depart. We have said in 
 our hearts. This man shall not reign over us. We have said by 
 our deeds, if not by our words. Depart from us, we desire not the 
 hnoioledge of thy loays. This is the first thing needful for us to 
 know, to wit, our distance from him, and the sorrowful conse- 
 quences attending it. When the prodigal son had almost starved 
 himself among the swine, his first thought on coming to his right 
 mind was, that he had voluntarily but most foolishly and wick- 
 edly left his father's house, and though as yet no invitation from 
 his father had reached him, he resolved to return to him and seek 
 a place even among the servants. 
 
 Like the prodigal you and I have gone astray. Like him we 
 have v/asted our substance. Like him we have sinfully neglected 
 the service of the best of fathers. Like him, we are in danger of 
 perishing among the vile pleasures of this world, and its empty 
 promises, while there is enough and to spare of soul-satisfying 
 
90 COMING UNTO CHRIST FOR REST. 
 
 jojs and eternal blessings in the liouse of God. Why should 
 this be so ? Though we have thus acted, though the Saviour 
 might most justly leave all to perish in our own misery, yet he 
 does not so. He follows, entreats, urges you to return. He s^ees 
 and laities the miseries present and to come of his creatures. You 
 may affect to laugh, but his heart yearns over you, and it seems 
 as though he could not give you up. What more could be done 
 than he has done for you? Ye are poor, and though he teas rich, 
 yet for your sakes he made himself poor, that ye through his poverty 
 might become rich. You are in danger of perishing in sin, like the 
 serpent-bitten Israelites. He was lifted upon the cross that you 
 might see, and be drawn unto him. You are dying, and to save 
 you fi-om death, he dies himself, and asks you to come unto him, 
 and obtain the life he has to offer. Why should you not return ? 
 Like erring children who fear the sight of their father's face you 
 hesitate to see him again. 
 
 Perhaps you are ready to say, " We wish to return, we have 
 long sought to do so, but know not the way, and hitherto have 
 not succeeded." But how have you sought ? Where have you 
 looked for direction ? Where sought for the strength and wis- 
 dom needful for such a return ? There is but one way of return 
 to God, and if you have not walked in that way, in vain will you 
 hope ever to see his face. That way is the way Christ has point- 
 ed out in the words of the text. Come unto me. Take my yoJce 
 upon you. Learn of me. These three things are the way-marks 
 of that road. First, Knowing and grieving over your natural 
 distance from God, you must come unto him. Secondly. You 
 must take his yoke upon you. By his yoke is meant that which 
 connects you to him, and binds you to his service. It includes 
 therefore a separation from the world, for you cannot serve Christ 
 and the world. It includes an utter renunciation of all self- 
 righteousness, as a ground of hope before God, Your own right- 
 eousness and the righteousness of Christ cannot be patched to- 
 gether to make a garment, wherewith to appear in his presence. 
 The laws of the ancient temple did not allow the priests to min- 
 ister in robes Avoven of linen and of wool. Nor do the laws of 
 the spiritual temple of which Christ is the chief corner-stone, al- 
 low the worshipi)crs to appear clothed in any other garment, than 
 that of Christ's righteousness. Your justification and acceptance 
 before God is obtained by simple faith alone ; and the sincerity 
 of your faith is to be shown by your deep and hearty repentanuo 
 
COMING UNTO CHRIST FOR REST, 91 
 
 of past errors and sins, and your persevering and universal obe- 
 dience to all his commands. Tliis is the third thing requisite. 
 Learn of me. Study the character of Christ as exhibited from' 
 his life to his death. This is the great thing to be known. 
 Imitate his example, especially in his meekness and humility. 
 Learn of me^ for I am meek and lowly of heart. It is a strange 
 command this, to our fallen nature, and one most opposite to 
 all our natural feelings. It is a hard thing to make our stubborn 
 wills submit to the will of God, and humbly and cheerfully to 
 bow before him. Yet surely it becomes us in the presence of our 
 holy and absolute sovereign to veil all the pride of human wis- 
 dom and human greatness, and to behave as weaned children be- 
 fore him. Who are we, that presume to lift up ourselves in the 
 presence of our judge? Who are we that we should refuse to 
 bear his yoke ? Surely too the example of Christ, if there were 
 no other motives, should teach us humilit}^ How is it possible 
 for frail and sinful man to behold the Lord of Glory in the form 
 of a servant, — washing the disciples' feet, and submitting to the 
 malefactor's death, — and still retain high thoughts of himself ? 
 No, my brethren, let this mind he in you ivhich tvas also in Christ 
 Jesus ; and remember that unless you become as little children, you 
 shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 
 
 The invitation of Christ, come unto me, is not a mere command. 
 It calls you to a course of life in some respectg painful, and in 
 many ways opposite to the natural course of your thoughts. He 
 does not conceal from you the fact, that if you come to him, you 
 must renounce your fancied independence, and take up a yoke, 
 and a burden, and engage in a service, that shall end only with 
 life. But consider a moment before you refuse to listen to his 
 call. What condition in life is free from similar or harder terms. 
 Man was not made to be independent. With all our boastings 
 of our greatness and glory, there is not a creature in the wide 
 world so dependent, so helpless as ourselves. You must lean on 
 others, even on a bruised reed, if no other support presents it- 
 self. Independence is not sacrificed by taking the yoke of Christ, 
 for man has no such independence to give up. By taking his 
 yoke you only exchange your dependence on creatures like your- 
 selves, for dependence upon the living God. And is it not a no- 
 ble exchange ? By bearing his burden, you exchange the ser- 
 vice of Satan and the world, for that of Christ ; and is it not an 
 object worthy of desire, to serve such a master ? The honor of 
 
92 COMING UNTO CHRIST FOR REST. 
 
 being his servants alone were sufficient, but the rewards he offers 
 arc such as to make his service incomparably the most desirable 
 in the universe. 
 
 You are now serving a hard master, and what do you gain by 
 it ? A few fleeting, transitory pleasures, marred by the fear of 
 future sorrows ; a few sweet draughts, dashed with the bitter 
 drops that conscience infuses in them ; a few delusive hopes for 
 the future, which but thinly cover the awful realities beyond. 
 You are toiling and laboring after this world's happiness, and if 
 you gained it, what would you gain ? What shall it irrofit a man 
 if lie gain the ichoh world and hse his oion said? But what have 
 you gained ? Are all the pleasures of this world which you have 
 already enjoyed, a sufficient compensation for the anxiety, and 
 watching, and toil by which you have obtained them ? Could 
 you consent to live forever, laboring as you have donC; if you 
 never expected to enjoy more of the fruits of your labor than you 
 have hitherto done ? Hear then the words of Christ. Come unto 
 me all ye that labor and are heavy-laden^ and I ivill give you rest 
 "What is so delightful as rest after labor ? The soldier delights 
 to sit down in security when the battle is over, and enjoy the 
 fruits of his valor. The sailor, to rest in the quiet harbor when 
 the tempest is over, and enjoy the reward of his Avatchings and 
 toils. Heaven itself is called a Hest, Heb. iv. 9. And what a 
 rest ! No more painful watchings, or labors. No more sorrows, 
 no more sicknesses, nor separations. No wearisome calms, nor 
 fearful storms, for there is no sea there. No doubts or fears, no 
 dealings Avith the wicked. Job sought for rest in the grave, 
 lohere the icicJced cease from troubling, and the weary are at rest ; but 
 Christ promises rest in heaven to all who come unto him — a rest, 
 too, that is freely given. I will give you rest. It is acquired by 
 the life-blood of Christ, but it is given to his people without 
 )i;o!iey, and without price. They may toil and labor here, and 
 endure suffering and sorrows, but this only makes the thought of 
 rest more delightful. " Oh !" said Robert Ilall in the midst of 
 his long and excruciating sufferings, " I can form no more glo- 
 rious idea of heaven, than that it is a place of rest." And yet it 
 is not merely a place of rest from labor and suffering ; it is also a 
 place of most delightful and unwearying activity in the love and 
 service of God. Hence the remark of Wilbcrforce Avas equally 
 correct Avith that of Hall, Avhcn he said that the happiness of 
 heaven appeared to him to consist in the constant activity of the 
 
COMING UNTO CHRIST FOR REST. 93 
 
 soul in loving and serving Gocl, without tho incumbrances of the 
 flesh, or the clogs of sin. 
 
 But the rest of the Christian is not all in anticipation. He is 
 called to sacrifices and privations, and self-denial here ; but in the 
 midst of them all he enjoys that which more than compensates 
 for them. It was no paradox, but the words of truth and sober- 
 ness that our Saviour uttered when he said, Verily I say unto you, 
 There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, 
 or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive mani- 
 fold more in this present time, and in the world to come everlasting 
 life, Luke xviii. 29, 30. To be engaged in the service of God, 
 and to march under his banner, rather than under that of Satan, 
 is itself a glorious thing. To be allowed to hope, without pre- 
 sumption, for the happiness of his chosen people above, is worth 
 far more than many present inconveniences ; and to enjoy the 
 sense of his favor here, and feel the sustaining influences of his 
 grace, together with freedom from all apprehensions of future 
 evil, surely these things make his yoke an easy yoke, his burden 
 a light burden. What man of the world can say, as Dr. "Watts often 
 said, " I bless God that though for many years I have never lain 
 down at night without feeling that I might be called to eternity 
 before morning, yet it has never caused me a moment's uneasiness ! " 
 The peace of mind, and well-grounded confidence that will thus 
 enable every one to look death in the face, and calmly consider 
 all that lies beyond the grave, is not of this world's gift. But it 
 is one of those things included in the promise of our Saviour to 
 all who come unto him. Ye shall find rest unto your souls. 
 
 Macao, July 30, 1843. 
 
SERMON XII. 
 
 MESSIANIC PROPHECIES IN GENESIS. 
 
 And I will put enmity between tliee and the woman, and between thy seed and her 
 
 seed : it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. — Gen. iii. 15. 
 Blessed be the Lord God of Shem. God shall enlarge Japhet, and he shall dwell in 
 
 the tents of Shem.— Gen. ix. 26, 27. 
 In blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars 
 
 of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea-shore ; and thy seed shall 
 
 possess the gate of his enemies ; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth 
 
 be blessed.— Gen. xxii. 17, 18. 
 I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed 
 
 all these countries ; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. — 
 
 Gen. xxvi. 4. 
 Thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth ; and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, 
 
 and to the east, and to the north, and to the south ; and in thee and in thy seed 
 
 shall all the families of the earth be blessed. — Gen. xxviii 14 
 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until 
 
 Shiloh come : and unto him shall the gathering of the people (nations) be. — 
 
 Gen. xlix. 10. 
 
 Those accustomed to the fall revelations of the New Testa- 
 ment, find it difficult to conceive the real feelings of believers in 
 andent times, or to understand their views of the way of salva- 
 tion. They knew that a Saviour was to come. They earnestly 
 expected him, and their anxiety for his appearance was shown in 
 the term by which they commonly designated him, He that should 
 cMme, as though there were but one person whose coming were of 
 supreme importance. Art thou he that should come, said John to 
 the Saviour, or do ice look for another ? 
 
 The light wliich they had concerning him was but faint, com- 
 pared to that which we enjoy— but they were not totally destitute. 
 A man can see enough to save his life at times, by the taper's ray, 
 or the glimmering of the stars, even though he have not the sun's 
 full light; and the predictions concerning Christ, made to the an- 
 cient believers, though for less distinct than the revelations we 
 possess, were yet so clear as to afford satisfactory information cou- 
 
MESSIANIC PROPnECIES IN GENESIS. 95 
 
 cerning liim, ou whom all their hopes depended. It will be in- 
 teresting and profitable to consider the successive predictions 
 respecting Christ, made in the patriarchal times, from Adam till 
 the departure of the Israelites from Eg3^pt. In this long period 
 of two thousand five hundred years, we find men constantly de- 
 parting farther and farther from the truth as taught to our first 
 parents ; and yet the farther they departed, the more clearly did 
 the voice of God, in prophecy, call their attention to the Saviour 
 of sinners, in due time to be revealed. Several prophecies con- 
 cerning him were given during this period, each one brighter and 
 clearer than the one before, and each one pointing with infallible 
 certainty to that on which the salvation of a world depended — 
 Christ, and him crucified. 
 
 There was gloom and sadness in the world upon the fall of our 
 first parents. Adam could have known nothing of forgiving 
 mercy. Before his fall he had known God, as a God of love, but 
 he also knew him as a God of justice. He had as yet heard no 
 promises of mercy to the guilty ; but he had heard the threatening, 
 In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. It is worthy of 
 note also, that Adam's views of the heinousness of sin were much 
 deeper than ours now are. Fancy to yourselves, that one of the 
 holy inhabitants of heaven, surrounded by myriads of holy beings 
 in that place where sin had never been heard of, and with the 
 pure eye of God upon him, should suddenly commit a single sin. 
 With what feelings would those around gaze upon him ? What 
 sensations would fill his own breast, as he met their indignant 
 eyes, and felt too that he stood in the presence of that God who 
 is of purer eyes than to behold evil ? Would he not flee away 
 from the scene which he had been the first to defile with sin, and 
 hide himself if possible where no eye should ever see him again ? 
 Such, to some extent, must have been the feeling of Adam and 
 his wife, when they awoke to the consciousness of what they had 
 done, and their eyes were opened to see, that not merely were 
 their bodies naked but their souls were exposed without shield 
 or shelter to the avenging justice of an insulted, and a holy God. 
 What hope could they have ? No wonder they hid themselves 
 when they heard the voice of the Lord God in the garden. Thej 
 expected only death — and the first interrogations of the Lord 
 would only increase their alarm. Adam^ where o.rt thou f Hast 
 thou eaten of tJie tree ivhereof I commanded thee that thou shoiddst 
 not eat thereof? Stripped of every plea, and naked, our first 
 
96 MESSIAXIC rROPIIECIES IX GENESIS. 
 
 parents stood before tbeir judge. The examination was sliort, 
 for their own hearts condemned them, and they were now ex- 
 amined by that God who was greater than their hearts. Doubt- 
 less, their hearts beat with fear, when they heard the curse de- 
 nounced against the serpent. Because thou hast clone this, cursed 
 art thou above all cattle, and above every beast of the field upon thy 
 belly shall thou go, and dust shall thou eat all the days of thy life. If 
 such a curse be denounced against an irrational animal, v/hich 
 was but the instrument of an evil spirit for evil, what did they 
 deserve, who free to stand, had yet suffered themselves to fall ? 
 who possessing powers sufficient to sustain their innocency, had 
 chosen to believe and obey Satan rather than God ? But behold, 
 even out of the thick gloom, a light arises ; and before all the 
 curse upon the serpent, and the devil who had used him for his 
 instrument, had been pronounced, hope had sprung up in their 
 breasts. The very curse against the serpent gave them reason to 
 hojDe that blessings were still in store for them. I ivill put enmity 
 between thee and the woman^ and between thy seed and her seed: it 
 shall bruise thy head, and thou shall bi-uise his heel. 
 
 By the seed of the woman, we understand the children of God 
 in all ages ; but especially does it refer to the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 who without any human father was born of a virgin — and in 
 whom all the people of God find their strength and support in 
 every conflict. By the serpent and his seed, we understand the 
 devil, the arch enemy of our race, and all those among men, who 
 are not the children of God. They are those to whom our 
 Saviour said, Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your 
 father ye will do, John xviii. 44. The words of the text there- 
 fore are a prediction of a contest, long and painful, between the 
 righteous and the wicked, and especially between Satan and 
 Christ. For a time the contest might appear doubtful, but in the 
 end, a vital injury shall be inflicted on the serpent and his seed. 
 His head shall be bruised; while on the contrary, the injury in- 
 flicted on Christ and his followers, though painful for a time, 
 shall yet be as insignificant and harmless as a bruise upon the 
 heel. 
 
 It is not intended, at present, to enter into a full discussion 
 of this and the subsequent prophecies. It requires but a slight 
 examination, however, to see how exactly it is fulfilled in the 
 suflerings and death of the Saviour of the world. Against him 
 did that old serjjcnt, the devil, array all the powers of earth and hell. 
 
MESSIANIC PROPHECIES IN GENESIS. 97 
 
 Witli ceaseless malice, he persecuted liim from his cradle to the 
 grave. He raised against him the jealousy of Herod, the scorn 
 of the Sadducees, the bitter hatred of the Pharisees, the shouts of 
 the unthinking crowd, and the potent power of the Eoman sword. 
 Not satisfied to raise up enemies from without, he sought even to 
 pollute the holy soul of Christ by his temptations, and when that 
 failed, he stirred up one of his own disciples to betray him, 
 another to deny him, and all of them to forsake him and flee. 
 He thought, for a time, that his triumph was complete, when the 
 lifeless body of Christ was laid in the tomb, and the Eoman 
 guard watched the sealed sepulchre. But the seed of the woman 
 was greater than all of Satan's power, and the wound he received, 
 though apparently mortal, proved to be slight and harmless ; for 
 by death, he overcame him that had the power of death. The 
 rocky tomb had no power to retain the Prince of life, and, 
 when he rose from the dead, he inflicted a wound on the head of 
 Satan, from which there is no recovery. So it is with the cause 
 of Christ on earth. The decisive battle has been fought, and the 
 chief victory gained ; but the contest is not yet ended. To an 
 uninitiated eye, it seems to be carried on with unabated vigor, 
 and the seed of the woman often appears to suffer loss. But the 
 experience of the past, as well as the sure word of prophecy, 
 abundantly testifies that these reverses are but seeming. They 
 are but bruises of the heel ; for a while they seem to retard the 
 progress of the sufferer, but they do not take away his strength, 
 nor prevent his dealing such strokes upon the adversary, as show 
 that the battle is not to him that seems most strong. Christianity 
 has met with reverses even in our own days, and some of our 
 strongholds seem almost abandoned ; but an impartial survey 
 will testify, that at no time since the creation of the world was 
 the true religion more widely diff'used than it is at this moment ; 
 and at no time, if we except, perhaps, the first few years after the 
 ascension of Christ, were its means of conquest, or prospects of 
 final victory greater than they now are. The contest, it is true, 
 is not yet ended. Nay, it may be that a period of deeper 
 gloom and sorer trial than has ever yet befallen the church of 
 God, is still to come, and must be passed through. But be it so. 
 It will be but the last struggle of the almost vanquished enmity 
 of the serpent. It will be followed by a complete victory ; for, 
 to use the language of the apostle, the Ood of 2Jeace shall bruise 
 7 
 
98 MESSIANIC PROPHECIES IN GENESIS. 
 
 Satan under your feet shortl//, Eora. xvi. 20 ; and the seed of the 
 woman shall reign over the nations of the earth. 
 
 Such is the meaning of the first prophecy in the Bible. It 
 has well been called, the Protevangelium^ or first preaching of the 
 gospel on earth. In its comprehensive grasp, it contains, in 
 miniature, the life of Christ on earth— the history of every indi- 
 vidual believer, from the beginning to the end of time — together 
 with the outlines of the history of every church, in every land — 
 and of the whole church militant on earth. I do not mean that 
 it appeared thus clear and distinct to Adam and Eve. They 
 could not understand it as fully as we may, who can compare 
 scripture with scripture, and judge of the meaning of prophecy 
 from other parts of revelation, and from its glorious fulfilment. 
 All our first parents could gather from it, was the fact of final 
 deliverance ; but when, or how, or by whom, they could not tell. 
 But it was a glorious thing to have even such a hope. They 
 were not obliged to lie down in sorrow, for the promise sounded 
 sweetly in their ears, amidst all the pains and sorrows of their 
 fallen condition ; the seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent^s 
 head. Doubtless, this promise formed a watchword for believers 
 during the ages before the flood ; but when, at that great catas- 
 trophe, the human race was swept away, and but a single family 
 remained, the wavering faith of man required its renewal. It 
 was renewed to Noah, and from his three sons, one was selected, 
 from among whose descendants the great deliverance was to 
 come. In Gen. ix. 26, 27, the blessing of Noah upon his sons 
 is recorded. Blessed he the Lord God of Shem, and Canaan shall 
 he his servant. God shall enlarge Japhet, and he shall dwell in the 
 tents of Shem. It was not without intention, that Noah calls God 
 the God of Shem. Inspired by the spirit of prophecy, he foresaw 
 that from among the posterity of his second son, Shem, the hope 
 of the world should arise. Nor should the blessing be confined 
 to those among whom it first appears. The sun rises in the east, 
 but his rays illumine the world. The Lord God was to be in a 
 peculiar manner the God of^hem, but he should also enlarge 
 Japhet, and the church should be increased from among his 
 descendants. It has been so. The Saviour of the world was a 
 descendant of Shem, and at the present time the largest portion 
 of the Christian church is found among the posterity of Japhet, 
 who are now fast occupying and ruling over all the seats of 
 Shem. 
 
MESSIANIC PROPHECIES IX GENESIS. 99 
 
 But Sliem bad many sous, and the faith of the ancient be- 
 lievers needed some more definite information, than the mere 
 announcement that from among tliem the Lord would provide 
 salvation. Out of his sons therefore, God chose one, to be the 
 depositary of his great promises, and the keeper of the truth till 
 the time appointed. To Ahraliam and his seed were the promises 
 made, "^Ve have now a promise and prophecy, made to Abra- 
 ham, — confirmed to Isaac, — and repeated to Jacob. In thee and 
 in thy seed shall all the natioiis of the earth he blessed. By the seed 
 of Abraham, according to the apostle's testimony, we are to under- 
 stand chiefly, the Lord Jesus Christ — to thy seed which is Christy 
 Gal. iii. 16. The blessings spoken of, of which all the families 
 of the earth were to partake, are both temporal and spiritual. 
 The civilization of the nations of ancient and modern times is 
 more to be attributed to the influence of the Israelites, than to 
 any other cause. It is almost certain that the art of writing 
 came first from the Hebrews, and was transmitted from them 
 through the Phenicians to the Greeks and Komans. 
 
 But it was chiefly the unspeakable gift of salvation for the 
 soul, that was meant, in the promise. In thee shall all the nations 
 of the earth be blessed. However important and desirable the arts 
 of civilized life, and the enjoyments of intellectual pursuits, they 
 are not to be compared with the welfare of the soul, — its freedom 
 from the claims of the law, — and its happiness in heaven. 
 
 The promise here referred to was still indefinite. It did not 
 distinctly define to the ancient church, who their deliverer was to 
 be. It is probable that to some members of that church clearer 
 revelations were made than to the mass of believers. Abraham 
 probably knew much more of Christ, than did those around 
 him, who heard only the promise of which we are speaking. 
 Christ expressly says Abraham rejoiced to see my day and he saw it 
 and was glad, John viii. 56. It may have been when he was in 
 the mount, about to offer up his beloved Isaac, that revelations 
 were made to him, not vouchsafed to others. 
 
 Still the promise was a glorious one. The selection of a par- 
 ticular family, showed that God had not altered his purposes of 
 mercy. It was a beacon of hope to the lost — a lighthouse on 
 the world's wide ocean — and its clear light and cheering beams 
 would enliven many a heart that looked for deliverance in 
 Israel. 
 
 Nor was it long before a prediction more clear and decided 
 
100 MESSIANIC PROPnECIES IN GENESIS. 
 
 Still was given. Abraham was dead, and Isaac was dead, and 
 Jacob felt the hour of his dissolution near. He sent for his sons, 
 the fathers of the future tribes of Israel, and told to each what 
 should befall tliem in the latter days. The xlix. chapter of 
 Genesis contains the record of what his eye saw when it looked 
 into the unveiled depths of futurity. In the midst of his predic- 
 tions of the prosperity of Judah, he utters a prophec}^ whose 
 clearness and beauty finds scarcely a parallel in Holy Writ. The 
 sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a laivgiver from between his 
 feet^ till Shiloh come, and unto him shall the gathering of tlie people 
 be, Gen. xlix. 10. It is easy to see that this is but one of the 
 links of that chain of prophecy whose preceding parts we have 
 already considered. It refers to the same great event. Here you 
 have first the time of the expected deliverer; secondly, his charac- 
 ter; thirdly, his success. As to the time, it was to be when the 
 sceptre was departing from Judah, and the power of her lawgivers 
 vanishing away. Look through the long line of ages for nearly 
 seventeen hundred years after this prophecy was uttered, and 
 amidst all the changes in the history of Israel, you will find that the 
 tribe of Judah still retained the j)re-eminence. Even after the coun- 
 try became a Eoman province, Judea was governed by the rulers 
 who ruled over it before it was conquered by the Eomans. But 
 in the very year when Archelaus was removed by the Eomans, 
 and a Roman appointed as the governor of Judea, — when the 
 sceptre had finally departed from Judea, never to return, in that 
 very year did Christ first appear as the appointed and expected 
 Deliverer. He was but twelve years old when he was found in 
 the temple, in the midst of the Doctors, both hearing them, and 
 asking them questions ; in that year the sceptre departed from 
 Judah, and it was needful that he should be about his Father's 
 business. 
 
 His character corresponded with the descriptions of the pro- 
 phecy, with equal exactness. He is there denominated Shiloh, a 
 word denoting peace, or peacefid. You may remember that Isaiah 
 calls him the Prince of Peace, and that the apostle calls him our 
 Peace. Well docs he deserve to bear such a title. It has ever 
 been the great object of Satan to produce enmity between God 
 and man, and too well has he succeeded. But the object of the 
 coming of Christ, was to make peace between God and man; 
 and this he did, by the sacrifice of himself upon the cross. 
 Thereby he also made peace between man and man, and laid the 
 
MESSIANIC PROPHECIES IN GENESIS. 101 
 
 foundations of lasting peace in each man's own conscience. 
 Therefore it was, when he appeared, that the angels sang, Glory to 
 Ood in the highest: on earth peace and good-will to 'meri, Luke ii. 14. 
 Therefore it was that our Saviour said as he departed out of the 
 world, Peace Heave ivith you^ my peace I give unto you, John xiv. 
 27. Therefore it was that the apostle said of him, He is our peace, 
 who hath made both one, and hath hroJcen doiun the middle wall of 
 partition between us, having abolished in his flesh the enmity, so 
 making peace, Eph. ii, 14, 15. 
 
 The latter part of the prediction is still in process of fulfil- 
 ment. To him shall the gathering of the nations be. Many nations 
 have been gathered to him, and we have seen enough in our own 
 times, to assure us, that our faith in the complete fulfilment of 
 this promise, shall not be in vain. He who has watched the pro- 
 gress of gospel truth as it enlightened the minds of the Northern 
 Greenlander, and the Southern Hottentot, — of the North Ameri- 
 can Indian, and Tahitian Islander, will be slow to believe that 
 any nation will finally resist its power. Already is Ethiopia 
 stretching out her hands unto God. Already do careful ob- 
 servers note, that the hoary superstitions of India, are trembling 
 on their time-marked foundations. The contest in China may 
 be longer, for it is as yet just begun. But to him shall the 
 gathering of the nations be, BeJiold, these shall come from far ; and 
 lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of 
 Sinim, Is. xlix. 12. 
 
 Such is a cursory review of the prophecies concerning Christ, 
 in the book of Genesis. After the fall of Adam, midnight gloom 
 and darkness covered the world. You have watched the sky in 
 a stormy night. You have seen the hoar of deepest gloom, and 
 have marked the gradual dispersion of the clouds. A faint star 
 dimly glimmers amidst the fleeting vapors, — then another shines 
 with steadier lustre — by degrees, a whole constellation shines 
 forth, and, even while you looked, the morning star arose, and 
 proclaimed the approach of day. It was thus in the first revela- 
 tions of mercy to our race. The promise, that the seed of the 
 woman should bruise the serpent's head, was cheering, but still 
 indistinct. The selection of Shem, and especially of Abraham, 
 and Isaac, and Jacob, made the purposes of God more and more 
 clear ; but the dying words of Israel, seemed almost to usher in 
 the day. These prophecies prepared the way for the Levitical 
 
102 MESSIANIC PROPHECIES IX GENESIS. 
 
 dispensation, with its clearer light, its freciuent allusions to 
 Christ, and its fuller revelations. 
 
 We judge, at times, of the greatness and importance of events, 
 by the preparations that precede them. Were you to see a host 
 of men assembled on some mountain's top, and anxiously looking 
 towards the east ; were you to see, further on, another body of 
 men, preparing a highway among the mountains; were you to 
 see, still beyond them, scouts placed in commanding positions, 
 prepared to light the beacon fires, while all the population of the 
 surrounding districts were in a state of heightened expectation, 
 would you not suppose that some more than ordinarily interest- 
 ing event was about to occur ? Apply this comparison to the 
 coming of Christ, and the religion he came to establish. What 
 mean these varied preparations ? Why this array of altars, and 
 priests, and sacrifices ? Why this long train of prophecy, com- 
 mencing almost at the creation, and lunning on for near four 
 thousand years, and all pointing to one common object ? Why 
 this expectation of the coming of some great one, — at first con- 
 fined to a single nation, but gradually extending itself, until, as it 
 were, the whole world stood in expectation to behold his arrival ? 
 There was reason for all this. The greatest event the earth ever 
 saw, was about to occur, — the Lord of glory was about to appear 
 in human form, and the work he came to accomplish was one in 
 which all men are most deeply and personally interested. His 
 mission was a mission of life or of death to every individual of 
 our race, and therefore men eagerly expected his arrival. He 
 has come. He has finished his work. He has bruised the ser- 
 pent's head, and he has called the sons of Japhet to dwell in the 
 tents of Shem. A Prince of peace, already nations have been 
 gathered to him ; the sceptre has long since departed from Judah, 
 but in him already hath the nations of the earth been blessed. 
 In his name, we offer salvation to every man who hears the 
 sound of the gospel. As his minister, I assure you, that whoso- 
 ever comes unto him shall in no wise be cast out ; and I solemnly, 
 and with authority, declare unto you, that there is salvation in no 
 other. 
 
 Let me, then, ask you — or rather, I would have you, seriously 
 ask yourselves — have you sought and found salvation in him ? 
 The salvation he has procured is i)rccisely suited to the wants of 
 each individual before me. It is oflercd for your acceptance or 
 
MESSIANIC PROPHECIES IN GENESIS. 103 
 
 rejection. Yet I should not say, "for your rejection." If you 
 do not accept of it, if you do not heartily embrace it, to the ex- 
 clusion of every other hope, then it is the same as though you 
 had rejected. How shall you escape^ if you neglect this so great sal- 
 vation ? 
 
SEKMON XIII. 
 
 EMMANUEL. GOD WITH US. 
 
 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call 
 his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted, is, God with us. — Mat. i. 23. 
 
 The custom of giving significant names to their cliilclren, was 
 one that prevailed in the Jewish nation from the earliest period 
 of its history. The reasons which dictated the choice of the 
 several names given to children, were, of course, very different. 
 Sometimes they were given by the parents, to signify their grati- 
 tude for favors received, as when Leah called one of her sons 
 Judah, or pra/se, saying. Now will I praise the Lord^ Gen. xxix. 35. 
 Sometimes they were given to express their faith in God for the 
 bestowment of future blessings. Thus Eachel called the name 
 of her first-born son Joseph^ or adding^ saying, as she gave the 
 name, Tlie Lord shall add to me another son^ Gen. xxx. 24. Some- 
 times names were given to commemorate some remarkable event 
 in a man's history, or to denote some distinguishing trait in his 
 character. Thus Jacob's name was changed, after his wrestling 
 with^the angel, to Israel, a prince of God. For as aj^rince hast thou 
 poiver v:ith God, and hast prevailed, Gen. xxxii. 28. 
 
 It would be an interesting occupation to pursue this subject 
 much farther, and to trace the various evidences of the gratitude, 
 or faith, or zeal of Hebrew parents, expressed in the names given 
 to their children, but at present it is unnecessary. It is sufiicient 
 to remark, that a custom, so universal, would not probably be 
 omitted in the case of one so long foretold, and of whom such 
 great things were expected, as of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the 
 world. We naturally, therefore, feel much curiosity to know 
 both the names, and the meaning of the names, given to him. 
 The name in the text is one that seems to call for special notice, 
 both from the person who foretold it, and the person who explains 
 
EMMANUEL. GOD WITH US. 105 
 
 it, as well as from the surpassing dignity and excellence of Him 
 who bears it, Emmanuel! Thus the inspired prophet, more than 
 seven hundred years before his birth, predicts that he shall be 
 called. God loith us ! Thus the inspired evangelist, recording the 
 fulfilment of the prophecy, interprets the name. 
 
 There seem to be two great truths intended to be taught by 
 this name. The first is that he who bears it, is a Being very far 
 superior to the generality of those who are born upon the earth. 
 God with lis ! There is a majesty in this name, especially when 
 we compare it with other divine declarations concerning the per- 
 son thus called, which induces us to say, that he was no common 
 man, but that in some mysterious way, the divine and human na- 
 tures were united in his one person. He is God, and yet man. 
 Infinitely exalted above us, and yet partaking of our nature. 
 Before all things, yet born in tlte latter days. An object of wor- 
 ship to all angels, yet appearing in the form of a servant. He is 
 truly God with us. 
 
 That the same being should possess both the divine and hu- 
 man natures in one person ; that he should be both God and 
 man, is a doctrine almost too wonderful for belief. It is so far 
 above the comprehension of our limited minds, that we cannot 
 grasp it ; and he who has never been astonished, when the 
 thought rose upon his mind, " the infinite and eternal God, veiled 
 for a time his glory and dwelt among men, in human form," has 
 never justly apprehended the truth we speak of. How can it be 
 otherwise than astonishing ? Look at these bodies of ours. 
 Consider their feebleness and imperfections. Consider their 
 weaknesses, how we are tied down to the narrow limits of this 
 world, and fatigued by efforts to traverse even a small portion of 
 its surface. Then lift your eyes to the starry firmament above, 
 and when your wearied imagination returns confounded from the 
 effort to count the number of those worlds, so far beyond our 
 reach, think, " The God that made all those worlds, and at whose 
 feet they lie, like golden sands, took our nature upon him, and 
 bore about a body like our own !" It is hardly wonderful, when 
 these thoughts press upon the mind, that some have even doubted 
 whether this could be so. It seems too great a condescension for 
 such a being to descend so low. Certain it is, we never should 
 dare to entertain such a thought, without the strongest authority 
 for it. But if we have the word of that very being himself assur- 
 ing us that this doctrine is true, then it is not the part either of 
 
106 EMM.iNUEL. GOD WITU US. 
 
 reason, or modesty, much less of religion, to doubt it. It is tlien 
 our duty to make reason bow before that which rises above her 
 compreliension, and suffer faith to rest upon that which our 
 Maker reveals. 
 
 What saith the Scripture ou this point ?— for it is the word of 
 God alone that can decide it. Without quoting the tenth part 
 of the passages in the Bible which refer to this subject, let me re- 
 fer you to the declaration of Isaiah. To us a child is horn, to us a 
 son is given ; and the government shall he upon his shoulders ; and 
 his name shall he called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the 
 everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, Is. ix. 6. To the same ef- 
 fect speaks the apostle John, This is the true God and eternal life, 
 1 John V. 20. Still more clearly does the apostle Paul give us 
 his testimony, Who, heing in the form of God, thought it no rohhery 
 to he equal with God: hut made himself of no reputation, and took 
 upon him the form of a servant, and ivas made in the likeness of men, 
 and heing found in fashion as a man, he hurnhled himself, and hecame 
 obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, Phil. ii. 6-8. But 
 clear as these declarations are, they are not more clear than the 
 words of Christ himself Standing in the presence of those who 
 were ever ready to accuse him, and to work his ruin, and who 
 were peculiarly sensitive on the doctrine of the infinite superior- 
 ity of their God to all other beings, he said, land my Father are 
 one, John x. 30. And on another occasion, though he knew that 
 his hearers would be immediately reminded of the name that God 
 had expressly appropriated to himself, I am that I am, Ex. iii. 14, 
 he declared in the most emphatic manner. Verily, verily, I say unto 
 you, hefore Abraham ivas, I am, John viii. 58. 
 
 The same truth is also distinctly shown by his actions. Fol- 
 low him on that memorable day, when, after taking our infirmi- 
 ties and healing our sicknesses, after instructing the people, and 
 relieving their distresses till nature was exhausted, he entered into 
 a ship to go to other places. Behold there arose a great tempest, 
 insomuch that the ship was covered ivith the waves. Where now was 
 Jesus? Asleep, in the hinder part of the ship ! Does this Be- 
 ing, overcome with ftitigue, and needing the repose of sleep, like 
 other men, possess powers such as other men do not ? His disci- 
 ples came to him and awoke him, saying. Lord, save us, we perish ! 
 And he arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a 
 great calm, Matt. viii. 23-26. As man he was overcome with fa- 
 tigue — as God he ruled the raging elements. 
 
EMMANUEL. GOD WITH US. 107 
 
 Follow him in another of his journeys. He comes to the well 
 of Jacob, at Samaria. Being ivearied with his jouniei/, he sat thus 
 on the tcell. A woman came to the well, wdth whom he enters 
 into conversation, and in that conversation tells her eyen the 
 thoughts of her own heart, and the past actions of her life. In 
 her astonishment she exclaims. Come see a man that told me all 
 that ever I did: is not this the Christ? John iv. In that wearied 
 being who sat upon the well, we recognize one who partakes of 
 our own feeble nature, — but in his searching of that woman's 
 heart, and declaring to her all that ever she did, we behold une- 
 quivocal proofs of that Being who alone searches the heart and tries 
 the reins of the children of men^ Jer. xvii. 10. It is God's preroga- 
 tive to search the heart, and the volume that is concealed from 
 all created eyes, and often scarcely read even by its owner, is 
 naked and opened unto the eyes of him laith lohom xve have to do^ Heb. 
 V. 12, for there is no creature that is not manifest in his sight. 
 Follow him once again to the grave of Lazarus, and as you see 
 him weeping over the tomb of the friend he loved, you must ac- 
 knowledge that human sj'^mpathies beat in that affectionate 
 bosom. But when he calls, Lazarus^ come forth, and the dead 
 man hears his voice, and obeys, we bow in solemn reverence at 
 the presence of him who has the heys of hell and ofdeath^ Eev. i. 18, 
 to whom belong the issues from death, Ps. Ixviii. 20, who alone kills, 
 and makes alive, Deut, xxxii. 39. "Well therefore does a being of 
 whom these things are true, bear the name Emmanuel — God 
 WITH us. 
 
 2. The doctrine of the Divinity of Christ, however, though 
 very distinctly referred to in the name Emmanuel, is not the 
 only thing which it was intended to teach. That doctrine lies at 
 the foundation of all the instruction and consolation we may 
 derive from the name, — but the principal truth which we are 
 taught by it, and the one to which I wish to call your special 
 attention, is this, that Jesus Christ is with his people, in a peculiar 
 manner for their good. Believing as we do that Jesus Christ is 
 God, he is of course everywhere, and is present with all his 
 creatures. Exercising the providential government of the world, 
 he feeds and clothes them all, and directs all their movements, 
 and therefore in a general sense, all men may say, that Christ is 
 with them. But this is not what is taught by the name Emman- 
 uel. There is a special way in which he is present with those 
 who are redeemed by him, and I request your attention to some 
 
108 EMMANUEL. GOD WITH US. 
 
 further remarks, on the manner in which, and the reasons for 
 which this presence of Christ with his people is shown. 
 
 1. Christ is present with his people in the dispensations of 
 Providence. As God he is everywhere, and his general provi- 
 dence extends to all his creatures without exception. But this is 
 not all that the Scriptures teach respecting the Providence of 
 God. We are expressly informed that Jesus Christ exercises the 
 providential government of the world, not only in virtue of his 
 divine nature, but also in virtue of his office as mediator between 
 God and man. After he had finished the work of redemption, 
 All power in heaven and earth luas given unto him, Matt, xxviii. 18, 
 and he was constituted head over all things to the church, Eph. i. 22, 
 i. e. for the benefit of the church. Exalted thus, far above cdl 
 principality and power and might and dominion, and every name 
 that is named, not only in this ivorld, but in the icorld to come, 
 Eph. i. 21, and with all things under his feet, he has a special care 
 over his church, and directs all events with reference to her. 
 Thus everything shall luorJc together for good to them that love God, 
 Rom. viii. 28. It is this which gives us our confidence in the 
 safety of his people, and the ultimate triumph of true religion in 
 our world. He who for his people's sake, once suffered the loss 
 of all things, now rules over all things by a double right, and it 
 cannot be supposed, that he will not direct those things for his 
 people's good. The outward appearance of things may often- 
 times be dark. I need not say they may be so — they will be 
 so, for he himself has so informed us. The enemies of our holy 
 religion at times may triumph in our supposed defeat, and our 
 own hearts may sink in despondency at the disappointment of 
 fondly cherished hopes. But this arises from our own want of 
 faith, and because we cannot see the end from the beginning. 
 Could we but look beyond second causes and see the operations 
 of the Providence of God, we should find that all these apparently 
 disastrous events, are still under his control. It cannot be other- 
 wise. There is not an event that occurs, however great, or how- 
 ever small, be it the rise of an empire or the fall of a sparrow — 
 there is not an evil counsel of the enemies of the church, or even 
 of Satan himself, that is not seen by the eye, and controlled by 
 the hand of Emmanuel. Good shall come out of evil therefore 
 and light out of darkness. And while this is true of the church 
 generally, it is true of each member of that church, — f ;)r he who 
 in the agonies of a world's redemption could care for a mother's 
 
EMMANUEL. GOD WITH US. 109 
 
 support, John xix. 26, 27, — amidst the cares (though they are no 
 cares to him) of the church's preservation, will not forget the 
 Avants of the meanest of his followers. Scorn and contempt may 
 cover you here, — but he who said, Whosoever shall do the will of 
 my Father which is in heaven^ the same is my brother^ and sister^ and 
 mother^ Matt. xii. 50, — is not forgetful of that relationship, now 
 when seated on his high and glorious throne ; and in the best 
 way, and at the most proper season, will he exert his authority 
 for your deliverance and support. As long therefore as the 
 Christian can say, that his Saviour's name is Emmanuel, he may 
 join with the Psalmist in singing the Lord reigneth. Let the eartli 
 rejoice^ the nations may rage, but he is secure, and shall laugh at 
 all their efforts, and malice. 
 
 2. Christ is also present with his people by the influences of 
 his Holy Spirit. If there is anything that distinguishes the Chris- 
 tian dispensation, from the Jewish and the Patriarchal, and that 
 marks its superiority above all other forms of religion, it is that 
 part of it which refers to the operations of the Holy Spirit. True, 
 there is commonly but little known, or said even in the church 
 itself, concerning the Spirit, but it is the shame of the church 
 that such is the case. Before the coming of Christ, but little was 
 revealed, and therefore but little was known concerning the nature 
 or the operations of the Spirit. His influences were, indeed, 
 felt, for without them there could be no church, — but compared 
 with their greater diffusion, after the crucifixion of our Lord, 
 they are almost overlooked. It is even said, The Spirit ivas not 
 given because Christ luas not glorified, John vii. 39. But after his 
 resurrection the Spirit was given, and great signs and wonders 
 immediatel}^ followed. His first coming was distinguished by 
 wonderful gifts, the speaking with tongues, the healing of dis- 
 eases, the raising of the dead, and various other supernatural 
 operations. But along with these, and far superior to them in 
 importance, as well as in permanence were those other operations 
 of the Spirit, which continue to our time, and shall last to the 
 end of the world. These are those secret and mysterious influ- 
 ences which come over the souls of men, arousing, them to con- 
 cern for their spiritual welfare ; awakening them to a sense of 
 the danger of their natural condition; and of their sinfulness 
 before God; leading them away from all confidence in them- 
 selves, to an humble and unreserved trust in Christ alone, for 
 salvation ; showing them his excellency ; opening their minds to 
 
110 EMM-AJN'UEL. GOD WITH US, 
 
 a right understanding of the Holy Scriptures ; causing them to 
 mortify sin, and to seek after lioliness ; sustaining them in trials ; 
 strengthening them against temptations ; fitting them for useful- 
 ness, and finally bringing them safe into the heavenly kingdom 
 prepared for those that truly love God. All these things worketh 
 that one, and the self-same Spirit, 1 Cor. xii. 11. Now the doctrine 
 of the Scriptures is, that these influences, so precious, so indis- 
 pensable to our salvation, are procured for us only by the death 
 of Christ, and made available and continued to us only by his all- 
 prevalent intercession. The influences of the Spirit are purchased 
 for us by the agonies Christ endured upon the cross, they are 
 sent to us in virtue of his prayers ; their sole object is to lead us 
 to him ; and to the enjoyment of his salvation. Hence for these 
 three reasons the Holy Spirit is frequently called the Spirit of 
 Christy and to show the necessity of his influences, we are told 
 that If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of Ms, 
 Eom. viii. 9. Nay, so great was the value that Christ himself 
 attached to the coming of the Spirit, that he taught his disciples 
 to consider it as more necessary than his own bodily presence, 
 It is expedient for you, said he, that I go away, for if I go not away, 
 the Comforter will not come unto you, hut if I depart I will send him 
 unto you, John xvi. 7. How glorious and excellent must that 
 Spirit be, who is able to supply the want of Christ's bodil}^ 
 presence on the earth ! The Spirit of Christ is, in a sense, the 
 soul of the church on earth, and the body would soon be dis- 
 solved and decay, if the Spirit were wanting. This is the reason 
 why the church has not been long since totally destroyed. The 
 efforts of man may harass the body, but the Spirit is beyond 
 their reach, and wherever a single member of the church is 
 found, there the Spirit dwells, and against a Being so Godlike 
 and divine, the gates of hell may rage, but they can never pre- 
 vail. I know that men may laugh, and say that it is all fanati- 
 cism, or enthusiasm, to talk of these secret and mysterious influ- 
 ences—but Christ thought not so, when he said. The Spirit of 
 Truth shall guide you into all truth: he shall glorify me; for he 
 shall take of mine, and shall shoiu it unto you. Nay, to show his 
 sense of the infinite importance of this promise, he immediately 
 repeated it, in yet more emphatic language, All things that the 
 Father hath are mine, therfore said I, he shall tale of mine and shall 
 sJwiu it unto you, John xvi. 13-15. 
 
 3. There is yet a third mode in which Jesus Christ is present 
 
EMMANUEL. GOD WITH US. Ill 
 
 with his people, and that is, by his own personal presence. As 
 God, he is of course everywhere present, and we may well sup- 
 pose that he will be in a peculiar manner with those who are 
 redeemed by his own blood, sanctified by his own Spirit, and 
 upheld by his own peculiar providence. A father delights to be 
 with his children, and a friend with the friend of his heart ; and 
 it cannot be that one who loves others, as Christ loves his own 
 people, should consent to be absent from them. Accordingly, 
 this presence of Christ with his followers is spoken of in all parts 
 of the Scriptures, as common in all ages, and in all places. From 
 the numerous passages in which it is referred to, I select only a 
 few. He was with the ancient patriarchs in all their sojournings 
 in strange lands. It was he who said to Abraham, Fear not., 
 Ahram: I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reioard, Gen. xv. 1. 
 It was he who appeared in that glorious vision to Jacob, as he slept 
 upon the ground, with a stone for his pillow, and said. Behold! 
 I am with thee., and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest., I 
 will not have thee., Gen. xxviii. 15. It was he who appeared to 
 Moses in the burning bush, and sending him to the court of 
 Pharaoh, calmed his fears and inspired him with courage, by 
 saying. Certainly., I will he luith thee, Exod. iii. 12. The apostle 
 informs us of his presence with the Israelitish nation, in all their 
 long and weary wanderings, They did all drink the same spiritual 
 drink : for they drank of that spiritual rock lohich followed them, and 
 that rock was Christ, 1 Cor. x. 4. The types and ceremonies of 
 the Jewish dispensation, were all emblematical of Christ, and 
 many a pious worshipper as he bowed his head when the smoke 
 of the evening sacrifice went up, experienced the presence of Him 
 who is the so.me yesterday, arid to-day, and forever, Heb. xiii. 8. Not 
 to mention other examples we may refer to David, to whom such 
 clear revelations were made, concerning the future coming of the 
 Messiah. His soul dwelt upon the anticipation of this, as all his 
 salvation, and all his desire, 2 Sam. xxiii. 5, and when, in the 
 sweetest strain of poetry and of piety he says, The Lord is my 
 Shepherd, I shall not tvant. He maketh me to lie doton in green 
 jjostures, he leadeth me beside, the still waters. Yea, though I ivalk 
 through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil ; for thou 
 art with me, Ps, xxiii. 
 
 For awhile he dwelt upon the earth in human form, and his 
 disciples conversed with him face to face. They saw his glory, 
 the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, John i. 14. They 
 
112 EMILVXUEL. GOD WITH US. 
 
 rejoiced in his presence, though there were times when the glorj 
 of the Godhead shone so brightly in him, that they almost feared 
 to approach him. But he is not now on earth, as to his bodily 
 presence. Nor is it needful. The Spirit supplies the want of his 
 bodily presence, and there is still that mystical union between 
 him and all his people, that makes them one. Think not, that 
 though his glorified body is in heaven, he himself is away. The 
 members of his church are the branches, and he is the vine, and 
 it is owing to their union with him that they grow and bear fruit, 
 John XV. 1. The members of his church are members of his 
 body, while he is their head, Eph. iv. 15. They are living stones 
 in that temple of which he is the chief corner-stone, Eph. ii. 20. 
 There is a union between him and his people which no created 
 power can destroy, and from that union they derive life and hap- 
 piness and strength. That union is a perpetual one. It is re- 
 markable that one of the ^rst circumstances recorded of the life 
 of Christ, is that his name is Emmanuel^ God with us, while his 
 own last words on earth were, Zo, / am loith you always, even to the 
 end of the luorld, Matt, xxviii. 20. Nor does it stop even when 
 the world is ended, for he has told us, and his apostles have 
 repeated the declaration, that we shall be ever with the Lord, 
 John xvii. 24 ; 1 Thes. iv. 17. 
 
 We may well pause here, and inquire. Can these things be 
 really true ? Why is this wonderful display of the presence of 
 the uncreated Son of God ? It Avas a truth which nature taught 
 the ancient heathen, "Never introduce a God, but where a God 
 is needed." But here the Son of God frequently appears, nay, 
 is constantly present, and that not with equals, for he has no equals, 
 not even with the highest rank of created beings, — but he is rep- 
 resented as condescending to our low estate, and holding commu- 
 nion near and intimate with worms of the dust. Again we repeat, 
 why is all this ? Why this almost prodigal display of the riches 
 of the presence and grace of the Godhead ? What great objects 
 are subserved by these wonderful and varied manifestations of the 
 King of the universe ? Say not that it is prodigality,— say not 
 that it is ostentation, — say not that it is unnceded — For us it is 
 vitally important, for our salvation it is essential. 
 
 We are ignorant creatures. Naturally ignorant of the very 
 first principles of religion ; of our own true character ; of the 
 evil nature of sin; of God's holiness, and of our danger — and in 
 addition to this natural blindness, there is a superadded darkness^ 
 
EMMANUEL, GOD WITH US. 113 
 
 for the god of this world liath blinded the eyes of them that 
 believe not. If this ignorance be not removed, there is no possi- 
 bility of our salvation. If a man knows not that he is in danger, 
 he will make no efforts to escape. But who shall enlighten us? 
 That mere human reason can do it, is impossible ; the experience 
 of the world, in all ages, has shown it to be out of the question. 
 Go no farther than your own doors for proof On every side, 
 you shall see the men of the greatest and most ancient nation on 
 earth, ignorant of the first principles of religion, and hoping to 
 secure their safety beyond the grave, by worshipping the bones 
 of their ancestors. We need a teacher come from God, to enlighten 
 us, one who shall have power to remove the scales that dim our 
 mental sight, and place spiritual things before our eyes, and com- 
 mand our attention to them. Such a teacher we find only in the 
 Son of God. But we are not only ignorant, we are also sinful 
 and condemned, and exposed to the wrath of God. We need a 
 Saviour, who can bear our sins, and take away the punishment 
 due to them, and bring us off" free and unharmed, when the 
 insulted justice of God cries aloud for redress. From such an 
 undertaking, all created strength shrinks back appalled. But 
 God has laid help for us upon one mightij to save, and the reason 
 why Christ was made flesh, and dwelt among us, was, that he might 
 deliver those who trust in him from the wrath of God. This work 
 he accomplished, because he is Emmanuel, God with us. But not only 
 are we ignorant, and therefore in need of divine instruction, — and 
 guilty, and therefore needing to have our sins atoned for, and par- 
 doned — we are also full of sin, and need to be sanctified, and 
 restored to the image of God, before we can be received again 
 into his presence. This is no easy work. He who alone knows the 
 heart, has declared that it is deceit/ al ctbove all things, and desper- 
 ately loicked, Jer. xvii. 9 ; and though we are naturally loth to 
 believe such a declaration concerning ourselves, yet the proofs of it 
 so stare us in the face on every side, that, in one form or other, wc 
 are forced to confess its truth. Let any man make the effort to 
 lead a perfectly holy life. Be not satisfied with mere departure 
 from overt acts of wickedness, — avoid the least sin, not only of 
 action, but of words. Let no unkind expression, even, proceed 
 from your mouth. Guard your heart with all diligence, and let 
 no evil, no impure, no unhallowed thought, ever rise there. No 
 matter how great the temptation, or how strong the provocation, 
 let it be your object to bear everything, as Christ himself would 
 
114 EMMAiSrUP:L. GOD WITH US. 
 
 have borne it. Which of you, after making such an experiment 
 for a single day, could say, "I am perfect, I have not sinned?" 
 Ah, no ! You cannot, you dare not, thus speak. Evil dwells in 
 the heart of the children of men, and the holiest of men have 
 ever felt most deeply its power over them. Paul, in the bitter- 
 ness of his heart, cried out, Who shall deliver me from the body of 
 Ms death? Eom. vii. 24. He himself could not do it, and his 
 experience has been felt by every Christian, down to the present 
 time. It is in this respect, that we specially need the presence 
 of our Saviour. He it is who enables us to contend against the 
 evils of our own hearts, and the allurements of the world, and 
 the fiery darts of Satan. The victory is often doubtful, and the 
 battle sore, and we sometimes receive wounds that we carry with 
 us to the grave ; but none, that depend upon him, shall be finally 
 overcome. By the guidance of his providence, by the influence 
 of his Spirit, by the secret, but all-powerful efficacy of his own 
 presence, he sustains the Christian, bears him on, gives him 
 courage and consolation, brings good to him out of evil, jouts his 
 enemies to flight, and gives him a final and complete victory 
 over sin, the world, and the devil. It is for this object that he 
 displays so much of his presence, for it is his presence alone that 
 can accomplish it; and who will say that it is not a sufficient 
 object to require his presence ? 
 
 This presence of Christ accompanies the believer through life, 
 and crowns the felicity of his heavenly inheritance. Among all 
 the notes of joy that swell the anthems of the redeemed in heaven, 
 few, if any, are higher than the strain, the burden of which is, 
 Emmanuel^ God luith us. 
 
 From the various practical inferences which this subject 
 teaches us, I select only the following : — 
 
 1. We learn, hence, the necessity of a deep reverence for 
 Christ, and of habitual seriousness of deportment. We are all in 
 danger of falling into two errors, in our views of the Saviour of 
 the world. Either we think so little about him, that we have no 
 definite ideas respecting his character and works, and are but sel- 
 dom sensible of his presence ; or else we think too lightly of him, 
 and regard him with too much familiarity. Either of these views 
 is exceedingly erroneous. If he be so constantly with us, as has 
 been shown, then, surely, ought we to be at pains to acquaint our- 
 selves with him, to know who, and what he is, who thus mani- 
 fests himself to us. To this we are the more incited, because we 
 
EMMANUEL. GOD WITH US. 115 
 
 are informed, that to know him, is eternal life, Jolm xvii. 3. We 
 cannot well have too many thoughts of Christ, for such a friend 
 deserves our warmest and most frequent remembrances. Yet, 
 while you think of him with frequency and affection, beware of 
 low views of his character, or unbecoming deportment in his 
 presence. It is true, he has greatly condescended in thus coming- 
 down to our condition ; but still he is God over all, blessed forever, 
 Rom. ix. 5, and you cannot too deeply reverence him. And if 
 he be thus constantly present with you, how can you possibly 
 maintain a light and trifling deportment before him ? "We rise 
 up before the hoary head, and show reverence to them that are 
 placed in authority over us ; and shall we show less to the great 
 Ancient of days, who is also King of kings, and Lord of lords. I 
 do not recommend moroseness, I do not recommend sadness. On 
 the contrary, the joy of the Lord is your strength, Neh. viii. 10 ; 
 but there is a seriousness, and sobriety, and dignity, that well 
 becomes the ministers and constant companions of so great a 
 monarch. 
 
 Again, we are taught by the truths just now presented to feel 
 the highest esteem for the church of Christ, and for all the mem- 
 bers of that church. It may be confidently asserted that there is 
 no body on earth so truly honorable, or worthy of respect, as the 
 Christian church. This is not the common opinion of mankind, 
 but it is nevertheless true. What is it that constitutes dignity, or 
 gives a claim to honor ? Is it not their acquisition of knowledge, 
 and power, and virtue — the possession of riches, and the favor 
 and friendship of the good and the great ? And what assemblage 
 is so richly endowed with these as the church? Constantly sus- 
 tained by the favor and friendship of the Eternal Son of God, 
 having his presence constantly with her ; receiving from him the 
 true riches which the world knows not, and the true knowledge — 
 even that which leads to eternal life and happiness. She is all 
 glorious within, and her clothing is of wrought gold, Ps. xlv. 13. She 
 looketh forth as the morning, clear as the sun, fair as the moon, and 
 terrible as an army with banners, Cant. 6. 10. Let the world es- 
 teem her as they may, the Christian may well say, If L forget thee, 
 Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning ; let my tongue, 
 cleave to the roof of my mouth: if I prefer not Jerusalem to my chief 
 joy, Ps. cxxxvii. 5, 6. 
 
 Finally. This subject affords us an excellent test of Christian 
 character. The proper application of it will enable you to dis- 
 
116 EMJUANUEL. GOD WITH US. 
 
 cover both whether you really possess the grace of Christ in your 
 heart, and whether it is growing and flourishing there. Such a 
 being cannot be with any of our race in such diversified ways, as 
 Christ is with his people, without producing most sensible effects, 
 and changes in their characters and conduct. Is he thus with 
 you ? Remember, if you expect to spend an eternity with him, 
 that union must commence before the end of time. As death 
 leaves you, so will eternity find you, and so will you continue. 
 Do you then feel the presence of Christ with you ? Are you sen- 
 sible of the influences of the Spirit working upon your heart and 
 affections ? Do you feel yourself under the power of new motives, 
 and those motives such as have reference mainly to the kingdom 
 of God ? Do you delight in the thoughts of Christ ? Is it pleas- 
 ant to you to recognize his image in others, and to cherish it in 
 yourselves ? What influence is produced both upon your heart 
 and your life by this constant presence of the Saviour ? If jovl 
 are really one of his people, whom he has deigned to take into 
 such near union with himself, you will greatly delight to think 
 of him; you will long to feel his presence more sensibly, and 
 more constantly ; and you will make it the great business of your 
 life to become like him. Said an excellent Christian once to me, 
 " Ever since I knew anything of religion, I have made it my 
 daily prayer, that I might know more of Christ." I knew that 
 Christian well, and could distinctly mark the benefit he received 
 from such a course. Be it your study also, my hearers, to learn 
 the character of Christ, and to feel his presence with you con- 
 stantly. So shall you realize more and more the excellency there 
 is in this glorious name, Emmanuel, God with us. 
 
 Macao, August 20, 1843. 
 
SERMON XIV. 
 
 THE SANCTIFICATION OF THE SABBATH. 
 
 And it came to pass that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two 
 omers for one man : and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. 
 And he said unto them, This is that which the Lord hath said. To-morrow is the 
 rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord : bake that ye will bake to-day, and seethe 
 that ye will seethe ; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept 
 until the morning. And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade : and it 
 did not stink, neither was there any worm therein. And Moses said, Eat that to- 
 day ; for to-day is a Sabbath unto the Lord ; to-day ye shall not find it in the 
 field. Six days shall ye gather it ; but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, 
 in it there shall be none. And it came to pass that there went out some of the 
 people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. And the Lord said 
 unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws ? See, 
 for that the Lord hath given you the Sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the 
 sixth day the bread of two days : abide ye every man in his place ; let no man go 
 out of his place on the seventh day. So the people rested on the seventh day. — 
 Exodus xvi. 22-30. 
 
 The giving of manna to the Israelites in the wilderness was 
 not one miracle, but many. The creation of such a substance, 
 and its falling at the early morning hour ; its melting in the sun, 
 yet remaining hard in the tents ; its corrupting if kept over night, 
 and yet remaining uncorrupted in the golden pot for a thousand 
 years ; its falling for forty years, and yet ceasing on the very day 
 when no longer needed — all were miracles, any one of which 
 would have formed an era in the history of any other nation. 
 There was another circumstance connected with it equally mira- 
 culous. The manna fell every day, and the people gathered the 
 portion of each day in its day ; but this general rule had one ex- 
 ception. It fell six days in the week, but not on the seventh ; 
 and to provide for the wants of the seventh, a double quantity 
 fell, and was gathered on the preceding day. But here a diffi- 
 culty arose. When the manna first fell, an order was given that 
 none should keep it over night, and those who transgressed, found 
 
118 THE SANCTIFICATION OF THE SABBATH. 
 
 to their confusion, that it bred worms and became loathsome. 
 Another miracle was needed, and the general law, that if kept it 
 should corrupt, was suspended during one day in seven, so that the 
 manna gathered on the sixth day remained sweet and good upon 
 the seventh. Thus the miracle itself had its miraculous excep- 
 tions. The reason for these superadded miracles is found in the 
 fact, that the seventh day was a Sabbath unto the Lord, in which 
 no servile work was allowed to be done. It was a day of rest, 
 holy unto the Lord, and rather than suffer that rest to be broken 
 by even the necessary avocations of life, or ordinary aff^iirs to in- 
 terfere with his more immediate service, he would interrupt the 
 laws of his own miracles, and suspend the rules himself had im- 
 posed upon them. There is nothing in this account leading us to 
 suppose that the Sabbath was now first observed. It is spoken 
 of as an institution long well-known, and one, the duty of ob- 
 serving which, was commonly acknowledged. To these two 
 points I request your serious attention. 
 
 I. The early history of the Sabbath day. 
 
 There are many who suppose the institution of the Sabbath 
 day to be a mere Jewish rite, appointed at Sinai, intended only 
 for the Jews, and abolished with the other Levitical laws, upon 
 the death of Christ ; and that consequently it need not be ob- 
 served at all, and certainly not in its strictness, by those who live 
 under the Christian dispensation. But the Sabbath was no mere 
 Jewish rite. In the words of our Saviour, the Sabbath was made 
 for man. It was instituted at the creation of the world. It was 
 embodied in the moral law, and proclaimed in thunder from 
 Mount Sinai, and it was sanctioned and sanctified by the example 
 and the resurrection of the Son of Man, who was Lord of the 
 Sabbath day. 
 
 The rest of the seventh day is first mentioned in the account 
 of the creation. Six days did God labor. He spake, and on 
 successive days the light, the blue expanse, the earth and seas 
 and vegetable life, the sun and moon, the inhabitants of the deep 
 and of the air, and last of all, the hving creatures of the earth, 
 and man appeared, and took their stations in the new-formed 
 world. IViiis the heavens and the earth ivere finished and all the host 
 of them. And on the seventh day Ood ended his ivorh ivhich he had 
 made, and he rested on the seventh day from all his ivorJc which he had 
 made. And Ood blessed the seventh day and sanctified it : because 
 that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made, 
 
THE SANCTIFICATION OF THE SABBATH. 119 
 
 Gen. ii. 1-3. That God rested from labor tlirougli weariness can- 
 not be supposed : the rest here spoken of must therefore be a 
 holy resting from employment, and a blessed contemplation of 
 the works he had made. God kept the Sabbath day, and his ex- 
 ample, and his blessing and sanctifying, or setting apart, the sev- 
 enth day, Avas that men might do the same. So it was under- 
 stood by all men both before and after the deluge. Of this a suf- 
 ficient proof is found in the early and universal division of time 
 into weeks, and in the sacred regard that was paid to the number 
 seven. Thus Noah went into the ark, and after seven days, the 
 flood came, Gen. vii. 10. When the flood abated, Noah sent 
 forth a dove, and after she returned, finding no place to rest, lie 
 stayed seven days and again he sent her forth, Gen. viii. 10. She 
 returned with an olive leaf, and again he stayed other seven days and 
 sent her forth. Gen, viii. 12. In the history of Jacob the Sabbath 
 is referred to. Seven years he served Laban for Rachel, but by 
 deception Leah was given to him. When he complained of the 
 fraud, Laban said, Fulfil her week also, and we will give thee this 
 also for the service ivhich thou shalt serve loith me, yet other seven 
 years, Gen. xxix. 27. 
 
 The Tiniversal use of seven as a sacred number can be ex- 
 plained only by the fact that time was commonly divided into 
 periods of seven days by the Sabbath, Cain was to be avenged 
 seven-fold, Gen. iv. 15. Noah took clean beasts by sevens. Gen. 
 vii. 2. AVhen Abraham made a covenant with Abimelech, he 
 did it with seven ewe lambs, Gen. xxi. 29. Pharaoh's double 
 vision of kine and of the ears of corn appeared to him by sevens, 
 and was followed by seven years of plenty, and seven 3^ears of 
 famine. The Hebrew word for an oath, one of their most sacred 
 acts of religion, is derived from the word seven. Not only with 
 the Hebrews is the number seven and the seventh day, sacred. 
 It is so also with the Egyptians, Arabians, and Persians ; and 
 from Egypt it came to Greece, and Homer and Hesiod speak of 
 •' the sacred seventh day" [eSSofiov isyoi'i]uugy 
 
 The history of the manna in the desert is a perfect proof that 
 the Sabbath was observed before the giving of the Law on Mount 
 Sinai. The manna fell in the desert of Sin, a full month before 
 Israel came to Sinai, but none fell on the seventh day, nor were 
 the people allowed on that day to seek it in the field. Why ? 
 Because some new law was then made known ? By no means. 
 To-morroia is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord, Ex. xvi. 23. 
 
120 THE SAXCTIFICATIOX OF THE SABBATH. 
 
 The seventh day is the Sabbath, v. 26. So the peoph rested the seventh 
 day, V. 30. All this shows the Sabbath to be an institution known 
 long before that time. 
 
 The law given from Sinai, was not intended merely for the 
 Jews. With the ritual observances afterwards promulgated, 
 other nations have little to do ; but the ten commandments are 
 only a transcript of what was at first written on the human heart ; 
 they form a summary of the moral law, which every son of 
 Adam is sacredly bound to obey, and whose obligation is perma- 
 nent as the world itself. Yet among those universal laws none 
 stands out with greater prominence, none is more carefully 
 guarded, none enforced with so many reasons. Remember the 
 Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thoic labor and do all thy 
 work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God : in it 
 thou shalt not do any work : thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy 
 man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that 
 is within thy gates : for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, 
 the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day : ivherefore 
 the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and halloived it, Exod. xx. 9-11. 
 Ivemernber the Sabbath, — then it must have been previously ap- 
 pointed, and already known. 
 
 Nor was it abolished at the death of Christ. The New Testa- 
 ment contains no record, and gives no hint of any such abolition. 
 Christ came to bring the Levitical law to an end, but the Sabbath 
 is part of that moral law, which he came not to destroy, but to 
 confirm. He rescued it from the false glosses of the Jews, dis- 
 tinctly proclaiming that works of necessity and works of mercy 
 were lawful on that day ; but he left its sanctions unimpaired, 
 and his own example, and that of all his followers, shows with 
 abundant clearness that the day was still holy to the Lord, Acts 
 XX. 7, 1 Cor. xvi. 2, Rev. i, 10, John xx. 19, 26. In commemo- 
 ration of his return from the grave, its observance was changed 
 from the seventh to the first day of the week, and it has since 
 been sacredly kept by the Christian Church. It is therefore most 
 manifest that the Sabbath is for all men, without distinction of na- 
 tion or time. This is seen 
 
 1. In its original appointment at the creation of the world. 
 
 2. In its ])rominent place in the moral law. 
 
 3. In the example of all holy men, before and after Moses, of 
 Christ himself, and his apostles, and of the Christian Church. 
 
 4. In the numerous and express precepts and allusions of the 
 
THE SANCTIFICATION OF THE SABBATH. 121 
 
 Scriptures, wliicli separate it widely from the merely ritual ob- 
 servances that were only a shadow of things to come. 
 
 Has the Sabbath day been thus set apart and made binding 
 on all men ? It becomes then a question of chief importance, 
 How is it to be sanctified ? What duties are incumbent on us as 
 to its observance ? On this point there is a general and most 
 melancholy ignorance or neglect of duty, and in many cases an 
 open profanation of the law of God. 
 
 What is the object of the Sabbath day? It is first to give 
 man a time of rest and relaxation. The business of the world 
 requires much time, and with hearts like ours, ever prone to the 
 earth, and longing after its enjoyments, there is too much proba- 
 bility of being completely engrossed in the things around us, to 
 the exclusion and forgetfulness of the higher ends of our being. 
 The Sabbath comes in to draw off the mind from the world ; to 
 allow our overtasked and wearied intellects season for repose and 
 renewal ; to invigorate our souls with influences from above, that 
 shall prevent the world from gaining undue influence, and finally 
 dragging us exhausted to destruction. 
 
 But it is not merely a time of repose. It is also intended as a 
 time for specially serving God and preparing for that world, 
 where one eternal Sabbath reigns. Many complain that they 
 have no time to serve God; that the needful business of this 
 world prevents attention to the claims of another. Vain and 
 foolish complaints! The Sabbath is given expressly for these 
 purposes. If there were no Sabbath there would be room for 
 complaint, for it would soon be found that the world had wormed 
 itself into every thought, and engrossed the heart and every 
 affection with itself, leaving neither time nor inclination for 
 things that last when the earth shall be dissolved. But this 
 danger was foreseen by our Creator, and a guard set against it in 
 the weekly return of the Sabbath day. 
 
 To the Law and the Testimony. — Examine carefully the word 
 of God, and say honestly what its requirements are. One day in 
 seven is to be sanctified, or set apart to the service of God. It is 
 the whole day that is to be kept holy. The command is not. 
 Remember the Sabbath morning^ or the Sabbath noon, but Rememher 
 the Sabbath day. The whole day is to be sanctified by a holy 
 rest from all employments and recreations, not excepting those 
 that are lawful on other days. It is difficult to conceive how 
 anything can be more explicit than the words of the command, 
 
122 THE SAXCTIFICATION OF THE SABBATH, 
 
 aSix days shall thou labor and do all thy loorlc ; hut the seventh day is 
 the Sabbath oj the Lord thy God, in it thou shalt not do any ivorh. 
 You are neither to work yourselves, nor are you to allow, much 
 less to require those under your control to work, Neither your 
 children, nor your servants, nor your guests are to profaue the 
 day, lliou shalt not do any ivorlc^ thou, nor thy son, nor thy daugh- 
 ter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor the stranger that is 
 icithin thy gates. The command is especially addressed to gov- 
 ernors of families, — who are too apt, though they work not them- 
 selves, to require, or at least to allow those under them to work. 
 The only exceptions, are works of necessity and of mercy. 
 Christ allowed his hungry disciples to pluck the corn on the Sab- 
 bath and eat, to lead their cattle to water, to rescue animals in 
 distress, and relieve the maladies of the diseased — these were 
 works of necessity and mercy. 
 
 While working is to be avoided, we are required on the Sab- 
 bath day, to spend the whole time not occupied in works on that 
 day allowed, in the public and private or social exercises of God's 
 worship. This we learn from the example of Christ, who, as his 
 custom was, went into the synagogue on the /Sabbath day and stood up 
 to read, Luke iv. 16 ; and of the apostles who did the same, 
 Acts xiii. 14, xxii, 2, 1 Cor, xvi. 2 ; and also from the precepts 
 of the Bible, which command. Take heed to yourselves, and bear no 
 burden on the Sabbath day, neither carry forth a burden out of your 
 houses on the Sabbath day, 7ieither do ye any work : but hallow ye the 
 Sabbath day, as I commanded your forefathers, Jer, xvii. 21, 22. 
 
 There are many who will complain of all this as a hard rule, 
 and unnecessarily strict. My answer to all such complaints is, 
 Thus saith the Lord. If it can be shown from the Scriptures, that 
 what has been advanced is not the mind of the Lord, being either 
 contrary to it, or going beyond it, then there will be room for 
 complaint, and license to neglect. But if I have rightly ex- 
 pounded the Scriptures on this point, then the question lies 
 between you and your Maker, Will you obey and secure his 
 blessing,— or will you disobey and incur the consequences ? Be- 
 fore you answer, consider the reasons that God has condescended 
 to give for the observance of the Sabbath day. The reasons 
 annexed to the fourth commandment, the more to enforce it, are 
 taken from the equity of it; God allowing us six days out of 
 seven for our own affiiirs and reserving but one for himself; from 
 God's challenging a sj[)ecial propriety in the seventh, It is the 
 
THE SANCTIFICATION" OF THE SABBATH. 123 
 
 Sabbath of the Lord thy God; from the example of God, who 
 labored six days and rested the seventh ; and from that blessing 
 of God which he put on that day, not only in sanctifying it to be 
 a day for his service, but in ordaining it to be a means of blessing 
 to ourselves, in our sanctifying it. How many examples might 
 be adduced in confirmation of these reasons ! Volumes might be 
 written detailing the rewards that have followed a careful ob- 
 servance of the day, and the judgments that have visited those 
 who dared to transgress. Hear the testimony of Sir Matthew 
 Hale, after fifty years' experience: "Whenever I have under- 
 taken any secular business on the Lord's day, which was not 
 absolutely and indispensably necessary, that business never pros- 
 pered and succeeded well with me. Always the more closely I 
 applied myself to the duties of the Lord's day, the more happy 
 and successful were my business and employments, the rest of 
 the week following." Who ever performed more labor than 
 Wilberforce? His own recorded opinion is that he could not 
 have accomplished so much business, but for the rest of the Sab- 
 bath ; he went down to his grave in peace, and in a good old age, 
 while many who began their course with him, ended their lives 
 prematurely, or became maniacs and self-destroyers. Did space 
 permit, an array of facts could be presented showing conclusively 
 that even as it regards this world, those who observe the Sabbath 
 are more prosperous than those who do not. It would be easy 
 to prove that nine tenths of the criminals in the prisons of nomi- 
 nally Christian lands were Sabbath-breakers. The testimony of 
 physicians would show that the rest of the Sabbath is as necessary 
 for the body as it is for the soul. The testimony of disinterested 
 men would show that a large proportion of merchants who have 
 failed in business were Sabbath-breakers. I know there are some 
 splendid exceptions to this remark, and these are commonly 
 pointed to by those who would justify themselves, not knowing, 
 or not caring to know, that these are mere exceptions, shining 
 lighthouses built upon the quicksands, which, while in danger of 
 being swallowed up themselves, lure the unwary mariner to 
 destruction. 
 
 Such is a brief history of the Sabbath day, of the duties it 
 requires, and of the reasons by which its observance is enforced ; 
 and all who profess the Christian name are bound to show cause 
 why they do not so regard it. It is so interwoven with the whole 
 spirit of Christianity, as to be inseparable from it : and I do not 
 
124 THE SANCTIFICATION OF THE SABBATH. 
 
 scruple to say that the man wlio wilfully and habitually disregards 
 the Sabbath day, will also, if he supposes his interests require it, 
 disregard every other requisition of the religion of Christ. How 
 then is the Sabbath day regarded by the Protestant community in 
 China? I ask this question and contemplate its answer, not 
 without anxiety ; but it is a subject on which the truth must be 
 spoken, and plainly spoken. As a minister of the kingdom of 
 Christ, it is my duty to declare the laws of that kingdom ; and 
 my commission empowers me to speak, to exhort, and to rehuhe with 
 all authority, Tit. ii. 15. On this point at least I will clear my 
 skirts of guilt. In general, the Sabbath day is grossly desecrated 
 by the professedly Christian community of Cliina. From the 
 highest authority downwards, it is almost as if there were no such 
 day, and even of those who pay an outward respect to it, there 
 are few indeed who obey the spirit of its requisitions. Is this a 
 sweeping charge ? It may be, but it is as true as it is sweeping. 
 The English government has, by law, established the Christian 
 religion, and every officer of that government is bound by his 
 oath of office to sustain that religion. Have they done so in Chi- 
 na? What means this frequent violation of the Sabbath by the 
 performance of public official acts upon that day ? Why, when 
 the supplementary treaty between England and China was lately 
 signed, Avas the Sabbath day selected for that purpose, with all its 
 parade by water and by land ? In war some excuse might be 
 imagined for working on the Sabbath, but in peace, there is none. 
 It has been said that that day was chosen in accordance with the 
 wishes of the Chinese commissioner. But can it be supposed that 
 he chose that day because it was the Christian Sabbath ? Can it 
 be supposed that while professing friendship and a desire for peace, 
 he sought to insult us by requiring us to violate the commands of 
 our Creator? It cannot be supposed. Keying is a gentleman, 
 and as such, the slightest hint that that day was consecrated to 
 the service of God, and could not lawfully be spent in such a way, 
 would have been amply sufficient to induce him to select another 
 day. I might refer to other public acts, but let me ask why were 
 the mails for Bombay closed at Ilong Kong, at 5 o'clock, p.m. on 
 Sabbath, Dec. 24 ? Was not this requiring the foreign community 
 there to spen^ that day in their counting-houses? What immi- 
 nent crisis in public affiurs prevented the mails from being closed 
 twenty-four hours sooner, or twenty -four hours later? Some 
 may think it improper thus publicly to notice these things, but 
 
THE SANCTIFICATION OF THE SABBATH, 125 
 
 as the public acts of public men are public property, it is not im- 
 proper to make tbem matters of public remark. And Avhat, I 
 would ask, must the heathen around us think of our regard for 
 our religion, when its most sacred precepts are openly, and need- 
 lessly set at naught, by those high in authority, and solemnly 
 bound to observe them ? 
 
 If the Sabbath is disregarded by the public authorities, is it 
 better honored by private individuals ? I grieve to say no. In 
 one or other of the following ways, I charge the foreign commu- 
 nity in China with neglecting or profaning the day. Those whose 
 consciences acquit them of the "charges, will not suppose that I 
 refer to them. 
 
 1. It is made a day for the transaction of ordinary business. 
 There are those who go regularly to their counting-houses on the 
 Sabbath day. There are those who settle their accounts upon that 
 day. There are those who bring up the arrears of their corres- 
 pondence on that day. There are many who do all this regularly, 
 but there are few indeed who scruple, if they are slightly pressed 
 with business, to employ some of the hours of the sacred day. If a 
 ship comes in on the Sabbath, who is there that hesitates to read 
 his business letters, and speculate on their contents, and make ar- 
 rangements for the week ensuing? Who is there that hesitates to 
 despatch a ship on the Sabbath day ? The practice of despatching 
 ships on the Lord's day, is exceedingly common. More vessels 
 sail from this port on the Sabbath day, than any other day in the 
 week, and jet what advantage is gained by it? What difference 
 does it make in ordinary cases, whether a ship is twenty-four 
 hours sooner or later in starting, if she has a month at least or 
 four months for her voyage ? It is said that there is not much 
 labor in getting a ship under weigh, and as she must sail on the 
 Sabbath, when once started, why not start on that day ? This is 
 not a correct statement. There is a great deal of labor in the 
 starting of a vessel ; there are a hundred things to be done, and 
 the day on which she sails is seldom or never a day of rest to the 
 officers or men. And what right has any man to require a whole 
 ship's crew to give up the privileges of the Sabbath, that he may 
 put a few more dollars in his pocket ? I know it is said by some, 
 that ship captains prefer starting on the Sabbath, but I doubt this. 
 I once asked a captain of a vessel, why he sailed on the Sabbath ? 
 It was a disagreeable question. At first he remarked, as is so 
 commonly done, ''The better day the better deed." A more 
 
126 THE SANCTIFICATION OF THE SABBATH. 
 
 wicked remark can hardly be made, for if it be true, then the 
 man who stabs his brother on the Sabbath, is a good man ! At 
 last he said, " I did not want to do it, but my owners told me to 
 start, and what could I do? A sailor is not his own master." 
 The owners of that vessel have failed in business. Another cap- 
 tain told me not long since, that he did not wish to work on the 
 Sabbath, but he had express orders to keep his men constantly 
 employed, and to give out goods on the Sabbath day, as on every 
 other day. I happen to know, that the owners of that vessel, 
 suffered a dead loss of several thousands of dollars by that voyage. 
 It is a fearful thing to act in opposition to the Almighty. He 
 who holds the winds in his fists, and the waters in the hollow of 
 his hands can easily blast the riches you acquire, or hope to gain 
 by violating his ordinances. And I say emphatically, you have 
 no right to do so. God says, /Six days shall thou labor and do all 
 thy work, hut the seventh is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou 
 shall not do any work. Can language be clearer than this ? 
 
 2. There are some who do not labor themselves upon the 
 Lord's day, aad yet make no scruple of keeping their clerks, and 
 especially their Chinese servants and workmen, busy on that day. 
 This custom is almost universal, and one cannot go through a 
 street in Macao or Hong Kong on the Sabbath days without see- 
 ing companies of men building houses, making roads, packing 
 boxes, and carrying goods; and for whom? For English and 
 American Protestants, who profess to receive the Bible as the 
 word of God, and to be called by the name of Christ ! I was 
 once called to visit a sick man on the Sabbath day, and going to 
 the house where he lay a dying, I had to make my way through 
 a number of men in the employ of the Christian owner of the 
 house, nailing boxes before the window of his room ! You think 
 there is no harm in this, because they are heathen, and would 
 work for others or themselves on that day, if not for you. I do 
 not see the force of this excuse. They are your servants, and 
 under your control, and the command of God is. Thou shall not do 
 any toork, thou nor thy man-servant nor thy maid-servant. What 
 right have you to say. They are heathens, let them work ? when 
 God says. They shall not work. When Nehemiah was Governor 
 of Jerusalem, he saw the poorer Jews working on the Sabbath, 
 and he forbade it. He also saw the heathen men of Tyre bring- 
 ing fish and Avares to sell on the Sabbath in Jerusalem, and he 
 not only forbade it, but threatened them with imprisonment if 
 
THE SANCTIFICATION OF THE SABBATH. 127 
 
 they repeated the offence. But he did not sto23 here. It does 
 not appear that the people of Judah themselves trafficked ou 
 that day, but they had the power to prevent such traffic on the 
 part of others ; and because they did not prevent it, the pious 
 Xehemiah contended with and reproved them. What evil thing 
 is this that ye do, and inofane the Sabbath day ? Did not your 
 fatlmrs thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and 
 upon this city ? Yet ye bring more lorath upon Israel by profaning 
 the Sabbath, Neh. xiii. 15-21. There are few who come here 
 direct from England or America, who are not shocked at the open 
 profanation of the Lord's day, countenanced and allowed as it is, 
 by those who in their own country would not act thus. "Why is 
 it that you do here, what you would not do there ? Is not the 
 eye of God as closely upon you, and his laws as strict in China, 
 as on the other side of the globe ? And what motive is there for 
 it ? Because you wish to make a fortune as speedily as possible, 
 and leave the country ? Alas, this is not the way to accomplish 
 your wish, for the wisest of men has said, A faithful man shall 
 abound with blessings ; but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be 
 unpunished — and. He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and con- 
 sidereth not that poverty shall come upon him, Prov. xxviii. 20-22. 
 3. You make it a day of amusement ; of feasting ; of visiting 
 your friends ; of travelling to and fro. The Sabbath is the great 
 day for visiting in China. And in your visits, what is your con- 
 versation ? You talk of the weather, of your amusements, of your 
 schemes, of your business — but not of Grod, not of the creation, 
 not of the redemption of man. Is this right? The Sabbath was 
 appointed to give you time for serving Grod. I have seen no part 
 of Scripture that authorizes any part of it to be devoted either to 
 travelling or to visiting. But I have seen a part of Scripture that 
 says, Turn away thy foot from doing thy pleasure on my holy day : 
 and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, lionorable : and 
 honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, 
 nor speaking thine own words. Is. Iviii. 13. Let no man say, " This 
 is only a part of the old Jewish ceremonial law, long since abol- 
 ished." This is very far from being the case. For, on the con- 
 trar}^, in the very same chapter, the prophet does speak of the 
 ceremonial rites that were of no avail, and after showing their 
 worthlessness, contrasts the duties required of those who would 
 worship God truly; and among them duties occurs the verse just 
 quoted. But here the objection is started, " What a gloomy reli- 
 
128 THE SANCTIFICATION OF THE SABBATH. 
 
 gion you are proposing ! Surely God does not intend us to be 
 moping, melancholy creatures ?" I answer, surely not. But have 
 you not six days in every week for amusement ? Tell me not, 
 that you have not time on the week days, and must have the 
 Sabbath for relaxation. I speak as to wise men — I speak to hon- 
 orable men, who count it a disgrace to defraud a fellow-mortal. 
 Is it honorable in you, after spending six days for yourselves, to 
 rob your Creator of the only day he has reserved for himself, and 
 spend that too for your amusement ? Is it safe for you to do so? 
 Said a dissolute young man to a clergyman, " I spend the Sab- 
 bath in casting up my accounts." " Yes, sir," replied the other, 
 " and you shall find that God will spend the day of judgment in 
 the same manner." And when we stand in judgment before 
 God to render an account to him for the time given us here, what 
 shall we say of the Sabbaths, which he intended should be spent 
 in his service, but which too many regard as all their own ? 
 
 4. Finally. There are others, who, perhaps, do not trans- 
 gress in any of the ways just mentioned, but who are still by no 
 means free from blame. I refer to those who spend the Sabbath 
 in idleness, and rejoice when it is over. On other days they rise 
 with the lark, but on the Sabbath find peculiar attractions in 
 their beds. On other days the time passes too rapidly, but their 
 listless countenances and vacant air in this day proclaims as 
 loudly as words themselves. What a weariness it is, Mai. i. 13. 
 When loill the Sahhath he gone, that ive may set forth wheat ? Amos 
 viii. 5. And strange as it may seem, this is done by men who 
 gravely tell us they have not time to attend to religion ! The 
 Sabbath is given for this very purpose, and their only study is, 
 how they may " kill it." Aye ! They kill one of God's most pre- 
 cious gifts, and in so doing kill their own souls also. 
 
 I have spoken plainly — judge ye what I say, as you shall an- 
 swer for it, not to me, but to God. There is but a single remark 
 to be added. Eather than that Israel should work on the 
 Sabbath day, even to obtain their living, a series of miracles gave 
 them a double supply of manna on the sixth, and we have no 
 evidence tthat the Sabbath was more sacred then than it is now. 
 
 Macao, December 31, 1843. 
 
SERMON XV. 
 
 CHRIST CRUCIFIED. 
 
 We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks 
 foolishness : but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the 
 power of God, and the wisdom of God. — 1 Cor. i. 23, 24. 
 
 It was a remarkable characteristic in the teaching of our 
 Lord, that lie never concealed or glossed over the hardships 
 attending a profession of faith in his name. He always set 
 plainly before his hearers what they must expect, if they cast in 
 their lot among his people. There were labors to be performed, 
 and temptations to be endured, and trials to be suffered, and self- 
 denial to be exercised, such as the flesh would oftentimes willingly 
 shrink from, — but he told them to count the cost, for he wished 
 no soldiers in his camp, who were not prepared to do and suffer 
 all that he required. When the rich young ruler came to him, 
 and, with so much humility and apparent sincerity, asked what 
 he must do to be saved, Jesus, we are told, loved him., but still he 
 set before him the same unvarying terms of discipleship. Sell all 
 that thou hast., and come follow me. The poor ruler went away 
 sorrowful, for he had great possessions. While our Lord prom- 
 ised great rewards to his followers, a hundred-fold, even in this 
 life, and in the world to come, eternal life, still 
 
 " Deny thyself, and take thy cross, 
 Was the Redeemer's great command." 
 
 The ministers of Christ must follow his example. While wc 
 urge you to come unto him ; while we pray you to be reconciled 
 unto God ; while we set the hopes of life before you ; and know- 
 ing the terrors of the Lord, persuade you to flee from the wrath 
 to come, still must we say, like our Master, If any man ivill come 
 after him, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow 
 23. 
 
130 CHRIST CRUCIFIED. 
 
 The apostle Paul was a very striking example of this minis- 
 terial fliithfulness. None was more anxious than he that men 
 should be saved. His heart's desire and prayer for Israel was, that 
 they might he saved. With many tears, and wonderful labors, he 
 laid himself out to save souls. He became all things to all men, if 
 hy any means, he might save some. But, with all his anxiety, he 
 never compromised the truth. He kept bach nothing, however lit- 
 tle some might like what he preached. Such, too, was his confi- 
 dence in the gospel, and particularly in that part of it which 
 speaks of a crucified Saviour, that he never hesitated to declare 
 that, the main subject of his preaching, and the sole ground of his 
 hopes. In Jerusalem, where our Lord was crucified, he feared not 
 to confound the Jews, by proving him to have been the very Christ. 
 In the streets of polished Athens, surrounded by every monument 
 of the genius and skill of that far-fiimed people, he boldly told 
 them of the day of judgment, and how God had given assurance 
 concernijig it, in that he had raised Christ from the dead, Acts xvii. 
 Therefore it was, that he declares, as in the text, We preach Christ 
 crucified. By this, he of course means the way of salvation, 
 through the death of Jesus Christ upon the cross, — that being the 
 reason, and the sole ground of our salvation. This doctrine, together 
 with those inseparably connected with it, are, as he intimates, ex- 
 ceedingly offensive to some, while to others they are equally pre- 
 cious. This is most remarkable. To hear their different accounts, 
 you would not suppose they spoke of the same thing. Let us con- 
 sider why it is so offensive to some, and why so precious to others. 
 
 I. It is offensive to many, because, 
 
 1. The Christian religion is meanly thought of by the great 
 mass of mankind. It was formerly a standing reproach against 
 Christians, that they worshipped a " crucified man ;" as Celsus, 
 one of their bitterest opponents, said, "After living a life of 
 degradation, he underwent a most shameful and pitiful death." 
 This was equally offensive to the Jews, and to the Greeks ; and 
 it is scarcely less so now. I do not speak of a mere outward 
 profession of Christianity. In the country of which the most of 
 us are natives, the people are a good deal like the Jews of old. 
 Religion is rather fashionable than otherwise. It is expected 
 that a man should attend church. Men who are not connected 
 with any church, will read and admire the Bible. Many such 
 would be greatly offended to be thought not religious. They 
 say, " I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, — that he died to 
 
CHRIST CRUCIFIED. 131 
 
 save sinners, — that lie rose again from tlie dead, — I am free from 
 external vices, — I attend religious ordinances. What lack I yet ? 
 Am I not religious ?" No, my friends, this is not religion. It 
 is good as far as it goes, but it is not enough. The devils believe 
 as much as this, — and Simon Magus, while still in the gall of bit- 
 terness, and the bond of iniquity, could say as much as this, and 
 more. This kind of religion is fashionable enough, but true piety 
 goes much farther, and is not so popular with all, or even with 
 the greater part of men. It consists in a steady determination to 
 renounce the vanities of the world, — to imitate Christ, — to do his 
 will at all sacrifices, — to avoid all that is offensive to him, — to 
 testify to the world his salvation, and its necessity, — and to perse- 
 vere in all this, however the world may laugh. This kind of 
 religion is not so popular, nor so common, and many who are 
 open professors of religion, and some even who hold prominent 
 stations in the church, would scorn to acknowledge such a faith. 
 Yet it is a matter of imperative necessity, that all who wish to be 
 saved, acknowledge such a faith, and act in accordance with its 
 precepts. 
 
 2. More particularly. The religion of Christ crucified has 
 some disagreeable doctrines, such as the natural man does not 
 and cannot receive. Among these is that of our total depravity. 
 If the Bible, and particularly the New Testament teaches any- 
 thing clearly, it is, that in us there is no good thing, — that we are 
 polluted sinners in God's sight, — by nature the children of wrath, 
 — out of favor — exposed, and that deservedly, to death, and the 
 pains of hell forever. There is nothing in us acceptable to God, 
 or worthy of eternal life. Men may be amiable, — men may be 
 moral, — men may be like the young ruler Jesus loved, — but 
 alas, apply the infallible touchstone to their cases, and it will 
 be found that all have gone away backward, each in his own way. 
 It is not much wonder that men dislike to be told these things. 
 We think highly of ourselves, and love to think so ; but the re- 
 ligion of Christ brings down all these high thoughts that exalt 
 themselves against God. The doctrine of God's absolute sove- 
 reignty, which the apostle so strongly sets forth, Eom. ix. is an- 
 other that is very unpalatable to most persons. Men do not like 
 to be told that God has the same power over them, that the pot- 
 ter has over the clay, who makes one vessel to honor and another 
 to dishonor. Oh how men will fight against this, especially as it 
 is shown in the doctrines of election, of the duty of absolute sub- 
 
132 CHRIST CRUCIFIED, 
 
 mission to God, and some others of the same kind. The absolute 
 insufficiency of our own righteousness is another part of the 
 teachings of the Scripture, which finds little favor among men. 
 A passion almost as strong as the love of life contends against it. 
 It mortifies the pride of the heart. We would do anything, rather 
 than own our sin, and accept of a free pardon, because we cannot 
 buy the favor of God. If we could only deserve life. How con- 
 vinced sinners stand and hesitate here ! What must I do to be 
 saved ? Wherewith shall I come before God f But the answer still 
 is, Believe and he saved. Acknowledge yonr guilt and helpless- 
 ness, and accept of mercy as a pardoned rebel, for there is no 
 other way. Men would willingly submit to any labor or offer 
 any price, even to the fruit of their body, for the sin of their soul, 
 ■^but to be saved in a way that exalts God, and humbles all the 
 pride of man ! to come before him with ropes around the neck ! 
 to kneel and say with the publican, God he merciful to me a sinner ! 
 Even those whose hearts are changed by grace often find this a 
 hard saying. But by the cross of Christ all boasting on our part 
 is excluded. 
 
 3. The religion of the cross of Christ requires^^the performance 
 of many duties exceedingly irksome and painful to the natural 
 desires. It requires those who embrace it to mortify every un- 
 holy passion, and to forsake every vice. It requires a reforma- 
 tion not merely of the outward conduct, but of the heart. It ex- 
 tends its requisitions to your most secret thoughts, and requires 
 you to be as free from sin, when no eye but the eye of God is 
 upon you, as though your every thought were exposed to the 
 gaze of assembled thousands. This is hard work. Sin has struck 
 its roots deep into the heart, and it is hard to tear them away. 
 You may lop some of its too luxuriant branches, — you may even 
 fell the trunk, — but the living root remains, — and it is not till 
 this is dug up and cast out, that you will have accomplished all 
 that the Gospel demands. IIow extensive is this requirement ! 
 It requires you to lay aside all anger, and guard carefully lest the 
 sudden bursts of passion overcome you at an unexpected moment. 
 It requires you to avoid all profane language, and never to speak 
 the name of God except with reverence. To some men a harder 
 command could hardly be conceived, for though there is no vice 
 that has so little excuse, yet almost none is so hard to forsake, as 
 that of profane swearing. People do not like to be told of their 
 fault in this respect, and are apt to complain if a minister plainly 
 
CHRIST CRUCIFIED. 133 
 
 informs tliem of the wrath of God denounced against all who take 
 his name in vain. All unchaste thoughts, words, and actions, 
 must be avoided. Which of us would dare to expose all our 
 thoughts even to our most intimate associates ? The Sabbath 
 must be kept holy, even amidst all the temptations to break it. 
 You are exposed to peculiar temptations at sea, for here, work 
 must often be done that could be avoided on land. Hence it is 
 natural that you should lose some of that reverence for it with 
 which you were once, perhaps, accustomed to regard it. These, 
 and many other faults, that must be avoided, are hard to be ab- 
 stained from. Your very thoughts are full of sin, which must be 
 mortified, — but this is not an easy work. It is very easy to fall 
 into sin, — yes, even for those who are pressing upward, to fall 
 back again. The best of men are like brands plucked from the 
 burning, which easily take fire. If a single spark fall upon them ; 
 but notwithstanding these difficulties, the command still is. Hate 
 sin, pray against it, repent of it, watch, lest you be overtaken, — 
 humble yourselves before God on account of it. Crucify the 
 flesh, with its affections and lusts. Crucifixion is neither an easy 
 nor a speedy death. This kind, as our Saviour said, goeth not 
 out but by prayer and fasting. Now all such preaching is an of- 
 fence and a stumbling-block to men. 
 
 Yet not merely must sin be forsaken — not merely must we 
 die unto sin — we must also live unto righteousness. The gospel 
 commands the performance of every outward virtue, and Chris- 
 tians are expressly said to be created anew unto good works, luldch 
 God hath before ordained that we shoidd walk in them. But not 
 merely outward virtues are required. It is wonderful how prone 
 men are to think that these are all. What would any of you 
 give for the friendship and affection of another, which you knew 
 was merely outward, and did not proceed from the heart ? Ho- 
 liness of heart is the great thing. The Scribes and Pharisees 
 were outwardly righteous ; nay, they were strict in observing all 
 the law, but Christ Jesus solemnly declared. Except your righteous- 
 ness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees^ ye shall 
 in no case enter into the kingdom of God. These outward observ- 
 ances are very well, in their place ; but there are closet duties, 
 and heart duties, harder still, and yet more important. Keep the 
 heart with all diligence. Imitate the example, the sinless pattern 
 of Christ. Love all mankind, aye, even your bitterest enemies, 
 and do them good as they have need and you have opportunity. 
 
134 CHRIST CRUCIFIED, 
 
 Deny yourselves even in things lawful, for the sake of others. 
 Visit the poor, and keep yourselves unspotted from the world. 
 It may also be necessary for you, if you embrace the religion of 
 Christ and him crucified, to forsake father and mother, and wife, 
 and friends, and home, that you may honor him. This is a requi- 
 sition that many have thought too hard to bear, but it is included 
 in the terms of discipleship. 
 
 And while doing and suffering all this, you must expect 
 scorn, reproach, and contempt, from the world. You will be 
 laughed at by some for your religion. You will be called 
 moping and melancholy souls. You will be reviled by some, and 
 tempted by others, who may wish to draw you off from such a 
 course. Bodily persecution is hardly to be expected at present, 
 but it may come, and must be endured if it does, for Christ 
 requires the whole heart and the whole service at all times, — and 
 he has assured us, that in the ivorld ive shall have tribulation. 
 
 Such are some of the unpleasant things in the religion we 
 preach. Such are the terms we offer, and to multitudes they 
 seem hard and intolerable. They were a stumbling-block to the 
 Jews. They looked for a glorious earthly prince and kingdom. 
 They desired honors, riches, ease, and pleasure. Behold what a 
 contrast ! They looked for a constant succession of miracles and 
 splendor, — and for a Messiah who should reign with worldly 
 grandeur and renown ; and behold the author of this religion, 
 living with the poor, a houseless homeless man, despised, re- 
 proached, reviled, persecuted, and at last slain in weakness, — 
 crucified with ignominy,' — and a similar lot awaiting all his fol- 
 lowers. It was a stumbling-block to them. 
 
 It was foolishness to the Greeks. Accustomed to displays of 
 learning and eloquence, — fond of fine reasonings and airy specu- 
 lations, — delighting in cunning subtleties and high-wrought sub- 
 limities, — how could they bring down all their high thoughts and 
 renounce all their boasted wisdom, in which they had so long 
 trusted, and become like little children who need to be instructed 
 in the first principles of truth and duty? How could their proud 
 philosophers give up their own systems of religion and trust to 
 the humbling and despised way of God's devising? They could 
 not do it. It was foolishness to them, and when they heard of it, 
 some moclced^ others said v:e will hear thee again of this matter, while 
 only a few believed. 
 
 It is precisely so now. Christianity in our days meets the 
 
CHRIST CRUCIFIED. 135 
 
 same reception and rejection. Men would gladly be saved if it 
 could be done in their own way. Some, like the Jews of old, 
 look for various worldly honors, — they seek for ease and authority 
 and the favor of men. Like By-Ends, in the Pilgrim's Progress, 
 they are very willing to walk with religion, in his silver-slipper?, 
 Avhen the sun shines and the people praise him, but i]^ej are not 
 so willing to walk with him, in rags and disfavor. Others, like 
 the Greeks, of a more literary turn, find abundant reason for dis- 
 content in the humbling nature of the doctrines taught. They 
 seek for intellectual gratifications. They have great ideas of the 
 nobleness of the human mind. They are disgusted to find that 
 all their wisdom is of no avail, and that they must become as 
 little children, feeling and confessing their ignorance. How it 
 humbles the pride of human wisdom to find that even the fool 
 may be saved, while some of the wisest of men perish in the 
 fancied conceit of their own wisdom. To all such, and it is a 
 melancholy fact, that even in Christian lands they form a large 
 majority, the preaching of Christ crucified is an offence. To some 
 it is a stumbling-block — to others it is foolishness — and both 
 alike, despise and reject this plan of salvation. They see no 
 beauty in it, they feel no desires to enjoy it, they are blind and 
 cannot see, — for the natural man receiveth not the things of the 
 Spirit of God, neither can he know them, for they are spiritually 
 discerned. 
 
 II. But all are not thus blind. There are many who look upon 
 the doctrine of the cross in a very different light. AVhile they 
 see and feel all these difficulties already spoken of, they also see 
 in this despised cross, beauties and treasures which the world sees 
 not. The reason is, that their eyes are opened to discern spiritual 
 things. You may imagine an ointment which being applied to 
 the eye will enable one to see all the treasures hidden in the 
 bowels of the earth and the caverns of the sea ; but those who are 
 called of God have their eyes anointed with an eye-salve that has 
 more than imaginary power. That only showed illusions to the 
 eye, but this discloses realities richer far than the heart of man 
 ever conceived of This spiritual ointment consists in the gift of 
 faith, which is bestowed upon all who truly desire it. To all who 
 possess it, Christ Jesus, even as crucified, no longer appears as a 
 stumbling-block, and foolishness. On the contrary they see in 
 him and his religion the power and the wisdom of God. What- 
 ever controversy there be among true Christians, on other points, 
 
136 CHRIST CllUCIFIED, 
 
 they all agree in this, to exalt Christ to the highest throne, and 
 worship him with the lowliest reverence. To them he displays 
 the power and wisdom of God, and they see more excellency and 
 majesty in him, than in all the splendors of this world; a bright- 
 ness above the sun's noon-day beams, and far transcending the 
 glories of the starry heavens. 
 
 The Jews sought for signs, and displays of power and majesty. 
 To say nothing of all the miracles wrought by Christ during his 
 life-time, what power could be greater than that displayed in 
 raising him from the dead, when the wickedness of man, and the 
 malice of Satan had conspired to keep him there? What a power 
 is this, which vanquishes all the hosts of hell, and rescues Satan's 
 captives from his very jaws! Which meets and bears the anger 
 of a justly incensed God, — paj^s a full ransom for the souls of 
 men, — and says to the trembling and condemned prisoners, Go 
 forth, for no power in heaven or beneath it shall ever harm you! 
 What a power is this which enables sinful men to maintain a long 
 and successful warfare against the wickedness of their own 
 hearts, and the temptations of Satan, and to come oft' conquerors 
 and more than conquerors through him that hath loved them ! 
 Surely never was there such an array of formidable obstacles as 
 opposed the salvation of man. There was the Justice of God 
 with his flaming sword and righteous demands; there was Satan 
 and all his hosts, a strong man armed, and Legion at his back ; 
 there was the world and its thousand charms ; there was the des- 
 perate wickedness of the human heart, which none but God fully 
 knows. Yet against all these did the Son of God go forth alone. 
 Long and fearful was the conflict. It cost him tears and groans, 
 and life itself — but he overcame all obstacles and gained the vic- 
 tory. He secured our salvation, Uotting out the handwriting of 
 ordinances^ that luas contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing 
 it unto his cross, Col. ii. 14. We wish for no stronger displays of 
 power than arc here afforded. 
 
 The Greeks sought after wisdom, and because the cross hum- 
 bled the pride of human wisdom, they hastily rejected it. Yet 
 in the cross alone is true wisdom to be found. For many centuries 
 together the wisest of the ancient sages had been seeking after 
 the chief road,— but with all their searches never found it. The 
 cross of Christ revealed it, and the way of obtaining it. — The 
 Christian religion, of tvhich the cross is the centre, finds man in a 
 state of ignorance, helplessness and danger, and it offers a remedy 
 
CHRIST CRUCIFIED. 137 
 
 precisely suited to His case. It finds us ignorant of the character 
 of God, and it sets before us his true nature, as a God just, and 
 yet mercifal ; a God who will by no means clear the guilty, and 
 who yet is willing to send his own Son to die for them. It finds 
 us condemned sinners, and unable to devise a way of obtaining 
 the favor of God. What nation is there, that has of itself found 
 out how God might be just and yet justify the ungodly? It 
 comes and tells us that the justice of God is satisfied, and the 
 ransom is fully paid. It gives us full assurance that his justice 
 will not destroy us, but that he will be gracious notwithstanding 
 our man}^ sins. What matter if the remedy thus found contains 
 some things unpleasant to our natural desires ? How could it be 
 otherwise ? A sick man does not refuse healing medicines because 
 the taste is bitter ; and shall we refuse to be saved in the only 
 way that salvation is procurable, because in some things it contra- 
 dicts the desires of our hearts, and is unpleasant to the corruptions 
 that still abide with us ? No. We do not want that which will 
 merely tickle our ears, and please our fancy — we want that which 
 shall save the perishing soul. The cross of Christ alone, can effect 
 this, for there is none other name given under heaven among men 
 lohereby we must he saved, hut the name of Jesus Christ. 
 
 We want a motive to urge us on in the performance of diflS.- 
 cult duties. We have it in the cross of Christ. In times of 
 difficulty and of trial, we want a shelter. Where shall we find it 
 but in the cross ? The serpent-bitten Israelites could find no re- 
 lief except by gazing at the brazen serpent on a pole ; and we 
 can obtain no help, except by looking unto him who was lifted 
 up, that he might draw all men unto him. Notwithstanding the 
 offence of the cross therefore, we still glory in it, and embrace it 
 most gladly. God forhid that I should glory save in the cross of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ. This it is that satisfies all our wants. Wis- 
 dom, and goodness, and love, and mercy, shine conspicuous here. 
 
 Oh the sweet wonders of that cross 
 
 Where Jesus loved and died ; 
 Her noblest life my spirit draws 
 
 From his dear wounds and bleeding side. 
 
 Macao, January 21, 1844. 
 
SEEM ON XVI. 
 
 HUMAN NATURE CORRUPT AND SINFUL. 
 That which is born of the flesh, Is flesh. — John iii. 6. 
 
 It was the remark of a profound thinker, " Nothing in nature 
 is more unknown to man than himself." He searches everything, 
 but passes by himself. It is said of the eye, that it sees every- 
 thing but itself, and the same might be said of man himself. 
 
 Yet all men confess the importance, and admit the benefits 
 of self-knowledge. The very heathen said, that the maxim 
 "Know thyself," contained such a weight of meaning, that it 
 must have descended from heaven. Why, then, this acknowl- 
 edged ignorance of what all admit to be important and beneficial ? 
 It probably arises from the fact that self-knowledge is difficult to 
 obtain, and is frequently painful when obtained. We love to 
 think highly of ourselves, but this we cannot do, if we truly 
 know our own character. It is only the fool who trumpets his 
 own praise abroad. Yet difficult as this knowledge is to obtain, 
 and painful as it is when acquired, it is so valuable both for this 
 life, and the life to come, that no pains should be spared to ob- 
 tain it ; and it should be a motive to our exertions that we have 
 such excellent helps to enable us to do so. We have the expe- 
 rience of those who have gone before us, and especially, we have 
 the lloly Scriptures, that infallible mirror in which our true 
 ch'aracter is so faithfully reflected. Above all, let us study the 
 words of Jesus Christ. Of him it is said, that he knew what was in 
 ma7i, John ii. 25, and therefore could not be deceived in the 
 judgments he formed. And as he came from heaven with a 
 heart overflowing with love to man, and seeking our best good, it 
 must be supposed that he would say nothing without the fullest 
 conviction of its truth, and suitableness to our wants. You may 
 hesitate to believe the declarations of men, for they may be inca- 
 
HUMAN NATURE CORRUPT AND SINFUL. 139 
 
 pable of judging correctly, or prejudice, or ill will may lead tliem 
 to pervert the truth. But none will say that our blessed Saviour 
 could be guilty of either of these. What then is his opinion of 
 the nature of man ? You have it in the words of the text, That 
 which is horn of the flesh, is flesh. He is describing to an anxious 
 inquirer the character of man, and the way of life, and in so 
 doing, he advances this proposition, which all admit, that like be- 
 gets like. As is the nature of the parent, such is the nature of 
 the child. "What then does he mean by the word flesh? This 
 question is easily answered. In the immediate context, he con- 
 trasts the flesh with the Spirit. The Spirit is the Holy Ghost, 
 the author of holiness, the flesh, therefore, must be that corrupt 
 nature from which sin proceeds. The apostle Paul confirms this 
 view, in Gal. v. 19-22, when he says, Noiu the works of the flesh 
 are manifest, which are these : adultery, fornication, uncleanness, las- 
 civiousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emidations, wrath, 
 strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, 
 and such like. The words of Christ to Nicodemus therefore, con- 
 tain a general declaration that human nature is corrupt and sinful. 
 This declaration may be amplified in the three following propo- 
 sitions : — 
 
 I. All men are sinners. 
 
 II. All men are sinners by nature. 
 
 III. All men are totally depraved. 
 
 I. All mankind are sinners. This is a truth so plain, that few 
 are so hardy as to deny it. Who has ever, in any age or in any 
 land, seen a perfect man ? Who does not laugh at the preten- 
 sions of those who call themselves perfectionists, and profess to 
 have attained a state of perfect purity ? You have heard of the 
 ancient philosopher, who lighted his lamp, and scrutinized the 
 countenances of all he met, and when he was asked why he did 
 so, replied, "I am seeking for an honest man." He sought, but 
 he returned to his house, without accomplishing the object of his 
 search. 
 
 What saith the Scriptures? David says, The Lord looked down 
 from heaven u^pon the children of men, to see if there ivere any thai did 
 understand and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together 
 hecorae filthy ; there is none that doeth good, no, not one, Ps. xiv. 2, 3. 
 The apostle Paul had occasion once to examine the character of 
 the whole human race, and what was his conclusion ? Were 
 there any free from sin? Were there any who could say, " Stand 
 
14:0 HUMAN NATURE COKRUPT AND SINFUL. 
 
 bj, for I am holier than thou?" iVo, in no ivise;for we have before 
 proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin ; and again, 
 yet more emphatically, There is no difference, for all have sinned, 
 and come short of the glorij of God, Eom. iii. 9, 23. 
 
 But why multiply quotations, when the truth of what is said 
 is admitted by all ? A sinner myself, I am addressing an audi- 
 ence, each one of whom admits that he also is a sinner, in God's 
 sight, and his own. Solemn confession ! How must that God 
 who is of purer eyes than to behold evil, look upon us ? With what 
 ft-elings must the sinless angels of heaven look upon us ? AVith 
 what feelings should we view ourselves, who have received at 
 the Lord's hand nothing but good, and yet have requited his 
 goodness by sinning against him ? 
 
 II. But the words of Christ mean something more than that 
 we are simply sinners. We needed no revelation to teach what 
 universal experience has made so plain. Thai which is born of the 
 flesh, is flesh. AVhen is it flesh ? Is there ever a time, when it 
 can be said of that which is born of the flesh, it is not flesli? 
 Surely not. Therefore, Christ teaches that, from the first moment 
 of man's existence, he is a sinful being ; nor is there ever a time, 
 from the moment that he comes naked into the world, till he 
 leaves it in equal nakedness, that he is not a sinful being. Very 
 explicit is the testimony of Scripture on this point. God said to 
 Noah, The imagination of mart s heart is evil from his youth. Gen. 
 viii. 21. And is it not so ? We hear much of the innocence of 
 childhood, but who does not know, that, long before children 
 learn to speak, they exhibit evil dispositions, and unkind tempers ? 
 Is not foolishness bound up in the heart of a child ? Hear David's 
 heartfelt confession. He had sinned a great sin, and when his eyes 
 were opened, his heart melted with sorrow, and he looked over all 
 his past life. Did he find any time when he could say, " Though 
 I have now sinned so grievously, yet once I was not a sinner?" 
 Far from it. Behold, I was shajxn in iniquity, and in sin did my 
 mother conceive one, Ps. li. 5. The apostle Paul says, By nature ive 
 are the children ofivrath, Eph. ii. 3. By nature, is by birth ; it is 
 our natural condition ; we come into the world exposed to the 
 wrath of God. But how so, if our natures at birth are free from 
 sin? The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all 
 ungodliness ; but the soul that is free from sin, is not obnoxious 
 to wrath. Therefore, from the apostle's words we lawfully infer, 
 that as by nature we are subject to God's wrath, by nature we are 
 
HUMAN NATURE CORRUPT AND SINFUL. 141 
 
 sinful, and deserve Lis wrath. IIow can it be otherwise? Being 
 sinners ourselves, how can our children be holy ? Who can bring 
 a clean thing out of an unclean ? not one, Job xiv. 4. When Adam 
 fell, he lost the image of God, in which he was created, and begat 
 a son in his own image and likeness. That image and likeness 
 was full of sin, and after the same image, all his posterity are 
 born. Is not death the wages of sin ? Did ever any sinless being 
 die, except the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for the sins of others? 
 But, alas ! how many infants are laid in the tomb ! Like the 
 spring flower, they fade away. 
 
 This is a very painful thought. Mother, delighting in your 
 child's playfulness, can you bear to think that sin lies beneath it 
 all ? Can you bear the thought, that, as it grows up, it will 
 exhibit unholy passions, and be like all that have gone before it, 
 a sinner against God ? But, painful as the thought may be, it is 
 not less true. Even now, are you not startled by seeing the bud- 
 dings of evil in their infant actions ? Whence these evil disposi- 
 tions, that so soon show themselves, and so long resist the efforts 
 to correct them ? They do not come from examj^le, for with the 
 best of examples you see them. They do not come from precept, 
 for they are shown long before precepts are understood. The 
 only explanation is found in the melancholy words of our text, 
 That which is born ofthefiesh, is Jlesh. 
 
 III. Melancholy as are these truths, that all men are sinners, 
 and sinners from their birth, they do not exhaust the meaning of 
 the words of Christ. That which is born of the flesh, is flesh. Good 
 cannot come from evil, nor can the sinful flesh give birth to that 
 which is spiritual and holy. This declaration of our Saviour 
 therefore asserts that all men are totally depraved, and possess no 
 one trait that can secure God's favor, and avert his wrath. I am 
 aware that many will deny this, and say that Christ's words are 
 not susceptible of such a meaning. Let us sincerely hear what is 
 to be said on either side. 
 
 1. Before the flood, God saw that the loichedness of man ivas great 
 upon the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart, 
 teas only evil continually. Gen. vi. 5. This is the character of the 
 race, and the only exception was Noah, whose heart had been 
 changed by divine grace. Solomon, the wisest of men, speaking 
 by inspiration of God, said. The heart of the sons of men is full 
 of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, Ecc. ix. 3. 
 Here, also, there is no exception. Still stronger are the oft- 
 
142 HUMAN NATUKE CORRUPT AND SINFUL. 
 
 quoted words of Jeremiah, the prophet. The heart is deceitful 
 above all things, and desperately ivicked. Who can knoiu iif Jer. 
 xvii. 9. Yet more pointed are the words of Paul, who tells us, 
 that all men are dead in trespasses and in sins, Eph. ii. 1-3. 
 Dead ! Then there is no life, there is no holiness ; all is sin, and 
 only sin. As if to preclude all possible doubt as to the mind of 
 the Spirit of God on this point, this same apostle, a man than 
 whom no holier ever lived, tells us from his own deep experi- 
 ence, / know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing, 
 Eom. vii. 18. 
 
 No forms of expression could be devised to declare more 
 clearly than these do, that in the eye of God we are all sinners ; 
 sinners from the womb, and totally sinful. I know it is objected 
 that many persons, who make no pretensions to piety, possess 
 very amiable qualities. Are these qualities sinful? By no 
 means. Yet neither are they holy. It is a matter of great re- 
 joicing that these amiable qualities do exist, and we may justly 
 take pleasure in those who possess them. A rich young man 
 came once to Christ for instructions, and displayed so much humil- 
 ity and amiableness, that Jesus loved him, Mark x. 21. Yet it 
 was concerning him, that Jesus said. It is easier for a camel to go 
 through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the king- 
 dom of Ood. These amiable qualities that we possess are merely 
 natural qualities, without which society and man could not exist ; 
 but they have no moral excellence in them. We should be mon- 
 sters without them, and with them are only men. You talk of 
 the beauty of maternal affection, and the devotion of a mother to 
 her child. The same is seen in the beasts of prey. You talk of 
 the noble disposition of one, and the gratitude of another, and the 
 filial affection of a third — but are not all these qualities seen in 
 the brute creation? It is true they are seen in greater perfection, 
 and fuller development in man, but only because his nature is 
 more exalted. And how often is it seen that these and all other 
 excellent qualities are found existing, not only with forgetfulness 
 of God, but with also absolute hatred of him ? AVhat is more lovely 
 than friendship, or productive of purer happiness? But, alas, 
 llcrod and Pilate became friends on the day that Christ was con- 
 demned to the cross ; and Voltaire, and Diderot, and others were 
 united in friendship, that they might crush the wretch, as they 
 blasphemously called our Lord. The Gipsy mother sedulously 
 preserves her daughter's chastity, but in the same breath sends 
 
HUMAN NATURE CORRUPT AND SINFUL. 143 
 
 her forth to steal, while herself will pander for the vilest vices of 
 those she hates. 
 
 These natural qualities that many possess are amiable indeed, 
 but they should not influence us to think otherwise than the 
 Bible teaches. 
 
 Very painful are the truths I have declared. But they arc 
 plainly taught in the Scriptures, and too sadly confirmed by all 
 human experience ; nor is it any want of charity to think, as 
 Christ thought on such points. It is the best of men, who are 
 most deeply convinced of their truth, and if all men were honest 
 all would feel them. Oh that men would but honestly consider 
 this matter, as they will one day do. Separate yourselves awhile 
 from the world. Commune with your own hearts and with 
 God, and ask yourselves how he regards you. Take his law, 
 and ponder deeply its length and its breadth. Bring your own 
 hearts and past lives to the test of that word which is quick 
 and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing 
 even to the dividing of soul and spirit. Ask yourselves, and re- 
 member when you answer, that you answer for eternity. AYhich 
 of God's laws have I ever perfectly obeyed ? He has said. Thou 
 shalt have no other Gods before one. Has he then reigned supreme 
 in your hearts? Has the desire to please him been so constant, 
 and so strong, that it has never given way to the fear of man, or 
 the love of a creature ? And that even self-love has yielded to the 
 fear of God ? Whoever else can answer these questions satisfac- 
 torily, I cannot. In what action of your whole lives, have you 
 served God, without any intermixture of sin ? You have come to 
 the house of God You have read his word, perhaps in secret 
 prayer you have called on his name ; in doing all this, did you 
 find no wandering thought intrude ? Did no selfish purpose min- 
 gle with your wishes? Did no irreverent or w^orldly imagination 
 pollute the prayer you offered ? Have you studied the law of 
 God in its strictness and purity, reaching as it does not merely 
 to your outward actions, but to your inward thoughts — to the idle 
 words of your mouths, and the affections of the soul; and can 
 you say, In all this I have not sinned ? Alas you cannot say 
 this, for in the words of the apostle. What things so ever tlie law 
 saith, it saith to them that are under the law: that every mouth may he 
 stopped, and all the world may become guilty hef ore God, Eom. iii. 19. 
 Are these things so ? Judge ye, of what has been said. I have 
 sought to speak according to that word by which Ave must all be 
 
144 HUMAN NATURE CORRUPT -\ND SINFUL, 
 
 judged at last. It is not pleasant to speak thus, but it is better to 
 hear even humbling doctrines now, than to stand in confusion be- 
 fore the bar of God, Conceal the truth as we may, forget its mor- 
 tifications, as for a while we may, it is certain that we are the 
 members of a race that has gone very far from God, and the ways 
 of holiness. It is therefore our duty to bow down before God 
 with deep shame and sorrow, acknowledging that we are the de- 
 scendants of an apostate family, the seed of an unclean race, our- 
 selves unclean. But oh, with how much shame should such a 
 confession fill us. Among men, traitors and the children of trai- 
 tors, are objects of reproach and contempt ; but how much more 
 do we deserve rebuke who have sinned against a God of infinite 
 goodness. With innumerable mercies he crowns our lives, with 
 tender compassion he spares us, 'with infinite condescension and 
 grace, he entreats us to return and accept his love. But alas, our 
 first father sinned, and we have added to his transgressions, and 
 our children follow our example ! Hear, oli heavens^ and give ear 
 oh earth: for the Lord hath spoken^ I have nourished and hroughtwp 
 children^ and they have 7-ebelled against me. The ox knoweth his 
 owner and the ass his master's crib ; hut Israel doth not knoiv, my 
 people doth not consider^ Is, i. 2, 3, 
 
 2, Can we wonder then, when all have thus sinned, that all 
 should be called upon to repent ? It was the main subject of the 
 preaching of John the Baptist, Bepent., for the kingdom of heaven 
 is at hand. It was the first preaching of Christ himself, and it 
 was the command he left to his disciples, to preach in his name, 
 repentance, and the remission of sins. You have sinned against 
 God, and therefore should repent. The longer you have been 
 sinning, the louder is the call and the more imperative the neces- 
 sity for repentance and a change of heart. It needs no labored 
 argument to prove that hearts such as ours cannot enjoy heaven 
 unless changed by grace. Even were it possible to enter heaven 
 with hearts unchanged, we should find no heaven there, for sin 
 would change tlic waters of the river of life into gall. But let no 
 man flatter himself with the hope of heaven without repentance, 
 and a new heart. He who never spake an idle word, and whose 
 words shall stand when the heavens and the earth shall have 
 passed away, has assured us of the contrary. Verily, verily, 1 say 
 unto thee, except a man he horn of water, and of the spirit, he cannot 
 enter into the kingdom of God, John iii. 5. What though the num- 
 ber of transgressors be as numerous as the sand on the sea-shore, 
 
• HUMAN NATUEE CORHUPT AND SINFUL. 145 
 
 this will afford no security to any one of them all. It is vain to 
 say, "lam no worse than my neighbors, and if I am lost, what 
 shall become of the rest of the world ?" There is sometimes rea- 
 son in such an excuse in human government, for they are short- 
 sighted and weak, and often can neither detect the guiltj^, nor 
 punish them when discovered. The multitude of evil-doers may 
 sometimes secure impunity among men, but in the just government 
 of God, the ivicked shall he turned into hell, even all the nations that 
 forget God, Ps. ix. 17. Except ye rejyent therefore, ye shall all likewise 
 perish, and no man when the consciousness that he is lost forever, 
 first bursts upon him will say, "I am unjustly condemned." 
 
 3. In what has been said of the character of human nature, we 
 find a ready reason for all the wickedness of men. We are so 
 accustomed to the sinfulness of the world, that ordinary displays 
 of guilt do not surprise us. We look on them as matters of 
 course. But occasionally deeds of fearful wickedness surprise us, 
 or deep-laid schemes of appalling iniquity are displayed to the 
 public gaze, and we wonder how men could be so depraved ; oc- 
 casionally, too, our hearts are crushed within us, at the fall of 
 some from whom we had expected better things. Who was not 
 horrified at the disclosures made a few years since of the system- 
 atic robberies and murders of the Thugc in India ? Whose heart 
 does not bleed at the enormous atrocities of the slave-trade? 
 Who does not mourn to find that David, the man after God's 
 own heart, in an evil hour seduced the wife of his brave Uriah, 
 and to conceal his guilt, procured his murder ? Melancholj' in- 
 deed are these facts. But are they not the legitimate fruits of 
 the nature we carry within us ? How can a corrupt tree bring 
 forth other than corrupt fruit ? And if God withdraw the re- 
 straints of his grace and providence, who shall say where human 
 wickedness shall stop ? Let every man then guard his own heart. 
 Let every man pray to God, that he may not fall, and let no man 
 trust to his own unaided strength ; for that ivhich is born of the 
 fiesh is flesh, and every one of us, if left to himself, may equal or 
 exceed the sins that disfigure the lives of those who have most 
 deeply sinned. 
 
 4. Finally, I may remark, that the more we know of our own 
 hearts, the more shall we admire the grace of God in having had 
 compassion on us : and the more shall we value the salvation of 
 Christ, that delivers us not only from the punishment of our sins, 
 but from their defilements. Surely it was wonderful grace. God 
 
 10 
 
146 HUMAN NATURE CORRUPT AND SINFUL, , 
 
 saw us in our sins, and there was notliiug in us lie could love. 
 True, we were bis creatures, but we had forfeited his favor bj our 
 sins, and said, Depart from us, for we desire not the knowledge 
 of thy ways. God was not in all our thoughts. He might have 
 lifted his rod and destroyed us forever. But no, Ood commendeth 
 his love to us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 
 lie hath counted no sacrifice that infinite power and love could 
 make, too great to show us his love, and save us from our dan- 
 ger. And what a salvation it is! Satan like a strong man 
 armed claimed us for his lawful captives. Justice demanded sat- 
 isfaction for God's broken law, and our sins had entwined them- 
 selves with every fibre of the heart, and sat enthroned in every 
 affection of the sou.1. From all these doth Christ deliver us. To 
 the flaming sword of Justice he presented his own side. Against 
 the malice of Satan he contended alone, and having vanquished 
 him, he led captivity captive. He sets up his throne in the 
 hearts of his people, and surely, though gradually, destroys the 
 power of every sin, and at last presents them spotless in the pres- 
 ence of God with exceeding joy. TJianhs he unto God for his un- 
 speahahle gift. 
 
 Macao, January 28, 1844. 
 
SERMON XVII. 
 
 THE SUFFERINGS AND DEATH OF CHRIST. 
 
 From that time forth, began Jesus to show unto liis disciples how that he must go 
 unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders, and chief priests, and 
 scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. — Matt. xvi. 21. 
 
 We estimate love by the sacrifices it makes, and guilt b}^ the 
 punishment it requires. It was Christ's love to the human race 
 that induced him to die for us ; it was the sinfulness of the human 
 race that made his death necessary. Let us consider the cir- 
 cumstances of his death, and the sufferings he endured, and 
 thereby we may add definiteness to our views of the depth of his 
 love, and the magnitude of our guilt. It is a simple narration of 
 facts, to which your attention is now called, and the nature of the 
 subject forbids either exaggeration or coloring. 
 
 "We are apt to think of Christ's sufferings only as connected 
 with his death. But they did not begin when he was nailed to 
 the cross. All his life he was a man of sorrows^ and acquainted 
 vnth grief. I would not say, as some have said, that he never 
 smiled, but certainly, in reading his history, we are often called 
 to witness scenes of sorrow, seldom those of joy. But it is not 
 intended now to dwell on the scenes of his early life, nor even to 
 glance over the sufferings he experienced, from hunger and 
 thirst, from fatigue and wandering, from temptations of Satan, 
 and sinfulness of men, from the follies of his disciples, and the 
 blasphemies of the Jews. Let us in thought attend those painful 
 steps, which in the close of his life he took for us. 
 
 1. It should not be forgotten, in considering what Christ 
 endured, that all his sufferings were foreseen. Even before his 
 transfiguration, he had minutely foretold every circumstance of 
 shame and sorrow. During all his life, the cross had cast its 
 shadow in his path, and the nearer he drew, the darker that 
 
148 THE SUFFERINGS AND DEATH OF CHRIST. 
 
 shadow became. Foreseen evil is evil itself, and though we 
 earnestly desire to know the future, yet in mercy that knowledge 
 is withheld, for who is there that could sustain the prospect of all 
 the ills that are sure to meet on every child of Adam ? Christ 
 possessed a nature like our own, and his accurate knowledge of 
 what should befall him must have saddened many a passing hour. 
 It did not tempt him to swerve from his course, but it tinged 
 with gloom his thoughts of the future. Why else was it, that 
 once, when surrounded by an admiring crowd, he suddenly ex- 
 claimed. Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say f Father, 
 save me from this hour^ John xii. 27. 
 
 2. Nor should it be forgotten, that, just before his last period 
 of suffering, he had been received with great applause. He had 
 entered Jerusalem in triumph, the multitude had met him with 
 palm-branches, and spreading of garments in the way, and all the 
 city was moved at his coming, Matt. xxi. 4-11. But in a few 
 days, all was changed, and he who had entered in triumph, and 
 ruled in the temple, was led forth in shame, with none to defend 
 him. It was a great reverse, — not unexpected, it is true, but none 
 the less painful, for these were the people he came to save, and 
 this was the fickleness with which they received him. 
 
 3. The last scenes of the tragedy commenced on Thursday 
 night. His disciples had made ready the paschal supper, and, 
 with the twelve apostles, he sat down to eat that passover which 
 untJi desire lie had desired to eat loith them hefore he suffered^ Luke 
 xxii. 15. It was then that he instituted the Lord's Supper, 
 charging them to observe it in remembrance of him — of his body 
 which was to be broken, and his blood which was to be shed for 
 them. It was night. Already had Judas consulted to betray 
 him, Luke xxii. 4, and, seated with him at his table, he now 
 sought opportunity to accomplish his purpose. Miserable man ! 
 He flattered himself that his guilt was unknown, but Christ knew 
 it all, and, giving him the sop, said. That thou doest, do quickly. 
 And after tlie sojy, Salami entered into him, and he ivent out, John 
 xiii, 26, 30. He had been with Christ, had seen his humility, 
 his piety, his love, his compassion, — and now to betray him, and 
 that for thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave ! xi goodly 
 price at which he valued his master ! How was it possible to be 
 guilty of such a crime ? God had abandoned him, and Satan, the 
 master of all evil, had seized him for his own. It seems as 
 though, on this occasion, the devil would trust none of his ordi- 
 
THE SUFFERINGS AND DEATH OF CHRIST. 149 
 
 nary agents of evil. On all other occasions when evil spirits had 
 taken possession of men, they were inferior angels, — but on this 
 occasion, when the Prince of life was to be assailed, none but the 
 prince of darkness must do it, and Satan himself entered into Judas 
 Iscariot, John xiii. 27. Christ was aware of all the wickedness of 
 Judas' heart, but had still kept him around him, and even treated 
 him with distinguished favor. It was with no ordinary sorrow, 
 that he now saw him, who had eaten of his bread, lift up his heel 
 against him. But whatever his thoughts were, they altered not 
 that pure, unquenchable love that burned in his heart. Judas went 
 out, but he looked on his remaining disciples, and he spoke those 
 words of surpassing affection, and uttered that memorable prayer, 
 which the beloved disciple has recorded at length. His own 
 heart was full of sorrow, but he saw the sorrow of his disciples' 
 hearts, and said. Let not your hearts he troubled. Peace Heave ivith 
 you, I IV ill not leave you comfortless. I will come unto you. 
 
 4. The evening was wearing away, but sleep had forever fled 
 from the eyes of Christ. Sorrows now filled his heart, the Avorld 
 knew not of It was the crisis of the world's redemption, and all 
 depended on him, but surely so great a work could not be accom- 
 plished without exertions and sacrifices equal to its greatness. 
 He went forth from that supper table with his disciples to the 
 garden of Gethsemane, whither he had often resorted, John 
 xviii. 1. It was there a scene was witnessed, which angels beheld 
 with wonder. He hegan to he sorrowful and very heavy^ and said, 
 My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death, Matt. xxvi. 87, 38. 
 Having cautioned his disciples, he withdrew and prayed. It was 
 his hour of agony, but who shall disclose to us the nature of his 
 sufferings? It could not have been that he feared the bodily 
 sufferings of the cross. Many of his disciples have, since his 
 time, endured as great bodily sufferings as those of Christ, and 
 that without shrinking or fear. It was not the fear of what man 
 could do that afflicted him. It was heart-sorrow that bowed him 
 to the ground. It was because the light of God's countenance 
 was removed, and the sense of his wrath pressed upon him, that 
 he suffered so much. The Lord spared him not, though he was 
 his beloved Son, He laid on him the iniquity of us all. It pleased ike 
 Lc/i^d to bruise him. He put him to grief and made his soul an offer- 
 ing for sin, Is. liii. 6, 10. An angel was sent from heaven to 
 strengthen him, for he was in an agony, and his sweat was, as it 
 were, great drops of blood falling down to the ground, Luke xxii. 
 
150 THE SUFFERINGS AND DEATH OF CHRIST. 
 
 43, 44. Again, and yet again, did he pray, that, if possible, the 
 cup might pass from him ; but it was not possible, for if it had, 
 the hope of man's redemption would have ceased forever ; and 
 therefore, with submission, he added, Not my ivill, hut thine he 
 
 \ (lone, Luke xxii. 42. 
 
 ^ 5. How long this solemn scene continued, we are not in- 
 formed ; but it was suddenly and rudely interrupted by a crowd 
 of men, coming as if against a thief, with swords and with staves 
 to take him. Our Lord went forth to meet them, and received 
 the treacherous kiss with which Judas pointed him out. He 
 spoke no word of anger, but in sorrow he said, Judas, hetrayest 
 thou the Son of man with a kiss f Luke xxii. 48. 
 
 At first his disciples were disposed to resist, but Jesus re- 
 strained them, and healed the wound that one of them had already 
 inflicted. It was the hour and the power of darkness, and fear 
 entered the hearts of his disciples. A few hours before, they had 
 all protested that they were ready to die for him, but now they 
 all forsook him and fled, and Jesus was left alone. 
 / 6. Betrayed by one of his disciples, forsaken by the rest, and 
 in the power of a band of armed men, he was led by them to the 
 high priest's house ; not to find a sanctuary in the house of the 
 minister of religion, but to experience renewed indignities. The 
 underlings of the high priest mocked him and smote him ; 
 they blindfolded him and struck him on the face, and many 
 things they blasphemously spake against him, Luke xxii. 63-65. 
 It was during this time that Peter, who had followed afar oflP, was 
 now in the common hall, where Jesus was kept, and there, once 
 and again, denied that he knew him. It was in the hearing of 
 the Saviour that he did so, a?id immediately while he yet spake, the 
 cock crew, and the Lord turned and looked upon Peter, Luke 
 xxii. 61. 
 
 No rest was allowed to Christ. In sorrow and tumult, in bitter 
 mockery, and yet more painful denial, he passed the night, and 
 as soon as it luas day, the elders of the people, and the chief priests, 
 and the scribes came together, and he was called before them, 
 Luke xxii. 66. Why dwell on what passed there ? With taunts 
 and insults, and smiting of the hands — with false witness and 
 charges of blasphemy — with buffeting and spitting, from which 
 he hid not his face), they judged him worthy of death, Matt. xxvi. 
 59-68. John xviii. 22. 
 
 7. But though they condemned him, they had not power to 
 
THE SUFFERINGS AND DEATH OF CHRIST. 151 
 
 execute their sentence ; they were a Eoman province, and it was 
 not laivfidfor them, to put any man to deaths John xviii. 31. They 
 speedily ended their council, for at daylight they had come to- 
 gether, and it was yet early when they led him to the judgment 
 hall of Pilate, John xviii. 28. But how should they obtain from 
 Pilate the sentence they desired ? The blasphemy with which 
 they charged Jesus, and for which they judged him worthy of 
 death, was not a capital offence by the Eoman law. But they 
 knew with whom they had to deal, and having no other resource, 
 determined to work on the fears of the craven-spirited governor, 
 and obtain by tumult what justice would deny. 
 / They brought him to Pilate — but it was a feast day, and 
 fearing defilement if they entered the house of a heathen, they 
 would not enter the judgment-hall ! John xviii. 28. They came 
 to put an innocent man to death, on a false charge of blasphemy, 
 and yet were afraid of a ceremonial defilement. Was there ever 
 a greater mockery, or a keener grief than this ? The very Being 
 who had given them their law — who had said. Thou shalt not Icill^ 
 and also had commanded them to observe the ceremonial rites, 
 was now in their power, and how did they treat him ? They dis- 
 regarded his most solemn injunctions, but carefully observed the 
 most insignificant matters. Tithers of mint and anise and cummin, 
 they set at naught the weightier matters of the law, judgment and 
 mercy ! They feared to defile their bodies by neglect of a cere- 
 mony, but feared not to defile their souls with shedding the blood 
 of him, of whom all their ceremonies spoke ! 
 
 Pilate came out to them, and demanding of what they accused 
 him, they concealed their real charge, and falsely accused him of 
 treason — saying that he perverted the nation, and forbade to give 
 tribute to CiBsar, claiming to be himself an anointed king, Luke 
 xxiii. 2. Pilate must have heard of Christ, and knowing the 
 charge to be false, after a brief examination said, I find no fault in 
 him, Luke xxiii. 4. They reiterated their charge, fiercely ex- 
 claiming, that he was guilty of seditious practices, and stirred up 
 the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, heginning from Oalilee to 
 Jerusalem, Luke xxiii. 5. Pilate, seeking to avoid the unpleasant 
 ofiice of condemning an innocent man, sent him to Herod. By 
 him he was set at naught and mocked — in scorn he arrayed him 
 m a gorgeous robe, and sent him back to Pilate. His blood- 
 thirsty accusers were there again. Pilate remonstrated -with 
 them. He had found no fault in the man — no — nor yet Herod, 
 
152 THE SUFFERIXGS AXD DEATH OF CHRIST. 
 
 for notliing worthy of death was found in him. He was willing to 
 gratify them so far as to scourge him — though even this would have 
 been unjust. But this was not what they wanted; and they all 
 cried out at once — Aivay ivith this man, and release unto us Ba- 
 rabbas, whoj for sedition and murder, ivas cast into prison, Luke xxiii. 
 13-19, Pilate still wished to release him, and hoping to move 
 them to some compassion, commanded him to be scourged ; the 
 soldiers crowned him with thorns, and clothing him in a purple 
 robe, with a reed for a sceptre, they bowed the knee in scorn, and 
 buffeted him. In this pitiable state, with bleeding brows, and 
 lacerated by the scourge, wearing the crown of thorns and the 
 purple robe, he led him forth and said, Beliold the man, John 
 xix. 1-5. But the sight only heightened their rage, and again the 
 cry arose to heaven. Crucify Mm, crucify him, and they added, that 
 he was a hiaspliemer and deserved to die, because he had made himself 
 the Son of Ood. Pilate, already convinced of his innocence, was 
 yet the more afraid when he heard that, John xix. 8 ; and in- 
 fluenced by his wife's dream, who sent to him to have nothing to 
 do with that just man. Matt, xxvii. 19, he sought yet again to de- 
 liver him from their hands, John xix, 7-12. The morning was 
 wearing away, and the Jews fearing lest their prey should at last 
 escape, brought forward their strongest charge. If thou let this 
 man go, thou art not Ccesar's friend. This decided the case. Pilate 
 would be just, if he could be without inconvenience to himself; 
 but if the administration of justice should endanger him with the 
 emperor he would none of it ; and after a faint remonstrance, Shall 
 I crucify your king, John xii. 15 ; he gave sentence that it should be as 
 they required ; and he released unto them him that for sedition and 
 murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired, but he delivered 
 Jesus to their ivill, and they led him away to be crucified, Luke xxiii. 
 24-26. 
 
 8. Their object was gained. On Thursday the Lord had 
 walked in the streets of Jerusalem free, but his hour was come. 
 His own disciple betrayed him, and that night they seized him 
 in the garden of Gethsemane. No rest was allowed him, and 
 when Friday morning dawned, he was led to the .Jewish council, 
 and thence to the Roman judgment-seat. From Pilate he went 
 to Herod, and Herod sent him back to Pilate. He was mocked 
 and scourged, and condemned, and all before the sun had reached 
 the half of its meridian height. 
 
 Having obtained judgment against him, they lost no time in 
 
THE SUFFERINGS AND DEATH OF CHRIST. 153 
 
 carrying it into execution. It was the custom for the condemned 
 to bear his own cross, and Jesus tearing his cross, toent forth into 
 a place called the Place of a sicidl, John xix. 17. But fainting 
 with watching and suffering he sunk beneath its weight, and they 
 compelled one Simon, a Cyrenian, to bear it after him, Luke xxiii. 
 20. Thus he went, bearing, but not for himself, the anger of 
 God, the rage of men, and the malice of devils. Surely hell from 
 beneath was moved to meet him at his coming, and heaven from 
 above stooped down to gaze on the scene. A crowd of people 
 and of women followed, bewailing and lamenting him ; but the 
 heart that ever forgot its own grief to minister to those of others, 
 still beat within him, and he turned and said. Daughters of Jerusa- 
 lem, iveep not for me, but loeep for yourselves and for your children, 
 Luke xxiii. 27, 28. They came to Calvary, and there they cruci- 
 fied him. The shape of the cross you all know. It was laid upon 
 the ground and the criminal fastened to it by nails driven through 
 the hands and the feet. It was then lifted up, and suffered to fall 
 into the hole dug for it, which it did with a shock that racked the 
 Avhole body, and sometimes dislocated the bones of the person 
 crucified. Thus he hung suspended by the nails which had 
 pierced the most sensitive parts of the body. It was the most 
 shameful death inflicted by the Eoman laws, and freemen never 
 suffered it — but Christ had been sold for the price of a slave, and 
 the death of a slave he must die. It was a punishment of the 
 acutest agony. The wounds from the scourging inflamed, and 
 the weight of the body being suspended on nails sent pangs of 
 thrilling anguish through every member ; the blood rushed to 
 the head, and its circulation being impeded, the head became 
 dizzy, and the whole man sick. An indescribable thirst seems to 
 have been an unfiiiling attendant of crucifixion. It was common 
 to give a stupefying portion to those about to be crucified, that 
 the sense of pain might be somewhat blunted, and for this pur- 
 pose they offered our Saviour wine mingled with myrrh ; but he 
 refused to receive it. It was needful that he should endure every 
 pang. Afterwards, when the thirst of crucifixion came upon him, 
 he said, / thirst, and they gave him vinegar in a sponge. How 
 truly might he have used the words of the xxii. Psalm, / am 
 poured out like water, and all my hones are out of pint: my heart is 
 like wax; it is melted in the midst of my botvels: my strength is dried 
 up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou 
 hast brought me into the dust of death, Psalm xxii. 14, 15. 
 
154 THE SUFFERINGS AND DEATH OF CHRIST, 
 
 Still the Jewish rulers were not satisfied, and they came to 
 his cross to feast their eyes with his miseries, and torment his 
 ears with additional jeers and scorn. He saved others^ let him save 
 himself. If thou he the Son of God, come doion from the cross. The 
 soldiers also mocked him, and the very malefactors reviled him — 
 though one of them afterwards repented, and found mercy of the 
 Lord. All these were outward sufferings, and they were not the 
 bitterest that Christ endured. The agony of the garden was not 
 yet ended, and when he hung upon the cross, his soul was still 
 exceeding sorrowful. Hence that cry of bitter anguish. My God, 
 my God, luhy hast thou forsaken me! and that other cry expressing 
 more than human language could utter, when he cried again ivith 
 a loud voice. 
 
 Darkness covered the earth, for the sun could not look upon 
 such deeds of iniquity. Darkness covered the hearts of the weep- 
 ing disciples, and darkness covered the soul of Christ himself, for 
 he saw not the pleasant face of the Father whom he loved. 
 
 For six hours he hung upon the cross. Men lingered some- 
 times for two or three days, but it was not necessary that Christ 
 should thus linger. At nine o'clock he was crucified. It was the 
 hour for offering the morning sacrifice. Darkness speedily veiled 
 the heavens at midday. At three o'clock, the hour of offering 
 the evening sacrifice, he cried, It is finished. The work of 
 atonement was complete. The demands of justice were satisfied. 
 The savor of his offering had gone up to Grod and was accepted, 
 and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost, John xix. 30. 
 The priests were ministering in the temple at the time, and to 
 their astonishment, the veil of the temple was rent in twain, and 
 the mysteries that no human eyes save those of the high priest 
 bad ever seen, were exposed to the common gaze. Henceforth, 
 the way into the holiest of all, and the way into heaven, were 
 made plain. 
 
 Nicodemus, and Joseph of Arimathea, came to Pilate, and 
 begged the body of Jesus for burial. Their request was granted, 
 but ere they took him from his cross, a soldier pierced his side 
 with a spear, and forthwith came thereout blood and water, John 
 xix. 34. He was dead, and they bare him away to his solitary 
 tomb. That day was the preparation, and the Sabbath drew on. 
 But oh, how slowly did its hours pass, and how sorrowful were 
 those that had loved him while alive! A sword had pierced 
 through the heart of her that bare him, and hope had forsaken 
 
THE SUFFERINGS AND DEATH OF CHRIST. 155 
 
 the souls of his disciples, for they remembered not the words that he 
 spake ivhile yet present loith them. 
 
 You have heard the story of the sufferings of Christ. It 
 is a history often repeated ; but one that must ever be full of in- 
 terest to the sons of men. Why did Christ suffer all these things? 
 It is one of the laws of God's government, that his wrath is re- 
 vealed from heaven against all ungodliness; and the soul that 
 sinneth it shall die. But Christ Jesus had no sins of his own. 
 He came not into the world like other men, nor was he tainted by 
 that original corruption which defiles all humau beings. He 
 lived on earth for thirty-three years, but in all that time he spake 
 never an idle word, nor did an evil action ; living in the midst of 
 sinners, an impure or unholy thought never entered in his mind. 
 Did he not appeal to his bitterest enemies. Which of you con- 
 vinceth me of sin ? Did not Judas who betrayed, and Pilate who 
 condemned, and the centurion who executed him, all bear witness 
 to his innocence? Whence then his sufferings? God never 
 does, and with reverence I say it, God cannot inflict one moment's 
 suffering except for sin. There is, therefore, but one way to ac- 
 count for the sorrows of our Lord. He bore the punishment 
 due to our sins. How often is this declared ! It is repeated at 
 least ten times in the liii. of Isaiah. 
 
 He was wounded for our transgressions, 
 
 He teas hruisedfor our iniquities ; 
 
 The chastisement of our peace teas upon him, 
 
 And with his stripes we are healed. 
 
 The Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all. 
 This was the reason why he suffered. But why these exquisite 
 tortures? these excruciating pangs, these protracted agonies? 
 Why was his life but one long sigh, and why this painful death ? 
 Why was he a man of sorrows and acquainted loith grief?' If he 
 must die for sin, why might he not have lived in ease, and peace 
 and quiet, and at last sink peacefully to the grave? Was not 
 death itself, though divested of its terrors, sorrow enough for such 
 a one as he ? It is hard to answer these questions, if you think 
 sin a small 'thing. Let those who trifle with sin and think it a 
 light matter for God to pardon and pass it by, come hither and 
 behold what it cost the Son of God to atone for it. We may 
 laugh at sin, but Christ never did. We may roll it as a sweet 
 morsel under the tongue, but the Son of God poured out his 
 heart's blood on accouilt of it. Could any of the angels of heaven 
 
156 THE SUFFERINGS AND DEATH OF CHRIST. 
 
 have atoned for a single sin? No, nor all the heavenly host 
 united. The blood of bnlls and of goats could never take away 
 sin. Its stains sink too deep into the soul. It is that abominable 
 thing which God hates, and the only thing in the universe which 
 he does hate. "We shall never know what sin is, and how God 
 regards it, except we view it from the cross of Christ. Be it 
 remembered too, that it was our sins which helped to nail him 
 there. 
 
 Yet what induced Christ to suffer thus ? Manifestly it was 
 impossible we should be saved if he did not suffer. But why 
 not leave us to perish in the ruin we had drawn down upon our- 
 selves ? Did the human race beseech him to come and be their 
 Saviour ? Did the earth fall on her knees and ask for mercy ? 
 Alas ! no, — so far were men from asking him to come, that on 
 the contrary, when He came to his own, his own received him 
 not. It was sovereign and infinite love alone that induced him 
 to come. He saw and pitied the misery of the souls he had made. 
 And to rescue them from the consequences of their own folly, he 
 made himself a sacrifice for sin. Can human tongues declare 
 the greatness of that sacrifice ? He had sat on the throne with 
 the Father, From that great height his eye had scanned every 
 step that he must take. He knew beforehand all the misery he 
 must undergo. Ever}^ act of ignominy, — every word of scorn, — 
 every strife, and every pang. Deliberately he came down, with 
 unfaltering step he walked on, he ascended the cross, and de- 
 scended to his grave. Being in the form of Ood, and thinking it no 
 robbery to be equal loith God, — he made himself of no reputation, and 
 took upon himself the form of a servant and was made in the likeness 
 of men. And being formed in fashion as a man, he humbled liimself, 
 and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, Phil, ii, 
 6-8. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved 
 us, and gave his Son to die for us. Herein is love, not that we 
 loved Christ, but he loved us, and gave his soul a ransom for us. 
 Tlmnks he unto Ood for his unspeakable gift. 
 
 Macao, February 4, 1844. 
 
SERMON XVIII. 
 
 THE LAW OF GOD. 
 
 Verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in nowise 
 pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. — Matt. v. 18. 
 
 We live in a world of law and order. In its original consti- 
 tution there was nothing left to unrestrained license, but all things 
 were perfectly subject to the rules imposed by the great Euler of 
 all. And even now, though sin lohich is the transgression of Jaiv 
 has entered, there are traces everywhere of the original regularity. 
 Even the wandering comets have their laws, and the rolling waves 
 of the ocean submit to rules. In the heart of man a law was once 
 written, and had it been obeyed, there would have been neither 
 sin nor sorrow now in the world. But alas ! our first father sin- 
 ned, and in consequence all laws, even those of animal nature, and 
 inanimate existence, became more or less impaired and defective, 
 and the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until 
 now, Eom. viii. 22. 
 
 But God did not suffer his creation to rush on ruin that must 
 follow a state of anarchy. It was a state of anarchy when man 
 fell ; for when the highest of God's creatures on earth delib- 
 erately broke the most solemnly proclaimed of all God's laws, 
 what else could be looked for, but that all beneath should 
 follow the evil example ? But God in mercy put forth his 
 hand, and by his providence and grace he restrained both man 
 and beast. Gradually, by direct revelation, he gave laws to his 
 servants to take the place of those which the practice of sin had 
 worn away from their hearts. Yet man went on in his evil course. 
 With added years, he added sin, until at last it was said of the 
 race, They have all gone out of the ivay, and the loay of 'peace they 
 have not hioiun, Eom. iii. 12, 17. At last God determined to em- 
 body the whole law in a compendious form, and to publish it 
 with solemnity that it might be a witness for himself, and that he 
 
158 THE LAW OF GOD. 
 
 might thvis prepare the way for a fuller revelation of his purposes 
 of mercy. 
 
 In his sovereign election, he passed by larger and powerful 
 nations, and chose Israel to be the receptacle of truth, and the 
 depository of his law. The Lord did not set his love upon them, nor 
 choose them, because they toere more in number than any people, for 
 they ivere the fewest of all people, Deut. vii. 7. But he loved them, 
 and therefore chose them, with great signs and wonders he led 
 them from Egypt, and in the second month they came and en- 
 camped before Mount Sinai. It was to this that they had looked 
 forward, ever since they left Egypt, as the place where they were 
 specially to serve God, and they came to it with raised expecta- 
 tions. It was certainly a place well chosen for the purpose. Be- 
 fore them rose the mountain rough with rocks and hoary with 
 age. Around them other mountains rose, and above them were 
 the heavens. There was nothing else. No traces of man ap- 
 peared in this solemn presence chamber of the Almighty, but they 
 were in the desert alone with God. It was a glorious occasion. 
 There was a nation led out from another nation by the hand of 
 God. Hispillarof cloud and of fire had gone before them. Bread 
 from heaven was their food, and water from the rock their drink ; 
 and God spake with their leaders face to face, as a man speaketh 
 with his friend. 
 
 It would seem that they reached the mountain on the forty- 
 sixth day after leaving Egypt, and that the forty-seventh, forty- 
 eighth and forty-ninth were spent in making preparations that 
 they might worthily hear what God should say. Bounds were 
 set about the mountain ; they were to abstain from ordinary pur- 
 suits, to wash their garments and their bodies, and to sanctify 
 themselves. Moses told them that the Lord would co'm^ down in 
 the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai, Ex. xix. 11, and with 
 solemn anxiety they awaited the day: It came at last, a day such 
 as never was before, and shall not be again until the world shall 
 assemble to hear the judgments that shall be proclaimed against 
 all who violate the law then delivered. It came to pass on the 
 third day in the morning that there were thunders and lightnings and 
 a thick cloud upon the mount and the voice of the trumpet exceeding 
 loud: so that all the people that ivas in the camp trembled, Exod. xix. 
 16. Moses led them out, and arranged them in order at the moun- 
 tain's base. Mount Sinai ums altogether as a smohe, because the Lord 
 descended on it in fire, and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of 
 
THE LAW OF GOD. 159 
 
 a furnace, and the lohole mount quaked greatly^ Ex. xix. 18. It was 
 a siglit that no eye of man had ever seen before, for the flames 
 stretched up into the midst of the heavens, and the clouds and 
 the smoke and darkness rolled above, Deut. iv. 11. Even inani- 
 mate nature trembled at the presence of God. There was also the 
 voice of a trumpet sounding long, and waxing louder and louder. 
 We may perhaps form some conception of other parts of this great 
 event, but it is not possible for us to conceive of this. It was as a 
 sound like that of the archangel's trump which shall awake the 
 dead. It issued from the flame and the smoke, it rang through 
 the vault of heaven and reverberated among the mountains of 
 Arabia. The people trembled, and even Moses said, I exceedingly 
 fear and quaJce, Heb. xii. 21. The trumpet ceased to sound, and 
 after another warning, and additional preparation, God spaJce all 
 these ivords, saying, I am the Lord thy Ood ivhich have brought thee 
 out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 
 
 Thou shalt have no other Gods before me. 
 
 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything 
 that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters under 
 the earth : thou shalt not bow down thyself to them nor serve them : for I the Lord 
 thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children 
 unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me ; and showing mercy unto 
 thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. 
 
 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, for the Lord will not 
 hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 
 
 Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor and do 
 all thy work, but the seventh is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God : in it thou shalt 
 not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid- 
 servant, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates : for in six days the Lord made 
 heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day ; where- 
 fore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it. 
 
 Honor thy father and thy mother : that it may be well with thee, and that thy 
 days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. 
 
 Thou shalt not kill. 
 
 Thou shalt not commit adultery. 
 
 Tliou shalt not steal. 
 
 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. 
 
 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's 
 wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything 
 that is thy neighbor's. 
 
 "When was ever a law given with so much solemnity ? The 
 ministering angels (Gal. iii. 19) looked on with fear, and the peo- 
 ple trembled before their God. Compared with this scene, the so- 
 lemnities of human courts are but insect pageantry. 
 
160 THE LAW OF GOD. 
 
 It is not possible in the limits of a single discourse to dwell 
 upon all that is important concerning this law. But there arc 
 some general remarks that should be borne in mind whenever we 
 peruse it, or whenever it is brought to our minds. 
 
 I. It is of universal obligation. It was indeed given to the Is- 
 raelites, and they were long a distinct nation, but it was never 
 intended to be confined to them. It was not like the ceremonial 
 law, which was intended only for them, and was a burden which 
 other nations were not told to bear. We are creatures, — depen- 
 dent creatures, and by the terms of our existence must have a 
 law, written or unwritten, the law by which we live, and by 
 which we shall be judged is still the same. It was written on 
 Adam's heart when he stood alone in Eden, and though sin has 
 blotted its beauty, some traces of it are still seen in the heart of 
 every man. Hardened and sinful a man may be, but no man has 
 ever yet lived, who in all his life gave no evidence that he was 
 ignorant of every distinction between right and wrong. Even 
 the Gentiles, who have not the law, who never heard of Moses or 
 of Sinai, do by nature many things contained in the law, and 
 these, having not the law of Sinai, are a law unto themselves. 
 They show the loorh of tlie law written in their hearts, their conscience 
 also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or 
 else excusing one another, Rom. ii. 14, 15. 
 
 Those who think that Christ Jesus came to destroy the obli- 
 gations of the law, are greatly mistaken. So clear is his testi- 
 mony to the contrary, that it is hard to see how any reflecting 
 rnind can for a moment harbor such a thought. Did he not him- 
 self declare, I came not to destroy the law, but to fulfil? Matt. v. 17. 
 And did he not explain the law in a way that showed its univer- 
 sal obligation — rescuing it from the false glosses of the Jews, and 
 sending it forth anew with the impress of his own authority ? 
 And what do the ten commandments contain, of either a local or 
 temporary character ? What is there in them unsuitable in our 
 days ? Or what society can be conceived of, as more prosperous 
 and happy, than that society would be, in which they should be 
 perfectly obeyed ? Or what other law is there that is binding on 
 all, if the law written on tables of stone is no longer binding ? 
 
 II. The Laiu is holy. It cannot be otherwise. Its author is 
 God, a being of perfect holiness, and the law is but the transcript 
 of his will. Himself tlic standard of perfect purity, all that ema- 
 nates from him is necessarily conformed to the same standard. 
 
THE LAW OF GOD. 161 
 
 Heat proceeds from the fire, and light from the sun, and Holiness 
 from God. Were the law not holy, it could not be his. Hence 
 its incomparable excellency. What nation is there that has stat- 
 utes and judgments so righteous as all this laiu ? Deut. iv. 8. Other 
 nations have selected their wisest men, and these have collected 
 the experience of ages, and thus formed their laws ; but the best 
 of them are full of errors and defects. Who has ever seen or 
 heard of a perfect law, or a perfect constitution on earth ? IS'ot 
 so the law of God. 
 
 The Law of the Lord is perfect. 
 
 The testimony of the Lord is sure. 
 
 The statutes of the Lord are clean. 
 
 The commandment of the Lord is pure. 
 
 The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. 
 Ps. xix. 7-9. 
 Thus sang the Psalmist in ancient days, and the apostle, from 
 his own experience testifies that the law is holy^ and the command- 
 ment holy, and just and good, Eom. vii. 12. Holiness is indeed its 
 chief excellence, however hard it may be for sinful man to see 
 that it is so. It is hard for us to estimate the holiness of the law of 
 God, for sin has blinded our eyes that we cannot easily discern 
 spiritual things. It would have been impossible, had not Christ 
 Jesus lived on earth, and shown in life and action all the law 
 commands. Look at him, and study his character. In him was 
 no guile. There was no fault, no error, no mistake. In thought, 
 in word, and in deed, he kept the law perfectly, and showed to 
 us what it means. 
 
 " We read our duty in his word, 
 But in his life the law appears 
 Drawn out in living characters." 
 
 Such is obedience to the law, and had there been no sin, such 
 would all men have been. What a blessed world would this 
 have been, when wars and deceit, and ingratitude, and sorrow, 
 should have been unknown, and language without terms to 
 express them. Such is heaven. It is the glory of that happy 
 place, that there the law is perfectly obeyed, and all are holy 
 beings. Go through all those vast dominions. Examine nar- 
 rowly each inhabitant. All are clothed in white, and their 
 crowns are of pure gold. Stain or blemish or spot there is none, 
 for the beauty of holiness reigns. An unkind word, or a wrong 
 11 
 
162 THE LAW OF GOD. 
 
 action, or a sorrowful face is never seen there — for the law of God 
 is obeyed. That same law which is given to us, is given to them, 
 and because it is honored there, life and happiness are possessed. 
 III. The law is spiritual. — It goes directly to the heart, and 
 takes cognizance of every secret thought. We are apt too to think 
 of it, as extending merely to our external deportment, and that 
 because at first sight it appears to relate chiefly to external 
 actions, therefore it has little to do with those that are spiritual 
 and eternal. This is a great error. Even amidst the ceremonies 
 of the Mosaic ritual there are ample proofs that the law had 
 reference chiefly to the heart. ISTot only does it forbid revenge, 
 and actual bodily injury to our neighbor, it also expressly forbade 
 the Jews to hear any grudge against the children of their people, 
 Lev, xix. 18. Hence it was that the Psalmist says, Thou desirest 
 truth in the inivard jjarts, Ps. li. 6. And does not our Saviour 
 himself sum up the whole law of the ten commandments, in the 
 two simple precepts, of love to God, and love to man ? Jesus said, 
 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God laith all thy heart, and ivith all thy 
 soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great command- 
 ment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as 
 thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the 
 prophets, Matt. xxii. 37-40. Look at our Lord's exposition of 
 the commandments in Matthew, and see how he applies them to 
 the heart. He detects and condemns rage in its spark; licen- 
 tiousness in the first glance of the eye ; covetousness in thoughts ; 
 and profimeness in a careless expression. The luord of God is the 
 sword of the Spirit, Eph. ii. 17; and can he use carnal weapons? 
 The tvord of God is quick and poiuerful, and sharper than any two- 
 edged sivord, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, 
 and of the joints and marroiv, and is a discerner of the thoughts and 
 intents of the heart, Heb. iv. 14. Such is the description given of 
 its nature hy the apostle Paul, and it is a description drawn from 
 his own experience. He had been dead once. He had looked 
 on the law as a mere code of ceremonies, and thought that an 
 external conformity was all that was required. But when he 
 examined it more closely, he found that this was not enough. 
 The law also said. Thou shalt not covet, and covetousness is a sin 
 of the heart. Does the law then, in one particular, go down to 
 the secret thoughts of man ? If so, it must do the same in all ; 
 and then who can stand ? Whose heart does not condemn him 
 before God? Who is not then guilty of breaking each one of 
 
THE LAW OF GOD. 163 
 
 God's commandments? Thus the apostle reasoned, and his con- 
 clusion was, Iknov) that the law is spiritual^ hut I am carnal^ sold 
 under sin^ Eom. vii. 7-14. 
 
 Hence it is easy to see how extensive are the requisitions of 
 the law. If every sin even of the heart is forbidden, — and if 
 every secret thought is to be brought into conformity to the law 
 of God, — then we may well say, with him of old, Thy command- 
 ment is exceeding broad, Ps. cxix. 96. 
 
 Its holiness, its spirituality, and its extent appear small and 
 unimportant now because our minds are so occupied with the 
 trifles around us, that we see not the magnitude of things beyond. 
 We hold up our little hands before the eye, and straightway the 
 glorious sun is hidden from us. But the time is coming when all 
 these trifles will have vanished away, and our naked souls shall 
 stand before the bar of God. Crowds of attending angels shall 
 surround us, and eternal happiness or eternal misery shall be the 
 result of that day's deliberations and decision. Then shall the 
 law of God appear in its majesty and purity. The splendors of 
 its first announcement on Mount Sinai shall disappear before the 
 stern glory in which it shall then be arrayed, for by it shall we 
 be judged. Those who have had the written law, shall be judged 
 by the written law, and those who have never heard the law 
 written on tables of stone shall be judged by that which is written 
 on their hearts. But enter not into judgment loith thy servant oh 
 Lord, for in thy sight shall no man living he justified, Ps. cxliii. 2. 
 
 IV. The lavj shall last forever. Human laws vary with the 
 fancies of those that make them, or the exigencies of the times ; 
 but God never changes, and his law is like himself, immutable. 
 That which it required of Adam in the garden of Eden, the same 
 it demanded of Israel at Sinai, and the same will it call for at the 
 judgment-day. Forever, oh Lord, thy word is settled in heaven, 
 Ps. cxix. 89. Verily Tsay unto you, Till heaven and earth pass away 
 one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all he fulfilled, 
 Matt. V. 18. Nor even then shall it fail. Heaven and earth shall 
 pass aivay, hut my word shall not pass away. Matt, xxiv, 35. 
 
 Such is the law of God. Its terrible sanctions, and its glorious 
 rewards, we cannot now speak of, but it is important to ask, in 
 what relation we stand to it ? 
 
 That man must have very low views of the law of God, or 
 very higb ones of himself who thinks he is able in himself 
 to obey its commands. We fearlessly challenge the world to 
 
164 THE LAW OF GOD. 
 
 produce a single instance of a man who has never transgressed 
 the law. Who is there on whom it does not even now lay its 
 iron grasp, and say Pay me that thou owest? Matt, xviii. 28. It 
 is in vain to plead past or prospective obedience, for nothing less 
 than perfect and perpetual obedience can be accepted. 
 
 The law has two uses. The first is to convince us of our sins. 
 It sets before us our duty to God, and it shows us how grossly we 
 have failed to perform that duty. It shows us that our sins de- 
 serve and shall receive punishment, unless we can find some way 
 of escape. There is but one way, and that way is by the cross of 
 Christ. The law, therefore, is our schoolmaster, which leads, or 
 rather drives us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith, Gal. 
 iii. 24. The second is, to be the rule whereby our lives must be 
 regulated. We do not expect to be justified by our obedience to 
 the law — but by the obedience of Christ, who, in our stead, has 
 obeyed the law and made it honorable. But he who is justified 
 by Christ, must necessarily lead a holy life ; and what standard 
 of holiness is there, or can there be, except the unchanged and 
 immutable law ? Let no man say, therefore, that we undervalue 
 the law, or remove the necessity of obeying it. We honor the 
 law. It must be studied, and it must be obeyed ; for he who 
 does not study and understand the law, will never feel that he 
 needs to come to Christ. And he who having come to Christ, 
 does not obey the law, by that very disobedience, shows that his 
 profession is false, and his heart unchanged. 
 
 Macao, February 25, 1844. 
 
SEEMON XIX. 
 
 ADOPTION. 
 
 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, 
 even to them that believe in his name. — John i. 12. 
 
 It is not an uncommon thing among men for one person to be 
 adopted into the family of another. Such acts are legal, and 
 often useful, and are acknowledged as such in almost all coun- 
 tries. The person so adopted takes the name, adopts the customs, 
 and enjoys the privileges of the original members of the family 
 with which he becomes connected. Adoption is often the act of 
 some wealthy and childless man. And most commonly there is 
 something in the personal appearance, character, or history of the 
 person adopted which induces to such a course. There are un- 
 doubtedly cases in which it arises from motives of pure com- 
 passion and benevolence ; but generally the person adopting pays 
 as much regard to his own interest as to that of the person whose 
 society he seeks. 
 
 In God's family there is also an adojjtion of sons^ Gal. iv. 5, 
 and upon it depend important consequences. It is one of the 
 benefits which they receive, who by God's grace are effectually 
 called from sin to holiness ; from a state of wrath to a state of 
 favor : and it is one that shows in a surprising manner the in- 
 effable love of God. In adoption among men a stranger is taken 
 into the family and treated as one of them, though the very act 
 of adoption presupposes that he has no original right to such 
 treatment. But in the gracious dealings of God there is even 
 more than this. Not merely does he accept the believer as right- 
 eous in his sight for Christ's sake — not merely does he pardon 
 his sins, promise him exemption from punishment, and the en- 
 joyments of the glories of heaven — there are blessings even richer 
 and sweeter than these. He receives the believer into the num- 
 
166 ADOPTION. 
 
 ber, and gives him a right to all the privileges of the sons of God. 
 And what relation can be nearer or dearer than this? When 
 its nearness is contrasted with our natural distance from God, and 
 our unfitness for such intimacy, we shall find it hard to conceive, 
 and still harder to declare, how great that grace is which calls us 
 to such a privilege. Naturally we are very far from God. Yf e 
 neither know him, nor care to be under his eye. We count it no 
 honor or privilege to be his ; and by our actions, if not by our 
 words, we say to the Almighty — Depart from us, we desire not the 
 hnoivleclge of thy ways, Job xxi. 14. Why should he seek for us, 
 or wish to adopt us into his family ? He is no childless being who 
 needs some one to console his loneliness. The Son of his love, 
 \v\io is the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his 
 person, and in whom he greatly delights, is ever in his bosom. 
 Heaven is filled with holy beings, in whom as in unsullied mir- 
 rors, his own glory is reflected ; and it would be melancholy 
 indeed to think that any world beside our own was peopled with 
 a race of sinners. Why select his sons from among sinful men, 
 when God is able out of the very stones to raise up children ? 
 Yet behold the love of God ! He passed rebellious angels by, and 
 sent the offers of grace and life to our world. And though his 
 offers were received with neglect, and often with scorn, his pur- 
 poses of mercy have never been remitted. He follows us, he calls 
 us, he entreats our return. How shall I give thee ujy, Ephraim f 
 How shall I deliver thee, Israel? How shall I maize thee as Admahf 
 How shall I set thee as Zeboim f Mine heart is turned within one. 
 My repentings are kindled together, Hos. xi. 8. Like the father of 
 the prodigal son, he sees us when yet a great way off, and runs 
 to meet us on our return, and counts no gifts or honors too high 
 to bestow upon us. And thus it comes to pass, that in the place 
 where it tvas said unto them, Ye are not my people, they are called, the 
 children of the Living God, Rom. ix. 26. 
 
 The cause of this distinguishing favo]- will be sought in vain, if 
 sought in ourselves. It is found in the sovereign electing love of 
 God alone. This is declared by the apostle Paul in terms as clear as 
 it is in the power of human language to use. He hath predestin- 
 ated us to the adojition of children by Jesus Christ to himself accord- 
 ing to tlie good pleasure of his will, Eph. i. 5. What he once said 
 to Israel, he now says to all who become the sons of God. None 
 eye pitied thee, to have coni'passion on thee : hut thou ivast cast out into 
 the open field to the loathing of thy pei'son, in the day that thou wasi 
 
ADOPTION. 167 
 
 horn. And when I passed hy thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own 
 Hood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live : yea, I said 
 unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live] Ezek. xvi. 5, 6. He de- 
 termined of his own free will and grace, to call those who shall 
 be saved into the fellowship of his Son. For this purpose he casts 
 their lots where they hear the gospel ; by his grace he inclines 
 their hearts to receive the truth, and to return to himself 
 Thus he invites them to Christ, and they become one with him. 
 Is he a son ? So are they. Is he beloved ? So are they. 
 
 In the act of adoption, as well as in justification and sanctifi- 
 cation, the office and importance of faith is seen. It is only those 
 who believe in Christ that are received into this relation. To as 
 many as believed on him, to them gave he power to become the sons of 
 God, John i. 12. It is by faith that the believer is united with 
 Christ, and in consecjuence of that union, he is regarded and 
 treated as a son. Behold then what manner of love the Father hath 
 hestoiued upon us, that we should he called the sons of God ! therefore 
 the world knoweth us not because it hneio him not. Beloved, now are we 
 the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear ivhat toe shall be: but we 
 know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for ive shall see 
 him as he is, 1 John iii. 1, 2. The privileges of the sons of God it 
 would be in vain to attempt to enumerate. Even the beloved 
 disciple did not profess to know them all ; but there are more 
 than enough revealed to make the heart overflow with gratitude 
 to the God who has bestowed such grace upon us. It was to be 
 expected that God should enrich with many gifts those whom he 
 adopts as sons. Even among men it is so. We being evil, give 
 good gifts to our children ; and shall not God much more, give 
 good things to those he loves? He that sjxtred not his own Son, but 
 freely gave him up for us all, how shall he not ivith him also give us 
 all things ? Kom. viii. 32. 
 
 One of the chief benefits attending our adoption into the family 
 of God, is confidence before him. In our natural state we fear our 
 Creator, and like Adam in Eden, we hide ourselves when we hear 
 him coming — or if we appear before him, it is with fear and trem- 
 bling. We stand as criminals dreading the lash, and we are like 
 slaves possessed with the spirit of bondage. How can such a one 
 love God ? How can he appear in the presence of the Holy One 
 who inhabits eternity, without confusion ? But when the spirit 
 of adoption is received, all this is changed, and he who formerly 
 stood afar off, is brought nigh by the blood of Christ. God is no 
 
168 ADOPTION. 
 
 longer an angry judge, but a gracious Father, and all unworthy 
 as the believer is, he stands in his presence with confidence, thinks 
 of him with affection, and calls upon him without fear. Having 
 received the spirit of adoption he cries Abba, Father, Kom. viii. 15, 
 and from that time forth he says to the Almighty, My Father, thou 
 art the guide of my youth, Jer. iv. 4. No relation on earth is dearer 
 than that between a father and his son, and yet this is the relation 
 in which God chooses to stand towards us. It would have been 
 presumptuous in us to aspire so high, but we may now do it with- 
 out fear, for it is Christ himself who teaches us to say, Our Father 
 which art in heaven. Matt. vi. 9. By no other religion is God 
 brought into such near relations to man. Even the ancient Jews 
 compared with the Christians stood afar off, and the name of God, 
 Jehovah, they scarcely dared to pronounce. It is related that a 
 Christian, a Jew and a Pagan, once met together. The Christian 
 demanded of the last by what name he called the god he wor- 
 shipped ; but the Pagan could not answer, for their name is Le- 
 gion. The Jew said, " We call our God, Jehovah, Jehovah God, 
 the Almighty and Eternal, the self-existing and unchangeable." 
 "It is a glorious name," replied the Pagan, "but a fearful one." 
 The Christian said, " We call him Our Father,'' and the Jew and 
 the Pagan joined their hands and exclaimed, " We also will wor- 
 ship him." 
 
 The Spirit itself beareth ivitness ivith our spirit that toe are the chil- 
 dren of Ood, and if children then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs 
 with Christ, Eom. viii. 16, 17. This is another of the benefits of adop- 
 tion into the family of God. Among men, he who is adopted 
 expects to receive an inheritance among the children ef the fam- 
 ily which he joins, but that inheritance is often small. Not so 
 here. The riches of God are infinite. " The cattle upon a thou- 
 sand hills are his— the treasures of the earth and of the sea are 
 his, and the shining stars above, are but golden sands around his 
 footstool." What an inheritance may his children expect to re- 
 ceive from him. All things are his to bestow, and he is willing 
 to give all things. Nay, already has he done it, for in his own book 
 we read. All things are yours, whether Paid or Apollos, or Cephas, 
 or the icorld, or life, or death, or things 2nesent, or things to come ; all 
 things are yours, 1 Cor. iii. 21, 22. It is declared over and over 
 again that the sons of God shall want no good thing, and that 
 whatsoever they ask they shall receive. 
 
 I am aware that to all this it is objected that those who pro- 
 
ADOPTION. 169 
 
 fess to be Christians, are no better off in this world than others, 
 and that many of them even are called to endure sorer afflictions 
 than those around who make no such professions. This apparent 
 incongruity between the promises and the actual condition has led 
 many to doubt the truth of God's word, and even induced be- 
 lievers themselves to despond. But it requires very little con- 
 sideration to show that there is no real incongruity ; nor will it 
 surprise the man in whose heart true faith is found, to be told, 
 that these temporary privations and afflictions, are but additional 
 evidences of the love of God ; and that in the end they shall ac- 
 complish still greater good to those exercised by them. The 
 Christian in this world is but a minor. He is under age, and there- 
 fore it is not to be supposed that he shall at once enter on the full 
 enjoyment of his whole estate. The inheritance is reserved for 
 him. It is laid up in store, and kept beyond the reach of rob- 
 bery or loss. A sufficient support is given to him, and in due 
 season he shall enter on the enjoyment of the whole ; and that en- 
 joyment shall be prolonged throughout eternity. How different 
 is his estate from that of heirs on earth ! For many years they 
 look forward to the possession of their inheritance, and when at last 
 they obtain it, with what a precarious grasp do they hold it ! 
 Wicked men may deprive them of it. The winds, or the waves, or 
 the fire may destroy it ; and at the best, a very few years will call 
 them away from it. Not so the Christian's inheritance. For a few 
 years he expects it, and then through unending ages he possesses 
 and enjoys it. It never grows old. It never grows less. On the 
 contrary, it is constantly increasing in value, nor has he the slight- 
 est fear of being deprived of it. And the trials and losses the 
 Christian meets with in this state, are really blessings in disguise. 
 They are not pleasant to bear. They often wring his heart with 
 anguish. Nevertheless afterwards, they bring forth the peaceable 
 fruits of righteousness, to them that are exercised therewith. We 
 are like children who need to be educated, and disciplined for fu- 
 ture life — and rest assured God will not spoil his children. If 
 they need it, he will use the rod, and his soul will not spare for 
 their crying. Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth 
 every son whom he receiveth. If you endure chastening God dealeth 
 loith you as with sons, for what son is he whom the father chasteneth 
 not f But if ye be without chastisement whereo all are partakers, 
 then are ye bastards and not sons, Heb. xii. 6-8. We are like men 
 sick of a severe disease, and the physician who would cure it, 
 
170 ADOPTION. 
 
 must use bis sharp instruments and bitter drugs. Does tbe phy- 
 sician bate bis patient because be uses these painful methods to 
 cure him? Or would be show more love were he to bold his 
 hand, and administer opiates when sharp stimulants are needed ? 
 Tbe great Physician of souls understands well our case, and no 
 one who has trusted to his skill has ever repented of his confi- 
 dence. 
 
 Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, 
 
 But trust him for his grace, 
 Behind a frowning providence 
 
 He liiJes a smiling face. 
 
 In the darkest hour, and times of deepest distress, when flesh 
 and heart faileth, still God is the strength of tbe Christian's heart, 
 and his portion forever. Weeping may endure for a night, but 
 assuredly joy shall come in the morning, and the believer shall 
 say, with him of old, It is good for me that Ihaveheen afflided, Ps. 
 cxix. 71. 
 
 Tbe promise is sure to the sons of God, that all things shall 
 work together for their good. Some things bear the appearance 
 of evil on their face, but they leave tbe peaceable fruits of right- 
 eousness behind them. Therefore, neither tribulation nor dis- 
 tress, nor famine nor nakedness, nor peril nor sword, shall sepa- 
 rate tbe believer from the love of God, or remove his claim to be 
 considered as a son of God. All these things may come upon 
 him, but there is a band that rules, and directs, and restrains 
 them all, and that hand is his Father'' s hand. 
 
 But before any one can lay claim to these great privileges 
 which the sons of God enjoy, he must be satisfied that he is 
 really a child of God. How, then, shall this be learned ? It is 
 not a trifling subject, nor should we delay to satisfy ourselves on 
 this point. Some complain that it is difficult, while others affirm 
 that it is impossible to know it with certainty, and presumptuous 
 to suppose that we can be assured of our final salvation, until we 
 are actually in the possession of it. That it is presumptuous to 
 aspire after such assurance, it would be difficult to show, and why 
 it should be impossible, it is hard to conceive. It is not ordi- 
 narily difficult for men on earth to learn who their parents are. 
 A child usually knows its own father. There are bonds of attrac- 
 tion between the two, and tbe child's afiection and reverence 
 usually make it manifest to others. It is even so here. Our 
 feelings toward God, our reverence and affection for him, and tho 
 
ADOPTION. 171 
 
 manner in wliicli we act in all our intercourse with him and for 
 him, are the best evidences whether we are really his children or 
 not. Hereby do toe know that he abideth in i(s, hy the sinrit ivliich 
 he hath given us, 1 John iii. 24 ; for the spirit itself beareth ivitness 
 with our spirit that ice are the children of Ood, Rom, viii. 16. 
 
 Would you know, then, whether you have been received into 
 the family of God? How do you regard him? Do you reve- 
 rence him as the great, and glorious, and holy God, who inhabits 
 eternity, and the praises thereof? Do you delight to think of 
 him, as a just and pure Spirit, who cannot look upon iniquity — 
 in whose presence the heavens are not clean ? At the same time, 
 while you feel towards him all the reverence due from a creature 
 to its Creator, do you regard him as a kind and atfectionate 
 Father, reconciled to you through the death of Cbrist? Do 
 thoughts of him, and frequent recollections of his grace and excel- 
 lence, come into your minds, as naturally as affectionate remem- 
 brances of a father do, into the heart of an obedient child ? What 
 is the character of your prayers to him ? The child of God comes 
 to his heavenly Father, as to a tried and faithful friend. He 
 delights to hold communion with him. Pie has no concealments 
 from his God ; and the full tide of affection, that finds on earth 
 no suitable object for all its strength, gushes forth, as, with the 
 spirit of adoption, he cries, xibba, Father. He asks himself. How 
 would m}^ father have me act in such and such circumstances ? 
 and he has no greater delight than to bring all his works, and 
 perform them as under the very eye of God. He that doeth evil 
 hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest Ms deeds shoidd be 
 reproved. But the child of God fears not to bring even his im- 
 perfect services; and if he has done wrong, his spirit finds no 
 rest, until, with ingenuous repentance, he has confessed them to 
 God. 
 
 We judge of parents, in some degree, by their children. Let 
 the children of the Most High so act, that God shall not be 
 ashamed of them. Is he holy? So must his children be. Is lie 
 kind and compassionate ? So let all his children prove. Be ijc 
 therefore perfect, even as your Father ivhich is in heaven is perfect, 
 Matt. V. 48. 
 
 It is almost superfluous to add, that no class of men are so 
 truly happy, as those that are the sons of God. We have seen 
 that they are not exempted from afflictions and trials. It is true 
 of them, as of all around, that man is born unto troubles as the 
 
172 ADOPTION. 
 
 sparks fly upward. Nay, I have often thought, that the Chris- 
 tian has more sorrows, and he feels them more acutely than the 
 men of the world. Yet it is no paradox to assert that, notwith- 
 standing all this, his joys are for greater and more desirable than 
 theirs. There is an illumination of the understanding, and an 
 enlargement of the capacities, in the child of God, which, while 
 it subjects him to some sorrows, which men of the world do not 
 experience at present, at the same time opens to him stores of 
 enjoyments, which other men do not understand, and which 
 more than counterbalance his added sorrows. Has he not a hope 
 fixed upon the rock of ages, even in the darkest hour ? What 
 though the storms rage, and the tempests lower? What though 
 all around him are pale with fear, and trembling with anxiety ? 
 True, there are dark clouds, but he knows that behind those 
 cloads, the hand of his Father is stretched out for his defence. It 
 is said that a little child on ship-board in a storm was observed 
 to be as calm and happy as usual, though all around were in 
 momentary expectation of perishing. On being asked if he had 
 no fears, he replied, with child-like simplicity and confidence, 
 "No, my Father is at the helm." Even so may the Christian 
 say; for he has heard a voice, which says to him. When thou 
 jMssest through the waters, I will he with thee, and through the rivers, 
 they shall not overflow thee. When thou walkest through the fire, thou 
 shall not he hurned ; neither shall the flame kindle iipon thee, Is. 
 xliii. 2. 
 
 And what though he has but little of what this world calls 
 riches! His residence may be a cottage, his clothes may be 
 coarse, his food scanty, and his friends few; but what can he 
 want, who calls God his Father ? Nor is he deprived of gratifi- 
 cation in the sight of that which he sees around him, though he 
 may not call it his own. He is related to everything he sees, 
 from the stately oak to the bending blade of grass — from the 
 glow-worm to the sun in the heavens — because the Maker of all 
 these is his Father. 
 
 " His are the mountains, and the valleys his, 
 And the resplendent rivers, his to enjoy 
 With a propriety that none can feel 
 But who, with filial confidence inspired, 
 Can lift to lieaven an unpresumptuous eye, 
 And, smiling, say, ' My Father made them all.' " 
 
 Macao, March 3, 1844. 
 
SERMON XX. 
 
 THE GOLDEN CALF AT SINAL 
 
 Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee : 
 behold, mine angel shall go before thee : nevertheless, in the day when I visit I 
 will visit their sin upon them. And the Lord plagued the people because they 
 made the calf which Aaron made. — Exod. xxxii. 34, 35. 
 
 After the law was given on Mount Sinai, there was a pause. 
 Then Moses came and told the people all the loords of the Lord, and all 
 the judgments : and all the people ansivered ivith one voice and said : 
 All the ivords lohich the Lord hath said, loill we do, Exod, xxiv. 3. 
 This unanimous consent of the people was followed by the solemn 
 ratification of the national covenant between God and Israel. Mo- 
 ses and Aaron and seventy elders, after the appropriate sacrifices 
 and offerings went up into the mountain. There, they saw the God 
 of Israel, and there was under his feet as it were a pa,ved work of a 
 sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in its clearness, and 
 upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hamd: also they 
 saio God, and did eat and drink, Exod. xxiv. 10-11. Thus the 
 covenant was ratified ; the laws of God were clearly made known ; 
 the people promised obedience ; he became their God, and they 
 were called his people. Then again there was a pause, and a cloud 
 covered the mount, and the glory of the Lord abode upon Mount Sinai, 
 and the cloud covered it six days. And the sight of the glory of the 
 Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount, in the eyes of the 
 childi'en of Israel, Exod. xxiv. 15-17. 
 
 At no time since the creation of the world were so many and 
 such magnificent displays of the glory and the power of God 
 made to men, as at the period when the law was given from 
 Mount Sinai. No nation ever saw him, and heard his voice, as 
 did Israel. With what feelings of awe must the nation have 
 gazed upon that devouring fire, as it flamed in the desert ! The 
 trumpet had ceased to sound, and the voice of God was no more 
 
174 THE GOLDEN CALF AT SINAL 
 
 heard, and they stood in tliose ancient solitudes gazing, and fear- 
 ing, and yet adoring the God who had shown so much conde- 
 scension, and of whose faithfulness to his promises they were 
 now the witnesses. Keasoning after the manner of men, we should 
 say, that a people who had seen such wonderful things, and 
 received such distinguishing mercies, could not speedily, if ever, 
 prove recreant to their solemn vows. Least of all should we 
 expect, that in sight of all these tokens of divine presence, they 
 should openly rebel against the Lord. But it is a melancholy 
 page in the history of human nature which we read at the foot 
 of Mount Sinai. Even in Horeh^ the scene of all these ivonders^ they 
 provoked the Lord, to ivrath, so that the Lord was angry ivith them, to 
 have destroyed them, Deut. ix. 8. 
 
 After the six days in which the glory of the Lord appeared 
 upon the mountains, and which it would seem that Moses spent 
 in solitary communion Avith God, the Lord called unto him out 
 of the midst of the cloud. He then went into the cloud into the 
 immediate presence of the Almighty, and remained in the mount 
 forty days, and forty nights, Exod. xxiv. 16-18. This first period 
 is not to be confounded with another similar period, which he 
 afterwards spent there, Deut. ix. 18. During all this time he did 
 neither eat bread, nor drink water, Deut. ix. 9. What his em- 
 ployments were, we scarcely know. During a part of the time, 
 he was employed in receiving the tables of stone, on which the 
 ten commandments were written: and in receiving the minute 
 directions and instructions of God, respecting the tabernacle and 
 its furniture, and the priesthood of Aaron. The patterns of all 
 these things were showed to him in the mount, Exod. xxv. 40 ; 
 Heb. viii. 5. Doubtless, he also spent much time in prayer, and 
 communion with God, Exod. xxxi. 18. It was a solemn and a 
 sacred time, even as Elijah in the same desert, and as Christ, each 
 fiisting for forty days, were prepared for' the great works which 
 tlicy respectively accomplished. He that would serve God ac- 
 ceptably before men, must needs spend much time in intimate 
 communion with his Creator in solitude. 
 
 The Israelites were still at the base of the mountain. It still 
 burned with fire, and its smoke still ascended unto heaven. For 
 awhile they gazed with curiosity and with fear. By degrees 
 these feelings abated, and at length, strange to say, gave place to 
 indifference — nay to satiety and contempt. Mere outward ordi- 
 nances and imposing ceremonies have little permanent effect, if 
 
THE GOLDEN CALF AT SINAI. . 175 
 
 the lieart remain untouclied. Israel was tlie professed people of 
 God, but there is every reason to suppose that the majority were 
 far from being true worshippers of Jehovah. They were mere 
 professors, at first even clamorous in their profession, then indif- 
 ferent, then rebellious. They were those whom Christ compares 
 to the stony ground. The seed falls on the ground where there is 
 not much earth, and immediately springs up because it has no 
 depth of earth ; but when the sun is up, it is scorched and 
 withers away. 
 
 For several days they waited for Moses, but at last weary of 
 waiting, they came in a tumult to Aaron, and demanded of him 
 that he should make them Gods to go before them, Exod. xxxii. 1. 
 In their hearts it would seem, they were already desirous to return 
 to the land of Egypt. Indeed, Stephen, the first martyr of the 
 Christian church, expressly charges them with harboring such a 
 purpose — In their hearts they turned hack again into Egypt^ Acts 
 vii. 39. We might have hoped, that Aaron, the brother of 
 Moses, and the intended high priest of Israel, would have with- 
 stood their wicked intentions. But so far as appears, he made no 
 remonstrance, and gave them no warning. He called for their 
 goklen ornaments, and they hastily brought their most precious 
 jewels. Of these he made a golden calf, and set it up before 
 them. It was received with applause, and the people, mindless of 
 the voice of God, which had said, I have brought thee out of the land 
 of Egypt^ Exod. xx. 2, exclaimed. These he thy Gods, oh Israel, which 
 hrought thee up out of the land of Egypt, Exod. xxxii. 4. In Egypt 
 they had been accustomed to seeing their neighbors worship 
 Osiris under the form of a calf, and to this they naturally turned 
 as the most appropriate representation of God. It is not certain 
 that they meant to forsake entirely the worship of Jehovah, but 
 they had been so long accustomed to seeing God worshipped by 
 means of images, that they wished still to continue the practice. 
 This at least was Aaron's intention, for he built an altar before 
 the calf, and made proclamation saying, To-rnorrovj is a feast unto 
 Jehovah, Exod. xxxii. 5. But how miserable a subterfuge was 
 this ! "What ideas could they have of the glorious Jehovah, when 
 they represented him under the image of an ox that eateth grass? 
 What memories were theirs, that did not recall the solemn words. 
 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of 
 anything that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath. How could 
 they suppose, that the God who had showed himself in such 
 
176 THE GOLDEN CALF AT SINAL 
 
 array of splendor and ninjcsty on tliat mountain's top, could be 
 pleased with such representations at its base ? But no thought 
 of these things entered their minds. Early on the morroiv they 
 rose up, and began their worship. They offered burni-offerings and 
 Irowjht peace-offerings. They sat doiun to eat and drink, and they 
 rose up to play, Exod. xxxii. 6. This last expression is one that 
 fills tbe mind with painful suspicions. They rose up to play. It 
 is well known that in the worship of many of the idols of the 
 heathen, there were rites of a nature so brutal and obscene, that 
 it is a shame even to speak of them ; and these rites are occasion- 
 ally referred to in Scripture, by the very expression here used. 
 
 AVhat a spectacle was here ! But a few short weeks before, 
 and the nation had stood trembling at the foot of Sinai. They 
 had heard that fearful trumpet's voice — had seen the ascending 
 flame and smoke — had felt the earth quake beneath them. The 
 command had sounded in their ears, and repeatedly they had 
 promised obedience. Even yet was the mountain smoking before 
 them, and already were they openly and shamelessly violating 
 the commands they had promised to obey ! Where was Aaron 
 and the seventy elders, who had gone up to the mount, to eat and 
 drink in the presence of the God of Israel? Foremost in the 
 transgression. How quicldy had they turned aside out of the ivay 
 v:hich the Lord had commanded them! Deut. ix. 16. Thus they 
 wrought great provocations, Neh. ix. 18. They made a ccdf in 
 Horeb, and worshipped the molten image. Thus they changed their 
 glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass. They forgot God 
 their Saviour ivhich had done great things in Egypt, Ps. cvi. 19-21. 
 Everything around conspired to aggravate their crime. Sinai — 
 the law of the commandments — the covenant whose blood was 
 scarce yet dry — the smoking cloud — and the manna, on which 
 they lived, all witnessed against them ; but their ears were deaf 
 to every voice. 
 
 It is a terrible thing to sin against God. "We may forget him, 
 but his eye is ever upon us, and every action we perform is 
 recorded in his book, to meet us when he calls us into judgment. 
 He saw the crime of Israel, and it grieved him at his heart. Was 
 this the people whom with so many signs, he had redeemed from 
 Egypt? Was this the people whose solemn vows were still on 
 record before him ? And was this the way in which they remem- 
 bered their promises and requited his care ? Then the Lord said 
 unto Moses, / have seen this people, and behold it is a stiff-necked 
 
THE GOLDEN CALF AT SIXAI. 177 
 
 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot 
 against them, and that I viay consum,e them, and I will make of thee 
 a great nation, Exod. xxxii. 9, 10. These were words of terrible 
 import ; but Moses, so often the mediator between God and his 
 people, was now their intercessor, and his prayer deserves to be 
 studied, not only as an example of entire forgetfulness of self, and 
 of generous earnestness in behalf of an offending people, but as 
 an example of the force of argument in prayer with God. It is 
 short, as all the public prayers of the Bible are — but it is com- 
 prehensive, and earnest as became one who thought not of him- 
 self but of the glory of God, and of the good of men. Moses 
 besought the Lord his God, and with arguments he sought to avert 
 his fierce indignation. Why should he now suffer his wrath to 
 wax hot against his people ? Were they not his oion people, and 
 though offending, would he not pardon them ? Had he not done 
 great things for them already; and would he now put it out of 
 his power to do more for tliem ? ISTay, if he now destroyed them, 
 would he not, so to speak, lose all he had already done for them? 
 Besides, this would give the Egyptians and other enemies of God 
 and his people ground for triumph, and of slander. Would they 
 not say, that all the promises of God were merely intended to 
 lure the people on to destruction, and that God had not power to 
 accomplish what he had promised? Wherefore should the 
 Egyptians have occasion to say, that for mischief God had 
 brought the Israelites out, that he might slay them in the moun- 
 tains, and consume them in the desert? But above all, he 
 pleaded the promises and the covenant of God. Had he not 
 sworn by his ownself, with an immutable oath, to Abraham and 
 Isaac and Jacob, that the Israelites should be his people forever? 
 What though one or many generations should rebel, was not the 
 covenant sure ? did it not have respect to Christ ? and would the 
 faithful Jehovah now make his own promises of none effect ? 
 
 It was a prayer full of wisdom, and of faith, and the Lord 
 was graciously pleased to hear it, and to repent of the evil he had 
 thought to do unto his people. He remembered for them, the 
 covenant he had made with their fathers, and repented according 
 to the multitude of his mercies, Ps, cvi. 45. Let it not be thought 
 when God is said to repent, that he is subject to change of pur- 
 poses, and fluctuations of counsels, as men are when they repent. 
 He changes not. His purposes remain ever the same, for the 
 Strength of Israel is not a man that he should repent. In con- 
 12 
 
178 THE GOLDEN CALF AT SINAI. 
 
 descension to our limited capacities, the sacred writers sometimes 
 speak of him as if he were actuated by passions like our own ; 
 but this is only to express the more strongly the depth of his ab- 
 horrence of sin, and the multitude of his mercies to men. Thus 
 he is said to be angry— and to repent— but no passion ever clouds 
 his mind — no change ever crosses his counsels. It was well said 
 by Augustine, " Oh Lord, who is like thee ? Thou lovest, but 
 art not inflamed with passion ; thou repentest, but dost not 
 grieve ; thou art angry, but tranquil withal, thou changest thy 
 works, but changest not thy counsels. Woe unto those that are 
 silent concerning thee, when even the loquacious cannot express 
 all thy wonders !" 
 
 Moses came down from the mount to the camp of Israel, but 
 how different the scenes he saw from those he had just left ! It 
 was truly a descent from heaven to the lower regions ; from inti- 
 mate communion with a holy God, to the orgies of men who de- 
 based themselves to the level of the brutes. Meek as Moses was 
 above all the men on the face of the earth, the spectacle he now 
 beheld was more than he could, and more than he ought to bear. 
 As soon as he came nigh unto the camp, he saw the calf and the danc- 
 ing : and Moses' anger ivaxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his 
 hand, and hrake them beneath the inount, Exod, xxxii. 19. This 
 breaking of the tables on which the ten commandments had been 
 written with God's own finger, was not a hasty burst of passion. 
 It was an intended symbolical action. Israel, by their making 
 and worshipping the golden calf, had broken the solemn cove- 
 nant ; and the breaking of the tables was intended to show them, 
 that on God's part also, the covenant was no longer binding, and 
 that they must look for judgments and wrath from him, who, 
 had they continued faithful, would have showered upon them un- 
 mingled blessings. The punishments speedily began to fall upon 
 them. The calf which they made and worshipped with api)lause, 
 was taken by Moses and treated with every mark of indignity 
 and contempt, while they were compelled to assist in its destruc- 
 tion, lie look their sin, the calf which they had made, and burnt it 
 ivith fire, and stamped it, and ground it very small, even until it was 
 as small as dust, and strewed it ujmi the luater of the brook that de- 
 scended from the mount, and made the children of Israel to drink it, 
 Deut. ix. 21. Exod. xxxii. 20. Then after a severe reproof to 
 Aaron, he called for all those who were on the Lord's side, to 
 come unto him. The children of Levi, who, it would seem, had 
 
THE GOLDEN CALF AT SINAI. 179 
 
 not gone with the rest of the nation in their transgression, joined 
 themselves to him, and at his command, they took their swords, 
 and passing through the camp from gate to gate, slew three thou- 
 sand of the people. It is most probable that these three thousand 
 had been foremost in the offence, and undoubtedly Moses acted 
 b}^ divine command in ordering their execution. It was a terri- 
 ble thing to see the armed messengers proceeding on their deadly 
 work, and slaying their companions and their neighbors^ their sons 
 and their brothers ; but so manifest was the sin of the people, and 
 so evident the power of God accompanying these avengers of his 
 insulted majesty, that no resistance was made, and no murmurs 
 were heard. It would have been easy for the many thousands 
 of Israel to have resisted the single tribe of Levi, but guilt had 
 weakened their arm, and made them naked. 
 
 The hearts of Israel were sad that night. Like Adam, when 
 he had eaten the forbidden fruit, they felt, that for a momentary 
 trifling gratification, they had sinned a great sin, and laid them- 
 selves open to the greatest sufferings, without the slightest ad- 
 vantage. They had broken God's laws, and their own promises ; 
 they had cast themselves out of the covenant, and angered Moses, 
 their best friend ; they had seen their leaders in crime laid in the 
 dust ; and they knew not but that in a short time they should 
 themselves suffer the same penalty. The day had commenced 
 with feasting and revelry, but it closed with fearful forebodings. 
 They were in the desert ; what if God should leave them there ! 
 It was impossible for that multitude ever to extricate themselves 
 from those defiles. Perhaps the manna might cease to fall, and 
 if no sudden judgment should take them away, yet want would 
 speedily cause them to perish. Could we have looked into the 
 camp of Israel, we should have seen darkness and sorrow, even 
 the light darkened in the heavens thereof. So it always is with 
 sin — sweet at first, but bitter in the end. 
 
 The words of Moses on the morrow were not such as to in- 
 crease their hopes. When he prayed to God in the mount, he had 
 had no conception of the greatness of their sin, but now his mind 
 was overwhelmed with its magnitude ; and even with the assur- 
 ance he had, that God would pardon them, he scarce dared to 
 hope for it. On the morrow he said unto the pejoph^ Ye have sinned 
 a great sin^ and now I will go up unto the Lord ; peradventure I shall 
 make an atonement for your sin, Exod. xxxii. 80. He went up 
 again to the mountain, and again appeared before the Lord, as an 
 
180 THE GOLDEN CALF AT SINAI. 
 
 intercessor. But what could he saj? The sin of the people 
 could not be concealed. It was written with a pen of iron, and 
 the point of a diamond. With what words should he plead for 
 their forgiveness? It would seem that an excess of emotion 
 choked his utterance, and his broken expressions show more 
 clearly than any eloquence of speech, the earnestness of his heart. 
 And Moses said, Oh^ this peoiole have sinned a great sin, and have 
 made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou icilt forgive their sin — 
 here he paused. The sentence is incomplete, for Avords do not 
 always express all the feelings of the heart — if thou ivilt forgive 
 their sin. Most earnestly did he desire their forgiveness, but he 
 feared that such a sin could not be passed over. Yet the alterna- 
 tive was too dreadful for him to contemplate, and rather than see 
 the people whom he loved cut off, he would prefer to die : — if 
 thou wilt forgive their sin ; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy 
 book which thou hast written. Exod. xxxii. 31, 32. It was simply 
 a prayer that he might die. To be blotted out of God's book of 
 eternal life, is a prayer that neither Moses, nor any other child 
 of God could offer. The answer of God was one calculated to 
 awaken the anxieties of Moses, and to fill the minds of Israel 
 with fearful forebodings. He intimated, that though for the pres- 
 ent he should not punish them, yet their sin should not be for- 
 gotten by him, and they themselves should have abundant cause 
 to remember it. They had basely turned their backs upon him, 
 and if sorrows came upon them afterwards, let them remember 
 what brought them down. Go noio, lead the people to the place of 
 which I have spoken unto thee : behold, mine angel shall go before 
 thee : nevertheless, in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon 
 them. And the Lord plagued the people because they made the calf 
 which Aaron made, Exod. xxxii. 34, 35. The Jews have a prov- 
 erb, which says, that " no affliction has ever visited the people of 
 Israel, in which there was not some particle of the dust of the 
 golden calf." 
 
 The remarks already made, render it unnecessary to add any 
 lengthened practical application. A few remarks in conclusion 
 shall suffice. 
 
 1. It is easy to see that no professions, and mere external 
 privileges and ceremonies arc sufficient, in the service of God, 
 when the heart is not engaged. All these will not keep us from 
 open and disgraceful sin. Fear is but a poor ingredient in wor- 
 ship. Who feared the Lord so much as Israel, when the flame 
 
THE GOLDEN CALF AT SINAI. 181 
 
 and smoke of Sinai ascended, and the trumpet's voice sounded in 
 their ears? 
 
 2. How desperate is the wickedness of the human heart. I 
 know of no reason to suppose that the hearts of the men of Israel 
 were any worse than ours ; or that we should not, in the same 
 circumstances, act precisely as did they. Who maketh us to dif- 
 fer ? or what have we that we do not receive from God ? Let 
 the restraints of his grace be withdrawn, and where shall we stop 
 in our downward career ? 
 
 3. This history furnishes a terrible example of God's hatred 
 of sin, and of his determination to punish it. No greatness of 
 power, no fear of the numbers of men shall keep him from in- 
 flicting on those who sin all that their sin deserves. What 
 though a nation sins against him, he can in a moment arm the 
 avengers of his justice ; he can turn a man's sword against his 
 own brother, he can commission the invisible powers of the air, 
 all nature at his command shall arise and pursue the transgress- 
 ors. He doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and 
 among the inhabitants of the earth ; and none can stay his hand, or 
 say unto him, luhat doest thouf Dan. iv. 35. And none shall be 
 safe when he maketh inquisition, Amos ix. 2-4. 
 
 4. The conduct of Moses in all this affair is peculiarly worthy 
 of remark. Without dwelling on it in all its particulars, observe 
 the arguments with which he enforces his prayer. He refers 
 specially to the covenant made with Abraham, and Isaac, and 
 Jacob. But what was that covenant ? To whom had it special 
 reference ? It was a covenant that looked directly to the Lord 
 Jesus Christ as its great Mediator. The covenant, says Paul, ivas 
 confirmed of God in Christ, Gal. iii. 17. He was its centre — he was 
 its hope — and a prayer that pleaded that covenant was really a 
 prayer in the name and for the sake of Christ. This was there- 
 fore the main argument with which all the ancient patriarchs 
 strengthened their prayers ; and this is our only hope. What- 
 ever we plead for — be it the forgiveness of sin, or the bestowment 
 of favor, we have no other name save that of Christ, and him 
 crucified. It is our only, and our all-sufficient hope. 
 
 Macao, March 9, 1844. 
 
SERMON XXL 
 
 COMMUNION OF MOSES WITH GOD. 
 
 And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. — 
 ExoDCS xxxiii. 11. 
 
 The worship of the golden calf at the foot of Mount Sinai was 
 a melancholy event. Man may well hide his face, and blush for 
 shame as he reads the account ; for if we except the sin of Adam 
 when he fell, and of Judas when he betrayed our Lord, there, 
 perhaps, has never been a case of more aggravated wickedness. 
 Every circumstance serves to enhance their guilt, and the wonder 
 is, not that three thousand were put to death immediately, and 
 that the Lord plagued the people because they made the golden 
 calf, but that his anger did not wax hot, till it had consumed the 
 whole nation. But if this history be melancholy, as showing how 
 low human nature can sink, it is equally instructive in the dis- 
 plays it makes to us of the character of God. One of the brightest 
 and most attractive revelations of his excellency whicli the Old 
 Testament contains was made immediately after, and in conse- 
 quence of the sin of Israel. Indeed a new and fuller revelation 
 of his grace was then needed ; for rich as had been the previous 
 displays of his mercy and long-suffering to Israel, it seems that 
 even Moses could scarce believe it possible for him to forgive this 
 daring offence. The character of Moses too shines brighter from 
 its contrast with that of Israel. The lower they seem to fall, the 
 higher does his liiith and piety soar, until at last we are compelled 
 almost to turn away our faces, and forbear to gaze upon the ex- 
 cellency to which, by God's grace, even a sinful man may attain. 
 What a contrast between the people and their leader is pre- 
 sented in the history of the golden calf. While Moses wor- 
 shipped God, they wor.shij)ped an idol ; but soon the scene was 
 changed, and the exulting idolaters, stripped of their ornaments, 
 
COMMUNION OF MOSES WITH GOD. 183 
 
 filled with fears, and stings of conscience, mourned over tlieir 
 follj. It was then that the character of Moses shone out in its 
 brightness. Had he left them to the punishment their sin de- 
 served, and which God seemed ready to inflict upon them, there 
 was a promise to himself that his seed should become a great 
 nation. But forgetting himself entirely, and anxious only for the 
 glory of God, and the prosperity of his people, he sought their 
 pardon. Not satisfied with a single petition, he returned again 
 and again, to the throne of grace, nor did he leave it till he ob- 
 tained the answer he desired. There were no prayers for himself, 
 all were for his people. And yet behold the benefits of inter- 
 cessory prayer, not only to those who are the objects of prayers, 
 but to him who prays. We are told that the Lord turned again 
 the captivity of Job ^ ivhen he prayed for his friends, Job xlii. 10 ; and 
 thus when Moses prayed only for Israel, he obtained in addition 
 for himself the richest tokens of God's fevor that he ever received. 
 Before this time he had been admitted to very intimate com- 
 munion with God ; but now the Almighty was pleased to reveal 
 himself even more gloriously, and to speak imto Moses face to face, 
 as a man si^eaJceth ivith his friend. 
 
 Let us consider the favor of God shown to Moses, as seen, 
 
 1. In the friendly intercourse he was allowed to enjoy with 
 him. 
 
 2. In the wonderful revelation of the character of God made 
 to him. 
 
 3. In the effects on Moses, as seen even in his bodily appear- 
 ance. 
 
 1. It would seem that no other mere man ever enjoyed such 
 intimate and unrestrained intercourse with the Almighty, as was 
 granted to Moses on this occasion. Abraham was called the 
 Friend of God; but one who compares the account of Abraham, in 
 the xviii. of Genesis, when he pleads for Sodom and Gomorrah, 
 with that of Moses in the xxxiii. of Exodus, when he pleads for 
 Israel, will see, that even Abraham did not approach so near to 
 God as Moses did. The Lord himself testifies, that there was 
 none whom he regarded as he did Moses. He says to Aaron and 
 Miriam when they contended with Moses, If there he a prophet 
 among you, I, the Lord, ivill make myself knoion to him in a vision, 
 and tcill speak unto him in a dream. Moses, my servant, is not so : 
 with him I loill speak mouth to mouth, even apparently and not in 
 dark speeches ; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold, Numb. 
 
18-i COMMUNION OF MOSES WITH GOD, 
 
 xii. 6-8; and accordingly it Avas said of him after his death, 
 There arose not a prophet since in Israel, like imto Moses luhom the 
 Lord knew face to face, Deut. xxxiv. 10. 
 
 In reading this chapter we feel that we are standing on con- 
 secrated ground, and never were the words of the poet more ap- 
 plicable than here — 
 
 " Prayer ardent 
 Opens heaven, and lets down a stream 
 Of glory on the consecrated hour of man 
 In audience with the Deity." 
 
 The Lord had commanded Moses to lead up the people of Is- 
 rael to their appointed land ; but how could Moses do this unless 
 the Lord should tell him who should go with him ? The Lord 
 liad told him that he was received into special favor, but Moses 
 wished some more manifest token of this favor. Now therefore I 
 pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me the way, that I 
 may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that 
 this nation is thy 'people. To this affectionate and earnest petition 
 a favorable reply was given. The Lord said, My presence shall go 
 loith thee, and I ivill give thee rest. But this was not all that Moses 
 wanted. Not for himself alone did he ask rest, and the favor of 
 God, He felt that his interests were inseparable from those of 
 Israel, and continued his supplication. If thy j^resence go not loith 
 me, carry us not up hence. As if he had said. It were better for 
 us to die in the wilderness, than to leave this place without the 
 favor of our covenant God. For wherein shall it he know7i here 
 that land thy people have found grace in thy sight f is it not in that 
 tliou goest with us ? So shall we he separated, I and thy people, from 
 all the nations that are on all the face of the earth. His request was 
 granted, for Moses was as one of the special friends of a king. It 
 is not expected of a great monarch that he should know all the 
 officers that serve him ; but he knows the names of those who are 
 nearest to him, and serve him most faithfully. Such was the 
 relation in which Moses stood to God. And the Lord said unto 
 him, I ivill do this thing also which thou hast spoken ; for thou hast 
 found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name, Exod. xxxiii. 
 13-17. 
 
 2. Embohlcncd Ijy the condescension of the Lord, Moses had 
 yet another request to present, and he said, I beseech thee show me 
 thy glory. To those who know but little of the character of God, 
 
COMMUNION OF MOSES WITH GOD. 185 
 
 tliis may seem a strange petition. Had not Moses already seen 
 the glory of God, as no other mortal ever saw it? What brighter 
 revelations could he expect to receive? Why should he wish, 
 for more? But let us not think so meanly of God. Our Creator 
 is a being of infinite and incomprehensible majesty and excellence. 
 After we have tasked our powers to the utmost to comprehend 
 his character, there is still an infinity of glory beyond — and he 
 who has rightly learned anything at all of God, will desire to 
 advance yet farther and farther in that knowledge^ — forgetting 
 all that he has learned, he will still press forward to know more. 
 Like Moses, his prayer will still be, Iheseech thee show vie thy glory. 
 The more he knows of God, the more he will desire to know; the 
 more he learns of God, the more he will be able to learn, for the 
 very reception of knowledge concerning him, increases our ca- 
 pacity to receive additional stores of such knowledge. And the 
 more we know of him, the richer will be the happiness it affords, 
 for it was not of this knowledge that Solomon spoke when he said, 
 in much knowledge is much sorrow. Nor need we fear ever to 
 exhaust the knowledge of God, for after our highest attainments 
 in it, we shall still see so much beyond, that we shall exclaim 
 with the apostle Paul, Oh the depth of the riches hoth of the loisdom 
 and the knowledge of God! hoio unsearchable are his judgments, and 
 his loays 2^ttst finding out, Eom. xi. 33. It was the sight which 
 Moses already had of the glory of God, which quickened his 
 desire to know more of it, and led him to pray, I beseech thee shoiu 
 me thy glory. His prayer was well -pleasing to God, and it re- 
 ceived a gracious response. The Lord promised to show him 
 a part of his glory, but its full brightness Moses, nor any other 
 man, could not receive. How can we, who cannot look even 
 upon the sun with uncovered eye, look upon him who made the 
 sun ? We must come by degrees to the knowledge of God ; and 
 he commonly reveals his glory to us as we are able to bear it, 
 and in proportion to the earnestness of our prayers for it. He 
 said unto Moses, / will make all my goodness pass before thee ; and 
 I ivill proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and ivill be gracious 
 to ivhom I toill be gracious, and laill show mercy on whom I will show 
 mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face; for there shall no 
 man see my face and live. It was a common opinion among the 
 Hebrews, and from them it extended to other people, that no 
 man could live after having seen God. It is certainly natural to 
 
186 COMMUNION OF MOSES WITH GOD. 
 
 suppose that no creature can gaze unharmed on him who dweUeih 
 in light, which no man can approach unto, 1 Tim. vi. 16. 
 
 The words of God, which close the xxxiii. chapter, are difficult 
 to be -explained. They refer to some revelation of God's glory, 
 tliat should be made to Moses, but its precise nature we shall 
 probably never know as long as we are in the body. There was 
 a cleft in the rock in which Moses was to be placed, and where 
 he should behold some part of the glory ©f the Lord, but not all, 
 nor even its brightest part — thou shalt see my bach parts, hut my 
 face shall not he seen. Whether this refers to some visible personal 
 appearance of God, that should be made to Moses — or Avh ether 
 the whole is a mere figurative expression, is uncertain. I know 
 of no sufficient reason why we should not suppose that it was a 
 visible personal appearance of God, which should be made to 
 Moses, and of which he should see only some less luminous part. 
 It is true that the Father is never seen, nor does he ever assume 
 a bodily form. But the Lord Jesus Christ, the equal of the 
 Father, the co-eternal son of God, did often assume a bodily 
 appearance, before his incarnation, and was seen by men, in 
 greater or less displays of glory. There is nothing contrary to 
 the analogy of Scripture in supposing that on this occasion, to 
 reward the faith and prayers of his servant, he assumed a body 
 like that he now bears in heaven. But a body so glorious as 
 that is, could not be beheld by one who was still in the flesh. 
 When Christ was transfigured in the mount, and Moses and 
 Elijah were with him, his face did shine as the sun, and yet even 
 then he held back half his glory, for how otherwise could Peter 
 and James and John have looked upon him? So when Moses 
 on this occasion was favored with a sight of that Redeemer, of 
 whom he was so eminent a type, he was not allowed to behold 
 that intolerable brightness, which man cannot see and live ; but 
 a display was made to him suited to the circumstances of his 
 body, and the capacities of his mind. The Lord Jesus Christ, 
 wlco is God over all blessed forever, Rom. ix. 5, and who was the 
 giver of the law of the ten commandments, assumed a body, and 
 appeared to Moses alone in the mount. He caused his goodness 
 to pass before him, and revealed himself — but in condescension 
 to the weakness of his creature, he covered his face until he had 
 passed, and caused him to see only the retiring beams of his 
 majesty. We cannot k>ok upon the sun, but we gaze delighted 
 on the gorgeous pcncillings of the western sky, when he has set. 
 
COMMUNION OF MOSES WITH GOD. 187 
 
 Even so Moses, whose face was covered when the Lord was before 
 him, beheld the glories that remained where the Lord had passed. 
 Whether this display of the glory of the Lord was made to Moses 
 at the time we are speaking of, or whether it was delayed until 
 the time when he came up with the tables of stone, which Avere 
 hewed, after the first were broken, is uncertaiu, and is of little 
 consequence to be known. In either case the favor shown to 
 Moses was great, and the revelation then made of the character 
 of God most glorious. Moses was commanded to come up alone 
 to the mountain ; no other was to come with him. In this he was 
 a type of Christ, Moses was the mediator and intercessor for 
 Israel, and as he stood alone before God, to plead for his people, 
 so Christ our mediator, is our only advocate and intercessor. 
 There is one inediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, 
 1 Tim. ii. 5. Moses went up to the mount; and again the Lord 
 descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, Exod. xxxiv. 5. 
 But though he came in a cloud, it was not with that fearful 
 magnificence with which he had appeared to Israel. Moses Avas 
 a favored child, and now the Lord revealed to him the mild radi- 
 ance of his love, that filled his soul with peace. He procladmed 
 the name of the Lord. The name of the Lord, is commonly used, 
 either for the Lord himself, or for his character, and to proclaim 
 his name, is to set forth his character, and declare his excellency. 
 How great and glorious is our God ! What one of the gods of 
 the heathen pretended to any of the excellencies which we adore 
 ^in Jehovah our Creator? 21 te Lord jxissed hy hefore him, and pro- 
 claimed, Jehovah, Jehovah God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering 
 and abundant in goodness and truth, heeping mercy for thousands, 
 forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin, and that will by no means 
 clear the guilty ; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, 
 and upon tlie children's children, unto the third and to the fourth 
 generation. Moses was in the very presence-chamber of the 
 Almighty, and without delay he embraced the opportunity again 
 to plead for Israel. He made haste and bowed his head toward the 
 earth, and worshipped. And he said, If now I have found grace in 
 thy sight, oh Lord, let my Lord I pray thee go among us; for it is a 
 siiff-neckedi people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us 
 for thine inheritance, Exod. xxxiv. 6-9. His prayer Avas heard 
 and answered, for when did the prayer-hearing God neglect such 
 faith and prayer as those of Moses? There are blessings, for 
 which he will be inquired of by the house of Israel, before he 
 
188 COMMUNION OF MOSES WITH GOD. 
 
 will do it for them ; but never yet has he said to any of the seed 
 of Jacob, Seek ye my face in vain, Is. xlv. 19. 
 
 3. Once before had Moses been in the mount alone with God, 
 and for forty days he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. 
 lie now spent another similar period there, but what his employ- 
 ments were, we are not informed. Day by day the sun rose, and 
 pursued his course and set again — day after day did Israel look 
 up to the mountain's top for the return of their leader ; but days 
 and weeks passed away, and still Moses was alone with God. 
 What revelations of the divine character must have been made 
 to him then ! How must his soul have expanded, as he drank 
 in richer and yet richer draughts from the original fountain of 
 all goodness and blessedness ! No other son of Adam ever has 
 enjoyed such opportunities of communion with his Creator, as 
 were granted to Moses. At last, the forty days passed away. 
 To Moses, they probably seemed but a few hours, for joy counts 
 not the passing moments. But to Israel, who awaited his return 
 with anxious expectation, they must have seemed long. At last, 
 they behold him descending the mountain, with the tables of the 
 testimony, the sign of God's reconciliation, in his hand. It would 
 be a subject for a painter's skill, to depict the eagerness with 
 which they i^an to meet and welcome his return. But why do 
 even Aaron, and the elders, as well as the children of Israel, fear 
 to come nigh him ? Why do they gaze upon him, as upon some 
 celestial visitant ? Why must he call them, and urge them to 
 come, that he may talk with them ? It was because he had been* 
 living among the beams of the glory of God, and not only was 
 his soul filled with his goodness, but even his body partook of the 
 glory in which he had dwelt. He was not himself aware of it, for so 
 completely was his attention engrossed with the character of God, 
 and the displays he had seen in the mount, that he thought not 
 of himself — hut the skin of his face shone — and all men took knowl- 
 edge of him that he had been with God, Exod. xxxv. 29-35. 
 So bright was the radiance of his face when he came down from 
 the mountain, that it was necessary for him to veil his face, in 
 order that the Israelites might come near him. This was another 
 mark of God's special favor towards him. Not only did he give 
 him near and constant access to himself, but he put honor upon 
 him before all men. There are but few examples of such tokens 
 of God's favor to men. When Stephen was brought before the 
 Jews, there seems to have been something in his appearance like 
 
COMMUNION OF MOSES WITH GOD. 189 
 
 that now presented by Moses. All the people saw him that his face 
 was as -it had been the face of an angel, Acts vi. 15. 
 
 In this respect, also, Moses prefigured Christ. Our Lord was 
 once transfigured, and his face did shine as the sun, and his 
 raiment became white as the light. It is not probable that the 
 glorj of Moses was so great as this, but it was sufficient to show 
 in what favor he stood with God, and to give the people great 
 ideas of that prophet, like unto Moses, who should hereafter appear, 
 and of whom Moses in the law did speak. 
 
 The account of the intercourse Moses had with God, to which 
 we have now been attending, explains satisfactorily the reason of 
 those excellent traits which we admire in his character. Few 
 men are more worthy of our admiration and imitation, than 
 Moses. Few men have been so highly honored in all ages, and 
 few men have so richly deserved honor. In whatever point we 
 contemplate the character of Moses, it is remarkably perfect. 
 Naturally, it would seem, he was of a hasty spirit, and prone to 
 speak and act under the impulses of passion. Such appears to 
 have been the case, when he slew the Egyptian whom he found 
 smiting an Israelite. Yet, it is very seldom we see any traces of 
 this disposition in all his dealings with Israel. This was not for 
 want of provocations, for they provoked him often, and grieved 
 his spirit, rebelling against the Lord, and speaking unkindly to 
 himself Yet, so completely had he the control of himself, that 
 it is recorded of him, that he was very meek above all the men that 
 were upon the face of the earth. Numb. xii. 3. 
 
 Moses was a man in whom we should naturally expect to see 
 symptoms of pride. Brought up in the palace of Pharoah, with 
 the wealth of Egypt at his command, yet afterwards giving up 
 this, and becoming the head of a nation, whose slightest actions 
 AVere noticed, and whose word was law, how naturally might he 
 have taken credit to himself. But, on the contrary, he was ever 
 humble in his own estimation. To say nothing of the low value 
 he put on himself when he was called of God to stand before 
 Pharaoh, he gave a striking proof of his forgetfulness of self, 
 when he came down from the mount. His face shone so brightly, 
 that Israel feared to come nigh him. Yet he was the last to 
 notice it. His spirituality is equally remarkable with his meek- 
 ness and humility. He might have sought great things for him- 
 self He might have become himself the head of a great nation. 
 He might have placed his children in offices of trust and honor, 
 
190 COMMUNION OF MOSES WITH GOD. 
 
 instead of leaving them to be lost among the other descendants 
 of Levi. But these were not the objects of his ambition. He 
 was little in his own eyes, and, far from seeking the pleasures of 
 this world, he cared only for those that belong to another. When 
 he might have sought for any of the pleasures of the earth, his 
 prayer to God was, / beseech thee shoiu me thy glory ; and it does 
 not appear that in all of the second period he spent in the mount, 
 he did anything else but spend his time in spiritual exercises. 
 
 These things may, at first sight, seem strange, but the reason 
 is plain. Moses had seen God — had intimately known his charac- 
 ter — and the natural effects of such knowledge, were to make 
 him feel his own nothingness, the vanity of all things earthly, 
 and the incalculable superiority of those that are eternal. How 
 could a man, who had known God as Moses did, give way to 
 passion or pride, or set any value on the trifling enjoyments of 
 the world ? 
 
 These are some of the benefits of studying the character of 
 God, and were there no command, one would think that self- 
 interest alone woultl prompt men to seek for such knowledge. 
 But it is lamentable to see how little even those who call them- 
 selves Christians, know of their Creator. His glory shines in the 
 sun — it is seen in the world around us — it is felt in every step 
 we take, and every action we perform, for in him we live, and 
 move, and have our heing. Yet how few there are whose notions 
 concerning him are right. Most men think of him, as though he 
 were in all respects such a one as themselves. To such, and to 
 all men, I would say, in the words of Eliphaz, the Temanite, 
 Acquaint now thyself ivith him, and be at peace ; thereby good shall 
 come unto thee. 
 
 Macao, March 17, 1844. 
 
SERMON XXII. 
 
 THE BLESSING OF TRUSTING IN CHRIST. 
 
 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled 
 but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. — Psalm ii. 12. 
 
 The second Psalm was composed by David, the king of Is- 
 rael. This is evident, because, though his name is not attached 
 to it, in the book of Psalms, it is expressly ascribed to him by 
 the company of the apostles, Acts iv. 25. It is uncertain at what 
 period of his life it was composed, though a probable conjecture 
 is, that it was after he was seated on the throne of Israel, but 
 before he saw all his enemies vanquished. It takes its tone and 
 coloring from the circumstances of his own life, and very proper- 
 ly, for there never was a more eminent type of Christ than he. 
 There can be no doubt that its chief reference is to Christ, of 
 whom it forms a very striking and important prophecy. It can- 
 not be entirely and satisfactorily explained, unless it be admitted 
 to be a prophecy of Christ ; but with such an admission, its ex- 
 planation is eas}^, while the frequent quotations from it in the 
 New Testament, place this point beyond a doubt. 
 
 The Psalm is to some extent dramatic in its composition. It 
 opens with an address from the prophet, exposing the opposition 
 made by the rulers and people of the earth, to the kingdom of 
 Christ. The prophet then declares the folly and danger of such 
 opposition to Cod, and introduces Jehovah himself declaring his 
 firm purpose that his anointed one shall rule over all, and 
 supreme authority. This is followed by an address to all \i 
 rulers, and people; exhorting them to submit to this exalted 
 personage, and showing the benefits of such submission. 
 
 Although Jesus Christ is the rightful ruler of this world, both 
 in virtue of his own divine nature, and of his Father's appoint- 
 ment, yet his kingdom has ever been opposed by men, and has 
 been upheld only by constant exertions of the divine power. 
 
 mgs, 
 
192 THE BLESSING OF TKUSTING IN CHRIST. 
 
 When he came into the world he found few to welcome him, but 
 many to contend against him. He came unto his own, but his 
 own received him not. His life was a constant contest with the 
 rulers and the people of the Jews, and to human eyes, a most 
 unequal and unpromising one. What could an unarmed leader 
 with a band of unlearned fishermen, do against the power and 
 the wisdom of Judea, of Greece, and of Eome ? Nor were his 
 enemies slow to perceive their advantages, and to use to the ut- 
 most, all that they possessed. Of a truth, against him were 
 gathered together, both Herod the king of Judea, and Pontius 
 Pilate the Koman governor, and the Gentiles and the peojDle of 
 Israel, Acts iv. 27. To all this the Psalmist refers, in the first 
 three verses of the Psalm. TF% do the heathen rage and the people 
 imagine a vain thing ? The kings of the earth set themselves and the 
 rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed, 
 saying, Let us hreak these hands asunder and cast away their cords 
 from us. The prophecy informs us distinctly that such opposition 
 shall ever be made to Christ, though the very form in which it is 
 expressed shows that it will ever be fruitless, and that it will 
 return with double loss on the heads of the opposers. Such was 
 the case with Julian, the Roman emperor, who after being educa- 
 ted in the Christian faith, gave all his energies to the work of its 
 destruction. He pleased himself with the hopes of success, but 
 in the midst of his career, he met his death wound on the field of 
 battle, and saw that all his efforts were fruitless. Stung with the 
 reflection, he gathered a handful of blood as it trickled from his 
 wound, and throwing it in the air, exclaimed, "Thou hast con- 
 quered. Oh Galilean," In our own times the same has been 
 repeatedly witnessed. Voltaire and his associates " took counsel 
 together" and united their efforts to cast from them every tie that 
 bound them to their Maker. With what success, let the dying 
 agonies of Voltaire speak, when he cried for mercy to that same 
 Being he had once called a lo retch. And as if the more remark- 
 ably to show their failure, the very press on which Voltaire and 
 his companions printed their infidel publications against Christ, 
 is now employed in printing religious tracts that testify of Christ. 
 How can it be otherwise? They who contend against Christ 
 contend not against men, but against God, and who may hope to 
 succeed in such a contest ? How shall finite cope with infinite, 
 or the creatures of a day prevail against the eternal Jehovah ? 
 Who shall set the briers and thorns in array against that God who 
 
THE BLESSING OF TKUSTING IN CHRIST. 193 
 
 is a consuming fire, without incurring the charge of folly? Shall 
 not he who sitteth in the heavens, laugh at their impotent rage ? 
 Shall not the Lord have them all in derision, when they seek to 
 drag him from his throne, or alter the decrees he has established? 
 
 But it is worse than folly thus to contend with God, or to 
 refuse obedience to his anointed. Such conduct must inevitably 
 provoke his anger, and call forth his vengeance, and who may 
 stand when once he is angry ? He shall speak unto them in his wrath, 
 and vex them in his sore displeasure. Tlie wrath of even an earthly 
 king is as the roaring of a lion, but how much more terrible is that 
 of the great King of kings, the mere blast of the breath of whose 
 nostrils dries up the channels of the sea, and discovers the founda- 
 tions of the world? 2 Sam, xxii, 16. 
 
 Thus far the prophet speaks of the folly and danger of those 
 who resist the anointed of God, In the succeeding part of the 
 Psalm, he shows us the firm purposes of God, respecting Christ; 
 tlie honor bestowed upon him ; and the authority he should 
 possess. The Father himself speaks first, I have set (or as it is in 
 the margin, / have anointed,) my King upon my holy hill of Zion. 
 The Lord Jesus Christ is a King, and his kingdom, though not of 
 this ivorld, Or not like the kingdoms of men, is yet in the world, 
 and numbers men among its subjects. He is consecrated by God 
 the Father, to be head over all things, to the church, Eph. i. 22, 
 and he is set upon his throne so firmly, that no tumults or stri- 
 vings of men, even though they rage like the boiling ocean 
 against the rocks, can avail to overturn or render it insecure. Je- 
 hovah himself has placed him on that throne, and we ma}^ 
 without fear imitate the apostle, who applies to him the words of 
 the xlv. Psalm, Thy throne, Oh God, is forever and ever, Ps. xlv. 6. 
 
 In the seventh verse of the Psalm, the Son himself, the anoint- 
 ed King, is represented as speaking, / will declare the decree. The 
 reference is doubtless to that eternal decree, in virtue of which 
 he was constituted Mediator, and Saviour of the world, and as 
 such invested with additional right to supreme authority. I say 
 additional right, because by reason of his own divine nature, the 
 Son always possessed equal authority with the Father. The 
 words that immediately follow. The Lord hath said unto me, Thou 
 art my Son, this day have 1 begotten thee, are introductory to the 
 decree which he was about to declare. Their meaning is, "I now 
 make it publicly manifest, and proclaim it to the world that thou 
 art my Son, like myself in the possession of the divine nature, in 
 13 
 
19 J: THE BLESSING OF TRUSTING IN CHRIST. 
 
 l^ower and in glory." The reference here, is chiefly to the resur- 
 rection of the Lord Jesus Christ, when he was declared to he the 
 Son of God with poiver, according to the spirit of holiness, by the res- 
 urrection from the dead, Kom. i. 4. The resurrection of Christ 
 was the seal of all he did, and the confirmation of all he had 
 undertaken or promised ; for if Christ be not risen, then is our 
 preaching in vain, and your faith is also vain, 1 Cor. xv. 14. 
 
 The decree spoken of in the seventh verse, is contained in the 
 eighth and ninth verses. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the hea- 
 then for thine iyiheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy 
 possession. Thou shall break them iviih a rod of iron : thou shall 
 da.'ih them in pieces like a potter'' s vessel Such is the decree respect- 
 ing Christ. It was formed in the councils of the adorable Trin- 
 ity, long ere the world began. It is inscribed in the eternal rec- 
 ords of heaven. It was proclaimed by Christ himself, through 
 the mouth of his servant David, and through other prophets du- 
 ring a long series of ages. It has already begun to receive its 
 fulfilment, and every indication in the future — every lesson from 
 the past — promises that it shall receive a glorious accomplishment. 
 There is no nation, however remote, that shall not submit to 
 Christ ; no superstition however deeply rooted, that he shall not 
 pluck up ; and no opposition however strong, that shall not be 
 broken by the iron rod he bears. At times it seems scarce pos- 
 sible that these expectations should be realized, and those who cher- 
 ish them are commonly characterized as visionary enthusiasts. The 
 enemies of Christ are numerous, and powerful, and they combine 
 all their energies to defeat his plans. But how vain are their ef- 
 forts. The decree has gone forth, and it shall be executed. Its 
 course is like the torrent that sweeps from the mountains. The 
 barriers that are thrown before it may obstruct it for a moment, 
 but only till its waters have had time to rise above them, and then 
 they add to the volume and force of the conquering flood. Flight 
 and resistance are equally useless. Hath Ood said, and shall he 
 not do it ? JInth he spoken and shall he not make it good ? Num. 
 xxiii. 19. 
 
 Such are the circumstances on which the exhortation of the 
 text is founded. It is an exhortation addressed primarily to the 
 kings and judges of the earth, inasmuch as they arc most prone to 
 think themselves exalted above even the power of him who placed 
 them on their thrones. Be tvise now therefore oh ye kings, be in- 
 structed ye judges of Oie earth. Serve tfic Lord with fear, and rejoice 
 
THE BLESSING OF TRUSTING IN CHRIST. 195 
 
 rciih trcmUing. The remainder of the exhortation, which forms 
 the text of this discourse, is equally applicable to all men ; to the 
 noble and the base, to the ruler and the subject alike. It con- 
 tains in itself the gospel in miniature, being an outline of the du- 
 ties to be performed, of the dangers of disobedience, and of the 
 reward of those who believe. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and 
 ye perish from the loay when his tvrath is kindled hut a little. Bless- 
 ed are all they that ^mt their trust in him. 
 
 The command, hiss the Son, has reference to the ancient mode 
 of expressing, not merely affection, but the highest degree of loyal- 
 ty and veneration. When David parted from good old Barzil- 
 lai, he kissed him and blessed him, 2 Sam, xix. 39. This was sim- 
 ply a token of affection and esteem. When Samuel anointed Saul, 
 he kissed him, 1 Sam. x. 1. This was a token of cheerful and affec- 
 tionate loyalty, a profession of his willingness to be under the rule 
 of Saul, for he said. Is it not because the Lord hath anointed thee to he 
 captain of his inheritance? In the ancient idolatrous worship, it 
 was very common to show their veneration and devotion by the 
 same token, so that it even passed into a proverb, Let the men 
 that sacrifice kiss the calf, Hos. xiii. 2. All of these ideas are in- 
 cluded more or less in the command of the text, Kiss the Son. 
 Acknowledge him as your God and King, give him the veneration 
 and devotion which some prostitute to idols. Let him reign su- 
 preme in your hearts, and serve him with that affectionate loyal- 
 ty, which so beneficent a King deserves. This is not an unreason- 
 able requisition. Were we required to show such affection and 
 loyalty and veneration to a mere man, we might well hesitate ; 
 for what child of Adam has ever lived who deserves such sub- 
 mission, from all men, of all lands, and all ages ? But Christ Je- 
 sus has a right, to all that we can give. In his own divinitj^ he 
 sits upon the throne, and the highest seraphs bow before him. 
 Not only so, but he bears a special and peculiar relation to our 
 world. For us he was anointed a King upon the holy hill of Zion. 
 For us he bore the sorrows and sufferings of life on earth, and of 
 death upon the cross. For us he rose triumphant over death and 
 the grave, — and for us he sits at the right hand of God ever to in- 
 tercede for us. Has not a being who has shown us so much love 
 — who has done so much already, and is prepared to do still more 
 for us — a right to claim all the tribute which our hearts can give 
 him ? And how much more is this obvious, when we consider, 
 that there is a special and solemn command of our Creator requir- 
 
196 THE BLESSING OF TRUSTING IN CHRIST. 
 
 ing this. All men shall honor (he Son, even as tlieij honor the Father, 
 John V. 23. For it is written, As Hive, saith the Lord, every knee 
 shall hoio to me, and ever?/ tongue shall confess to God, Kom. xiv. 11. 
 
 There are many who regard this as a matter of little impor- 
 tance, and who not only take it for granted, but freely express 
 the opinion, that it is scarcely worth while to be so particular on 
 this point. They fancy that God will not much regard their 
 want of reverence for his Son ; nor will the all-merciful Saviour 
 visit too severely any omission of duty towards himself "Whence 
 this opinion rose, it might be hard for some to say, but certainly 
 it finds no countenance in the words of the Psalmist. On the 
 contrary, the very next words declare most plainly, that any 
 failure on this point will be visited with the severest chastise- 
 ment. Kiss the /Son, lest he be anginj. He will have a right to be 
 angry, for he has a right to your devotions ; and his anger is not 
 like the anger of men, a mere puff of noisy breath, or, at most, a 
 source of injury to our bodies. He is the God of the spirits of 
 all flesh, and his anger, once aroused, shall burn against them 
 forever. Lest he he angry, and ye perish from the way, when his 
 wrath is kindled but a little. How forcible are these expressions ! 
 Lest he be angry. The anger of man is so common, that we are 
 not surprised at it, and generally so powerless, that we do not 
 fear it. Not so the anger of Christ. It is a fearful thing, to 
 think of provoking the merciful Saviour to anger. Yet it can be 
 done, and among all the terrible expressions of the Bible, I know 
 of none so truly awful as that one, the wrath of the Lamb. No 
 wonder that men, in the vain desire to escape it, shall in that day 
 cry to the mountains and the rocks. Fall on us, and hide us from the 
 face of him that sitteth upon the throne, and from the ivrath of the 
 Lamb, Eev. vi. 16. How will those who now think so lightly of 
 the Lord Jesus, dare to look upon him when he shall be revealed 
 from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance 
 on them that knoiv not God, and obey not the gospel of our Jjord Jesus 
 Ghrist, 2 Thess. i. 7, 8. 
 
 A7id ye perish from the way. It is a sorrowful thing, even in 
 the affairs of this life, to lose one's road, arid wander in the wil- 
 derness, or float across the ocean, until famine or fatigue cause 
 us to perish. But infinitely more so is it to lose that only way 
 that leads to life, and to wander among the dark mountains, until 
 the soul perish forever. Yet to this danger all those are exposed, 
 who provoke the anger of Christ. And think not to say. But my 
 
THE BLESSING OF TRUSTING IN CHRIST. 197 
 
 sins are comparatively insignificant, and though he may disap- 
 prove of them, he will not rouse all his anger against me. It is 
 true he will not, for if he did, no mortal could stand for one 
 moment. It is not needful to awaken all the anger of the 
 Saviour. When his anger is kindled hut a little^ you shall perish 
 from the way. The way of life — the way of joy — the way of 
 peace — nay, even the way of hope, you can no more tread, if 
 once his anger is kindled against you bat a little. 
 
 Are such the consequences of neglect or contempt of Christ? 
 What, then, may those expect, who pursue the contrary course, 
 and, by a life of unceasing obedience, show that their hearts are 
 full of affection and veneration for him ? The question is easier 
 asked, than answered. In our version, the Psalmist says, Blessed 
 are all they that put their trust in him ; but this by no means 
 expresses the full force of the original. More literally, it is, Oh, 
 the blessednesses of those who put their trust in him! The Psalmist is 
 filled with admiration at the very thought of their blessings, 
 though he does not here enumerate them. But it is easy to 
 gather some of them from other passages of the word of God. 
 The Scrii^ture saith, Whosoever helieveth on him shall not be ashamed^ 
 Eom, X. 11. The disciples of Christ are often scorned and 
 reviled, and many are ashamed to be called by his name. Be it 
 so. There is a day coming, when all nations shall be assembled 
 before his throne, and other worlds shall be spectators of the 
 scene. There Avill be no shame on the faces of his disciples then, 
 when he calls to them, Come^ ye blessed of my Father^ inherit the 
 kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the ivorld, Matt. 
 XXV. 34. There will be shame on the faces of those who now 
 despise him, when the &n of man shall be ashamed of them before 
 his Father, and before his holy angels, Mark viii. 38. But this 
 blessedness is not all deferred to that distant day. Even now. 
 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, for he shall be as a tree 
 planted by the ivaters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, 
 Jer. xvii. 7, 8. And amidst all the storms and tempests of this 
 changing scene, there are blessings for him that the world know- 
 eth not. The wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest. 
 There is no peace to the wicked. But thou tvilt keep him in perfect 
 peace ivhose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee, Is. 
 xxvi. 3. 
 
 Macao, March 31, 1844, 
 
SERMON XXIIL 
 
 THE PUBLICAN AND THE PHARISEE. 
 
 And he spake this parable to certain which trusted in themselves that they were 
 righteous, and despised otliers : Two men went up into the temple to pray, the 
 one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus 
 with himself, God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, un- 
 just, adulterers, or even as this publican, I fast twice in tlie week, I give tithes 
 of all that I possess. And the publican standing afar off, would not lift up so 
 much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful 
 to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than 
 the other ; for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased : and he that hum- 
 bleth himself shall be exalted. — Luke xvili. 9-14. 
 
 DuKiNG our Saviour's short ministry on earth, lie mingled in 
 all classes of society. The poor crowded around him to partake 
 of his bounty, and hear his gracious words. The rich invited 
 him to their houses, or followed in his train from curiosity, or 
 with designs to watch and inform against him. Some came to 
 hear his wisdom, others to see his mighty works. The Pharisee 
 came to uphold his own cause against this new enemy, and boast 
 of his own good deeds, — while the sinner who found pardon and 
 peace nowhere else, came to bathe his feet with tears. He had 
 instructions for all, for he knew what was in man, and was inti- 
 mately acquainted with all their wants. Hence his instructions 
 were always appropriate, nor need we be surprised to learn that 
 they were often unpleasant to his hearers. He was a skilful phy- 
 sician to cure diseased souls ; and the instruments he used were 
 sharp, and the medicines employed were bitter. Yet unpleasant 
 as were his words at times, he never failed to declare the whole 
 truth to all his hearers. 
 
 Of this we have a striking example in the parable before us. 
 It is one addres.sed to his contemporaries, but meant for all ages, 
 for it combats an error that will exist as long as there shall be 
 sinful men in the worM. 
 
THE PUBLICAN AND THE PHARISEE. 199 
 
 It was spoken to those wlio trusted in themselves thai tliey were 
 righteous^ who supposed that their own works were so good as to 
 be a foundation for justification and acceptance with God. This 
 is a most common and natural error. It has its origin in a pas- 
 sion strong as the love of life itself— even in that vanitj which 
 makes men utterly loathe to think meanly of themselves, or to 
 acknowledge that they have no good works to merit the Ihvor of 
 God. Yet this trusting to one's own righteousness implies a most 
 criminal ignorance of the character of God and of one's self. No 
 one can rightly understand the purity of the nature of Jehovah, 
 and comj)are it with his own wickedness, without being struck 
 dumb with shame. Alv/ays it has been so, that those who have 
 known most of God have been the most humble. When Abra- 
 ham was allowed to commune with God in behalf of Sodom, he 
 used expressions showing the most entire want of confidence in 
 himself Behold now I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, 
 which am hut dust and ashes, Gen. xviii. 27. And when holy Job 
 not only heard of God by the hearing of the ear, but also saw 
 him with his eyes, then he abhorred himself, and repented in dust 
 and ashes, Job xlii. 6. 
 
 It was strange that the Pharisees, with the law of God in their 
 hands, and all its requisitions of perfect holiness, and with the ex- 
 amples of their patriarchs confessing their own unworthiness, 
 could still trust in themselves that they were righteous. Yet not 
 only did they trust in themselves — they also despised otliers ; 
 which alone was a certain proof of their being false professors. 
 A true child of God certainly esteems others better than himself 
 He knows the sinfulness of his own heart much better than he 
 knows that of others, he feels that he is but a brand plucked from 
 the burning, and that he may himself fall even as disgracefully as 
 David did. How can such a one despise others, who have not 
 enjoyed the privileges granted to him ? Yet nothing is more 
 common than for men to pride themselves on their own goodness, 
 and esteem meanly those who do not come up to their own stand- 
 ard. And common as it is, nothing is more abominable to God. 
 It is bad enough to be sinful, but it is intolerable to shut one's 
 own eyes to a sense of sinfulness — to cover it with the false show 
 of goodness, and to despise those less favored, and therefore per- 
 haps more openly transgressors of the law. This is really rob- 
 bing God, for it is ascribing to ourselves the praise of his gifts. 
 To us it is hateful to hear any man say to another, stand by, for I 
 
200 THE PUBLICAN AND THE PHAEISEE. 
 
 am holier than thou. But to a God of infinite purity, in whose 
 .sight we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses 
 as filthy rags, it must be an offence of unspeakable magnitude. 
 
 Our Saviour met with such conduct in every step of his public 
 ministry. Jewish society was essentially religious, at least its 
 forms were such, and while religion was fashionable, open sin was 
 disreputable, and men of bad habits were outcasts. Of all the 
 classes of Jewish society, the Pharisees were the most attentive to 
 the outward observances of the law, and the Publicans the least. 
 The Pharisees sat in Moses' seat, and expounded the precepts of 
 his law. Their theology was correct. They believed in the ex- 
 istence of a God, of a future state, of rewards and punishments, 
 and of the necessity of good works and of a blameless life. They 
 held to all the law, and especially its rites and ceremonies, of 
 which they were careful even to scrupulosity. No fire would 
 they kindle on the Sabbath day — no washing of hands or of cups 
 and platters would they omit — they tithed mint and anise and cum- 
 'iwin, and many of them might boast, as did Paul, that touching 
 the righteousness which is of the law, they were blameless. Nay, 
 as if all this were not enough, they had added their own tradi- 
 tions to the law of God, and imposed additional weights on the 
 burden which neither they nor their fathers were able to bear. 
 By these things they had made the law of God of none effect. 
 The object of the law is, like a schoolmaster to lead men to 
 Christ, by showing how far we come short of obeying its requisi- 
 tions. But from ignorance of its true nature, they prided them- 
 selves on having obeyed it perfectly. They had a high opinion 
 of themselves — were constantly justifying themselves, and boast- 
 ing of their descent from Abraham, of their circumcision, and 
 their keeping of the law. Some of them, like Paul before his 
 conversion, were probably sincere, and verily thought they were 
 doing God service ; but the greater part were mere hypocrites, 
 and utterly hateful in the sight of God. How awful were the de- 
 nunciations uttered against them by our Saviour in the xxiii. of 
 Matthew. You have seen a dark cloud as it slowly rises and 
 overspreads the heaven. Muttering thunders roll, and then 
 louder and louder blasts reverberate through the heavens. The 
 vivid lightnings dart across the heavens, revealing fearfully the 
 gloom around, and prostrating the pride of the forests. So fear- 
 ful were the words of Christ, Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, 
 hypocrites ! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have 
 
THE PUBLICAN AND THE PHARISEE. 201 
 
 omitted the tveightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith. 
 Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye are like unto 
 whited sepidchres, luhich indeed appear beautiful outward, but are with- 
 in fall of dead men's bones, and of all unclea^iness. Ye serpents, ye 
 generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell, Matt. 
 xxiii. 23, 27, 33. 
 
 The publicans were the lowest class in Judea, commonly they 
 were renegade Jews, or foreigners. They were tax gatherers to 
 the Eomans, which alone was sufficient to render them odious. 
 The Jewish nation prided themselves on having never been in 
 bondage to any man, and after they were forced to bear the 
 Koman yoke, it was a common subject of discussion among them, 
 whether it were lawful to pay tribute to Cassar or not? Not only 
 were they hated as being the signs and the instruments of their 
 servitude, but they were more justly unpopular on account of 
 their extortions, excesses, and cruelty, in exacting more than 
 was appointed, and increasing their wealth by false accusations. 
 Hence they were hated by all, but especially by the self-righteous 
 Pharisees, who counted it sinful to associate with them, or partake 
 of their food. Publicans and harlots, were terms of equal re- 
 proach, and the Pharisees saw few things in Christ to which they 
 objected more, than his eating with publicans and sinners. Yet 
 probably in the sight of God, the Pharisees were greater sinners 
 than they. He sees not as man sees. He estimates sin by its 
 principles, and by the opportunities and the light enjoyed by the 
 person offending. It is a great mistake to suppose that those are 
 the greatest sins which are most obvious, and most disreputable 
 among men. They are the sins of the heart, unbelief and pride, 
 and ambition and covetousness, which is idolatry, which God 
 most abhors. 
 
 The Pharisees felt sure of God's favor, and despised the pub- 
 licans, as persons who could have no claim or expectation of his 
 mercies. To their eyes it seemed as though the door of heaven 
 were set wide open for themselves, but closed against all others. 
 In the parable, Christ shows them their mistake. 
 
 Two men went up into the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee and 
 the other a publican. The temple was the place where all sacrifices 
 were offered, and all public and solemn acts of worship were per- 
 formed. Thither went up the tribes of Israel, for there God had 
 promised to give peculiar tokens of his presence and favor. Its 
 doors stood open, and none however vile were excluded. The 
 
202 THE PUBLICAN AND THE PHARISEE. 
 
 worshippers took different positions, as fancy, or convenience, or 
 self-esteem directed. Some dared not go beyond the door, while 
 others, with confidence, advanced towards the inner temple. 
 What varied characters were collected at times within those 
 walls, and how varied the objects for which they came. Here 
 was aged Simeon, ready to depart in peace having seen the salva- 
 tion of the Lord, and here was the young mother come to present 
 the customary offerings on the birth of her first born. Here was 
 the proselyte from a distant land, and here was the Israelite with 
 his sin-offering, or his burnt-offering, or his thank-offering. The 
 rich and the poor met together here, for the Lord who was the 
 maker of them both, called each alike to his temple. 
 
 It is a hazardous thing for man to attempt to read the charac- 
 ters of his fellows, and were we to attempt to pronounce on the 
 characters of those who at any time stood in the temple, we 
 should not probably judge as God does. 
 
 The Pharisee, doubtless, far within the door, stood hy himself; 
 he disdained to associate with the crowd, or to offer up his prayers 
 in common with the other worshippers. But what a prayer he 
 offered ! In form it was a thanksgiving, but in fact, a boasting 
 of his own good deeds. He enumerates his own righteousnesses 
 with great self-complacency, as so many certificates of stock in 
 the bank of heaven, all acquired by his own industry. He was not 
 like other men. He was not an extortioner; he was not unjust; 
 he was not an adulterer ; he was not even as bad as the publican 
 who had dared to come with him to the house of God. We may 
 without hesitation admit that he spoke truly — that he had not 
 committed these crimes. Many of the Pharisees made religion 
 only a cloak for their covetousness, but others, in outward deport- 
 ment, were blameless and sincere. Like Paul they had a zeal for 
 God, though it was not according to knowledge. -But not only 
 was this man free from outward vices, he was also a doer of good. 
 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all I possess. Probably he 
 also gave alms to the poor, for this commonly was practised by 
 those who fasted and paid tithes. 
 
 Such was the ground of his expectation of the favor of God — 
 freedom from open vices and the practice of, the outward acts of 
 religion. Not a word does he say of sin — not a confession of ill- 
 desert — not a request for mercy and grace. No mention of a 
 Saviour, or an atonement. All is calm undoubting self-depend- 
 ence. Yet it was most strange that with all the evidence to the 
 
THE PUBLICAN AND THE PHARISEE. 203 
 
 contrary, lie could still so confide in himself. What a contrast 
 is there between the spirit of his prayer, and of the Psalms oi' 
 David, in which we read of the hlessedness of him ivhose sins are 
 covered, Ps. xxxii. 1, 2. How different his description of himself 
 from that Jeremiah gives of the nature of man : The heart is de- 
 ceitful above all things, and desperately iviched, who can know it? 
 Jer. xvii. 9, 10. What a different lesson was taught by the sacri- 
 fices which morning and evening were offered in that place of 
 prayer ! How then was it possible for him thus to come before 
 God ? The reason is plain. He had the law of God in his hands, 
 and was familiar with the letter of its precepts, but its spirit he 
 had never comprehended. He was alive without the law, for it 
 was holy and just and good, but he was carnal and sold under 
 sin. He knew not the plague of his own he^rt, and would have 
 been as much surprised as Nicodemus wras, to hear Christ say. 
 Except a man he horn again he cannot see the kingdom of God, John 
 iii. 3. In these respects he was a perfect picture of the greater 
 part of men called Christians in our days. Those who are free 
 from gross vices, who read their Bibles, and attend the house of 
 God with regularity, consider that their lives are so meritorious 
 that they need fear nothing. What lack I yet? is the question 
 with which they triumphantly close their account of the grounds 
 of their hope before God. 
 
 The Pharisee came to the temple, ostensibly to pray, but 
 really to boast of himself. But what brought the publican there ? 
 It was no strange sight to see the Pharisee in the temple, but the 
 Publicans commonly kept at a distance. Perhaps it was some aflSic- 
 tion that befel him, which first led him to think of spiritual things. 
 More probably it was the word of God, which in some way had 
 found access to his heart, and fastened on his conscience. He had 
 no showy virtues to build a hope upon, and he felt that within he 
 had no ground of confidence. He knew that he was a sinner. Per- 
 haps his views of sin v/ere very indistinct ; but he began to realize 
 that God was an holy God, and would execute the punishment of 
 the law upon the sinner, tf some other way of escape were not 
 found. A dreadful sound was in his ears — a voice sounded — 
 Flee from the ivrath to come ! But whither flee ? He came to the 
 temple, if perhaps God might be gracious to him. But it w^as a 
 place to which he had not been accustomed to come, and he felt 
 as a stranger there. It was years since he had even heard a 
 prayer. And when he came up, and saw the altar and the 
 
204 TUE PUBLICAN AND THE PHARISEE. 
 
 smoking sacrifices, the glittering vessels of tlie temple, and the 
 i:»riests in their priestly robes, with the worshippers around them, 
 he was overpowered with the sense of his own unworthiness. He 
 felt like an outcast among such men, and did not dare to come 
 near them. Still less would he presume to come near the Pharisee, 
 Avho stood so close to the mercj-seat. Accordingly, he stood afar 
 
 off. 
 
 And if he felt unworthy to mingle with the other worship- 
 pers, or to stand on the same footing with them, how much more, 
 when he thought of that pure and holy God unto whom he was 
 about to address his prayer. He repented, and abhorred himself. 
 He did not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven^ but in sign of his 
 deep contrition and sorrow for sin, he smote upon his breast, and ut- 
 tered the simple, but heartfelt prayer, God be merciful unto me a sin- 
 ner. How short, yet how expressive ! His heart was borne down 
 with the load of sin, and his whole soul deeply humbled before 
 God. He made no attempt to conceal, or to palliate, much less 
 to justify his evil course. His only plea was for mercy. If God 
 were not gracious he had no hope of salvation. Like Esther 
 when she went uncalled into the presence of Ahasuerus, his feel- 
 ing was, I lu ill go unto the king, and if I perish, I perish, Est. iv. 16. 
 He reasoned like the lepers who sat before the gate of Samaria. 
 Why sit we here, until we die f If we say ive luill enter into the city, 
 the7i the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: andif v:e sit still 
 here, ive shall die also. Now therefore come and let us fall unto the 
 host of the Syrians : if tliey save us alive, we shall live, and if they hill 
 us, we shall but die, 2 Kings vii. 3, 4. Thus reasoned the publican, 
 and wisely. If God should be mercifal unto him, he should live, 
 but if not, there was no other who could save him ; and it was 
 better to perish while knocking at mercy's gate, than to perish 
 elsewhere. But none ever perished there. Thanks be unto God, 
 he will cast out none who come unto him in Christ's name. 
 There is hope in the cross of Christ, even for the chief of sinners ; 
 and this is the only hope, on which the publican, the thief on the 
 cross, the persecuting Saul, and we oivselves can depend. 
 
 The publican's faltering prayer was accepted, while the boast- 
 ing speech of the Pharisee was unheard and neglected. The 
 broken voice of the first sounded like sweet music in the ears of 
 the prayer-hearing God, but the other was discord and mockery ; 
 and the publican went do^vn to his house justified rather than the other. 
 The reason is found in that general rule of God's government, 
 
THE PUBLICAN AND THE PHARISEE. 205 
 
 Every one that exalteth khiiself shall he abased ; and lie that humhletli 
 himself shall he exalted, Matt, xxiii. 12. This parable was spoken 
 for the benefit of those who lived when Christ was on earth, and 
 it was left on record for our instruction. The lessons we may 
 derive from it are these. 
 
 1. External morality is not enough to secure our salvation. I 
 know of scarce any other truth of the Bible that needs to be so 
 constantly insisted on as this, for on almost no point are men so 
 apt to err. The desire to justify ourselves is so strong, that even 
 at the judgment seat of Christ, the wicked shall attempt it, Luke 
 xiii. 25. Were a man to obey the law of God perfectly, his mo- 
 rality certainly would save him — he would enter heaven on his 
 own merits. But where is such a man to be found ? Where is 
 the just man that doeth good and sinneth not? You and I, my 
 hearers, have never yet seen such a man. All have sinned — all 
 have gone out of the way, and how then is it possible for any of 
 us to deserve the favor of God. If our whole duty belongs to 
 God, and we fail in one part, will the performance of the other 
 part make up for that which is lacking ? If a man owes you ten 
 thousand pounds, and defrauds you of one thousand, do you 
 count him just, because he pays the other nine ? Do you not 
 rather seize him, and cast him into prison till he pays you every 
 farthing ? Is it just in you to act thus ; and is it not also just in 
 God ? Verily I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall ex- 
 ceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall 'in no case 
 enter into heaven, Matt. v. 20. Morality is good, but the reason 
 of our salvation is found in the cross of Christ ; and those who 
 are saved by the cross, as a consequence, become moral. The 
 Pharisees were excluded, while publicans and harlots entered. 
 The nominal Christian is lost, while they who were heathen are 
 saved. The one trusts in himself that he is righteous, while the 
 other, destitute of all self confidence, flees to the cross of Christ 
 for shelter. 
 
 2. It is a great and grievous sin, to despise those beneath us — 
 counting ourselves the favorites of God, and them the vessels of 
 his wrath. Were we free from all sin, and able to search the 
 hearts of others, we might perhaps do this with impunity ; but 
 who is there that dares to say, Stand by thyself come not near to 
 me ; for I am holier than thou ? Is. Iv. 5. Not thus did Moses and 
 Abraham and David act — not thus did Paul and the apostles 
 speak. This comparing of ourselves, measuring ourselves, and 
 
206 THE PUBLICAN AND THE PHARISEE. 
 
 judging of ourselves, not by the word of God, but by others around 
 us, is a bad sign, and the fruitful source of many evils. Jacob 
 confessed himself less than the least of all God's mercies^ Gen. xxxii. 
 10 ; and Paul declared, / am less than the least of all saints, 
 Eph. iii. 8. 
 
 3. Finally. Learn hence, how precious is the grace of humility 
 in the sight of God. Before him even the highest angels veil their 
 faces — before him the holiest saints prostrate themselves in lowly 
 reverence ; and shall a sinful mortal presume to boast in his pres- 
 ence ? The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a con- 
 trite Iveart, God will not despise, Ps. li. 17, for, though the Lord be 
 high yet hath he respect unto the lowly ; but the proud heknoweth afar 
 off, Ps. cxxxviii. 6. 
 
 Pride is natural unto man, and humility distasteful, but a little 
 self-knowledge brings down every high thought, and a little 
 knowledge of God as he is, humbles the Christian to the very dust. 
 Then it is that he experiences the richest blessings from his Crea- 
 tor, Ihus saith the high and lofty One, that inhabiteth eternity, ivhose 
 name is holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also, that 
 is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and 
 to revive the heart of the contrite ones. Is. Ivii. 15. 
 
 Macao, April 1, 1844. 
 
SERMON XXIV. 
 
 MARTHA AND MARY. 
 
 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village : and a cer- 
 tain woman, named Martha, received him into her house. And she had a sister 
 called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was 
 cumbered about much serving, and came to him and said. Lord, dost thou not 
 care that my sister hath left me to serve alone ? bid her therefore that she help 
 me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and 
 troubled about many things : but one thing is needful : and Mary hath chosen that 
 good part which shall not be taken away from her. — Luke x. 38-42. 
 
 From the time that Jesus Christ entered on his public minis- 
 try, until his death upon the cross, he had no certain dwelling 
 place. He was sent unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel, 
 and though he probably spent more time about Jerusalem than 
 elsewhere, yet he was constantly traversing tlie land with his dis- 
 ciples. Wherever he went he was dependent on the kindness of 
 friends for food and for lodging ; for he rarely wrought miracles 
 to supply his own wants, and wealth he had none. The foxes 
 had holes ^ and the hirds of €ie air had nests^ hut the Son of man had 
 not where to lay his head, Luke ix. 58. Among all those who min- 
 istered to him, we read of none more frequently than the family 
 consisting of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, who lived in Bethany, 
 This was a small village in a little valley, on the east side of Jeru- 
 salem, distant not quite two miles. The Mount of Olives- lay 
 between Jerusalem and Bethany, and hither our Saviour often 
 resorted to spend the night, after preaching all day in the temple. 
 When he became acquainted with this family, does not appear, 
 nor is it important to know. Perhaps it was on the occasion men- 
 tioned in the text. Few families were ever so favored as this, 
 for Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus, and often vis- 
 ited them, John xi. 5. 
 
 It is not probable that the family were wealthy, though from 
 the circumstances, that Mary once anointed Jesus with a box of 
 
208 MARTHA AND MARY. 
 
 precious ointment very costly^ and that when Lazarus died, many 
 Jews came to console the sisters, John xi. 19, xii. 3, we may sup- 
 pose that they were in comfortable circumstances, and well es- 
 teemed. 
 
 On the occasion referred to in the text, Jesus and his disciples 
 were journeying about as usual, and while they continued their 
 course, perhaps to their friends in Jerusalem, he stopped to re- 
 pose in Bethany. Martha, who was the eldest, and the head of 
 the family, received him into her house. It was not the first time 
 that our Lord received charitj^ at the hands of a woman, for we 
 read before this time, of Mary Magdalene, and Joanna the wife 
 of Herod's steward, and Susannah, and many others, ivhich minis- 
 tered to liim of their substance^ Luke viii. 2, 3. It is here that we 
 first read of Mary the sister of Martha. Some have confounded 
 her with Mary Magdalene, but improperly, for the latter was of 
 Galilee, while she was of Judea. Her name is well known, for 
 her affection in anointing our Saviour, is spoken of for a memo- 
 rial of her, wherever the gospel is preached, and all that wc read 
 of her shows her to have been a Avoman of deep and unaffected 
 ! piety. Possessed of more softness and delicacy than Martha, with 
 an hurnble and childlike spirit, she was one on Avhom our Lord 
 must have looked Avith peculiar tenderness and affection. She sat 
 ; at Jesus' feet and heard his word. When he came to their dwelling 
 other occupations Avere laid aside, and she spent her time in lis- 
 tening to his instructions. It is scarcely proper to say, that it is 
 more becoming for one sex than the other, to be the childlike dis- 
 ciples of Christ, for all have equal need of him ; and yet there is a 
 peculiar beauty in seeing a female sitting at the feet of Christ, and 
 learning of him Avho Avas meek and lowly in heart. A disregard 
 of Christ is exceedingly sinful both in man and Avoraan, but it is 
 if possible more blameworthy in those Avho OAve so much to the 
 Christian religion, as the female sex does, and Avhose chief orna- 
 ment — even the ornameyit of a meek and quiet spirit, which in the 
 sifjht of Ood is of great price, 1 Pet. iii. 4 — is obtained by obedience 
 to its precepts. The character of Mary the sister of Martha, is 
 one the child of God delights to contemplate ; but it is not Mary 
 when weeping for Lazarus, nor even Mary Avhen anointing Christ, 
 that fixes the attention, so much as it is Mary when she sat at Je- 
 sus' feet, and heard his Avord. 
 
 But while Mary Avas thus occupied, where Avas Martha? She 
 also loved Jesus, — but her mind was not so spiritual as her sis- 
 
MARTHA AND MARY. 209 
 
 ter's, nor were her affections so placed on heavenly things. 
 Martha was cunihsred about much serving. In her anxiety toj 
 have everything comfortable for her guest, she suffered her mindj 
 to be drawn away, over-occupied and distracted with cares.' 
 Thus she lost an opportunity of hearing what kings and prophets 
 had desired in vain to hear. She neglected the word of God 
 that she might serve tables, though Christ cared little for those 
 preparations. His meat was to do the will of him that sent him, 
 But her cares for her household matters, had worse effects than 
 merely occupying her own time, and preventing her from hearing 
 the words of Christ. It also tended to draw Mary off from her 
 chosen and delightful post; for Martha, dissatisfied that Mary 
 rendered her no assistance at the moment, came with some emo- 
 tion and complained to Christ. Lord^ dost thou not care that my 
 sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her, therefore, that she help 
 me. Strange, that one whom Christ loved, and who loved Christ, 
 should make such a request! Strange, that a true Christian 
 should be so anxious about trifles that perish in the using, and 
 neglect opportunities whose fruit should last forever! It were 
 well, if there were no followers of Martha now; but the great 
 mass even of the Christian church, have followed her example, 
 rather than that of Mary ; even, going to the length she did, in 
 censuring those who exhibit more devotion to Christ than them- 
 selves, and seeking to draw them into a greater conformity to the 
 world. How frequently do we hear the cry now-a-days, " Such 
 an one is too zealous — he neglects his duties to his own family in 
 his zeal for others." So little is the nature of true religion under- 
 stood, or its superior claims appreciated, that many are ready to 
 misapply the words of the apostle in a widely-different case, and 
 say of those who forsake their families, and the means of enrich- 
 ing or aggrandizing themselves, for the cause of Christ, that they 
 have "denied the faith, and are worse than infidels." Let all 
 such hear the words of Christ, when he answered Martha. Her 
 conduct was sufficiently strange, and deserved reproof; but our 
 merciful Lord dealt very gently with her. Oh, how often was 
 he tried with the dulness of his disciples, and the coldness of his 
 friends ! Yet, in patience and kindness, he instructed the igno- 
 rant and the wayward — ^bearing with their weakness and provo- 
 cations, and pointing them to better things. 
 
 Instead of answering Martha directly, he kindly showed her 
 her own mistakes, and contrasted the better course adopted by 
 14 
 
210 MARTHA AND MARY. 
 
 Marj. Martha^ Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many 
 things. Careful, that is, anxious, disquieted, over-occupied. There 
 )|is a carefulness that is necessary and wise, but it is not of such 
 that Christ speaks. There is a carefulness, an anxiety about tem- 
 poral things, that fills the mind, keeps thoughts of heaven out, 
 and causes the aftections to grovel on earth. It is a carefulness 
 that so employs the mind, as to choke the thoughts of heavenly 
 thino-s — a carefulness which Christ compares to the thorns that 
 choked the seed and rendered it unfruitful. Even so do the 
 cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, prevent divine 
 truth from having its due effect upon the heart. 
 t IlJ^' iHvi, ^^ ^^'^ ^° dependent on our food and raiment, not only for 
 ^ ,) ,\X-, J: comfort, but even for life, that it seems natural to make these the 
 ' ' objects of our most careful and constant attention. The wants 
 
 of the body are felt, and must be supplied ; and the habit of 
 attending to them so grows with our growth, and strengthens 
 with our strength, that we constantly give them the first place, 
 and suffer the interests of the soul to lie neglected. The main 
 question becomes, What shall we eat, what shall we drink, 
 wherewithal shall we be clothed ? After all these things do the 
 nations seek. But experience shows that much uncertainty 
 attends our efforts to gain as much of these things as we want. 
 Hence, the mind that makes them the objects of its chief atten- 
 tion, becomes anxious about them. The appearance of failure, 
 lor even of partial want of success, is the signal for anxious cares 
 jto awake and vex the mind. And the more of these uncertain- 
 ties there are, the more is the mind troubled. Such, to some 
 extent, was Martha's case. She was careful about many things, 
 and therefore she was troubled about many things. So Jt is in life. 
 HThe more wealth, the more cares. The more sources of enjoy- 
 ment, the more doors for sorrow to enter, Martha sought to 
 have everything comfortable around her, and set her heart upon 
 obtaining this; but on the contrary, she found that her cares 
 only added to her troubles. It can scarcely be otherwise. The 
 wise man has told us there be many things which increase vanity, 
 Ecc. vi. 11, many things which trouble us, if we set our hearts 
 upon them. Does a man delight in wealth ? Behold, his riches 
 take to themselves wings and fly away. Does he delight in 
 friends and relatives? One by one he sees them fall around 
 him. Does he seek to get a name for himself among men ? 
 Behold, man being in honor abidcth not. lie is like the beasts 
 
MARTHA AND MARY. 211 
 
 which perish, for both must he clown alike in the dust. How 
 unwise, then, is it to place the affections on those things which, 
 at best, are unsatisfying, and which perish in the using. How- 
 ever much we love them, our interest in them cannot endure, for 
 in the midst of our cares they disappear, or else we ourselves 
 depart. 
 
 Ye that are careful and troubled about many things, hear the 
 words of Christ to Martha, One tiling is needful, and Mary hath 
 chosen that good i:)aTt ivhich shall not he taken away from her. Que 'iu v--»- i^H' 
 thing is needful, all others are superfluities, but this you must 
 have or perish forever. Look narrowly into all the walks of life 
 — examine carefully whatever the world contains that is good or 
 great — ascend into heaven — descend into the deeps — prove all 
 things — but still you will find the words of Christ are true. But 
 one thing is needful. So D^id found it, for he said, One thing have l , 
 I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the . 
 house of ths Lord all the days of my life, Ps. xxvii. 4. So Solomon . 
 found it, for he says, Fear God and keep his commandments, for this 
 is the whole of man, Ecc. xii. 13. So Asaph found it, for he said, I 
 Whom have I in heaven but thee, and there is none upon the earth that 
 L desire heside thee, Ps. Ixxiii. 25. 
 
 It was li fe eterna l which Christ spoke of, as the one thing 
 needful ; and~surely one moment's candid consideration will 
 prove the truth of his remark. What is your life that you now C'^-^h ■ 
 live, and for which you take so many cares ? Will it last forever? ' • 
 Is it not even a vapor which passeth away ? A moment here, 
 and the next, in eternity. And shall this temporary state of 
 being, with its minute and transitory cares, and its fading enjoy- 
 ments, outweigh the solemn and unending interests of an eternal 
 existence ? Is that man wise who neglects the awful future that 
 he may enjoy the present moment — nay, who not merely neglects 
 the future, but vexes even the present with useless cares? 
 
 Observe the manner in which he speaks of Mary's conduct. 
 She hath chosen the good part. Whatever may be said of God's ^'^ 
 absolute sovereignty, nothing is more certain, than that eternal 
 life and eternal death are set before every man for his choice, — 
 and according to his choice will be his condition. When Mos^ 
 had rehearsed the law to Israel, he solemnly called upon them to 
 decide on the course they should take, / call lieaven and earth to 
 record against you this day, that I have set before you life and death, 
 blessing and cursing : therefore choose life, that thou mayest live, Deut. 
 
212 MARTHA AND MARY. 
 
 XXX. 19. That same alternative, life or death, Messing or cursing, 
 is set before each of us ; and none of jou, my hearers, can avoid 
 making some choice. If you do not choose life, you certainly do 
 choose death. If you postpone the choice you in effect choose 
 death, and who can tell how soon you shall receive your choice ? 
 utAO |3o^ Mary had chosen the good part, emphatically good, and the 
 ^* only one that deserves that name. Whcd shall it profit a man if 
 
 he gain the whoh world, and lose his own soul? Matt. xvi. 26. 
 The part that Mary had chosen was good, because it ia^uded_all 
 possible good. The Lord, and his salvation was the object of 
 her choice. And may not all who make such a choice, say with 
 the Psalmist, The Lord is my portion, I have a goodly heritage, Ps. 
 xvi. 5, 6. What can he possibly want, who has the Lord for his 
 friend? God is a satisfying portion to all those who put their 
 trust in him. Even in this world it is found to be so. You may 
 come to the streams of earthly enjoyment, and drink even to sa- 
 tiety, and your thirst shall return again ; but it is not so with the 
 enjoyment of God. The Christian is never cloyed with the favor 
 of God. As Christ said to the woman of Samaria, Whosoever 
 Mrinheth of this water shall thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of 
 V'the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst, hut the loater that 1 
 i shall give him shall he in him, a luell of tuater, springing up to ever- 
 ilasting life, John iv. 14. 
 
 The wocldJookoi^jajcdigiou as..a^lo^ny, unpleasant thing, 
 but why should it be so esteemed ? Is the sense of pardoned 
 sins and peace with God unpleasant ? Does it cause gloom and 
 sadness to be assured that sin shall not have domiaion over us, 
 and we shall not fall into condemnation ? Is the knowledge of 
 Christ, in whom are hid all the treasury of wisdom, and whose 
 instructions shed light into the darkened soul, no source of de- 
 light? Is the matchless love of God, as displayed in the plan of 
 redemption, through our Lord Jesus Christ, no fountain of joy? 
 Alas ! it is ignorance alone that would start such an objection, 
 for he who is truth itself, has declared the part which Mary chose, 
 to be the only good part ; and its principal excellency consists in 
 this, that it is permanent, and endless. It shall never he taken away 
 from her. There arc many that would gladly snatch it away. 
 The roarijig lion who goeth about seeking whom he may devour 
 — the ensnaring world, in the net of whose allurements so many 
 are entangled and destroyed— the deceitfid heart, which causes so 
 many more to perish — all these would snatch away the good part, 
 
MARTHA AND MARY. 213 
 
 which the child of God hath chosen. But thej cannot do it, for 
 it is preserved for him, b}'' the same power which first placed it 
 within his reach. The faithfulness of God is pledged to preserve 
 all those that put their trust in him ; and however he may suffer 
 their faith to be tried, or their enemies to gain temporary advan- 
 tages over them, he will not forget his promises, nor suffer the 
 portion they have chosen to be taken away. They have a treq§^ire 
 in the heavens that faileth not. Where no thief q^i-Qucheth^ieither 
 moth corrupteth^ Luke xii. 33. They have an inheritance incorrupt- 
 ible^ undefled^ and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for them, 
 1 Pet. i. 4. And neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, 
 nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, can separate them 
 from it, Eom. viii. 38. Such was the part which Mary had 
 chosen. She sat at Jesus' feet and heard his words. We know 
 what those words were, for the great subject of all Christ's minis- 
 try, Avas ever his mediatorial work. He spake of his life — he 
 spake of his union with the Father — of his love for man — and of 
 his purpose to die, on his behalf. He foretold his glorious res- 
 urrection, and his ascension to heaven. He showed the nature 
 of the kingdom he was about to establish ; that it was founded in 
 the hearts of men, and demanded a spiritual service ; that it re- 
 quired repentance for sin, and faith in himself; that it promised 
 grace and glory; and that no good thing should be withheld. 
 Such were the ordinary topics of Christ's discourses. Such, 
 doubtless, were his words to Mary, and iliej fell on her heart like 
 seed on the good ground, that produced fruit an hundred-fold, 
 springing up unto everlasting life. And there too, were the 
 things that Martha neglected. She was cumbered about much 
 serving; busied about trifles that gave her more pain than 
 pleasure, while the Lord of life and truth was a guest in her 
 house, and equally ready to impart to her, as to her sister, those 
 glorious things which the Lord alone could reveal— ^or eye hath 
 not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the 
 things he hath prepared for them that love him, 1 Cor. ii. 9. 
 
 May God grant, that all of us, sitting like Mary at Jesus' feet, 
 may have grace to choose that good part which shall never be 
 taken away from us. 
 
 Macao, April 28, 1844. 
 
SERMON XXV. 
 
 THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS. 
 
 There was a certaia rich man which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared 
 sumptuously every day : and there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which 
 was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which 
 fell from the rich man's table : moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And 
 it came to pass that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abra- 
 ham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried, and in hell he lifted up his 
 eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 
 And he cried and said. Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus 
 that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue : for I am tor- 
 mented in this flame. But Abraham said. Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime re- 
 ceivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things : but now he is comforted, 
 and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great 
 gulf fixed : so that they which would pass from hence to you, cannot ; neither can 
 they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee there- 
 fore, father, that thou wouldst send him to my father's house ; for I have five 
 brethren ; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of 
 torment. Abraham saith unto him. They have Moses and the prophets ; let them 
 hear them. And he said. Nay, father Abraham; but if one went unto tliem from 
 the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him. If they hear not Moses and 
 the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. — 
 Luke xvi. 19-31. 
 
 Never man spaJce like this man, was the exclamation with which 
 some of the hearers of Jesus Christ once retired from his presence. 
 It was an exclamation that must have been often uttered during 
 his ministry, for never was there a preacher like him. No man 
 like him had come doivn from heaven. No man like him knew 
 luhat was in man. No man like him could withdraw the veil 
 that covered the unseen world, and paint its realities before his 
 hearers. He speaks, and lo! the heavens are opened, and we 
 behold the angels rejoicing over the conversion of the returning 
 penitent. lie speaks, and time and distance have fled away, and 
 we behold all nations gathered before him to judgment. He 
 speaks, and the veil that covers the hearts of men is removed, 
 
THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS. 215 
 
 and we behold their secret thoughts, and the first emotions of the 
 soul. It is on account of this vividness and distinctness, that the 
 great masters of the art of painting, have so often selected the 
 actions and the descriptions of Christ, as subjects for their pencils. 
 The account in the words just read, is a striking example of the 
 clearness with which our Saviour presented eternal things to his 
 hearers. It is common to speak of it as the " parable of the rich 
 man and Lazarus" — but why it should be called a parable, if by 
 parable is meant a fictitious story, does not appear. It is not 
 called a parable by the evangelist, nor have we any intimation, 
 that it is not to be considered as an historical fact, describing the 
 characters and conditions of persons who have actually existed. 
 The Rationalists of Germany, who would divest religion entirely 
 of its supernatural character, tell us that this account is not to be 
 understood literally, — but the solid piety and sound sense of the 
 Eeformers, led them to consider it as the narration of events that 
 actually occurred. This opinion I am inclined to regard as the 
 correct one, although in either case, whether we regard it as a 
 parable or an actual event, the instructions to be derived from 
 the account are precisely the same. To these instructions, which 
 are of personal interest and solemn importance to each one of us, 
 I request your serious attention. 
 
 The persons described in the narration are taken from the 
 extremes of society. The one is a rich man, who has everything 
 that heart can desire. He has health and wealth, sumptuous rai- 
 ment and delicate food, and the fear of want never entered his 
 mind. The other is a beggar, clothed with rags, and covered 
 with sores ; far from having abundance of food, he desired only 
 the crumbs of the rich man's table, and instead of kind attentions 
 in his misery, the dogs came and licked his sores. Nothing bad 
 is said concerning the rich man. It is no crime to be Avealthy, 
 nor is it wrong for the rich to enjoy the good things God has 
 given them. That he was uncharitable, or refused the crumbs 
 from his table, to Lazarus, does not appear from the words of 
 Christ. All that we can justly infer, from what is said of him, is, 
 that his heart was set upon the world ; he took it for his portion, 
 and was satisfied with its enjoyments, and neither thought nor 
 cared for a future life. What a contrast was here ! The rich 
 man and Lazarus were both men, both probably descendants of 
 Abraham ; but while one rolled in wealth and pleasure, the other 
 was exercised with poverty and pain. The one received good 
 
216 THE RICH MAX AND LAZARUS. 
 
 things, and the other evil things. Were this the only life that 
 men live, it might bo hard to reconcile the impartiality and justice 
 of God, with this unequal distribution of good and evil. Indeed 
 those who are accustomed to look only on earthly things, do often 
 take occasion from these outward distinctions, to arraign the 
 justice of God, as though he were a respecter of persons. But let 
 us look further. This life is only introductory to another, and 
 perhaps we may find that the apparent distinctions of this life, are 
 all adjusted in that which is to come. 
 
 It came to pass in process of time, that the beggar died. No 
 mention is made of his burial. He was a common pauper, and 
 probably his body was hurried to a pauper's grave, with none to 
 lament over him, or raise a monument for him. But though 
 neglected and forgotten by men, he was not so lightly esteemed 
 by angels. Though homeless and sorrowing on earth, there was 
 an inheritance prepared for him in heaven. The last breath had 
 scarcely left his body, ere a convoy of angels were around him to 
 convey his soul to Abraham's bosom. As Abraham is called the 
 Father of the faithful, the expression carried to Abraham's bosom, 
 may mean, that the beggar, who imitated his faith, was carried to 
 heaven, like a child to the bosom of its father, when the day draws 
 to a close. More probablj^, however, the reference is to the Jewish 
 custom of feasting, where the guests reclined at the banquet, and 
 the favored guest, lying next to him who occupied the highest 
 place, reposed his head in his bosom. Thus Lazarus, despised 
 and forgotten by men, was promoted to a seat with Abraham in 
 heaven. How sudden and great the change in his condition! 
 One moment looking on scenes of sin and suffering, the next his 
 eyes opened on the glory and holiness of heaven ; one moment 
 thankful for the crumbs of a rich man's table, and the next feast- 
 ing at the banquet of the great King of kings; one moment 
 despised and forsaken by men, with only the dogs to relieve his 
 misery ; and the next associating with angels, and the spirits of 
 the just made perfect, forever relieved of all suffering and sorrow, 
 and remembering his former misery, only to enhance his i)resent 
 
 joy- 
 
 The rich man also died, for wealth does not bribe death, nor 
 the splendor of a palace keep him at a distance. The?/ spend their 
 days 171 ivealth, and in a moment lliey go down to the grave, Job xxi. 
 13. The rich man had been great on earth, and when he died he 
 was buried, doubtless, with much parade. The mourners went 
 

 THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS. 217 
 
 about the street, and be was laid in state in bis magnificent tomb. 
 Those who passed by it, pointed to it, and spoke of the wealth 
 and greatness he once possessed, though perhaps few of them 
 asked what became of the soul, when the body was buried. It 
 would have been presumptuous for us to have spoken of the state 
 of his soul, had not Christ, before whom hell is opened, and de- 
 struction and the pit have no covering, revealed it to us. In hell 
 he lified up his eyes^ heing in torments. 
 
 There are some in our daj^s, whose sensibilities are so exqui- 
 site, that they are shocked to hear of hell, and of the endless pun- 
 ishment of the wicked. It is a favorite subject of complaint 
 against faithful ministers of the gospel, that they dwell so much 
 on the danger of the soul's perishing forever, and the miseries of 
 the damned. Let all such consider the words of Christ, and the 
 conduct of the apostles. It is the apostle Paul who says, Know- 
 ing the terror of i/ie Lord^ ive pejsuade men, 2 Cor. v. 11 ; and who 
 speaks of the fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation 
 which shall devour the ad.versaries, Heb. x. 27. It is James who 
 says. Go to now, ye rich men, weep and hoiol for your miseries that 
 shall come upon you, James v. 1. It is- Peter who speaks of those 
 whose judgment lingereth not, amd lohose damnation slumhereth not, 
 and icho shall utterly perish in their own corruption, 2 Pet. ii. 3, 12. 
 It is John, the beloved disciple, who tells us of the second death, 
 and that whosoever was not found written in the hoolc of life, was cast 
 into the lake of fire, Eev. xx. 15. But in all the New Testament, 
 it is Jesus Christ who speaks most frequently, clearly, and fear- 
 fully of hell, and judgment, and eternal death. When he de- 
 clares that the wicked shall he cast into outer darkness, where there is 
 loailing and gyiashing of teeth — that the wicked shall go away into 
 everlasting punishment — that their tvorm dieth not, and the fire is not 
 quenched — when he repeats it, their tuorni dieth not, and the fire is 
 not quenched — and when, yet again he repeats it, their worm dieth 
 not, and the fire is not quenched — who is there so bold as to ima- 
 gine he means not what he says, or to censure his ministers who 
 imitate his example, and with sorrowing hearts declare that the 
 luages of sin is death ? Matt. xxii. 13, xxv. 46, Mark ix. 44, 46, 
 48, Eora. vi. 23. 
 
 The rich man died and was buried, and in hell he lifted up his 
 eyes, heing in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in 
 his bosom. It would seem from this, that though heaven and hell 
 are far apart, yet the inhabitants of the one can occasionally be- 
 
218 THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS. 
 
 hold those of the other, and even hold some intercoarse with 
 them. What the modes of communication are between spirits, 
 or how the rich man and Abraham could converse when a/ar off, 
 we know not. It is not to be supposed that the soul, when freed 
 from the body, is as much confined, and incapable of expansion, 
 as it now is. We shall have much to learn when freed from the 
 clogs of the body, and much that now we never conceive of, shall 
 become known to us. The rich man had never seen Abraham, 
 yet he knew him at once. It he had seen Lazarus at all, it was 
 only in rags and wretchedness, yet he recognized him in all his 
 glory and happiness. What a change was there in the condition 
 of the two, in so short a time ! The beggar who had lain at his 
 gate, covered with sores, and begging for the crumbs from his 
 table, was exalted to heaven, while the rich man, who had been 
 clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every 
 day, was thrust down to hell, and, in agony, cryi.ng to that very 
 beggar for relief Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send 
 Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my 
 tongue, for I am tormented in this flame. The natui'e of the tor- 
 ments of the damned, we do not very clearly understand. A 
 spirit of course cannot feel material fire ; and though when the 
 bodies of the lost are raised, and re-united to their souls, they 
 will doubtless be capable of suffering, yet that is a low idea of the 
 terrible justice of God, which supposes that the chief sufferings of 
 the enemies of God are not spiritual. The common comparison 
 in the Scriptures to represent those sufferings, is fire, which in- 
 flicts upon us the acutest sufferings we can endure ; but it is fire 
 prepared for the devil and his angels, and as they are purely spirit- 
 ual beings, the fire that torments them must be chiefly that which 
 a spirit can feel. But the remorse, the stings of conscience, and 
 the gnawings of despair, joined to the insupportable sense of all 
 the happiness they have lost, and the crushing sense of the wrath 
 of God forever and ever — oh, these are far more dreadful than 
 any mere bodily pains. These are the worm that dieth not, and 
 the fire that is not quenched. You have heard of the remorse 
 that Cranmer suffered, when he had been induced to deny his re- 
 ligion. You have heard how, when he was led to the stake, he 
 held out his right hand, and thrust it in the flames. The suffer- 
 ings of that hand in perishing were not equal to the sufferings 
 that his soul endured, for what that hand had done. IIow much 
 more acute must be the sorrows of him who has lived in pleasure 
 
THE RICH MAX AND LAZARUS. 219 
 
 aud wantonness, forgetting God, neglecting his salvation, trifling 
 away liis day of grace, and sinking at last to endless perdition. 
 Such an one will need no addition of bodily torment, to till up 
 the measure of his cup of bitterness, — for the consciousness of 
 what he is, joined to the remembrance of what he was, and the 
 thought of what he might have been, will make it overflow. 
 
 The petition of the rich man to Abraham, is the only example 
 we have in the Scriptures of a prayer addressed to a saint in 
 heaven, and its success was not such as to encourage us to renew ' 
 the experiment. He prayed to one, who, though the father of 
 the faithful, and honored in heaven, had no power to help him. 
 The rich man had worded his petition to Abraham in such a way 
 as to remind him that he was one of his descendants, Father 
 Abraham^ and the patriarch acknowledged the relation, c*alling 
 him Son; but alas, what did his descent from Abraham, and his 
 circumcision avail him ? Did it not rather aggravate his miserj^, 
 that he had once been in outward connection with the people of 
 God, and was now joined with the heirs of wrath ? Was it not 
 an additional pang to reflect that he had once stood before the 
 opened door of heaven, and by his own negligence had now 
 fallen into the depths of hell ? Abraham replied to his prayer, 
 but he gave him no encouragement to hope for the slightest re- 
 lief from his sufferings. Son^ remember that thou in thy lifetime re- 
 ceivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things : but noiu he 
 is comforted, and thou art tormented. Remember ! Oh, could the 
 spirits in prison but lose the gift of memory, how it would lighten 
 the load they bear ! But the memory becomes stronger after 
 death, and they shall look back as the rich man did, and recall 
 all the mercies they ever enjoyed. They shall remember how 
 many offers of salvation were held out to them, all of which were 
 neglected — how many means of grace were granted to them — 
 how many prayers and sermons they heard — how many Sabbaths 
 — checks of conscience, warnings, and reproofs — all shall come up 
 to the mind, as it were only yesterday. They shall remember all 
 the good things of this life that God gave them, and curse their 
 folly in making these their portion, and neglecting the infinitely 
 more precious good things of the life to come, which they might 
 have had for the asking. Remember ! yes, they shall remember all, 
 but it shall only be to heighten their misery, and deepen their 
 despair. This world and heaven were set before them, for their 
 choice, and they shall have none to reproach but themselves as 
 
220 THE EICH MAN AND LAZARUS. 
 
 they rememher tliat they chose this world, and despised eternal 
 life. Abraham also informed the rich man, that now there was 
 no possible hope for him. His day of grace was past. Besides 
 all this, hetioeen us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they 
 ichich ivould pass from hence to you cannot: neither can they pass to 
 ?<.s, that ivould come from thence. Ponder these words carefully, for 
 they contain subjects of infinite importance. Though heaven and 
 hell are so situated, that the inhabitants of the one may occasion- 
 'ally behold those of the other, there is no intercourse, there is no 
 transfer of residence from one to the other. Wliere the treefalleth 
 tJiere it must lie, Ec. xi. 13. There is a mighty chasm between the 
 two — a great gulf and it is fixed, and no created power can span it. 
 These words contain a distinct declaration of the doctrine, that 
 the states of the righteous and the wicked in the world to come 
 are fixed and unchangeable ; that whilst the happiness of the one 
 is everlasting, the misery of the other is unending. It is in vain to 
 cry out against this as a hard saying. It is the sentence of our 
 Judge, registered in the eternal records, and shall not the Judge of 
 all the earth do right f The rich man felt the truth of what 
 Abraham said, and hope died away in his heart. He had no ex- 
 pectation of obtaining an}', even the least mitigation of his tor- 
 ments, but he dreaded their increase. He had five brethren, and 
 he feared lest they also should come to the same place of torment. 
 If they came, he knew they would reproach him for not having 
 set them a better example on the earth, and he feared that their 
 presence would increase his own sufferings. Therefore he be- 
 sought Abraham to send Lazarus, to testify to them, that being 
 warned in time, they might avoid his dreadful end. Again was 
 his request refused. Abraham saith unto him, They have, Moses 
 and the prophets ; let them hear them. They have testimony and 
 warning sufficient, why send them more ? But the rich man was 
 not so put off. His own sense of eternal things since he had en- 
 tered on them, was far more vivid than while he was on the earth. 
 He too had Moses and the prophets, and he had neglected them ; 
 but now when he knew, by his own experience, what it was 
 whereof they spake, he had different views. Thus it always is. 
 One hour's experience of eternity will teach more than all the 
 preaching even of the apostle Paul. Therefore the man reiterated 
 his request. Nay, father Abraham, but if one ivent to them from the 
 dead, they will repent. Let Lazarus go to them. Let him with 
 the tongue of an immortal, tell them the blessedness he enjoys, 
 
THE RICH MAN AXD LAZARUS. 221 
 
 and the misery I endure, and surely tliey will repent. Their 
 hearts shall be moved with fear, and the}^ will flee from the 
 wrath to come. How common is this feeling ! How often do 
 men think — nay, how often do they say, " If we had only seen 
 Christ. If we had witnessed his miracles. If we had seen the 
 dead raised — if a dead man were to come now and converse with 
 us, surely we should believe and be saved." There be man}- 
 whose consciences are somewhat awakened, and who hesitate to 
 believe and obey the gospel, because they wish for more evidence 
 than they now possess, and think, that they too must see signs 
 and wonders ere they can believe. Hear the words with which 
 Abraham replied to the rich man's reiterated plea. If they hear 
 not Moses and the prophets, neither luill they le persuaded though one 
 rose from the dead. As if he had said, They have ample evi- 
 dence. The Scriptures in their hands are abundantl}^ sufficient. 
 The motives there presented are strong enough. The sight of 
 one who rose from the dead, though it might alarm them, would 
 not persuade them. And is it not so ? What greater witness 
 could they have than they already possessed ? They had Moses 
 and the prophets, and we have Moses and the prophets, and the 
 apostles, and the words of Christ himself These we profess to 
 believe. Why then seek additional testimony and additional rev- 
 elations ? Would you receive the testimony of a man who rose 
 from the dead? But the ivitness of God is greater^ 1 John v. 9. 
 Has not experience shown that even the rising from the dead is 
 not sufficient to persuade rnen ? Did not the Jews in the time 
 of Christ say. If we had been in the days of our fathers^ ive ivould not 
 have been partakers with them in the blood of the jyrophets^ Matt, xxiii. 
 30. Yet when that great prophet came, of whom Moses spake, 
 did they not go about to kill him ? He raised Lazarus from the 
 dead, and they saw him, and conversed with him. Were they 
 persuaded by what he told them ? Nay, did they not consult to 
 put Lazarus also to death, even after he had risen from the dead, 
 John xii. 10. And did they not crown all their wickedness by 
 crucifying the Lord of glory, even after all his wonderful works, 
 which they had seen ? 
 
 We have looked into the eternal world. The doors have 
 been opened to us by him who holds the keys of death and of 
 hell, Kev. i. 18. Whether the narrative we have been con- 
 sidering be a mere parable, or an actual history, it matters 
 not, the truths taught are precisely the same. We have seen 
 
ZZZ THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS. 
 
 the glory that awaits the child of God in heaven, even though 
 his life on earth may have been full of sorrow. We have seen 
 the torments of him, who in his ease and luxury forgot God, We 
 have seen the hopeless despair with which he heard the words 
 of the patriarch, to whom he vainly applied for relief. His day 
 of grace was passed. He had lived in pleasure on the earth, 
 he had grasped the good things that were within his reach, and 
 God gave him his heart's desire, but sent a curse into his soul. 
 
 I have but one remark to make in conclusion. Christ has set 
 before us the final lot of these two men, that we may see which to 
 choose and which to shun. Most certain it is, that we shall either 
 recline with Lazarus in Abraham's bosom, or lie with the rich 
 man in hell. The Bible speaks of no middle place. Would you 
 choose the former, and shun the latter ? You have Moses, and the 
 apostles, to show you how it may be done, and there is no other, and 
 shall be no other instruction. No man shall come from the dead — 
 no angel shall descend from heaven — no miracle shall be wrought 
 — no "signs" shall be seen. It is by the foolishness of preaching, 
 and the reading of the word of God, that men shall be saved, and 
 if these are not sufficient then there is no hope, and we must lie 
 down in sorrow. But blessed be God, this is amply sufficient. 
 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitahle for doc- 
 trine^ for reproof for correction^ for instruction in righteousness ; that 
 the man of Ood may he perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good 
 works, 2 Tim, iii. 16-17. 
 
 Macao, May 5, 1844. 
 
SERMON XXVI. 
 
 BAPTISM OF CHRIST. 
 
 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But 
 John forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to 
 me ? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suifer it to be so now ; for thus it be- 
 cometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus when he 
 was baptized, went up straightway out of the water ; and lo, the heavens were 
 opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and light- 
 ing upon him ; and lo, a voice from heaven saying. This is my beloved Son, in 
 whom I am well pleased. — Matt. iii. 13-17. 
 
 There were many wonderful events in the history of the Jew- 
 ish nation, and among these were some that stirred up all the 
 feelings of the whole people, and were handed down from father 
 to son as things worthy of everlasting remembrance. But proba- 
 bly nothing in their whole history excited so deep a sensation as 
 the ministry and preaching of John the Baptist. He came at the 
 most eventful crisis in their history. They understood by books 
 that the time for the advent of their Messiah was drawing near. 
 They had seen the sceptre gradually departing from Judah — 
 where then was the promised Shiloh ? Gen. xlix. 10. The seventy 
 weeks of Daniel were drawing to a close — where was Messiah the 
 Prince f Dan. ix. 27. Day after day, old Simeon went up to the 
 temple, waiting for the consolation of Israel, for it had been revealed 
 to him by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death before he had seen 
 the Lord's anointed, Luke ii. 27. Night and day did Anna speah 
 of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem, Luke ii. 
 38. The miraculous birth of John was well known. Who had 
 not heard of the vision of his father Zacharias in the temple, of 
 his sudden dumbness, of the conception of Elizabeth, when she 
 was past the age of child-bearing ; and of the loosing of his fa- 
 ther's tongue when he had written, his name is John'? Luke i. • 
 1-63. All these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill 
 country of Judea, Luke i. 65. 
 
22-± ^ BAPTISM OF CHRIST. 
 
 John grew up, and thougli it was in the desert, jet his frugal 
 fare, and the sanctity of his life, recalling the remembrance of his 
 great prototype, who called down fire from God, and went up to 
 heaven in a whirlwind, made him the object of great attention. 
 He came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and his words ran 
 through the nation like an electric shock. Then went out to 1dm 
 Jerusalem^ and all Judea^ and all the region round about Jordan, 
 Matt. iii. 5. 
 
 It was not strange that such an excitement should attend his 
 preaching. The minds of the people were strung to the liighest 
 pitch of expectation, and he was a man prepared of God, express- 
 ly for the occasion. So important was his mission in the eyes of 
 God, that a special prophecy foretold his coming. Behold the voice 
 of one crying in the wilderness. Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make 
 his paths straight, Is. xl. 3. The eye of Jesus Christ had seen the 
 mighty men of every age and every land. He knew the charac- 
 ters of Abraham, and Moses, and David, and Solomon, as well 
 as of Alexander, and Caesar, but he passed them all by, and 
 threw them in the shade, with his emphatic Verily I say unto you, 
 among them that are horn of luomen, there hath not risen a greater 
 than John the Baptist, Matt. xi. 11. 
 
 lie was the forerunner of Christ, and came to prepare his way, 
 as all who preach Christ must do, by preaching repentance for 
 sin. His voice was heard, and as one man the nation rose up to 
 meet him. The self-righteous Pharisee, the skeptical Sadducee, 
 tbe abandoned Publican, and the mercenary soldier, went out, 
 and were baptized of him in Jordan. So great was the impres- 
 sion his appearance and discourse produced, that men mused in 
 their hearts, luhether he were not the Christ, Luke iii. 15 ; and even 
 the priests and the Levites were sent from Jerusalem to ask who 
 lie was, John i. 19. But he was not the Christ. His mission 
 was only introductory. It made nothing perfect. It pointed to 
 Christ. John verily baptized loitJi the baptism of o-epentance, saying 
 unto the people, that they shotdd believe on him which shoidd come 
 after him, that is, on Christ Jesus, Acts xix. 4. And in propor- 
 tion as Christ became the object of greater attention, was John less 
 followed, but this was no grief to him. When his disciples came 
 to him saying. Rabbi, he tlcat ivas loith thee beyond Jordan, to whom 
 ^ thou barest witness, behold the same baptizeth and all men come to him, 
 his answer was, Ify joy therefore is fulfilled, he must increase, but I 
 must decrease, John iii. 26. 30. 
 
BAPTISM OF CHRIST. 225 
 
 After John had preached some six months, or more, the pub- 
 lic ministry of Christ commenced, and he began it with an open 
 acknowledgment of the work and mission of his forerunner. 
 Theyi cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John^ to he baptized 
 of him. Our Lord was now about thirty years of age, which was 
 the time appointed by the Levitical law when the priests and pub- 
 lic instructors should commence their service. He had lived in. 
 Galilee in obscurity, and notwithstanding the star which pro- 
 claimed his birth, and his appearing in the temple at the age of 
 twelve years, the people seem to have had little suspicion of the 
 greatness of him who tabernacled among them. But now the 
 way was prepared, and when all the people were baptized, Luke 
 iii. 21, and by their baptism had solemnly professed their readi- 
 ness to receive him whom John preceded, he came to be publicly 
 acknowledged by John, and to enter on his work. 
 
 Although, according to the human nature of Christ, he was a 
 relation of John the Baptist, yet the latter appears not to have 
 been personally acquainted with him. He was, however, revealed 
 to him by the Holy Ghost, John i. 31, 33, and when Christ came 
 and asked to be baptized, his great forerunner at first declined. 
 Greatest of all the sons of men, he felt himself so far inferior to 
 our Lord, that he was not worthy even to bear his shoes, as a 
 servant after him. How, then, could he presume to confer on 
 him the rite of baptism? John forhade him^ saying^ I have need to 
 he baptized of thee^ and comest thou to me ? This is a remarkable 
 saying, and coming, as it does, from a man inspired of God, is 
 worthy of careful consideration. John the Baptist was sanctified 
 even from his mother's womb, and in the sanctity of his life sur- 
 passed even the holiest of the ancient saints. Yet he felt that he 
 had need of Christ, Who, then, of all them that are born of 
 woman, has no need of Christ ? Who, then, of sinful men must 
 not look to him for salvation ? or what name can there be under 
 heaven wherein we can trust, other than that of Jesus of Naza- 
 reth ? If the holy Baptist felt and expressed his need of Christ, 
 let us also acknowledge the same want, and flee to him for 
 shelter. 
 
 The objection made by John to baptizing Christ, was most 
 natural, but it was overruled by our Saviour. Suffer it to be so 
 now^for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness ; then he suffered 
 him. It is not at first sight very clear why Christ wished to be 
 baptized by John, or how he thereby fulfilled all righteousness. 
 
226 BAPTISM OF CHRIST. 
 
 The baptism of John was the baptism of repentance for sin, and 
 those who received it professed their faith in the coming Messiah ; 
 but Christ had no sins to repent of, and he was himself the prom- 
 ised Messiah. He could not, therefore, receive baptism in the 
 ordinary sense in which the Jews received it. But the object of 
 our Lord, in being baptized bj John, was twofold. He wished, 
 in the first place, to put honor on the ministry of his forerunner, 
 by acknowledging thus publicly his divine mission. On various 
 occasions he testified to the greatness of John, but never so 
 emphatically as when he bowed before him in the sacred ordi- 
 nance of baptism. He wished to receive this rite from the hands of 
 John, in the second place, because it was his solemn inauguration 
 into his own public ministry. It was, so to speak, the oath of 
 ofiice by which he publicly pledged himself to the performance 
 of the duties which, as Mediator, he had undertaken. It was 
 becoming^ therefore, that John should administer the ordinance to 
 him. When one of the monarchs of the earth assumes the crown 
 and ascends the throne, the highest of his future subjects admin- 
 isters the coronation oath. So when Christ assumed his media- 
 torial work on earth, he, than whom no greater had ever been 
 born of woman, inducted him into his office. It was, indeed, 
 chiefly for this purpose that he was raised up, and, having accom- 
 plished this, the star of his brightness speedily set. The sun was 
 now risen in the east, and the morning star, which heralded his 
 approach, disappeared. 
 
 Our Lord was baptized, and went up straightway from the 
 water. It was then that there was made one of the most remark- 
 able manifestations of the Godhead, of which our world has ever 
 been the witness. Lo ! Uic heavens ivere opened unto him^ and he 
 saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him : 
 and lo ! a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in 
 whom I am ivell pleased. Let us for a moment consider the scene 
 presented. It ivas in Bethahara, beyond Jordan, where John was 
 baptizing, John i. 28. It was not a thickly-settled country, but 
 crowds now occupied it, attracted thither by the fame of the 
 great messenger of God. Already he had given his testimony 
 concerning Christ, who was so soon to come. And now the peo- 
 ple were in expectation, Luke iii. 15. John seeth Jesus coming 
 unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God luhich taketh aioay the 
 sin of the world, John i. 29. He baptizes him in presence of all 
 the people, and whilst they behold, the heavens are opened, and 
 
BAPTISM OF CHRIST. 227 
 
 tliey look far up into those blue depths hard by the throne of 
 God. Even while they gaze, a hodily form^ like a dove, Luke iii. 
 22, descends, approaches the newly-baptized Saviour, and lights 
 upon him. And whilst they look on this, behold another won- 
 der. A voice from heaven rings out, clear and distinct as the 
 trumpet that once sounded on Sinai, but without its tones of ter- 
 ror, and proclaims, This is my beloved So7i, in ivhom I am well 
 
 The two circumstances most remarkable in this account, are, 
 the descent of the Spirit, and the testimony of God in behalf of 
 Christ. That there was a bodily appearance, as of a dove, is dis- 
 tinctly stated. This is an important fact to be borne in mind, 
 but our chief concern is with the import of the action. 
 
 The dispensation under which we live is often and justly 
 called the dispensation of the Spirit. The ancient Jewish law, 
 with its varied rites and ceremonies, was very imposing, but it 
 had only a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of 
 those things, Heb. x. 1 ; and those who ministered at its altar 
 served unto the example and shadow of heavenly things. But now 
 Christ is come, having obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch 
 as he is the mediator of a better covenant, which is established upon 
 better promises, Heb. viii. 6. That better covenant, and those bet- 
 ter promises, are due to the gift of the Holy Spirit, which all 
 those receive who believe on Christ. Without the gift of the 
 Spirit there is no spiritual life — there would be no spiritual 
 church, nor could any of our race ever enter heaven. This gift 
 of the Spirit was purchased by Jesus Christ when he died upon 
 the cross ; it was first copiously given when cloven tongues ap- 
 peared and sat upon the head of the apostles on the day of Pente- 
 cost ; and it has been communicated to the church more or less 
 freely down to the present time, and shall be continued in her 
 until the final consummation of all things. So needful is this 
 gift of the Spirit to the welfare of the church, that Christ did not 
 scruple to tell his sorrowing disciples, that it was more necessary 
 than his own bodily presence. It is expedient for you that I go 
 away, for if I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you, but 
 if I depart I tvill send him unto yoii, John xvi. 7. 
 
 Christ then being the giver of this great gift, it behooved him 
 to be plenteously endowed with the same himself Accordingly, 
 we find a long line of prophecies, distinctly marking out Christ's 
 pre-eminence in this respect, and equally distinct testimonies 
 
2z8 p.APTis:\r of christ. 
 
 from the Now Testfiment, sliowlng that tlic Father gave not the 
 Spirit by measure to Jiim, John iii. 8-i. It was of him Isaiah 
 spake, when he said, The Spirit oftJie Lord shall rest tqwn him, the 
 Spirit oftuisdom, and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, 
 the Spirit of knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord, Is. xi. 2. There 
 is another prophecy of Isaiah (Ixi, 1) still more distinct, which 
 cannot be better quoted, than in the words of the evangelist 
 Luke. And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee. 
 And he came to Nazareth where he had heen brought up ; and, as his 
 custom was, he went into tlie synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood 
 up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the booh of the 
 prophet Isaiah. And luhen he had opened the booh, he found the 
 place lohere it is loritten. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because 
 he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he hath sent me to 
 heal the brohen-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recov- 
 ering of sight to them that are blind, to set at liberty them that are 
 bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the I^ord. And he closed the 
 booh, and gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes 
 of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he 
 began to say unto them. This day is this scripture fulfilled in your 
 ears. And all bare him ivitness, and wondered at the gracious tcords 
 which proceeded out of his moidh, Luke iv, l-i-22. 
 
 Since Christ is thus the mediator of a covenant whose grand 
 characteristic is, that it is spiritual, it was peculiarly appropriate, 
 that on his entering on his public work, this should be plainly 
 signified. Hence, when he was baptized, the Spirit descended, in 
 bodily form like a dove, and in the eyes of all, lighted upon him ; 
 nor was he ever after without the Spirit's presence. The Father 
 gave not the Spirit by measure unto him. He himself bestowed 
 the gift of the Spirit with a boundless liberality. When he rose 
 from the dead, he came to his disciples, and, breathing on them, 
 said, Receive the Holy Ghost, John xx. 22. And how full and rich 
 were the gifts they received when the Spirit was poured upon 
 them from on high on the day of Pentecost. To one ivas given by 
 the Spirit the tvord of ivisdom : to another the word of hnowledge by 
 tlie same Spirit : to another faith by the same Spirit : to another the 
 gifts of healing by the same Spirit : to another the working of miracles ; 
 to another prophecy ; to another the discerning of spirits ; to another 
 divers kinds of tongues ; to anothet' the interpretation of to7igues ; hut 
 all these loorlceth. that one and the selfsaine Spirit, dividing to every 
 man severally as he unll, 1 Cor. xii. 8-11. How long these mirac- 
 
BAPTISM OF CHRIST. 229 
 
 ulous gifts continued in the primitive cliurcli is uncertain. They 
 were bright and dazzling manifestations. But there were other 
 gifts of the same Spirit, even more precious, which are still given 
 to the church ; and which even now are her glory and her crown 
 — for the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace^ long-suffering, gentleness, 
 goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance, Gal. v. 22, 23. No 
 tongue can express the excellency of these gifts. Where then 
 shall we seek their origin ? Yet why ask the question ? They 
 can come only from him on whom the Spirit lighted at his bap- 
 tism ; and who by his death purchased the right to bestow the 
 Spirit's influences when and how he would. 
 
 It is too common in our days to think lightly of the work of 
 the Spirit in the church. There are many who say, that all this 
 talk of supernatural impressions, and inflaences of the Spirit in 
 religion, is mere enthusiasm. I have not so learned the Scrip- 
 tures. On the contrary, the words of Christ are as emphatic and 
 as true now, as when they were first spoken to Nicodemus, Ver- 
 ily, verily, I say unto thee, except a mo,n he horn of v:ater and of the 
 Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of Qod, John iii. 5 ; and the 
 words of Paul are as applicable to the Christian church now, as 
 they were when first spoken to the Corinthians. We have received 
 not the sfirit of the world, hut the Spirit which is of God, 1 Cor. ii. 
 12 ; and that other declaration of the same apostle's, is as full of 
 solemn meaning as ever. If any man have not the spirit of Christ, 
 he is none of his, Rom. viii. 9. 
 
 The field of thought, on which we are led to enter, by the con- 
 sideration of the descent of the Spirit on Christ, when he was 
 baptized, is one of boundless interest, and importance, but at 
 present it must be passed over without further remark. 
 
 The baptism of Christ was signalized, not only by the descent 
 of the Holy Spirit, but by one of those remarkable testimonies 
 from God the Father, which Christ received several times during 
 his public ministry. Lo ! a voice from heaven, saying, This is my 
 heloved Son, in lohom I am loell pleased. This same testimony was 
 given to our Lord, on the occasion of his transfiguration, when 
 none but Peter and James and John were present to hear it, 
 Matt. xvii. 5. A similar testimony was also given him near the 
 close of his public ministry, when he prayed, Father, glorify thy 
 name. Then there came a voice from heaven, saying, I have hoth glo- 
 rified it, and 1 loill glorify it again, John xii. 28. 
 
230 BAPTISM OF CHRIST. 
 
 The account contained in the verses we have been considering 
 furnishes several practical and doctrinal truths. 
 
 1. We have here a distinct recognition of the sublime and 
 mysterious doctrine of the Trinity. There is a voice from 
 heaven — there is the Spirit descending — there is the Saviour on 
 the earth — and each of these are represented as distinct persons. 
 We do not adduce this passage as a proof of the essential divinity 
 either of the Holy Ghost, or of the Son ; that is proved elsewhere. 
 It is sufficient to quote this account to show, that while these 
 three persons are intimately joined together, they have a distinct 
 personality, that the Spirit is not a mere influence, nor the Son 
 a different name for the Father. The objection will doubtless be 
 urged, that this is an incomprehensible doctrine. But it will be 
 time to answer such an objection, when he who brings it can 
 explain the mysteries of his own nature, or the union between 
 his own soul and body. 
 
 2. AVhile the account in question reveals to us something con- 
 cerning the nature of the Trinity, it is yet more interesting as show- 
 ing us the union and harmony of the Godhead in all that relates to 
 the redemption of our race. The counsels of the glorious Trinity 
 from eternity, had reference to the salvation of man ; and in the 
 plan of redemption, it is the Father who sends the Son — it is the 
 Son who dies to redeem — and it is the Holy Ghost Avho applies 
 the purchased salvation. In all this, there was and is the most 
 perfect harmony between the persons of the Godhead. The same 
 infinite intelligence directed all, and the great work went on to 
 its completion through the united power, wisdom, and love of 
 the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Divine revelation 
 assures us that between the persons of the Trinity the most per- 
 fect harmony and love has ever existed, John i. 1, 2, 18. Prov. 
 viii. 14-36, Col. i. 12, 13. John xvii. and it is not a little inter- 
 esting to find that every such revelation that is given to us, is 
 given in connection with the divine purposes regarding our salva- 
 tion. Does the Father declare his love for the Son? it is when 
 the Son is fulfilling the work he had undertaken for our race. 
 Does the Son profess his affection for the Father, and delight in 
 him? it is when he is most actively employed in securing our sal- 
 vation. Are clear revelations given to us of the nature and office 
 of the Holy Spirit? it is when he is spoken of as the Comforter, 
 and Sanctifier of those whom the Father loved and the Son 
 redeemed. And all this leads us to an important practical reflec- 
 
BAPTISM OF CHRIST. 231 
 
 tion. Is the ever glorious and blessed Trinity — the Father, the 
 Son, and the Holy Ghost, thus earnestly and affectionately en- 
 gaged in working out the redemption of our race ? then surely it 
 is no light or unimportant matter in which the Triune God is 
 thus engaged. We may think it a light matter to work out our 
 salvation, but it was not so esteemed in the counsels of eternity. 
 Surely that which calls forth the thoughts, and the energies of all 
 the persons of the Godhead, must be an occasion of chief magni- 
 tude, and should be so regarded by us. Let us then say with the 
 Psalmist, The redemption of the soul is precious, Ps. xlix. 8; and let 
 us obey the exhortation of the apostle, Worh out your salvation 
 with fear and trembling^ for it is God that worheth in you, both to ivill 
 and to do of his good pleasure, Phil. ii. 12, 13. 
 
 Finally, let us hence draw consolation and encouragement. 
 Is one glorious Trinity thus engaged in the work of redemption ? 
 then surely it cannot fail. The gates of hell shall not prevail 
 against it. The power of Satan shall not bring to naught what 
 God has decreed. Let us therefore trust in God with unshrinking 
 confidence, and commit the keeping of our souls to him in ivell-doing 
 as unto a faithful Creator, 1 Pet. iv. 19. His counsel shall stand, he 
 will do all his pleasure, Is. xlvi. 16. "We may therefore trust, and 
 not be afraid. 
 
 Macao, June 16, 1844 
 
SERMON XXVII. 
 
 THE UNCERTAINTY OF RICHES. 
 
 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in 
 uncertain riches, but in the living God who giveth us richly all things to enjoy : 
 that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; lay- 
 ing up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that 
 they may lay hold on eternal life. — 1 Tixi. vi. 17-19. 
 
 The author of tlie epistle from which these words are taken, 
 was the apostle Paul. After our Lord Jesus Christ, he was the 
 greatest inspired teacher of the Christian Church, and his words 
 come to us clothed with divine authority. The person to whom 
 the epistle was addressed, was Timothy, the chosen friend, and 
 bosom companion of the apostle. He was also a minister of the 
 everlasting gospel, and had the charge of souls, for which charge 
 he was to render an account, not to man, but to God. For his 
 guidance, this epistle was written, and it is filled with directions 
 as to the manner in which he might best perform the duties de- 
 volving upon him. Nothing can exceed the solemnity of the 
 charges laid upon him by the apostle. But the epistle was not 
 written for Timothy alone ; it was intended for all who, like him, 
 are entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation ; and its charges 
 are as binding on all such now, as when first given to Timothy 
 himself. Bear with me therefore, when in obedience to the com- 
 mand of the apostle, I explain his words, and charge you who are 
 rich, not to be high-minded, nor to trust in uncertain riches, but 
 in the living God. 
 
 The charge here given is specially for the rich. Charge them 
 that are rich in this loorld. Yet it is difficult to say who are in- 
 cluded in it. It is hard to say what amount of this world's goods 
 constitutes wealth. Who can tell what riches are ? Who is ever 
 satisfied with what he already possesses? One man esteems 
 riches to consist in the possession of ten or a hundred pounds ; 
 
THE UNCERTAINTY OF RICHES. 233 
 
 while another calls himself poor with thousands and tens of thou- 
 sands. But perhaps we shall not greatly err, if we say that by 
 the rich, the apostle means all those who possess more than a com- 
 petency of the good things of this world. If you possess more 
 than is absolutely necessary for the comforts and conveniences of 
 life — if you are placed above the reach of want, and have a reason- 
 able prospect of so continuing — then you may consider yourselves 
 as included in the class intended by the apostle. If this be 
 allowed, then the greater part if not the whole of this audience 
 are here addressed. Look over the world in which we dwell. 
 Compare your condition with that of three fourths of our race, 
 and it will be found that the great majority of men will say of us, 
 that we are rich, and increased in goods, and have need of 
 nothing. 
 
 There is a deep and solemn meaning in the expression used 
 by the apostle, when he says, rich in this ivorld, for it implies that 
 they who possess much of this world's wealth, may be poor in 
 the only true riches. It teaches us, that though men heap up sil- 
 ver as stones, and gold as the dust of the streets — though they 
 add house to house, and field to field — yet, when they die, they 
 may be left without a rag to cover their nakedness, and their souls 
 may appear before God without anything wherewith to redeem them 
 from shame, and poverty, and everlasting contempt. It reminds 
 us of the rich man, who said, Soul^ thou hast much goods laid iq) 
 for many years. Take thine ease, eat, drinh, and he merry ; and 
 yet God said unto him, Thou fool, this night shall thy soul he reqimed 
 of thee: then ivhose shall those things he which thou hast provided? 
 Above all, it reminds us of that solemn query propounded by 
 our Saviour, What shall it profit a man, if he gain the xohole world, 
 and lose his own soul? Mark viii. 36 ; for alas ! it too often hap- 
 pens, that they who are rich in this world, are not rich towards 
 God. How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom 
 of God. For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than 
 for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God, Luke xviii. '24, 25. 
 Therefore, I charge all such, in the name of the most high God, 
 with all plainness and sincerity, that you attend to the exhorta- 
 tion of the apostle. 
 
 The charge of the apostle consists of two parts. He first tells 
 you what you must avoid ; and then instructs you what you 
 must do, 
 
 I. There are two things which you must avoid. 
 
234 THE UNCERTAINTY OF RICHES. 
 
 1. Charge them that are rich in this ivorld, that they be not high- 
 minded. Riches are apt to puff the owner up. Great respect is paid 
 by all classes to the rich. In most cases it is wealth that makes the 
 man, for gold is the aristocracy of the world. Crowds follow him 
 that possesses it ; he has many dependants ; he is looked up to ; he 
 is quoted as an oracle ; he is served with eagerness ; and in propor- 
 tion to his wealth he finds his greatness to increase. Now in all 
 cases poor human nature is prone to pride and self-conceit. How 
 much more easy is it for one to be high-minded, when all around 
 conspire to make him so ; and how natural is it for one perched 
 upon his shining pinnacle, to look with contempt upon those who 
 walk humbly iu the plain, or grovel in the dust beneatli him ! 
 But beware of such conduct. Let no proud, vain-glorious 
 thoughts fill your hearts. Do not despise those less wealth}^, or 
 less exalted than yourselves. Be not high-minded, hut condescend to 
 men of low estate, Rom. xii. 16. There are two considerations, 
 which are of excellent use to beat down the pride that wealth is 
 so apt to engender, 1. Consider that God abhors the proud. 
 No sin, save the sin of unbelief, is so hateful in the eyes of a pure 
 and holy God, as the sin of pride. The first of the seven sins 
 which God abhors — and which is an abomination to him — is a 
 proud look, Prov. vi. 17. How must it provoke the Most High, 
 before whom all our ranks and titles of honor are but so many 
 " degrees of littleness," to see his own gifts made, or rather per- 
 verted, into an occasion, whereby an insignificant creature may 
 for a few years plume himself, and become vain in his fancied 
 greatness ! 2. Consider, that even if it were lawful for man to be 
 high-minded, yet the possession of wealth, the being rich in this 
 world, is no sufficient reason for pride. What is wealth but a perish- 
 ingtreasure — often unjustly acquired — often improperly employed, 
 and even when lawfully acquired and rightly used, a fading and 
 transitory source of influence and enjoyment? Do not all go to one 
 place at the last? Shall not all stand before God, and be judged, 
 not according to their silver and their gold, but according to the 
 deeds they have done ? And shall any man, on account of a 
 possession that he cannot take with him out of this world, say to 
 his poorer neighbor, " Stand by thyself, come not nigh unto me. 
 Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool, for I am better 
 than thou ?" I charge you, that ye he not high-minded. 
 
 2. The apostle also warns you against trusting in uncertain 
 riches. This is a common and lamentable error. How apt are men 
 
THE UNCERTAINTY OF RICHES. 235 
 
 to make gold their trust, and to feel their hopes of happiness in- 
 crease in proportion to the increase of their wealth. It is hard to 
 trust in God alone, but easy to trust in riches. Such is the 
 blindness of the natural heart, that we utterly lose sight of the 
 Giver of every good thing, and put our conlidence in his gifts. 
 No sin is more common, even in nominally Christian lands. We 
 are not surprised to find that every Chinese merchant has an 
 image of the god of riches in his house, to which he pays his 
 daily devotions ; but it should surprise us, to find how often the 
 throne of the same idol is set up in the Christian's heart. You 
 may not burn incense before him, nor bend your body in adora- 
 tion, but there be many in Christian communities that serve him 
 with as true a devotion, and as hearty a worship, as the veriest 
 Pagan that ever lived. Is this an uncharitable supposition? 
 What means, then, this craving after riches — this pleasure in see- 
 ing wealth increase — this constant application of every power of 
 body and mind to the one object of making money — this giving 
 up of the whole heart to the allurements of the world, and of 
 the money that purchases the world, which we see on every 
 side ? For this purpose is country forsaken, and friends deserted, 
 and dangers and perils endured. For this purpose are too many 
 of the rights of the weak neglected, or trampled on. For this 
 purpose is God forgotten, and the Sabbath dishonored. What 
 greater sacrifices do the heathen make to their idols, than many 
 nominal Christians are constantly making in pursuit of wealth ? 
 
 And yet, when wealth is obtained, what great benefit do you 
 thence derive ? Are you sure that you shall continue to possess 
 it ? Do not dangers crowd thick on every hand, threatening to 
 deprive you of alt you have acquired, with so much toil ? Some- 
 times you have adventured your all in a single ship, and you 
 know not but the winds may destroy, the waves engulf, the fire 
 consume, or the pirates seize it. You become security for a 
 friend, and he fails, and involves you in his ruin. You embark 
 your capital in a scheme that requires all your time and strength, 
 and when you have gone too far to withdraw, your health fails, 
 and your hopes vanish. But why enumerate all the casualties 
 that may interfere with your success? Wilt thou set thine eyes 
 upon that ivhich is not f for riches certairily make themselves wings, 
 and fly aivay^ as an eagle toivards heaven^ Pro v. xxiii. 5. Well did 
 the apostle say, Trust not in uncertain riches, or as it is more accu- 
 rately and expressively translated in the margin, Tritst not in the 
 
236 THE UNCERTAINTY OF RICHES. 
 
 tmcertainty of riches. ISTothing is so proverbially uncertain as the 
 possession of wealth. A thousand chances may deprive you of it 
 all, even during life ; and certainly at death you shall lose it, for 
 we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry 
 nothing out. Therefore, use the wealth you now possess, and 
 enjoy the good things God has given you, but do not make them 
 your trust. If riches increase, set not your heart upon them, for 
 they will certainly disappoint your expectations. Behold^ I show 
 you a more excellent ivay, 1 Cor. xii. 31. 
 
 II. The apostle forbids your trusting to riches, but he does not 
 therefore remove from you every object on which you may rely. 
 Man must have something to depend upon. There are those who 
 love to talk of the independence of man, and to boast of his 
 greatness and authority. To a thinking mind, all such boasting 
 is folly. In all the wide world, there is not a more dependent 
 and helpless being than man. Although lord of this lower crea- 
 tion, the ivy is not more dependent on the oak, than man is 
 dependent on those around him. In inflxncy his every want 
 must be supplied by others ; and as he grows up, he is still the 
 same dependent being, and will lean on something, though it be 
 but a braised reed, for support. Some trust in horses, some trust 
 in chariots, some trust in friends, but most men trust in wealth. 
 The apostle utterly forbids our reposing our hopes on this, and 
 shows us a better ground of confidence. Trust 7iot in the uncer- 
 tainty of riches^ hut in the living Ood who giveth us richly all things 
 to enjoy. Make him your stay, and ground of hope. Put your 
 confidence in him, and in all times of danger or want flee to him 
 for shelter. Labor to possess your minds with a sense of his 
 greatness, power, and present care for you. Obtain practical 
 views of his providence, that overrules, and controls, and directs 
 all things. Believe that nothing can happen to you, or others, 
 without his special permission. Commit your interests and pros- 
 pects into his hands, assured that he is both able and willing to 
 care for you. Let no anxious or distressing cares, and schemes 
 for the future, occupy your minds. I say unto you, take no thought 
 for your life, lohat ye shall eat and tvhat ye shall drink ; nor yet for 
 your hody, ivhat ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and 
 the hody more than raiment ? Behold the fowls of the air, for they 
 sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns ; yet your heaven- 
 ly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much letter than, theyf Which 
 of you by taking thought, can add one cubit unto his stature ? And lohy 
 
THE UNCERTAIXTY OP RICHES. 237 
 
 taheye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field how tliey 
 grow : they toil 7iot, neither do they spin; and yet I say unto you^ that 
 even Solomon^ in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these. 
 Wherefore, if God so clothes the grass of the fields, ivhich to-day is, 
 and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, 
 oh ye of little faith F But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his 
 righteousness, and all these thijigs shall be added unto you. Matt. vi. 
 25-33. Trust therefore in the living God, and you will find him 
 a ground of confidence ; not like the uncertain quicksands of this 
 world's treasures, but stable and sure, as the everlasting rocks, 
 and by such confidence you will be liberally rewarded. If you ■ 
 trust in riches, what do you obtain ? Constant cares and anxieties, 
 toils and unending labors, and fruit that cloys while you use 
 it. But to those who trust in God, he giveth richly all things to 
 enjoy. All things come of him. Even the rich have their 
 wealth by the dispensations of his providence, but without his 
 blessing there is no solid enjoyment. Trust not therefore in the 
 gifts, but in the giver. 
 
 Trust in the living God. This is the first and the most indis- 
 pensable requisite in all acceptable service. Without faith it is 
 impossible to please him, for he that cometh unto God, must believe that 
 lie is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, Heb. 
 xi. 6. But it is not faith alone that is required ; and if it be 
 true faith, it will not be alone. Faith without ivorks is dead, it is 
 not faith. Wherever faith truly exists, it shows itself by its fruits. 
 It works by love and purifies the heart. Accordingly, in our text, 
 the apostle, after charging the rich not to trust in riches, but in 
 God, proceeds to enjoin on them the performance of such good 
 works as may evidence the sincerity and depth of their trust. 
 Do good, be rich in good ivorks, ready to distribute, loilling to commu- 
 nicate. The apostle's meaning is this. All those who possess 
 this world's riches, are merely the stewards of God. All that you 
 possess comes from him. It is not given to you in perpetuity, 
 but is lent to you to be employed in his service. You are allow- 
 ed to enjoy it yourselves, but at the same time remember, that 
 when he cometh he will require his own with interest, Luke xix. 
 23. Freely therefore, as you have received, so freely give. There 
 are abundance of objects to call for your charity. There are many 
 bodily wants of the poor to be supplied ; for the word spoken in 
 ancient times to the Jews, is true in our days, the poor shall never 
 cease out of the land, Deut. xv. 11, and all such have a claim on 
 
238 THE UNCERTAINTY OF RICHES. 
 
 your benevolence. There are too many wlio say, in the words 
 of him who slew his brother, " Am I my brother's keeper ? 
 What have I to do with the wants of the poor ?" But such a plea 
 will not avail before God. To a certain extent you are your 
 brother's keeper. We are all members of God's great family, and 
 though to some he has given more than others, his intention is 
 not that the latter should suffer want, but that the former should 
 supply their wants. I know not how this can be more clearly 
 expressed than it is by the apostle — / meo,n not that other men he 
 eased, and ye he burdened ; hut hy an equality, that your abundance 
 
 ■ may be a supply for their wants, that their abundance also may be 
 a supply for your wants, that there may he an equality: as it is written. 
 He that had gathered much had nothing over ; and he that had gathered 
 little had no lack, 2 Cor. viii. 13-15. And to encourage you, in a 
 liberal distribution to the wants of the poor, remember the words 
 of unfailing truth. He that hath pity on the poor lendeth unto the 
 Lord: and that which he hath given will he pay him again, Prov. xix. 
 17. And also that promise, The liberal soul shall be made fat; and 
 he that icatereth shall he ivatered himself, Prov. xi. 25. 
 
 But it is not the bodily wants alone of our neighbors that 
 should be relieved by us. There are multitudes on all sides who 
 are not only poor in this world, but poor as it respects the next. 
 How truly may it be said of every heathen country, that there is 
 a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for luater, hut 
 of hearing the ivord of the Lord, Amos viii. 11. I speak specially 
 of the inhabitants of this great empire, and I ask you Avhat is the 
 prospect of their salvation ? In the words of the great apostle of 
 the Gentiles, Whosoever believeth shcdl not be ashamed. How shall 
 they call on him in ivhom they have not believed f and how shall they 
 believe in himof ivhom they have not lieard? and how shall they hear 
 iviiJwut a preacher? and hoio shall they preach except they he sent? 
 Rom. xi. 14. There is much misapprehension on this point, and 
 some diversity of views even among divines as to the future con- 
 dition of the heathen who have never heard of Christ; for some 
 maintain that those who have never heard of Christ, may be 
 
 , saved, provided they live perfectly moral lives. There can be 
 no hesitation in admitting the truth of this proposition. If the 
 heathen, or any of them, live perfectly moral lives, and fully 
 obey the light of nature, they shall be saved, even without the 
 knowledge of Christ. But are there any such ? On this point I 
 feel constrained to say there are none such in the world. From 
 
THE UNCERTAINTY OF RICHES. 239 
 
 the day when Adam sinned, down to the present time, there never 
 was a person who lived a perfectly moral life. Who has ever 
 seen such a person ? What is his name ? Where did he dwell? 
 I repeat it again. There has never lived a single heathen, whose 
 own conscience did not convict him of sin — who did not ac- 
 knowledge that he did what he knew to be wrong. The world 
 may be safely challenged to produce one solitary example : and 
 when such an example is produced, then it may be said, *' Saved 
 without Christ." The testimony of the Scriptures is explicit. 
 There is none righteous^ no not one^ there is none that doeth good, 7io 
 not one, Kom. iii. 10-12. With experience and Scripture thus 
 uniting their voices, we may without hesitation assert, that none 
 who have arrived at years of maturity can be saved, unless they 
 have heard of Christ, and believed on him. Hear the declaration 
 of Peter and John, There is salvation in no other ; for there is none 
 other name given under heaven among men, whereby we must be 
 saved, Acts iv. 12. I beg that what I say may not be misappre- 
 hended. While I believe that the heathen who do not believe on 
 Christ are lost, I do not mean that they are condemned for not 
 believing on Christ. They have never heard of Christ, and 
 cannot be condemned for not believing on him ; but they are 
 condemned, and that because they do not act according to the 
 light of nature, which they already possess. Their own hearts 
 condemn them ; and God who is greater than their hearts, also 
 condemns them. They have sinned without the written law of 
 God, and they perish without the written law, Eom. ii. 12 ; for 
 they are judged according to their works. Neither do I believe 
 that the punishment of the heathen who die without the knowl- 
 edge of Christ will be as severe as the punishment of those who 
 have heard of him, and refused to believe. That servant ivhich 
 knew his Lord's loill, and prepared not himself, neither did according 
 to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, 
 and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few 
 stripes, Luke xii. 47, 48. Oh, my hearers, I warn you, as in the 
 presence of God, that if you sink to perdition from under the 
 sound of the gospel, your punishment will be inconceivably more 
 dreadful than that of the heathen who have not heard these 
 good tidings. It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the 
 day of judgment than for thee. Matt. xi. 24. 
 
 Is such the condition of the heathen ? Then is it not the part 
 of charity — is it not the duty of those who possess the means, to 
 
240 THE UNCERTAINTY OF RICHES. 
 
 use every endeavor, and teacli them how they may be saved ? 
 If you cannot go yourselves and teach them how to beheve, 
 should yoa not send those who can? and support them while 
 they give their time, and talents, and strength to this great work ? 
 In reference to this also the apostle spoke, when he said. Do good^ 
 he rich in good ivorks, ready to distribute^ willing to communicate. 
 Bememher the words of our Lord Jesus ^ how he said, It is more 
 blessed to give than to receive, Acts xx. 85 ; Brethren, ye know the 
 grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he ivas rich, yet for your 
 sahes he became poor, tJiat ye through Jtis j^overty might he nuide ricJi, 
 2 Cor. viii. 9. 
 
 Finally, by taking this course enjoined by the apostle, by 
 ceasing to trust in riches, and trusting in the living God, and by 
 showing the sincerity of your belief by your actions, you secure 
 for yourselves a solid and permanent happiness. Thus you shall 
 lay up in store for yourselves a good foundation for the time to come, 
 and shall lay hold on eternal life. If your riches continue in your 
 possession you shall enjoy them the more, because your own con- 
 sciences will approve of the use you make of them. If by anj^ 
 dispensation of God's providence you are deprived of them, you 
 shall witness their flight with little regret, for your ground of 
 confidence, the living God, will still be the same ; and in either 
 case, in all time of your prosperity and wealth, and in all time of 
 your adversity and poverty, you shall look to the city built on 
 sure foundations, where your treasures are safely guarded. Tlicre 
 no moth nor rust corrupts, and thieves do not break through nor steal, 
 Matt. vi. 20. 
 
 Macao, July 21, 1844. 
 
SERMON XXVIII. 
 
 BELIEVING PRAYER. 
 
 All things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. — Matthew 
 xxi. 22. 
 
 This is a very remarkable promise. Yet it is one often mis- 
 understood, and is therefore worthy of a careful examination. It 
 was spoken by our Saviour when he caused the fig-tree to with'er 
 which had nothing thereon hut leaves only. The disciples marvelled 
 when they saiu it, saying, How soon is the Jig-tree withered away, and 
 our Saviour embraced the opportunity to impress on their minds 
 a sense of the power of faith in God, and the benefits of faith in 
 prayer. Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you. 
 If ye have faith and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done 
 to the fig-tree, but also, ye shall say to this mountain. Be thou removed, 
 and be thou cast into the sea, it shall he done. And all things whatso- 
 ever ye shall ash in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. 
 
 There may be a special reference here to the miraculous gifts, 
 which, in the early history of the church, were given to the apos- 
 tles and their followers for the establishing of the gospel in the 
 earth. But the same promise is elsewhere made, where there is 
 no special reference to miraculous gifts, and it is given there in 
 even more explicit terms than those used in the text. For our 
 Lord says. Ash, and it shall he given you : seeh, and ye shall find : 
 hnoch, and it shall be opened unto you ; for every one that asheth, re- 
 ceiveth ; and he that seeheth, findeth ; and to him that hnocheth, it shall 
 be opened. Matt. vii. 7, 8. And so the apostle John tells us, We 
 have confidence towards God, and whatsoever ive ash, we receive of 
 him, 1 John iii. 22. How full and explicit are these promises ! 
 It seems as if our gracious Creator had spread before us all his 
 riches, telling us to put forth our hand, and take what we needed. 
 Yet it is too manifest that notwithstanding these j)romises, much 
 prayer is offered, which meets no favorable answer from God. 
 16 
 
242 BELIEVING PRAYER. 
 
 How is this to be explained ? God is not a man that he should 
 lie. His promise is on record, and if it is not fulfilled, there must 
 be some sufficient reason why it is not. The apostle James 
 gives one reason, Ye ask, and ye receive not, because ye ash amiss, 
 that ye may consume it upon your lusts, James iv. 3. But this rea- 
 son, though a most sufficient cause why Grod should refuse to an- 
 swer such prayers, does not exist in all cases. For many persons 
 pray, who have no such unworthy motives in asking, and yet 
 they receive not. Humble and sincere, but desponding Chris- 
 tians, and young converts, are often perplexed and troubled at 
 this, and are almost tempted to ask, Is there not some secret res- 
 ervation on the part of Grod ? Is there not some unknown con- 
 dition attached to this promise, which prevents my receiving the 
 answer ? But, no, there is no secret reservation — there is no un- 
 known condition on the part of God. The promise is as plain as 
 words can make it, All things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, he- 
 lieving, ye shall receive. There is a condition expressed in this 
 promise, which is often misapprehended, or overlooked. Give 
 me your attention whilst I attempt to set it clearly before you. 
 
 In order to obtain answers to our prayers, one condition is re- 
 quired, and only one ; but that one is always required. It is 
 that we pray in faith. All things — believing. This condition is 
 expressed in this promise ; but it is implied in every promise, 
 whether it be expressed or not. The very nature of prayer de- 
 mands that it be in faith, otherwise it cannot be answered. Un- 
 believing prayer cannot be acceptable to God ; for it is laid down 
 as a positive law of his kingdom, Without faith it is impossible to 
 please God, for he that cometh unto God must believe, Heb. xi. 6. 
 
 Hence it is very plain why prayer is often not heard. Ask 
 yourselves, what was the character of those prayers you offered, 
 and to which you received no answer. Did you pray in faith, in 
 the name of Christ, and with full persuasion of God's ability and 
 willingness to answer? Oh there is much meaning in our Sa- 
 viour's inquiry, When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith 
 on the earth ? Luke xviii. 8 ; for even true believers oftentimes 
 pray without faith. But here is the difficulty, and it is also the 
 main point in our text, WJiat is believing prayer ? How shall we 
 know if we have offered it ? for it seems that all hinges on this, 
 and unless we offer it, it is useless to pray. All tilings whatsoever 
 ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. Or as it is, even 
 more explicitly, in the parallel passage in Mark, What tilings so- 
 
BELIEVING PRAYER. 243 
 
 ever ye desire when ye pray^ believe that ye receive them, and ye shall 
 have them, Mark xi. 24. 
 
 In answer to tliis inquiry, as to what constitutes prayer in 
 fliith, I may remark, that it does not consist in several things that 
 are often thought to belong to it. 1. It does not consist in be- 
 lieving that you shall receive the identical things you ask for. 
 Many suppose it does, and are greatly distressed because they 
 cannot firmly believe that they shall receive the very things they 
 mention in praj'er. But this is to mistake the object of faith. 
 Faith is founded on the word of God, and not on our own fan- 
 cies, wishes, or expectations ; and without the word of God, there 
 is no warrant for such special faith as this. Unless you have a 
 special promise from God, that you shall have the very things 
 you name, you cannot believe that you shall receive them. You 
 may earnestly desire a thing, and may pray for it in faith, and 
 may receive it too, without any such assured conviction before- 
 hand that it shall be granted. The case of Hezekiah when he 
 was sick, is precisely in point. The prophet came to tell him he 
 must die. Hezekiah earnestly desired to live, and prayed earnestly 
 to God for life, and wept sore in his supplications. That prayer 
 was offered in faith, for God heard it ; and yet, obviously, it was 
 not possible for Hezekiah to believe that he should certainly have 
 his petitions. How could he believe that he should live, when 
 the word of God was, Ihou shalt die and not live ! But when his 
 prayer was offered in faith, and heard, and the promise was given 
 him that he should live, then he believed he should have the 
 very thing he requested. And so it is ordinarily. We may offer 
 the prayer of faith, without being fully persuaded that the pre- 
 cise object of our prayer shall be granted. 2. Nor are you to be- 
 lieve that you shall have the things you ask in the very way, and 
 manner, or at the very time you expect. You can believe noth- 
 ing except what is revealed, and where have you any revelation 
 that you shall have what you ask, just when and how you choose ? 
 The apostle Paul was very desirous to visit Eome, and often 
 prayed that he might do so. His prayer was answered, but nei- 
 ther in the time nor in the way that he expected. Instead of go- 
 ing there speedily and of his own accord, he was led there a pris- 
 oner, after many delays, and multiplied perils. And how often 
 is this true in Christian experience. The young convert is anx- 
 ious to grow in grace, and become holy, and offers earnest prayer 
 to God to effect this. Those prayers are heard and answered, 
 
244 BELIEVING PEAYER. 
 
 but not often in tlie way he expects. There are few who might 
 not adopt the words of the pious John Newton : 
 
 " I asked the Lord that I might grow- 
 In faith, and love, and every grace : 
 'IVas he who taught me tlius to pray. 
 And he I trust has answered prayer : 
 But it has been in such a way 
 As almost drove me to despair." 
 
 Neither Scripture nor experience, therefore, justify or require 
 the Christian to believe that he shall always obtain precisely what 
 he asks ; or if he obtains it, that it shall be in the way, and at the 
 time he expects. Now the characters of believing prayer are 
 these : — 
 
 1. There must be a just sense of our own condition and wants. 
 This is one of the hardest of all things, for our ignorance of what 
 is really good for us, and necessary, is notorious. We are like 
 sick men, who are constantly craving after that which would 
 injure them, and in too man}'- of our praj^ers we ask God to give 
 us what would be ruinous to our best interests. One man asks 
 for wealth, which would only make him proud, and forgetful of 
 God. Another asks for health, when, perhaps, there is nothing 
 he needs so much as a painful course of disciplinary sickness. 
 One man asks for joy, when it may be better for himself in the 
 end, and most for the glory of God, that he be exercised in the 
 depths of sorrow. Another asks for the life of his sick child, and 
 will take no denial, not foreseeing that if his request were granted, 
 he might mourn bitterly in the latter end, over the crimes and 
 the follies which an early death would have prevented. How 
 truly it was said by the apostle Paul, We knoiv not ivhat we should 
 'prayfor as ive ought, Eom. viii. 2 6. And how candidly does he con- 
 fess, that he himself prayed for the removal of « thorn in the flesh, 
 which the Lord saw to be needful for him, 2 Cor. xii. 8. Most 
 necessary is it, therefore, that we should know what we want ; 
 and if we are ignorant, then there is a precious promise, that the 
 Spirit shall help our infirmities, and teach us to make intercession 
 according to the will of God, Eom. viii. 26, 27. Let each one 
 therefore carefully study his own wants, that he may know what 
 it is he needs, and pray accordingly. 
 
 2. In the next place, there must be an earnest desire to obtain 
 what we ask. It must be not merely a wish, but an ajipetite, a 
 
BELIEVING PRAYER. 246 
 
 hungering and thirsting after it; and this will lead to earnest 
 prayer that we may obtain it. Just as a child when hungry 
 comes to its father for bread, and asks, expecting to receive what 
 is needful, so must we. This is the very comparison our Saviour 
 uses. What man is there of you whom if his son ask hread, will he 
 give him a stone? Or if he ask a fsh, will he give him a serpent? 
 If ye then being evil Icnoio how to give good gifts to your children^ how 
 much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to 
 them that ash him? Matt. vii. 9-11. What reply would you make 
 to the request of your child, if he came and asked for a thing 
 without desiring it? Would not every wise parent defer grant- 
 ing his request, till he really needed and wished what he asked ? 
 It is only the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous man that availeth 
 much^ James v. 16 ; and all who come to God without desires, 
 shall be sent away without reply. 
 
 3. But chiefly, the prayer of faith implies a due sense of the 
 character of God, and such a belief, trust, and confidence, as shall 
 honor him. Without a just knowledge of his character, you can- 
 not come to him with the feelings which believing prayer implies. 
 Those points of his character which you must chiefly know are 
 these : — 
 
 (1.) That he is everywhere present, and knows all things, that 
 he is near you, and hears your prayers. Need I prove that this 
 is true ? Is it not expressly declared, that the eye of the Lord is in 
 every place^ beholding the evil and the good, Prov. xv. 3. And is he 
 not called the Hearer of prayer? Oh thou that hearest prayer^ 
 unto thee shall all flesh come, Ps. Ixv. 2. 
 
 (2.) That he is Almighty, and however great the things you 
 ask, his power is greater still. It is in vain to come to God, unless 
 you believe that he is able to grant your request. Often when 
 the blind and the needy came to Christ, he asked. Believe ye that 
 I am able to do this ? and according to their faith it was done unta 
 them, Matt. ix. 29. But in other places he did no mighty works 
 because of their unbelief, Matt. xiii. 58. 
 
 (3.) That he is supremely good, and is both willing and readj^ 
 to bestow every needed blessing on those who ask. To attempt 
 to prove that God is ready and willing to bestow good on his 
 creatures, is like proving that the sun gives light and heat. In 
 him toe live and move and have our being, Acts xvii, 28. Every 
 good gift, and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the 
 Father of lights, James i. 17. It was such a conviction as this that 
 
246 BELIEVING PRAYER. 
 
 filled the Leper's heart, when he came to Christ, and loon 
 him, said, Lord, if thou wilt thou canst make me clean, Matt. viii. 2. 
 How acceptable his faith was to Christ, we may readily see in the 
 answer of our Lord, Jesus put forth his hand and touched him, say- 
 ing, I ivill, he thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 
 Matt. viii. 2, 3. Faith thus looks upon God, as a Father, ever 
 near, all-powerful and kind ; and it applies to him with confidence 
 in him and afiection for him. It lays hold on his promises, and 
 pleads them as a ground of hope. 
 
 4. There is but one other requisite to believing prayer, that 
 needs now to be mentioned, and that is — It must he in tJie name of 
 Christ. The heart in which faith exists, has also been convinced 
 of sin. The believer is profoundly sensible of his own unworthi- 
 ness and ill-deserts. He does not dare to come in his own name, 
 nor to rely on his own merits for acceptance with God. He looks 
 around for some one to be his security, whose merits are sufficient 
 to cover all his sins, and to purchase all the blessings he needs. 
 Such a one he finds in Christ, and accordingly, putting his trust 
 in him, he offers his prayers in his name. This is done in obedi- 
 ence to our Lord's command, Verily, verily, 1 say unto you, ivhat- 
 soever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he ivill give it you. 
 Hitherto ye have asked nothing in my name; ask and yc shall receive, 
 that your joy may he fall, John xvi. 23, 24. 
 
 Such are the requisites in the heart that would ofler prayer. 
 And to pray with faith and acceptance, it is only necessary to 
 call these feelings into exercise. Knowing thus the character of 
 God, you Vv'ill come to him with confidence in his ability and 
 willingness to hear yon, and with affection, and love, and rever- 
 ence. Knowing your own wants and necessities, you will come 
 with earnest desires to have them supplied, and will not readilj'- go 
 away without securing what you want ; and knowing your own 
 unworthiness, and Christ's all-sufficiency, you cannot but choose 
 to ask in his name, while in proportion to the largeness of your 
 views of his merits, will be the strength of your own confidence 
 of success. SucJi is believing prayer. Come then with these feel- 
 ings to the throne of grace. Yea, come boldly, that you may 
 obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need, Heb. iv. 16. 
 Come with the fullest confidence in God, for in Christ ive have 
 access ivith confidence hy the faith of him, Eph. ii. 12, You come 
 to a God of boundless might and love — to a Being whose heart 
 expands with benevolence to all his creatures — to a fountain that 
 
BELIEVING PEAYER. " 247 
 
 is ever sending fortli the streams of joy. Stint not therefore your 
 asking. As the Lord said to Ahaz, by the prophet, so might it 
 be said to you, Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy Qod; ash it either 
 ill the depth, or in the height above, Is. vii. 11, and it shall be granted, 
 for says our Saviour, All things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer 
 believing, ye shall receive. All things! Then how large is the 
 field before you, and how varied are the objects for which you 
 may pray with the certainty of a favorable answer ! 
 
 But here, the believer is met by a question which has greatly 
 embarrassed many — What is meant by the oM things which he 
 may ask ? Are we to understand absolutely all things ? Is there 
 no exception ? It requires but a very little reflection to be as 
 sured that the words of our Saviour cannot mean literally all 
 things. Some things in their own nature are bad, and would ruin 
 both body and soul. It is not to be supposed therefore that the 
 Christian should ask for these; nor if he would ask for them, 
 that God would bestow them on him. If he should by some mis 
 chance ask for them, our gracious Creator would not grant them 
 What father would give his child a poisonous reptile for a play 
 thing, even though the child were to beg with tears for so danger' 
 ous a gift ? Many things too, which are not wrong, would be in 
 jurious to certain persons. For such things they should not ask, 
 nor if they should ask, could God be expected to bestow them. 
 Strong meat is not for children, but for grown men, and the sick 
 man would not be nourished by the food that is required by those 
 in health. But surely none would rebuke the father, or the phy- 
 sician, who would refuse the request that the child in his childish- 
 ness, or the patient in his thoughtlessness, or ignorance made. 
 When therefore our Saviour says All things — ye shall receive, the 
 very nature of the case supposes there is some exception or lim- 
 itation. And it is a question of no little interest what is that 
 limitation? The truth may perhaps be most clearly expressed 
 by saying that " All things whatsoever we shall ask in prayer, 
 believing, shall be granted, so far as the granting of them is con- 
 sistent with God's glory, and our own good," Rom. viii..28. Or 
 the same truth may be expressed in other words, even the words 
 of the beloved disciple. If we ask anything according to his will, he 
 heareth us, 1 John v. 14. 
 
 At first sight, this seems like a larger exception ; but consider 
 a moment, and it is no exception or limitation at all. There is 
 no man living who would ask for what he knew was not 
 
248 BELIEVING PRAYER. 
 
 good for him, and surely there is no Christian who could ask 
 for that which should dishonor God. Fancy a child of God 
 deliberately requesting his Creator to give him what was use- 
 less to himself, or not for the glory of God ! But I will not 
 shock you with such a supposition. The thing is impossible. 
 It is therefore no exception to say, that the Christian may pray 
 for all things, except what is not for his own good, or for the glory 
 of God. There is no exception, when Christ says. All things ivhat- 
 soever ye shall ash in prayer believing, ye shall receive, for the Chris- 
 tian will not knowingly ask for things which he ought not to re- 
 ceive ; and if by mistake he should ask for such things, his own 
 heart would say, as soon as informed of his mistake — '' Oh do not 
 grant that petition." But if in the believing spirit already described, 
 you pray for things you need, and which it shall be for God's 
 glory to grant, you shall certainly obtain your request. You shall 
 have all things you need, and more you cannot ask. You shall 
 obtain the very things you want, or else shall be enriched with 
 gifts which you yourself would prefer, to what you may have 
 asked for. The question then will readily arise. How shall we 
 know whether what we pray for, is for God's glory and our own 
 good ? Or how shall our prayer be acceptable, if through igno- 
 rance we mistake, and ask for what we should not ? The question 
 is not difficult to answer. For, 
 
 1. There are many things which we are certain it is right to 
 ask for. We are commanded to pray for those very things, and 
 are assured that prayer for them shall be answered. And what 
 are those things ? They are the very things most indispensable 
 to our comfort and eternal salvation. The chief end of man is to 
 glorify God and enjoy him forever, but this we cannot do without 
 help from on high. That help comes to us from the Holy Spirit, 
 whose influences are as needful for our spiritual life, as the at- 
 mospheric air is for that of the body. Now in all the Scriptures 
 there is nothing so explicitly promised to believers, as the influ- 
 ences of the Holy Spirit. It is but to ask, and receive — but to 
 open the mouth, and to breathe. "We can never err in asking for 
 all things connected with our salvation. The pardon of our sins 
 — the sanctification of our natures — deliverance from the power 
 of Satan — increase of Christian graces — extended means of use- 
 fulness — and the promotion of God's kingdom, and glory on earth, 
 are legitimate objects of prayer, in which the effectual fervent prayer 
 of the righteous availeth rmtch, James v. 16. 
 
BELIEVING PRAYER. 249 
 
 2. It is also in all ordinary cases, right and proper, to pray for 
 such temporal mercies, as are needful for our health and comfort. 
 It might be dangerous to pray for riches, we are not required to 
 pray for poverty, but we may adopt the prayer of Agar, Give me 
 neither 'poverty nor riches, feed me with food convenient for me, Pro v. 
 XXX. 8. This we are taught by our blessed Lord himself, when 
 he instructed us to pray, Qive us this day our daily bread. 
 
 3. A diligent examination of our own case and of God's prov- 
 idential dealings with us, and a careful study of the word of God, 
 will often show us that there are many things concerning which 
 we may pray, with almost the certainty of having our prayers 
 heard. But there are many subjects where we do not seem to 
 have such clear intimations that we shall receive a favorable an- 
 swer, and 3^et they press upon the Christian's mind, and he feels 
 that it would be a relief to spread them before God, and ask his 
 blessing in reference to them. Is it right to do so ? Can he of- 
 fer the prayer of faith when he has no special promise, and if so, 
 how ? I answer, most undoubtedly he can, and it would be wrong 
 not to do it, and this class includes literally everything that con- 
 cerns us, our pursuits, our interests or our friends. It matters 
 not how unimportant the affair may seem, if it presses on your 
 mind, it is your privilege and duty to lay it before your God, and 
 ask for his guidance and direction. In your private prayers to 
 him you cannot be too particular. You cannot tell him too fa- 
 miliarly all you suffer, and all you want. Whether the subject 
 of interest to you be your worldly pursuits — ^your health — your 
 plans for the future — your present difficulties or joys — your 
 friends — your children — your country, whatever it be, it is a le- 
 gitimate subject of prayer to God. For says the apostle. In every- 
 thing hy prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests 
 he made known unto God, Phil. iv. 6. With such a warrant, how 
 can you hesitate to go to him with qwgtj want ? Do not fear that 
 3^ou will weary him, — or that in the multiplicity of petitions thus 
 presented, he will overlook your case. His ear is ever open, and 
 he will more delight to hear all your requests, than the fondest 
 mother to listen to the innocent prattling of her child. Can a 
 looman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion 
 on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget 
 thee ! Is. xlix. 15. 
 
 But observe, that all this, while you may and should ask 
 with earnest desires, must be with entire submission to God's 
 
250 BELIEVING PRAYER. 
 
 will. If it be for h.is glory to grant what you ask, tlien you shall 
 have it ; but you should also say, " If not for thy glory, grant 
 not my request." Cast your eyes back to the silent and sorrow- 
 ful garden of Gethsemane. Behold there your Saviour, on his 
 face, in his deadly agony — listen to his strong crying, and mark 
 his tears, while he prays that, if possible, the bitter cup might pass 
 from him — but hear also those words, so soft, yet so distinct, 
 Neverllieless, not my will, hut thine he done — and go thou and do 
 likewise. Then shall your prayer be heard and answered, if not 
 in the way you desired, yet in that way which Infinite Wisdom 
 sees best for you. The duty of prayer is one generally acknowl- 
 edged, but I fear sadly neglected. It is in itself so proper that 
 dependent creatures should thus call upon their Creator — it is so 
 expressly commanded in his word — it is in itself so useful, and so 
 delightful an exercise — that there can be no question as to its 
 duty and desirableness. Yet, alas ! how many there are that 
 do not pray ! Crowds flock to the levees of kings, but few to 
 the footstool of the Almighty. Men count it an honor to be inti- 
 mate with their fellow-worms, who happen to stand a little higher 
 than others, but turn away in undisguised coldness from the 
 opportunities of intimate intercourse with the King of kings. 
 How many of you, my hearers, are in the habit of daily secret 
 prayer ? How often do you shut your closet door, and pray to 
 your Father which seeth in secret ? And of those among you 
 who do pray, what is the character of your prayers ? Do you 
 come with reverence, and yet with affection — with humble confi- 
 dence, as to a gracious Father — and pour into his bosom the full 
 tide of pent-up feelings, and gushing emotions, that elsewhere 
 find no rest ? Is your heart filled with peace, and do you retire 
 from his presence more humble, more watchful, more resolved to 
 be entirely his ? If so, it is well. Believing prayer produces such 
 effects as these. 
 
 But if you come into his presence with carelessness — if you 
 worship him without seriousness or affection — if you find wan- 
 dering thoughts habitually eating out the life of your devotion — 
 if you retire from your knees, unhumbled, unfeeling, and mingle 
 again in the world, as though you had not been conversing with 
 God — then be assured it is not well with you. You have not 
 prayed aright, and shall not receive. 
 
 Macao, August I'J, 1844. 
 
SEEMON XXIX. 
 
 SALVATION BY GRACE. 
 
 By grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves : it is the gift of 
 God.— Eph. ii. 8. 
 
 It seemed a dark dispensation of Providence whicli shut the 
 apostle Paul in prison, and bound him with a chain in Eome. 
 Such an event had been greatly feared by the disciples, in the 
 several cities through which he passed, on his last journey to 
 Jerusalem ; and they had united their tears and entreaties to turn 
 him aside from his purpose, and spare a little longer to the 
 churches the piety and the eloquence that had already brought 
 so many into the church. But the apostle was inflexible. He 
 went hound in the Spirit to Jerusalem^ where he was ready ^ not to he 
 hound only, hut also to die for the Lord Jesus, Acts xxi. 13. You 
 know his history. He was seized in Jerusalem, bound, and 
 beaten, and delivered to the Roman power, and to escape the 
 malice and cunning of his own countrymen, obliged to appeal 
 unto Cgesar. After long imprisonment and delay, he left the 
 shores of Palestine for the Imperial City, followed by the prayers 
 and the tears of the sorrowing disciples. They watched his 
 departure with sad forebodings, for to their apprehensions it must 
 have seemed certain that the eloquent voice which had not feared, 
 even before Felix, to reason of righteousness, temperance, and judgment 
 to come, would now be silenced, and the energetic hand which had 
 been stretched out before Agrippa, while he answered for himself, 
 would now be fettered and useless. But behold how rich is the 
 goodness and the wisdom of God. His voice was not silenced, 
 but for two fall years he preached in his own hired house in 
 Rome, to all who came unto him, no man forbidding him, Acts 
 xxviii. 30, 31. His hand was not fettered, but he wrote and sent 
 forth his Epistles, to warn, and comfort, and instruct the churches 
 
252 SALVATION BY GRACE. 
 
 he liad left. His soul was not bound, but lie was there favored 
 with enlargement of spirit, and astonishing revelations of the 
 grace of God. From his prison-house have gone forth some of 
 the richest treasures of the church, for the Epistles written during 
 his imprisonment, breathe the aspirations of a soul almost in 
 heaven. The Epistle to the Ephesians is especially remarkable. 
 None of all his writings are more rich in gospel truth than this. 
 None compress so much thought in so few words. None speak 
 in more glowing terms of the exceeding grace of Christ. He 
 dwells on the fulness and freeness of that grace, and heaps 
 expression on expression, as though laboring to describe its 
 greatness. 
 
 By the grace of God, we are to understand that gracious feeling 
 of benignity, or love, which God exercises towards any of our 
 race in saving them from their sins. Its very name implies that 
 it is "free on God's part, being exercised to those utterly unworthy 
 of it. It is undeserved, unbought favor, and in the New Testa- 
 ment is constantly contrasted with works. For, says the apostle, 
 If hy grace^ then it is no more of ivories : otherwise grace is no more 
 grace^ Rom. xi. 6. For^ to him that ivorheth, the reward is not 
 reckoned of grace, hut of debt, Rom. iv. 4. 
 
 The most cursory examination of those passages of Scripture, 
 which speak of the grace of God in man's salvation, shows that 
 the inspired writers deemed its greatness unspeakable. As in 
 describing the sufferings of our Lord in the garden of Gethsemane, 
 the evangelists ransacked all the copiousness of the Greek lan- 
 guage for terms of sorrow, so in describing the greatness of 
 that grace, which is at once the cause and the effect of that suffering, 
 the apostle seems equally intent to use the most forcible expres- 
 sions. Not content with calling upon the Ephesians to admire 
 the riches of the grace of God, Eph. i. 7, he shows them also the ex- 
 ceeding riches of his grace, ii. 7, and glories in his apostleship, which 
 enabled him to preach among the Gentiles, the unsearchable riches 
 of Christ, iii. 8 ; and elsewhere he speaks in the deepest humility, 
 of the grace of the Lord Jesus which was exceeding abundant 
 toivards himself 1 Tim. i. 14. Our text, which speaks of this grace 
 of God, is naturally divided into three propositions : — 
 
 I. Salvation is entirely of grace — By grace ye are saved. 
 
 II. The instrument by which we obtain salvation is faith — 
 Through faith. 
 
SALVATION BY GRACE. 253 
 
 III. Even faith is a gracious gift of God — And that not of your- 
 selves: it is the gift of God. 
 
 I. That our salvation is entirely of grace is seen in several 
 particulars : — 
 
 1. The author of our salvation is the infinite God. Before 
 any of his creatui-es were made, he existed alone, perfectly inde- 
 pendent, perfectly blessed, and needing none to add to his happi- 
 ness. He saw fit to create the universe, and to beautify it with 
 innumerable gifts. His works partake of the greatness of his 
 own character, and it is he who gives us Ufe^ and breathy and all 
 things, Acts xvii. 25. But can it be deemed possible that this 
 great and glorious Being should ever be under obligations to any 
 of his creatures ? Can we conceive for a moment, that any of 
 those who owe their whole existence to his free goodness, can by 
 any services merit his favor, and of right demand more than he 
 chooses to give ? Let no such idea enter any man's mind. Let 
 the Hindoo dream, by his bodily austerities, and self-imposed 
 penances, and acts of merit, to make Brahma or Siva his debtor, 
 but let not the Christian who is taught, when he has done all, to 
 say, we are unprofitahle servants, ive have done only what it was our 
 duty to do, Luke xvii. 10, harbor any such vain fancy. Hear the 
 words of Eliphaz and Elihu to Job, Is it any pleasure to the Al- 
 mighty that thou art righteous f or is it gain to him thai thou makest 
 thy ivays perfect ? Job xxii. 3. If thou he righteous, what givest thou 
 him, or what receiveth he of thine hand ? Thy ioicked%iess may hurt 
 a man as thou art, and thy righteousness may iproft the son of man, 
 Job XXXV. 7, 8, but they cannot add to, or take from the wealth 
 of your Creator. 
 
 Even were our race all sinless beings, they could have no 
 claim upon Jehovah. All things come of him, and it would still 
 be of his own that they served him, 1 Chron. xxix. 14. The 
 idea that any of his creatures can make the eternal and su- 
 preme Jehovah a debtor to himself, is preposterous. The sinless 
 angels who stand around his throne, and await his commands, 
 ask for no rewards and claim no merits. His service is their life, 
 and though he bestows upon them unnumbered benefits, this is 
 only of his own free and abounding goodness. The salvation, 
 therefore, of any of our race, must of necessity be a free gift on 
 the part of God. 
 
 And this is still more evident, when you consider who they 
 are who receive it, for it is not to sinless beings that this grace is 
 
254 SALVATION BY GRACE. 
 
 offered. Although even a sinless person cannot demand life of 
 God, as his right, yet there is nothing in the character of such a 
 person to prevent God from bestowing such a gift. But we to 
 whom this salvation is preached, are full of sin, very far removed 
 from God as creatures, our distance is yet infinitely greater as 
 sinners ; for as the apostle shows in the chapter from which our 
 text is taken, those who receive salvation are dead in trespasses and 
 in sins ; far from being obedient servants of God, they walk, ac- 
 cording to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power 
 of the air, the Spirit that now loorketh in the children of disobedience. 
 Far from being holy, and pure in life, they have their conversation 
 in the lusts of the flesh, fulfilling the, desires of the flesh, and of the 
 mind, and to sura up all in one word, are hy nature the children of 
 loraih even as others, Eph. ii. 1-3. Now it is too obvious to re- 
 quire proof, that if the great and independent God who cannot 
 be under obligations to any of his creatures, is pleased to take 
 any of our sinful race, and make them heirs of salvation, it must 
 be by grace alone. 
 
 2. That this salvation is entirely of grace appears still more 
 clearly in the choice of the persons who receive it. For it is not 
 all the human race, who are made partakers. There is melancholy 
 meaning in the words of our compassionate Lord — Strait is the 
 gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there he that 
 find it, Matt. vi. 14. And who are they that find that narrow 
 gate? Who are they that receive that word, and embrace the 
 proffered salvation? Are they the rich, or the wise, or the 
 amiable, or the distinguished among men ? Sometimes they are, 
 but often they are not — Nay, commonly they are not, for to the 
 poor the gospel is preached, and not many wise, not many mighty, 
 not many nolle are called, 1 Cor. i. 26. God does not choose the 
 heirs of his inheritance as man would choose. It is not for us to 
 ask why one is taken rather than another, but we know that while 
 lie who trusts to his own goodness is left, the abandoned sinner is 
 sometimes taken. Even so Father, for so ii seemed good in thy sight, 
 is all that Ave can say, when God sees fit to reveal unto babes, 
 what he conceals from the wise and prudent. Matt. xi. 26. A 
 choice there must be, if all do not receive it ; but the reasons of 
 that choice are not made known to us. The 'doctrine of God's 
 eternal election, is one much cavilled at among men ; but it is 
 Avell for us there is an election, for otherwise, none would or 
 could be saved. The whole race would go down to destruction 
 
SALVATION BY GRACE. 255 
 
 forever, were there not an election of grace. It is God liimself 
 who saj's, I will be gracious to lohom I will he gracious^ and will 
 show mercy to whom I will show mercy, • Exod. xxxiii, 19. The 
 apostle quotes this declaration, and then draws the obvious con- 
 clusion — So then it is not of him that toilleth, nor of him that run- 
 neth^ but of God that showeth mercy ^ Eom. xi. 15, 16 ; and he must 
 be bold indeed, who dares to arraign him for so doing. Shall 
 not the Judge of all the earth do right ? and shall the poor blind 
 creatures of a day, who scarcely know their own minds, censure 
 Him who knows all things, and doeth all things according to his 
 own pleasure? If there be anything that shows the purely 
 gratuitous nature of our salvation, it is the doctrine of election ; 
 for the very idea of a choice to eternal life, before the person 
 chosen has done either good or evil, makes it manifest, that it is 
 grace, and not merit which secures it. Thus, the purpose of God 
 according to election, stands not of worhs^ hut of him that calleth, 
 Eom. ix. 11. "Those of mankind that are predestinated unto 
 eternal life, God before the foundation of the world was laid, aC' 
 cording to his eternal and immutable purpose, and the secret 
 counsel and good pleasure of his will, hath chosen in Christ to 
 everlasting glory, out of his mere free grace and love, without 
 any foresight of faith or good works, or perseverance in either of 
 them, or any other thing in the creature, as conditions or causes 
 moving him thereunto: and all to the praise of his glorious 
 grace." — Con. of Faith, iii. The heart of every real child of God 
 acknowledges this. I appeal to your own experience, fellow- 
 Christian, and follower of Christ. What was there in you to 
 attach the love of God, when he called you to himself? "What 
 could he see in you, to make him choose you in preference to 
 others around, not so distinguished ? You were not seeking him 
 when he called you — you were running away from him — you 
 were forgetting him — you were chasing this world's pleasures as 
 a child chases butterflies — you were saying by your actions, if 
 not by your words, " Depart from me, I desire not the knowledge 
 of thy ways." As Christ said to the apostles, so he says to all 
 his disciples, Ye have not chosen me but I have chosen you^ John xv. 
 16. And ever since you have professed to be his, what is there 
 in*3^ou to attract his love? Why doth he still bear with your 
 backslidings — your lukewarmness — your unkindness ? I appeal 
 to the honest convictions of your own hearts, and to the repeated 
 confessions of your own prayers, that all this is not because you 
 
256 SALVATION BY GRACE. 
 
 have deserved it, but because of bis free grace. God tolio is rich 
 in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even ivhen we were 
 dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace are ye 
 saved, Eph. ii. 4, 5. 
 
 It is not my present purpose to enter on a full discussion of 
 the doctrine of election, but there is one remark that should not 
 be forgotten. The humble, and especially the desponding believer 
 is oftentimes troubled for want of clear evidence of his safety, 
 and is distressed because he cannot believe he is elected to life. 
 That you are one of God's elect (if you really be such), is a truth 
 that you are not required to believe on the evidence of faith, but 
 on that of experience. You are not required to believe that you are 
 elected. You are not required to believe anything that is not re- 
 vealed, and you have no revelation of God's secret purposes to- 
 wards you. These sacred things belong only unto God ; those 
 that are revealed, and those alone, belong to us, Deut. xxix. 29. 
 The exhortation of the apostle is not to believe that you are 
 elected, but it is rather, Give diligence to make your calling and elec- 
 tion sure, 2 Pet. i. 10. That is, make sure your interest in Christ 
 — obey his revealed will — keep his commandments — show b}^ 
 your life, that you are his — and when thus you feel his love glow- 
 ing in your hearts, then shall you know by experience your elec- 
 tion of God. Thus only can you know it. Many might thus 
 learn it, but their own negligence prevents them ; and there are 
 but few who acquire in this life a clear conviction of it, even as 
 there are but few that obtain full assurance of their salvation, ere 
 they enter heaven. 
 
 3. But the grace of God is chiefly displayed in the way in 
 which salvation was purchased for us. It was not enough that 
 God in his infinite goodness and love had purposes of mercy to 
 any of our race. It was not enough that in his sovereign election 
 he had chosen some to be the recipients of his grace ; those whom 
 he had chosen were like all others, sinful, guilty, and condemned. 
 They were hy nature the children of wrath, even as others, Eph. ii. 3. 
 They ivere sometimes alienated, and enemies in mind hy wicked worlcs. 
 Col. i. 23. The stains of sin were in their souls. The claims of 
 justice were still unsatisfied, and the wrath of God was still 
 hanging over them. God had indeed his purposes of mercy and 
 grace toward them,- but mercy and grace cannot be exercised at 
 the expense of justice, and therefore the mercy that chose them 
 to be heirs of salvation, must provide also a way to satisfy justice 
 
SALVATION BY GRACE. 257 
 
 and the means to sanctify their souls. Who then shall pay their 
 mighty debt ? Who is able to loose the band that binds them, 
 and set these prisoners free ? The angels who stood round the 
 throne of God were dumb, when this question was proposed to 
 them ; but there was one there, greater than them all, who 
 hastened to reply. It was the Lord Jesus Christ. Then said i, 
 Lo I come ! in the volume of the hook it is ivritten of me, Ps. xl. 7. 
 Here is the exceeding riches of the grace of Christ. He who is 
 God's fellow, and thinks it no robbery to be equal with God, un- 
 dertakes to bear the penalty, and pay the dreadful ransom. It 
 was no hasty motion that prompted this proposal. From all eter- 
 nity he foresaw every painful step he must take — ^the humiliation 
 of his life on earth — the pain, the shame, the spitting, and the 
 cross. He saw them all, and chose them all, and that even with 
 delight that so he might redeem man, Prov. viii. 30. Age after 
 age rolled away, and his mighty plan was gradually unfolded, that 
 man might mark its every line. Prophets, and priests, and kings, 
 sacrifices, and ceremonies, and types, and sacred ordinances, all 
 united and pointed onward to the cross. Still age after age rolled 
 away, and at last in the fulness of time he was born. For whom 
 did he come ? Not for his friends, but to die for his enemies. 
 To whom did he come ? He came to his own, and his own re- 
 ceived him not. He took up his cross from his cradle, and he 
 bore it with vmfaltering steps to his tomb. It needs not to go 
 over his painful history. It must be familiar to you all, and you 
 have read it with singularly unreflecting minds, if the thought 
 has not been forced upon you. How great is the grace that has 
 done all this ! Yerily God commendeth his love towards us, in that 
 while we were yet sinnners, Christ died for us, Eom. v. 8. He hath 
 done all that was needed. He bore the penalty due to our sins — 
 he paid the price that justice demanded for our redemption — he 
 purchased the pardon that we needed, and now he offers the grace 
 by which we must be saved. 
 
 A most singular objection has been started by some against 
 the doctrine of salvation by grace. It is alleged that now since 
 Christ has fully satisfied the justice of God, and bore the utmost 
 penalty of the law, it is no longer grace, but simple justice, to par- 
 don our sins, and receive us into favor. Strange that any such 
 idea should enter any human breast ! Was it not grace that 
 prompted Christ to take our nature and die for us ? Did justice 
 require this sacrifice at his hands ? Might he not have left us to 
 17 
 
258 SALVATION BY GRACE. 
 
 the penalties that our own follies had entailed upon us ? And was 
 it not grace in God the Father to accept the offered atonement of 
 Christ? Had he listened to the stern demands of justice alone, 
 then each sinner must have borne for himself the full penalty of 
 his transgressions. No, my hearers. It is but justice to Christ 
 that all those should be redeemed whom he has chosen, and for 
 whom he died ; but it is grace to those for whom he died. We 
 are justified freely hy his grace through the redemption that is in 
 Christ Jesus^ Eom. iii. 24. Well might the apostle speak of the 
 riches of that grace^ and describe it as exceeding ahimdant^ for into 
 these things the angels desire to look, 1 Pet. i. 12. 
 
 4. Finally, the grace of God in our salvation is seen in the 
 way in which it is made known and applied to us. Christ was not 
 satisfied with simply procuring salvation for his people, though 
 this alone required the sacrifice of his life. The grace that had 
 done even this, was not yet exhausted. Of what avail would all 
 his sufferings, and his most painful death have been, if not made 
 known, and applied to us by the Almighty power of God. Our 
 blinded hearts care little for things which rouse the curiosity of 
 the heavenly hosts, and even when brought to our knowledge, so 
 hardened are we in sin, that we will not receive salvation, till se- 
 cretly forced thereto b}^ the Holy Spirit. Behold here also the 
 love of God ! That grace which began the work, and purchased 
 pardon also, makes it known, and applies it to our hearts. This 
 salvation began to he sj^oken at the first hy the Lord himself Heb. ii. 
 3 ; for it was Jesus Christ who came and preached peace to you luhich 
 were afar off^ and to them lohich were nigh, Eph. ii. 17. He sent 
 forth the apostles on the same errand; and when he left the 
 world, he appointed an order of men, to continue till the end of 
 time, whose sole business it is to proclaim this salvation, and ad- 
 minister its ordinances. Those who fill this most responsible of- 
 fice, have authority from himself, to offer it to all without money^ 
 and without price. The very object of this ministry is to show the 
 grace of Christ. Unto me, says the apostle Paul, who am less than 
 the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I shoidd preach among 
 the Oentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all men see 
 lohat is the felloivship of the mystery, Eph. iii. 8, 9. In his name, my 
 hearers, do I minister unto you. In virtue of his authority, do I 
 invite you also to partake of this salvation. "We to whom this 
 ministry of reconciliation is entrusted, are ambassadors for Christ, 
 
SALVATION BY GRACE. 259 
 
 as though Ood did beseech you hy us : ive pray you in Christ's steady 
 he ye reconciled to God^ 2 Cor. v. 20. 
 
 How freely is the word of God dispensed to men. Even as 
 the rain cometh down from heaven. So copiously, so refresh- 
 ingly is it given, Is. Iv. 10. Surely the grace of God is seen in 
 the institution of that ministry which explains and proclaims it. 
 But it is yet more evident. The mere preaching of the word, 
 though it leaves all who hear it utterly without excuse, if they do 
 not believe, is not alone sufficient. Mere attendance on or- 
 dinances does not save the soul. Paul may plant, and Apollos 
 ivater, hut God gives the increase, 1 Cor. iii. 6. Without his bless- 
 ing, no mere illumination of the understanding is sufficient. 
 Herein also is his grace seen. Every other gift of Christ is made 
 available to us by that last and exceeding precious gift which, 
 when departing, he promised to his disciples — the gift of the Holy 
 Spirit. It is impossible to form too high a conception of its value. 
 It is the Spirit who takes of the things of Christ, and shows them 
 unto us. It is the Spirit who opens our hearts to receive the 
 truth. It is the " Spirit of God who makes the reading, and espe- 
 cially the preaching of the word, an effectual means of convincing 
 and converting sinners, and of building them up in holiness and 
 comfort through faith, unto salvation." And how readily is it 
 given ! You know how to give good gifts to your children, but 
 how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit 
 to them that ask him. Think not that this gift can be bought. 
 Thy money j^erish ivith thee, was Peter's indignant rebuke to Simon, 
 hecause thou hast thought that the gift of God could he 'purchased with 
 money, Acts viii. 20. In this, as in every other particular, the 
 grace of God lohicli hringeth salvation hath appeared unto men, Tit. 
 ii. 11. 
 
 Suffer me, in conclusion, to direct your minds to a particular 
 contemplation of this subject. You have seen how in every step, 
 salvation is entirely of grace. That it should be otherwise is seen 
 to be impossible in the very nature of God, who cannot be laid 
 under obligations to any of his creatures, and who in choosing any 
 of our race to be partakers of his glory, is influenced by his own 
 sovereign love alone. You have seen how in this gift of his Son 
 to die for us, and in all his painful history, it is grace that shines 
 pre-eminent. You have seen his grace in the appointment of the 
 ministry of reconciliation, and more conspicuous in the free gift 
 of his Holy Spirit to apply salvation to us. 
 
260 SALVATION BY GRACE. 
 
 " Grace first contrived the way 
 To save rebellious man, 
 And all the steps that grace display 
 Which drew the wondrous plan. 
 It lays in heaven the topmost stone, 
 And well deserves the praise." 
 
 As it has been beautifully expressed, "It is not like a fringe of 
 gold bordering the garment — not like an embroidery of gold, 
 decorating the robe — but like the mercy -seat of the ancient taber- 
 nacle, which was gold — pure gold — all gold throughout. 
 
 By grace ye are saved ! In the compass of this expression is 
 included deliverance from all that is evil, and the bestowment of 
 all that is good. Saved from the wrath of God — delivered from 
 the power of Satan — freed from the chains of sin — sanctified in 
 the inner man — called into the fellowship of the saints in light — 
 and made partakers of eternal glory and blessedness, and all this 
 by grace ! Rejoice then in this exceeding grace of God. Fill your 
 hearts with enlarged conceptions of it, till like the apostle, lan- 
 guage shall fail ere you express its greatness. Meditate much upon 
 it, and let your thankfulness for it find utterance in daily pray- 
 ers and praises. Thus shall you daily find abundant cause to say 
 with Mary, My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath re- 
 joiced in God my Saviour, Luke i. 46. 
 
 And whilst you rejoice, let it also humble you. Salvation by 
 grace exalts God, but it abases man. You have nothing you can call 
 your own but sin. You have not purchased nor deserved your 
 salvation, nor can you. It is all of grace. Where is boasting then ? 
 
 But this consideration is one full of all consolation to the be- 
 liever. Is it all of grace ? Then it is sure. There is nothing of 
 human merit, or human goodness, which is but as the morning 
 cloud and the early dew. It is all the gift of the perfect and un- 
 changing Jehovah, and is therefore, like himself, perfect and un- 
 changeable. Did your salvation depend on yourselves, you might 
 well tremble ; but it is the gift of God ; and be assured, free as 
 his gifts are, he will not throw them away, nor leave them unfin- 
 ished. If he has begun a good work in you, his grace will as- 
 suredly carry it on to its final consummation. And in the mean- 
 time, whatever dangers or trials may attend you, or however dark 
 your way may seem, put your trust in him, and fear not. He saith 
 to the believer. My grace is sufficient for thee, and he hath said, / 
 will never leave thee, nor forsalce thee. 
 
 Macao, Sept. 1, 1844. 
 
SERMON XXX. 
 
 SAVING FAITH. 
 
 By grace are ye saved, through faith : and that not of yourselves : it is the gift of 
 God.— Eph. ii. 8. 
 
 In the previous discourse from this text, an attempt was made 
 to show how our salvation is entirely of grace. This was done by 
 showing, that the character of God, who is independent of all his 
 creatures ; his sovereign election of some to everlasting life ; his 
 giving of his own Son to die for us all ; the appointment of the 
 ministry ; and the free gift of the Holy Spirit — all require it to be 
 of grace, and not of works. It is proposed in this discourse to 
 show how we acquire an interest in that salvation, thus freely of- 
 fered to our acceptance. 
 
 The work of man's salvation is a very great work. It involved 
 an amount of preparation, and a degree of labor, and even of suf 
 faring, such as were never before seen in the universe. Heaven 
 and earth were moved for its accomplishment, and the inmost 
 depths of hell from beneath are stirred ere it is completed. The 
 Triune God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, all combine 
 to effect it. Satan and his legions oppose it. Ages and ages de- 
 velop the mighty plan. Multitudes whom no man can number, 
 are the objects it seeks to rescue. Its results stretch far off into 
 the endless depths of eternity, and while they who oppose it are 
 reserved to shame and everlasting contempt, they that he wise and 
 embrace it shall shine as the hrightness of the firmament ; and they that 
 turn many to righteousness^ as the stars forever and ever ^ Dan. xii. 2, 3. 
 
 The first emotions, in view of such a work, are almost those 
 of discouragement. " Does our salvation require such expenditures 
 to purchase it ? such preparations to procure it ? Do such mo- 
 mentous results depend upon it ? Then how can it ever be se- 
 cured ? How is it possible for weak worms like ourselves to at- 
 tain it ? Such vast preparations on the part of God must require 
 
262 SAVING FAITH. 
 
 equal exertions on our part to meet them, and if so, we are un- 
 equal to the task, and must lie down in sorrow !" Such thoughts 
 often occur. The idea that such salvation can be obtained with- 
 out being merited on our part, is foreign to our minds. Hence 
 the first question of every convinced sinner is. What must I do to 
 he saved? Hence in proportion to the depth of his views of his 
 own wickedness and danger, and of the greatness of this salvation, 
 do his anticipations of exertion and sacrifice on his own part in- 
 crease. Hence the anxious inquiry, Wherewith shall I come before 
 the Lord, and boiu myself before the high God? Shall 1 come before him 
 ivith burnt offerings and calves of a year old ? Will the Lord be pleased 
 with thousands of rams, or with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall 1 
 give my first-born for my transgressions, the fruit of my body for the 
 sin of my soul ? , Mich. vi. 6, 7. Hence all the burdensome and 
 expensive rites of all heathen actions, and the multiplied and 
 painful ceremonies with which they hope to purchase a title to 
 eternal life. 
 
 But the God of nature, and the God of grace, is one. In the 
 natural world he accomplishes the mightiest works by the sim- 
 plest means, and effects the most complicated motions by the ap- 
 plication of a single force. It is the same in the economy of 
 grace. 
 
 Look up to the heavens and consider the number of the stars. 
 Extend your views of their countless hosts, to the widest limits 
 of modern astronomy. Each one of those stars is a sun like our 
 own, and the centre of a system more or less complicated than 
 ours. Each system has its peculiar place and motion, and as far 
 as our researches have extended, no two are alike. These all 
 combine to form one constantly changing, moving, yet united 
 whole. Behold how all these mighty worlds, amidst all their 
 revolutions, are held together ! By what means is this effected ? 
 What array of machinery can bind together systems so remote 
 and so diverse ? How is it possible that confusion should not 
 enter in, and mar this glorious scene ? Yet behold here the wis- 
 dom and the power of God, The extent of his dominions, and 
 the variety of his creations are almost infinite, and yet one law 
 pervades and regulates the whole. By one simple principle, he 
 binds together the remotest star, and most eccentric comet, and 
 regulates alike the falling of an apple or a feather to the ground. 
 The mighty, yet simple and unseen principle of gravitation, is the 
 bond that holds all these together. 
 
SAVING FAITH. 263 
 
 And in the economy of our redemption, it is one principle, 
 equally simple and yet powerful, that binds man to his Creator, 
 and regulates all his motions, and all his intercourse with him, in 
 whom we live, and move, and have our being, and that principle is 
 faith. It is unseen, but not the less efficacious, for the just shall 
 live by faith, Eom. i. 17. Perplexed and anxious sinner ! Over- 
 whelmed with a sense of sin, and fear of the wrath of God- 
 alarmed at the power of Satan, and the multitude of your foes — 
 astonished at the greatness of the work of your salvation, and 
 anxiously inquiring, What must I do to be saved f — What shall 
 bring me into friendly relations with God ? — the answer is as 
 simple as that which the Philosopher gives, when he is asked 
 what binds the universe together — Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 and thou shall be saved, Acts xvi. 31. There is no need to seek 
 after difficult and painful methods of salvation. There is no re- 
 quirement of impossibilities. The righteousness which is of faith, 
 speaketh on this wise. Say not in thine heart, who shall ascend into 
 heaven ? {that is, to bring Christ down fi-om above ;) or, ivho shall de- 
 scend into the deep ? {that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) 
 But what saith it ? The luord is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in 
 thine heart: that is, the word of faith which we preach: that if thou 
 shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine 
 heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved, 
 Rom. x. 6-9. 
 
 Such is the importance of faith in the plan of our salvation. 
 By grace are ye saved through faith. It is the means, it is the in- 
 strument by which we lay hold of, and appropriate to ourselves, 
 the grace of God, which bringeth salvation. Give me your atten- 
 tion then, whilst I endeavor to set before you its nature, and an- 
 swer the question, What is saving faith? 
 
 It is important to remark, in the first place, that there are 
 several kinds of faith mentioned in the New Testament, but that 
 they do not all possess the efficacy to save the soul. 
 
 1. There is a simple historical belief of the truth of the Scrip- 
 tures, which is possessed by the great majority of men in Chris- 
 tian lands. Those who possess this faith, believe the truth of 
 what is in the Scriptures, just as they do the history of Livy, or 
 the annals of Tacitus. They are perfectly sure that Jesus Christ 
 lived and died, and performed many miracles, just as they are 
 that Napoleon lived, and was a great general. This kind of faith 
 is good as far as it goes, but it does not go far enough. It has no 
 
26-i SAVING FAITH. 
 
 particular regard or affection for the truths it believes, and they 
 have no practical effect upon the life. It is a faith that can be 
 possessed by the bitterest enemies of God. Simon Magus saw the 
 miracles of Philip, and believed, and wondered, and was even 
 baptized. Yet this faith had no saving or sanctifying effect on 
 his heart. He still abode in the gall of bitteriiess, and in the bonds 
 of iniquity, Acts viii. 23. There is no difference between this 
 faith, and that possessed by the spirits of the lost, Thou helievest 
 there is one God: thou doest well (but the devils do more than this) ; 
 the devils also believe and tremble, James ii. 19. Mere speculative 
 knowledge and belief like this can never save us. No created be- 
 ing in the universe is better acquainted with theology, or has a 
 firmer conviction of the truth and importance of religion than 
 Satan has. But something more than this is wanted. 
 
 2. There is also a special kind of faith, commonly called the 
 faith of miracles, by which those who possessed it were enabled to 
 work miracles. This too was not necessarily accompanied with 
 saving faith. Balaam possessed it, and uttered true prophecies, 
 but died among the wicked. Judas Iscariot possessed it, — but 
 died in his sin. Many in the Corinthian Church possessed this 
 kind of faith, and abused it to the gratification of their own am- 
 bition and vanity ; making a show of their miraculous gifts, and 
 seeking applause and power by them. This led the apostle to 
 say. Though I have the gift of pro2:)hecy, and understand all mysteries, 
 and all knoioledge : and though I have all faith : so that I could re- 
 move mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing, 1 Cor. xiii. 2, 
 — and Christ sa3''s. Many will say imto me in that day, Lord, Lord, 
 have ive not proj)hesied in thy name ? and in thy name cast out devils^ 
 and in thy name done many ivonderful works ? And then will L pro- 
 fess unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me, ye that work in- 
 iquity, Matt. vii. 22, 23. 
 
 3. There is yet another description of faith, which is not sav- 
 ing. It is commonly called temporary faith, from the character of 
 those who possess it. They are such as our Saviour compares to 
 the stony ground, where the seed falls, and immediately springs 
 up, because it has no deepness of earth, but when the sun is up, 
 it is scorched and withered away. Even so, they in whose heart 
 this temporary faith is found, endure but for a season, for when 
 trilndation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by they 
 are offended. Matt. xiii. 5, 20. This faith therefore is easily known. 
 It may seem very warm and vigorous, when all is pleasant ; but 
 
S-VVIXG FAITH. i56& 
 
 as soon as difficulties or temptations arise, it is gone. It is not 
 saving faith. The just shall live by faith, but if any man draw back 
 my soul shall have no pleasure in him, Heb. x. 38. 
 
 4. The kind of faith which alone saves the soul, is that which 
 has the Lord Jesus Christ for its special object ; hence it is often 
 called the faith of Christ, Phil. iii. 9. " It is a saving grace where- 
 by we receive and rest upon Jesus Christ alone for salvation, as he 
 is offered to us in the gospel." 
 
 This faith has several characteristics which deserve attention. 
 
 1. It is wrought in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Every- 
 thing connected with our salvation comes to us through the 
 agency of the Holy Ghost. Naturally we are averse to believe in 
 Christ, but the Spirit of God opens our hearts to receive the truth, 
 and sets the character of Christ before us in its perfection, so that 
 we are constrained to submit our souls to him. Hence, among 
 the various titles given to the Holy Spirit, is also this, that he is 
 the /Spirit of faith, 2 Cor. iv. 13. And as this faith is wrought in 
 our hearts by him, so it is built on a solid foundation. It does 
 not rest on any mere fancies of our own, but on the word of the 
 everlasting God. Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word 
 of Ood, Eom. X. 17. We are to receive Christ, only as he is of- 
 fered to us in the gospel. If therefore your faith is founded on 
 anything not there contained, it is unsound. Let this point be 
 well attended to, for the opinion so often expressed, " It matters 
 not what a man believes, provided he be sincere," is a great error. 
 It does matter very much what you believe ; for if you believe 
 anything but what the word of God contains, then are you in 
 danger of going down to death with a lie in your right hand. 
 It is the word of God alone ivhich effectually icorketh in you that be- 
 lieve, 1 Thess. ii. 13. The people of God are chosen to salvation 
 through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth, 2 Thess. ii. 
 13, and are born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, 
 even by the loordof God, tvhich liveth and abideth forever, 1 Pet. i. 23. 
 
 2. This faith, wherever it exists, is always accompanied with 
 repentance for sin, and a deep sense of one's own utter unworthi- 
 ness and helplessness. Hence, when the apostle preached, it was 
 of repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus {Christ, 
 Acts XX. 21. When the Holy Spirit comes to convince men of 
 sin, it is because they believe not in Christ, John xvi. 8, 9. It is 
 not possible to believe on Christ heartily, and trust to him alone 
 for salvation, as long as we have any confidence in ourselves, or 
 
266 SAVING FAITH. 
 
 any expectation of securing God's favor by our own good works. 
 Hence, if we would believe on Christ, we must repent of our sins, 
 and loathe ourselves on account of them. The question whether 
 faith preceeds, or follows repentance, is one of little practical con- 
 sequence, and should not be started. Both go together, and 
 faith without repentance, or repentance without faith, are alike 
 foolish and useless. If true repentance exist, it leads to an utter 
 renunciation of self, and of all self-dependence. This cannot be 
 illustrated more clearly, than in the experience of the apostle 
 Paul, who said that icltai tidngs were gain to Jtim, he counted lossfor 
 Christ, Phil. iii. 7. 
 
 This renouncing of self, and all self-dependence, leads to the 
 main thing in saving faith, and that is, a full conviction of the 
 merits of Jesus Christ, and a full reliance upon them, and upon 
 them alone, for the pardon of sins, for acceptance with God, and 
 for complete salvation. The sinner, cut off from all confidence 
 in himself, fully satisfied that he cannot by his own good deeds 
 merit God's favor, and equally well satisfied that the grace of 
 Christ is abundantly sufficient for him, throws himself upon his 
 grace, and trusts to him alone. He makes no terms with Christ, 
 but an unconditional surrender. He takes his soul, all guilty and 
 polluted as it is, and lays it at the foot of the cross. He says to 
 the Saviour, " Behold, oh Lord, one of thine unworthy creatures. 
 I am full of sin, and deserve thine everlasting anger. If thou 
 wilt, thou canst save me, but if thou wilt not, I perish forever, 
 and perish justly. God be merciful to me a sinner. ^^ This is the 
 last, and highest, and hardest act the convinced sinner is called 
 to perform. It is the hardest, because it implies so complete an 
 abandonment of all merit, so perfect an abasement before God. 
 It is the last, and the highest, because, when it is performed, then 
 the sinner is no more a child of wrath, but a child of grace. 
 Christ accepts the unconditional offer he makes, — clothes in his 
 own righteousness, and he is saved. None ever came to him in 
 this way, and were cast out. Heaven and earth shall pass away, 
 before one sinner shall thus cast himself upon the mercy of God 
 in Christ, and be rejected; and heaven, and earth, and time shall 
 be no jJLore, before one sinner shall ever be saved in any other 
 way. This is the strait gate which leadeth unto life. If you 
 clothe yourselves in your own righteousness, and burden your- 
 selves with your own good deeds, you cannot enter — the door is 
 too narrow. It was thus that Paul came, / count all things but 
 
SAVING FAITH. 267 
 
 hss, for the excellency of the hnoivledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for 
 lohoiii I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them hut 
 dung, that I may win Christ, and he found in him, not having m.y 
 own righteousness, which is of the law, hut that ivhich is through the 
 faith of Christ, the righteousness ivhich is of God hy faith, Phil, 
 iii. 8, 9. 
 
 As already intimated, this unconditional surrender of the soul 
 to the mere mercy of Grod, is the last act of the convinced sinner. 
 Beyond this point, he 'feels that he can advance no farther. He 
 has tried every resource within his reach ; if this fails, he is with- 
 out hope. Blessed be God, it never fails ; and oh, how wonder- 
 ful is the grace which accepts of him at this point! He has 
 sought every possible means of saving himself, without having 
 recourse to the grace of Christ ; and it is only when he finds that 
 there is absolutely no other means but that grace, that he sub- 
 mits to it. Why does not God refuse him then ? Why does he 
 not say, "You would not come to me, as long as you had any 
 hope of saving yourself. After trying every other means, you 
 seek this, not willingly, but as it were by constraint. Of what 
 value is such a submission ? Walk in the light of your own fire, 
 and in the sparks you have kindled. This shall ye have at my hand; 
 ye shall lie down in sorrow,^'' Is. 1. 11. I say, why does not God 
 thus reprove and reject the half-despairing sinner ? Sometimes 
 it almost seems as though he were thus acting. The convinced 
 soul lies before him long, and seems to experience no tokens of 
 his favor. Fears distract his heart. Anxious questions arise 
 and perplex him. Will the Lord cast off forever, and will he he 
 favorable no more f Is his mercy clean gone forever, and doth his 
 j)romise fail for evermore ? Hath God forgotten to be gracious ? 
 Hath he, in anger, shut up his tender mercies? Ps, Ixxvii. 7-8. 
 But though such fears arise, he has no other hope. To whom 
 else can he go? — for here alone are the words of eternal life. 
 Therefore, he renewedly determines to seek salvation only in the 
 cross of Christ. In the words of the hymn, his heart says : — 
 
 " If I perish, I will pray, 
 And perish only there. 
 I can but perish if I go, 
 I am resolved to try. 
 For if I stay away, I know 
 I must forever die." 
 
268 SAVING FAITH. 
 
 In tlie words of the patriarch of old, he says of God, Though 
 he slay me, I ivill trust in him^ Job xiii. 15. And in all ordinary 
 cases he is not left long in suspense. In all such cases he is 
 accepted, and sooner or later his faith is rewarded by sensible 
 communications of the favor of God. Oftentimes his heart is 
 overwhelmed with a sudden revelation of the love of Christ, and 
 the penitential confession of sin, and supplication for mercy, is 
 interrupted by the thanksgiving that bursts forth from a heart 
 full of the grace and love of God. Yerify Christ is able to save 
 unto the uttermost, and none of those, no not one of those who 
 come unto the Father by him, shall be cast out. 
 
 I have dwelt the more minutely on this point because it seems 
 to be the turning point in Christian faith and experience. The 
 other characteristics of saving faith require less detail. 
 
 4. Saving faith takes the word of God as its standard and rule 
 in all cases. It believes all that he says, and simply because he 
 says it. It does not ask, How can these things be ? but is satis- 
 lied with Thus saith the Lord. It is differently affected according 
 as different passages of the word of God are presented to it. Does 
 it read his commands ? then it seeks to obey, and perform all his 
 commandments. Are his threatenings held up ? It trembles and 
 flees for shelter to the cross. Are the promises presented ? It 
 embraces them with joy. So too in all his providential dealings. 
 Does he make the path of duty clear, then it goes forward with 
 unfaltering step, though the pillar of cloud, and the guiding fire, 
 lead it through the sea, or into the pathless wilderness. If no 
 clear direction is given, it either seeks to know his will, or it 
 quietly waits till his will be made known, as the Israelites in the 
 wilderness, who journeyed not unless the cloud were taken up from 
 the tabernacle. Is his way in the clouds and darkness, or in the 
 deep waters? Faith submits to him. Does he send sore afilic- 
 tions? It says. Behold the hand of the Lord! He giveth and he 
 taketh aioay^ blessed he his holy name. Is he harassed by doubts, 
 and fears, and temptations? Still he waits upon the Lord, and 
 seeks no unlawful means of deliverance. " This faith is different 
 in degrees, weak and strong: it is often and many ways assailed 
 and weakened, but it gets the victory: growing up in many 
 (though not in all) to the attainment of a full assurance through 
 Christ, who is both the author, and the finisher of our faith," 
 Confession of Faith, xiv. 
 
 Such is the faith by which we are saved. It is of chief neces- 
 
SAVING FAITH. 269 
 
 sity, for it is the hand that lays hold of, and applies the merits of 
 Christ, and without it, Christ is dead in vain. 
 
 Now in all this there is nothing for us to boast of. You have 
 already seen the grace of God in providing salvation and offering 
 it to us. The only thing we have to do in all this matter is to 
 accept of the free gift that is held out to us. Is this a meritorious 
 act ? When you offer a beggar a piece of money, do you praise 
 him because he puts out his hand and takes it? "When you 
 throw out a plank for a drowning man, do you think he performs 
 a meritorious act by laying hold, and resting on it? No more 
 then are we entitled to praise, or worthy of reward, by believing 
 on Christ. Nay, more, the very faith by which we believe is not 
 our own. By grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of your- 
 selves, it is the gift of God. 
 
 Thus is our whole salvation entirely of grace. From its first 
 beginning in the secret counsels of God, through all the wonder- 
 ful displays of wisdom and love by which it was acquired ; in all 
 the places whereby it is made known and applied to us ; and in 
 the Mth by which we receive it, and by which we are led along to 
 the inheritance of glory reserved for the saints — it is all of grace. 
 
 There are two practical questions of the greatest moment, with 
 the answers to which this subject will be closed. 
 
 1. Since faith is the gift of God, how are we to obtain it? 
 The question is simple, and the answer is equally so. Faith 
 Cometh hy hearing, and hearing hy the word of God, Rom. x. 17. 
 You have the word of God, it is your duty to read it. You can 
 attend on the ordinances of God's house, it is your duty to do so, 
 and the truths you thus learn are those which it is necessary to 
 believe. If you find yourselves unable to believe, the remedy is 
 plain. The disciples in old times found the same difliculty, and 
 they came to Christ and prayed, Lord increase our faith, Luke 
 xvii. 5. That prayer you too can offer, and if offered in sincerity 
 it will be heard and answered, for it is one of those things which 
 are included in the unconditional promise of the Holy Spirit. It 
 is his work, to implant this faith in the heart, and you have but 
 to ask, and it shall be implanted there. Say not, therefore, Faith 
 is God's gift, and as he has not given it to me, I am not required 
 to believe. Faith is God's gift, and if he has not given it to you 
 it is because you would not have it. That you do not believe is 
 your own fault, and not that of your Creator, for he is ready to 
 bestow this gift upon you the moment you desire it. He knows 
 
270 SAVING FAITH. 
 
 what you have need of hefore you ash, Matt. vi. 8, a7id it shall come 
 to pass thai lohile you call he tuill answer: and ivhile you are yet 
 speaking, he will hear. Is. Ixv. 24. You are therefore utterly 
 without excuse if you do not believe. 
 
 2. The second question is, What is the connection between 
 faith and good works ? Men are ever prone to ask, What is the 
 need of good works if we are justified by grace alone? Should 
 we not rather continue in sin that grace may abound? Good 
 works cannot save us, therefore they are useless and needless. It 
 is difficult to answer such objections; their absurdity, and the 
 ignorance they display, are so preposterous, and yet so pitiable. 
 Those who make them are totally ignorant of the nature of faith. 
 The connection between faith and good works is as intimate and 
 indissoluble as between life and breathing. Did you ever see a 
 living man without breath ? Neither have you ever seen faith with- 
 out good works. It is the very nature of faith that it produces good 
 works, and if it does not produce good works, then it is not faith. 
 Faith works hy love and purifies the heart, Acts xv. 9. Shoio me 
 thy faith vnthout thy works. This you cannot do, for there is no 
 such faith, or rather that is the mere historical faith already 
 described and shown to be useless. But says the apostle, / toill 
 shoiu thee my faith hy my works. As the body loithout the spirit is 
 dead, so faith without works is dead also, James ii. 18, 26. 
 
 This then is the connection between faith and works— faith 
 p)roduces works. This is a complete refutation of the objection 
 just referred to, that if we are justified by faith alone works are 
 needless. It cannot be too often repeated, that we are justified by 
 faith vnthout the deeds of the laio ; but neither can it be too care- 
 fully borne in mind that this justifying faith is such that its very 
 nature is to produce good works, and if it does not produce them 
 then it is not true faith, and you are not justified at all. 
 
 By this plan, therefore, of freely justifying man, the grace of 
 God is most highly exalted, and yet the sanctification of the sin- 
 ner, and the performance of every good work by him, are most 
 effectually secured. By grace are ye saved through faith ; and that 
 not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of loorks lest any man 
 should boast, for we are his tvorkmanship, created in Christ Jesus 
 unto good ivories, which God hath before ordained, that we should ivalk 
 in them, Eph. ii. 8-10. 
 
 Maoao. Sept. 8, 1844. 
 
SEEMON XXXI. 
 
 THE GRACE OF GOD SUFFICIENT. 
 My grace is sufficient for thee. — 2 Cor. xii. 9. 
 
 After our Lord Jesus Christ, there is no one person who is 
 so prominently held up in the Scriptures as the example for 
 Christians to imitate, as the apostle Paul. "We are to he followers 
 of him, as he ivas of Christ, 1 Cor. xi. 1. His experience is in 
 many places recorded as that which all Christians have, Eom. 
 vii., and the promises made to him are left for our consolation. 
 
 At one period in his life, he was favored with astonishing 
 revelations of the grace of God ; but they were intended only for 
 himself It was neither lawful nor possible for him to declare 
 them ; and such was his modesty, that fourteen years seem to 
 have passed away, before he spake of them to any human being. 
 Yet withal, these revelations were followed by peculiar tempta- 
 tions. Satan made use of them to pufF him up with pride ; and 
 the Lord saw it necessary to send some sore affliction, lest he 
 should he exalted ahove measure, 2 Cor. xii. 7. What this affliction 
 was, does not appear. Evidently enough, it was some bodily dis- 
 tress or blemish, joined, most probably, to mental suffering, and 
 altogether so severe, that the apostle earnestly desired to be freed 
 from it. In imitation, perhaps, of our Lord's thrice offered 
 prayer in the garden of Gethsemane, he hesought the Lord thrice, 
 that it might dejiart from him. His prayer was heard, but his 
 request was not granted. He had asked for a thing which his 
 compassionate Master saw was not for his own good, and the very 
 favor he bore toward his servant, required him to continue the 
 stroke at which he grieved. This should not be called a strange 
 way of showing kindness ; for it is precisely the course a judicious 
 and affectionate earthly parent pursues towards a wandering 
 child. One reason the apostle seems to have had, why he wished 
 
272 THE GRACE OF GOD SUFFICIENT. 
 
 the thorn in the flesh to be removed, was liis fear lest it should 
 unfit him for labor, or injure his usefulness in the ministry. But 
 though his request was refused, his fears on this point were 
 quieted. He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for tJtee, for my 
 strength is made perfect in iveakness ; and the effect of this promise 
 on the apostle's mind, was instantaneous. It removed every 
 fear ; his heart bowed in sweet submission to the will of his 
 Lord ; and he ceased to regret that which caused him so much 
 pain. Most gladly loill I rather glory in my infirmities^ that the 
 poiver of Christ may rest upon me ; therefore^ I take pleasure in 
 infirmities^ in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, 
 foi' Chris fs sake ; for when I am weak, then am I strong. It may 
 be remarked here, incidentally, that we have, in this part of the 
 apostle's history, a good example of the nature and benefits of 
 believing prayer ; and of the nature of the answer we may expect, 
 even when we do not pray for things that are strictly according 
 to God's will. That the apostle prayed in faith, can scarcely be 
 doubted ; that he prayed earnestly, is evident ; yet he did not 
 receive what he requested, for it was neither for God's glory, nor 
 his own good to grant it. But he obtained other blessings, more 
 valuable than what he asked, even the grace of Christ, which 
 not only sustained him under his trial, but turned it into a posi- 
 tive blessing to him. His own heart, while he prayed, was sub- 
 missive to God ; and when he found that his petition was not 
 acceptable, he not only yielded to the will of God, but rejoiced 
 in it, though contrary to what he had himself desired. Such a 
 spirit in prayer will, in all cases, draw down blessings on the 
 head of him who prays. 
 
 But our chief concern now is with the answer of our Lord to 
 the petition of his servant. My grace is sufficient for thee. This 
 was a special promise to the apostle ; but there seems to be no 
 good reason why it may not be lawfully applied to all those who 
 are followers of him, as he was of Christ. He had great trials 
 and temptations to bear, and arduous duties to perform, and the 
 grace which was sufficient for him, must be equally efficacious for 
 all who tread in his footsteps. 
 
 By the grace of Ood, in this promise, we are to understand, 
 not so much the free favor of God, which is commonly signified 
 by it, as one of the effects which flow to us from that f;i,vor. The 
 grace of God,, is here put for the assistance and supporting influences 
 of the Holy /Spirit, which are given to all God's people in conse- 
 
THE GRACE OF GOD SUFFICIENT. 273 
 
 quence of his free grace, and form the firm and unfailing founda- 
 tion on which they rest. Now of this grace it is emphatically 
 said, It is sufficient. It matters not what the occasion be, for 
 which it is needed, it is sufficient. Though the wise virgins had 
 oil enough for themselves, what they had was not sufficient to 
 supply their foolish neighbors, Matt. xxv. 9 ; but the grace of 
 Christ is sufficient for all. The disciples, when asked in the wil- 
 derness to feed five thousand men, said that two hundred penny- 
 worth of bread was not sufficient for them, that every one might 
 take even a little ; but the grace and power of Christ, made five 
 barley-loaves and two small fishes more than sufficient for the 
 whole multitude, John vi. 7-13. When God told Moses in the 
 desert that he would feed the whole company of Israel with flesh, 
 and that not for one or two days merely, but for a whole month, 
 the faith of even that eminent man of God was staggered, and he 
 asked, Shall theflochs cmd the herds be slain for them to suffice them? 
 or shall the fish of the sea he gathered together for them to suffice them? 
 Numb. xi. 22. But the hand of the Lord had not waxed short, 
 and his word was sufficient to accomplish what even Moses 
 deemed well nigh impossible. So it is with the grace of Christ. 
 It is sufficient for us, no matter what the circumstances are in 
 which we may be placed ; and a consideration of some of those 
 circumstances, and the grace of Christ as sufficient for them, may 
 be of service to us in our heavenward course. 
 
 I. In the first place, then, the grace of Christ is sufficient for 
 ^is in the j)erformance of every duty. The present state of existence 
 is one in which we have many duties to perform. This world is 
 not our rest, it is our place of labor. The duties to which we are 
 called ought to be a delight, a source of constant pleasure to the 
 soul, but it is often far otherwise. Owing to our own native cor- 
 ruption and weakness, our duties are hard to perform. They 
 oftentimes require labor, self-denial, patient watching, painful 
 sacrifices. They run counter to the natural tendencies of our 
 souls ; we climb the Hill of Difficulty with laborious efibrts ; we 
 descend into the Valley of Humiliation with reluctance. To pro- 
 fess to be on the Lord's side, and in so doing to meet with the 
 opposition, and with the secret, or, it may be, the open contempt 
 of men for so doing — to give up all we hold dear for Christ — to 
 go for his sake to foreign lands— to lay down Hfe itself, if need 
 be, rather than deny his name — are duties to the performance of 
 which every Christian is solemnly pledged. But I am far from 
 18 
 
274 THE GRACE OF GOD SUFFICIENT. 
 
 thinking these to be the most difficult and painful duties he is 
 called to perform. There is a spirit in man which will nerve 
 him for the performance of extraordinary efforts occasionally, 
 but will prove quite insufficient when tasked with the constant 
 recurrence of ordinary exertion ; and many who could brave the 
 martyr's death, would fail in the humbler walks of Christian life. 
 To persevere in the service of God for years ; to maintain a con- 
 sistent course of conduct ; to continue instant in prayer ; to resist 
 the daily temptations of a Christian life ; to mortify every sin ; 
 to cultivate every grace ; and to honor God by a holy life ; — these 
 are far more important and far more difficult parts of our duty, 
 than to cross oceans, perform splendid acts of self-denial, and to 
 lay down life itself as a public sacrifice on the altar of religion. 
 It is a comparatively easy thing to exercise those splendid virtues 
 which are seen of men, and admired even by those who cannot 
 appreciate the motives which induce them, but there is a more 
 excellent, and a more difficult way than this. The charity that 
 suffereth long, and is kind ; the charity that envieth not ; the 
 charity that vaunteth not itself, and is not puflPed up, is of far 
 more worth in the sight of God, than gifts of prophecy, and pro- 
 foundness of knowledge, than faith that removes mountains, and 
 ostentatious benevolence to the poor, or even giving the body to 
 be burned, 1 Cor. xiii. 
 
 Now all these duties, both those that are public, and those 
 performed in God's presence alone, are for us hard to be done. 
 To the angels, to the glorified spirits in heaven, they are easy ; 
 but we are compassed about with infirmities ; we are held back 
 by a nature averse to all such exercises ; and we are opposed both 
 by an unfriendly world, and a host of evil spirits. These are the 
 things which render it difficult for us to perform our duties. How 
 shall creatures so weak as we perform so many ? How shall we 
 persevere, day after day and year after year, in the flice of so 
 many obstacles ? Were it not better that we should die as soon 
 as we become united to Christ, that so our salvation may be se- 
 cured without this long and painful course of training, in which 
 there is so much danger of our failure ? No, Christian friends I 
 The promise of our Lord comes to our relief. My grace is siiffi- 
 cient for thee : for my strength is made iperfect in loeakness. Nor is 
 this a solitar}^ promise. It is one that runs like a line of light 
 throughout the Scriptures. It matters not how weak we are in 
 ourselves; strength for the performance of duty comes from 
 
THE GRACE OF GOD SUFFICIENT. 275 
 
 above. The Lord God helps the worm Jacob, For I the Lord thy 
 Godwin hold thy rigid hand, saying unto thee, Fear not, I will keep 
 thee. Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel ; I will help 
 thee, saith the Lord and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, Is. xli. 
 13, 14. It is he that gives us strength, and that strength shall be 
 more than suflEicient, even where the most vigorous natural powers 
 would fail. He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no 
 might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and he 
 weary, and the young men shall utterly fall. But they that wo.it upon 
 the Lord shall renew their strength : they shall mount up with wings 
 as eagles: they shall run, and not he weary, and they shall walk and 
 not faint. Is. xl. 29-31 ; xxv. 8, 4. Thus through his grace, we 
 not only persevere, but are assured of a glorious termination to 
 all our course of duty. 
 
 This strength is given us through the influences of the Holy 
 Spirit, Hence it was the apostle's prayer for the Ephesians — as 
 it should be the prayer of each of us for ourselves — that God 
 ivould grant us, according to the riches of his glory, to he strengthened 
 with might hy his Spirit in the inner man, Eph. iii. 16. 
 
 For our encouragement in duty, numerous instances are re- 
 corded in the Holy Scriptures, where through the grace of God, 
 even those who were weak were enabled to perform duty aright. 
 Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings, God has often perfected 
 praise, Ps. viii. 2. Even children in him are strong, for he called 
 Jeremiah, when but a child, and made him a defenced city, an 
 iron pillar, and hrazen walls against a whole land, with its kings and 
 princes, its priests and people, ivho in their loickedness fought against 
 Mm, Jer. i. 5, 6, 18, 19. It enabled Moses, though slow of speech, 
 and of a slow tongue, to stand before Pharaoh and his counsel- 
 lors, and plead the cause of God's oppressed people, God never 
 calls any man to perform duty for him, without also offering him 
 the grace needful for the performance of that duty. Behold what 
 grace did for those who had faith in God ! They subdued king- 
 doms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths 
 of lions, quenched the violence of fire, out of iveakness were made 
 strong, and ivaxed valiant in fight, Heb. xi, 33, But why multiply 
 examples, when the apostle Paul stands before us as a living 
 witness of the sufficiency of God's grace. None felt his own 
 weakness more deeply than he, None had duties more arduous 
 to perform than he. Hear then his triumphant declaration, lean 
 do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me, Phil, iv, 18 ; 
 
276 THE GRACE OF GOD SUFFICIENT. 
 
 and let none be discouraged, when so bright an example as his is 
 held up for our imitation. He was a man like ourselves. It was 
 not his own strength that made him so eminent as a Christian, 
 for he delighted to say, By the grace of Ood^ I am what I avi, 
 1 Cor. XV. 10 ; and that grace does not grow old, or become weak 
 through the lapse of ages ; the grace that made him what he was, 
 can make us the same. 
 
 Here then is our encouragement. Fear not, my Christian 
 friends, when called upon to perform any duty. He who calls 
 you to its performance will give you the strength you need. Our 
 suiiiciency is of God, 2 Cor. iii. 5, 6, and therefore we have hope. 
 Look not at your own wickedness. Do not excuse yourselves 
 v/hen God calls you, for want of strength. Nay, the very sense 
 of weakness will increase your strength, for while it will lead 
 you to rely less on yourselves, where there is no strength, it will 
 teach you to place jonv dependence on God who has all strength. 
 This is the meaning of that apparent paradox of Paul's, When 1 
 am iveak, then am I strong, 2 Cor. xii. 10. With this strength for 
 your support you shall perform every duty. The reproaches of 
 the world, the opposition of friends, the weakness of your own 
 heart, and the strength of sin, and of Satan's temptations, shall 
 not prevent you from performing the duties that belong to your 
 Christian course. Greater is he that is for us, than all they that 
 be against us, therefore be strong and hope unto the end. 
 
 II. The grace of Christ is also sufficient for us in all times of 
 temptation. That fevery Christian is tempted by Satan to sin 
 against God requires no proof. There are those who deny that 
 evil angels have any such influence over us, but they are not found 
 among those who believe the Bible to be the word of God. That 
 Satan can force us to sin I do not believe. It is even our own 
 fault if we yield to his temptations ; but all Christians have their 
 weak points, and unguarded hours, and he whose malice and 
 boldness induced him to tempt even the Lord Jesus, is not averse 
 to tempt every one of his followers. He knows little of his own 
 heart and little of the depths of Satan, who does not know what 
 temptations are; and he who has known them, will often and 
 earnestly pray, Lead me not into temptation. 
 
 All the wiles of our great enemy, the wicked one, would have 
 little power if they were not seconded by the evil that dwells in us 
 — but joined with that they ofttimes make fearful havoc in the 
 Christian's soul. Even the confirmed believer may be led into 
 
THE GRACE OF GOD SUFFICIENT. 277 
 
 sin. The exhortation is, Be sober ^ he vigilant^ for your adversary the 
 devil goeth about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, 
 1 Pet. V. 8. Your own experience must have already assured 
 you that there is no place and no time when you are secured 
 from his assaults. Have you not found evil suggestions thrown 
 into your mind, when you bowed the knee in private prayer to 
 God ? Have you not found your hearts led out after vanities 
 unto the ends of the earth, even when you came to the sanctuary 
 to worship your Creator ? Have you not foand that even when 
 most bent to do good, evil was present with you, and an evil, 
 too, urged on, and fixed in your mind almost as by an influence 
 from without ? These temptations are as diversified as the vary- 
 ing dispositions of every man. Satan is well acquainted with 
 the human heart, its affections, passions, and infirmities, and has 
 an allurement, a charm, a threatening, for each. Some he tempts 
 to despair, even of the free and boundless grace of God, and 
 would have them to think their sins unpardonable. Some he 
 tempts to presume, as though the Spirit of God could never be 
 grieved, and thus while he leads one to vain confidence and false 
 securit}^, he plunges another in the depths of despair. He takes 
 the dearest objects of our affections, and causes our hearts to rest 
 upon them with an idolatrous love, thus setting up household 
 gods, where the heart's best affection should be given to our Cre- 
 ator. Some he tempts to seek for pleasure and ease, avoiding 
 the dangers, discomforts, and self-denials of a conscientious per- 
 formance of duty. Some he tempts to sell their Lord, for the 
 delights of this world. Where he cannot by his devices draw 
 away the Christian from the path of duty, he endeavors to harass 
 his mind with doubts and fears. If he cannot induce him to lie 
 down and fold his hands in idleness, he tempts him to labor be- 
 yond his strength, and goads him with reproaches for inaction and 
 uselessness. But it would be an endless task to enumerate all his 
 devices, whereby he gains advantage of us. (2 Cor. ii. 11.) Be not 
 ignorant of them, and in the time of temptation, remember where 
 your strength lies. It is our joy, that we have an high priest, who 
 can be touched ivith the feeling of our infirmities. Even he was 
 tempted in all points, like as ive are, Heb. iv. 15. In that he him- 
 self hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are 
 tempted, Heb. ii. 18. He says to every tempted and perplexed be- 
 liever. My grace is sufficient for thee. It often seems to the Christian, 
 as though none had ever experienced the same temptations, and he 
 
278 THE GRACE OF GOD SUFFICIENT. 
 
 feels as tliougb he could not escape from tliem , but in both these 
 points, you are probably mistaken, God watches all your danger, 
 There hath no temj-itation taken you, but such as is common to man ; 
 and God is faithfid, ivho ivill not suffer you to he tempted above that 
 ye are able, but ivill loith the temptation make a way to escape, that 
 ye may be able to bear it, 1 Cor. x. 13. The Christian ofttimes 
 hardly knows how his spiritual life is to be sustained, amidst so 
 many assaults from his great foe, but God in his wisdom and grace 
 can easily do it. He secretly casts in the oil of his grace, so that 
 the flame burns hotter, notwithstanding the water that is cast 
 upon it. Therefore in all times of temptation, look up to God 
 for strength, and in dependence on that strength, resist the devil, 
 and he will fiee from you, James iv. 7. Take above all things 
 else, the shield of faith, whereby ijou ivill be able to quench all the fiery 
 darts of the loiched one, Eph. vi. 16. If you feel your strength 
 give way beneath the power of the tempter, cry mightily unto 
 God, and soon you shall say to your confident and exulting ad- 
 versary. Rejoice not against me, oh mine enemy. When I fall, I shall 
 arise again, Mic. vii. 8. 
 
 III. Finally, the grace of Christ is sufficient for the support of 
 every believer in all times of sorrow and distress, whether bodily 
 or mental. Sorrows are the portion of our race. I am not one 
 of those who look on this \frorld as a vale of tears alone, for it has 
 abundant stores of joy ; and there are few whose happiness would 
 not be much greater than it is, were they to seek it in the proper 
 course. Yet still it is true, 3fan that is horn of a woman is of few 
 days, and full of trouble. Job xiv. 1. To enter into particulars 
 in proof of this is needless. You have but to recall the histories 
 of your own acquaintances, and the scenes of your own past lives, 
 and very few of you will deny that 
 
 A sad inheritance is ours. 
 
 The Christian whose heart is rightly exercised, will acknowledge 
 that all his sorrows come from a Father's hand, and are sent for 
 his good ; and yet even he will find them hard to bear, for in the 
 truthful language of the apostle, No chastening for the present seem- 
 eth to be joyous, hut grievous, Heb. xii. 11. Oftentimes too, God 
 is pleased to visit his children with repeated afiliction. Sorrow 
 after sorrow comes upon them. Deep calleth unto deep at the noise 
 of his waterspouts, all his leaves and billows go over them, Ps. xlii. 7 ; 
 and their soul is melted in them for heaviness. If the Christian 
 
THE GRACE OF GOD SUFFICIENT. 279 
 
 were left to himself, to bear by the unaided fortitude of his own 
 spirit the distresses that ofttimes come upon him, he would soon 
 sink beneath the load. But he is not left to himself A voice 
 comes to him in the depths of his sorrow, saying. My grace is suf- 
 ficient/or thee. When distresses are most numerous, it says to him, 
 When thou passest through the ivaters I -will be ivith thee, and tlirough 
 the rivers, they shall not overflow thee : lohen thou loalhest through the 
 fire thou shalt not he burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee, 
 Is. xliii. 2 ; and his own experience furnishes the most eloquent 
 commentary to the promise. Have you not often found his 
 grace supporting you in affliction ? A dark cloud arose in your 
 horizon, and you gazed upon its gloomy outline with anxious 
 forebodings. It drew nearer, and filled your heart with dread. 
 You feared as you entered the cloud, and yet when it passed 
 away, you were refreshed with its gentle rain, and gazed even 
 with delight upon the rainbow which remained. Has it not been 
 so ? You have shrunk from the trial that has hung over you. 
 You have thought yoa could not endure it — you have prayed 
 that if possible it might pass from you, and yet when it came, 
 though you felt it deeply, you have been sustained and upheld in 
 a manner that you could not have thought possible ; and though 
 for the time it was grievous, yet you have found it followed by 
 the peaceable fruits of righteousness. And is not the grace that 
 was sufficient for you in times past equally powerful for the time 
 to come ? Do not dishonor God by your fears, but come boldly to 
 the throne of gra.ce, that you may obtain mercy, and find grace to help 
 in time of need, Heb. iv. 16. 
 
 It may be that you fear death ; that though you can look on 
 other trials with composure, yet you apprehend that when your 
 last hour shall come, you shall not be able to endure. But why 
 should you fear? Hath he not said, I will never leave thee nor for- 
 sake thee, Heb. xiii. 5. Hath not your compassionate Saviour 
 himself passed through the gates of death, and slept in the grave, 
 and will he not be with you there ? Then fear not. His grace 
 has caused others to go through the dark valley of the shadow 
 of death with peace and with joy ; and putting your trust in him, 
 his grace shall be sufficient for you, even in that trying hour. 
 Though flesh and heart fail, yet God shall be the strength of your heart 
 a7id your portion forever, Ps. Ixxii. 26. 
 
 How glorious are the promises of God to those who put their 
 trust in him ! Some are minute and particular, as when he is 
 
280 THE GRACE OF GOD SUFFICIENT. 
 
 told that tlie very hairs of his head are all numbered ; but others 
 are wide and comprehensive, even as the grace of God itself. 
 Such is the promise we have been considering. Its tones fall 
 upon the Christian ear, making sweet melody there, and if he will, 
 he may hear it when the tempest roars, as well as when the eve- 
 ning airs are gently breathing. He may hear it and rejoice in it, 
 when Satan's temptations come like a fiery blast upon his soul ; 
 he may draw consolation from it, when he wanders alone in the 
 wilderness; when friends all die, and cherished hopes all fail, 
 and earthly resources are all cut off, the promise remains as firm 
 as the throne of God himself. He abideth faithful, he cannot 
 deny himself, and he saith. My grace is sufficient for thee. It is 
 a compend of that glorious promise given to Israel of old by the 
 hand of Moses. Thy shoes shall he iron and brass : and as thy days, 
 so shall thy strength he. There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, 
 who rideth upon the heavens in thy help, and in his excellency on the 
 shj. The eternal God is thy refuge, and under7ieath are the everlast- 
 ing arms, and he shall thrust out the enemy from hefore thee, and shall 
 say. Destroy them, Deut. xxxiii. 25-27. 
 
 The joy with which the ministers of God proclaim these 
 precious and soul-sustaining promises is great, and yet it is 
 one not unmingled with sadness. They are not for all. The 
 unbelieving, the careless, the worldly-minded, have no part 
 or lot in this matter. The grace that is sufficient for others, is 
 not sufficient for you, for you receive the news of it with uncon- 
 cern. Of what avail is it to you that such grace is offered ? 
 
 I beseech you, my hearers, let none take comfort in this 
 promise, except those that have a right to it. It is intended only 
 for the humble believer in Christ, who feels his need of his 
 grace, and earnestly desires to obtain it. For all such it is suffi- 
 cient. 
 
 Macao, September 29, 1844. 
 
SERMON XXXII. 
 
 CONNECTION OF DIVINE AGENCY WITH HUMAN EFFORTS. 
 
 Wherefore, my beloved, as je have always obeyed, not as in iny presence only, but 
 now much mor^ in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trem- 
 bling ; for it is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do, of his good 
 pleasure. — Phil, il 12, 13. 
 
 The intercourse between the apostle Paul and the church at 
 Philippi seems to have been always of the most affectionate kind. 
 Many things conspired to make him regard them with peculiar 
 interest. It was in this city that he first preached the gospel to a 
 European audience. It was here that he received the first fruits 
 promised to him, when he saw in vision the man of Macedonia 
 imploring his help. It was here that Lydia lived, whose heart 
 the Lord opened that she attended to the things which were spo- 
 ken by Paul, Acts xvi. 14. It was here too, that being imprison- 
 ed and beaten and confined in the inner prison with their feet fast 
 in the stocks, the love and grace of God so filled the hearts of 
 Paul and Silas, that at midnight they prayed and sang praises. 
 The astonished jailer acknowledged the power of the religion they 
 preached. And when they departed from the city they were fol- 
 lowed by the affectionate regards of the brethren, and were often 
 cheered by their kind remembrances. When Paul was in Thes- 
 salonica, the church at Philippi sent once and again to supply his 
 necessities ; and they ahne of all the churches of Macedonia conimu- 
 nicated ivith him as concerning giving and receiving, Phil. iv. 15, 16. 
 They were attentive to his instructions while present with them, 
 and obedient when he was absent. Therefore in this epistle his 
 affection for them is very plainly shown, and he styles them his 
 hrethren, dearly beloved and longed for, his joy and his crown, iv. 1. 
 
 In the text he exhorts them to continued obedience to the gos- 
 pel, and to a holy life. He had just before described the deep 
 
282 CONNECTION OF DIVINE AGENCY 
 
 humility and exemplar}' obedience of our Lord Jesus Christ, who 
 humbled himself and hecame obedient unto death, v. 8, and had pro- 
 posed him as the example and pattern for their imitation, chap. 
 ii. 5-8. It was a great work thej had to do, to secure their sal- 
 vation, and without taking upon them the yoke of Christ, and 
 learning of him, ivho ivas meek and lowly in onind, Matt. xi. 29, 
 they could not do it. Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always 
 obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, 
 ivork out your own salvation with fear and tremhling. 
 
 Let us attend to this exhortation of the apostle. There are 
 some men who think that because salvation is by grace, their 
 works are useless, and that since it is given us ivithout merits on 
 our part, it is also given ivithout efforts. This is a very convenient 
 excuse for the sluggard, and the fatalist ; but it is surely a ver}- 
 great mistake, and it is a mistake too, proceeding from an igno- 
 rance of the Scriptures truly wonderful. You cannot open a page 
 of the Bible without seeing the contrary, and repeated and en- 
 forced in so many ways, that ^en the most careless could scarce 
 fail of seeing it. No part of the Scriptures encourage the idea 
 that heaven can be gained by mere blind fate, or chance. On the 
 contrary our Lord tells us in strong language, that the kingdom 
 of heaven siffereth violence, and the violent take it by force, Matt. xi. 12, 
 and both in the Old and in the New Testament, the great benefit 
 and the absolute necessity of exertion on our part is clearly set 
 forth. Thus we are told in the Proverbs of Solomon, that the 
 labor of the righteous tendeth to life. Pro v. x. 16, while both in natu- 
 ral and in sj)iritual things it is true that poverty and want come 
 upon the slothful and inactive. 
 
 Some men are apt to busy themselves with curious questions ; 
 asking about the decrees and purposes of God ; the probable 
 number of those who shall be saved, and other things which are 
 of no manner of importance ; quite forgetting that it is our place 
 to do the open and revealed will of God, and not to meddle toe- 
 curiously in things which he has reserved to his own power. 
 When the disciples came to Clirist with one of these questions, he 
 declined giving them a direct answer. One said wito him. Lord, 
 are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, /Strive to enter in 
 at the strait gate, for many I say unto you lu ill seek to enter in, and 
 shall not be able, Luke xiii. 23, 24. As if he had said, " Do not trouble 
 yourselves with useless inquiries about the condition of others. 
 Make your own calling and election sure." 
 
WITH HUMAN EFFORTS. 283 
 
 None preacbed more clearly than the apostle Paul, the doc- 
 trine of salvation by free grace without human merit ; and yet 
 none insisted more strenuously than he on the necessity of works 
 on man's part. To hear his exhortations, and mark his example, 
 you would suppose he thought our whole salvation depended on 
 ourselves. Hear him saying to the Corinthians, My beloved hreth' 
 re7i, be ye steadfast^ immovahle, always abounding in the work of the 
 Lord, forasmuch as ye hnow that your labor is not in vain in the Lord, 
 1 Cor. XV. 58. Hear him saying to the Hebrews, Let us labor to 
 enter into the rest, Heb. iv. 11, and again, We desire that everyone 
 of you do show the same diligence, unto the full assurance ofhopeunto 
 the end, Heb. vi. 11. His own example is full of instruction on 
 this point. He was assured of his own salvation, yet he did not 
 on that account intermit or relax his exertions. On the contrary 
 in this very epistle he describes himself, as using every effort, as 
 reaching forth unto those tilings that are before, and pressing toward 
 the mark for the prize of his high calling, Phil. iii. 13, 14. No man 
 who takes the apostle Paul for his model, will ever sit idly down 
 or dream of being carried to heaven 
 
 " On flowery beds of ease." 
 
 Hence all his comparisons by which he illustrates the Christian 
 life, teach the necessity of exertion on our part ; as he walked on 
 foot from city to city, he saw the husbandmen pursuing their avo- 
 cations, and reaping in their harvest. Seizing the idea, he ex- 
 horts the Galatians, not to be weary in well doing, for in due season, 
 we shall reap if we faint not. Gal. vi. 7-9. As he preached in 
 the cities of Greece, he had frequent opportunities of beholding 
 the foot-races, and athletic contests of the Olympic, and other 
 games ; and the strenuous exertions of these contestors, furnishes 
 one of his most frequent and forcible comparisons. He exhorts 
 the Hebrews to run with patience the race set before them, Heb. xii. 
 1, and to the Corinthians, who were especially familiar with such 
 games, he says, Know ye not, that they which run in a race, run all 
 but one receiveth the prize? So run that ye may obtain. And every 
 man that strivethfor the mastery is temperate in all things. Eowthey 
 do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible. I there- 
 fore do run not as uncertainly. So fight I not as one ihatbeateth the 
 air, 1 Cor. ix. 24-26. And when he would cheer the *disciples' 
 hearts it is not by saying that they had no work to do, but that 
 their work when done should meet an abundant reward. To the 
 
284 CONNECTION OF DIVINE AGENCY. 
 
 Eoraans be said, that those who patihitly continued in well-doing^ 
 should obtain eternal life, Eom. ii. 7, and to the Hebrews, that God 
 ivould not forget their work and labor of love, Heb. vi. 10. 
 
 It were an easy thing to multiply similar quotations, but suf- 
 ficient has been adduced to show, that in the business of our salva- 
 tion we must work. These are plain truths, too plain to be mis- 
 taken or evaded, nor can they be altered or interpreted differently 
 b}^ comparing with them any other part of God's truths. His 
 revelations are like himself, consistent, and what he has elsewhere* 
 declared of his secret purposes, must be understood in a manner 
 perfectly consistent with the duty here so plainly enjoined. 
 
 Work out your own salva.tion with fear and trembling. It is a 
 great work to secure our salvation. It is great in itself, for its 
 effects concern our highest well-being, and its results stretch out 
 into the distant depths of eternity. It is great too, because it has 
 to be prosecuted amidst much opposition and difficulty. In this 
 work, much depends upon ourselves, and there is the strongest 
 call for much watchfulness, and even solicitude in regard to the 
 result. It is with fear and trembling, with watchfulness and 
 prayer, that we must enter into the kingdom of God. You can- 
 not sit down and fold your hands if you wish to be saved. You 
 cannot be an unconcerned spectator, but must yourself take an 
 active, yea, a prominent part, in the contest, that shall decide 
 your own soul's eternal weal and woe. And such a contest can- 
 not be without /ear and trembling. 
 
 The true believer is one who fears always. He fears God for 
 his greatness, and glory, and holiness ; he fears the spirits of evil, 
 for their malice and cunning and varied wiles ; he fears himself, 
 for he knows the deep sinfulness and deceitfulness of his own 
 heart ; he fears the world, for he knows by painful experience its 
 many allurements and seducing wiles ; and when he contemplates 
 his own salvation, the magnitude of the interests involved, and 
 the danger of failure, he cannot but fear. Happy is the man who 
 feareth always, Prov. xxviii. 14. 
 
 Yet this fear and trembling, it should be observed, does not 
 imply any want of faith in God, nor the absence of peace and joy 
 in the heart. It is perfectly compatible with joy in God. We 
 are commanded to serve the Lord ivith fear, and to rejoice with 
 trembling*Fs. ii. 11. The purest joy, and the fullest confidence 
 may fill the believer's heart, when his fesh trembles for fear of God, 
 Ps. cxix. 120. This may sound paradoxical, but it is Christian 
 
WITH HUMAN EFFORTS. 285 
 
 experience notwithstanding. When the angel informed the 
 women at the sepulchre, of the resurrection of Christ, two emo- 
 tions filled their hearts, A7id they departed quicldy from the sepulchre, 
 with fear and great joy^ and did run to bring the disciples word, Matt, 
 xxviii. 8. This fear is perfectly compatible even with the assur- 
 ance of salvation. Hence the apostle says. Wherefore we receiving 
 a kingdom ivhich cannot he moved, let us have grace ivherehy wo may 
 serve God acceptably, ivith reverence and godly fear. For our God is 
 a consuming fire, Heb. xii. 28, 29. (Compare 1 Cor. ii. 3.) 
 
 The work of our salvation is a very great work. Great in 
 itself, for it is nothing less than life from the dead ; great in its 
 connection with others, for it enlists the sympathies of three 
 worlds, 
 
 " Hell moves beneath to work our death. 
 Heaven stoops to give us life." 
 
 Great too in its wide-spread and unending results. Who then 
 is sufficient for these things ? Is it not mockery in the apostle 
 to exhort us to work out our own salvation ? for what can crea- 
 tures, so utterly without strength, as we, perform ? 
 
 But that which we cannot do God does. In due time ivhen we 
 were yet without strength Christ died for the ungodly, Rom. v. 6 ; and 
 when we ivere dead in trespasses and sins, he quickened us hy his 
 grace, Eph. ii. 5. 
 
 It is difficult for us to define the limits where human agency 
 ceases and God's power commences. But to do so is a matter of 
 no consequence ; in practical experience all is plain enough ; and 
 hence the apostle, immediately after exhorting the Philippians to 
 work out their own salvation with fear and trembling, adds, as 
 the reason why they should do so. For it is God ivho worheth in 
 you, both to will and to do. As if he had said. Work with all your 
 powers, use all diligence, and be assured of success, for God will 
 give you strength. A parallel case to this, is found in the man 
 with the withered hand whom Jesus cured. Our Lord said to 
 the man. Stretch forth thy hand. The man had no strength, he 
 could not of himself stretch forth his hand, for it hung withered 
 and dead by his side. Yet he did not object to the command of 
 the Lord, as though it were an impossibility, but obeyed it. 
 Along with the command strength was given. And he stretched it 
 forth, and it loas restored lohole, like as the other, Matt. xii. 13. 
 
 Thus it is in the business of our salvation. It is God who 
 worketh in us. This is a truth often repeated, and especially 
 
286 CONNECTION OF DIVINE AGENCY 
 
 acknowledged in the prayers of all true believers. He worketli 
 in us both to will and to do. It is he who implants the desire for 
 salvation, and the willingness to obey in our hearts; and it is he 
 who gives us grace to obey and strength to obtain that salvation. 
 Hence the prayer of David, Create in me a dean lieart^ and renew a 
 rigid spirit iviiJiin me, Ps. li. 10. Hence the confession of the 
 church in Isaiah, Lorcl^ tliou ivilt ordain peace for us, for thou also 
 hast ivrought all our ivories in us, Is. xxvi. 12. Hence the prayer 
 of the apostle for the Hebrews, that God would make them p)erfect 
 in every good worh to do his loill. Working in them that which is 
 icell-plea,sing in his sight, Heb. xiii. 21, Thus the people of God 
 are made willing in the day of his power, Ps. ex. 3, and that for 
 which in ourselves we are insufficient is accomplished by the 
 mighty power of God working in us. 
 
 It is here to be observed, that God's working in us, is not 
 attributed by the apostle, to anything in ourselves, which induces 
 him thus to work. It is entirely of his good p)leasure. He gives 
 no account of his matters. He does not tell us why he works in 
 one, and not in all ; but in his sovereignty dispenses his favors 
 as he will. To some men the sovereignty of God is an unlovely 
 attribute ; nor do they wish to hear that he doeth according to his 
 loill in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, 
 Dan. iv. 35. But to the true child of God there is none in the 
 whole compass of revelation so delightful, so full of all consolation. 
 Is God the Holy and the Just One, a sovereign Euler? Then 
 assuredly all shall be well. Under his perfect administration and 
 firm control nothing shall occur for which abundant reason shall 
 not in due time be given. Tlie Lord reigneth, let the earth rejoice, 
 Ps. xcvii. 1. 
 
 The consideration of this subject furnishes us with several 
 topics for practical remark : — 
 
 1. Some men are greatly troubled with the doctrines of God's 
 sovereignty and free grace ; and this, not so much because they 
 are not clearly revealed in the Scriptures, as because they know 
 not how to reconcile them with man's freedom and duty. They 
 cannot see how God can be a sovereign, doing all things accord- 
 ing to his own pleasure, and yet man remain a free and account- 
 able being ; how salvation is entirely of grace, and yet works a 
 matter of chief necessity. These are questions most fruitful in 
 controversies, and by them the peace of the church has been for 
 many ages disturbed. And yet they are purely theoretical ques- 
 
WITH HUMAN EFFORTS. 287 
 
 tions. The apostle Paul found no difficulty m reconciling the 
 two doctrines. He brings them in the closest connection, and 
 seems utterly unconscious that there is the slightest incongruity 
 between them. Work out your own salvation, Why? For it is 
 God luhich worlceth in you both to will and to do of his own good 
 Ijhasure. And there is no incongruity. Christian experience in 
 all ages testifies that there is none. They who are most active in 
 every good work, and most successful in their exertions in the 
 cause of God, are the foremost to ascribe their success and their 
 strength to labor, entirely to him. Witness the declarations of 
 David, when he had with all his might prepared for tJte house of his 
 God both gold and silver, and iron and brass, and all manner of 
 precious stones, and marble stones in abundance. He willingly 
 offered all these things, and beheld with joy his people offering 
 willingly unto God. Noiv therefore, our God, toe thank thee, and 
 praise tliy glorious name. But who am I, and what is my people that 
 we should be able {in the margin, obtain strength) to offer so loillingly 
 after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we 
 given thee, 1 Chron. xxix. 2, 13, 14, 17. The records of Christian 
 biography are full of similar examples, and the spontaneous feel- 
 ings of every Christian heart confirms them. Have you not felt, 
 at any time when your efforts have been greatly blessed, that 
 while you have done only what you felt you ought to do, yet 
 without God's blessing your efforts would have been useless? 
 Your own heart would have blamed you if you had not done all 
 you did ; and yet your own heart said. Not unto us, but unto thy 
 name be the glory, Ps. cxv. 1. These facts may exceed the j)ower 
 of our philosophy to explain, but they do not exceed the power 
 of our natures to feel, and philosophy must learn, when experi- 
 ence speaks. 
 
 2. Learn, hence, the necessity and advantage of looking to 
 God in every time of duty or trial, for strength and'grace. Behold 
 the sailor as he pursues his course across the ocean. His is no life of 
 ease, or freedom from care and anxiety ; and yet of what avail were 
 all his labors, were it not for the free winds of heaven, which God 
 sends to speed him on his way ? He has no power to call the 
 winds from their hidden caves. He has no art by which he can 
 cause propitious gales to blow, and when his ship lies motionless 
 in the calm, can a more perfect picture of utter helplessness be 
 imagined, than is seen in the noble vessel, whose dark sides and 
 useless sails are mirrored in the glassy waters ? But does this 
 
288 CONNECTION OF DIVINE AGENCY, ETC. 
 
 Utter helplessness, this total want of control over the elements, re- 
 lease him from the necessity of laboring ? Doth he not on that 
 very account watch the clouds, and mark the courses of the winds 
 with increased diligence ? Does he not shorten sail, or spread his 
 canvass, and steer his ship so as to gain every possible advantage 
 which God is pleased to put within his reach ? And should he 
 not, when he reaches his desired haven, acknowledge the good- 
 ness of him, who, holding the winds in his fist, has granted him 
 to end his voyage in safety ? And such is Christian duty. It is 
 ours to labor. It is God's to bless. It is ours to spread the sails, 
 and the Spirit's influences blowing like the loind, luhere it listeth, 
 shall waft us to the port of eternal rest. 
 
 3. Hence, also, you may draw abundant enoouragement in all 
 your efforts to secure salvation. Your heart often trembles when 
 you reflect on the greatness of the work, and the dangers that op- 
 pose. Your hopes almost fail at times, when you think of the 
 length of the way. It is with fear and trembling that you pursue 
 your course, and well it may be so. Yet, be not dismayed. An 
 unseen eye is watching over you. An unseen arm is stretched 
 out for your defence ; almighty power is enlisted on your behalf 
 It is God who worketh in you, and when did he ever work in vain ? 
 If he hath begun a good work in you, he will surely perform it to the 
 day of Jesus Christ, Phil. i. 6, for it is not the manner of God to 
 leave his work unfinished, or throw away that on which he hath 
 begun to bestow labor. Have holy thoughts begun to arise in 
 your hearts ? do desires after the presence, and favor, and like- 
 ness of God enter your minds ? Then cherish them carefall3^ It 
 is God who worketh in you to will, to desire such things, and if 
 you put not away his first influences, he will also work in you to 
 do all his holy will ; and then, after you have suffered awhile, he 
 mil also make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you, 1 Pet. v. 10. 
 
 4. Finally. ' This subject affords a test of your character, for 
 self-examination. Is it God who worketh in you both to will and 
 to do ? what then is the character of your works ? Are your 
 works such as reflect honor on God ? Are your thoughts such 
 as come from a holy God ? Hereby know we that ice divell in him, 
 because he hath given us of his Spirit, 1 John iv. 13. 
 
 Macao, October 20, 1844. 
 
SERMON XXXIIL 
 
 THE DISCIPLES IN THE STORM. 
 
 And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea, and entered 
 into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, 
 and Jesus was not come to them. And the sea arose by reason of a great wind 
 that blew. So when they had rowed about twenty or thirty furlongs, they see 
 Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid. 
 But he saith unto them. It is I ; be not afraid. Then they willingly received him 
 into the ship : and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went. — 
 JoHNvi. 16-21. 
 
 The miracles of our Lord Jesus Christ were most remarkable 
 events, in whatever light we choose to regard them. The power 
 displayed in them, and the frequency with which they occurred, 
 were equally wonderful. Daily he went about doing good, and 
 daily mighty works were performed by him, until the beloved 
 disciple was forced to say that the world itself could not contain 
 the books in which a full account of all he did should be re- 
 corded. It must be an exhaustless fountain from which such co- 
 pious streams proceed. 
 
 But these miracles were not performed merely to excite an 
 empty admiration. They were intended, not only to excite our 
 attention and reverence, and to confirm our faith, but also to give 
 us solid and abiding instructions. The instructive character of the 
 miracles of Christ is often overlooked ; and yet to one who con- 
 siders them rightly, this is not less wonderful than their frequency 
 and power. But our wonder is diminished, though not our ad 
 miration, when we consider who performed them. It was Christ 
 who never spake one idle word, nor performed one unmeaning 
 action. He had planned before, the reason and manner of every- 
 thing he did, and had disposed, according to his own wisdom, the 
 multiplied relations of every action. Instruction therefore may 
 be expected, and should be sought in every part of his life ; be- 
 cause it may be said (without violence to the words of the apos- 
 19 
 
290 THE DISCIPLES IN THE STORM. 
 
 tie), These things were written for our admonition^ upon whom the ends 
 of the world are come, 1 Cor. x. 11. 
 
 lu the miracle of which the text is the record, there is but 
 little that requires explanation. It is a simple narrative of one 
 of the actions of our Saviour ; and though the narrative given by 
 the apostle John is shorter than those of Matthew and Mark, 
 there is nothing in it that differs from them, or renders particular 
 reference to them needful. I propose therefore to dwell chiefly 
 on the practical lessons it affords. 
 
 It occurred within twenty-four hours after the miracle of feed- 
 ing five thousand men with five loaves and two fishes. Our Lord 
 was not eager to display his miraculous powers, or to gain the 
 applause of men by his mighty works. He was equally ready to 
 perform them in the city or in the desert ; in the presence and 
 for the sake of ten thousand spectators, or with the knowledge, 
 and for the sake of ten, or even of one. When the proud Herod 
 hoped to have seen some iniracle done hy him^ he refused to gratify 
 his vain curiosity, Luke xxiii. 9, 10 ; but he never refused the 
 solitary and obscure applicants who needed his aid. 
 
 He had been on the east side of the sea of Tiberias when the 
 miracle of multiplying the five loaves was performed. Immedi- 
 ately afterwards, he constrained his discip)les to get into a ship, and 
 go before him to the other side, while lie sent the multitudes away, 
 Matt. xiv. 22. When this was done, forgetful of his own need 
 of rest, he retired into a mountain apart to pray, and, as it ap- 
 pears, he spent the greater part of the night in prayer to God. 
 Mark vi. 47, 48. 
 
 The disciples started in their little vessel to go to Capernaum, 
 a distance of perhaps eight or nine miles : but short as the dis- 
 tance was, the way proved exceedingly tedious. The wind being 
 contrary, they were obliged to row the boat ; and one of the sud- 
 den and violent squalls which often disturb that lake, raised the 
 waves so high as to cause them great toil and labor at the oars, 
 and even to put their lives in danger. The sea arose hy reason of 
 a great wind that blew. In this way they had gone about half-way 
 over the lake. It had long been dark, and yet Jesus was not 
 come unto them. Midnight was now passed, and it drew towards 
 the morning watch, and still they saw him not. 
 
 How different was their condition now, from what it had been 
 but a few hours before. Then Jesus miraculously fed them, 
 and his kind and gracious words were even sweeter than the 
 
THE DISCIPLES IN THE STORM. 291 
 
 bread thej ate. They sat on the green grass, while their Shep- 
 herd fed them with living bread, and they followed his voice, 
 while he led them by the still waters. Like Peter in the mount 
 of transfiguration, they were ready to say, It is good to he here, let 
 us make tabernacles and abide. But now they were on the dark 
 and boisterous sea, tossed with the waves, in danger and alone, 
 for Jesus was not come unto them. In all this, their condition was 
 an exact picture of Christian experience. There are but few of 
 God's children who do not experience many, and oftentimes pain- 
 ful fluctuations of feeling in their heavenward course. There are 
 some, whose course is like that of the just man, shining more and 
 more U7ito the perfect day, Prov. iv. 18, but with most it is far dif- 
 ferent. One day, they feast upon the richest provisions of the 
 heavenly kingdom, and eat angels' food, while peace and joy, and 
 love to a present Saviour, fill their hearts. The next day, they 
 are tossed upon a sea of troubles, from which they can discern no 
 prospect of deliverance. They cannot penetrate the gloom around 
 them, nor behold the face of their Saviour, in whose smiles they 
 had basked but the day before. There is a constant analogy in 
 the occurrences of the natural and of the spiritual world, for God 
 has so arranged the one that it forms a sort of commentary to the 
 other. No day passes without its lights and shadows ; few sea- 
 sons of calm without a following storm. I may say therefore, to 
 any follower of Christ now present, who suffers under these pain- 
 ful changes of feeling, Be not discouraged. Your case is by no 
 means singular. That you once possessed joy in God, and now 
 are without it, does not prove that you are not truly his, for we 
 may be in great joy, and yet soon fall into the depths of sorrow. 
 We may sit with the disciples while Jesus breaks and gives the 
 bjead of life ; and we may toil with them on the stormy sea, 
 when Jesus is far away. But where was our Saviour all this 
 time ? Probably Satan took this opportunity of suggesting to the 
 disciples many distressing thoughts respecting him, and doubts of 
 his love and kindness. There was no room for such temptations 
 while they sat on the grass, and heard his words, and saw his 
 miracles ; but now when alone and in danger, was the time for 
 the great enemy to work, and he did it but too successfully ; they 
 considered not the miracle of the loaves / for their heart ivas hardened, 
 Mark vi. 52. It is thus that we give the devil advantage over us. 
 We remember not the former kindnesses of our Lord, when pres- 
 ent distress is upon us ; and hence hard thoughts of him arise, 
 
292 THE DISCIPLES IN THE STORM. 
 
 and doubts of his love. Perhaps the disciples were ready to ask, 
 " Why did our Master constrain us so earnestly to depart, when 
 he must have foreseen the coming storm ? Why does he, who 
 has such power over the elements, suffer this storm to arise ? 
 Why, when we are in the path which he himself commanded us 
 to take, does he suffer us to be placed in difficulty and danger ? 
 Why does he not now appear for our relief?" Fellow-Christian, 
 have you not often asked such questions, when you were met by 
 unexpected difficulties, in what you supposed to be the path of 
 duty ? Have you not been tempted at times to relinquish some 
 undertaking for God's glory, when you found yourselves impeded 
 in its prosecution ? Consider carefully the case of the disciples 
 in the storm before you suffer such questions to arise, or such un- 
 dertakings to be abandoned. 
 
 The greater part of that night was spent by Christ in secret 
 prayer. Often, even when wearied with his labors among the 
 people, he spent whole nights in prayer to God. It is not for us 
 to ask the subject of his devotions ; for who knows or can con- 
 ceive of the communion of infinite intelligences, bound together 
 by a union so close and intimate as that of the persons of the Trin- 
 ity? But there is no doubt that he prayed for his disciples. 
 He was away from them, for they were on the sea, and he was on 
 the land alone. Yet the evangelist Mark, tells us expressly that 
 he saiv them toiling in rowing. He prayed for them. He prayed 
 for all that should believe on his name, through their word. He 
 often prays for his people when the storm rages around them ; 
 and though they see him not, he watches over them, and cares 
 for their welfare. They may be in outward sorrow, or in bodily 
 danger, in the storm at sea, or the battle on land, or on the bed 
 of acute or of wasting disease ; and his hand is still stretched out 
 for their support and relief. Or, they may be exercised with 
 mental distress, far harder to bear than any bodily suffering. 
 They may feel the pains of disappointed hopes, and blasted ex- 
 pectations, the unkindness of friends, or the loss of beloved ob- 
 jects of affection ; they may be tried with Satan's sore tempta- 
 tions, with the uprising of the heart's natural wickedness; or, 
 worse than all, with the crushing apprehension of God's displeas- 
 ure ; but it is well in all these cases to remember that we have 
 an high priest who can he touched with the feeling of our infirmities, 
 for lie was in all points tempted like as tee are, Heb. iv. 15. He 
 
THE DISCIPLES IN THE STORM. 293 
 
 ■will not suffer us to he tempted above that ive are able to hear, hut will 
 with the teynjyfation, make a ivay to escape^ 1 Cor. x. 13. 
 
 He did not forget his disciples in their distress, and when 
 they began to be exhausted with their labors he made his appear- 
 ance. The darkest time is often just before the dawn — the period 
 when hope is almost abandoned is often followed by the joy of 
 full deliverance and success. It was so with the disciples ; it is 
 often so in Christian experience now. 
 
 About the fourth watch of the night, or shortly before the 
 dawn of the day, Jesus came to them. Theij see Jesus walking upon 
 the sea, and draiuing nigh unto the ship). Very strange are the ways 
 in which oftentimes God is pleased to deliver his people. The 
 very waves that threatened to overwhelm the disciples were as 
 the solid ground on which the Saviour walked to rescue them ; 
 and thus God often uses the things which most we fear to deliver 
 us from the evils we dread. 
 
 " Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take, 
 The clouds ye so much dread 
 Are big with mercies, and shall break 
 In blessings on your head." 
 
 It was truly a wonderful manifestation of the Divine power 
 which the disciples now beheld. But so strange and unexpected 
 was this appearance of Christ, that they were greatly terrified. In 
 the dimness and gloom of the storm and driving spray, they saw 
 a human figure moving over the boisterous waves, and approach- 
 ing their vessel. Supposing that it was a spirit, they cried out 
 for fear. Their mistake, and their fear was natural enough, and 
 probably each of us, in the same circumstances, would have been 
 similarly affected. And yet we have in their fear another proof, 
 if proof were needed, of the blindness and ignorance of men. 
 They wished for Christ to come, and would have rejoiced in his 
 presence ; and yet because he came not in the way they expected, 
 they failed to perceive that it was he, and being terrified at his 
 presence, they even wished him away. The Lord's ways of deal- 
 ing with his people are at times strange enough. They wish for 
 peace and happiness, and pray for his favor ; and in answer to 
 their prayers, he suffers the inmost depths of their hearts to be 
 stirred with sorrow. Yet when the season of distress passes away 
 a calm remains such as they never knew before. As in the natu- 
 ral world, the thunder-storm, and the black clouds, are followed 
 
294 THE DISCIPLES IN THE STORM. 
 
 by a purity and clearness in the atmosphere unfelt before. Thus 
 the Lord hath his ivay in the whirlwind and the storm, and the clouds 
 are the dust of his feet, Nah. i. 3. But we are like nervous persons 
 who even in time of drought are afraid of the dark thunder-cloud. 
 Our moral system is out of order, and we fear the remedies which 
 our gracious Physician is pleased to employ. 
 
 To calm the disciples' fears, Jesus spake to them. They were 
 but few words that he uttered, but they possessed a more than 
 magical power, It is I, be not afraid. These are wonderful words. 
 They show us the grace and power of our Lord, the simple an- 
 nouncement of whose presence was sufficient to calm the fears of 
 his disciples in danger, and reassure their hopes. And how great 
 must be his love to his creatures, when his simple presence is the 
 ground of their safety ! It is as though he had said, " It is I ; you 
 know that I love you ; you know my power to save ; you know 
 that no danger can befall you as long as I am near — Be not afraid." 
 
 And yet why did not this announcement of his presence fill 
 their minds with even greater terror ? Bring the inhabitant of 
 another world, and bid him look upon the scene we are now con- 
 sidering. Tell him that one of these parties is the great and just 
 God, a lover of holiness, and avenger of sin ; that he should be 
 the final Judge of all. Tell him that the others were his crea- 
 tures, who had all their lives long been rebels, full of sin, and 
 worthy of destruction ; and that even since they had commenced 
 the service of Christ, they had frequently provoked him. Would 
 he not at once predict their utter destruction ? Would he not 
 say, that the storm was only the precursor of the divine wrath, 
 and that the Judge had now come in person to execute it ? But 
 whatever he might think or say, it was not on such an errand 
 that Christ came. He came not to destroy, but to save. He 
 came to do them good ; and so much love filled his heart that the 
 mere fact of his presence is a ground of hope and confidence, in- 
 stead of fear and dismay. 
 
 The death of Christ has wrought great things for us, in which 
 we do well to rejoice. Before, we could approach to God, only 
 as a just judge, who would surely take vengeance on our sins. 
 Nbio, we have access with confidence by the faith of him. Be- 
 fore, the announcement of his presence would fill us with terror, 
 and like our first parents after their fall, we should flee to hide 
 in the thickest of the wood. Nou>, no sound is so full of conso- 
 lation as the voice of our Saviour saying, It is I, be not afraid. 
 
THE DISCIPLES IN THE STORM. 295 
 
 It is especially in times of danger and distress, that the pres- 
 ence of Christ is valued by the child of God. It is pleasant to 
 see him in the sunshine and the calm, though in such seasons the 
 Christian is too apt to forget his need of him. But when diffi- 
 culties arise — when Satan's temptations vex the heart — when the 
 light of God's countenance is withdrawn — or when we are in sore 
 distress of body, or mourning under disappointments and bereave- 
 ments, then theTe is a charm in the words. It is I^ he 7iot afraid^ that 
 human language cannot express. And why should not the 
 Christian hear those words in every such season of trial ? You 
 believe, or you ought to believe, that nothing happens to you by 
 chance ; that if you are in difficulties, it is by the appointment, or 
 the permission of your gracious Saviour. 
 
 Go forward, then, cheerfully in the path of duty. Difficulties 
 may befall you there ; for when the disciples obeyed the command 
 of Christ, and attempted to cross the sea of Galilee, they were 
 met by a storm, and exposed to danger. Be not discouraged if 
 difficulties meet you, but look to your Saviour for help, and he 
 will surely succor you. His assistance may seem to tarry long. 
 Like the disciples, you may toil in rowing nearly all the night, 
 but in due season he will appear for your relief But do not 
 expect that he will bring it to you in the way that you would 
 have chosen. The disciples greatly desired the presence of 
 Christ, but they little thought that he should come walking on 
 the waters. 
 
 " God moves in a mysterious way, 
 His -wonders to perform ; 
 He plants his footsteps on the sea, 
 And rides upon the storm." 
 
 Miracles followed miracles in close succession in the life of 
 Chriit. No sooner had he said. It is I: he not afraid^ than the 
 disciples received him into their ship, and immediately the wind 
 ceased. Matt, xiv, 32 ; and while they were wondering at this, 
 immediately the ship was at the land whither they went. How great 
 was the power of Christ, contrasted with the weakness of man ! 
 The discipleg had toiled all the night, and scarcely advanced 
 more than twenty-five or thirty furlongs. The presence of Christ 
 stilled the waves, and a word from him carried their ship in an 
 instant farther than they had advanced through the whole night. 
 Here, too, is a lesson which the Christian would do well to bear 
 in mind. Even when you engage in the performance of what is 
 
296 THE DISCIPLES IN THE STORM. 
 
 evidently your duty, you need the presence and assistance of 
 your Saviour. The work will go slowly forward, if you hear not 
 his voice saying, It is I. 
 
 Let, then, the consideration of this subject teach us all, above 
 all things else, to desire the presence and blessing of our Saviour. 
 With that, you can never be alone. With that, you can never 
 fail in duty. With that, you can never suffer harm. With that 
 you can go through the valley of the shadow of death unmoved. 
 When the last solemn scene in the world's great drama is closed, 
 and when all flesh stand together before the bar of God, fear and 
 trembling shall seize the hearts of some, and they shall call upon 
 the mountains and the rocks to fall upon them, and hide them 
 from the face of the Lamb. But the words that he shall then 
 speak unto his own chosen ones, will seem but the echo of what 
 he said to the disciples. It is I: be not afraid, and the righteous 
 shall look upon him without fear. They shall see in him the 
 Saviour who loved and sustained them on earth, and who died 
 that they might live ; and they shall rejoice in the prospect of an 
 eternity in his presence. 
 
 " 'Mid the glorious songs above, 
 And praises of redeeming love, It is I 
 Will give thee peaceful rest; 
 la my courts thy home shall be. 
 'Mid happiness, I'll render thee forever blest." 
 
 Macao, October 27, 1844. 
 
SERMON XXXIV. 
 
 OUR PRESENT KNOWLEDGE IMPERFECT. 
 
 Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do, thou knowest not now, but thou 
 shalt know hereafter. — John xiii. 7. 
 
 These words were spoken by our Saviour, on the memorable 
 night of the institution of the Lord's Supper, and of his betrayal 
 into the hands of wicked men. They are words of deep and in- 
 teresting meaning. All of his sayings are instructive, for no idle 
 word ever passed his lips. But on an occasion like the present, 
 when his life was about to be taken away ; when the toils and 
 pains of more than thirty years were about to be consummated 
 on the cross ; when he was about to finish the work which he came 
 into the world expressly to perform, we may well expect a deeper 
 import, and a fuller meaning in all he said. 
 
 When the supper was ended, our Lord arose, took a towel, 
 girded himself, and began to wash the disciples' feet. He came 
 first, probably, to Simon Peter ; but the impetuous disciple, 
 astonished at this act of condescension, wished to prevent what 
 he considered too great a degradation of his Master. Lord, dost 
 thou wash my feet? Our Lord quietly said, What I do, thou knoiv- 
 est not now ; but thou shalt hiow hereafter; but this did not satisfy 
 Peter, and he hastily replied. Thou shalt never ivash my feet. 
 These words brought from our Lord a more decided declaration. 
 If I ivash thee not, thou hast no part ivith me, and the opposition of 
 Peter was quelled at once. 
 
 I do not purpose at present to dwell on the import of Christ's 
 action, in washing the disciples' feet. It is full of delightful 
 meaning, and will amply repay the Christian for all the time he 
 spends in studying it. Let us consider the meaning of the 
 words, What I do, thou knowest not now ; hut thou shalt know here- 
 after. 
 
298 OUR PRESENT KNOWLEDGE IMPERFECT. 
 
 The sayings of our Lord, are like axioms in mathematics, or 
 general truths in the other sciences. They have a force and 
 meaning, not confined to the occasions when they were first 
 announced, and when we carefully consider them, they often sur- 
 prise us by the extensive and various applications of which they 
 are susceptible. 
 
 The declaration before us, is one little flattering to our self- 
 love and vanity. It proclaims our ignorance, and incompetence 
 to judge even of things that pass before our eyes, and in which 
 we are personally interested ; and yet it is also one full of conso- 
 lation and of glorious hope. It tells us, that, though ignorant 
 now, we shall not be always ignorant; for the time is coming 
 when things hidden shall be revealed, and things that are dark 
 shall be made plain. The words are to be understood as one of 
 the general truths of God's government — to wit, that at present 
 we know neither the things that God is doings the reasons for 
 which he does them, nor the mode in which he effects his pur- 
 poses. They tell us that we are now in a state of jDupilage, in 
 which, though some things are made known unto us, yet the full 
 disclosure of all things is reserved till a future time. 
 
 Much may be known of God even here. Much is revealed 
 to us now, and we find abundant cause to adore his wisdom 
 which shines around us. But even when we know most of his 
 dealings and his ways, how little do we know. Enough we know, 
 to be satisfied that he doeth all things well : but not enough, 
 either to understand fully his plans and schemes, or to satisfy the 
 curiosity that rises in the breast. After the fullest disclosures, 
 we are obliged to join with the patriarch who said, Xo, these are 
 parts of Ms ways, hut how little a portion is heard of him ! but the 
 thunder of his power who can understand ! Job xxvi. 14. The truth 
 of this is soon evident when we consider any of the particulars 
 in which his works are seen. 
 
 I. It is true that we know not now what our Lord is doing, in 
 his general government of all. 
 
 Our Saviour is a great King. All power in heaven and earth is 
 given unto him, Matt, xxviii. 18. He is constituted head over all 
 things to the church, Eph. i. 22. He is in his own right, Euler of 
 all, and Ood over cdl, blessed forever, Rom. ix. 5. He governs the 
 nations of the earth ; some with the sceptre of his love, and 
 some with a rod of iron. But his dominion is not confined to 
 this world. Even when abased on earth, the unclean spirits ac- 
 
OUR PRESENT KNOWLEDGE IMPERFECT. 299 
 
 knowledged that he had power over them, and could command 
 them into the deep ; and now when exalted on his mediatorial 
 throne, all worlds are subject to his control. Heaven bows at his 
 footstool in willing subjection. Hell yields a constrained obedi- 
 ence, his hand is stretched out over the earth, and it is the footstool 
 on which his power is displayed. How vast are his dominions ! 
 How numerous are his subjects! What wisdom is required to 
 direct the affairs of this mighty empire ! For it must be observed, 
 that all the parts of this empire are bound together, and one sys- 
 tem of government must pervade the whole. Eemotest influences 
 are brought to bear upon each several part. Messengers daily 
 pass and repass from the upper sanctuary to this lower world. 
 Angels are sent to minister to the saints on earth, or check the 
 evils caused by fallen spirits from beneath. The conversion of 
 one sinner here, sends pulsations of joy throughout the hosts 
 around the throne, Luke xv. 10. 
 
 God has a plan for the government of this wide-spread king- 
 dom. To deny him a plan and system of administration, would 
 be to make him inferior to the governors of the earth, for with 
 us, every wise ruler uses foresight in his administration ; and the 
 larger the sphere of his jurisdiction, the more comprehensive are 
 his plans, and the more carefully does he seek to anticipate the 
 future, that nothing may take him by surprise. The attention of 
 the statesman is turned to everything that may influence the 
 happiness of the people, and he is the most esteemed who best 
 understands, and most carefully provides for the wants of all. 
 How vast must be the plans of our Creator ! How comprehen- 
 sive must be that system that embraces all the interests of all his 
 dominions, and which not only attends to the present wants, but 
 foresees the future condition of each one of those dependent on 
 his bounty. No sparrow falls to the ground without his knowl- 
 edge ; the young lions roar after their prey^ and seek their meat from 
 God, and of the great and wide sea, in which there go tilings 
 creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts, it is said. These 
 all ivait upon thee, that thou mayest give them their meat in due season, 
 Ps civ. 21-27. The elements are all under his control, Fire and 
 hail, snoiv and vapors; stormy wind fulfilling his ivords, Ps. cxlviii. 8. 
 The planetary worlds move in obedience to his command. The 
 sun stood still upon Gibeon, and the moon in the valley of Aja- 
 lon, that his wrath might be executed upon the devoted Canaan- 
 ites. Josh. x. 13 : yea, They fought from heaven ; the stars in their 
 
300 OUR PRESENT KNOWLEDGE IMPERFECT. 
 
 course^ fought against Siser a ; that bis people might be delivered 
 from those that oppressed them, Judges v. 20. 
 
 A system so vast and complicated, is not developed iu a 
 moment. Ages roll away, and God's plan for the government 
 of the universe is gradually unfolded. One generation passeth 
 away and another generation cometh^ Ecc. i. 4. Revolutions change 
 the face of society. Empires rise and fall, the face of the earth is 
 renewed, Ps. civ. 31, but his plan goes on in its slow and stately 
 march, to its appointed consummation. 
 
 Contemplate, then, this mighty scheme. Behold its vast extent, 
 and ask yourselves, " Is it strange that God says to us, while he 
 directs these various operations. What I do, thou Icnoivest not now .?" 
 How can we know, how can we comprehend the whole, when the 
 parts are so far removed ? We are like spectators of some vast 
 procession, of which we catch a glimpse as it winds around the 
 projecting side of a hill ; but its commencement and its termina- 
 tion are alike unseen ; or rather, we are a part of that procession, 
 moving on in our appointed station with the rest; and though we 
 may occasionally turn and contemplate the part nearest to our- 
 selves, we cannot see the whole. Detached parts present them- 
 selves, we see a little here, and a little there, but the rest is hidden 
 from our sight. What wonder, if in beholding these apparently 
 unconnected fragments, we find ourselves unable to combine them 
 into one great whole? What wonder, if we cannot trace the 
 intentions of Him who declareth the end from the beginning, Is. 
 xlvi. 10. 
 
 Suppose a child, or a peasant Avere asked to consider all the 
 schemes of a statesman, could he comprehend them? Much 
 study and experience, and close application of the mind are 
 needed to understand all the affairs of a single nation, for a single 
 age. How much more when the subject for consideration is the 
 empire of the Most High, ivhose dominion is an everlasting domin- 
 ion, and his kingdom from generation to generation, Dan. iv. 34. 
 Behold, This cometh forth from the Lord of Hosts, which is loonderful 
 in counsel, and excellent in working. Is. xxviii. 29. Therefore, it is 
 no matter of surprise, if when we contemplate God's general 
 government, we are obliged to confess our inability to understand 
 it all. He says to us. What I do thou knowest not now. 
 
 II. It is also true that we know not what God does in those 
 things which more particularly concern the welfare of his church on 
 earth. 
 
OUR PRESENT KNOWLEDGE IMPERFECT. 301 
 
 The general government of God, of which we have first 
 spoken, includes his administration of the affixirs of the church. 
 Indeed, though men are slow to believe it, his general government 
 of all, has special and primary reference to the interests of his 
 own people. For in ancient times. When the Host High divided to 
 the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, 
 he set the hounds of the nations according to the number of the 
 children of Israel, Deut. xxxii. 8, and now, by his appointment, 
 all things ivorh together for good to them thai love God, Eom, viii. 28. 
 Yet although this item is included in that of which we have just 
 spoken, it is well to make it a matter of separate consideration. 
 
 The church of God is the object of his peculiar love and care. 
 The tenderest and the strongest terms are used in the Scriptures 
 to denote his affection for it, and actions stronger than any words, 
 prove that his love is stronger than death itself God spared not 
 his own Son hut freely gave him up for us all, Eom. viii. 32. Christ 
 loved the church, and gave himself for it, Eph. v. 25. Therefore we 
 naturally expect that in all God's dealings with his church he 
 should show his love to it. So he does ; but we expect him not 
 only to show his love, but to exercise it in ways that shall corres- 
 pond with our views, and meet our wishes. So he does not. His 
 ways are not as our ways. He has modes of showing his love to 
 his people that are strange to us, and often for the time full of 
 mystery. 
 
 Ever since the fall of Adam, God has had a church on earth ; 
 and shall have till the end of time. The gates of hell shall never 
 prevail against Zion. This church has been constantly the apple 
 of his eye ; and yet how varied have been its outward states. From 
 small beginnings, it has risen and increased ; and when apparently 
 in the height of its prosperity some unknown cause has affected 
 it, and it has diminished, and become weak. It has sunk down, 
 and for a time become almost invisible. Again it has risen and 
 shone with renewed splendor only to fall into still lower depths. 
 Persecutions and afflictions from without have oppressed the 
 church. Dissensions within have torn her. God's own hand 
 has been upon her. He has led her into the wilderness, Hos. ii. 
 14. He has caused her to pass under the rod, Ezek. xx. 37. He 
 has chastised and afflicted her, in wonderful ways, until as in 
 the case of the ancient Jews, she has been a by-word and a 
 proverb, among the nations ; and men have asked in astonish- 
 ment, Is this Jerusalem, the beloved of Jehovah f Is this she that 
 
302 OUR PRESENT KNOWLEDGE IMPERFECT. 
 
 icCLS called the 'perfection of beauty^ and the joy of the whole earth I* Lam. 
 ii. 15. What hath the Lord done ? and the only answer that 
 could be given, was contained in the words of our Lord, WJiatl 
 do thou knowest not now. He directed all the strokes that fell 
 so heavily upon her, and he also raised up deliverers when all 
 hope in man had failed. When the Israelites were oppressed by 
 their enemies, and cried unto the Lord, he raisedup judges which 
 delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them. Judges 
 ii. 16; and oftentimes these judges were the men most unlike- 
 ly to be chosen, and used instruments that offered no human proba- 
 bility of success. At one time, Ehud, a left-handed man ; at 
 another, Jael with a tent-hammer and nail ; then Gideon and his 
 three hundred with lamps and pitchers ; Shamgar with an ox- 
 goad ; and Samson with the jaw-bone of an ass ; such were the 
 instruments with which God wrought deliverance for Israel. 
 When Sennacherib with his mighty host came to overwhelm the 
 pious Hezekiah, an angel of the Lord was sent forth, who slew in one 
 night all the flower of his army. When the Jews were dispersed 
 among the nations, God turned the heart of the Pagan monarch 
 Cyrus, to send them back to their own land. Especially great 
 was the mystery of godliness^ when the Son of God, even God him- 
 self, was manifest in the flesh. In vain did he proclaim to his dis- 
 ciples the great work he came to do, and the great sacrifice he 
 came to offer. It was too high and too mysterious for their com- 
 prehension. What he did they knew not then. They understood 
 not his saying / and it ivas hid from them that they perceived it not, 
 Luke ix. 45. They understood none of these things, Luke xviii, 34. 
 These things understood 7wt the disciples at the first ; hut \ohen Jesus 
 ■was glorified, then remembered they, John xii. 16. It was not till 
 Christ had opened their understandings that they understood his 
 work. It was not until the Comforter came, whom he had prom- 
 ised, that he should teach them all things, John xiv. 26, that 
 they comprehended that which he did. 
 
 The history of the church in the ages since the advent of our 
 Lord, had we time to consider it now, would afford us equally clear 
 and striking evidences, that in the Lord's dealings with her, what 
 he does we know not now. The aspect of the church in our own 
 days affords sufiicient proof Who can foresee the end of some of 
 the controversies that now disturb the peace of the church ? Who 
 shall tell us how great shall be the result of the system of modern 
 missions to the heathen which distinguishes the present from the 
 
OUR PRESENT KNOWLEDGE IMPERFECT. 303 
 
 ages that have preceded it ? The prophecies and the providence 
 of God alike teach us that an important crisis in the history of 
 the church is close at hand ; but who knows what God is doing, 
 or what the end of these things shall be ? 
 
 Closely connected with this subject of our ignorance of what 
 God is doing in the church is another — our ignorance of the 
 meaning of many parts of the Scriptures. The word of God con- 
 tains a perfect record of all his plan of governing his church. 
 The reasons of his actions are laid down there, and the laws of his 
 kingdom ; and were our minds more capacious, our faculties more 
 enlarged, we should find little difficulty in understanding them. 
 But, as we are now, we are obliged to wait oftentimes till the 
 event has taught us the full meaning of the prophecy ; till the 
 actual completion of his plan has taught us to comprehend the 
 record which announces the plan. It is not strange, therefore, 
 that some things are hard to he understood in the Scriptures, nor 
 should men complain if they find mysteries in the eternal archives. 
 You acquire knowledge gradually, in other sciences, and will you 
 become perfect theologians at once ? You read the book of na- 
 ture which is spread out before your eyes, and by slow degrees 
 comprehend a little of its contents ; and is it strange that the book 
 of Eevelation which speaks of more Avonderful things, should re- 
 quire equally long and careful study ? 
 
 III. It may be remarked, thirdly, that the modes in which 
 God accomplishes his works, are to us as strange and incompre- 
 hensible as the works themselves. He sees the end from the be- 
 ginning, and adapts the means to his purposes. Possessing al- 
 mighty power, he uses the most unlikely means to accomplish his 
 will. He maketh even the wrath of man to praise him^ and the re- 
 mainder thereof he restrains, Ps. Ixxvi. 10. He uses unconscious 
 agents — many even unwilling instruments — to execute his pleas- 
 ure. The proud Assyrian who boasted of his prowess and of his 
 might, of the strength of his hand, and of his prudence, was but 
 the instrument of God to execute wrath against a sinful and hyp- 
 ocritical nation, Is. x. We may not be able to see the connection 
 between the means employed and the result intended — but God 
 has joined them indissolubly together. He uses thunder-storms 
 to purify the physical atmosjDhere of the earth ; and revolutions 
 to purge away the impurities of the social and moral systems of 
 men. While the storm is raging we may not see how it shall end 
 in greater peace ; but after the tempest he giveth tranquillity, 
 
304 OUR PRESENT KNOWLEDGE IMPERFECT. 
 
 and though we know not now how he worketh, we shall know 
 hereafter. 
 
 It is God's ordinary course to conceal his workings. He dwells 
 in the thick darkness. He has his way in the deep waters : He 
 hath his way in the whirlwind and the storm^ and the clouds are the 
 dust ofhisfeet^ Nah. i. 3. Or if at any time clouds and darkness 
 do not surround his throne, it is because he then dwell eth in 
 light, which is to us equally inaccessible, being too full of glory 
 for the gaze of our feeble eyes, and from the throne, the voice 
 still comes to our ears, What I do^ thou knowest not now. 
 
 TV. In God-^s providential dealings roith particidar persons^ there 
 is often much that seems strange. On no point are men so much 
 at a loss, as in regard to the unequal distribution of good and 
 evil to good and bad men ; and because what God does, cannot 
 be made to agree with the preconceived opinions of men, there 
 are many who totally deny his providential government and 
 interposition. Certain it is that afflictions come where man would 
 not send them ; that honor and riches are bestowed where man 
 would have withheld them. Holy Job, a man perfect and upright, 
 and kind to all, was deprived of property, children, and health. 
 Covered with sores he sat upon a dunghill, and became the object 
 of scorn, to those whose fathers he would have disdained to set 
 Avith the dogs of his flock. Job xxx. 1. On the other hand, the 
 wicked walk on every side and the vilest men are exalted. They 
 live, become old, yea, are mighty in power, they spend their days 
 in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave, Job xxi. 7-13, 
 without experiencing the pains of lingering sickness or wasting 
 disease. These are not merely the records of other times, they 
 are what you and I have seen in our own days. Have we not 
 seen God send repeated afflictions on those of whom no man could 
 say, " they are worse than others ?" Have we not seen his waves 
 and his billows go over the heads of those that trusted in him ? 
 Have we not seen the delicate female who had left her father's 
 house for the sake of the perishing heathen, and endured priva- 
 tions for a course of years, to which in her own land she would 
 not have been subjected, prostrated with frequent sickness in the 
 land of her sojourning ? Have we not seen her taken away from 
 the bosom of her husband, and the children she bare him, when 
 they most needed her care ? Have we not seen those apparently 
 best qualified to carry on God's work, and build up Christ's king- 
 dom, cut down at the very moment when their services seemed 
 
OUR PRESENT KNOWLEDGE IMPERFECT. 305 
 
 most indispensable ? Who of us baa not felt as we stood by the 
 opened graves of our friends who have recently fallen, or joined 
 in the funeral processions of such men as Dyer and Morrison, that 
 a voice from heaven was saying to us, What I do thou knowest not 
 now. 
 
 And in God's favorable dealings with his own people, it is 
 emphatically true, that they know not what he does. We are 
 too apt to confine our views to the present. We are too apt to 
 think that when we have received a token of his favor, that our 
 portion is given us, and to rejoice in it. But this is only the seed- 
 time. It is not the harvest. These merciful dispensations are 
 not the portion of his people. Is he now bestowing blessings 
 upon your souls ? They are only the earnests of what he will 
 hereafter bestow. Has he begun to receive you into favor, 
 and to show his love ? It is but the beginning, the end is not 
 yet. You have not seen all that he can and will do for you. 
 You shall see things greater than these — yea so much greater, 
 that all your present experience of his love can give you but low 
 and faint ideas of them ; As it is written^ eye hath not seen nor ear 
 heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God 
 hath jyrepared for them that love him, 1 Cor. ii. 9. 
 
 Yes, fellow Christian ! What God is doing for you, you know 
 not now. All your afflictions and all your joys — your hours of 
 trial and your seasons of repose — they are working out for you a 
 far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Now, you may 
 not understand them, but hereafter you shall. For it is to be 
 carefully observed, that this state of ignorance shall not last for- 
 ever. What I do, says Christ, Thou hnowest not now, hut thou 
 shalt hnow hereafter. Even in this life we shall know much. The 
 book of God's word, and the book of God's providence are spread 
 out before us ; and by a careful study of them, joined to earnest 
 prayer for the divine illumination, we shall, even in this state of 
 pupilage, make large advances in heavenly knowledge. Many 
 of the mysteries in God's general government of the world, and 
 in his dealings with his church, shall become plain to us; and 
 especially shall the dark parts in our own history become more 
 legible. So often is this the case, that the experience of all of God's 
 children leads them to say. It is good for me that I have been afflicted. 
 And there is a promise left to those who will apply to the study 
 of these things, for, Whoso is wise and will observe these things^ 
 even they shall uyiderstaml the loving kindness of the Lord, Ps. cvii. 43. 
 20 
 
306 OUK PKESENT KNOWLEDGE IMPERFECT. 
 
 But though even in this life, we ma}^ learn much of what God is 
 doing, we cannot learn all. The scene is too vast to be surveyed 
 from any elevation this world affords — the prospect is too extended 
 to be accurately beheld by eyes so feeble as ours now are. Tlioa 
 shall know lieveafter, but it shall be in the other world, and this 
 consideration is both a matter of hope to the Christian, and a 
 solemn warning to the impenitent. 
 
 One of the most delightful of the occupations of heaven will 
 be to trace the dealings of God with our world. Then, the map 
 of his providence shall be spread out before the Christian, and 
 every defect being removed from his vision, he shall see clearly 
 what now is seen but in part. The ways of God to man shall 
 then be fully justified. Nor shall a doubt remain, but that He 
 hath done all things well. Even those things which are now ob- 
 scure, shall be seen to have been ordered in the highest wisdom, 
 and the believer shall be astonished to see how God was leading 
 him along, guarding him from dangers and supplying every want, 
 when he thought himself utterly desolate and forsaken. Now he 
 leadeth the blind in a way they hnoio not^ Is. xlii. 16, but then they 
 shall confess that the way of infinite wisdom, though ofttimes 
 veiled in clouds and darkness, was by far the best that could have 
 been chosen, Now we see through a glass darldy ; hut then face to 
 face; now I know in part^ hut then shall I know even as lam knoivn, 
 1 Cor. xiii. 12. As it has been well expressed by the Christian 
 poet, 
 
 " Then shall I see and feel I know, 
 All I desired or wished below, 
 And every power find sweet employ 
 In that eternal world of joy." 
 
 But to the impenitent and unbelieving, this aspect of the subject 
 is one for solemn consideration. In heaven there shall be full 
 knowledge of all of God's doings, and this shall be a source of joy 
 unspeakable — but in the world of woe, all knowledge shall be an 
 aggravation of the miseries of the lost. Now, men make it an 
 excuse that they cannot understand what God is doing, that some 
 things are too obscure, some are almost absurd, some unjust. 
 But in the other world, all these excuses Avill be shown to be 
 futile. Thou shalt know hereafter, that the Judge of all the earth 
 doeth right. Thou shalt know hereafter, there was nothing in all 
 he did to give occasion to these captious cavillings. Tliou shalt 
 know hereafter, the glories of that world to which he invites our 
 race, the full salvation offered to all, and that the fault is not with. 
 
OUR PRESENT KNOWLEDGE IMPERFECT. 307 
 
 God, but witli man, that any of our race are finally excluded from 
 the paradise of God, ' Thou shalt hiow hereafter — but God grant, 
 that none of us may know by our own experience, the terrors of 
 the Lorcl^ and the miseries of those, who, for their own sins, have 
 been thrust down to hell ! 
 
 The length of the remarks already made prevents me from 
 adding more than these three short practical reflections : — 
 
 1. Learn patience and submission to God's will. Take it for 
 granted that though you understand not all he says and does, yet 
 he is wise and good in all. Be not surprised that you cannot 
 understand all his dealings with you now ; and wait till the time 
 he is pleased to explain them. 
 
 2. Study carefully the dealings of God with man, and pray for 
 the illumination of the Spirit. Thus shall you understand some- 
 what of the ways of God. 
 
 3. Repose confidence in God. There is no other in whom 
 you can confide. He has already shown you, that even when 
 you knew not what he did, you had abundant reason to say, he 
 did it well. His character is such that even though he hide him- 
 self he cannot do iniquity. Therefore say like the patriarch Job, 
 Though he slay me yet loill I trust in him. Thus acting you shall 
 understand the meaning of the Saviour's words. What I do thou 
 Tcnowest not now, but thou shalt hwiv hereafter. 
 
 Macao, Dec. 1, 1844. 
 
SERMON XXXV. 
 
 INVITATION TO COME UNTO CHRIST. 
 
 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man 
 thirst, let him come unto me and drink. — John vil 37. 
 
 The Jews had three great feasts in every year. The i^assover 
 was held iu the i]rst month of the sacred year, in commemoration 
 of the departure of the children of Israel out of Egypt. The 
 feast of iveeks was held seven weeks after the passover, and was 
 commonly called from that circumstance, the Pentecost, or liftieth 
 day. It was observed as a time of thanksgiving for the law given 
 fifty days after they left Egj-pt. The feast of tabernacles was held 
 in the seventh month of the sacred year, which was the last of 
 the civil year ; hence it is sometimes called the feast in the end of 
 the year, Exod, xxiii. 16. The special object of this feast was to 
 remember the goodness of God to their forefathers, while they 
 dwelt in tabernacles in the wilderness, in memory of which the 
 Jews were commanded to pass the seven days of the feast in 
 booths. It was also intended as a feast of thanksgiving for the 
 fruits of the ground which were then all safely gathered in, and 
 stored away for the winter. On this account it was sometimes 
 called, the feast of ingathering J Exod. xxiii. 14. 
 
 In each of these feasts all the males in the land were required 
 to appear before the Lord in Jerusalem ; and the numbers that 
 were often collected there almost surpass belief. It is recorded 
 by Josephus that several millions of people were assembled at Je- 
 rusalem at some of these feasts. 
 
 Although the passover was probably the most solemn of all 
 the feasts of the Jews, yet none seems to have been more care- 
 fully observed than the feast of tabernacles, concerning which 
 mention is made in the text. It was a time of gratitude for all 
 the goodness of God to their fatlicrs in the wilderness, and of 
 praise for all the mercies they had received from him during the 
 
INVITATION TO COME UNTO CHRIST. 809 
 
 year then closing. It was tlie general thanksgiving day of the 
 nation, a time of gladness, and of sending of portions one to ano- 
 ther. It was concerning this feast, that the Lord said, Thou shall 
 rejoice in thy feast^ thou and thy son and thy daughter^ and thy man- 
 servant^ and thy maid-servant^ and the Levite, the stranger, and the 
 fatherless, and the widow that are within thy gates. Seven days shalt 
 thou heep a solemn feast unto the Lord thy God in the place which the 
 Lord shall choose ; because the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thine 
 increase, and in all the worhs of thine hands ; therefore thou shalt 
 surely rejoice, Deut. xvi. 14, 15. 
 
 The last day of the feast of tabernacles v,'as the great day of the 
 feast. It was the last of all the feast days of the year — it was the 
 closing act of praise to God for unnumbered mercies. It is prob- 
 able also that the sacrifices and services of that day had peculiar 
 reference to their expected Saviour. The sacrifices were not so 
 numerous on that day as on the preceding days. On the first day 
 thirteen bullocks were offered in sacrifices ; on the second twelve, 
 on the third eleven, and thus down to the seventh, on which 
 seven were offered, and on the eighth only one. By this it might 
 have been intended to signify that the multiplied sacrifices and 
 ceremonies of the Mosaic-law must gradually give way and be 
 abolished ; while the one offering of Christ should perfect forever 
 them that believe. If this were the intention, there was a pe- 
 culiar propriety in calling it, the great day of the feast. 
 
 On this day the multitude in the temple was the greatest ; 
 from all parts of the land they came. The high and the low, the 
 rich and the poor, were there, and they had a solemn assembly, ac- 
 cording to the manner, Num. xxix. 35 ; Neh. viii. 18. 
 
 Our Saviour too was there. Curiosity was awake concerning 
 him, for already his fame had spread far and near. He had not 
 gone up to the feast at its commencement, and his absence had 
 excited surprise, John vii. 11. But in the midst of the feast he 
 came, went boldly up to the temple and taught. The people 
 wondered, and crowded around to hear him; but the Phar- 
 isees were enraged and sent men to take him. But his hour was 
 not yet come, and he continued unmoved and unharmed at his 
 post. He was the theme of endless curiosity and remark. 
 
 Learned men tell us, that among the ceremonies of that day, 
 one of the most imposing and interesting was, the pouring out of 
 water before the altar of the Lord. The priests went down in 
 their priestly robes, and drew water from the fountain of Siloam 
 
310 INVITATION TO COME UNTO CHRIST. 
 
 in a golden vessel, and as they poured it out at the foot of the 
 altar, the multitude waved their palm-branches and sang the 
 song of Isaiah, Behold Ood is my salvation^ I will trust and not he 
 afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and song ; he also is be- 
 come my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of 
 the ivells of salvation^ Is. xii. 2, 3. 
 
 It would seem that it was about the time of the performance 
 of this interesting ceremony that our Saviour uttered the words 
 of our text. He took his stand in a conspicuous place in the 
 temple, and lifting up his voice, he cried, If any man thirst, let 
 him come unto me and drink. He that helieveth on me, as the Scrip- 
 tures hath said, oiit of his helly shall flow rivers of living water. 
 
 The blessings of salvation are often compared to streams of 
 water, and those who need and desire salvation, are said to thirst 
 after these streams. This is a favorite comparison of our Saviour's. 
 and if we divest the expression of its figurative dress, his mean- 
 ing in the passage before us is, that he is able, willing and 
 ready to bestow salvation upon every one who will apply to him 
 for it. Let us consider, 
 
 I. To WHOM THE INVITATION IS ADDRESSED. If any man 
 thirst. There is no exception or limitation here. Christ did not 
 stand in a corner, or speak in a whisper, when he uttered these 
 words. He did not speak to one more than to another, but he 
 lifted up his voice so that all might hear. The multitude were 
 there. They saw the sparkling waters of Siloam, as they were 
 poured out at the foot of the altar, and rolled along the marble 
 floor of the temple court. They thought of the streams from the 
 rock which had supplied their fathers in the desert, and of the 
 early and the latter rain, in their own favored land, which had 
 filled their brooks, and caused their springs to overflow. For 
 these they had given thanks, and Christ now calls their attention 
 to the still greater blessings, even the living luaters he had to be- 
 stow. Their minds were too apt to be satisfied with the water 
 they then possessed, and to desire nothing better than the streams 
 of the earthly Canaan. Like the woman of Samaria, when the 
 Son of God spoke to her of living water, she thought but of water 
 to quench her bodily thirst. But Christ's wish was to turn their 
 minds to higher than mere earthly blessings. If any man drank 
 of this water, he must thirst again, aye, and die too ; for their 
 fathers who had eaten the manna, and drank the water from the 
 rock in the desert, were all dead ; but Christ had that to bestow, 
 
INVITATION TO COME UNTO CHRIST. 311 
 
 which should be in tliem a ivell of water springing up to everlasting 
 life, John iv. 14. 
 
 If any man thirst. It matters not who. Be he high or low, 
 be he rich or poor, the only qualification Christ requires, is that 
 he be thirsty ; that he desire a blessing. Doubtless our Saviour 
 had in mind, that precious invitation in Isaiah, Ho every one that 
 thirsteth, come ye to the waters ; and he that hath no money ; come ye, 
 buy and eat ; yea come, buy wine and milk without money, and with- 
 out price, Is. Iv. 1. 
 
 This invitation is a public and a loud one. Doth not wisdom 
 cryf and understanding put forth her voice? She crieth at the 
 gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors ; unto you, 
 oh men, I call ; and my voice is to the sons of tnen, Pro v. viii. 1-4; 
 see i. 20, 21 ; ix. 1-4. It is made in every variety of form, if so 
 be men will hear it. The Spirit and the bride say, come. And let 
 him tJiat heareth say, come. And let him that is athirst come ; and 
 ivhosoever ivill, let him take the water of life freely, Eev. xxii. 17. 
 
 It is an earnest call. God forbid we should think he maketh 
 any call not sincerely. He describes himself after the manner 
 of men, as 7'ising up early and sending his prophets and messen- 
 gers, Jer. XXV. 4. He sends them everywhere to proclaim his 
 message, telling them to go even to the highways and hedges, 
 and to use so much earnestness with men as even to compel them 
 to come in, Luke xiv. 23. 
 
 He hath enough for all. The fountain Christ has opened, is 
 not like the fountains we see on earth, where only a few can be 
 supplied at once, while others must stand and wait, or even 
 return empty away. Were the whole world to come, here flows 
 enough to satisfy them all. Were all nations to crowd around at 
 once, still we should say. And yet there is room. The merits of 
 Christ are unspeakable ; the salvation he procured is an infinite 
 salvation. Therefore, let Israel hope in the Lord, for with the Lord 
 there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption, Ps. cxxx. 7. 
 
 Were Jesus Christ a man like ourselves, his righteousness 
 could not profit us. He would need it all for himself. But he is 
 not a man as we are. The union of the Godhead with his man- 
 hood, gave his person an infinite dignity, and his suflferings an 
 infinite value. This whole world is lost, yet no other sacrifice is 
 needed to atone for every sin, and procure eternal life for all. 
 By one offering, he perfects forever tliem that are sanctified, Heb. 
 X. 14, ' • 
 
312 INVITATIOX TO COME UNTO CHRIST. 
 
 The offer of Christ in the text is a universal offer. If any 
 man thirsty let him come. 
 
 The sensation of thirst, is one that every person must have 
 experienced. It has different degrees of intensity, and always 
 produces a desire for that which shall allay it. When we are 
 long deprived of water, the sensation becomes one of the most 
 painful we ever feel. Even hunger is not so tormenting. Every 
 power of the body fails, the strength is exhausted, the eyes 
 become dim, the tongue cleaves to the roof of the mouth, and 
 unless the thirst be quenched, death soon comes. AVhen suffer- 
 ing from long-continued and excessive thirst, there is no sacrifice 
 we would not make to quench it. Kingdoms have been sold for 
 a draught from the cooling stream. True, such painful thirst is 
 not often felt, but thirst in any degree is unpleasant, and excites 
 the desire for something to satisfy the want that is felt. 
 
 And who has not felt this thirst, in spiritual things ? Who, 
 that has been born in a Christian land, does not feel that he is 
 naturally in a dry and thirsty land, where no ivater is f Ps. Ixiii. 1. 
 Who, that has thought at all of his own condition, does not know 
 that he is naturally far from God, the fountain of righteousness, 
 and all true delights ? Who does not feel that he needs some- 
 thing which he has not naturally, ere he can satisfy all the desires 
 of his soul, and his aspirations after blessedness ? Who does not 
 make frequent efforts to satisfy these desires ? Some, na}', most 
 men seek, and for the time satisfy themselves by seeking, in mere 
 outward forms and external services, that which shall quiet the 
 thoughts of a future life, which arise in their hearts ; and many 
 there be, who, by such means, succeed in repressing the uneasy 
 emotions of conscience. 
 
 To all such is the invitation of Christ addressed, though, 
 alas ! they seldom hear it. You are thirsty — you desire eternal 
 life — ^you would avoid the wrath of God, and though for the 
 present your thirst is somewhat quenched, it is not satisfied. To 
 you is the word of this salvation sent. To you I repeat the 
 words of Christ, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 
 You have been told of your need, and your conscience responds 
 to the truth of what has been said. What excuse now can you 
 make, for not accepting of the invitation ? A fountain is opened, 
 streaming abundantly, and you are urged to come and partake. 
 Turn not aside from these cool, flowing streams — from this 
 exhaustless fountain. Seek not to quench your thirst at other 
 
INVITATION TO COME UNTO CHRIST. 313 
 
 streams, for, though you may succeed for a moment, it will but 
 aggravate your pains in the end. 
 
 But there are some who feel this thirst more sensibly. There 
 are some who have more deeply considered their own condition, 
 and felt their own wants. There are some who are sensible that 
 they are in a dry and thirsty land; who have gone to every 
 fountain opened by men, or of their own discovery, and have 
 returned unsatisfied ; and who are convinced that, unless they 
 obtain the water of everlasting life, they must perish forever. 
 Like the stricken deer, wounded and pursued by the hunters, 
 that longs for the cooling brooks, they are fleeing from the 
 wrath of God, which seems armed against them, and earnestly 
 desire to find the shelter and the refreshment of the protected 
 spring. They are such as have seen that, except in God's mercy, 
 there is no shelter from God's wrath ; and with the Psalmist, their 
 cry is. As the hart 2^(^ntet]i after the water brooks^ so panteth my soul 
 after thee, God. My soul thirstetli for God, for the living God, Ps. 
 xlii. 12. This desire after God and his salvation, is one that 
 excites to action, and to efforts to obtain it. The thirsty man 
 does not satisfy himself with mere desires for water, he uses 
 every exertion to obtain it, convinced that he must obtain it or 
 die. Thus, too, acts the man who feels this spiritual thirst. His 
 language is again the language of the Psalmist, God, thou art 
 my God; early luill I seek thee; my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh 
 longethfor thee, in a dry and thirsty land, ivhei^e no water is ; to see 
 thy poioer and glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary, Ps. Ixiii. 
 12. Early and late does he seek God, if so be he may be gracious 
 to him. With earnest prayer does he call upon him, if he may 
 thereby obtain the blessing he desires. / stretch forth my hands 
 unto thee ; my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land, Ps. 
 cxliii. 6. 
 
 Is there any one here present that thus thirsts after God ? 
 Do you feel your need, and long to have it supplied ? Do you 
 lift up your hands with prayer to God? Then to you is the 
 invitation of Christ addressed. Do not make excuses. Do not 
 say, " I do not feel thirsty enough, I am not fit to come. My 
 desires are not strong enough." There are different degrees of 
 thirst, but who thinks of waiting till he is perishing, before he 
 drinks ? There are different degrees of intensity of desire after 
 salvation, but Christ has nowhere said how strong those desires 
 must be. Do you desire at all ? That is sufficient. Are you 
 
 « 
 
314 INVITATION TO COME UNTO CHRIST. 
 
 thirsty at all? Then hear the invitation, ZTo, every one that 
 thmsieth, come ye to the waters ; for it is Christ himself who says, 
 If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 
 ' Let lis consider, 
 
 II. The INVITATION ITSELF. 
 
 Com,e unto me, and drink. You have been desirous of happi- 
 ness, and have long been seeking it. Your soul has thirsted, and 
 you have endeavored to quench that thirst, but where have you 
 sought to do so ? It may be in yourselves, but the vainest of 
 mortals must confess, that alone he is not sufficient for his own 
 happiness. You have sought it, perhaps, in the society of friends, 
 and the delights of the domestic circle. Far be it from me to 
 speak disparagingly of these. Well do I know that there are no 
 sweeter earthly enjoyments than those of family and friends — but 
 who knows not that few are so uncertain? Who knows not, by 
 painful experience, that the friend we love most, may be the first 
 that is taken from us ? Who knows not the anxieties connected 
 with those that remain ? You have sought for happiness in lite- 
 rary pursuits, in the arena of political contest, among the quick- 
 sands of mercantile business. It may be you have gone lower 
 down, and sought for it among baser pursuits and sensual gratifi- 
 cations. Have you found the object of your search ? And are 
 you satisfied now ? Does no longing desire arise in your bosoms, 
 which you feel cannot be gratified by such enjoyments as these ? 
 Alas ! they are but broken cisterns at best. In vain will you 
 attempt to satiate an immortal soul with such feeble, transient, 
 summer-like brooks as these. The streams are impure and small 
 at best, and though you drink even to repletion, yet you thirst 
 again. Search creation round, and if you are honest with your 
 own hearts, you will say with the disciples at last, Lord, to ivhom 
 shall we go ? Thou hast the ivords of eternal life, John vi. 68. 
 
 Come therefore unto Christ. Come out of yourselves. Ke- 
 nounce utterly all dependence on your own merits and righteous- 
 ness, even as the apostle Paul did, (Phil, iii.) Come away from 
 the vanities of the world. Cease to expect pleasure from the 
 sparkling fountains that murmur and play around you. You 
 cannot serve God and mammon. You cannot enjoy the pleas- 
 ures of this world, and the sense of God's favor. If the cross of 
 Christ be borne at all, it must be borne alone. And why should 
 any man wish to combine the service of God with that of the 
 world ? Is the service of the world so pleasant, and its rewards 
 
INVITATION TO COME UNTO CHRIST. 315 
 
 SO rich, tliat we should covet them, when we liave appHed for a 
 place among the followers of Christ ? Is not his service and the 
 rewards he offers sufficient to satisfy every desire ? 
 
 He can supply all your wants, and he has promised to do it. 
 Hear him saying in Isaiah, When the poor and needy seek water, 
 and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will 
 hear them, I the Ood of Israel will not forsake them. I luill open riv- 
 ers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will 
 make the luilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. 
 Is. xli. 17, 18. And again he says, / will pour water upon him 
 that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground ; I will pour my Spirit 
 upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring. Is. xliv. 3. 
 
 It need scarcely be said, that under this comparison of water, 
 all the blessings of Christ's salvation are intended, and of those 
 blessings, the chief is the pardon of sin, which we obtain through 
 the sacrifice of Christ, and the shedding of his blood for sin. It 
 was in reference to this sacrifice, and its effects in procuring the 
 pardon of sin, that Christ said. My flesh is meat indeed, and my 
 hlood is drink indeed, John v. 54-58. Another, and equally im- 
 portant blessing, intended by our Saviour, was the gift of the 
 Holy Spirit, to quicken our souls, to strengthen us in duty, to 
 sanctify our natures, and prepare us for heaven ; and it was this 
 gift of the Spirit that he had in mind chiefly when he uttered the 
 words of the text ; for in the next verse it is said, This spake he 
 of the Spirit ivhich they that believe on him should receive. 
 
 These blessings, the pardon of sin, and the gift of the Holy 
 Spirit, are those which of all others we most need, and for which 
 the convinced sinner and the established Christian chiefly long, 
 and these we obtain only from Christ. How much are we bound 
 to give thanks to God, that the fountain which was once opened 
 only to the Jews, is now made accessible to all nations, and that 
 we Gentiles are invited to come and partake with them. The 
 Gentiles now come from the ends of the earth — for the call is to 
 every one that thirsteth — and all who come are made alike wel- 
 come. 
 
 And as this invitation is universal, so it is free. You need 
 bring no price in your hands. The fountain is flowing, and you 
 have but to come and to ask ; for he who calls you to come, says 
 also, / ivill give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water 
 of life freely, Eev. xxi. 6. 
 
 Are there any here present, who thirst for living streams, but 
 
316 INVITATIOX TO COME UNTO CHRIST. 
 
 have not yet obtained ? Your case is one of peculiar interest, 
 and of peculiar danger. You desire life, and be assured your de- 
 sire must be satisfied in some waj- . But the danger is, tbat the 
 great adversary of souls, aware of your desire, and fearful lest you 
 should escape his grasp, should tempt you to drink of the foun- 
 tains he himself has opened, and forget him who alone can supply 
 /your need. Beware lest in an evil hour you consent to his allure- 
 j ments, and satisfy yourselves with anything less than, or other 
 t than Christ. A greater sin you cannot commit, nor one more 
 likely to incur the just displeasure of the compassionate Saviour. 
 Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon ivhich comelhfrom the rock of 
 the field? or shall the cold flowing luaters that come from another place 
 he forgotten ? Jer. xviii. 14. You feel your need — come to the 
 fountain opened, while it is opened, and grieve not the Spirit, and 
 the Saviour who sends the Spirit, by longer delay. Be assured 
 of a hearty welcome when you come, and if doubts or fears arise 
 in your hearts, bring them to the Saviour, and plead his own 
 promise, as the reason why you come. He will not cast you out, 
 nor reject your plea. Fellow-Christian, you have already drank 
 of this fountain, and know its sweetness. But you have need to 
 come to it constantly, and the oftener you come, the more you 
 shall delight in it. Apply to the Saviour daily, and he will give 
 you the water of life, which shall refresh you in your pilgrimage 
 through this weary, thirsty land. Be satisfied with this alone, 
 and daily desire larger measures of it. Blessed are they which do 
 hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled, Matt. v. 6. 
 But beware that you seek not to satisfy your desires at any 
 other fountain. To whom can you go but to the Saviour ? It 
 was a sore complaint that God made of his ancient people, Mi/ 
 people have committed two evils ; they have forsaken me, the fountain 
 of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can 
 hold no water, Jer. ii. 13. To say nothing of the evil of this 
 course, of seeking for happiness in any but in God alone (though 
 that should affect you deeply), it is one most destructive to all 
 your own peace and happiness. If you are God's children, he 
 will not suffer you to find happiness, except in himself alone. He 
 is jealous for his own honor and prerogatives, and you shall glo- 
 rify him most, and consult your own good most, by coming to 
 him, constantly and alone. 
 
 Macao, December 15, 1844. 
 
SERMON XXXVI. 
 
 UNWILLINGNESS TO COME UNTO CHRIST. 
 Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. — John v. 40. 
 
 The invitations of the gospel are numerous, loud, earnest, and 
 tender. All men without exception, are invited to come unto 
 the Saviour, and obtain eternal life, and it cannot be supposed 
 that these invitations are not sincere on God's part. Warnings 
 and reproofs are directed against those who will not come, and 
 everything in the Scriptures tends to show us, that life aiid deaih^ 
 blessing and cursing, are set before us, that we may choose life, 
 and live forever, Deut. xxx. 19. 
 
 And yet, in all ages of the world, the mass of mankind have 
 heard the offers of life, and passed them by in silent neglect, or 
 open contempt. When our Lord appeared in person on the 
 earth, though many believed on him, the mass of the nation re- 
 jected him. He came unto his own^ and Ms own received him not^ 
 John i. 11. His apostles had great success, and by their preach- 
 ing, great multitudes became convinced of the truth and were 
 saved. And yet, in every place, those who hardened themselves, 
 and refused to believe, were more than those who received the 
 truth. So it has been down to the present time. There is not a 
 nation in the Old World, from the shores of Africa that border 
 on the Atlantic ocean, to the extremities of the Chinese empire, 
 that has not heard the gospel, and yet how few of the nations are 
 Christian nations. And even among the nations of Christendom — 
 among those who profess to worship the only true God, and Jesus 
 Christ whom he has sent — how few comparatively can be said to 
 worship him in truth. Who knows not that in every Christian 
 land there are thousands upon thousands, who are ignorant of 
 God ? Who knows not the wickedness that prevails in Christian 
 lands, of which the heathen cannot be guilty, seeing they have 
 not so much light to sin against ? 
 
318 UNWILLINGNESS TO COME UNTO CHRIST. 
 
 Why is it, that among nominal Christians, who hear and pro- 
 fess to believe the gospel, there are so few that really deserve the 
 Christian name ? Men hear the invitations of the gospel. They 
 acknowledge the folly of living in sin ; the dreadful end that 
 awaits those who thus live ; they acknowledge the duty and the 
 reasonableness of God's service, and the excellence of the rewards 
 he offers. Why are there so few that embrace that service, and 
 have respect unto that recompense of reward ? 
 
 Various excuses are given by men, for neglecting religion. It 
 is not possible to see the truth so clearly as even our natural rea- 
 son shows it, and act contrary thereto without some twinges of 
 self-condemnation, and a seeking for some excuse to palliate the 
 crime. It was the object of some of our Saviour's parables to 
 show the folly of the common excuses, Luke xiv. 16. 
 
 Our Saviour knew what was in man^ John iii. 24. He could 
 see every secret emotion of the heart, and could tell precisely 
 why men did not come to him for life. In the words of the text 
 he has by one single sentence flashed light upon the true reason. 
 Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. Or as it might have 
 been more literally rendered, Ye do not wish ; ye are unwilling to 
 come \ovQEUii\, He says to every man who does not come unto 
 him, and engage heartily in his service, " Whatever the reasons, 
 you offer for not coming, the true reason is in yourselves." It is 
 not in God's eternal decrees, of which as respects yourself, you 
 know nothing. It is not in the salvation procured by Christ's 
 death, which is sufficient for all ; nor in the offers of mercy, which 
 are free to all. It is not in the weakness or unfitness of the in- 
 strument, who preaches to you and calls you to come. It is in 
 yourselves, in your own unwillingness ye will not come to me, that 
 ye might have life. 
 
 The doctrine of the text, therefore, is this. That the reason 
 why men are not saved, is solely because they are opposed to the 
 truth and do not wish to be saved by Christ. It follows as a 
 necessary consequence, that this opposition and unwillingness is 
 highly criminal, and deserves the punishment that will certainly 
 be inflicted on that account. 
 
 There are some who will deem it a very strange and almost 
 absurd remark to say, " Men do not wish to be saved." Do not 
 all men desire to escape the damnation of hell ? Do not all men 
 wish to be saved from the wrath to come ? Yes, verily, but this 
 is a very small part of Christ's salvation. Not only does he save 
 
UNWILLINGNESS TO COME UNTO CHRIST. 319 
 
 from the wrath of God, but also from the sin that incurs that 
 wrath. To be saved by Christ, impHes not merely to be deliv- 
 ered from the punishment of sin, but from sin itself "To be 
 saved" means to be made holy, by mortifying every sin, by living 
 a life of meekness, humility, self-denial, engagedness in God's 
 service, communion with him, and conformity to his image. 
 Without this total change of the whole heart and life, heaven it- 
 self would be little better than the regions of despair, Now it is 
 not absurd to say, that if this is salvation, then men do not wish 
 to be saved ; and that men are opposed to the truth and unwilling 
 to come to Christ to be thus saved, appears both from universal 
 experience, and the explicit declarations of the Scriptures. 
 
 Look over the world, and where is the perfect man to be 
 found ? Where can we find one child of Adam who has never 
 sinned, and does not daily sin ? Whose conscience does not ac- 
 cuse him of numberless transgressions of God's law ? The com- 
 mon proverbs of all nations show it. One of the commonest say- 
 ings, where the English language is spoken is, " We all have our 
 faults" — and the most thoughtful are they who most readily ad- 
 mit its truth. I have conversed with an intelligent and educated 
 Chinese, who had never read the Christian Scriptures, and though 
 their own classical books proclaim the purity of man's nature, he 
 admitted in the fullest manner, that he had never seen a man who 
 did not daily sin, nor did he think there was such a man in the 
 world. 
 
 How is this universal sinfulness of men and opposition to tho 
 truth to be accounted for, if men do not wilfully sin? Can it 
 be supposed that God has made it necessary that we should sin ? 
 God forbid ! The holiness of his character, and his utter abhor- 
 rence of all sin, render such a supposition impossible. Can it be 
 supposed that God has given Satan power, or that he even per- 
 mits him, to lead us to sin against our own consent ? If we ab- 
 horred sin in our hearts, can it be conceived j)ossible, that the 
 great enemy of God and man, would be allowed to force us to 
 commit it, and thus depart from God ? Far be the thought from 
 us ! AVould you who are parents suffer one of your children to 
 be led away from j^ou, and forced to do what is abhorred, while 
 it held out its hands, and begged you to save it ? How much 
 less can we suppose that God who is kinder as well as more 
 powerful than any earthly parent, would suffer Satan to lead one 
 of his creatures captive at his own will, and contrary to the will 
 
320 UNWILLINGNESS TO COME UNTO CHRIST. 
 
 of the creature ? No, it is because men love sin that they com- 
 mit it. It is because they roll it as a sweet morsel under their 
 tongue, that Satan has power to tempt them to it. Salvation 
 from sin is offered unto men. Why are men not saved from sin ? 
 Can it be thought that God would offer men salvation if he did 
 not wish them to be saved, and was not sincere in his offers? 
 Far be the thought from us. We take the offer on the part of 
 God, as ample proof of his willingness and sincerity, — and with 
 shame acknowledge that the only reason why men are not saved 
 from sin, is that they do not wish to be saved from it. Because, 
 if salvation from sin were possible, and the offer of salvation were 
 made to all, then the simple fact that any were not saved, would 
 show the reason to be, that they did not wish to be saved. 
 
 The offer of life and salvation was made to God's ancient peo- 
 ple, in the fullest manner possible. They had seen all God's won- 
 ders in the wilderness, and his mighty acts and his long-suffering 
 and tender mercy ; and Moses had said to them, I call heaven and 
 earth to record this day against you., that I have set before you life and 
 death, hlessing and cursing ; therefore choose life, that both thou and 
 thy seed may live, Deut. xxx. 19. Did they choose life? Did 
 they desire the blessing? Did they cleave to the Lord? Far 
 from it. God complains of them. My people ivoidd not hearken 
 unto my voice, Israel would none of me, Ps. Ixxxi. 11. When Christ 
 came to the world, he came to his own peculiar people. They 
 had long been looking for and desiring his coming ; and when 
 John the Baptist came to prepare his way, they all went out and 
 were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins, Matt. iii. 5. 
 They saw the miracles of Christ, and wondered at the purity of 
 his life, and holiness of his doctrine. They beheld his com- 
 passion, and his love, and heard his invitations to come unto 
 him ; if weary and heavy-laden he besought them to come to him 
 and obtain rest ; if thirsty, to come to him and drink ; if hungry, 
 to come to him and eat. Did they come ? Alas, no ! and to de- 
 scribe their conduct, he spake a parable. The kingdom of heaven 
 is like unto a certain king which made a 77iarriage for his son, and 
 sent forth his servants to call them that ivere bidden to the wedding ; 
 and they woidd not come. Matt. xxii. 23, and when he sent again 
 to call them, they made light of it. Some simply neglecting the 
 call, and others treating with indignity, with scorn, and even with 
 death, the messengers he sent. He was willing to save them, but 
 they were not willing to be saved. Oli Jerusalem, Jerusalem, said 
 
UNWILLINGNESS TO COME UNTO CHRIST. 321 
 
 the compassionate Saviour, thou that Jdllest the j^rophets and stonest 
 them that are sent unto thee^ how often ivould I have gathered thy 
 children together^ even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings ^ 
 and ye ivoidd not, Matt, xxiii. 37. 
 
 The experience of our Saviour of the unwillingness of men to 
 be saved, has been the experience of all his ministers in the 
 world. All day long we stretch forth our hands to a disobedient and 
 gainsaying people ; and with the prophet of old, we must crj. Who 
 hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? 
 Is. liii. 1. What is the reason of this? It is given by our Lord 
 in these words, This is the condemnation, that light is come into the 
 world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds 
 were evil, John iii. 19. This is the true reason ; the rejection of 
 the gospel by men, is a wilful rejection. The heart is utterly 
 averse to holiness. It loves sin, and because salvation by Christ 
 is not to be procured without a renunciation of sin, and a constant 
 effort after holiness, men will have nothing to do with it. Nay, 
 even the adorable Saviour, with all his perfections, becomes an 
 object of hatred because he testifies of the loorld that its ivorks are 
 evil, John vii. 7. True, men say, "We do not hate the Saviour — 
 we love to think of his character." Yes, and who does not, as 
 long as you contemplate him only while going about and doing 
 good? Who does not admire that compassion, that meekness, 
 that perfect blamelessness of life which he exhibited ? Was there 
 ever such a perfectly amiable character witnessed in the world ? 
 As long as men consider only the amiability of our Saviour and 
 his good works, no feelings arise in the heart save those of admira- 
 tion, and almost of love. But consider his character more closely ; 
 listen to him as he requires sinless perfection, and commands you 
 to be holy as your Father in heaven is holy. Hear hirn requiring 
 you to take up the cross and follow him ; hear him requiring you 
 to wear his yoke and be conformed to his image, to drink of the 
 cup he drank, and be baptized with the baptism wherewith he 
 was baptized, and are you as ready to admire and to love as be- 
 fore? But he requires more than empty admiration and love. 
 It is his command that you come unto him, enroll yourselves on 
 his side, and do his will, and he adds, He that is not with me is 
 against me, he that gathereth not for me scattereth abroad. Matt. xii. 
 30. Alas, this is too hard a requirement for men, and hence our 
 Saviour's declaration. Ye will not come to me that ye might have life. 
 
 But this unwillingness to come unto Christ is yet more deeply 
 21 
 
322 UNWILLINGNESS TO COME UNTO CHRIST. 
 
 rooted and obstinate than it at first appears. It amounts to actual 
 enmity against God and his salvation. What saith the apostle ? 
 The carnal mind is emnity against God, for it is not subject to the law 
 of God, neither indeed can he, Rom. viii. 7. True, men demur to 
 this. They say, "Although we may not be engaged in God's 
 service, yet certainly we are not his enemies. We do not oppose 
 him." But remember the words of Christ, He that is not tvith me 
 is against one. There is no middle course. The service of Satan, 
 or the service of God. You cannot combine the two, and if you 
 are not on God's side, you are against him. Doth not the apostle 
 say, The friendship of the world is enmity ivith God. Whosoever 
 Oierefore will he a friend of the world is the enemy of God, James iv. 4. 
 Ye cannot serve two masters. Ye cannot serve God and Mam- 
 mon, and the practical choice of the world, which most men 
 make, is in fact a declaration of hostility against God. It is a 
 renunciation of his lawful authority, a positive preference for that 
 which he abhors, an overt act of treason against the Creator. He 
 has sent his own Son to offer pardon and invite your return, and 
 what is his reception ? A civil hearing of his message, a decorous 
 attention to the words of his ministers, perhaps an avoidance of 
 the grosser acts of opposition to him, but still a pertinacious ad- 
 herence to the world. And this unwillingness to turn to God — 
 this disinclination to accept of Christ's salvation — this preference 
 for the world — is so strong that it amounts to an absolute inability 
 to turn to God, and is so represented in the Scriptures. Can the 
 Ethiojnan change his skin, or the leopard his spots ? then may ye also 
 do good that are accustomed to do evil, Jer. xiii. 23. 
 
 It is this settled preference for the world, and opposition to 
 God's service, which prevents men from coming to Christ, and 
 indeed makes it impossible that they should. Hence our Saviour 
 said, No man can come to me except the Father ivhich hath sent me 
 draiv him, John vi. 44. 
 
 But is this inability any excuse ? Dare any man plead the 
 fact that he dislikes God's service so much, and prefers that of 
 the world so strongly, that he cannot choose to be on the Lord's 
 side, as any excuse for his conduct ? It is rather an aggravation 
 of the crime, and would be so considered in any court of justice 
 on the earth. For example. It is related of Joseph's brethren, 
 that when they saw the favor their father bare him they hated liim, 
 and could not speak peaceably to him,. Gen. xxxvii. 4. Was their 
 inability to speak peaceably to their brotjicr any excuse ? Did it 
 
UNWILLINGNESS TO COME UNTO CHRIST. 323 
 
 not rather involve them in deeper criminaHty? Even so our 
 worldhness of heart, our opposition to the gospel, our unwilling- 
 ness to come to Christ, our inability to engage in his service, all 
 spring from the carnal mind which is enmity against God, and on 
 that very account deserves the deeper condemnation. And this 
 ■is the condemnation^ that light is come into the world^ and men love 
 darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil, for every one 
 that doeth evil hateth tlie light, neiilier cornetli to the light lest his deeds 
 should he reproved^ John iii. 19, 20. 
 
 The words of our Saviour in the text were spoken to the un- 
 believing Jews, but they were not intended for them alone. They 
 are spoken also to us, being left on record for our warning and 
 instruction, and the truth they teach is as applicable in our days, 
 as it was when Christ first spoke it. It is his own creatures 
 whom he calls ; men who have all along been rebels and sinful, 
 and worthy of death, rather than life. He has long borne with 
 their follies and crimes, and sent many messengers to entreat them 
 to return unto him. At length he comes in his own person, to 
 offer salvation. Clothed in every attractive grace, he presents 
 himself as an object worthy of our supreme regard. He holds 
 up eternal life and blessedness, and by every motive urges us to 
 come and secure it. In order to remove every obstacle out of our 
 road, and make our coming possible, he gives himself up to 
 death, and is lifted up between heaven and earth, that he may draw 
 all men unto him^ John iii. 14. How are these offers received ? 
 how is this wonderful love and compassion regarded ? Do men 
 flock in crowds, repenting of the sin that made such a sacrifice 
 needfal, and joyfully accepting of the proffered boon ? Far, far 
 from it ! Very strange indeed is the complaint we hear from the 
 Saviour's lips, Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. Every 
 obstacle on God's part is removed. No flaming sword now guards 
 the way to the tree of life. No fiery cherubim prevent us from 
 plucking its fruits ; a highway is prepared, and we are com- 
 manded to walk therein and be saved, and yet men are unwil- 
 ling to come ! Other excuses may be given, but this is the real 
 reason, and for this we shall be judged. 
 
 1. What are we to think of such a rejection of the offers of 
 mercy ? How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ? 
 It was spoken to us at first by the Lord himself, it has been con- 
 firmed to us by innumerable witnesses and partakers, and con- 
 science has added her voice, to swell the amount of evidence. Is 
 
324 UNWILLINGNESS TO COME UNTO CHRIST. 
 
 not this unwillingness to come, a thing to be deeply abhorred and 
 repented of? and should we not fear lest it draw down upon us 
 God's heavy anger ? 
 
 2. Let us also adore the grace and long-suffering of God, that 
 bears so long with us, and still holds out the offers of mercy. 
 Man would not so patiently wait. No earthly potentate would 
 offer favors, after they had been so often rejected. But God's 
 ways are not as man's ways, nor his thoughts as our thoughts. 
 Mercy still guides his hand, and grace is still poured into the lips 
 of our compassionate Saviour ; and in despite of all our unwill- 
 ingness, he often saves men from their sins. How far-reaching is 
 that grace, which, stooping from the eternal throne of God, and 
 stretching beneath even the desperate wickedness and unwilling- 
 ness of the human heart, raises any of our race to the fellowship 
 of the saints in light, and the inheritance of the sons of God ! 
 Truly herein is one of the greatest mysteries of the gospel. Thy 
 'peo'ple shall he willing in the day of thy poiver, Ps. ex. 3. Without 
 doing violence to our natures, the power and grace of God sweet- 
 ly constrain men to renounce their opposition and come unto the 
 Saviour ; and nothing less than divine power can do it. How 
 does the apostle heap up words to describe that power ! He tells 
 us that it is the exceeding greatness of his power io iis-ivard, who be- 
 lieve according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought 
 in Christ when he raised him from the dead^ Eph. i. 19, 20. 
 
 Finally, let us learn hence, where our strength lieth, and what 
 is our hope. We cannot, and we will not come unto Christ of 
 ourselves, and in this inability and unwillingness lies our sin. 
 Yet if we come not, we perish. Let us then prostrate ourselves 
 before God, and plead the prayer of the church in the Song of 
 Solomon, Draw us^ we will run after thee, Cant. i. 4. The sense of 
 our own sinfulness, helplessness, and need, should constrain us 
 thus to come. The promises and the calls of Christ should cause 
 us to hasten our escape, and the sight of so many that have thus 
 been saved, should encourage your hearts with the hope of simi- 
 lar success. Him thai cometh unto me, says our Saviour, / will in 
 no wise cast out, John vi. 37. 
 
 Macao, December 22, 1844. 
 
SERMON XXXVIL 
 
 OUR TIMES IN THE HAND OF GOD. 
 My times are in thy hand. — Ps. xxxl 15. 
 
 The life of David, the king of Israel, was long a most wan- 
 dering, unsettled, and perilous one. Innocent of any crime, lie 
 was yet persecuted by envious and wicked men, and by the malice 
 of Saul, was hunted like a partridge in the mountains. He was 
 ofttimes in imminent danger of his life, so that he could justly 
 say. There is hut a step between me and death. Then for a little 
 season, deliverance came, and again he was brought lower than 
 ever. Many and varied were the times that loent over hi^m, 1 Chron. 
 xxix. 30, for his life was marked by changes, perils, and deliver- 
 ances, such as few men have known. This thirty-first Psalm 
 contains the record of his feelings amidst the changing times of 
 his life, and it is worthy of careful remark, how amidst all his 
 changing times and varied troubles he puts his trust in God, and 
 looks to him for shelter. 
 
 1)1 thee^ oh Lord, do I put my trust, 
 
 Thou art my rock and my fortress. 
 
 Into thy hand I commit my spirit, 
 
 I trusted in thee, oh Lord. 
 To him the doctrine of God's superintending, and all directing 
 and controlling providence, was no empty notion. It was to him 
 a living reality, lie had seen God's hand stretched out for his 
 defence. He had felt his everlasting arms beneath him for his 
 support. It was his soul's desire and his heartfelt prayer, that he 
 might ever repose under the shadow of the Almighty, and in so 
 doing he experienced a peace and confidence which none of his 
 enemies knew, and which were utter strangers to the bosom of 
 the jealous Saul. 
 
 The words of the text, coming from such a man as he, are 
 worthy of careful consideration, and especially so, when the 
 
326 OUR TIMES IN THE HAND OF GOD. 
 
 Change of times, and the revolution of years, turn our thoughts 
 to the conditions of our mortal life. Since we last met in this 
 place, one year has passed away, and another has come in its 
 place. The times, and seasons, and events of our life are con- 
 stantly changing, and as wise men, it is our duty to reflect upon 
 them, and while time is given to us, so to use it as not abusing it. 
 My times are in thy hand. By times, David doubtless meant all 
 the events of his life, at whatever time they had occurred, or might 
 occur, and by saying his times were in God's hands, that all that 
 related to him was completely under God's control. In other 
 words, he expressed the idea, that nothing happened to him by 
 blind chance, or fate ; but that everything respecting him was 
 subject to the direction of his Creator. This is a truth not limited 
 in its application to David alone. The Scriptures abundantly 
 testify, that the times — all times, of all men — are in God's hand ; 
 and this will become evident, by considering some of the particu- 
 lar times of our lives, which are so. 
 
 I. The time of a man^s birth is in God's hand, and is appointed 
 by him. And as the time of our birth is appointed by him, so 
 he appoints the land of our nativity. It is not of blind chance 
 or fate, that one man was born thousands of years ago, and others 
 in this age. It is not a matter of chance, that one man is born in 
 Africa, another in Europe or America, and others in China. Still 
 less is it of any man's own choice, where his lot shall be cast. 
 Eeason alone teaches us, that if God has a plan for the govern- 
 ment of the world, he must appoint the time and place of men's 
 birth. That he has a plan by which he governs the world, is 
 most manifest, though we may not understand it in all its parts. 
 That plan is carried on by men, and every man has a part to 
 perform, but God has appointed to each his part. At times, he 
 uses some, like Alaric the Goth, or Tamerlane, or Napoleon, to 
 scourge the nations. Again, he raises others, like Moses, and 
 Luther, and Newton, and Washington, to bless the world. Is it 
 to be supposed that such men come into the world, and perform 
 their part, without God's express appointment? Doth he not 
 give to all life and breath, and all things, Acts xvii. 25, and can it 
 be supposed that he who gives life, does not also appoint the time 
 to live ? 
 
 There is a time to be boiii, Ecc. iii. 2, and as times are not hidden 
 from the Almiglitij, he must have foreseen the time of each, and 
 foreseen it, because he appointed it. Nothing can be foreseen 
 
OUR TIMES IN THE HAND OF GOD. 327 
 
 except wliat is certain, and nothing can be certain except what 
 God hath appointed or decreed to permit. 
 
 The Scripture shows this truth in reference to particular per- 
 sons. The birth of Isaac happened at the set time, when God 
 promised that it should, Gen. xvii. 21. The barren Shunaraite 
 bore a son, at the set time, Avhen God, by his prophet, foretold it, 
 2 Kings iv. 6. Frequently too, God foretold the birth of indi- 
 vidual persons, and sometimes, even mentioned their names, long 
 before they had an existence in the world. Josiah, the king of 
 Judah, and Cyrus, the king of Persia, are examples of this, 
 1 Kings xiii. 2 ; Is. xliv. 28. It might be said indeed, that these 
 are only cases of eminent persons, of whom it may very well be 
 supposed that the time of their birth is fixed ; but that the same 
 cannot be said of the mass of mankind, who fill unimportant 
 stations, and of whom it is scarcely worth while that God should 
 trouble hmiself to appoint the time of their entrance into the 
 world. But this is speaking of God according to our own weak- 
 ness, and degrading him to a level with ourselves. Although 
 
 " Like leaves on trees the race of men are found," 
 
 yet each separate leaf has a separate page in God's eternal book, 
 nor is it a weariness and a trouble to him to determine the times 
 hefore appointed, and the hounds of the hohitation of each. Acts xvii. 
 26. If he has appointed the time for the birth of one, he could 
 with equal ease, appoint the times of all mankind, nor could his 
 perfect plan of government be duly carried out without such an 
 appointment. 
 
 We infer therefore, that since he can with ease appoint the 
 time of each man to be born, since he hath certainly appointed 
 the time of some, and since his plan requires that that of all be 
 fixed, the time of our birth is in his hands. It should be with each 
 of us, a matter of constant thanksgiving to God, that he has 
 appointed the- time and place of our birth as he has. It is related 
 of a heathen sage, that he thanked the gods because his birth was 
 in an age when philosophers lived, and not when all men were 
 ignorant, and in the enlightened land of Greece, rather than in the 
 more barbarous regions of the world. How much more should 
 we give thanks to God, that our birth has been in a Christian 
 land, and of Christian parents, and in an age so full of opportu- 
 nities for obtaining all knowledge, and especially the knowledge 
 of the true God. In respect to each of us, God hath determined 
 
828 OUR TIMES IN THE HAND OF GOD. 
 
 the times hefore appointed^ and fixed the hounds of our habitation^ so 
 that we may seek him, and feel after him, and find him; though he he 
 not far from every one of us, Acts xvii. 26, 27. Without at all 
 perverting or misapplying the words of oar Saviour, it may be 
 said to each of you, my hearers, Blessed are the eyes which see the 
 things which ye see: for many prophets and righteous men have 
 desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them, and to 
 hear those things luhich ye hear, and have not heard them, Luke x. 23, 
 24. But I exhort you also to make good use of the privileges, 
 the opportunities for acquiring knowledge, and the means of 
 grace, which the time of your birth and the land of your nativity 
 have put in your power. More is given to us, than to many 
 others, and more will be expected of us. To wJiomsoever much is 
 given, of Mm shall he m,uch required: and to lohom men have com- 
 mitted much, of him ivill they ask the more, Luke xii. 48. 
 
 II. Our time to die is also in God's hand, and is appointed by 
 him. It is one of the great characteristics of God, that he Icilleth, 
 and mahetli cdive: he hringeth down to the grave, and hringeth up, 
 1 Sam. ii. 6. Hence Job said. In his hand is the soul of every living 
 thing, and the breath of all mankind. Job xii. 10. To us, nothing 
 seems more uncertain, and nothing is more uncertain, than the 
 time of our death. No man has any assurance of his life. What 
 is your life ? It is even a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and 
 then vanisheth away, James iv. 14. Hence the exhortation of the 
 wise man. Boast not thyself of to-morrow, for thou knowest not what 
 a day may bring forth. Pro v. xxvii. 1. No man has any assurance 
 of life, nor can he tell how long it may be prolonged. We see 
 the feeblest spared, while the most promising are cut down. The 
 experience of the past year in this place, should teach us how un- 
 certain it is, that all of us shall see the beginning of the next new 
 year. It is on this uncertainty of life, as it respects our knowl- 
 edge of it, that many of our duties are founded. Hence it is that 
 we are to be always ready and watching. Hence it is that we 
 are not to place our hearts too much on the world, nor to count 
 this our portion. Hence it is that we are to feel ourselves to be, 
 and to act as strangers and pilgrims in the earth. Be ye ready, 
 for at such ati hour as ye think not, the Son of man cometh, Luke 
 xii. 40. 
 
 But this uncertainty exists only in reference to ourselves. 
 There is no uncertainty with God, for he knoweth all things. 
 He who fixed the time and place of our birth, has also fixed the 
 
OUR TIMES IN THE HAND OF GOD. 329 
 
 time and manner of our death. His plan for tlie government of 
 the world requires this. He brings men into the world to 
 execute a part of his plan, and when their part is finished, he 
 removes them to make way for others. 
 
 That there is a time to die, Ecc. iii. 2 ; that it is ajopointed unto 
 all men once to die, Heb. ix. 27, are truths that we learn from 
 melancholy experience, without the aid of revelation. But the 
 Scriptures distinctly teach us, that the time to die is in God's 
 hand, and is appointed by him. Though men live to the age of 
 the antediluvians ; though it might almost seem as if death had 
 forgotten that some men were still alive; yet regarding every 
 man, we must say, as said the patriarch Job, His days are deter- 
 mined, the number of his months are loith thee; thou hast appointed 
 his hounds, which he cannot pass, Job xiv. 5. Hence the expres- 
 sions we meet so often in the Scriptures, referring to this appoint- 
 ment of our times. Thus it is said of Jacob, The time drew nigh 
 that Israel must die. Gen. xlvii. 29. God said to Moses, Behold, 
 thy days approach that thou must die, Deut. xxxi. 14, David said 
 concerning Saul, His time shall come to die, 1 Sam. xxvi. 10. God 
 said to David, Thy days are fulfilled, 2 Sam. vii. 12, and Paul, by 
 inspiration, said of himself. The time of my dejxirture is at hand, 
 2 Tim. iv. 6. 
 
 Sometimes, as in the case of Aaron, the high priest, the 
 announcement of the time to die is made beforehand, and the 
 individual, with all due solemnity, gives up his soul into the 
 hands of his Creator, Numb. xx. 24-28. Commonly, no such 
 announcement is made, but in all cases there is an ap)pointed time 
 to man up>on the earth, and his days are like the days of an hireling, 
 Job vii. 1, who, for a certain and defined season, performs an 
 appointed work. Hence the prayer of the Psalmist — and it is a 
 prayer that every man living should daily offer — Lord, make me 
 to know mine end, and the number of my days xohat it is, that I may 
 know how frail I am, Ps. xxxix 4. 
 
 Some are perplexed at this doctrine, and at a loss how to 
 reconcile it with the use of means, and the benefit of prayer. 
 "Why should we pray for a thing which is already determined ? 
 and use means to accomplish that, the end of which is already 
 appointed ? But this perplexity arises from a misapprehension, 
 or rather an utter confounding of things that ditTer. God's 
 appointment of our time to die is shown from the Scripture and 
 from reason to be certain, but the time of our death is not made 
 
330 OUR TIMES IN THE HAND OF GOD. 
 
 known to us. The same Scripture wliicli makes known tliat 
 there is such an appointment, also commands us to use the means 
 to preserve our lives, and to offer prayers to God that they may 
 be prolonged. The Scripture also tells us, that if God has deter- 
 mined that any man shall live, he has also determined that he 
 shall use the means to live. In all of God's decrees and appoint- 
 ments, the means are inseparably connected with the end. It is 
 our duty, therefore, to follow his revealed will, and use the means 
 appropriate to preserve our life, and to ask for his blessing upon 
 those means. If it be his will that we live, the prayer of faith 
 will save the sick, and the means employed will prove ef&cacious 
 for his recovery. If it be not his will that we live, no means can 
 save us, and the physician's care and skill will prove unavailing. 
 But this does not excuse us from using the means. It is our 
 duty to use them in all cases, and if y^e fail to use them, and our 
 friends die in consequence, the blame is ours. True, it is by 
 God's appointment that he dies, but it is owing to our negligence. 
 Whereas, if we use the means appropriate, and yet life is not 
 granted, we have delivered ourselves from blame. It then 
 becomes evident that it was not God's intention to spare life, and 
 as we have done our duty, our conscience is at ease, and we bow 
 to the sovereign will of God. 
 
 This subject is well illustrated in the case of Hezekiah. He 
 was sick of a disease, that, in the ordinary course of nature, 
 would certainly take his life away, and even the skill of physi- 
 cians could not cure him. God sent the prophet to inform him 
 of it. Set thine house in order ^ for thou shalt die, and not live. 
 When Hezekiah received the message, he prayed earnestly that 
 he might live, God heard his prayer, restored him to health, 
 and added fifteen years to his life. God had determined to spare 
 his life, but he had also determined to spare it in consequence of 
 his prayer. And when he promised him fifteen additional years, 
 Hezekiah, of course, knew perfectly well that, during those fif- 
 teen years, he must still use the ordinary means to jireserve his 
 life. He could not presume, in consequence of that promise, to 
 dispense with his daily food, or recklessly expose himself where 
 duty did not call him to go. Whatever difficulty there may be 
 in theory, to reconcile God's decrees with man's free agency, and 
 the use of means, there never is any in practice. In all cases, 
 the path of duty is plain, for that path is laid down in the 
 revealed will. 
 
OUR TIMES IN THE HAND OF GOD. 331 
 
 This doctrine, that our time to die is in God's hand, and is 
 appointed by him, is one that, when rightly viewed, affords great 
 consolation to the Christian. As we have seen, it does not in 
 the slightest degree interfere with the use of means, but rather 
 gives encouragement to use them. It also bids us go forward in 
 the path of duty, wherever it may lead us, without fear. Some 
 are afraid if they engage in a particular occupation, or dwell in a 
 certain place, their lives may be prematurely lost. But there is 
 no call for fear, if the path of duty be plain. Go forward wher- 
 ever duty calls, for your times are in God's hand, and if he has a 
 work for you to do, he will preserve you till it is finished. It 
 was well said by the poet, 
 
 " Man is immortal till his work is done." 
 
 God will call no man from the world as long as his work is unfin- 
 ished. He will take none too soon away. Hence we derive courage 
 for ourselves. Hence too we derive consolation, when any who pro- 
 mised to be eminently useful are taken away. It may seem to us that 
 they are taken before their time, and that their work is unfinished ; 
 but it does not so seem to God. For ourselves, we cannot avoid 
 weeping when they go ; but for the church of God, we should 
 rather say, " Another and yet another part of God's great work 
 on earth is now accomplished, for he hath called another, and yet 
 another, of the laborers to enter into his reward." As the time 
 of our death is fixed, so also is the manner, and herein too the 
 Christian may find consolation. Precious in the sight of the Lord 
 is ike death of his saints^ Ps. cxvi. 15. We may die alone — we 
 may die all unattended by earthly friends — we may die in 
 strange lands, in poverty or want — but what are all these to 
 one who knows that his times are in God's hand? What are 
 these to one who knows that though, like Lazarus, he dies in want 
 at the rich man's gate, he is attended by angels, and carried by 
 them, like Lazarus, to Abraham's bosom ? 
 
 Hence too, we learn the folly of neglecting to perform any plain' 
 duty in order that we may take care of our lives. If our time to 
 die is fixed, then it will come to us whether we stay idly at 
 home, or whether we gird ourselves and go forth manfully to our 
 work. It is better, far better, if the will of God be so, that we die 
 at our post, and in the midst of our work, than like cowards or 
 deserters from the camp. Hence too the importance of doing 
 now what you have to do ; your time is not forever, nor can it be 
 
332 OUR TIMES IN THE HAND OF GOD. 
 
 indefinitely prolonged. Once lost, it is lost beyond any possibi- 
 lity of recall. 
 
 III. As the time of our birth, and the time of our death are 
 in God's hands, and appointed by him, so it is equally manifest 
 that all our intermediate times are in his hand. There is a time to 
 every purpose and to every ivork, Ecc. iii. 1. Times are not hidden 
 from the Almighty^ Job xxiv. 1. My times are in thy hand. 
 
 Our ignorance of the times of our life, and our uncertainty as 
 to our future condition, are manifest. Yet nothing is more com- 
 mon than the desire to pry into futurity, and read the lot that is 
 written for us. Hence in all ages of the world, and in all lands 
 under the sun, fortune-tellers and soothsayers have found abun- 
 dant employment. Hence the arts of astrology and magic, by 
 which so many have been deceived. Hence the numbers who 
 have professed to "know the times," and the still greater num- 
 bers, who have been deceived by them. But all this is folly. 
 An impenetrable veil covers the future. The lamp of ex- 
 perience may assist us in judging somewhat of the future, but 
 there is no man who can tell what shall be hereafter upon the 
 earth. Why trouble ourselves then with vain efforts to discover 
 what cannot be known, until the time shall declare it ? 
 
 Yet some desire, some interest, and perhaps anxiety, about 
 the future is almost unavoidable. Constituted as we are, we can 
 scarcely avoid looking ahead, and conjecturing if we cannot tell 
 with certainty what shall befall us or our friends ; and with the 
 uncertainty that ever attends such conjectures, the undue indul- 
 gence of such a desire, may easily fill our minds with disquiet. 
 It becomes then a question of interest, " How may this desire rise 
 in our minds, and exert the influence it should upon our conduct, 
 and yet not allow ourselves to be disquieted, or careful beyond 
 measure thereabout ?" And the answer we give to such a question, 
 By being fully persuaded as David was, that our times are in Qod's 
 hands. If we can be fully satisfied, that he controls all events 
 that relate to us, and that nothing can occur without his wise and 
 gracious permission, then every ground of anxiety is removed. 
 
 " Let the unknown to-morrow 
 Bring with it what it may, 
 It can bring with it nothing 
 But he will bear us through." 
 
 That the times and seasons, the varied changes in men's condi- 
 
OUR TIMES IN THE HAND OF GOD. 333 
 
 tion are thus under God's control, is a trutli often and explicitly 
 declared in the Scriptures. In the song of Hannah, it is spoken 
 of as one of his peculiar characteristics. 
 
 The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich ; 
 
 He bringeth low, and lifteth up. 
 
 He raiseth the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the heggar from 
 the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the 
 throne of glory, 1 Sam. ii. 7, 8. 
 
 Our times of prosperity come from God. It is he that giveth 
 thee power to get wealth, Deut. viii. 18. The blessing of the Lord, it 
 maketh rich, Prov. x. 22 ; and without that blessing, it is in vain 
 for you to rise up early, and to sit up late, and to eat the bread of sor- 
 row, Ps. cxxvii. 2. All your labors and toils after any earthly 
 good will prove unavailing, unless God is pleased to give the in- 
 crease. What can the husbandman do, with all his labor, with- 
 out the sunlight and the rain which God gives ? What can the 
 merchant or the sailor do, without the free winds of heaven which 
 God sends ? What can any man do, in any occupation, without 
 health and strength which come from God ? 
 
 Our times of adversity, too, are from God. There is a time to 
 weep, as well as a time to laugh, a time to mourn, as loell as a time to 
 dance. And very few there are who are not called to pass 
 through the one, as well as the other. At first sight, it would 
 seem as if the favored children of God, should be exempted from 
 the sufferings which are the common lot of all. But sound reason, 
 experience, and Scripture, teach a different lesson. In this world, 
 God's children are but children at best. They are in a course 
 of training and education for another state, and need the chastise- 
 ment as well as the caresses of their Father. And what son is he 
 whom the father chasieneih not? If ye be without chastisement^ 
 whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards and not sons, Heb. xii. 
 7, 8. The chastisements God sends upon his people are com- 
 monly hard to bear. They would not be chastisements if they 
 were not. He sees where we are most deficient, and lays his 
 strokes accordingly. It often seems to the suffering Christian 
 that he could bear almost any other affliction but the one that he 
 actually endures, but God knows best. 
 
 The afflictions of God's people are oftentimes great and sore, 
 and of long continuance ; but none of them come without design, 
 nor shall they destroy the believer. Affliction cometh not forth of 
 the dust, neither doth trouble spring from the ground, Job v. 6. Many 
 
334 OUR TIMES IN THE HAND OF GOD. 
 
 are tlie afflictions of the righteous ; hut the Lord delivereth him out of 
 them all, Ps. xxxiv. 19. 
 
 Thus we see that life and death, prosperity and adversity, are 
 from God ; and with David we have reason to say, My times are 
 in thy hand. This truth is to each of us, one of great con- 
 sequence. We are standing at the threshold of a new year ; we 
 have already entered on its busy scenes and changing times. 
 Who shall tell us what is before us ? Who can now read the 
 records that shall be made ere the year closes ? Speaking accord- 
 ing to probabilities much might be said. Some of you who are 
 now far from your native land, shall be farther yet, ere twelve 
 months pass away, while others may have returned to the bosom 
 of their friends. Some of you who are now in feeble health, may 
 become strong, while others rejoicing in their strength, shall find 
 it fail. Who of us shall be laid in our graves during the coming 
 year ? It would be strange were all this company to continue in 
 life so long. And if the summons comes for any, are you ready 
 to depart ? 
 
 Scenes of joy, and scenes of sorrow, the height of prosperity, 
 and the deep of adversity, sickness and health, life and death, are 
 words of frequent use, and momentous meaning in the history of 
 our race ; but who knows how to apply them beforehand to any 
 individual ? We cannot tell. But this we do know. Our times 
 are in God^s hands, and it is well they are. It is not for you to 
 Icnoio the times or the seasons, ivhich the Father hath put in his own 
 power, Acts i. 7. They are concealed from us in mercy. Who 
 could bear the sight of all that may come upon him in the world ? 
 Life itself would be a burden, if we always carried with us the 
 certainty of the calamities that are impending. By not knowing, 
 we are led to trust more implicitly upon the merits of the Saviour, 
 and the grace and protection of God. Let us then cheerfully 
 commit to him our temporal interests, and seek the welfare of our 
 souls, and the salvation of Jesus Christ. So shall the year roll 
 away, and whatever our outward state may be, whatever the lot 
 of each, whether length of days, or speedy departure, from this 
 world, we shall find abundant cause for peace, and thankfulness. 
 Like David in the Psalm from which the text is taken we shall 
 ever say, Oh hoio great is thy goodness, ivhich thou hast laid up for 
 them that fear thee ; lohich thou hast lorought for them that trust in 
 thee hcfore the sons of men. 
 Macao. Jan. 5. 1845. 
 
SEEMON XXXVIII. 
 
 CHRIST AS THE SEARCHER OF THE HEART. 
 
 But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, and needed 
 not that any should testify of man ; for he knew what was in man. — John ii. 24, 25. 
 
 The words of tlie text were spoken of our Saviour soon after 
 his entrance on his public ministry. He had gone to Jerusalem 
 daring the first passover after he commenced his ministry ; he 
 had there shown his zeal for God by casting out the merchants 
 and traders from the temple ; he had there spoken in figurative 
 language of his death and resurrection after three days ; and he 
 there performed so many miracles, as astonished all who saw them 
 — and in consequence, many believed on his name when they saw 
 the miracles which he did^ v. 23. But it would seem that among 
 those who then believed there were many like Simon Magus, who 
 believed, and ivonderedy beholding the miracles and signs which were 
 done, and yet continued, notwithstanding this belief, in the gall of 
 bitterness and the bond of iniquity, Acts viii. 13, 23. Experience 
 shows but too plainly how common is such a faith as this. It 
 does not work by love, nor purify the heart, and is therefore justly 
 said by the apostle James, to be dead, James ii. 26. 
 
 But our Lord was not deceived by the professed belief of these 
 men. He did not entrust himself to them, nor hastily number 
 them among his disciples, for he \new all men, both who really 
 believed, and who did not. And this knowledge too was unde- 
 rived. He needed no assistance from men, to enable him to judge 
 of the characters of those by whom he was surrounded. He 
 formed his opinion of men's characters, by an intuitive glance 
 into their hearts. He needed not that any should testify of man, for 
 lie knew what was in man. 
 
 The text teaches us most plainly that Jesus Christ knows the 
 hearts of all man, and that no secret emotion can lurk there un- 
 
336 CHRIST AS THE SEARCHER OF THE HEART. 
 
 detected by liim. Nor is this a doctrine taught here alone. It 
 is one that meets us on every page of the gospels, and under every 
 variety of form and expression. During his public ministry, our 
 blessed Lord associated with all classes of Jewish society. The 
 Pharisees indeed sneered at him as \hQ friend and associate ofpuh- 
 licans and sinners, nor did he disdain that title. But he also sat 
 at the tables of the Pharisees, and lodged with men of wealth, 
 though perhaps the next day he received charity from a poor wo- 
 man, or reposed his wearied frame in a fisherman's open boat. 
 He associated with them all, and he knew them all. The crafty 
 politician, the designing priest and scribe, the sanctimonious 
 Pharisee, and the skilful lawyer, as well as the fisherman, the 
 widow woman and the child, found in him one who understood 
 perfectly their several characters. 
 
 During one of his visits to Capernaum, a man sick of the palsy 
 was brought to him to be healed, and such was the earnestness 
 and the faith, both of the sick man and his friends, that our Sa- 
 viour took special notice of it, and to reward it, said to the sick of 
 the palsy, Son, he of good cheer, thy sins he forgiven thee. The scribes 
 and Pharisees who were present began to reason in their hearts, 
 and to say within themselves, for they uttered no words, Tlds 
 man speaheth hlaspheniies. Scarcely had the thought risen in their 
 hearts, ere Jesus knowing their thoughts, reproved them for it. 
 Matt ix. 4, Mark ii. 8, Luke v. 18. 
 
 At another time, he was teaching in the synagogue, and there 
 was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes 
 and Pharisees watched him whether he would heal on the Sab- 
 bath day, that they might find an accusation against him. They 
 spake no words to disclose their purposes, for that would have de- 
 feated the object they had in view. But how great must have 
 been their surprise, when the Lord, hiowing their thoughts, pub- 
 licly called upon them for the reason why good might not be 
 done on the Sabbath day ? Answer or reason they could give 
 none, for they were confounded at the disclosure of thoughts, 
 whose baseness they wished to conceal even from themselves, 
 Luke vi. 6, Matt. xii. 10, Mark iii. 1. 
 
 He cast out devils, and showed so many signs that the peo|)le 
 were amazed. But the Pharisees, to detract if possible from his 
 reputation, secretly circulated a report that he was in league with 
 the powers of darkness, and had cast out devils only by the as- 
 sistance of Beelzebub the prince of the devils. Again, to their 
 
CHRIST AS THE SEARCHER OF THE HEART. 337 
 
 confusion, tliey found that he hnew their thoughts^ and had an an- 
 swer and a reproof ready for every imagination, Matt. xii. 25, 
 Luke xi. 14. 
 
 He was asked by a Pharisee to eat with him, and while he sat 
 at meat, a woman of the city which was a sinner, according to the 
 custom of the country, which allowed any person to enter the 
 dining hall, came in, and weeping behind him began to wash his 
 feet with tears, and to wipe them with the hairs of her head, and 
 kissed his feet and anointed them with ointment. The Pharisee, 
 glad of anything that would give him a lower idea of the charac- 
 ter of Jesus, sioalce luithin himself, saying that Christ could not be a 
 prophet, or he would not suffer such a woman to touch him. 
 How little he knew of the deep heart- searching power of our 
 Lord ! The Saviour, answering his thoughts (for they lay as yet 
 in his heart, unseen save by him who knew what was in man), 
 with inimitable beauty and force showed him the difference be- 
 tween his own vain-glorious, unhumbled thought, and the deep 
 penitence of her on whom he looked with so much disdain, Luke 
 ♦'ii. 40. 
 
 At another time, the combined wisdom or cunning of the 
 Pharisees and the Herodians laid a deep and crafty scheme to 
 catch him in his words. Their question was concerning the pay- 
 ment of tribute to Cresar, and to their plain question Shall ive 
 give, or shall we not give ? they thought it well nigh impossible 
 that he should give an answer without committing himself, and 
 affording matter of accusation. But sorely did they repent of 
 their temerity. Knowing their hypocrisy, and perceiving their ivich- 
 edness, he said. Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites ? and the answer 
 he gave was such as quite confounded them, and from that day 
 forth, no man durst ask him any more questions, Matt. xxii. 15, 
 Mark xii. 13, Luke xx. 20. 
 
 He hnew what was in man, and he hnew all men. No matter 
 how obscure their station, or how secret their past course of life, 
 or how apparently casual their interview with him, he could in a 
 few words disclose to them all their past history, and cause them 
 to cry, like the woman of Samaria, Come see a man ivhich told me 
 all that ever I did, John iv. 29. 
 
 It was especially in his intercourse with his disciples, that our 
 
 Lord's wonderful knowledge of the human heart was displayed. 
 
 With regard to them it was emphatically true, that he knew what 
 
 was in them, and needed no testimony of men to confirm or mod- 
 
 22 
 
838 CHRIST AS THE SEARCHER OF THE HEART. 
 
 ify his judgment. The zeal of Simon Peter, and his boldness and 
 energy of character, gave him an important rank among the apos- 
 tles, both before and after the crucifixion of our Lord. The pier- 
 cing eye of the Saviour beheld this trait in his character the mo- 
 ment he first saw him, and he said, Thou art jSimon, the son of 
 Jona ; thou shalt he called Cephas^ lohicli is by interpretation, a stone, 
 John i. 42. And yet with all the zeal and energy that Peter pos- 
 sessed, the Lord saw that he lacked that firmness which should 
 resist temptation, and when the disciple told him, I am ready to go 
 with thee, both into prison, and to death, the Lord replied, / tell thee, 
 Peter, the cock shall not croio this day, before thou shalt thrice deny that 
 thou knowest me, Luke xxii. 34. The event proved too truly the 
 accuracy of our Lord's knowledge of his character. 
 
 We are so much in the habit of regarding the apostle John as 
 the beloved disciple, that we scarcely think of him as having ever 
 possessed any other than a mild and gentle disposition. But the 
 reproof he gave to one who cast out devils in Christ's name, be- 
 cause he followed not with them, Mark ix. 38, and the proposi- 
 tion he made to call down fire from heaven, and consume the Sa- 
 maritan village, that would not receive our Lord, Luke ix. 50, 
 show that Christ better understood his character, when he sur- 
 named John and James, Boanerges, or sons of thunder, Mark iii. 17. 
 How appropriate too this name was to James, may easily be seen 
 by those who read the thrilling exhortations and solemn denun- 
 ciations of his epistle. No sooner, too, had Nathanael appeared 
 before him, than he showed his knowledge of what was in man, 
 Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. The astonished 
 Nathanael said unto him, Whence knowest thou me f but his aston- 
 ishment was heightened by the reply he received. When thou wast 
 under the fig-tree, I saw thee. Beneath the dark and impenetrable 
 shade of the fig-tree, Nathanael had perhaps been pouring out his 
 prayers for the consolation of Israel. He was sure no eye but the 
 eye of God had seen him, and when he found himself in the pres- 
 ence of one, who even there had beheld the secret emotions of his 
 heart, he could not contain the exclamation that burst from his 
 lips, Rahhi, thou art the ^S'oji of God, thou art the King of Israel, 
 John i. 47-49. 
 
 From the time of his baptism by John, until the day that he 
 was taken up to heaven, he came in and went out with his disci- 
 ples, and they must daily have felt that they were in the presence 
 of one who read ev^ery thought of their hearts. There was a trai- 
 
CHRIST AS THE SEARCHER OF THE HEART. 339 
 
 tor among them, but this was not concealed from him ; for it is 
 expressly recorded, Jesus knew from the heginning ivlio they were 
 that helieved not, and who shoidd betray him, John vi. 64. When 
 some of his professed disciples murmured at his doctrine, Jesus 
 hieiu it in himself, and said unto them, Doth this offend you f John 
 vi. 61. When they disputed among themselves, which of them 
 should be the greatest, though they spake not of it to Christ, and 
 indeed sought rather to conceal it from him, yet he perceived the 
 thought of their heart, and by the example of a little child, in whose 
 heart no such ambitious thoughts had yet risen, he showed them 
 the disposition of the heart that he approved, Luke ix. 47, Mark 
 ix. 33, 34. 
 
 During his last discourse with his disciples, something was 
 said respecting which they wished to ask for fuller information. 
 Jesus, knowing that they were desirous to ask him, answered 
 their unuttered inquiries so fully and satisfactorily, that they 
 could not contain their surprise. Noio toe are sure that thou know- 
 est all things, and needest not that any man shoidd ask thee ; hy this 
 we believe that thou camest forth from God, John xvi. 19, 30. 
 
 There were many occasions in the life of our Lord, when his 
 consummate knowledge of the human heart was exhibited ; but I 
 have preferred to mention only those in which the possession of 
 this attribute is distinctly ascribed to him. There are, however, 
 one or two other particulars in which it is so evidently implied, that 
 they deserve more than a passing notice. 
 
 1. Jesus Christ came to this world to be, and he still continues 
 to be, the great Prophet or Teacher of his church. In order to 
 fulfil this office, he must not only understand perfectly all the will 
 of God, and the deep purposes of the divine mind respecting our 
 salvation, — he must also be able to communicate so much of this 
 knowledge as is necessary to salvation to each and every member 
 of his church. But even among men, no one can well fulfil the 
 of&ce of a teacher, who has not carefully studied and well under- 
 stood the character of his pupils. No one can be apt to teach, nor 
 rightly communicate knowledge, who does not know the igno- 
 rance, the wants, and the capacities of his scholars. Nor can 
 Jesus Christ instruct his disciples, unless he thoroughly knows 
 the heart, and the disposition of each. Behold then the greatness 
 of his knowledge of Avhat is in man. His church is composed of 
 the men of every land and nation, of every age and rank. The 
 profoundest of philosophers, the ablest of statesmen, the most sa- 
 
840 CHRIST AS THE SEARCHER OF THE HEART, 
 
 gacious and the acutest intellects, have sat at his feet, and learned 
 of him, as well as the ignorant Hottentot, the barbarous Esqui- 
 maux, and the imbecile PoljnQsian. He has known the deep ig- 
 norance and stupidity of the one, he has fathomed all the wisdom 
 of the other, and he has taught them all. He has opened the 
 hearts of each to receive the truth, and this has been a far harder 
 work, than to open the eyes of the blind who came to him for 
 sight. Satan hath blinded the eyes of them that believe not, and 
 ere any could receive the knowledge of the truth, it has been 
 necessary that the great Teacher should remove the scales that 
 covered the mental and the moral eye. These obstructions to 
 spiritual sight being removed, he has poured divine light into the 
 soul. The deep things of God, the hidden mysteries of the king- 
 dom, the wonders of redemption — these he reveals to each of his 
 chosen ones. And yet this revelation is not an indiscriminate 
 one, nor does he give to each the same amount of knowledge. 
 He who knows what is in man, knows well how much they can 
 bear, and enlarges their knowledge in proportion to their capaci- 
 ties and desires, John xvi. 12. What less than omniscience is ad- 
 equate to a work like this ? 
 
 2. And as the prophetical ofi&ce of Christ implies the posses- 
 sion of perfect knowledge of the human heart, so also does his 
 ofl6.ce of final and universal Judge. God hath appointed him to 
 judge the world in righteousness, Acts xvii. 31, and though men 
 laugh at the intimation now, and say, Where is the promise of his 
 coming? Yet the day is fast approaching when all nations shall 
 be gathered before his bar to render an account for the deeds 
 done in the body. Nor is this account to be confined to out- 
 ward actions. It shall include even every idle loord, Matt, xii, 36, 
 and the secret thoughts of the heart must then be tried. God shall 
 bring every work into judgment^ with every secret thing ^ whether it he 
 good or whether it he evil, Ecc. xii. 14. However deep laid, or care- 
 fully concealed your thoughts may now be, before the all-piercing 
 eyes of the Judge, in that great day, there is nothing covered that 
 shall not he revealed, neitlier hid, that shall not he known, Luke xii. 2. 
 But to execute such a judgment as this — to weigh the thoughts, 
 and words and actions of all men of every age — to estimate aright 
 the character of each, and award to each his just deserts, according 
 to his ivories, what less than infinite wisdom is required? /Shall 
 not the judge of all the earth do right f At that great trial day 
 there will be no need of human witnesses, for the judge is he, of 
 
CHRIST AS THE SEARCHER OF THE HEART. 341 
 
 wliom our text says, He knew all men, and needed not that any 
 should testify of man, for he knew what was in man. 
 
 3. In the doctrine of oiir text, that Jesus Christ is perfectly 
 acquainted with the hearts of men, we have one of the strongest 
 arguments to prove the essential Divinity of tlte Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 It is a truth frequently recorded in the Scriptures, both of the 
 Old and New Testaments, that it is God's prerogative to search 
 and know the human heart. When David Avas at the point to 
 die, he said to Solomon, with all solemnity, Jehovah searcheth all 
 hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts, 1 Chron. 
 xxviii. 9. In the prophecies of Jeremiah, God is represented as 
 challenging this attribute to himself The heart is deceitful above 
 all things and desperately icicked; who can know it? I Jehovah 
 search the heart, I try the reins, Jer. xvii. 9, 10. And Solomon, 
 as if to preclude any shadow of doubt on this point, expressly 
 declares that the knowledge of the heart, is peculiar to God alone. 
 In his prayer at the dedication of the temple — a prayer dictated 
 by immediate inspiration, and left on record for our instruction — 
 we meet these words, addressed to God, Thou, even thou only 
 knoivest the hearts of all the children of meyi, 1 Kings viii. 39. In 
 sublime language the prophet Amos declares the same truth. 
 Lo! lie that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and de- 
 clareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning dark- 
 ness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, Jehovah, the God 
 of hosts is his name, Amos iv. 13. To all these testimonies from 
 the Old Testament, agree the words of the apostles, in their 
 prayer, before the appointment of Matthias to the apostleship, 
 Thou, Lord, ivhich knowest the hearts of all men, show ivhether of 
 these tivo thou hast chosen. Acts i. 24. 
 
 Now we have seen, in the passages already adduced from the 
 gospels, that Jesus Christ did possess the power of searching the 
 heart. How often did he declare unto men their thoughts, and 
 how expressly do the evangelists testify that he knew all things? 
 As if to put the matter beyond the possibility of a doubt, we find 
 our Lord himself, in the book of Eevelation, claiming this power, 
 and that in the very words used by the prophets of the Old Testa- 
 ment, when describing the majesty of Jehovah, These things saith 
 the Son of God: all the churches shall know that I am he which 
 searcheth the reins and hearts, Eev. ii. 18-23. The possession of 
 any one of the incommunicable attributes of Jehovah is sufficient 
 to prove its possessor to be divine. 
 
342 CHRIST AS THE SEARCHER OF THE HEART, 
 
 Were there nothing else in the word of God respecting the 
 divinity of Christ, the proofs already adduced on this one point, 
 would be sufficient to establish it. But these are but a part 
 selected out of a mass of proofs, all equally clear. 
 
 The doctrine of Christ's divinity is not an unimportant one in 
 the Christian system. It is not one that may be held or rejected 
 at pleasure, without endangering the salvation of the soul. It 
 lies at the very foundation of our religion, and a mistake or error 
 here is fatal. 
 
 Either Jesus Christ is God, or he is not. There is no middle 
 point between these two propositions. One or the other must be 
 believed, and the one not believed must be rejected. If Christ be 
 not God, he is a creature, and those who ascribe divinity to him, 
 and worship him, are guilty of exalting a creature to the throne 
 of God. But to worship a creature is to commit idolatry, and of 
 this monstrous sin, are the Trinitarians guilt}', if Jesus Christ be 
 not truly God. 
 
 If Jesus Christ be truly God, and we say he is not, then we 
 rob him of his divinity, and this is a crime that he will not lightly 
 pass by. Will a man rob God ? Yet here is a robbery, before 
 which ordinary sacrilege might pass for virtue. It takes the 
 Creator and hurls him from his rightful throne. It ascribes to 
 him only a delegated power to rule, where he possesses inherent 
 and supreme authority. Oh my hearers, if any of you have fallen 
 into this dangerous error, I beseech you to examine again the 
 reasons of your belief, and be you well persuaded ere you suffer 
 yourselves to believe that he who searches the heart, and knows 
 what is in man, is not truly divine. The proof of his divinity 
 does not rest alone, on the names of God, which are so frequently 
 given to him. It is founded equally on the divine attributes he 
 possesses ; and the honor and worsliip paid to him ; and it is 
 incontestably argued from the work he came to perform. A 
 work, which he finished, but for which no creature, even though 
 the highest of all that God has made, is sufficient. 
 
 4. We learn from the doctrine of our text, how impossible it 
 is to deceive the Saviour, and hence draw a warning against 
 hypocrisy, and all self-deception in religion. There is much that 
 passes among men for religion that is not approved of God. 
 There are times when an outward attention to the duties enjoined 
 in the gospel, is not only common and approved but even fashion- 
 able. There are many vices, which no man who has a proper 
 
CHRIST AS THE SEARCHER OF THE HEART. 843 
 
 regard for himself, or the good opinion of societj^, Avould allow 
 himself to practise. There are many virtues, the practice of which, 
 not only adds to our own comfort, and gains for us the approval 
 of conscience, but they secure the admiration of the world, and 
 increase our respectability among men. I do not say that this is 
 wrong. On the contrary, it is right. But the error with most 
 men, is that they are satisfied when so much is gained, and stop 
 at this point. My friends, this is not enough. Man cannot 
 search the heart, nor know what is in other men. Man can 
 scarcely know even his own heart, and many who are not guilty 
 of intentional hypocrisy, are most grossly deceived, in regard to 
 their own condition and character. In the concerns of our souls, 
 we do not deal with men but with the heart-searching Jehovah. 
 Our Judge is one who knows what is in man far better than we 
 do ourselves ; and who needs not the testimony of man. He 
 searcheth the heart, he scrutinizes its prevailing dispositions and 
 feelings ; he looks for more than external morality ; he requires 
 not merely that you do justly, but that you love mercy and walk 
 humbly with God. He seeks for the fruits of the Spirit — love^ joy, 
 peace^ long-suffering, gentleness, and when these are wanting, no 
 outward profession, no attendance on external forms, no payment 
 of tithes, or noisy zeal can secure his favor. A^ot he that com- 
 mendeth himself is approved, hut whom the Lord commendeth, 2 Cor. 
 X. 18. Therefore search carefully your own hearts, and praj^ for 
 divine assistance in discovering what you are, and what you 
 should be, and remember the words of the apostle Paul, If ive 
 ivoidd judge ourselves, loe should not le judged, 1 Cor. xi. 31. 
 
 5. Finally, from this doctrine of our Saviour's knowledge of 
 the heart, we draw encouragement for perseverance in every duty, and 
 consolation for every time of trial. 
 
 The Christian's course on earth, is a course of labor, he has 
 m^ny duties to perform, and must ofttimes prosecute his labor 
 and perform his duties, not merely without the approbation, per- 
 haps even in the face of the opposition of the world, but he must 
 often labor all alone, without even the assistance of a fellow- 
 Christian. I speak to some who know my meaning, when I say, 
 that there are times when the heart is almost ready to break under 
 a sense of discouragement. There are times when every hope 
 seems disappointed; when every duty seems to have been left 
 undone ; and Avhen in the words of the sweet singer of Israel, 
 groans and tears become the constant companions of the believer. 
 
344 CHRIST AS THE SEARCHER OF THE HEART. 
 
 This is especially apt to be the case, when the believer is left 
 without a Christian friend, with whom to take counsel and oifer 
 prayer. But I say to you, my friends, you are not alone in all 
 this. There is One who knows most thoroughly all your dis- 
 couragements, and wants. There is One who has seen every 
 emotion of your heart, who has noticed the sincerity and the 
 earnestness of your desires for his presence. He has heard the 
 unuttered prayers of your heart, and comprehended the feelings 
 that could find no words for their expression. He knows all 
 things, and does not need that you should ask in measured phrase, 
 for he knows what is in man. In all your sorrows, infirmities, 
 and disappointments, he has been a sympathizing High Priest, 
 and as able to help as he is ready to sympathize. And if he has 
 not already appeared for your help and deliverance, it has not 
 been because he knew not of your wants, but because he saw that 
 the proper time had not yet come for his appearance. Come, 
 therefore, with boldness unto him, declare unto him every want 
 and every sorrow : you shall find an ear ever open, and a heart 
 ever ready. The duties that you have performed in silence and 
 obscurity, are recorded before him. The prayers you offer in se- 
 cret shall be rewarded openly ; and in the day of final accounts, 
 it shall matter little whether you have been celebrated or unknown 
 among men. He who knows what is in man, and saw Nathanael 
 under the fig-tree, shall acknowledge all his followers, however 
 humble or obscure among men, in the presence of his Father, and 
 of the holy angels. The Lord grant to each of us, to find favor 
 in his sight in that day. 
 
 Macao, January 12, 1845. 
 
SERMON XXXIX. 
 
 THE PROPITIATION OF CHRIST. 
 
 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, 
 we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous : and he is the 
 Propitiation for our sins : and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole 
 world. — 1 John ii. 1, 2. 
 
 By the law is the knowledge of sin, Kom. iii. 20. By the law 
 is the warning against sin. By the law is the punishment of sin. 
 By it is the wrath of God against sin, and his abhorrence of it 
 revealed ; and the conscience and heart of man made to perceive 
 its nature. I had not known sin but by the law, Kom. vii. 7. 
 
 These things are by the law, but here its of&ce stops. By the 
 law is not the forgiveness of sin. By the law is not the washing 
 away of the stain of sin. It is a rule of life, and a standard of 
 reward for a holy being. The man which doeth those things^ shall 
 live by them^ Lev. xviii. 5 ; Eom. x. 5. But if he do them not, 
 there is no help for him in the law. The blood of bulls and goats, 
 can never take away sin. And the said that sinneth, it shall die, Ezek. 
 xviii. 20 ; Heb. x. 4. These things saith the law. 
 
 By the gospel also, is the knowledge of sin, for sin is never 
 rightly known except when seen at the cross of Christ. By the 
 gospel is repentance for sin. By the gospel is the forgiveness of 
 sin. By the gospel is the taking away of sin, and the cleansing 
 of the soul from its defilement. By the gospel is that holiness of 
 heart and life, without which no man shall see God. Hence, said 
 the apostle. These things I write unto you that ye sin not. 
 
 How little they know of the gospel, who suppose it gives any, 
 even the least license to sin. Its prohibitions are as solemn and 
 as strict, as those of the law given in thunder and in flame from 
 Mount Sinai, and it excludes it more effectually from the heart. 
 As well as the law, it saith, Stand in awe and sin not, Ps. iv. 4. It 
 was the Saviour himself, who said to the impotent man he healed. 
 
346 THE PROPITIATION OF CHRIST. 
 
 Sin no more, John xv. 14. It was he who said to the woman 
 taken in adultery, Go and sin no more, John viii. 11. The gospel 
 holds up as distinctly as the law, the character of God ; nay, it 
 exhibits that character far more clearly, for it pictures it in the 
 life of Christ the brightness of Ms glory, and the express image of 
 hisj^erson, Heb. i. 3, and when our minds are awed by the contem- 
 plation of infinite purity and virtue, it says to us. As he ivhich hath 
 called you is holy, so he ye holy in all manner of conversation. Be- 
 cause it is ivriiten. Be ye holy, for lam holy, 1 Pet. i. 15, IG. Tlie 
 grace of Ood which bringeth salvation, teacheth us that denying ungod- 
 liness and luorldly lusts, ive should live soberly, righteously, and godly 
 in this present world, looldng for that blessed hope and the glorious 
 appearing of the great Ood and our Saviour Jesus Christ,* who gave 
 himself for us that he miglit redeem us from all iniquity, and purify 
 unto himself a -peculiar -people, zealous of good works. Tit, ii. 11-13. 
 The gospel has a universal offer. Its conditions fit it for 
 all men. Hear its voice in our text. If any man sin. In what 
 words could an offer for all men be more certainly expressed ? 
 It saith not, "If any man is wise — if any man is rich — if any 
 man is happy — if any man is sorrowful." There might be persons 
 not embraced in such a call. But it saith, If any man sin — and 
 who is not included here ? There are some who are not wise, 
 and some who are not rich, and some who are not happy, and 
 a few who are not sorrowful, but there is none who does not sin, 
 and therefore, none to whom the words of the text are not spoken. 
 Who can say, I have made my heart pure, I am clean from my sin? 
 Prov. XX. 9. In God's sight the heavens are not clean, Job xv. 
 14. Yea, he charged his angels with folly, Job iv. 18. And what 
 is man then, that he shoidd be clean ? and that is born of a looman 
 that he should be righteous ? Job xiv. 14. Behold, there is no man 
 that sinneth not, 1 Kings viii. 46. Solomon testified that there is 
 not a just man upon the earth that doeth good and sinneth not, Ecc. 
 vii. 20. And the apostle Paul shows, with all possible minuteness 
 and solemnity, that all have sinned, and come short of the glory of 
 God, Rom. iii. 23. Look to the spectacle exhibited at Calvary. 
 Behold him who Icneiv no sin, 2 Cor. v. 21, undergoing a death 
 such as no criminal ever suffered since the foundation of the 
 world. Whence these sufferings — these agonies — that bitter cry 
 
 * TOW ficyaXov Bcov kui atJTnpof riftuf Inaov Xpiarov, "Of our great God and Saviour, 
 Jesus Christ," as this passage should be translated, according to the invariable force 
 of the Greek article. 
 
THE PROPITIATION OF CHRIST. 347 
 
 — that marvellous death? All toe Wee sheep liave gone astray : wc 
 have turned every one to his own tvay, and the Lord hath laid on hini 
 the iniquity of us all, Is. liii. 6. 
 
 Such are the declarations of Scripture, and I need scarcely 
 appeal to experience, for the truth of what every one of 3-0 u 
 has seen around you, and felt within you. 
 
 Tlie wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness 
 and unrighteousness of men, Kom. i, 18. We are sinners before 
 his bar ; we are placed on trial ; the throne is set, the books are 
 opened, and the judgment is begun. What hope is there ivhen 
 the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven voith his mighty angels 
 in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and obey 
 not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christf 2 Thes. i. 7, 8, What plea 
 have you to offer before him ? The Judge of all the earth will 
 do right, nor shall any be condemned unheard. God ivill be Jus- 
 tified tvhen he speaks, and clear tohen lie judges, Ps. li. 4. 
 
 But the terrors of his appearing, and the majesty of his 
 throne, shall put to silence all the vain excuses men now bring 
 for sin, nor shall any dare to justify or palliate what now they 
 behold with unconcern. Lf thou. Lord, shoiddst mark iniquities, 
 T^ord, who shall stand f Ps. cxxx. 3. How should man be just 
 with God? Lf he will contend tvith him, he cannot answer him one 
 of a thousand. Job ix. 2, 3. Hence the prayer of the Psalmist, 
 Enter not into judgment ivith thy servant ; for in thy sight shall no 
 man living be justified, Ps. cxliii. 2. 
 
 Let the sentence be pronounced ; the criminal has pleaded 
 guilty. Let the ministers of justice bind him hand and foot, and 
 cast him into outer darkness. Matt. xxv. 30. There is no hope 
 for him forever, but weeping and wailing, and gnashing of teeth ; 
 these are his portion, for the wages of sin is death, Eom. vi. 23. 
 
 But stay ! A hand is lifted up. A motion is made to arrest 
 the judgment. A plea is put in his defence, for an Advocate 
 appears. AYho is this that comes before the eternal throne, 
 undaunted by the fiery stream that issues and comes forth ? 
 Sinner, guilty, condemned, and despairing, look upon him, and 
 see if thou canst recognize the lineaments of his face. He wears 
 a human form. One like unto the So7i ofonan. There are scars in 
 his hand. There are marks of suffering on his brow. He hath 
 been acquainted with grief But now a glory crowns his head — 
 authority beams forth from his eye — his arm is clothed with 
 power, and majesty attends his steps. Who is this ? Dost thou 
 
348 THE PROPITIATION OF CHRIST. 
 
 not know him ? Once he walked the earth, a man of sorrows^ 
 but now he is anointed with the oil of gladness, and exalted at 
 the right hand of God. Once a homeless wanderer, and a friend 
 of publicans and sinners, he knows what sufferings mean, and 
 can sympathize with them that are in any sorrow. Now, he is 
 exalted far above all 'principality^ and poiver, and might, and 
 dominion, Eph. i. 21. It is Jesus Christ, the Eigiiteous. It 
 is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, ivho is even at the 
 right hand of God, ivho also maJceth intercession for us, Rom. 
 viii. 34. 
 
 If any man sin, toe have an Advocate loith the Father. The 
 word {nuquKlrjTog,) advocatc, signifies an intercessor, one who 
 pleads the cause of an offender before the judge. One who 
 mediates between two parties, offering arguments in arrest of 
 judgment, and reasons for the bestowment of favors. Such is 
 Jesus Christ, in the great work of salvation. On the one side is 
 arrayed the holy and just God, whose law cannot be violated 
 with impunity, and on the other, men who have sinned and 
 incurred the penalty of the law. Bold must be the Being who 
 would undertake the cause of persons in such a plight as this. 
 Had it been proposed to the angelic host, there is not one of 
 them that would have dared to assume our cause. But there is 
 help for ns, laid upon one that is mighty to save. There is one 
 God, and one Alediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, 
 1 Tim. ii. 5. He undertakes to secure the acquittal of every sin- 
 ner that will trust his cause in his hands, and makes it his constant 
 business to accomplish what he has promised. He ever liveth to 
 malce intercession for them, Heb. vii. 25. 
 
 There are those who have dreamed of other mediators, and 
 other advocates. There are even some who have foolishly 
 thought to plead their own cause at that solemn tribunal, but the 
 Scriptures expressly inform us, that there is none, save he of 
 whom we speak, that shall succeed. There is salvation in no 
 other ; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, 
 whereby ive must be saved, but the name of Jesus Christ of Naza- 
 reth, Acts iv. 12. 
 
 The prisoner placed at the bar of any earthly court, finds it 
 necessary to secure the services of an able advocate. How 
 important that our advocate in the court of heaven be well 
 qualified for the work he has undertaken ! Our hopes rest upon 
 him, our cause is in his hand, and if he fails, the sentence must 
 
THE PROPITIATION OF CHRIST, 349 
 
 go against us. But in the cliaracter of him wlio has undertaken 
 to plead for men, there is everything to encourage our hopes. 
 He possesses every personal qualification that can be conceived 
 necessary. By his possession of the divine nature, he is on an 
 equality with the Judge, and stands before him without fear. By 
 his possession of human nature, he is on a level with his clients, 
 and can sympathize with them in every feeling and every fear. 
 By the union of the two natures in his one person, he becomes a 
 daysman (or umpire), wlio can lay Ms hand upon hoth, Job ix, 33, 
 But his crowning qualification is, that he is a righteous Advocate, 
 Jesus Christ, the Righteous. How different, in this respect, from 
 those for whom he pleads ! Partaking of the same nature, yet 
 without sin. But it was most appropriate that he should possess 
 such a character. He stands and pleads before a holy Judge, 
 and must, therefore, be holy himself. He comes not only to 
 secure our pardon, but our sanctification. He must needs, there- 
 fore, possess a spotless character himself Ye know that he was 
 manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin, 1 John 
 iii. 5, 
 
 It is most refreshing to the soul, to consider the character of 
 Jesus Christ as a holy Saviour in human nature. From the days 
 of Adam's innocence in Paradise, until our times, the world has 
 never seen one like him. Possessing all the excellencies of 
 human nature, without its failings, the wicked one came, and 
 found nothing in him, John xiv. 30, Born of a woman, yet with 
 a nature incorrupt — associating with wicked men, but never led 
 astray by their evil counsels — tempted, but never sinning — 
 speaking often, but never an idle word — doing many things, but 
 never an unholy action, he embodied, in his own example, 
 absolute perfection. He did no sin, neither was guile found in his 
 mouth, 1 Pet, ii. 22, 
 
 In such an Advocate, we can repose the fullest confidence. 
 His spotless character gives him every possible advantage, and 
 secures for him a favorable audience. He will use no false pleas, 
 he will bring no unsound arguments ; nor is it possible that he 
 should deceive those that put their trust in him. 
 
 The character of our Advocate gives us ground for hope, and 
 yet vastly more than this is needful, before we can deem our 
 safety certain. The prisoner of an earthly law is not rendered 
 secure, simply by the unblemished reputation of the advocate he 
 employs. The necessities of our case require more than this. 
 
350 THE PROPITIATION OF CHRIST. 
 
 Not only must the character of our advocate be above suspicion 
 or reproach, but he must have a plea to offer which shall over- 
 balance the overwhelming guilt which weighs us down. The law 
 requires perfect obedience, and this we have not given. Failing 
 in this, the law demands satisfaction. Some men think that, by 
 the simple exercise of his sovereignt}^, God might dispense with 
 the requisitions of the law, and grant pardon on account of peni- 
 tence alone. Such is not the word of God. The heavens and 
 earth may pass away, but his word cannot pass, and that word 
 declares that, tuithout the shedding of bloody there is no remission, 
 Heb. ix. 22. But if the blood of the criminal be shed — if the 
 full penalty of the law be inflicted on him, there can be no hope. 
 He must lie down in sorrow forever. What plea, then, can the 
 great Advocate offer ? What arguments can he present ? Ex- 
 tenuate the guilt of the clients he may not do, for he is a right- 
 eous Advocate. Explain away the requirements of the law he 
 cannot do. It is God's law — it is his own law, and he came not to 
 destroy the law, hut to fulfil, Matt. v. 17. 
 
 Let the prisoner of hope turn him to his strong hold, and dis- 
 miss every fear, Zech. ix. 12. The ransom is paid, the debt is 
 cancelled, the satisfaction of the law is already made. We have 
 an Advocate, and lie is the 'pro'pitiation for our sins. A propitiation 
 is that which renders God propitious, which satisfies his justice, 
 removes his anger, and restores his favor ; and all this has been 
 done by him who is the advocate for man. Do you ask how he 
 has done it ? The answer is. By taking the place of man, and 
 suffering in his own person, the penalty threatened by the law. 
 The law had no claims upon him. He was not bound to obey its 
 precepts, nor could he in his divinity suffer its penalty. But that 
 he might rescue man from the misery in which he had plunged 
 himself, he voluntarily put himself under the law ; that he might 
 endure its penalty, and thus satisfy every demand of justice, he 
 took our nature into union with his own. Being in the form, of 
 God, and thinking it no robhery to he equal loith Ood, he made him- 
 self of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and 
 was made in the likeness of men. And heing formed in fashion as a 
 man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death. Even the 
 death of the cross, Phil. ii. 6-8. Contemplate the life and actions 
 of Clirist. View him in all his onward course, from the time he 
 first left his throne on high, till he was lifted up between heaven 
 and earth, a spectacle to angels and men. Eefiect on all his suf- 
 
THE PROPITIATION" OF CHRIST. 351 
 
 ferings, from the time that his tender frame was laid in the 
 manger, till the hour when he cried, It is finished^ and gave uj^ the 
 ghost. Why all this humiliation ? Why these sufferings and 
 sorjows? Why was he thus acquainted with grief ? It was not 
 — it could not be for himself He had no sins for which to suf- 
 fer. It could not be merely that he might be an example of suf 
 faring affliction with patience, or a warning to them of sin, show- 
 ing them its evil effects. All this he doubtless was ; but that he 
 was this alone, or that it was for this alone he came, is what the 
 Scriptures do not teach ; nor does such a representation harmonize 
 with the justice of God, Suffering cannot be, except on the ac- 
 count of sin ; and it was because Christ was the propitiation for 
 our sins, that he suffered as he did. His own self hare our sins in 
 his own body on the tree^ that ive, being dead to sins shoidd live unto 
 righteousness ; by whose stripes ye were healed^ 1 Pet. ii. 24. Christ 
 hath once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, 1 Pet. iii. 18. 
 
 The law of God had been broken by the sinner, and in order 
 that justice might be satisfied, blood must be shed. Our Advo- 
 cate bared his bosom, and shed his own blood. The law of God 
 required perfect and constant obedience, in order that eternal 
 life might be procured ; and our Advocate, who was under no 
 law, put himself under the law, and obeyed it in every jot and 
 tittle. The master of all evil put in a claim for the souls of men, 
 that they were his lawful captives, and our Advocate met him on 
 his own ground, and gave him battle. Sore was the conflict, but 
 of no doubtful end. The seed of the woman bruised the serpent's 
 head, and triumphantly exclaimed, Even the captives of the mighty 
 shall be talcen away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered, Is. 
 xlix. 25. Such is the propitiation of Christ ; such the sacrifice he 
 offered ; such the effects it is designed to produce. A question 
 occurs, What is the value of this sacrifice ? Is it sufficient for 
 all the applications that may be made. There is no man who 
 may not say with David, Innumerable evils have compassed me 
 about, mine iniquities have talcen hold upon me, Ps. xl. 12. Is the 
 sacrifice of Christ sufficient to atone for all these ? Is the foun- 
 tain for sin and uncleanness which he has opened, copious enough 
 to wash away the sins of all men, of every land and nation ? The 
 sacrifices of the Levitical law, imperfect and insufficient as they 
 were to take away sin, Heb. x. 1-i, were intended only for the 
 Jews, and Jewish proselytes — is this sacrifice of greater value 
 and wider application ? Important questions ! but we have an 
 
352 THE PROPITIATION OF CHRIST. 
 
 answer in our text. He is the -proipitiatlon for our sins, and not for 
 ours only, hut also for the sins of the whole world. Yes. There is 
 no limit to its sufficiency. It was the human nature of Christ 
 that suffered ; but the union of that nature with his divinity gave 
 those sufferings a value fully infinite. There is no limit to the 
 merits of our Saviour. The ocean has its boundaries, the sands 
 on the sea-shore their certain number, the stars of heaven their 
 several names and appointed stations, but boundary, or limit, or 
 measure, in the salvation of Christ, there is no ne. The offer of 
 the gospel, as we have seen, is universal. If any man sin, and the 
 reason why it is universal, is because there is enough in Christ 
 for all. 
 
 How shall we obtain the benefit of this salvation ? The 
 apostle in the epistle from which our text is taken, was writing 
 to those Avho had already obtained it, and therefore it is not men- 
 tioned in this passage how they should lay hold of it. But the 
 apostle Paul has told us. According to his declarations, men are 
 justified freely hy God's grace, through the redem'ption that is in Christ 
 Jesus ; whom God had set forth to he a projntiation through faith in 
 his Mood, Rom. iii. 24, 25. Faith is therefore the instrument 
 through which, or by means of which, the sinner apprehends the 
 merits of Christ, and secures salvation. It is the hand which 
 grasps the rope by which he is drawn into the ark. By grace ye 
 are saved through faith, Eph. ii. 8. Hast thou faith ? If not, be- 
 seech God to give it to you, for it is his gift. Hast thou faith ? 
 If thou hast, come unto Christ with the disciple's prayer, Loi^d in- 
 crease our faith, Luke xvii. 5. 
 
 From this subject learn, 
 
 1. The love and condescension of God. In human courts the 
 advocate of the crown is the prosecutor of the prisoner at the bar, 
 and all his energies are directed to secure the condemnation of 
 the accused. But it is not so at God's bar. There, though we 
 have so grossly rejected him, and broken his holy laws, he him- 
 self has appointed an advocate for the guilty, and such an advo- 
 cate as cannot fail to win his cause. It is not the manner of men 
 thus to act, but it is the manner of the long-suffering and mer- 
 ciful God. Herein is love, not that we loved God, hut that he loved 
 us, and sent his son to he the propitiatio7i for our sins, 1 John iv. 10. 
 Herein also we see the perfection of the salvation offered to men, 
 and its certainty of success. No part of it is left to false and 
 erring man, but every part is secured by God himself. He has 
 
THE PROPITIATION" OF CHRIST. 353 
 
 provided everything that is necessary, and hath appointed him 
 who purchased it at the expense of his own life, to be the great 
 dispenser of it to all them that believe. We have an advocate 
 righteous, and abundantly able; and he has a plea of infinite 
 worth, and God has given a promise, on which faith may rest, with 
 undoubting confidence. For he saith. If there he a messenger loith 
 him, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to show unto man his up' 
 rightness ; then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from 
 going down to the pit, I have found a ransom, Job xxxiii. 23, 24. 
 
 2. Learn hence, the necessity of applying immediately unto 
 this advocate for safety. The fact that men are sinners, and that 
 a propitiation was needed, shows the truth of what is elsewhere 
 recorded, that the natural condition of men is one of great and 
 imminent danger. Most men Avho live under the sound of the 
 gospel, seem utterly unconscious of their true condition. Hear 
 the words of our Lord himself He that helieveth not is condemned 
 already, John iii, 18. You are hy nature the children ofivrath, Eph. 
 ii. 3, and are you still careless and unconcerned ? How strange 
 should we think it, to see a prisoner sleeping at the tribunal 
 where he was on trial for his life, and yet no more irrational 
 would his course be, than that of multitudes in our days, and I 
 fear of some who now hear my voice. Tell men they are sinners, 
 and they admit that they are. Tell them they are in danger of 
 God's wrath, and they answer, "we know it." Tell them of 
 Christ the great advocate, and of the propitiation through faith in 
 his blood, and they say, "it is a good thing." Tell them that 
 without embracing the salvation he offers, they cannot be saved 
 — and what is the answer we get ? Go thy way for this time; ivhen 
 I have a convenient season I ivill call for thee, Acts xxiv, 25. Oh, 
 my hearers, put me not off thus again. Euin not your own souls 
 by these repeated delays. Awake to righteousness and sin not. 
 Flee from the avenger of blood, while the gates of the city of ref- 
 uge are yet open. Take shelter in the cross of Christ, ere he 
 swear in his wrath, ye shall not enter into his rest. 
 
 Finally. To you who by faith in the blood of Christ — foi 
 some such I trust there are here — have already found God pro- 
 pitious, I say, Show your gratitude to your great advocate and 
 intercessor on high, by constantly remembering, and constantly 
 honoring him. He does not forget you. You do not give him 
 time or opportunity to do so. You are constantly sinning, even 
 though your hearts be renewed, and were it not that he ever liveth 
 23 
 
854 THE PROPITIATION OF CHRIST. 
 
 to make intercession, it would go hard if you ever entered heaven. 
 You are compassed about with sins and infirmities ; forget not, 
 therefore, the only Being who can deliver you from condemna- 
 tion. When overwhelmed with the sense of sin, do not so dis- 
 honor him as to despair of his grace and ability still to save. If 
 any man sin we have an advocate ivith the Father. 
 
 I need scarcely say, that all this furnishes no excuse or pre- 
 text whatever for continuing in sin. It is not possible that he 
 who has really fled for refuge to the grace of Christ, should con- 
 tinue in the habitual commission of known sin. It is a contradic- 
 tion both in terms, and in things. Hotv shall tve, that are dead to 
 sin, live any longer therein? Rom. vi. 2. But though the believer 
 does not sin habitually, nor of choice, yet the remains of his cor- 
 rupt nature, the sin that divelleth in him, is constantly leading him 
 to do that he would not, Rom. vii. 15-17. And for such, yea, 
 for all men, the only, the all-sufficient resource, is found in Christ. 
 These things I ivrite unto you, that ye sin not ; and if any man sin, 
 loe have an advocate loith the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous ; and 
 he is the propitiation for our sin, and not for ours only, hut also for the 
 sin of the ivhole world. 
 
 Oh God, add thy blessing I 
 
 Macao, January 19, 1845. 
 
 Extract from the Author's Journal. 
 
 Macao, January 19 th, 1845. 
 
 It is three years to-day since I left my father's house. Many 
 changes have come over me since then ; trials and afflictions have 
 befallen me, bat out of them all the Lord hath delivered me, and 
 having obtained help of him I continue to this day. For nearly 
 two years I have been preaching to a small congregation of Eng- 
 lish and Americans, once every Sabbath. To-day I preached my 
 last sermon to them, and bade them farewell. How many of 
 them shall I meet in peace at the great day of reckoning ? As 
 far as they are concerned at least, I feel myself pure from their 
 blood. I have not shunned to declare unto them the whole 
 counsel of God. And to some at least it has been a blessing ; 
 would that the same could be said of all ! — Memoir, p. 288. 
 
SERMON XL. 
 
 ON OFFENCES. 
 
 Woe unto the world because of offences ! for it must needs be that ofifences come : 
 but woe unto that man by whom the offence cometh ! — Matthew xviii. 1. 
 
 These words of our Lord should strike the heart of every pro- 
 fessor of religion with fear. They are not addressed to the world 
 at large, but to the members of the visible church, and specially 
 to such as hold responsible and influential stations in the church. 
 They were spoken to the disciples, just after they had witnessed 
 three of our Lord's great miracles — -the transfiguration, the cast- 
 ing of a devil out of a child, which the disciples were not able to 
 accomplish, and the procuring of tribute money from the mouth 
 of a fish. One would have thought that such wonders as these 
 would have driven worldly thoughts, and schemes of self-aggran- 
 dizement, from the disciples' minds, — ^but it seems not, for at the 
 same time^ they came to Christ to know who should be the great- 
 est in the kingdom of heaven. By a most touching illustration, 
 even that of a little child, our Lord rebuked their proud imagina- 
 tions, and then, referring to the dangerous consequences of ambi- 
 tion, jealousy, and envy among his disciples, he spoke the memo- 
 rable words of the text, with many others of like import. 
 
 The warning of the text is a personal warning to every mem- 
 ber of Christ's church ; but it is more especially so to us, who, 
 like the apostles to whom it was first addressed, are sent to pro- 
 claim the gospel of the kingdom where it has not been before re- 
 ceived. I pray you therefore to give me your candid and prayer- 
 ful attention, as I proceed to show the meaning of our Saviour's 
 words. 
 
 I. Let us consider first, why 
 
 It must needs he that offences come. 
 
 By offences are meant, whatsoever things act as stumbling- 
 blocks, causing men to take offence at the gospel, to sin, and to 
 
856 ox OFFENCES. 
 
 lose tlieir souls. "Whatsoever brings disgrace on religion, or leads 
 men to neglect the worship of God, or to plunge deeper in sin, is 
 an offence, and melancholy as it is, it is too true, that offences 
 must come. The idea that no offence will arise, is one that can- 
 not be entertained at all. (It is AfevSexxof^ Luke xvii. 1.) There 
 is a necessity that they come, and all the prudence and piety of 
 the church cannot prevent them from coming. Sin is a terrible 
 thing. It has brought confusion into the world, and it must needs 
 he, that dreadful consequences follow. Nothing is exempt from 
 this law. There must needs be storms in the air, and earthquakes 
 in the land. There must needs be revolutions in society, and 
 overturnings among the nations ; and alas that we should say it ! 
 there must needs be offences even in the church of Christ, by 
 reason of which, ivoe unto the world ! Say not that these offences 
 come alone from the ungodly, fierce volcanoes rage in the fairest 
 lands, and most genial climes, and the most ruinous offences arise 
 in what should be a paradise on earth, even in the church of God. 
 It is evident from the Scriptures — There must he heresies among 
 you, says the apostle Paul to the Christians of Corinth, 1 Cor. xi. 
 19. TKq Spirit speaheth expressly, that in the latter times some shall 
 depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of 
 devils ; speaking lies in hypocrisy, liaving their conscience seared with 
 a hot iron ; forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from 
 meats, 1 Tim. iv. 1-3. Of whom does the Spirit thus expressly 
 predict these offences, if not of a church to which one of the most 
 instructive epistles in the New Testament was written ; and 
 whose faith at the time when this was written, was spoken of 
 throughout the whole vjorld f Rom. i. 8. And from whom does the 
 same apostle say that in the last days perilous times shall come, 
 if not from such as have the form of godliness, 2 Tim. iv. 1-5. 
 Professor of religion ! tremble for thyself It is in reference to 
 such as thou that the words of Christ in the text, and of Paul in 
 the epistles, are especially spoken. 
 
 Is it asked why offences must needs come, and why specially 
 from the church? The answer is found in the two admitted 
 facts, that even in the sons of God, original depravity still exists, 
 and that Satan is peculiarly active in tempting them to fall if 
 possible, and to bring reproach on the cause of Christ. Nor do 
 I know of any class of men who are more exposed to danger from 
 both these sources, than missionaries to the heathen. In us the 
 remains of sin are less restrained by the influence of Christian 
 
ON OFFENCES. 357 
 
 society and public sentiment, for we are far removed from it, and 
 we are peculiarly exposed to the assaults of the prince of dark- 
 ness, who watches all his outposts with vigilance, and is ever 
 ready to annoy those who make inroads on his long held do- 
 minions. 
 
 More particularly. It may be remarked, that offences arise 
 among Christians : — 
 
 1. From the weakness and follies of those who profess the 
 name of Christ. Christians are but men, and it is one of the 
 characteristics of our religion, that the poor and the ignoble, the 
 despised of men, the weak and base ones of this world are among 
 the first to embrace it. On such the men of this world naturally 
 look down with scorn, and it would be no matter of wonder if 
 they were to take offence at them, even without any due cause 
 being given. In so far as the weaknesses and follies of Christians 
 might have been avoided, it is their fault, if by their means, 
 offences come. 
 
 2. A prolific source of offences from the church is found in 
 the want of entire union and harmony among its members. It 
 was with prophetic foresight of the evils hence arising, that 
 Christ Jesus insisted so much on the necessity of union, and the 
 duty of love, in his last address to his disciples. Love was a dis- 
 tinguishing peculiarity of the church in its youthful days, but alas, 
 in our times, the love of many lias loaxed cold, and hence offences 
 innumerable have arisen. 
 
 The causes of discord among Christians are various, and to 
 enumerate them all would be tedious. I shall therefore speak 
 only of those which are likely to affect ourselves as missionaries, 
 and which, unless we are extremely careful, will sow the seeds of 
 most unpleasant feeling, and cause grievous offences to arise in 
 the prosecution of our work. 
 
 We were once all strangers to each other. Our birth-places 
 were different ; the societies in which we grew up were different ; 
 the modes of thinking, and views of things, which almost uncon- 
 sciously Ave have imbibed are different ; our habits are different ; 
 our educations have been different. It is to be expected, there- 
 fore, that the views we shall form as to many of the details of our 
 duty in this land will be very different. True, the same work is 
 before us all, — but we all look at it in different aspects. We are 
 each of us sufficiently attached to our own opinions, to feel very 
 reluctant to give them up, especially on the representations of 
 
358 ON OFFENCES. 
 
 Others, wlio have perhaps but little, if any better opportunity of 
 judging than ourselves. Yet we cannot all have our own way — 
 there must be concession if we work together. If there be no 
 conciliating spirit — if there be no disposition to yield, even where 
 perhaps we may at times be in the right — if each one perseveres 
 in maintaining his own opinion, regardless of the experience, the 
 counsels, or the wishes of others, then my brethren, it requires no 
 spirit of prophecy to foresee that there will be roots of bitterness 
 springing up among us, and troubling us. Then, indeed, it must 
 be that offences will come. 
 
 Again, some Christians are weak and easily offended. There 
 are some who are suspicious, and take offence where none was 
 intended, and where none could be justly inferred. In such 
 cases, the person who is offended, is in reality, the one who does 
 the wrong, and must bear the blame of the evil that occurs. 
 There are Christians whose unkind judgments of their fellow 
 Christians — whose ill-temper and peevishness are constantly cre- 
 ating uneasiness and discord, and causing offences to come. 
 There are some Christians who, by rash and thoughtless remarks, 
 by foolish jesting, and general levity of behavior, offend, and 
 cause others to offend. Think not that in making these remarks, 
 I mean to intimate that I am not liable to the same charges. I 
 speak of them because I have but too often found in myself the 
 same errors and sins against which I would now warn you. In 
 reference to all things that may cause discord among brethren, 
 the words of the apostle are peculiarly applicable. Let us not judge 
 one another any more; hut judge this rather^ that no man put a 
 stwmhling-hlock or an occasion to fall in his hrotherh ivay^ Eom. xiv. 
 18, and also. We that are strong ought to hear the infirmities of the 
 weak, and not to please ourselves, Eom. xv, 1. 
 
 3. But the cause, which perhaps, above all others, makes 
 offences to arise in the church, is a proud disposition and high 
 esteem of one's self Contests for the pre-eminence are as com- 
 mon and as injurious in the church of Christ as anywhere else. 
 Some will admit no superior, even where they have little or no 
 claim to the superiority themselves. Sorry am I to say it, but I 
 have heard more than one missionary to the heathen, say, " I am 
 determined to stand in the first rank," " I will not submit to be 
 ruled by another ;" and though my conscience reproved me for 
 the harsh judgment, yet I could scarcely resist the belief that this 
 was the feeling of others, who did not acknowledge it so frankly. 
 
ON OFFENCES. 359 
 
 Oil bretTaren, this is not the principle, on which the soldiers in 
 Christ's army must act. We cannot all be captains and leaders 
 in this warfare. There must be some to lead the front, and some 
 to bring up the rear. There must be some to give directions, and 
 others to obey. There must be some to stand in prominent 
 places, and others to lie conceated. The true principle is, to 
 acknowledge superiority wherever it exists — nay, more than this, 
 it is, in honor to 'prefer one another^ Kom. xii. 10, in lowliness ofmind^ 
 let each esteem other better than themselves, Phil. ii. 3. Yea, my 
 brethren, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God. What 
 matters it, if in this world you do not receive your due meed of 
 applause, if men do not think of you as you deserve? perform 
 your duty and in due time God shall lift you up, 1 Pet. v. 5. 
 
 Oh this pride is a dreadful thing. Most of the quarrels and 
 offences in the church have their origin in pride. By our vanity, 
 our obstinate self-preference, our pertinacious self-seeking, we 
 offend others. They are perhaps too proud to seek reparation, 
 or we are too proud to give it when asked. Who could have 
 supposed, if not taught it by experience, that vain-glory, and 
 seeking for worldly honor, could have found room for their exer- 
 cise in the church of Christ ? If there is sorrow in heaven, surely 
 angels must weep over this. If there is joy in hell, surely Satan 
 must rejoice in it. 
 
 In all these ways — the weakness and follies of Christiaijs — ■ 
 the want of union and harmony among them, and the effects of 
 pride and ambition, it must needs be, that offences will come. 
 Little does any one know of the world who has not observed, 
 that these are the standing objections to religion — the common 
 grounds on which men reject the gospel. Were it not for these 
 offences, and such as these, it is but little that the enemies of the 
 church could do or say against her. 
 
 IT. Let us consider, secondly, the words, ivoe unto the ivorld, be- 
 cause of offences. 
 
 The condition of the world is bad enough, even when left to 
 itself It lies under the power of Satan, who as a strong man 
 armed, keepeth his house, and his goods are in peace. The 
 world has no will, and it has no wish to be delivered from his 
 power. But when to all this is superadded the evil arising from 
 the offences of the church. Woe, woe unto the world, because of 
 offences. By these the eyes of the world, naturally blinded, are 
 turned away from the light. By these the man who was already 
 
360 ON OFFENCES, 
 
 sinking in the mire, is plunged yet more deeply into it. Through 
 the church comes the only hope of the world. But the offences 
 of the church, cause her to lose her influence, and weaken her 
 strength ; thus she enters on the contest for her Master at a great 
 disadvantage. What must the Canaanite and the Perrizite who 
 dwelt in the land, have thoughl; of Abraham and Lot, and the 
 God they worshipped, when the herdsmen of these brethren 
 quarreled ? Gen. xiii. 7. Because the sons of Eli were sons of 
 Belial, men abhorred the offering of the Lord. Nay, more than this. 
 These men, who should most strenuously have stood up for the 
 honor of God, were the very ones who made the Lord^s 2:ieople to 
 transgress^ 1 Sam. ii. 17, 24. When David sinned his great sin, he 
 gave great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to hlcLspheme^ 2 Sam. 
 xii. 14. Oh how often must we hold down our heads Avith shame, 
 when God's people offend. The offence does not stop with them. 
 Christians are so united together, that if one suffers, all suffer — 
 if one acts imprudently the offence is charged on all. Thus men's 
 hearts are hardened against the gospel. Thus the beginnings of 
 convictions for sins are quenched — thus men who were inquiring 
 the way to Zion are disgusted, and turn back to the ruin of their 
 souls. Thus the name of God is dishonored, Eom. ii. 24, and 
 the way of truth is evil spoken of, 2 Pet. ii. 2. Alas, there be 
 many now in hell who have been driven there by the sins of 
 professing Christians, and there be many more who might have 
 gone to heaven, had not the way been blocked up by the offences 
 of those who should rather have taken the stumbling-blocks out 
 of the way. Pitiable truly is the state of the world, when of- 
 fences arise in the church. It is as though some great conflagra- 
 tion were destroying the city, and the various companies of fire- 
 men, instead of uniting their force to extinguish it, should waste 
 their strength and time in contests with each other ; or in adding 
 fuel to the flames, which they sought to quell. Woe unto the 
 ivorld because of offences. 
 
 III. Woe {also) to that man by whom the offence cometh ! It is 
 no light matter to stand in the way of any man's salvation. It is 
 no light thing to have the blood of any man found in your skirts. 
 It is no light matter to have, by your offences, impeded the pro- 
 gress of the gospel. If you are really a child of God, you may 
 be saved, notwithstanding by your weakness, or folly, or want of 
 brotherly love, or sinful ambition and self-seeking, you may have 
 caused an offence to come — but if saved, it will be so as hyfire, 
 
ON OFFENCES. 361 
 
 1 Cor. iii, 15. God may grant you repentance, and pardon, but 
 it will be with marks of his displeasure that you will not soon for- 
 get. Because of the offence of David, the sword did never de- 
 part from his house, 2 Sam. xii. 10. Because of the offence of 
 the Corinthians touching the Lord's Supper, many were weak 
 and sickly among them, and many slept, 1 Cor. xi. 30. 
 
 Do not understand me as saying, that if a child of God offends, 
 he will certainly be visited with outward judgments. A woe 
 may be inflicted on him, unseen by men, and unfelt for the time 
 by himself, and yet far more severe than any outward judgment. 
 The Lord may send leanness and barrenness on your soul on 
 earth, and in the other world, through your offences, your seat 
 in glory may be far lower than it would otherwise have been. 
 And if there can be sorrow in heaven, with how much sorrow 
 will you look back to the offences of which on earth you were 
 guilty, and by which you may have injured the cause of a God 
 so good, and a Father so kind, as is our Father in heaven. 
 
 If you are a professor of religion, but not a true child of God, 
 and offences come by 3'ou — woe, woe unto you ! And remem- 
 ber, in proportion to the frequency and magnitude of your of- 
 fences, will be the evidence that you are not a Christian. It is 
 bad enough to be a false professor. It is ruin enough to have 
 the form without the power of godliness ; but to add offences 
 which injure the body of Christ to all this, oh it is terrible be- 
 yond the power of language to express. The Son of man shall 
 send forth his angels and they shall gather out of his Idngdom all things 
 that offend^ and them which do iniquity ; and shall cast them into the 
 furnace of fire, there shall he wailing and gnashing of teeth, Matt, 
 xiii. 41, 42. It is impossible but that offences ivill come; but woe 
 unto that man through lohom they come ! It were better for him that 
 a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than 
 that he should offend one of these little ones. Take heed to yourselves, 
 Luke xvii. 1-3. 
 
 In the practical application of this subject, I may remark, 
 
 I. Learn, hence, to avoid all such as give offence, so far as 
 lies in your power. We are prone enough to give offence in our- 
 selves, without unnecessarily associating with those who may 
 still more lead us astray. Now, I beseech you, brethren, says the 
 apostle Paul, mark them which cause divisions and offences, contrary 
 to the doctrine which ye have learned, and avoid them, Eom. xvi. 17, 
 Yea, he says in another place, Now we command you, brethren^ in 
 
862 ON OFFENCES. 
 
 the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye ivithdraw yourselves from 
 every brother that ivalketh disorderly. Note that man, and have no 
 company with him, that he may he ashamed, 2 Thess. iii. G, 14. 
 This, it is to be remembered, is only an extreme measure. Our 
 first duty, in case of an offence on the part of a Christian brother, 
 is to go and tell him of his fault alone. If this prove ineffectual, 
 then take two or three others, and remonstrate. If he persist, 
 then withdraw thyself Such is our duty, fellow-Christians^ and 
 were there more faithfulness in performing it, there would fewer 
 offences come. 
 
 2. If you would learn how to avoid giving offence, study 
 carefully the example of the apostle Paul. In the 1 Cor. viii. 13, 
 he says, If meat maize my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while 
 the ivorld standeth, lest I make my brother- to offend. A most prolific 
 source of offences, is the pertinacious standing up for our own 
 rights, in all cases. To decide when we should maintain our cause, 
 and when we should suffer wrong, is a difficult thing. No uni- 
 form rule can be laid down ; but in general a careful adherence to 
 the apostle's rule will secure the object we desire. Give 7ione 
 offence, neither to the Jew, nor to the Oentile, nor to the church of Ood ; 
 even as I please all men in all things, not seeldng miiie own profit, but 
 the profit of many, that they may be saved, 1 Cor. x. 32, 33. Be ye, 
 therefore, followers of the apostle. Let his burning love for souls, 
 and his flaming zeal for God, possess your hearts, and you shall 
 be in little danger of exposing yourselves to the woe denounced 
 in the text. 
 
 3. Finally. It must needs be that offences will come. Do not, 
 therefore, expect that none will trouble you. Do not be disap- 
 pointed, grieved, or discouraged, if they arise to disturb you in 
 your labors. Lay your plans in reference to them, and prepare 
 your minds to bear them in a Christian spirit when they come. 
 They will come. Only see to it, that you be not the offenders. 
 Keep yourselves clear, and when they do come, do not aggravate 
 them ; but, on the contrary, do all in your power to remove 
 them, and prevent their evil consequences. Judge nothing before 
 the time, until the Lord come, who both ivill bring to light the hidden 
 things of darkness, and luill make manifest the counsels of the hearts ; 
 and then shall every man have praise of Ood, 1 Cor. iv. 5. 
 
 NiNGPO, May 11, 1845. 
 
SERMON XL I. 
 
 PREACHING TO THE GENTILES. 
 
 Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was 
 opened unto me of the Lord, I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not 
 Titus, my brother : but taking my leave of them, I went thence into Macedonia. 
 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and 
 maketh manifest the savor of his knowledge by us in every place. For we 
 are unto God a sweet savor of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them 
 that perish : to the one we are the savor of death unto death, and to the other 
 the savor of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? For we 
 are not as many which corrupt the word of God, but as of sincerity : but as 
 of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.— 2 Cor. ii. 12-17. 
 
 It was during Paul's first visit to Europe, after he had been 
 to Philippi, Thessalonica, and Athens, that he visited the wealthy 
 and luxurious city of Corinth. Yet dissolute, even to a proverb, 
 as were the manners and character of the people, God informed 
 him that he had much people there, and the apostle in conse- 
 quence remained more than a year and a half. During this long 
 residence he became much acquainted with the people, and 
 deeply interested in the spiritual welfare of his converts. Leav- 
 ing them, he departed to Syria and Jerusalem, and then came to 
 Ephesus, where he remained more than two years. During this 
 time, the church at Corinth, surrounded with all the wickedness 
 of a city, whose very religion was debauche];y, became sadly 
 infected with the spirit of the place, and relapsed into the vices 
 from which they had so recently been washed. God might have 
 said to Paul, as he once said to Moses respecting Israel, This i-)eo- 
 'ph whom thou hast brought tq) out of the land of Egypt^ have quicldy 
 corrupted themselves^ Exod. xxxii, 7, 8. In consequence of this, 
 the apostle wrote them his first Epistle, in which he very severely 
 reproves their evil courses. It was written from Ephesus, shortly 
 before the tumult excited there by Demetrius, the silversmith, 
 1 Cor. xvi. 8, 9, and such was the apostle's anxiety respecting 
 them, that, either at the same time or very shortly after, he sent 
 
364 PREACHIXG TO THE GENTILES. 
 
 Titus to inquire concerning their state, and bring him word. 
 Shortly after the first Epistle to the Corinthians was written, the 
 riot occurred at Ephesus, which made it necessary for the apostle 
 to leave that place, Acts xix. 
 
 In furtherance of a plan previously formed, he went to Troas, 
 meaning to proceed thence to Macedonia, and thence to Corinth. 
 At Troas he found an open door of usefulness, many were ready 
 to hear the word, and the Lord had prepared the way for him. 
 But such was his anxiety to hear respecting the state of the Co- 
 rinthian church, that, not finding Titus at Troas, from whom he 
 expected to have heard, he liad no rest in Ms spirit, and was con- 
 strained to pass by the opened door at Troas, and hasten on to 
 Macedonia. Here, too, he found no rest. Titus, it seemed, had 
 not yet returned from Corinth, and in his great anxiety for his 
 spiritual children, and his many cares, he was troubled on every 
 side; without were fightings^ and within were fears^ 2 Cor. vii. 5. 
 But here at length Titus met him, with such accounts from the 
 Corinthian church, as satisfied the apostle's utmost expectations. 
 Under the gratifying effects of this news, he penned this epistle 
 in which he declares himself comforted^ so that he i-ejoiced the more, 
 2 Cor. vii. 6, 7. 
 
 The apostle had been deeply anxious for the Corinthian 
 church, and with reason. It was a light set in an important place , 
 he had bestowed much labor there ; he had greatly rejoiced in 
 their Christian advancement, and had boasted of them to others. 
 For awhile he was in great distress, for they had backslidden, and 
 lie feared lest he had bestowed labor in vain, and should find reason 
 to be ashamed of his confident boasting. But the news by Titus 
 relieved him from these fears, and gave him a new proof that his 
 work being accepted of God would not prove fruitless. Full of 
 these thoughts, he gives hearty thanks to God, who by his means 
 had made himself manifest in so many places. He had gone 
 forth in his missionary work in weakness and fear, and unsup- 
 ported by human strength or recommendations ; but God made 
 him to triumph, and made manifest the savor of the knowledge 
 of himself by his means in every place. The savor of the knowl- 
 edge of Ood^ means the delight, or the spiritual satisfaction arising 
 in the mind of the believer from the perception of the true char- 
 acter of God, and of Jesus Christ. It is that which is referred 
 to in figurative language in the Song of Solomon, where the 
 church says to the Saviour, 
 
PREACHING TO THE GENTILES. 365 
 
 Thy name is as ointment inured fortli^ 
 
 Therefore do the virgins love thee. 
 Such knowledge is possessed only by those to whom God gives 
 the spiritual understanding to discern it, just as sweet tastes and 
 pleasant perfumes are perceived only by those whose bodily 
 senses are perfect, 1 Cor. ii. 13-15, and unless God gives this spir- 
 itual discernment, even Paul will preach in vain. But wherever 
 Paul had preached, God had granted to some, this spiritual un- 
 derstanding, and hence the apostle's gratitude, Tlianks he unto 
 God which always causeth us to triumph in Christy and maketh mani- 
 fest the savor of the knowledge of himself in every place. 
 
 It has been noted as a characteristic of the apostle Paul, that 
 in his epistles, the use of a word leads to a new and striking 
 train of thought which he pursues for a few sentences to the 
 temporary neglect of the subject immediately in hand. It is so 
 here. Having spoken of the savor of the knowledge of Ood^ the 
 word savor suggests the siveet savor of an acceptable sacrifice, as 
 illustrative of the acceptance with which God received his own 
 services, and the idea is pursued in one or two very striking and 
 solemn sentences. By him, and such as he, the sweet savor of 
 the knowledge of God is made to men, some of whom endued 
 with spiritual tastes receive and delight in it, while others reject 
 it as tasteless and unprofitable. But in either case his services 
 are accepted, and come up as sweetly before God, as the smell of 
 the offering of Noah, when with his saved family he knelt and 
 sacrificed amidst the ruins of a former world. We are of God 
 (says the apostle), a sweet savor of Christ, in them that are saved, 
 and in iliem that perish. 
 
 In every place, God is glorified by the preaching of his word, 
 and his faithful servants are accepted in their ministrations ; but 
 let it not be supposed that he is glorified only by the salvation of 
 those that believe, and accepts only the services that end in sal- 
 vation. There are few places, where at least, some of those who 
 hear the word are not saved ; there are no places, where many 
 hearing, are not lost, but in each of these cases, in the salvation 
 of the saint, and the aggravated condemnation of the sinner, the 
 savor of the knowledge of God — his mercy, justice, and holiness 
 — are made known, and the ministrations of his servants come 
 up before him for a sweet savor. But how different are the 
 results, each of which tend to the glory of God, and in each of 
 which his servants are accepted ! In the one case, life and im- 
 
866 PREACHING TO THE GENTILES. 
 
 mortal jojs are given ; in the other, death and deeper damnation 
 ensue. Life unto life; Death unto death. Such are the solemn 
 results. Oh, it is a solemn thing to be a minister of God, when 
 such results depend upon our ministry. Well might the apostle 
 exclaim, And loho is sufficient for these things ? who can contem- 
 plate unmoved such results following his efforts ! How anxious 
 should we be, that it be not our fault that any perish ! 
 
 In the last verse of the chapter, the apostle returns to the 
 subject from which he had been led off, by the mention of the 
 word savor^ and gives the reasons why God was pleased to accept 
 of his services in eveyy place. He was accepted of God, because 
 he constantly gave himself with all diligence to his work ; and 
 that not as many, who from fear, covetousness, or the love of 
 applause, held back, perverted, or corrupted the word of God ; 
 but speaking in the utmost sincerity and openness, so as to 
 challenge examination of his motives, as the messenger of God, 
 as in the very sight and presence of God, and in full dependence 
 on Christ, he delivered his message, whether men would hear or 
 whether they would forbear. We are not as many^ ivho corrupt 
 the ivord of God: hut as of sincerity^ hut as of Qod^ in the sight of 
 God speak loe in Christ. 
 
 Such seems to have been the train of thought in the apostle's 
 mind, when penning the passages to which we are now attending. 
 In speaking farther on it, I desire to call your attention to some 
 of the truths it suggests, particularly under these three heads. 
 
 I. The proper character. 
 
 II. The unfailing results. 
 
 III. The solemn responsibilities of preaching the Gospel. 
 The words of the apostle had special reference to preaching to 
 
 the heathen, for he was the apostle of the Gentiles, and was now 
 writing to a church called from the midst of idolaters ; and they 
 are peculiarly applicable to us, who either as ordained ministers, 
 or as assistant missionaries, are endeavoring to preach to the hea- 
 then. The truths they contain, however, are not for the heathen 
 alone. They are for each of us who has heard the word of 
 Christ. 
 
 I. The proper character or style, in which the gospel should 
 be preached to the heathen. We shall not easily find a better 
 description of the proper character of such preaching, than that 
 in the last verse of the chapter before us, and that in several par- 
 ticulars. 
 
PREACHING TO THE GENTILES. 367 
 
 1, Not corrupting the word of God. The word corrupting (xanrj- 
 Uuovtbq) is taken from the practice of fraudulent venders of wine, 
 and fruits, who mix good and bad articles together to increase 
 their bulk, or make them pass off more readily, themselves aim- 
 ing at their own profit in what they do, and little regardful of the 
 injury that may accrue to their customers. Now the apostle had 
 a doctrine to preach, very unpalatable, and even loathsome to 
 men's natural taste. To the Jews a stumbling -block, and to the 
 GreeJcs foolishness, 1 Cor. i. 23. He could very easily have pruned 
 off some of these offensive features. He could very easily have 
 mixed up something of human reason, and human merit, to ren- 
 der it more attractive and palatable. He could very easily have 
 preached circumcision, or the sufficiency of our own righteous- 
 ness, and thus the offence of the cross would have ceased. But 
 his object was not thus to corrupt the word of God, but to set it 
 forth in its native simplicity and purity. Though it cut like a 
 two-edged sword, though it stirred up the hatred and anger of the 
 natural heart, yet he Avas not the man to blunt its edge, or make 
 it an instrument to tickle the ears, instead of j)iercing the hearts 
 of his hearers. 
 
 Therefore, brethren, when we preach the word of God to the 
 heathen, let us preach it in its purity. If they are offended, be it 
 so, provided they are offended at the truth, and not at any negli- 
 gence of ours — at the message, and not at the messenger. Let us 
 not be like the many missionaries of the Roman Catholic church, 
 and others, who, bearing our Master's name, have substituted a 
 baptized idolatry in place of Christianity. Proclaim the whole 
 word of God, and let no heathen superstitions be added with it. 
 If we were to connive at the worship of ancestors, we might in- 
 duce many to renounce other forms of idolatry. If we were to 
 insist only on good works, and merit, and reward, we should 
 have many more to applaud our doctrine, than if we insist on. to- 
 tal depravity, repentance, the new birth, mortification of sin, and 
 the worthlessness of human good deeds. It is not long ago since 
 a native of this place said to me, half angrily, " Why do you talk 
 so much about the heart ? Why are you not satisfied to admon- 
 ish men to do good, and let the heart take care of itself?" There 
 are many doctrines in Christianity, which the natural man receiveth 
 not, but they must not therefore be kept back. The pure tvord of 
 God, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, — such 
 is the message we are to bear to this people. We shall not in- 
 
368 PREACHING TO THE GENTILES. 
 
 crease our own reputation by so doing ; we shall not liear them 
 passing hollow compliments, and saying, " It is very good doc- 
 trine." We may have to endure opposition, scorn, or, worse than 
 all, indifference; but in the midst of it all, be this our first care, — 
 not to corrupt the word of God. He that hath my ivord, let him 
 sjjeak my loord faithfully. What is the chaff to the ivheat ? saith the 
 Lord. Is iiot my word like as a fire ? saith the Lord ; and like a 
 hammer^ that hreaheth the rock in pieces^ Jer. xxiii. 28, 29. Let us 
 fill our own minds with confidence in the word of God. Let us 
 be well satisfied of its power, let it dwell richly in our hearts, and 
 let us give it forth with all purity and force, speaking it, not as 
 the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God. 
 
 2. Sincerity. The word edixoi^eia here used denotes that sin- 
 cerity which will bear examination in the full light of the sun, 
 and the meaning is, that our hearts and motives in all our preach- 
 ing must be so pure that they will bear the most searching 
 examination not only of other men, or even of our own con- 
 sciences, but of God himself. What are your motives, brethren, 
 in proclaiming God's word here? or desiring the conversion of 
 any particular person, be it a teacher, a servant, a pupil, or a 
 friend ? Is it that you may thereby obtain the credit of bis con- 
 version, and have it said of you, such a one is very pious and 
 useful, he has converted so many persons? Is it that you may 
 have it reported at home, that you are doing something among 
 the heathen? Is it that you may have some one who will, being 
 converted, be of more use to yourself and help you on in your 
 studies or plans ? Is it because you think you have been labor- 
 ing so long and so faithfully, that you deserve some such token 
 of God's acceptance? Oh brethren, none of these motives will 
 bear examination, nor will fifty others that might easily be named. 
 The glory of God, the advancement of Christ's kingdom, com- 
 passion for perishing souls, sorrow to see them sin against God, 
 these, and such as these, should be the prevailing motives. 
 Honor, ease, or fame, all such selfish, proud, self-aggrandizing 
 motives, as well as a double heart, must be utterly rejected if we 
 would aspire to the character of sincerity. 
 
 3. In the sight of God. His eye is ever on us, he watches us, 
 he ponders all our ways. How much diligence therefore should 
 we give, that our work may be acceptable to him. If he sees us 
 slothful or loitering in our work, taking our pleasure instead of 
 seeking his glory, not watching for him when he comes, how can 
 
PREACHING TO THE GENTILES. 369 
 
 we be esteemed faithful servants, or enter into his joj ? Let us 
 therefore be diligent in our work, remembering the account we 
 must render to him at last. 
 
 4. As ambassadors of God and of Christ, and in entire depend- 
 ence on the power of him who sends lis. As his ambassadors we 
 must needs be impressed with the dignity and importance of our 
 work, and speak with authority, yet without pride. We must be 
 affectionate, earnest, solemn, and full of prayer for the blessing 
 of Christ, and the influences of the Holy Spirit to rest on our 
 labors ; both as in this imitating the example of Christ, and as 
 knowing that it is only thus we can hope to succeed. 
 
 II. The unfailing results of such preaching. These results are 
 such as concern ourselves, our hearers, and God. 
 
 1. We shall triumph, thanks he unto God xohich always causeth 
 us to triumph in Christ. There is an allusion here to the triumphs 
 which the Koman people awarded to their victorious generals. 
 After being out in many a hard-fought battle-field, after much 
 exposure to hunger and storm and peril, the soldier gained the 
 victor}'', and returned to his native city to receive the honors and 
 rewards its gratitude a\varded. Proudly showing his wounds and 
 scars, and displaying the spoils of the enemy, the trophies of bat- 
 tle, and the captives who followed in his train, he was carried 
 along in triumph through the streets of the imperial city. Even 
 so, but for more glorious, and far purer shall be the triumph of 
 the faithful soldiers of Christ. Here, then, life is a warfare, hard 
 and dangerous, and at times the victory seems unattainable. But 
 through him who strengtheneth us, we shall overcome every 
 enemy, and in due season God will cause us to ride upon the 
 horses and chariots of salvation, and dwell, with the crowns and 
 the palm-wreaths of victory, in the everlasting city, whose name 
 is Jehovah Shamnah, the Lord is there. Is not this assured hope 
 a sufiicient motive to thankfulness and perseverance ? 
 
 2. The results as they concern our hearers are two-fold, 
 Some will hear and live — some will hear and die. It will probably 
 produce both of these results ; it will certainly produce at least 
 one of them. Every sermon faithfully preached will accomplish 
 something. The word shall not return void. It shall accomplish 
 ivhat God pleases, and prosper in that whereto he has sent it, Is. Iv. 11. 
 Some will hear and be saved. *' Life unto life ! " How glorious 
 is the prospect this short sentence opens to us ! On earth there 
 is life, and all life is beautiful. There is the life of the tender 
 
 24 
 
370 PREACHING TO THE GENTILES. 
 
 grass, and the oak ; the bloom of the flower, and the refreshing 
 greenness of the leaf. There is the life of the animal, the sport- 
 iveness of the young, and the usefulness of the fall-grown ; and 
 there is tlie life of the natural man, and the play of the social feel- 
 ings, and the busy hum of multitudes. But there is another life 
 of man than this. It is the life of the soul, born of the Spirit 
 under the preaching of the word, and nourished by its sincere 
 milk. This is a life that cannot die. It advances, though by 
 slow and painful steps on earth, but with an amazing bound it 
 enters heaven. There it is like a new life. It is life unto life. 
 Like the change from the sluggish caterpillar to the butterfly, 
 such is the change from life on earth to life in heaven. But its 
 upward progress does not cease when it enters heaven. There it 
 is ever expanding in intellect, affections, and holiness, and by 
 such rapid degrees, that each degree will seem like added life. 
 Life unto life! Christian, look up, far up to the blissful regions 
 on high, and contemplate the unfading glories of that state of 
 endless progression. Life unto life ! There is no death there, but 
 ever onward and upward, and nearer to God the fountain of all 
 life. How glorious is the Christian's hope, and how glorious is 
 this result of the preacher's work ! Brethren ! one soul saved by 
 our means from among the heathen, will more than repay all our 
 toils on their behalf 
 
 But there is another side to the picture, another prospect for 
 us to contemplate. Many will hear and be lost, and the result in 
 their case will be, Death unto death. They would have been lost 
 if we had not preached ; we offered them mercy, they refused, 
 and now Death unto death. There is death on the earth, and all 
 death is sorrowful. The fading and scattered flower, the prostrate 
 oak, the withered leaf, the neglected skeleton of an animal, and 
 this frame, so fearfully and wonderfully rnade, deprived of its life, 
 a mass of corruption, or a heap of bones. No wonder there is 
 sorrow in the world when death comes. But there is a death 
 more terrible than all this. The soul, too, can die. The death 
 of the body transmits the unregenerate soul to the second, the un- 
 ending death. It is death unto death; and even as the years of 
 eternity roll on, its capacities are enlarged, and its sufferings are 
 more acute. Oh, sinner ! look down into the yawning gulf that 
 awaits you, if you continue impenitent. There is no life there, 
 but anguish and remorse, and despair ; yea, from misery to mis- 
 ery — from despair unto despair — from death unto death, and that 
 
PEEACHING TO THE GENTILES. 371 
 
 forever and ever. May God grant that none of us sliall ever ex- 
 perience this dreadful end ! 
 
 This, too, is one of the solemn results of our ministry ; and in 
 this, too, God is glorified, and his justice and slighted mercy are 
 avenged. Therefore, even in the case of those who are lost, we 
 are unto God a sweet savor, though it be a savor of death unto death. 
 
 III. The solemn responsibilities of our work. Now because these 
 things are so, we see what are our responsibilities. These are 
 solemn results, and upon our faithfulness, oh how much depends. 
 " Take care !" was the counsel given to an artist, " Take care ! 
 you are Avorking for eternity !" We too are working for eternity. 
 Even if faithful, how can we ourselves bear such a responsibility ? 
 Who is sufficient for these things f But if not faithful — if we do 
 the work of the Lord with but half an heart, what shall be said 
 to us ? If we had not come and spoken to this people, they would 
 have perished ; but if we come and speak unfaithfully, they will 
 more surely perish. Better would it be, we had not come at all, 
 than to come and cumber the ground, or close the door against 
 more fiiithful laborers, and if in addition to being ourselves un- 
 fruitful, and mere cumberers of the ground, we become stumbling- 
 hlocJcs, woe ! woe unto us ! It was to his own disciples that 
 Christ said, Woe unto the ivorld because of offences I It is impossible 
 but that offences ivill come; but woe unto that man by whom the of- 
 fence Cometh^ Matt, xviii. 7. 
 
 If Ave would rightly bear these responsibilities, if in either re- 
 sult of our ministry, we would be accepted of God, then must 
 we imitate the apostle, and perform all our works in Christ's 
 name, and in reliance on his grace to forgive, and his merits to 
 accept. We are unto Ood^ says the apostle, a sweet savor in Christ. 
 To him then let us come. Let us daily renew our union and 
 communion with him. Baptized with his Spirit — the Spirit of 
 real compassion and love — let us go forth to our work among this 
 people. Supported by his sufficient grace, let us persevere to the 
 end of our course. And at the last relying on his merits, and 
 protected by the atonement he has made, we shall stand accepted, 
 and our work approved in the sight of God. 
 
 Inference 1. Diligence, much prayer, and compassion for souls 
 are indispensable qualifications of a missionary. Who can con- 
 sider that such results are likely to follow his ministry, and re- 
 main unmoved. If moved to pity, he must needs pray, and sin- 
 cere prayer will result in diligent action. 
 
372 PREACHING TO THE GENTILES. 
 
 2. Faithfulness and courage are no less necessary, for we must 
 lay open the whole heart of man in all its wickedness, and the 
 whole law of God in all its truth and plainness. This will excite 
 much odium, especially here, where the rules of politeness allow 
 and require a man to gloss over any and every unpalatable truth. 
 
 3. We must learn not to be discouraged at the partial success 
 that attends our efforts, or to measure our usefulness only by the 
 number of converts. It is most probable that success, at least to 
 a degree, will attend our efforts, and it should be expected, and 
 prayed for. But bear also in mind that Elijah thought himself 
 entirely unsuccessful, and that God may not be pleased to show us 
 how much we have accomplished. Let us learn such submission 
 to the will of God, as to be willing to labor on without apparent 
 success, if it be his holy will. But beware of resting on the se- 
 cret purposes of God, and making our conjectures of what they 
 may be, the rule of our duiy. It is our part to labor after the 
 conversion of souls, and if we are faithful we shall probably see 
 it. At all events, let us measure our faithfulness by the word of 
 God, and not by any such standard as the number of converts, or 
 the opinion of men. 
 
 4. Compassion for souls, and earnest desire for their salvation 
 and advancement in holiness, are equally indispensable. Look 
 at the case of the apostle Paul, who found no rest, when he feared 
 his children were not walking in the truth, and who had no great- 
 er joy than in the conversion of souls. "What are our feelings on 
 this point ? 
 
 5. Finally, whatever is done, whatever is hoped for, let it all 
 be in and through Jesus Christ. 
 
 NiNGPO, February 2, 1846. 
 
SERMON XLII. 
 
 REPENTANCE. 
 
 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name 
 of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the 
 Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all 
 that are jifar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. — Acts ii. 38, 30. 
 
 These words form the conclusion of the first sermon preached 
 by the apostles of Christ in the Christian dispensation. The 
 preacher was Peter, and others, the apostles who had seen the 
 Saviour both before and after his resurrection ; the theme was 
 Christ, and him crucified, and the Holy Spirit was present by his 
 miraculous gifts, but above all by his converting grace to apply 
 the truth to the hearers' hearts. The hearers were of the nvim- 
 ber of those who, but a few weeks before, had joined in the 
 furious cry, Away with him! away ivith him! Crucify him! 
 crucify him ! But now a change came over the spirit of their 
 minds, and deeply impressed, and pricked in their hearts, the cry 
 burst from three thousand lips, Men and hrethren^ what shall 
 ive do ? 
 
 It is a remarkable fact, that, in cases of conviction of sin, and 
 conversion to God, this is always one of the first questions that is 
 asked. Be the convicted person a heathen, or a nominal Chris- 
 tian — let him in his former life have been well instructed, or pro- 
 foundly ignorant of the truths of Christianity — when once the 
 Spirit of God awakens him from his death-like slumber, he is 
 obliged to ask the way to Zion. Like the man long ^vandering 
 and bewildered in a forest, when he at last comes to the right 
 path, he knows not in what direction to shape his course, and 
 must needs inquire of others the way of safety. With the letter 
 of God's word he may have been familiar enough, but its spiritual 
 meaning, the natural man, and the natural understanding per- 
 ceiveth not, and when the Spirit of God begins to open his eyes, 
 
374 REPENTANCE, 
 
 he sees liow little lie understood before. The question also 
 implies a hearty desire to know and to do the will of God, what- 
 ever it be, in order to obtain the salvation of their souls. So 
 when Paul was struck down by the brightness above the bright- 
 ness of the sun, and heard the voice of Jesus whom he persecuted, 
 reproving his sinful and dangerous course, then, trembling and 
 astonished^ he said, Lord, what ivilt thou have me to do? Acts ix. 6. 
 
 This is a question, for which an answer must and will be 
 found. There is no man, whose eyes are opened to see the 
 wrath of God as it is revealed against sin, and who feels that, for 
 his sin, he is in danger of sinking to the bottomless pit of perdi- 
 tion, who will not seek some way of escape. There is no man 
 who can, unmoved, look down into the yawning gulf that opens 
 to receive the sinner, and feels that such may be his portion, too, 
 who will not endeavor to avoid the impending ruin. But here a 
 danger, scarcely less great than the one he seeks to avoid, is but 
 too apt to befiill the inquiring soul. Many false prophets are gone 
 out into the ivorld, and by them, thousands who have been led to 
 ask. What must tve do to he saved? have been deceived, and 
 pointed into courses of action, and ways of escape, which, in the 
 end, do but involve them in deeper, and more irremediable woe. 
 It is the interest of Satan, our great adversar}-, that such deceit 
 should be practised, and the native sinfulness of our own hearts 
 renders us but too liable to fall into the snare. If, therefore, my 
 hearers, any of you are now asking, or have ever asked, Wltat 
 must we do to he saved? grant me, I pray you, your careful atten- 
 tion, whilst considering the answer which Peter gave to the 
 question. His answer is full both of instruction for the ignorant, 
 and encouragement for the anxious, the very classes by whom 
 the great question is commonly asked, — and what may be fur- 
 ther said in this discourse, will be under the two heads: 1. The 
 instructive command; 2. The clieering promise, which he addressed 
 to his hearers on the day of Pentecost, and which are equally ad- 
 dressed to us, who, in these ends of the earth, are met on this 
 Sabbath day to hear the word of God. 
 
 1. The instructive command of the apostle, Repent, and he ' 
 haptized. There is no command of Scripture of more universal 
 application than this. There were times and places when God 
 saw fit to wink at the wickedness of those who had not the law 
 of God, hut noiv he conimandeth all men everywhere to repent, Acts 
 xvii. 30. I am aware that some men think it an antiquated doc- 
 
REPENTANCE, 375 
 
 trine. It is indeed old, as old as the first transgression in Eden, 
 did we think fit to trace it so far back ; but it is sufficient at 
 present to remark, that it formed the burden of the discourses of 
 John the Baptist, when speaking to those who, like ourselves, 
 enjoyed every external privilege. Repent ye^ for the Jdngdom of 
 heaven is at hand. Bring forth, therefore, fruits meet for o'epentance. 
 I indeed baptize you ivith loater unto repentance, Matt. iii. 2, 8, 11. 
 This, too, formed the burden of the first sermon of a greater than 
 John the Baptist — him of whom Moses in the law, and the pro- 
 phets did speak— even of Jesus of Nazareth. From that time 
 Jesus began to preach, and to say. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven 
 is at hand, Matt. iv. 17. In his last command to his disciples, he 
 gave orders that repentance and remission of sins should be p'eached 
 in his name among all nations, beginniny at Jerusalem, Luke xxiv. 
 47. I know not how its importance or necessity could be more 
 solemnly enforced, than it was by our Saviour, when he said to 
 the Jews, Think ye that these men loere sinners above all men, because 
 they suffered such things ? 1 tell you nay ! but except ye repetit, ye 
 shall all likewise perish, Luke xiii. 1-5. It was the burden of the 
 apostle's preaching everywhere. What Paul said to the Ephe- 
 sians, that he had testified both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, 
 repentance towards Ood, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 Acts XX. 21 — that might all the apostles, in their sphere, and 
 every faithful minister of Christ down to our days, say too. 
 Never has a sinner from our world entered heaven, who did not 
 begin his course by repentance. There is joy in the presence of 
 the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth, Luke xv. 10, 
 and till the world shall end, none shall be saved who does not 
 repent. The doctrine, therefore, is as old as the first sin in Eden, 
 it is as permanent and firm as the word of God itself, and heaven 
 and earth shall pass away, ere it becomes an antiquated or a use- 
 less story. 
 
 But, I think I hear some of my hearers say. What is this 
 marvellous doctrine of which such things are said, and to which 
 so much importance is attached ? On this point there are many 
 mistakes, and it is easy to err. I may say in a few words, that 
 repentance does not consist in penances, bodily austerities and 
 mortification, or fasting. It is not a gloomy face. It is not 
 asceticism, or morose renunciation of the world, or bitter declama- 
 tion against its follies and immoralities. It does not consist in a 
 formal confession of sin and ill-desert, such as is daily made by 
 
376 REPENTANCE. 
 
 tliousands, wLo are like the man spoken of by the apostle James, 
 who, beJiolding his noiwxilface in a glass, goelh his way, and straight- 
 way for getteth what manner of man he was, James i. 24. Nor does 
 it consist in that fear and hatred of sin, which many have, when 
 they find themselves either actually suffering for it, or apprehen- 
 sive of incurring God's everlasting vengeance. The repentance 
 from fear of punishment alone, is but the fear and the hatred of 
 crime which the criminal has when the halter is round his neck ; 
 but as soon as you release him he plunges into his follies and 
 crimes as eagerly as ever. True repentance, I repeat it, is some- 
 thing very different from all this. The Greek word /jeiupoiu, by 
 which it is expressed in the New Testament, signifies a change of 
 mind — an alteration of the ruling passions, desires and afi'ections 
 of the soul, so that what was once chiefly sought after, the world 
 and its vain delights, loses its charms ; and what was once post- 
 poned and neglected, God, his righteousness, and service, take 
 the first place, and receive the principal attention. This is a 
 mighty change to be wrought in a sinner's heart, and deserves a 
 more particular attention. 
 
 I remark then further, that repentance consists in a true sense 
 of sin. On nothing is there more misapprehension among men, 
 than in regard to the nature of sin. This would be really won- 
 derful, had not the apostles warned us of the deceitfulness of sin, 
 and the craft of Satan, who often shows himself as an angel of light, 
 so that men are utterly blinded as to its true nature. Sin does 
 not consist only or chiefly in outward actions. The deeds of 
 which it is a shame even to speak ; the profane language which 
 gentlemen do not use, and the trick and meannesses which honest 
 men despise ; these are bad enough, but these are only the fruits 
 of sin, which proceed from the evil heart that every man has_ 
 and the sin that dwelleth in us. God's restraining providence, the 
 influence of society, or the force of early education, may restrain 
 a man from these, and his outward deportment may be in the 
 main blameless, while from his heart a holy God turns away from 
 him. Which of you, my hearers, would be willing to unfold 
 before this little audience, all the secret thoughts and imagina- 
 tions of your hearts, even for one single day ? Who is there that 
 would tell to his dearest friend the whole history of his soul? 
 But remember God sees and knows it all, and what think you 
 must be the feelings of him who is of j^urer eyes than to behold 
 iniquity, at the spectacle which he every day beholds in every 
 
REPENTANCE. 377 
 
 human breast ? The seat of sin is in the heart, which the prophet 
 Jeremiah tells us, is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, 
 Jer. xvii. 9. Every imaginatioii is only evil continually^ Gen. vi. 5. 
 This wickedness commences at the earliest period possible, nay, 
 in the words of the inspired Psalmist, / ivas sliapen in iniquity, and 
 in sin did my mother conceive me, Ps. li. 5. Sin in its own nature 
 is the worst thing in the universe; it is that abominable thing 
 ichich God hateth; but how much greater is its aggravation, when 
 we reflect, that all sin, even our sins against our fellow-men, are 
 yet more directly against God, that God who created, who watches 
 over and does us good? Against thee, thee only have I sinned, Ps. 
 li. 4. In our case too, my hearers, it is worse than the sin of the 
 heathen around us, for we sin against the clear word of God, 
 which we have had from our infancy, and the unspeakable grace 
 of Christ which has been made known unto us. Oh look upon 
 him whom you have pierced, and mourn. Whatever we may think 
 of sin, it was no light matter to Christ, when for our sins, he 
 poured out his blood, and oftered up his life, as a sacrifice to God. 
 
 Sin also defiles the soul. The various penances and purifi- 
 cations of the Levitical law, were all intended to show its defiling 
 nature. It unfits man for communion and intercourse with his 
 Creator. I know that to us, who are accustomed to live away 
 from God, and to think of him as one very far off from us, this 
 may seem a small thing, a light evil; but it did not seem so 
 to xldam, when in the days of his innocence he walked uncon- 
 scious of shame in the garden of Eden. How soon did he hide 
 himself from the face of God, when by sin he had forfeited his 
 favor, and rendered himself unworthy of the high privilege of 
 being a son of God ? 
 
 Sin, too, hath a dreadful punishment in reserve. God is 
 angry with the ivicked every day, Ps. vii. 11. He may not manifest 
 his anger at once, but his wrath is not therefore the less certain. 
 His justice and his holiness alike demand its punishment, and in 
 due season it will come, For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the 
 king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large; the pile thereof 
 is fire and much wood; and the breath of the Lord like a stream of 
 brimstone doth kindle it, Is. xxx. 33. 
 
 The sinner who is truly convicted and repents of his sin, is to 
 some extent aware of these truths, and they cannot but fill his 
 mind with uneasiness. I pretend not to say how much sorrow, 
 or how deep distress any man must feel in repentance for sin, but 
 
378 REPENTANCE. 
 
 I woiild give very little for that religion that does not commence 
 in sorrow, or for that experience that is not ready to pray with 
 the Psalmist, Enter not into judgment ivith thy servant, for in ilt>/ 
 sight shall no man living he justified, Ps. cxliii. 2. 
 
 But true repentance consists not simply in sorrow and fear. 
 It is joined to an "apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ." 
 The convicted sinner is deeply impressed with the sense of his 
 own sinfulness, ill-deserts, and utter helplessness; he also sees 
 that his sins have helped to nail our Saviour to his cross, and this 
 conviction fills him with more sorrow than anything else; but 
 while thus sorrowing and repenting he also sees that that crucified 
 Lord is able to save him from the power and dominion of his sins, 
 that the object of his sufferings and death was to provide an 
 atonement for men, and that, there is forgiveness ivith Jtim, that lie 
 may he feared, Ps. cvii. 7. This sense of the evil of sin, and of the 
 mercy of Christ, which has provided a ransom and a Avay of escape 
 for the sinner, fills his heart with grief and hatred of his sin. He 
 loathes himself for it, he hates all sin. He wonders at the love 
 of Christ which can pardon, and the wisdom and grace which 
 found the means of doing so. There is no sin he does not abhor, 
 and herein is one of the surest tests of the sincerity and genuine- 
 ness of your repentance. If there be some sin, some little evil, 
 which you are not willing to abandon — if there be some one point 
 on which you still wish to adhere to the world, and gratif)" your 
 natural self — your repentance is not genuine. True repentance 
 hates sin because it is sin, and though you were willing to give 
 up every other sin, yet if there be some darling lust, some one 
 evil thing which you are unwilling to abandon, then my beloved 
 hearer, I must say unto you, you do not really hate sin. You do 
 not really desire to be freed from it. Your repentance is not 
 genuine, and except you repent, you must perish. Call not this an 
 hard saying. It was Christ himself who said, Whosoever he he of 
 you tliat forsaJceth not all that he hath, he cannot he my disciple, Luke 
 xiv. 33. Christ must save you from all your sins, or he will save 
 you from none at all. Christ must make you perfectly hol}^, or 
 your portion must be with those that are without, for into the 
 holy city there shcdl in no ivise enter anything thcd defileth or icorlceth 
 ahomination, Kev. xxi. 27. Hence observe the force of the words 
 of the apostle Paul to the Corinthians, Godly sorrow icorheth re- 
 pentance unto salvation, not to he repented of: hut the sorroiu of the 
 ■world worketh death. For behold this selfsame thing that ye sorrowed 
 
REPENTANCE. 379 
 
 after a godly sort, what carefulness it icroitgld in you, yea, what 
 clearing of yourselves, yea, luhat indignation, yea, ichat fear, T/ea, 
 ■what vehement desire, yea, ivhat zeal, yea, what revenge! In all 
 things ye have approved yourselves to he clear in this matter, 2 Cor. 
 vii. 10, 11. As the sinner who truly repents, thns grieves for, 
 and hates his sins, so does he turn from them with full purpose 
 of, and endeavor after new obedience. As he has given himself 
 in times past as the servant of sin, so does he desire to give him- 
 self in time to come, as the servant of holiness. If like the 
 apostle Paul, in earlier life he has been pre-eminent in sin, -like 
 the apostle Paul, in later life he should be the more earnest in 
 the service of Him who pardons, and saves him from his sin. 
 The service of God is naturally distasteful and irksome to men, 
 but the change that comes over the repenting sinner is so great, 
 that it becomes his greatest delight. Kepentance is indeed but 
 another word for a new creation — for as already remarked, the 
 original word {^siuioiu imports nothing less than an entire change of 
 the whole current of the thoughts, affections, and desires of the soul. 
 
 Being thus changed, the disciple of Christ cannot desire to 
 remain in his old ways of sin. He therefore comes out from the 
 world and separates himself. This is implied in his obedience to 
 the command of the apostle, which forms the next subject for our 
 consideration. Repent, and he haptized every one of you, in the name 
 of Jesus Christ. To be baptized into the name of any one, is to 
 profess friendship and obedience to him ; to be baptized in the 
 name of Christ is to be admitted into the church of Christ. The 
 application of water to the body in baptism signifies the cleansing 
 of the sins of the soul by the Spirit and the blood of Christ. We 
 are baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of 
 the Holy Ghost, to signify our engrafting into Christ, our parta- 
 king of the benefits of the new covenant and our engagement to 
 be the Lord's. And these commands to repent and be baptized, 
 are, as already remarked, binding on every child of Adam, who 
 has any wish, or hope to enter heaven. 
 
 Here it may be proper to guard against two mistakes which 
 men are very apt to fall into, that repentance is to be exercised 
 only once in the course of a man's life, and that the exercises of 
 the heart in repentance and conversion are always the same in 
 kind, order, and degree, in every person who is brought to God. 
 There is a vast variety in the experience of those to whom God 
 shows his saving grace, and my object in the preceding state- 
 
380 REPENTANCE. 
 
 ments, has been more to point out what is essential than to define 
 the degree, or order in which they occur. In some the exercises 
 of the mind will be much more clear and pungent than in others. 
 Thej may more rapidly result in conversion in some cases, than 
 in others ; they may be much more clearly perceived by some, 
 and may show their effects in the outward actions, with more or 
 less distinctness. For all these varying degrees of intensity, no 
 certain or definite rule can be laid down. There can be but one 
 regeneration of the soul, but sorrow for sin may be, nay must be, 
 often felt. It is indeed commonly felt much more deeply after 
 conversion than before, and he who best knows his own heart, or 
 most narrowly examines his own life, will find the most abun- 
 dant reason to humble himself before God for his offences, and 
 shortcomings. As it is well said in the prophecy of Jeremiah, 
 Surely after that I was turned, I repented, and after that I ivas in- 
 structed, I smote upon my thigh ; Iivas ashamed, yea even confounded, 
 because I did bear the reproach of my youth, Jer. xxxi, 19. 
 
 The object that the apostle exhorts us to gain by repentance, 
 and baptism, is the remission of our sins. Let it not be suppo- 
 sed, that this great blessing is purchased by repentance. Many 
 seem to think that a little sorrow for sin is all that is necessary 
 to induce God to pardon us ; but the Bible teaches a far different 
 doctrine. By the law of Moses there was no remission without the 
 shedding of blood ; and there is no pardon of sin, except in virtue 
 of the sacrifice of Christ. It is because he hath suffered, the just 
 for the unjust, that God can be just, and yet the justifier of Mm who 
 believeth on Jesus, Rom. iii. 26. Repentance therefore does not 
 purchase our pardon. Thousands of rams, ten thousands of rivers 
 of oil for sacrifices, your first-born for your transgression, and the fruit 
 of your body for the sin of your soul, Mich. vi. 7, would not secure 
 for you the ftivor of God, nor anything save the one offering and 
 perfect sacrifice of Christ. But repentance is necessary in its own 
 nature, for having so grievously offended, it is right that we should 
 be sorry. The returning prodigal is received by his anxious fa- 
 ther, not because of his repentance, but because of his father's 
 love and compassion ; but this so far from rendering his repent- 
 ance unnecessary, only makes it the more needful and proper. 
 Shall we sin against so gracious a God as Jehovah — so merciful 
 a Saviour as Christ — so holy a Spirit as the Comforter, and yet 
 feel no emotions of sorrow, of childlike sorrow, when the love of 
 
REPENTANCE. 381 
 
 God is confirmed to us, notwithstanding our sins? Perish the 
 unworthy thought. 
 
 " Lord, we have long abused thy love, 
 Too long indulged our sin, 
 Our aching hearts e'en bleed to see 
 What rebels Tve have been." 
 
 Baptism too, on which so many rely, for their pardon and ac- 
 ceptance with God, is indeed of the utmost importance, for it is 
 commanded by God, but in itself, it is only the outward seal, and 
 possesses no virtue to save us. What is the use of the outward 
 seal, when the inward grace was wanting? Or what would you 
 value the most curious or costly seal, if it sealed nothing ? Such 
 alas, is the baptism of too many. 
 
 So much has already been said, of the instructive command 
 of the apostles, to repent and be baptized, that it leaves little space 
 or time to enlarge on the cheering promise that was spoken at 
 the same time ; but it is the less necessary to speak at length of 
 this, for if you could only be induced to obey the command, your 
 own experience would teach you more of the sweetness of the 
 promise, than men can tell you. What I have further to say, will 
 therefore be very brief 
 
 II. The promise of Peter to those who should repent and be 
 baptized, was, that they should receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 
 We shall not greatly err if we say, that next to the gift of the 
 Son of God, who gave his own life for us, the Bible contains no 
 more precious promise than the one before us, I know not in- 
 deed how to make a comparison between the two, for in the 
 Christian dispensation, each is equally indispensable. In vain 
 had been the death of Christ were the Spirit not given to apply 
 and seal to us the benefits purchased by this costly sacrifice. In 
 the promise of the Holy Spirit the apostle doubtless had a refer- 
 ence to the miraculous powers, and the gift of tongues, which 
 were bestowed on the early Christians. But it is a great mistake 
 to suppose that these were the chief or most important things in- 
 tended by this gift. There were those to whom they were grant- 
 ed, who could both work miracles, and speak with tongues, and 
 yet perished after all in unbelief The gift of the Holy Spirit had 
 respect chiefly to the communication of the salvation of Christ to 
 such as repented and were baptized, and in it are included all the 
 blessings of redemption, and eternal salvation, of which the Holy 
 Spirit is the author to all them that believe. 
 
302 REPENTANCE. 
 
 The Christian dispensation has been called, and not improp- 
 erly, the dispensation of the Spirit. He supplies to us the place 
 of the absent Saviour, leads his people into all truth, and fits 
 them for his service and his presence in glory hereafter. It is his 
 work to melt the hardened hearts of men, to foster genuine re- 
 pentance for sin, to plant faith, and hope, and love in the Chris- 
 tian's breast. It is his work to enable us to bring forth good 
 iruit, to the glory of our Master's name, to give us strength for 
 the performance of every duty, grace for the endurance of every 
 trial, and perseverance unto the end. It is his work to form in 
 our hearts the spirit of adoption, whereby we who are naturally 
 far off from God, and alienated in our minds by wicked works, 
 are enabled to come unto him, and with the confidence of chil- 
 dren to cry, Abba, Father ! TVhat is there, that the Christian 
 does not owe to, or hope from, the gracious Spirit ? Needful for 
 the life of our souls, as the elemental air is for the life of our 
 bodies, were he to withdraw from the world, it would become 
 like those pestilential regions where healthful breezes never blow, 
 or like that sea swept by no wind, where the gallant ship and her 
 crew, and the birds of the air all died, and the waters produced 
 every form of loathsome and hideous reptile. The annals of our 
 world, if they were fully read, present no more melancholy spec- 
 tacle than that of a soul, abandoned by the Holy Spirit before 
 the day of its departure from the body, and concerning Avhich, 
 even the beloved and compassionate disciple said. There is a sin 
 ivhich is unto death^ I do not say that he shall pray for it, 1 John 
 V. 16. 
 
 The apostle confirms the promise just made of the gift of the 
 Holy Spirit, by a reference to the covenant made in ancient times 
 with Abraham, which had special reference to the times of Christ, 
 and the gift of the Spirit. Ye shall receive this gift, says he, be- 
 cause Hie promise is to you, and to your children, and to all them that 
 are afar off, even as many as the Lord our Ood shall call. The 
 promise here referred to, was the one made long before to Abra- 
 ham, for him, his seed, and all the families of the earth. Gen, 
 xvii, 7, 8. In virtue of that promise, we, my hearers, who are 
 not the literal descendants of faithful Abraham, may be made to 
 partake of all the blessings that Abraham, or any of his descend- 
 ants, ever enjoyed. Tf ye he Christ's, says the apostle Paul, then 
 are yc Ahrahmn^s seed, and heirs according to the promise, Gal. iii. 29. 
 
 Fellow-sinners, the blessings of this salvation are offered alike 
 
REPENTANCE. 383 
 
 to all, and you and I may partake of them, but the word of him 
 who was before all things, by whom all things exist, and who 
 changeth not, has gone forth, that without holiness^ no man shall 
 see the Lord^ and that exceed ye repent^ ye shall all likewise j^erish. 
 It is therefore no formal or unmeaning question that I am about 
 to put to you, and I pray you in Christ's name, and as you value 
 your own never-dying souls, to answer it honestly and faithfully. 
 Have you repented of your sins ? Have you come unto Christ 
 for their pardon ? Are you bringing forth fruits meet for repent- 
 ance ? Having been baptized, as most of you have been in in- 
 fancy, are you now, in adult age, walking worthy of that holy 
 calling, and the profession then made in your name ? With 
 these questions, I leave this subject with your own consciences, 
 and pray God to grant his blessing and saving grace with it. 
 
 NiNGPO, April 12, 1846. 
 
SEEMON XLIIL 
 
 THE GRACE OF CHRIST. 
 
 Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your 
 sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. — 2 Cor. viii. 9. 
 
 Most of tliose composing this audience, profess to know some- 
 thing experimentally of the grace of Christ. I trust you do know- 
 it. It is not my purpose now to tell you anything new or strange, 
 but rather to lead your minds and my own in a path very familiar 
 to you — to ask you to walk in a road you have often walked be- 
 fore, and to think of things common and well known. But do 
 not misunderstand me, as if I meant to speak of things of little 
 use or importance. They are common, but not trite — familiar, 
 but not to be despised — as needful as the air, and water, and daily 
 bread, which sustain our bodies — like the sun, that day by day 
 shines in the heavens above us — like the heavens above, that 
 daily overshadow, and the earth beneath, that daily supports us 
 — common as all these, but infinitely more glorious and beautiful 
 and grand than they. It is something that ye know in your own 
 experience, something that the humblest Christian, the meanest 
 believer knows, and can discourse of with more true learning 
 than all the sages and philosophers of antiquity ; and yet some- 
 thing that the profoundest minds and largest capacities cannot 
 grasp, yea, which glorified spirits and angels excelling in power 
 cannot comprehend ; yea, something that God only knows, for 
 no man Imoweth the Son, hut the Father, Matt. xi. 27. And yet ye 
 know him, for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you, and ye 
 shall be with him forever. Ye are in him now if ye know him 
 at all, and ye shall be with him forever, if ye know him now, for 
 this is eternal life, to hnoio the only true God, and Jesus Christ tvhom 
 he has sent, John xvii. 3. Oh Christian I many prophets, and 
 righteous men, and Icings have desired to see the things ye see, and have 
 not seen them, and to hear the things ye hear, and have not heard them. 
 Blessed therefore are your eyes, Luke x. 23, 24, 
 
THE GRACE OF CHRIST. 385 
 
 Ye know him, and yet how little a portion of him is known, 
 and the thunder of his power, and the exceeding riches of his 
 grace, and the depth of his love, who can comprehend ? It was 
 a beautiful remark of Newton, after all the discoveries by which 
 he enlightened and astonished the world, " I seem to myself to 
 have been only like a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting 
 myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble, or a prettier 
 shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undis- 
 covered before me ;" but much more truly may the Christian say 
 this of Christ. Oldest and most experienced Christian ! who hast 
 long studied the character, and experienced the grace, and felt the 
 love of Christ, what do you know of him ? You have been for a 
 year, or five years, or perhaps twenty years, like a man standing 
 on the shores of the ocean. You have seen it in calmness and 
 beauty reposing, either as the morning sun shone over it, or seas 
 of ether and liquid gold seemed blended together at sunset. You 
 have seen it when whitened with foam and lashed by the winds, 
 when clouds and darkness hung over it. You have picked up a 
 shell here, and tried to sound its depths there. You have ven- 
 tured out a little on its bosom, and come back overwhelmed with 
 the sense of its greatness. Thus you have ever been learning and 
 seeing more of it, and how much do you know of it now ? Have 
 you comprehended it all ? Hast thou entered into the springs of the 
 sea, or hast thou walked in the search of the depth ? Job xxxviii. 16. 
 How then can ye comprehend him whom the sea willingly owned 
 for its master, and to whom it will one day give up its dead ? 
 And yet ye know him, and if ye know him aright, ye know the 
 truth of those words of Flavel — " Christ is that ocean in which 
 all true delights and pleasures meet, a sea of sweetness, without 
 one drop of gall." Suffer me then to speak to you of him. My 
 words will fall far short of the sublimity of the subject, but let 
 your prayers ascend to God, that he would teach you, and espe- 
 cially, that according to the promise of him of whom we speak, 
 the Holy Spirit may come and take of the things of Christ and 
 show them unto you. 
 
 Ye knoiv the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ; that though he was 
 rich, yet for your sakes he became poor. 
 
 He teas rich. There is no comparative or superlative here. 
 Superlative expressions would be worse than useless, for they 
 would imply a comparison with something else, where all com- 
 parison is impossible. He iva^ rich. "What is meant by riches? 
 25 
 
386 THE GRACE OF CHRIST. 
 
 Ask the beggar what it is to be rich, and he will say that you are 
 rich. If I ask you, you will probably point to some of your 
 friends who possess more of this world's goods than yourselves. 
 If I ask them, they will point to some who stand higher than 
 themselves on the dizzy ladder of riches and greatness, or perhaps 
 to Solomon the king of Israel, who exceeded all the kings of the earth 
 for riches and for wisdo7n, 1 Kings x. 23. But behold, a greater than 
 Solomon is here, Luke xi. 31. Talk of riches! Why all the 
 wealth of the world could not make Christ rich. What canst 
 thou give unto him ? The cattle upon a thousand hills are his, and 
 his are all the wild beasts of the field, yea, the world and the fulness 
 thereof Ps. 1. 10-12. Why talk of this little world? If all the 
 grains of sand in this world, and drops of water in the ocean were 
 counted out one by one, the Lord Jesus Christ can point to worlds 
 more numerous than all those grains of sand and drops of water, 
 dioA calling the mall by name, Ps. cxlvii. 4, could say, " All these are 
 mine — their varied treasures are my treasures — their myriads of 
 happy inhabitants are my subjects, and my laws they obey." Is 
 he not heir of all things'? Is he not head over all things to the 
 church f 
 
 But why talk of these material treasures, of riches such as 
 these, that can be weighed in the balance, or measured by the 
 rule ? He had other riches and greater treasures than these ; and 
 when the disciples brought him food, could say, I have meat to eat, 
 that ye know not of All things that the Father hath are his, John 
 xvi. 15 ; for in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 
 Col. ii. 9. He was in the form of Ood, and thought it no robbery to 
 be equal with God, Phil. ii. 6. High is his throne — the riches of 
 eternity, of unending time, and unbounded space — yea, the ful- 
 ness of the Godhead is his. The prayers of contrite hearts are 
 his — the worship of heaven's adoring hosts, and the love of God 
 in which, like some vast ocean, all lesser and meaner objects are 
 swallowed up and lost, all this is his. Kiches ! How poor and 
 mean are all worldly treasures compared with his ! You have 
 heard of fairy tales, and Arabian Nights, which tell of palaces of 
 gold, lighted with gems, and paved with pearls and precious 
 stones; and of wonderful beings who in an instant could rear 
 such structures as mortals could not complete in ages. Why, bre- 
 thren, all these wonderful talcs are very nonsense and folly com- 
 pared with even the material treasures Christ possesses, and you 
 cannot but feel that the comparison of his better treasures, the 
 
THE GEACE OF CHRIST. 387 
 
 riches of Ids grace, with such things as these would degrade them. 
 Well therefore does the apostle say, Re ivas rich. If you ever 
 reach that happy world, where his presence renders the light of 
 the sun needless, you will know something of his riches, far more 
 than his servants here can tell you, for he will give you liberally, 
 and without upbraiding, giving doth not im2J0verish him. 
 
 How few that are rich will willingly become poor. How few 
 that have once tasted the sweets of power are willing to give 
 them up. How hard it is after indulging in the pleasures and de- 
 lights of the beautiful palace to descend into the low valley of hu- 
 miliation, and walk through the valley of the shadow of death ! 
 Even for a dear friend it is a great sacrifice to descend to a low 
 station, and exchange a competence or abundance for poverty and 
 want. But our Lord Jesus Christ, the possessor of all glory, and the 
 inheritor of all riches, became poor. You ask, how is this possible ? I 
 do not know ; but we read in his word, how he stripped Jaimself of 
 all his glory — concealed the robes of his divinity in a garment of 
 our inferior clay — abandoned the worship of angels for the society 
 of sinners ; and more than all this, was in measure, estranged and 
 separated from the light of his Father's countenance. 
 
 He made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a, 
 servant, and was formed in fashion as a man, Phil. ii. 7. Brethren, 
 you will never know how great this condescension was. You 
 have some conception of the weakness and littleness of your own 
 bodies, and the feebleness of your own minds, but you have no 
 conception of the greatness and glory of that throne from which 
 he descended, that he might clothe himself in flesh and blood. 
 How can you have ? The apostle, in vision, saw a great white 
 throne, and from the face of him that sat upon it the earth and 
 the heavens fled away ; but behold, that face is now veiled, and 
 he who sat upon that throne is walking on the earth, to all out- 
 ward appearance a man compassed with infirmities as others, 
 Fellow-Christians, look upon that meek face and upturned eye, 
 and say. What seest thou there ? Alas ! He groweth up as a ten- 
 der plant, and as a root out of a dry ground; he hath no form or come- 
 liness, and ichen ive see him there is no beauty that ive shoidd desire 
 him, Is. liii. 2. Can this be he? Is this the Lord of life and 
 glory? Oh yes. Men saw it not. He came into his own domin- 
 ions, and his own people received him not, but inanimate nature, 
 the irrational creation, and invisible spirits knew him well. The 
 winds and waves obeyed his voice — the sea grew solid beneath 
 
388 THE GRACE OF CHRIST. 
 
 his feet. The tree shed its green glories at his word — the fisli 
 yielded up its life at his command — the bread multiplied a thou- 
 sand-fold when he spake ; diseases were subject to him — the dead 
 heard his voice and lived. Angels hovered around to minister 
 to him, and devils fled in terror at his presence. When he died 
 the earth was shaken, the rocks rent, and the noon-day sun veiled 
 his face. Creation was anxious to wait upon him. The creature 
 had long been subject to bondage, not willingly, and was groan- 
 ing for its redemption from the woes our sinful race had inflicted 
 upon it; and now when he came, as if expecting immediate de- 
 liverance, all nature was upon the alert to receive his commands, 
 and obey. But not yet. He came not then to be rich, to be 
 honored, to be ministered unto ; but to minister, and to give up his 
 life a ransom for many. Gently putting by the eager offers of 
 his creatures, and passing by every form of honor or ease the 
 world contained, he descended to the form and station of a ser- 
 vant, and the meanest of his creatures were better off than he. 
 Foxes had holes, and the birds of the air had nests, hut the Son of man 
 had not lohere to lay his head, Matt. viii. 20. Sometimes women 
 ministered unto him ; but often he was hungry, often he was 
 thirsty, and often he was weary and faint. 
 
 Was not all this bodily want and suffering, joined to the ab- 
 sence of his heavenly glory, enough? Must he descend lower 
 and become poorer still ? Yes, he came to raise the meanest of 
 our race to the throne of glory on high, and to do it he must 
 descend below them all. If there was one thing that Christ 
 wished more than another, it was the love and affection of his 
 creatures — that his friends and disciples should love him as he 
 loved them, and love one another as he commanded. His affec- 
 tionate heart yearned for the sympathy and solace of those he 
 loved. Did he obtain this ? Read the history of his life, the 
 jealousies of his chosen followers, their envy of one another, their 
 contests for the pre-eminence, their betrayal, denial, desertion. 
 Yea, fellow-Christian, look into your own heart and read there 
 what he experienced from others. Follow him to the cross, 
 where in the depth of his poverty and sufferings from men, he 
 feels himself forsaken of his God, and say if there was not mean- 
 ing in the poet's words, of which the poet himself was uncon- 
 scious when he wrote — 
 
 " Poor is the friendless owner of a world." 
 
THE GRACE OF CHRIST. 889 
 
 A man of sorroivs, and acquainted ivith griefs, these were his pos- 
 sessions, these his friends while in the world. It were long to go 
 over the whole story of all that Christ endured, as he became 
 obedient unto death — the death of the cross. Follow him to his 
 grave. Sit down with Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, over 
 against his sepulchre. It is a sepulchre given him by charity ; 
 the sun has gone down, and besides these few women and his 
 fainting disciples, who thinks of, or cares for him ? The inscrip- 
 tion on his tomb might have been — Beneath this stone repose the 
 remains of him iclio was in the form of God, ayid thought it no rob- 
 bery to be equal ivith God. Yet he made himself of no reputation, and 
 took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in, the likeness of 
 men : and being formed in fashion as a man, he humbled himself 
 and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, Phil. ii. 
 6-8. 
 
 Now remember the words of the apostle. Scarcely for a 
 righteous man luill one die. Peradventure, for a good man, some 
 would even dare to die, Eom. v. 7, and ask yourselves. For whom 
 did Christ suffer all this ? For himself, he needed not to suffer, 
 or to toil. What could the occupant of that glorious throne, the 
 possessor of those untold riches, expect to gain by enduring all 
 this poverty and sorrow ? It was not simply that he wished to 
 increase the number of his subjects, for that he could have done 
 without this labor. God is able out of stones to raise up seed 
 unto Abraham. No, my brethren, it was for your sakes. Ye 
 know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich,fm' 
 your sakes he became poor. 
 
 And who are you, that for your sakes Christ should endure all 
 this ? One would naturally suppose, on hearing of all that 
 Christ suffered for others, that they must needs be some very 
 wonderful and deserving beings for whom he was willing to en- 
 dure so much. One would almost expect some magnificent sun, 
 or brightly beaming star to burst forth, as that for which Christ 
 died ; but beheld a worm of the dust, a perishing mortal, a race 
 of sinful men ! Christian, what have you to be proud of, or that 
 could merit so much from your Saviour ? It is true that Adam 
 and Eve in the garden of Eden, were very lovely and glorious 
 creatures, but all their loveliness came from Him, being indeed, 
 but a faint reflection of his own, for in the image of God they 
 were made, and every attribute of beauty they possessed, found 
 its type, or rather its full substance in Him. But you can lay 
 
690 THE GEACE OF CHRIST. 
 
 claim to no such excellence as they. Thej speedily fell from 
 their primeval state of innocence and glory, and their children 
 were begotten, not after the image of God, but in the likeness 
 and image of their fallen progenitor, Gen. v. 3. Ye are the seed 
 of strangers ; children of rebels ; degenerate plants of a strange vine, 
 and by nature, children of wrath, even as others. Coming into the 
 world with natures prone to sin, and speaking lies as soon as you 
 were born, you have gone astray each one in his own way. You 
 are fed by his bounty, and supported by his daily providence, and 
 yet you daily forget him, and take the credit of all you possess 
 to yourselves. You are beautified and enriched by his gifts, and 
 yet you deny him due praise for them, or service with them. 
 You slight his calls, you grieve his love, you disbelieve his word, 
 you dishonor his name, and you love and trust in his enemies. 
 Am I saying too much, or charging you too harshly? I would 
 not willingly bring a single charge against you which your own 
 consciences will not acknowledge to be true, and none for which 
 my own heart does not often accuse myself. 
 
 Professing a desire to serve him, and to be his, and yet break- 
 ing all your vows and professions, and in your most solemn ser- 
 vices, and even when on your knees alone with him, yielding 
 your hearts and affections to his great enemy, and suffering 
 your eyes to wander with those of the fool to the end of the 
 earth, you are so full of sin, that you have never yet realized the 
 desperate wickedness of your own hearts, though you. know so 
 much of it, that you scarce dare own it to yourselves, and would 
 not dare expose it all to your nearest friend. At the very best 
 you are but unprofitable servants, and are utterly unable to 
 requite your Saviour for the least of all his mercies. All this is 
 true of you, even since you have experienced his grace ; but how 
 much more fearfully was it true of you, when the purpose to save 
 you was formed in the Saviour's heart, and when his grace was 
 made known for your salvation. You then were indeed poor 
 and miserable, and blind and naked — yea, so blind and so sense- 
 less, that in your folly you not only thought, but said, We are 
 rich and increased in goods and have need of nothing, Eev. iii. 17. 
 The pit of destruction was yawning to receive you, and with 
 hasty steps you were approaching the brink. One step more and 
 you might have been lost forever. How terrible the lot of those 
 who dwell with devouring fire — with everlasting burnings ! Yet 
 that was what you and I deserved, and which, had we been left 
 
THE GRACE OF CHRIST. 391 
 
 to our own efforts to deliver us, we should surely have experienced, 
 because, from the wrath of God a great ransom could not deliver 
 us, neither riches nor gold, nor all the forces of strength. Job 
 xxxvi. 18, 19. 
 
 Thanks be unto God ! He hath laid help for us on one 
 mighty to save — for ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 how, that though he was rich, for your sakes he became poor, 
 that ye through his poverty might be rich. Yes, for your sakes, 
 Christ well knew beforehand, all your povert}^, and misery, and 
 worthlessness, as well as the sufferings he must undergo if he 
 would deliver you, but he did not therefore shrink from the task. 
 Divine compassion filled his heart. Almighty power nerved his 
 hand, nor did he withdraw that hand until that heart had ceased 
 to beat, and salvation was procured. And what a salvation it 
 was ! He was not satisfied simply to deliver you from impend- 
 ing evil. He was not satisfied even to restore you to the state 
 of Adam before he fell. He was satisfied with nothing less than 
 making you rich. What shall I say here ? How is it possible 
 to describe the things that are in store for them that love God ? 
 However poor and miserable and despised they may now be, his 
 word assures to every humble believer such abundant supplies 
 of every good thing, that language fails ere the full sum is told. 
 Among these good things are enumerated mansions in heaven, 
 white raiment, crowns of gold, crowns of glory that fiide not 
 away. The tree of life with its refreshing fruit and healing 
 leaves. An exceeding and eternal weight of glorj^ The true 
 riches, the love and favor of God, the society of angels and of 
 the spirits of just men made perfect ; fulness of joy and pleasures 
 for evermore, perfect sanctification, and freedom from all sin and 
 annoyance. Eest, no more sickness and sorrow, and the presence 
 of Christ forever. Whatever it be that you most desire, you shall 
 have it, whatever it be that most annoys and grieves you now, shall 
 be taken away, and lest it should be thought that perhaps some 
 good thing might be withheld, the apostle says, Whether Paul, or 
 ApoUos, or Cephas^ or the woi-ld, or life or death, or things prese7-U, 
 or things to come ; all are yours, 1 Cor. iii. 22. Is not this enough? 
 Do you wish for more ? Then hear the apostle John, Beloved, 
 now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet ajjj^^ear what ice shall 
 he, hut we know that when he shall appear, we shall he like him, for 
 toe shall see him as he is, 1 John iii, 2. Oh Lord, it is enough ! 
 The full heart can desire no more. 
 
392 THE GRACE OF CHRIST, 
 
 How precious are these promises ! and how much more so, 
 when you reflect how they are given to you, by the grace of him 
 who, though he was rich, became poor, that ye, through his 
 poverty, might become rich. Brethren, do ye indeed hnoio that 
 grace ? 
 
 It is through his 'poverty^ that ye thus become rich. It was no 
 empty or ostentatious display of compassion, or contempt for suf- 
 ferings, that led Christ to endure so much. It was from no inten- 
 tion of merely showing how affliction should be borne, that he 
 bore all he did. Heavy as were the strokes, deep as were the 
 sorrows of our Lord, they were all necessary, God's justice 
 demanded satisfaction. His holy and unalterable law cried aloud 
 for revenge ; had Christ not borne the punishment, you and I 
 must have bowed our own necks to the stroke, and our endless 
 poverty and misery would have shown how fearful a thing it is 
 to fall into the hands of the living God. It is through the 
 poverty of Christ, that we are spared. Our sins were imputed 
 unto him, our chastisement was laid upon him, and with his 
 stripes we are healed. His righteousness and merits are imputed 
 unto us ; by faith we become united unto him, and are made par- 
 takers of justification, adoption, and sanctification, and the bene- 
 fits which in this life, and the life to come, do accompany and 
 flow from them. 
 
 Now, fellow-Christian, after this brief and most imperfect 
 representation of the meaning of this text, let me ask you, How 
 much oivest thou unto my Lord? Luke xvi. 5. Do not make the 
 sum of your indebtedness more than it really is. Think over it, 
 calmly and deliberately. What have you received from him ? 
 With what have you repaid him ? How stands your account ? 
 Perhaps it is something like this : — 
 
 So many years of life and health. 
 
 So much of worldly goods. 
 
 So much education and light. 
 
 So many kind relatives and friends. 
 
 Such a station in society. 
 
 So many Sabbaths and sermons. 
 
 So many calls of the gospel, and strivings of the Spirit. 
 
 So many supplies of grace in times of need. 
 
 So many answers to prayers. 
 
 So many earnests and foretastes of heaven, and you know 
 how many other things besides. 
 
THE GRACE OF CHRIST. 393 
 
 On the other hand, what have you to show for yourself? 
 
 So many professions of love and service. 
 
 So much faithfulness and zeal. 
 
 So many opportunities of doing good improved. 
 
 So much good done to Christ's people. 
 
 So many souls saved — and shall I ask, How many broken 
 vows, forgotten promises, misspent Sabbaths, and neglected oppor- 
 tunities ? 
 
 Oh ! let the grace of Christ fill your heart with wonder and 
 gratitude, while your own deficiencies humble you in the dust. 
 But remember, in your deepest sorrow and humiliation, to bear 
 in mind that the grace of Christ is abundantly able, and that he 
 is abundantly willing to save you, notwithstanding all your sins, 
 and imperfections, and unworthiness, and will do it, too; and 
 therefore, while you take the shame to yourselves, give all glory, 
 and honor, and praise unto him. 
 
 If your own defects and unworthiness did not teach you 
 humility, surely the example of Christ should do it. Learn from 
 him not to desire worldly honor or applause, but to follow the 
 path of duty, lead where it may. Seek not great things for your- 
 selves, remembering that the brightest example of the truth of 
 that saying, hefore honor is liumility^ is found in the life of Christ, 
 who, after his deep sorrow and humiliation, was highly exalted, 
 and had given to him a name above every other name; that at the 
 name of Jesus every knee should boiv, and every tongue confess him 
 Lordy Phil. ii. 9-11. Seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek 
 them not, Jer. xlv. 5, but let this mind he in you tvhich was also in 
 Christ Jesus, Phil. ii. 5. 
 
 Finally. Learn, hence, to consecrate yourselves entirely to him. 
 I speak not merely of giving your worldly substance to him, nor 
 even of outward diligence in his service in the spheres in which 
 your lot is cast. God lovetli a cheerful giver, and he looketh 
 at the heart far more than at external services. Let your piety 
 be of that deep, earnest, grateful kind, that delights in communion 
 with God, and which shows itself in intercourse with men, with- 
 out an effort. Out of the abundance of the heart, let your mouth 
 speak. Out of the fulness of your love, let your lives praise him. 
 ^ye love him, keep his commandments. 
 
 NiNGPO, June 14, 1846. 
 
SERMON XLIV. 
 
 DEPARTING FROM GOD. 
 
 I will arise and go unto my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned 
 against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son : 
 make me as one of thy hired servants. — Luke xv. 18, 19. 
 
 In nothing is more judgment necessary, than the interpreta- 
 tion of the parables of Christ. They are not so clear and simple 
 as many seem to suppose. They contain the broadest principles 
 and deepest truths of the kingdom of God. Hence was fulfilled 
 in him what was foretold by the prophet, I will open my mouth in 
 'parables^ I will utter things lohich have been hept secret from the founda- 
 tion of the ivorld, Ps. Ixxviii. 2, Matt. xiii. 35. In general there is some 
 one great truth intended to be taught in each parable, while all the 
 circumstances of the narrative are designed to illustrate this truth, 
 and place it in its proper light. It is, so to speak, the body of the 
 parable, while the circumstances of the narrative are the drapery 
 which surrounds it. The object of the expositor therefore, while 
 paying all due attention to the narrative, should be not to insist 
 too much on the merely accessory and minor details, but to dwell 
 chiefly on the main truth inculcated. This made plain, every- 
 thing else will naturally assume its proper position, just as Avhen 
 the body stands erect, the garments fall about it in easy and grace- 
 ful folds, and just proportion, of themselves. 
 
 In the parable of the prodigal son, so long the admiration of 
 the church, the theme of painters, and the grateful source of con- 
 solation to the weeping penitent, the chief doctrine taught seems 
 to be, the tender compassion and love of God for the returning 2^(^^ii- 
 tent. The particular circumstances by which that love and com- 
 passion are shown, are the actions of a father with an erring son. 
 The comparison is a beautiful and striking one, especially when 
 we recollect the words of the Psalmist, Like as a father pitieth his 
 children, so the Lord pitieth them, that fear him, Ps. ciii. 13. 
 
DEPARTING FROM GOD. 395 
 
 The truths taught therefore are as simple as they are striking 
 and important. Thej are, 
 
 1. The folly and sin of departing from God, and the way to 
 return. 
 
 2. The love and compassion of God to the returning peni- 
 tent. 
 
 3. The displeasure and disdain of the worldly moralist when 
 the vicious are reclaimed. 
 
 Although in this parable, the second of these is doubtless the 
 main truth taught, yet the particular verses selected for the text, 
 brings the first chiefly to mind, and to that I invite your attention 
 now. At another time- 1 may continue the subject, and treat of 
 the second and the third in order. 
 
 The subject therefore of this discourse is. The folly ^ sin and 
 misery of departing from God^ and the way to return to him. 
 
 The younger son in the parable, as described by our Saviour 
 may be considered as the type of two classes of persons, for 
 though their characters are widely different, yet they have many 
 circumstances in common, and the description of our Lord seemed 
 to have been designed for each. These two classes are, first, The 
 impenitent and unconverted sinners who have never known the 
 grace of God, second. True believers who backslide. As those 
 who form the second class were once included in the first, I shall 
 speak of each in their order. 
 
 1. In regard to all impenitent men, it is strictly true that they 
 are like the younger son in the parable. It is related of him, that 
 after receiving from his father a certain portion of his substance, 
 he went from him into a far country, where, removed from the 
 restraints of parental authority, he gave himself up to all manner 
 of dissipation and excess. So it is with the men of the world. 
 Who is there that receives not good at the hand of God ? AYho 
 is not dependent on him for every blessing? Endowed by him 
 with a body fearfully and wonderfully made, blessed by him with 
 health and strength both bodily and mental, and watched over 
 by him from the cradle to the grave, what good thing is there 
 that you do not receive from him ? It is he who teacheth man knowl- 
 edge^ Ps. xciv. 10. It is he who giveth us rain from heaven and fruitful 
 seasons^ Acts xiv. 17. It is he who raises up friends and helpers. 
 It is he who giveth the power to get wealthy Deut. viii. 18. It is he 
 who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee ivith lov- 
 ing-kindness and tender mercies. Wlio satisfieth thy mouth with good 
 
396 DEPARTING PROM GOD. 
 
 things^ so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's, Ps. ciii, 4, 5. Un- 
 der these circumstances how natural does gratitude and a hearty 
 consecration to his service seem, and how appropriately may 
 every man say with David, All things come of thee, and of thine own 
 have we given thee ; it is all thine own, 1 Chron. xxix. 14, 16. 
 
 But is it so ? Do we anywhere witness this consecration to 
 God among men of the world ? Alas ! no. Men do not like to 
 retain God in their knowledge. They say. Depart from us, for 
 we desire not the knowledge of thy ivays, Job xxi. 1-4. They seek to 
 forget him, to keep him out of their hearts and affections, nay, 
 even to flee from him. The prodigal's going into a far country, 
 is but a type of the distance which natural men seek to place be- 
 tween God and themselves. This distance and strangeness from 
 God is not attained by leaving a Christian land, and forsaking 
 Christian people and Christian ordinances. That would be in vain. 
 Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or ivhither shall I fee from thy 
 presence? Ps. cxxxix. 7. Heaven and hell are alike sensible to 
 the presence of God. The wings of the morning could not carry 
 you from beyond his presence. The darkness of the night can- 
 not hide you from his eyes. But a man may be very far from 
 God when in the midst of Christians and Christian privileges, and 
 when surrounded by the blaze of his glory he may shut his eyes 
 to it as a blind man's eyes are shut to the sun. Fellow-Chris- 
 tians, you know how possible this is, for you once were in this 
 state. Ye know the heart of a stranger, for ye icere strangers in 
 Egypt, Exod. xxiii. 9. Let the recollection of it lead you to pity 
 and pray for those who feel it not in themselves. How many 
 such there are ! It is sin which separates them from God. Your 
 iyiiquities have separated hetween me and your souls. Is. lix. 2. 
 
 When it is said that by sin men are separated from God, it is 
 not necessarily meant that they are openly and grossly wicked. 
 It is a great mistake to think that God notices chiefly the outward 
 sins that human laws punish, or human good-breeding abhors. 
 God's standard by which he judges and will 2)unish sin, is very 
 different from that of men of the world. Some sins are doubtless 
 more heinous in the sight of God than others, and some vices 
 more odious than others. But it is opportunity and light that 
 constitutes the aggravation of most sins, and doubtless multitudes 
 whose outward life is fair, are more sinful and vile in God's 
 sight, than the despised outcast, on whom the formalist and self- 
 righteous look with unmitigated contempt. The proud Pharisee 
 
DEPARTING FROM GOD, 897 
 
 who stood up in tlie temple, was much farther from God than the 
 pubhcan who stood afar off, enduring his scorn, and was probably 
 far more criminal. 
 
 Men who are thus destitute of the true knowledge of God and 
 his righteousness are far from him, and there is no saying where 
 their course will end. They go farther and farther astray, and 
 even more incline downwards. They have cast his bands away 
 from them, and were he pleased to withdraw tlie restraints which 
 his providence places around them, they would run into every 
 excess of riot. Now their object in all this is not so much to 
 despise and provoke God, as it is to seek after happiness. This 
 is that painted toy which allures all men to wander in every 
 crooked path, and sport on the brink of destruction, — but true 
 happiness is never found away from God, and all the searches of 
 the worldly and impenitent man but end in deeper disappoint- 
 ment. The deeper he goes in sin, and the further from God, the 
 deeper he sinks in misery. It may be he is for a while uncon- 
 scious of his misery, but this only makes it the more certain and 
 intolerable in the end, for his unconsciousness deprives him of the 
 possibility of escaping and obtaining true happiness. 
 
 If God has any purposes of mercy to such persons he does not 
 leave them to themselves forever, but in some way convinces 
 them of the impossibility of obtaining true happiness in the way 
 they seek it. They may forget him, but he does not forget them, 
 and one of the means by which he brings them to himself, is by 
 sending afflictions upon them, which show them the vanity of 
 their pursuits. He blasts their hopes of happiness in the world, 
 that they may seek it in himself A famine happened in the 
 land of the prodigal's sojourning, he began to be in want, and 
 was finally reduced to abject misery and distress, and in his sor- 
 row he remembered the home of his youth, which he had so need- 
 lessly forsaken. It is thus also with the convinced sinner. What 
 fruit has he now in the things he has so long sought after ? Far 
 from satisfying him, he is more ashamed of them. The arrows 
 of God are in his heart, he finds no comfort in what he once loved, 
 and when he looks forward he has only a certain fearful prospect 
 of judgment before him. He looked around for help, but there 
 is none in himself, none in his former friends, and none in the 
 world. Thus by degrees awakening, he at last comes to himself, 
 and sees the vanity of the world. Then he thinks of God and of 
 coming to him, — but at first how unwillingly, he would go any- 
 
398 DEPARTING FROM GOD. 
 
 where else if he could. But nowhere else can he go. Therefore 
 he thinks, and recalls to mind how much goodness he has already 
 experienced, and how happy are those who enjoy God's favor. 
 He resolves to return to God, but how can he come to him whose 
 goodness he has so abused? Thus reflecting he sees his own 
 ingratitude and ill-desert, and confesses his unworthiness, na}^, 
 more, his just condemnation. Thoroughly humbled by the sense 
 of his own misery and sin, he at last resolves to cast himself on 
 the free goodness of God, and to accept thankfully whatever he 
 may see fit to give. It is seldom that any person ever receives 
 true peace of mind, until brought to this unreserved casting of his 
 whole soul on the sovereign mercy and grace of God. With a 
 trembling heart and faltering step, the now deeply humbled peni- 
 tent approaches that God he has so long despised and rejected. 
 Do you ask how he is received? Fellow-Christian, you know 
 the door was thrown wide open, you were kindly received, rich 
 gifts were showered upon you, and there was joy in the church on 
 earth, and joy among the angels in heaven. This you know by 
 your own experience, and you will join me in testifying to every 
 inquiring sinner, if there be any such in this house, that if you 
 thus come you shall find the same welcome. 
 
 How rich are the blessings laid up in God's house for his peo- 
 ple — a covenant is made with them and they become the children 
 of God, while he pledges himself for their protection and defence. 
 In consequence of that covenant every rich blessing is given 
 them — strength to resist temptations and enemies, grace in time 
 of need, foretastes of heaven, right judgments, true laws, good 
 statutes and commandments, rich promises for every state, and 
 some that are seen only ivlien seen through tears — the providence 
 of God, like the pillar of fire, and the cloud that led Israel through 
 the wilderness — the good Spirit of God to instruct and to sanctify, 
 and the goodly fellowship of the faithful. All these and many 
 more are among the gifts bestowed upon the returning prodigal, 
 and well may he exclaim, The lines have fallen to me in pleasant 
 places; I have a goodly heritage^ Ps. xvi. 6. These joys thus 
 enumerated are all given him for present possession. Eye hath 
 not seen, ear hath not heard, heart hath not conceived what Ood hath 
 laid tip for them that love him. Having then such hopes, my 
 dearly beloved brethren, how earnestly should you persevere, 
 4ind go forward till the day of final redemption, 
 
 2. Can it be possible that one enjoying any or all of the 
 
DEPARTING FROM GOD. 399 
 
 blessings just enumerated, could so far forget them, as to seek 
 happiness elsewhere than in the service of God? Can it be pos- 
 sible that those who have been received back into the paternal 
 home, should again go forth to wander? Fellow-Christian, what 
 say you? Alas! I read in your countenances the answer my 
 own heart has already suggested. Yes ! it is too possible. Even 
 in the church and among the true children of God there are many 
 who turn prodigal again. Not satisfied with former danger, they 
 are like the soldier who rushes to the battle again, or like the 
 shipwrecked sailor, who once more tempts the waves ; or perhaps 
 I should use the comparison of the bird who rushes into the net, 
 or the dog who returns to his own vomit, and the sow that was 
 washed to her wallowing in the mire. I propose, therefore, now 
 to consider the case of the professed Christian who departs from 
 God, as the prodigal son departs from his father. My remarks 
 shall be directed to those who consider themselves, and in the 
 judgment of charity may justly do so, as real Christians. Some 
 might at first ask, Can such persons wander again ? Is it possi- 
 ble that one who has been rescued from the pit, delivered from 
 the wild beast, saved from the famine or the flame, should again 
 rush to the same pit, put himself in the lion's mouth, go feed upon 
 the husks the swine do eat, or e:!^pose himself again to the flames 
 of wrath? The young convert, in the ardor of his first love, says 
 no ! The Christian, when drinking in the fulness of divine love, 
 and grace for grace, says no, and angels in heaven would say no 
 too. Fellow-Christian, what say you? The fact of such wander- 
 ing does at first seem well-nigh impossible. Look at the young 
 convert, such as you all once were. After a season of painful 
 conviction of sin, and fear of eternal death and the pains of hell, 
 and a deep sense of his own utter helplessness, he is at length, by 
 God's grace, delivered. His feet are taken out of the mire, his 
 soul is delivered from the lion's jaws, and a new song, even praise 
 to our God, is put in his mouth. Eeflect, my hearers, on that 
 happy time, on the experience of the grace and love of Christ, 
 and the sweet influences of the Spirit. How delightful then was 
 prayer ! how glorious did the Scriptures seem ! how lovely the 
 fellowship of the saints ! how desirable the service of God ! But 
 alas, when a few short months have passed away, who is there 
 that will not mournfully say, Oh that it were with vie os in months 
 that are jJast — ivhen the candle of the Lord shone upon my head, and 
 when by his light I walked tJirough darkness, Job xxix. 2, 3. The 
 
400 DEPARTIXG FROM GOD. 
 
 melancTioly and humiliating truth cannot be concealed, you have 
 lost your first zeal, you have left your first love, you have grown 
 weary and fainted in your course, you have grieved the Spirit 
 and he is gone, you have wounded the Saviour, and he hides his 
 face from you, you have dishonored God, and he causes you to 
 walk in darkness. Where is the Christian who has never back- 
 slidden? 
 
 I do not say it must be thus. I would not say to a young 
 convert, "You will certainly backslide." It need not be so. You 
 need not backslide. The same grace that called and regenerated 
 you, is equally able to keep you from falling, — and it is your own 
 fault, and yours alone, if you do fiill. Let me remark here, that 
 all loss of the first ardor and freshness of a convert's feelings is 
 not backsliding. It is not in human nature to maintain always 
 the liveliness and freshness that most feel when they first experi- 
 ence that God is gracious. The great point in Christian experi- 
 ence is to feel so constantly one's own sinfulness, and consequent 
 helplessness and ill-desert, as to abide by the cross evermore. As 
 long as you feel Christ precious, and perceive his suitableness to 
 your case, and by consequence steadily persevere in his service, 
 so long you are not a backslider. 
 
 The young Christian is very ignorant of the sinfulness, and 
 especially of the pride of his own heart. I well remember the 
 counsel of a venerated parent, when I was young in the Chris- 
 tian life, " Guard against spiritual pride," and how, in my inex- 
 perience and ignorance, I thought it a needless caution, vainly 
 confiding that there was no pride in my heart to guard against. 
 Little sensible of his sinfulness, and fondly hoping that the sin 
 that dwelleth in him is well nigh dead, the young convert too 
 often keeps but a negligent guard. But why do I say the 3'oung 
 convert? Show me the experienced Christian who is so fully 
 sensible of his own sinfulness as never to be oflp his guard, or to 
 flatter himself with the belief that it is well with him. When 
 Satan sees the Christian in this state, his hellish malice is imme- 
 diately on the alert, but with infernal wisdom (oh ! brethren, 
 guard against that wisdom, it is far deeper than your own, be 
 not ignorant of his devices), he fosters the delusion by abstaining 
 for a while from open assaults. Friends smile upon you, and 
 praise you, and flatter you, and you think there is neither adver- 
 sary nor evil occurrent. The consequence of all this is, that 
 soon the Christian thinks a little less diligence is sufficient, that 
 
DEPARTING FROM GOD. 401 
 
 he may fast and pray less, be less strict in self-examination, and 
 less fervent and frequent in prayer. Conscience is already some- 
 what seared before he comes to this stage, and its faint voice is 
 silenced. These are commonly among the first steps in religious 
 declension. Now, in all this there is no intention to depart from 
 God. Nothing is further from the Christian's thoughts. Nay, I 
 have often observed, that, when these incipient steps in the down- 
 ward course had been already taken, the Christian was most apt 
 to think himself established and settled. He looks on himself with 
 some satisfaction and self-complacency. Fellow-Christian ! guard 
 against all such self-complacent imaginations, as you would 
 against a serpent. It is one of the most dangerous signs, when 
 you thus begin to think of yourself, and to suffer self-esteem in 
 your heart. But it usually comes so imperceptibly, that you see 
 it not. If Satan can only close or blind your eyes, he is sure of 
 his victim. Oh ! guard against the first little sin. It is as when 
 one letteth out water; you know not what a breach may soon be 
 made. 
 
 3. "When the Christian once begins to backslide, there is no 
 saying how far he may go. Your safety is only in the cross. It 
 is only when sensible of your sinfulness and need of pardon, that 
 you are secure. It is only when you are weak in your own esti- 
 mation, that you are really strong, — only when you are empty of 
 yourself, that you are full of Christ. The heart is too little a 
 thin-g to hold your goodness and Christ's righteousness too. Just 
 so soon, therefore, as you lose sight of the cross, and think less 
 of the blood of sprinkling, which can cleanse your soul, just so 
 soon are you standing in a slippery place. Glory in anything 
 but in the cross, and you will surely be put to shame. How far 
 you may fall, God in his wisdom and mercy only knows, but I 
 may tell you some of the steps you will probably take. 
 
 By degrees you lose your relish for secret prayer. Your 
 prayers become short, pointless, unfervent, and in great measure 
 selfish, that is, you do not pray for anybody but yourself, and 
 perhaps your own family. You have little sense of God's pres- 
 ence in devotion. Your prayers become a mere chattering noise, 
 for your mind is full of wandering thoughts. Words of prayer 
 are on your tongue, but your heart is full of vanity. Oh ! how 
 hateful this is in the sight of him who will be worshipped in 
 spirit and in truth. 
 
 Your scriptural reading and meditation become hurried and 
 
402 DEPARTING FROM GOD. 
 
 unprofitable. A veil is over your eyes in the reading of the law. 
 Where you once saw beauties, you now see none. You lose 
 your relish for many Scriptures you once delighted in. You 
 even wonder what the Psalmist means, when he speaks so raptu- 
 rously of his joy in the Scriptures. His experience does not 
 agree with your present feelings. You now see but little glory 
 in God — but little beauty in Christ — feel but few emotions of the 
 Spirit — and when it comes to this point, then verily you are very 
 far from God. You have now taken your journey into a fai 
 country. It is away from the sun. It is a very cold, dark land, 
 and you are well nigh dead. 
 
 You now lose your relish for social Christian worship and 
 fellowship. You come to the house of God as the people come, 
 and sit as the people sit, and with your mouth you show much 
 love ; but where is your heart ? Behold, it goeth after vanity. 
 You come to the Lord's table, and even there your affections are 
 but slightly aroused, for you can sit there and think of other 
 things. Oh ! how often does the listless countenance, or the 
 half-suppressed yawn, testify to the wish that the service were 
 over. When will the Sahhath he gone ? Amos viii. 5. I do not 
 say that you actually give utterance to such a wish, but He who 
 searches the heart, too often sees a state of mind in the backslid- 
 ing Christian that is but little removed from it. The feeling is 
 there, and God sees it. 
 
 You have lost the sense of intimate union with Christ. How 
 natural that you feel less the bonds of Christian love and affection. 
 You cease to talk of Christ, or to speak to a fellow-Christian as to 
 a fellow-heir of the same inheritance. You have already ceased 
 to pray earnestly and expect blessings for them, for your few 
 prayers are in great measure selfish, and end with yourself You 
 meet them, and talk of the weather, and the crops, of the news, 
 and your studies, it may be of what you are doing for Christ, but 
 how seldom of Christ, and what he is doing in and for you. And 
 if you do talk of him, do you not find that your heart is so little 
 at home in spiritual matters that it is hard to talk of them ? Out 
 of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh, Luke vi. 45. 
 
 How easy it is to slide from all this into coldness, and jealousy, 
 and suspicion, and harsh remarks, and foult-finding, and evil- 
 speaking. But I will pursue this subject no farther. Each of 
 you know, in your own experience, how much of what is said is 
 applicable to yoursolf. Do not fancy that I am finding fault 
 
DEPARTING FROM GOD. 403 
 
 with you, as thougli not in the same condemnation. If what I 
 have said meets a response in your hearts, it is in great measure 
 because repeated and painful experience has taught me its truth 
 — and while thus confessing my own remissnesses, unfaithful- 
 ness, and sin, I beseech you, my Christian friends, to deal faith- 
 fully with your own selves. Where are you now ? Have you 
 not departed very far from your Father's house? and while 
 maintaining the outward form, have you not in too great measure 
 lost the true spirit of the Christian profession ? Be zealous, there- 
 fore, and repent, Eev. iii. 19. 
 
 I have thus endeavored to describe some of the steps by which 
 the Christian departs from God ; but all that has been said, gives 
 a very faint idea of the ingratitude of such conduct, or its vile- 
 ness in the sight of God, to say nothing of the evil it inflicts on 
 your own soul. If you be a true Christian, the only evidence of 
 it that you can have while in this state will be, a deep and abid- 
 ing dissatisfaction with yourself, and desire to return. If you 
 have fallen into the state described, and yet are satisfied there- 
 with, and feel no anxiety to have it altered, then I must say unto 
 you, you have no reason to think yourself a Christian. You have 
 no reason to suppose you ever knew the grace of God. What ! 
 a Christian, and yet satisfied to live thus ? a Christian, so cold, so 
 formal, so far away, and yet at ease ! I pray God you be not de- 
 ceiving yourself with a mere name to live. How can the Chris- 
 tian be at ease in such circumstances ? A voice is telling him 
 that all is not right, that he is out of the way. Conscience re- 
 proaches him, he seeks to pacify it, promises amendment, par- 
 tially reforms — but it too often happens that this is done with but 
 half an heart, and no wonder if he fails in returning, and goes 
 mourning and complaining, neither heartily enjoying the pleas- 
 ures of sin, nor yet tasting the love of God. How long halt ye be- 
 tween two opinions ? You try to satisfy yourselves with some out- 
 ward services, some compensation, as it were, for the devotion of 
 the heart. You are diligent in business, in study, in public meet- 
 ings, but the heart is wandering, and you are unhappy, and will 
 be so, until you can fully adopt the Psalmist's prayer — Unite my 
 heart to fear thy name, Ps. Ixxxvi. 11. 
 
 If the Christian does not speedily turn to God with his whole 
 heart, the result of all will be, that there will be a famine in the 
 land. The manna once gathered will not always keep, the sweet- 
 ness of past experience will not remain, if not renewed by fresh 
 
404 DEPARTING FROM GOD. 
 
 supplies. Study, business, outward forms and services, and even 
 Christian ordinances will lose their charms, and cease to satisfy 
 you, because God's blessing is not on them, they become husks, 
 they are in themselves nothing but husks, and those that are with- 
 out will enjoy them as much as you, if the Spirit of Christ gives 
 you not vitality and strength to appreciate their sweetness. I 
 know of few conditions so distressing as that of the Christian who 
 has left God, and yet cannot find pleasure in the world. Of all 
 men he is most miserable. He has left God, and God has left 
 him. He dares not rest in the world, he cannot serve God and 
 mammon^ he has no heart to pray or read, and yet no satisfaction 
 in anything else. I will not presume to say how much of God's 
 displeasure you may be left to feel, but if God dealt with you as 
 you deserve, where would you be ? You have committed two evils ; 
 you have forsaken the fountain of living waters^ and hewn out to your- 
 selves cisterns^ broken cisterns, which can hold no ivater, Jer. ii. 13. 
 
 Having dwelt so much at length on these topics, I can say but 
 little on what remains, and shall merely suggest a few thoughts 
 for your consideration. 
 
 It may be, notwithstanding your wanderings, that God will be 
 gracious, and will give his good Spirit to reclaim you. If so, the 
 Christian will reflect on his ways, how he has grieved the Spirit, 
 ungratefully requited the care of God, and the grace of Christ. 
 He will consider his own helpless condition and starved state, and 
 adopting the words of the prodigal, he will be deeply affected 
 with penitence, self-loathing, and remorse, and he will have need 
 for it all. Thus he comes to himself. In all this wandering and 
 backsliding you have been as far removed as possible from all re- 
 semblance to your spiritual nature, but penitence and prayer are 
 the Christian's vital breath. Eeturn therefore unto God. Take 
 with you words. Come unto the Father you have so foolishly and 
 deeply grieved. Come with the spirit of a child, casting yourself 
 unreservedly on his mercy, acknowledging your sins, and resolv- 
 ing by his grace assisting, no more to wander from him. If he 
 receives you, it will be well. If he does not, you can but die — 
 but our Saviour says, He ivill in no wise cast you out. 
 
 NiNGPO, September 6, 1846. 
 
SERMON XLV. 
 
 RETURNING TO GOD. 
 
 And he arose and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his 
 father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed 
 him. — Luke xv. 20. 
 
 Having, in a former discourse, spoken at some length of the 
 steps by which a true child of God may, and often does, depart, 
 and backslide from the service of his Heavenly Father, I propose 
 now to describe the road by which he returns to that service, 
 the subject of the former discourse was one comparatively easy to 
 set before you, for it was familiar to you all, by reason of repeated 
 experience in that backward course ; but it is not easy to set the 
 subject of the present discourse so fully before you. There are 
 few Christians who have not lost the fervor of their first love. 
 There are few who do not readily comprehend the truth of the 
 prophetic declaration. Your own loickedness shall correct you^ and 
 your hackslidings shall reprove you^ Jer. ii. 19, and therefore, when 
 such a subject is preached about, every word that is said finds a 
 ready response in their hearts. But there are many Christians, 
 who, after backsliding, do not fully return to the Lord their God. 
 There are many who go on halting in their course, and the de- 
 scription of Gideon's army after their victory over Midian, faint, 
 yet pursuing, might be applied to many a child of God, of whom 
 it ought to be said, He runs, and is not weary, walks, and is not 
 faint, Is. xl. 31. How can such persons describe aright, or fully 
 comprehend the description of the hearty return, and full recon- 
 ciliation of the child of many wanderings and sins, and the 
 Father above, ever merciful and gracious ? 
 
 There are some Christians, who, in the inexperience of their 
 first religious course, and when they first feel the difficulties of 
 keeping near to God, suffer themselves to say, " It would be in 
 some respects well, if we did for a time backslide. We should 
 then know how evil a thing it is, and being fully sensible of this, 
 
406 RETURNING TO GOD. 
 
 and terrified by it, we should thereby be kept from future falls, 
 and made more careful and diligent in our after course." I know 
 not how common such an imagination may be, but it is more 
 common than many suppose, and is one of the most dangerous 
 delusions with which Satan tempts the believer. I warn you 
 against it, in all its forms. If you give way to it, you will find 
 its end to be like that of Eve, when plucking the forbidden fruit. 
 You shall thus indeed know both good and evil. You shall 
 know, by your brief experience, the good of keeping close to 
 Christ, and by your bitter sorrows and repentance, the evil of 
 departing from him. You shall get a wound and dishonor not 
 soon wiped away. You will probably go halting for many a 
 long day, and over many a rough and painful road. You may 
 not see the light of God's countenance again, so soon as you 
 fondly suppose. He is not bound to be gracious unto you, and 
 the only hope you can have is in his mercy, his free favor. That 
 mercy, that favor is exceedingly great, but has it never occurred 
 to you, my fellow-Christian, that it may be exercised in the way 
 of severe chastisements for sin, which, while they punish, also 
 cure ? There are some diseases brought on by over-indulgence 
 and neglect of caution, which are cured only by long mortifica 
 tion of the body and bitter drugs, and in which the wise and kind 
 physician finds it necessary to confine his patient to a diet on 
 which a healthy man would almost starve. It may be so with 
 you, when you backslide. Had you continued walking with 
 God, he would have fed you with the finest of the wheat: and ivith 
 honey out of the rocJc ivould he have satisfied you, Ps. Ixxxi. 16, but 
 now you have departed from him, and by so doing inflicted such 
 an injury on your spiritual life, that his mercy finds no other way 
 of healing you, except by feeding you with the bread of adversity, 
 and the water of affliction, Is. xxx. QO. He may feed you with the 
 bread of tears, and give you tears to drink in great measure, Ps. Ixxx. 
 5, and all this, not simply in punishment, but in mercy. Beware 
 then of backsliding ; you know not where it will end, or in what 
 ways you may be restored from it. He may see it necessary to 
 visit you with sore trials — to cause you to lie long amidst dis- 
 tressing doubts of his favor, and fears of his wrath, and deep self- 
 reproaches. It was well said by Doddridge, " The sorrows of the 
 convinced sinner when first he comes to God, are not to be com- 
 pared with those of the backslider when he returns from his wan- 
 derings." 
 
RETURNING TO GOD, 407 
 
 You remember the story of Christian, who fell asleep in the 
 arbor, on his way up the hill Difficulty. There he lost his evi- 
 dence of being a child of God ; and after coming nearly to the 
 Palace Beautiful, he was obliged to go back and seek it. " But 
 all the way he went back who can sufficiently describe the sor- 
 row of Christian's heart? Sometimes he sighed, sometimes he 
 wept, and oftentimes he chid himself for being so foolish as to fall 
 asleep in that place, which was erected only for a little refresh- 
 ment in his weariness." You remember his self-accusations. 
 " How many steps have I taken in vain. Thus it happened to 
 Israel. For their sin they were sent back again by the way of the 
 Eed Sea ; and I am made to tread those steps with sorrow which 
 I might have trod with delight, had it not been for this sinful sleep. 
 How far might I have been on my way by this time? I am 
 made to tread those steps thrice over which I needed not to have 
 trod but once : yea, now also I am like to be benighted, for the 
 day is almost spent. Oh that I had not slept !" You remember 
 also, that after he recovered his evidence, he was unable with the 
 utmost diligence to reach the Palace Beautiful before the sun 
 went down. " This made him again recall the vanity of his 
 sleeping to his mind, and to exclaim — Oh, thou sinful sleep ! 
 how for thy sake am I like to be benighted in my journey ! I 
 must walk without the sun, darkness must cover the path of my 
 feet, and I must hear the noise of doleful creatures because of my 
 sinful sleep !" 
 
 Do not think that in these preliminary observations there is 
 any departure from the subject of the discourse, as already an- 
 nounced. It will be found, that generally, the course of the back- 
 sliding Christian's return to God, commences in such thoughts as 
 these. 
 
 As already remarked, no one can say how long or how far 
 the backsliding Christian may depart from God. Some go so far 
 that they lose every external mark of being his, and his minis- 
 ters and the officers of his church find it necessary to exclude 
 them from the fellowship of his people. Such give great occa- 
 sion to the enemies of religion to blaspheme, and though by the 
 mercy of God they may be restored, yet it should be only after a 
 public profession of repentance, and a satisfactory evidence of a 
 hearty and thorough change of conduct. But the majority of 
 those who fall backward do not go to this extreme length, and it 
 
408 RETURNING TO GOD, 
 
 is with the return of this class that we are now principally con- 
 cerned. In regard to such as these I remark, 
 
 1. If he be a Christian, he cannot be satisfied while in this 
 backsliding state. You may hide your eyes, or forget for awhile, 
 or seek to quiet conscience, but these can be only temporary ex- 
 pedients. If you are a true child of God it is impossible for you 
 to depart from him, and yet approve of the departure. You must 
 see that something is wrong, and you cannot be satisfied while it 
 is so. The Christian has a spiritual life within him which cannot 
 be supported by the husks on which men of the world feed. 
 God hath made you for himself. He has given you himself for 
 the portion of your soul ; and though your eye may become so 
 blind, and your heart so dull, that for awhile your employment, 
 correspondence, studies, religious services, and friends, may too 
 much engross you, yet these cannot fill your heart. You may 
 attend to all these, and you will, so long as you do not enjoy God 
 in them all, be sensible of an emptiness, an aching void, which 
 nothing but He who is supremely good and real can fill. The 
 sense of dissatisfaction, of emptiness, may be more or less painful 
 in different persons, but I am persuaded that every true child of 
 God feels it when he does not have fellowship with the Father 
 and with his Son Jesus Christ. It sometimes is the occasion of 
 leading such to seek more earnestly for satisfaction in other 
 things. Hardly sensible that their inward longing arises from 
 the natural desires of the spiritual life after him who is its source, 
 they seek to satisfy it with other pursuits, and especially by in- 
 creased attention to external duties. But all this will not satisfy 
 you, and you ought to thank God that it is so. It is a mercy of 
 which you are too little sensible, when you are kept from resting 
 in such unsatisfying forms. 
 
 2. This internal dissatisfaction leads the Christian to reflec- 
 tion. "Why am I living on these husks? Is there nothing 
 better than these to be had ? Am I a child of God and an heir 
 of immortal life, and yet put off with things unsatisfying in their 
 own nature, and that perish with the using ? Has my heavenly 
 Father nothing better than these for the immortal souls of his 
 children ? How many hired servants of my Father have bread 
 enough, and to spare, while I perish with hunger?" Such re- 
 flections as these are most profitable, and they lead to further and 
 deeper self-examination. 
 
 3. By this self-examination the Christian is led to see his sin- 
 
RETURNING TO GOD. 409 
 
 fulness in its true light. As this is the most important step in 
 every attempt to return to God, it is proper to speak of it partic- 
 ularly. 
 
 The inspired declaration respecting the heart, that it is de- 
 ceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, Jer. xvii. 9, is one 
 whose truth none feels so deeply as the advanced and confirmed 
 Christian, This evil nature is not removed all at once. And one 
 of the strongest and best proofs of your growth in grace is found 
 in your deeper conviction and heartier sorrow for it. It was this 
 natural tendency to what is evil that has led you to backslide, 
 and therefore the first step in return must consist in deep humil- 
 iation for, and confession of it. Of this we have an instructive 
 example in the case of David the King of Israel. With the his- 
 tory of his melancholy fall you are doubtless all familiar. It was 
 after he had become settled in his kingdom, and in such security 
 and prosperity that he was able to employ a part of his forces in 
 foreign wars. During this time of ease he fell into a state of back- 
 sliding that resulted in open and dreadful sin, and so seared had 
 his conscience become, that it would seem as if some weeks or 
 months must have rolled away ere he became duly sensible of 
 his state. A divinely commissioned messenger aroused him from 
 this state of insensibility — a heavy judgment visited him at the 
 time. Sorer trials were in store for him ; and he was forewarned 
 that the sword should never depart from his house. His con- 
 science was now thoroughly aroused, and in this state he penned 
 the li. Psalm, which has ever been a model for the confessions of 
 the returning child of God. In this Psalm his confessions are not 
 confined to the enumeration of his actual sins. He goes down to 
 the root of the matter, to the fountain of original depravity, and 
 with the deepest humility he confesses, Behold I ivas shapen in 
 iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. And his prayer is, 
 Create in me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit zvithin 
 me. Here, my Christian friends, is the root of the matter. If you 
 feel that you have departed from God — if you desire to return to 
 him, then commence your course with humiliation and confes- 
 sion of sin, and in these exercises give the first place to that sin 
 which dwelleth in you, and which causes that when you would 
 do good, evil is present with you. 
 
 And here, along with this confession of original sin, let there 
 be a full and hearty confession and repentance of actual trans- 
 gressions. Say with David, I acknowledge my transgressions, and 
 
410 KETURNING TO GOD. 
 
 my sin is ever hefore me. And again in another Psalm, I achiowl- 
 edged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid ; I said, I 
 will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the 
 iniquity of my sin, Ps. xxxii. 5. In repentance and confession of 
 sin, one point is of sj)ecial importance. We must see that the 
 chief vileness of sin consists in the fact, that it is agai)tst God. 
 To offend a fellow-man is bad enough, but to sin against the holy 
 Majesty of heaven, to requite with ingratitude the bounty of a 
 Father like our God — surely no words can express this too strongly. 
 Hence the burden of the prodigal son's confession, was, T have 
 sinned against heaven and in thy sight, and in the enormity of 
 David's sin against God, his offences against Uriah and Uriah's 
 wife, could scarcely come into notice, Against thee, thee only have 
 I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight. While it is true that the 
 greatness of every sin is chiefly in its being against God, yet this 
 seems more especially true of the sin of backsliding, and depart- 
 ing from him. Hence the strong language of the prophet Jere- 
 miah. 
 
 Be astonished, oh ye heavens at this, 
 
 And be horribly afraid, 
 
 Be ye very desolate, saith the Lord. 
 
 For my people have committed two evils ; 
 
 They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters. 
 
 And hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, 
 
 That can hold no water, Jer. ii. 12, 13. 
 It is no light sin to forsake God. Why should you forsake him, 
 if he gives you all you need, and all he promised ? Surely you 
 will not say that you leave him because he has failed or disap- 
 pointed you in any point. Can the fountain of living waters run 
 dry ? Can the spring of eternity fail ? Can the water of the river 
 of life cease to satisfy the thirst of the spiritually living soul ? 
 Impossible ! and yet your forsaking of God, implies all this neg: 
 lect of himself, unbelief of his word, contempt of his promises, 
 yea, and actually charging God with being false to his word— for 
 if he were not false, why should you leave him? And yet you 
 have left him, and sought for that sweetness elsewhere ! And 
 where ? Verily, in broken cisterns, and in failing streams, which 
 at best are derived only from Him, and which too often are but 
 the muddy pools and brackish ponds where those who never 
 quaffed the water of everlasting life, are vainly striving to slake 
 the fevered thirst of sin ! What is this but exalting the creature 
 
EETUENING TO GOD. 411 
 
 above the Creator — the gift above the giver — and wherein does it 
 differ from the follj and sin of the idolater, who says to the stock 
 and the stone, Deliver me, for thou art my God, Is. xliv. 17. He- 
 hellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity 
 and idolatry, 1 Sam. xv. 23. Nay, it is worse than this, the idol- 
 ater is ignorant of his Lord's will, but you are not. The idolater 
 has never heard of the death of Christ, but you are casting under 
 foot, or behind your back, the blood of the covenant, and forget- 
 ting him, who, as he loved you with an everlasting love, and 
 laid down his life to save you, so he does not forget you now, 
 when he is on his throne of glory in the heavens. Truly it was 
 no exaggeration when the prophet apostrophized the heavens 
 and the earth, for the earth where our Saviour sufiered, and the 
 heavens where he reigns, must be equally astonished at the treat- 
 ment he receives from those whom he died to redeem. Hence, 
 learn too, how wonderfully great his salvation must be, for it 
 covers even the guilt of those who treat him with such ingrati- 
 tude as this. 
 
 Happiness in one form or other, is the object of every man's 
 search, and even the backslider in heart and in life, seeks it in 
 his backsliding. But you cannot find it in such broken cisterns. 
 Though you made your researches as extensive and systematic 
 as those of Solomon, yet like him must you say at last, Vanity of 
 vanities, all is vanity and vexation of sinrit, Ecc. i. 2, and to this 
 point, sooner or later, must every backslider come. When it 
 comes to this, then there is hope. Nothing tames the wild spirit 
 like hunger, and when brought down and humbled by repeated 
 disappointments, and sorrows, you will more readily see the 
 depth of 3-our sin, and acknowledge it with full confession before 
 God. 
 
 4. We have now traced the returning prodigal through the 
 various stages of self-dissatisfaction, reflection, self-examination, 
 and humiliation. There is still one step not less important than 
 any of these. It is in full and hearty confession of sin, to men 
 if you have wronged or injured them, but especially to God. 
 Come unto him with the spirit of a child. Say with the prodigal, 
 I will arise and go unto my father, and I ivill say unto him, Father, 
 I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more wor- 
 thy to be called thy son. Do not palliate or cover your guilt. 
 Peace is found only in full confession. While Ikept silence, my 
 hones waxed old through my roaring all the day long, Ps. xxxii. 3. 
 
412 RETURNING TO GOD. 
 
 Along with your repentance and confession, join humble but 
 hearty resolutions, that in God's strength you will do better here- 
 after, and commence at once the fulfilment of those resolutions, 
 by the renewed and diligent performance of all the duties, of 
 prayer, self-examination, reading of the Scriptures, Christian- 
 fellowship and communion, with social and public worship — the 
 neglect of which were so many of the steps in your downward 
 course. 
 
 Thus acting, my Christian brethren, we may come unto God 
 who is the portion of our soul. Unto God our exceeding joy. 
 Unto Christ in whom we are one, and unto the Holy Spirit who 
 dwells in us, and sanctifies and prepares us for our heavenly 
 home. 
 
 It is possible that some may ask with surprise, " Is this pain- 
 ful course which you have marked out, the only way by which 
 the backslider can return to God ? "VVe had thought it was an 
 easier and more joyful thing to come to him ?" It is very jDOSsi- 
 ble you may have thought so, but surely nothing save the want 
 of reflection could induce such a supposition. What other feel- 
 ings than those of sorrow, could the prodigal have, while as yet, 
 only on the road to his father's house? How could he know 
 that the doors of the house he had so ungratefully forsaken, Avould 
 be opened to him again ? or that the heart of his father so deeply 
 wounded and grieved by his conduct still beat with love to him ? 
 His highest hopes were fixed on a servant's place, and many fears 
 of utter disownment must have mingled with his aspirations. 
 No doubt his sighs were wafted by the breeze, and his tears 
 watered the road, as he bent his way to his father's house ; nor 
 was his sorrow turned into joy until he felt his father's embrace, 
 and was assured by the beating of his heart, that the fountain of 
 a parent's love drieth not away. What reason have you for joy, 
 until you meet the same reception ? You chose to depart, you 
 sowed corruption, and must reap corruption as long as you walk 
 in the ways of your own choosing. I know no other way by which 
 you can return, save the one now pointed out, — and I add this 
 warning here. If you are really a child of God, and have back- 
 slidden from him, then must you of your own accord return in 
 his way, or he will bring you back in a manner more painful still. 
 If the wandering child will return of its own accord, with weeping 
 and confession of sin, it is well, — but if not, then the rod and the 
 scourge must drive it home. If you are really the child of God, 
 
RETURNING TO GOD. 413 
 
 and yet will not come in the way now pointed out, then must we 
 leave you to be brought back by him, whose mercy is too great to 
 suffer you to perish for want of chastisement, should the soft 
 words of inviting affection prove unavailing. Choose ye, my 
 brethren, in which way ye will return. 
 
 The prodigal son has resolved to return to his father's house. 
 It is only after much hesitation and delay that he comes to a 
 resolution, the execution of which must so deeply humble him. 
 Nor is it without many fears that he will not be again received. 
 How can he expect that God will be gracious to him? You 
 might represent to yourselves the difficulties in the way of your 
 restoration to favor, and you may be sure that Satan will make 
 them no less. He will suggest to you, "You cannot return, you 
 have sinned too long and deeply, God will not receive you." If 
 possible the great adversary will tempt you to adopt the senti- 
 ments and language of backsliding Israel. There is no liope. No; 
 for I have loved strangers^ and after them ivill I go, Jer. ii. 25. Give 
 not way, I beseech you, to his devices. Eemember the apostle's 
 words, We are saved hy hope^ Eom. viii. 24, and hope still in the 
 mercy of God. Deal not so with God. His ways are not as our 
 ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth so are his ways higher 
 than our ways^ and his thoughts than our thoughts, Is. Iv. 9. His 
 manner of dealing with his people, is not the manner of men. 
 Go back to the wilderness of Sinai. Israel had sinned and wor- 
 shipped the golden calf, and for their sin God was justly angry. 
 He commanded them to put off their ornaments, arid the cldldren 
 of Israel stripped tliemselves of their ornaments, hy the mount Horeh, 
 Exod. xxxiii. 6. Moses went up into the mountain to appear as 
 mediator for Israel, and deep as had been the sin, and great as 
 had been the provocation of the people, yet God was pleased to 
 hear the words and prayer of his servant, and to manifest himself 
 a God, mercfid and gracinus, long-suffering, and ahundant in good- 
 ness a7id truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and 
 transgression and sin, and that will hy no means clear the guilty, 
 Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7. We, too, have a mediator, one "like unto 
 Moses," and yet far greater than he, even as a son is greater than 
 any servant however faithful. Therefore take with you words, and 
 turn unto the Lord; say unto him take away all iniquity, and receive 
 us graciously; so will we render the calves of our lips, Hos. xiv. 2. 
 Thus coming, thus confessing, thus hoping in the merits of our 
 one great Mediator, you will surely find him gracious. Though 
 
414 RETURNING TO GOD. 
 
 your sins he as scarlet^ they shall he white, as snow, though they he red 
 like crimson., they shall he as ivool, Is. i. 18. 
 
 Though authorized to say in the fullest manner that God will 
 be gracious to every penitent who thus returns, yet I do not feel 
 myself authorized to say, that he will in all cases, or at once, 
 show yon his favor, and restore to you again the joys of his salva- 
 tion. He may pardon you, but not let you know that you are 
 pardoned. The parable of the prodigal son teaches us to expect 
 that in most cases, where any one fully returns to him, the favor 
 of God will be again fully manifested to him. But reason and 
 Scripture alike teach us that there are cases in which, though his 
 anger be turned away, and he be pacified towards those that have 
 backslidden, yet will he cause them to rememher, and he confounded, 
 and never open their mouth any more, because of their shame, even 
 when he is pacified towards them, Ezek. svi. 63. It is also to be 
 borne in mind, as already intimated in tJae beginning of this dis- 
 course, that your sin, and especially your long persisting in your 
 departure, may have inflicted such a wound on your spiritual life, 
 that his very mercy may make it necessary to withhold the sensi- 
 ble manifestations of his love. His favoi would be like stimu- 
 lating wine to an excited and fevered constitution, when for such 
 as you, fasting and prayer may be the only proper prescriptions. 
 
 I know therefore of no better, or safer advice to give you than 
 this — come unto God, without any reserve, make no stipulations 
 with him, except for mercy; leave it entirely to him to grant you joy 
 or sorrow, but resolve, yea, and in reliance on him, promise, that 
 henceforth, you will persevere in his service, and though in time 
 past other lords may have had dominion over you, yet in time to 
 come, make mention only of his name ; and whatever happens to 
 you, let your resolution be like that of the Jews, when in Nehe- 
 miah's time they returned from their long captivity in Babylon. 
 T^e will not forsake the house of our God^ Neh. x. 39. 
 
 Persevering in this course, you will sooner or later find that 
 like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear 
 him, Ps. ciii. 13, and, though weeping may endure for a night, yet 
 joy Cometh in the morning, Ps. xxx. 5. 
 
 NiNGro, October 11, 1846. 
 
SEKMON XLVI. 
 
 THE LORD IS OUR JUDGE. 
 
 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mys- 
 teries of God. Moreover, it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful. 
 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's 
 judgment; yea, I judge not my own self. For I know nothing by myself; yet 
 am I not hereby justified : but he that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore, judge 
 nothing before the lime, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the 
 hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts ; and 
 then shall every man have praise of God. — 1 Cor. iv. 1-5. 
 
 Iisr the Corinthian church many parties had sprung up, some 
 declaring for one teacher and one mode of doctrine, and some for 
 anothei^ some praising this preacher, and some flocking after 
 that one ; and this state of things had come to such a pitch, as to 
 be a serious impediment to their Christian advancement. The 
 apostle, therefore, in this Epistle shows how vain all such con- 
 tentions are, and how unbecoming, and even wicked, when all 
 are servants, to be exalting one above, or at the expense of 
 another. While some of the Corinthian believers had exalted 
 the apostle above measure, even striving to make him an object 
 of almost idolatrous veneration, others had gone to the opposite 
 extreme, and by censures and false imputations, sought to cast 
 him down, or treated him with unbecoming disrespect. This 
 false spirit of regard to men, in each of its extremes, the apostle 
 combats in the words of the text, and represses it by his account 
 in the first verse of the chapter, of the nature of the ministerial 
 office. Let a man so account of us, as of the minister's of Christ, and 
 stewards of the mysteries of God, and inquire not into our gifts and 
 talents, but out faithfulness, in the ministry of Christ. Then, to 
 show them still further the impropriety of their course, in so 
 unduly regarding, either favorably or unfavorably, any man, or 
 set of men, he tells them the principle by which he was actuated 
 
416 THE LORD IS OUR JUDGE. 
 
 in all liis actions as a man, and all his dealings with men, propos- 
 ing it at the same time as a model for them to imitate. This 
 principle is in few words, as follows. That man is an accountable 
 creature, responsible not to man, bat to God, by whom he will 
 be surely judged at last ; and that this judgment of God's is of 
 such vast importance and concern, that all our efforts should be 
 to prepare for it, comparatively regardless of the opinions of men, 
 and even placing no reliance on tlie testimony of our own hearts, 
 except so far as they coincide with the revealed will of God. 
 
 I conceive this to be the meaning of the words of the text, 
 and to express the great principle of the apostle, which he aims 
 to set before his hearers. In the remarks that succeed, I shall 
 endeavor to follow the order in which the apostle expresses the 
 several parts of his principle, and in so doing to apply it to our 
 own case, without any particular reference to the circumstances 
 of the Corinthian church, which called it forth. 
 
 Let a man so account of us, as of the 7mmsters of Christ, and stew- 
 ards of the mysteries of God. This sets forth the character of the 
 ministers of the gospel, not as lords over God's heritage, not as 
 entitled to rule with despotic power, nor yet as entitled to take 
 their ease and be merry, but, on the contrary, as servants, minis- 
 ters, vnr^QTjiui, under-servants of Christ, having work to c^, being 
 stewards or dispensers of the mysteries of God. Thus, you see, 
 we are servants, and not lords, and therefore not to be exalted 
 into objects of worship, or blind submission, nor made the head 
 of any party, to the dividing of the body of Christ. And yet, 
 though we are servants, you are not to look upon us as common 
 servants, to be treated with only ordinary courtesy. We are 
 servants, and yet servants intrusted with a most important and 
 arduous office, even to be the dispensers of the mysteries of God. 
 By mysteries here, is not meant things so mysterious that they 
 cannot be comprehended — such as the changing of bread and 
 wine into the body and blood of Christ. Such is not the mean- 
 ing of the word mystery in the New Testament. As used by the 
 apostle Paul, it signifies those truths of God which he has revealed 
 to us, and which, when revealed, may be understood without diffi- 
 culty, though, had they not been revealed, they could not have 
 been known. In this sense the apostle often speaks of the call- 
 ing of the Gentiles as a mystery, and of the change in the body 
 of the saints who may be alive at the last day. We are appointed, 
 then, as the servants of Christ, to dispense unto you the knowl- 
 
THE LOED IS OUR JUDGE. 417 
 
 edge of these mysteries, and since this is a most important work, 
 the command to you is, to esteem very highly in love those who are 
 engaged in it, for their work's sake. What we say unto you, you 
 are not to receive, merely becailse we say it, but it is to be received 
 with respect, and if it accords with the word of God, then is it to 
 be received not as the word of men, hut as it is in truth the ivord of 
 God, 1 Thess. ii. 13. 
 
 Now, that which is required of us, who are engaged in this 
 ministry of Christ, and dispensation of these mysteries, is not 
 that we should aim to be eloquent — not that w« present you with 
 subtle reasonings and fine fancies — not that we tickle your ears, 
 and cause you to go away and say, "What a great sermon we 
 have had." In this we should but heap greater condemnation 
 against ourselves, and danger to you. What is required in stew- 
 ards is, that a man hefaithfrd. Our words may be fine or coarse, 
 and our thoughts common-place or original, but what is required 
 by the wants of your souls, and by the God who is above us, and 
 the Saviour who died for us, is, that we deal faithfully with you, 
 giving you the word of God, telling you his truth as he has given 
 it to us, not mincing, not concealing, not keeping back any part 
 of it, not seeking your applause or favor, but rather, as the apos- 
 tle says, seeking not yours, hut you. What is required is, that we 
 be faithful to him that sent us, and faithful to you, if so be we 
 may save your souls. Thus, a faithful ambassador is health, Prov. 
 xiii. 17 ; but we shall be of little benefit to you, if, by our 
 unfaithfulness, we merely please you to your ruin. If, by our 
 faithfulness, we cannot save you, yet at least it is required of us, 
 that your blood be not found in our skirts, and that you have no 
 cause to say, that you were lost by our carelessness or remissness 
 in the performance of our work. 
 
 If we are the means of benefit to you, it will be but natural 
 that we should be esteemed by you, but your gratitude and kind- 
 ness, however delightful to us, are not our reward. The faithful 
 servant in the parable received the reward of ruling over cities, 
 from his Lord alone. 
 
 But let it not be thought that ministers are the only stewards, 
 and the only ones that are required to be faithful. You are all 
 stewards. You have all received of God a part to perform — you 
 have all to dispense, in your several spheres, the knowledge of 
 his name, and you are all equally required to be faithful. As 
 every man hath received the gifi, even so ministei' the same one to 
 27 
 
418 THE LORD IS OUR JUDGE. 
 
 another^ as good stewards of the manifold grace of God, 1 Pet. iv. 10. 
 The grace of God is so manifold, as the apostle most truly ex- 
 presses it, that no one man, or body of men, can represent it all, 
 or dispense it all, and though it may be allowed that the ministry 
 of Christ is the most important, yet it is not the only mode in 
 which that grace is dispensed. Therefore, as every man has 
 received his gift — whether it be large, or whether it be small, so 
 minister, and minister it faithfully. In that day, it will not be 
 asked, " Were you learned ? were you known ? were you honored 
 among men ?" It will not be asked, "Did you hold a command- 
 ing position, with great means of usefulness ?" But it will be 
 asked, " Were you faithful in your appointed sphere, however 
 small or mean ?" and be assured, that he which shall be found to 
 have bee7i faithful, even in a few things, shall enter into the joy of his 
 Lord, Luke xix. 17. If unfaithful, it is true you may not have 
 such a fearful account to render, as will the unfaithful minister 
 of Christ, but it will be fearful enough, and if you are wise, you 
 will seek in time to approve yourselves faithful. To you, as 
 well as to ministers of the gospel, belongs what follows in the 
 3d, 4th, and 5th verses of this chapter, and I shall so speak of 
 them. 
 
 There were many among the Corinthians, who for one reason 
 or other had conceived very erroneous and unkind opinions re- 
 specting the apostle Paul, and some of them seem to have be^n 
 not at all backward in expressing their unfavorable judgment of 
 him. But if they thought that he would be disturbed by their 
 judgment of him, whether good or bad, so as to alter or shape 
 his course to meet their views, they were greatly mistaken. He 
 was one who knew too well the powers of the toorld to come, to be 
 in subjection to the powers of the present world. He knew too 
 well the terrors of the Lord, to fear those of men, he had estimated 
 the relative importance of things eternal and temporal, and the 
 relative greatness of God and man, too wisely to suffer the infe- 
 rior to rise above the superior, or the fear of man to overcome the 
 fear of God. In all this there was no haughtiness, no supercil- 
 ious contempt of the opinions of men, or disregard of the good 
 will of good men. He was well aware of the benefit of a good 
 name, and so far as he could, he sought to please all men. Yet, 
 with every proper sentiment of respect for all that is wise and 
 good among men, he expressed but a sober and just appreciation 
 of all human judgments as distinguished from the judgments of 
 
THE LORD IS OUR JUDGE, 419 
 
 God, when he said, With me it is a very small thing {eig eXaxiaiov 
 eivcLi, a matter of the very smallest moment), to he judged of you^ or 
 of maris judgment. How different is this calm judgment of the 
 apostle, from that of the mass of men, and of even good men. 
 Few snares beset a man so much as the fear of man ; few tempta- 
 tions so strong as to bow before the voice of a multitude either 
 present or as anticipated in the judgments of posterity. It is one 
 of the highest triumphs of moral courage and true virtue to rise 
 superior to the fear of man, and withstand the influence of a mul- 
 titude ; while to follow the multitude to do evil is a temptation 
 which even the good find it most difficult to resist. How rare 
 it is to meet an Abdiel, 
 
 " faithful found 
 Among the faithless, faithful only he, 
 Nor number nor example with him wrought 
 To swerve from truth, or change his constant mind. 
 Though single." 
 
 while on the contrary, the character of Byends in the Pilgrim's 
 Progress, who went with the world, is too lamentably common. 
 
 It must be confessed that to one who looks only at the pres- 
 ent world, there is something vastly imposing in the judgment 
 of man. The voice of man will awe even the untamed lion in 
 the forest, and the shout of a multitude is the most sublime thing 
 under heaven, saving only the war of the ocean, and the voice of 
 the thunder. And when that judgment is given with all the 
 pomp and pageantry that man can throw around it — the solemn 
 court, the judge and jury, the witness, counsel and spectators, and 
 life or death hanging on the result, — his heart must be strongly 
 nerved who can stand against all this. 
 
 And yet even all this is not so hard to stand against as the 
 silent judgment that masses of men, or nations often form, by 
 which a person is as surely doomed, as though sentence had gone 
 forth in form against him. To feel one's self a marked man, to 
 feel that every eye sees you, that every finger is pointed at you, 
 that every heart is set against you, this is that, the very appre- 
 hension of which, is enough to unnerve most men. And yet all 
 this may be borne, and there have been those who have worthily 
 stood out against it all. It is sublime to see the unanimous as- 
 sent and judgment of a multitude. It is more sublime to see one 
 man, in the calmness and fortitude of conscious innocence and 
 rectitude, stand up against a multitude, in defence of truth and 
 
420 THE LORD IS OUR JUDGE. 
 
 righteousness, and this the aj^ostle Paul could do. It is with me a 
 very small tJwig to he judged of you^ or of man^s judgment. 
 
 But what upheld the apostle in this noble stand ? Was it in- 
 deed his own innocence ? Was it indeed that he had no evil in 
 him, so that like One greater than he, he could say to his accus- 
 ers, Which of you convinceth me of sm ? No, my brethren, his 
 courage arose from a very different source. If he disregarded 
 the judgments of men, it was from no overweening confidence in 
 his own. If he feared not their censures, it was not because he 
 could say, " I am pure. I have not sinned." He expressly re- 
 pudiates all such motives. After saying so emphatically that he 
 regarded not the pomp and terror of any day of man's judgment, 
 he adds, Yea, I judge not mine own self My confidence is not 
 founded in self-esteem or self-approbation. For though I know 
 nothing hy myself though I am not conscious of anything that is 
 wrong in those parts of my conduct which you blame, yet am I 
 not hereby justified^ but he that judgeth me is the Lord, and his judg- 
 ment is of so much consequence, that I care little for yours. 
 If I can but approve myself to him, men may say of me what 
 they please. Such seems to have been the apostle's reasoning. 
 He was not afraid of the judgment of men, but this was not be- 
 cause he was satisfied with his own heart's approval, for he knew 
 of one greater thaii his heart, who must judge him. True, he knew 
 nothing by himself, he was not conscious of any wilful sin or fail- 
 ure, but he well knew that he saw not as God saw, that where 
 he might be perfectly satisfied, the law of God might justly de- 
 mand more, and that where he saw nothing wrong, God might 
 see much to abhor. Like the Psalmist, his prayer was. Cleanse 
 thou me from secret faults, as well as heep me bach from presumptu- 
 ous sins, Ps. xix. 12. The apostle here refers to the deep-seated 
 wickedness of the human heart, which other men cannot know, 
 and which even the sincere believer does not fully discover, 
 and he shows us that while such a heart exists in us, we cannot 
 hope to be saved either by the good judgment of our fellow-men, 
 or by the approval of our own hearts, unless that judgment and 
 approval coincide with the judgment and approval of the ulti- 
 mate Judge of all. Jf he will contend with him, he^cannot ansicer 
 him one of a thousand. Job ix. 3. Enter not into judgment ivith 
 thy servant, oh Lord, for in thy sight shall no man living be justified, 
 Ps. cxliii. 2. How does this fact at once beat down all the far- 
 famed terror of human judgment. He that judgeth me is the Tjord. 
 
THE LORD IS OUR JUDGE. 421 
 
 Not you, my fellow-sinners, for you too must stand at his judg- 
 ment bar, not even you, my own erring though sincere heart, 
 but he in whom is no sin, and who is as incapable of error or 
 mistake as he is of injustice — even the Lord. 
 
 What a judge is here! He who made us, who sees us. He who 
 pondereth the Jiearts, Prov. xxi. 2. Who knows what is in man, John 
 iii. 23. Whose luord is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two 
 edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, 
 and of tlie joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and 
 intents of the heart, Heb. vi. 12. He that shall judge us is he 
 whose judgment is just — whose judgment shall stand, and who 
 hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world. What a 
 day that will be ! It is often called, the day, 1 Cor. iii. 13. 
 
 " Great day, for which all other days were made, 
 No eye of man hath seen a day like this." 
 
 Away with human days! with all their petty pomp, and 
 childish ceremonials ! They may tickle the eyes of the unthink- 
 ing multitude, but what are they to the day of the Lord f Oh, 
 name them not together. The apostle did well to say, Lt is a very 
 small thing to he judged of you, or of man's day, for he that judgeth 
 me is the Lord. Behold there is a throne, a great white throne — 
 a court solemn and vast, for heaven and earth have fled away, 
 and there is nothing to disturb the scene. Spectators there are, 
 the hosts of heaven, and of unfallen worlds, it may be, too — 
 jury and witnesses are abundant ; but in the court, and on this 
 day, none are needed, for the Judge hath seen all, and the con- 
 science answers to his voice. The judgment will not be given 
 then according to the judgment that you or I, or the world may 
 now form, but according to the immutable laws of God. A re- 
 ward and a penalty are in store. Eternal life and everlasting 
 death will be the consequence of that great day. 
 
 Did not the apostle act wisely when he said that this was the 
 day he feared, more than all human days ? And ye who profess 
 to believe his words, and yet tremble at the voice of human favor 
 or dispraise, are ye wise in your course ? Why do you not 
 hearken to his exhortations, and form your judgments of your- 
 selves and others accordingly ? 
 
 One question more remains to be considered, before we attend 
 to the practical lessons of this subject. What shall be judged in 
 that day ? The answer is ready, for the apostle gives it in the 
 
422 THE LORD IS OUR JUDGE. 
 
 text — the hidden things of darkness^ and the comisels of the hearts. It 
 matters not how secret or how carefully hidden now, every secret 
 thing will then come forth. What has been spoken in the ear, 
 mider the pledge of inviolable secrecy, will then be proclaimed as 
 on the house-tops. Counsels and thoughts that yo\x blush to own 
 will then be brought to light. Yea, my fellow-Christian, I warn 
 you not to be too confident — that in virtue of your privilege as a 
 son and heir, you shall escape exposure in that day. We read 
 of some who are saved, yet so as by fire, 1 Cor. iii. 15 ; and the be- 
 loved disciple exhorts Christians to abide in him, in order that 
 the}'^ TCiSij not be ashamed before him at his coming, 1 John ii. 28. 
 There have been good men who have interpreted this verse as 
 meaning, that before Christians are received into their final rest, 
 their evil deeds will be exposed before all men, that all may see 
 them, and they shall be ashamed in the presence .of Christ. In 
 that hour of shame in the presence of the Saviour and his angels, 
 how much agony may be experienced ! Even angels it may be 
 will hide their faces at the sight, and you ma}^ enter heaven, feel- 
 ing as though you could never open your mouth any more be- 
 cause of your shame, even when your Lord is pacified towards 
 you for all that you have done, Ezek. xvi. 63. 
 
 From the many practical lessons which this subject incul- 
 cates, I select only a few, but they are deeply important to you 
 and me. 
 
 1. Judge nothing before the time. Beware of rash and hasty 
 judgments of your fellow-men. You do not, and perhaps cannot 
 understand all their motives and thoughts, nor all the facts by 
 which they are actuated. ISTor are you their judge. Who art 
 thou that judgest another man's servants ? To his own master he 
 standeth orfalleth, Eom. xiv. 4. He will be judged in due season, 
 and that judgment will be true and just. Suspend your judg- 
 ment till then. Still less may you presume to judge the Lord for 
 any of his ways. You cannot understand either what he does, or 
 why he does it. His judgments are a great deep, and his ways 
 are high out of your sight. Do not presume to judge him for 
 what he does; and still less for what he does not — or what in 
 your blindness he may seem not to do. There will be many 
 things in providence both as regards yourself and others, respect- 
 ing which you must be content to take our Saviour's word. 
 What I do, thou hioivest not now, hut thou shalt Icnoiu hereafter, John 
 xiii, 1. If thou secst the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting 
 
THE LORD IS OUR JUDGE. 423 
 
 • 
 
 of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter, for lie 
 that is higher than the highest regardeth, and there he higher than they, 
 Ecc. V. 8. It will be all right in due season, but»do you beware 
 of impiously arraigning or questioning your Judge. Shall not the 
 Judge of all the earth do right? Gen. xviii. 25. 
 
 2. Learn bence to estimate aright the value of human praise 
 and censure. There are many who are in constant anxiety from 
 desire for the praise of men, and whose minds are instantly dis- 
 quieted when they hear that anything has been said respecting 
 them. What a temptation is there in the voice of fame ! And 
 yet reflect a moment, and then say, what is the real worth or con- 
 sequence of the favor of men ? It may put bread in your mouth, 
 or it may gild your life, but will it prolong your days, or will it 
 shield you from the judgment of God ? Nay, did not Christ say. 
 Woe unto you when all men speak ivell of you, Luke vi. 36. Can 
 man's praise reverse God's censure ? 
 
 Nor on the other hand are you too much to fear the censures 
 of men. This is a necessary consequence of what has been al- 
 ready said. It is hard, perhaps impossible, to avoid censure from 
 men. It may be just or it may be unjust, or it may be a mixture 
 of both, but it will almost surely come. There will be evil re- 
 ports, there will be hard names, there will be slanders, and slander 
 is hard to bear. There be many who when they hear the voice 
 of slander, although they are conscious of innocence, yet it is a 
 load that presses them to the earth ; there is shame, there is 
 agony, there is utter prostration of soul at the thought of being a 
 by- word and reproach in the mouths of men. But is this right ? 
 Are men your judges, by whom your character and state are to 
 be fixed forever? If man condemns you, God may yet approve, 
 and is his favor nothing ? Nay, my brethren, it is sinful to fear 
 the voice of man, if God's voice is for you. Study therefore to 
 approve yourselves to him, and the day of the Lord shall declare 
 your innocence, and shall cover those who would harm you with 
 shame. 
 
 3. In that day all secret things will be made known. I need 
 not quote the Scriptures that prove this truth, you know them 
 well. The sins of Christians will be made known too, however 
 closely they may be concealed now. Many are anxious to con- 
 ceal their faults, and it may be right to conceal them where the 
 making them known would only needlessly bring odium on the 
 cause of truth. But there are two cases in which you may not 
 
424 THE LORD IS OUR JUDGE. 
 
 • 
 
 conceal a fault with impunity. You may not conceal anything 
 whatever from God; and if you have injured a fellow-man, you 
 may not conc(^l it from him, but should go and confess and 
 obtain his pardon. Present concealment in these two cases will 
 only make the inevitable disclosure at the last day more painful 
 and humiliating, while repentance and confession now may save 
 you bitter pain and shame at last. 
 
 Finally, how all-important is the favor of God. He is our judge. 
 His word must stand. Let it be your chief concern now, to secure 
 his favor ; be mainly anxious to approve yourself to him, and not 
 to your perishing fellow-men. Fear him and not them. Hear 
 the solemn words of Christ, / say unto you my friends^ Be not 
 afraid of them that hill the hody^ and after that have no more that they 
 can do. But I ivill forewarn you whom^ ye shall fear: Fear him 
 which^ after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea^ I say unto 
 you, fear him, Luke xii. 4, 5. Thus fearing him, thus living for 
 him, thus approving yourselves unto him, the censures and the 
 praises of men alike shall pass you harmlessly by, and at that 
 day when the Lord comes, he will minister unto you an entrance 
 abundantly into his everlasting kingdom. 
 
 NiNGPO, December 13, 1836. 
 
SEKMON XLVII. 
 
 SERVANTS — SONS — HEIRS. 
 
 Thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through 
 Christ.— Gal. iv. 1. 
 
 All truth, is bound together by intimate relations, and each 
 separate truth exerts an influence on every other truth in God's 
 creation. Hence it matters not what science or department of 
 natural or revealed truth be the object of our attention, if but the 
 whole soul be given to its study, the results will be of great im- 
 portance. Take the most insignificant idea, the merest germ of 
 thought, or if you will, the faintest reflection of any one truth, 
 and follow it out in all its far-reaching influences and relations, 
 and how soon will it generate thoughts, 
 
 " That wander through eternity." 
 
 The reason of this is, that all God's works form one vast whole, 
 and each part has its relations with every other. If such the 
 results then, when we consider even the more unimportant parts 
 of truth, what wonderful connections and developments should 
 we expect when we consider those more important points, whose 
 place in the great system of truth may be compared to that of the 
 backbone and spinal chord in the human body, or the Alpine and 
 Himmalaya mountains, or the Nile and the Amazon rivers in the 
 material globe? And when a mind of the highest order, like 
 that of the apostle Paul, cultivated as his was, and joined with an 
 almost angelic or seraphic love, is applied to the study of a science 
 of the utmost importance, of that science, which is emphatically 
 life, John xvii. 3, then, my Christian hearers, I ask you, can any 
 expectation be too high ? May we not look for truths and dis- 
 closures, before which all the boasted discoveries of modern 
 science will seem trifles ? and for developments of God's wisdom, 
 into which even the angels might desire to look ? 
 
426 SEKVANTS — SONS — HEIRS. 
 
 It is delightful to contemplate the character of the apostle 
 Paul. Would that Ave could rise to but half the height of his 
 devotion! So full of ardor that his soul was wrapped up in 
 Christ and in heaven, even while here on earth ; and though 
 oftentimes in a strait betwixt two, yet having a desire to depart 
 and be loith Christy so that even death was gain. If such the 
 character of the man, it is natural to expect some manifestation 
 of it in his epistles. The subjects of Christianity had been so 
 long turned over and revolved in his mind, that he had an ex- 
 pression for each in all its varied aspects and important relations. 
 Hence one peculiarity of his writings, is that they contain so 
 many of what might be called abstracts or summaries of important 
 truths, which present you at a glance with the beginning, middle, 
 and end of that which it may take years and ages to evolve. 
 Oftentim.es these abstracts of truth contain in the compass of a 
 single sentence, a whole system of theology. Thus you will often 
 find in one sentence the whole histor}^ of our race, or the whole 
 plan of redemption, or the whole duty of a believer, — and you 
 may study it, and turn it over and over, and ponder it again and 
 again, and you will even find more and more meaning evolved 
 from it. Of this class of comprehensive truths, is the verse 
 selected for the text. It is itself an abstract or compend of 
 several preceding verses, and if you will look at it you will see 
 that it comprises in its brief clauses, the whole history of every 
 believer, through every stage of his existence. Thou art no more 
 a servant^ hut a son, and if a son, an heir of God through Christ. 
 Lend me then your attention while attempting to follow in the 
 path marked by the apostle, and to describe the condition of the 
 believer, in the several stages of servitude or slavery to sin and 
 the law, of sonship to God in this world, and of his heirship of 
 glory in heaven. 
 
 I. Thou art no more a servant. If you are no more a servant, it 
 must follow that you were once a servant. Look back to that 
 time. It is not long that the most experienced of you in the ways 
 of truth, have been Christ's servants, and before you became his 
 servants, you were in bondage — and oh what a fearful bondage it 
 was! 
 
 (1.) You were in bondage to sin. You came into this world 
 with the load of Adam's sin imputed to you. You had a heart 
 that went astray from the womb, speaking lies so soon as you 
 were born. Your inbred sin grew up with your growth, and 
 
SERVANTS — SONS — HEIRS. 427 
 
 strengthened with your strength, and it showed itself in innumer- 
 able actual transgressions, the thoughts, and words, and deeds of 
 the willing slave of sin. How deep was that slaverjr I You are 
 the Lord's freeman now, and yet though the fetters have been 
 unloosed, they are not yet gone, and the marks of the iron that 
 sunk into your soul are still remaining. Which of you does not 
 even yet find reason to adopt but too often the apostle's complaint, 
 I am carnal^ sold under sin. I find a law^ that even ivlien I would do 
 good evil is present ivith me, Rom, vii. 14, 21. K the traces of your 
 slavery are still so strong, if the galling fetters have now their 
 mark so deep, that they even yet remain, oh what must have 
 been that state of slavery itself? 
 
 (2.) You were in slavery to Satan and the world. The God 
 of this world had taken possession of j^ou. You were the cap- 
 tives of Satan at his will. You were the captives of the strong 
 man, and the prey of the mighty and terrible one, who, armed at 
 all points, kept his house, and his goods more in peace. He had 
 blinded your eyes, and debased your faculties, and enhanced your 
 souls, so that you loved his service, and hugged your chains, and 
 spurned the offers of those who would deliver you. You were in 
 bondage under the elements of this world, Gal. iv, 3, ensnared by its 
 allurements, enticed by the hopes of its rewards, and in mortal 
 fear of its frowns. 
 
 (3.) Above all you were in bondage to the law, with its ter- 
 rific claims. Bad enough was the servitude to your own sins, 
 and the willing slavery to Satan, but all these were not so terrible 
 as the bondage to the law of God. It is a fearful thing to fall into 
 the hands of the living God, Heb. x. 31. When God merely 
 announced his law, amidst the flame and smoke of Sinai, and the 
 sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, the spectacle was too 
 awful for Israel to behold, a7id so terrible was the sight that Hoses 
 said, I exceedingly fear and quake, Heb. xii. 21. But jour situation 
 was far more terrible than that of Israel or Moses. They only heard 
 the law, and had it propounded for their obedience, but you had 
 already broken it in every one of its requirements, and now the 
 law met you with the drawn sword of God, and his voice of thun- 
 der, and exclaimed. Pay me that thou owestf Alas! what had 
 you wherewith to pay ? What was there to prevent the dreadful 
 sentence, /Sell him, and all that he hath, arid deliver him to the tor- 
 mentors till the debt should be paid f Matt, xviii. 34. Were you not 
 all your lives in bondage through fear of death ? Heb. ii. 15. Did you 
 
428 SERVANTS — SONS — HEIRS. 
 
 not tremble at the thought of judgment and eternity ? And even 
 when you succeeded in banishing these gloomy thoughts, were 
 not your minds still uneasy — like the troubled sea that could not 
 rest ? 
 
 Ye were servants, bondsmen. You were working for wages, 
 for the wages of sin is deaths Eom. vii. 23. As a servant earnestly 
 desireth the shadow, and a hireling looketh for the reward of his 
 work, so you, though you desired it not, and would have fled 
 from it had you known it, were hastening to that fearful retribu- 
 tion of everlasting chains and darkness, reserved for those who 
 are here the servants of sin, Satan, and the fiery law of God. 
 
 I merely touch on this point. It was your natural state. 
 God be thanked, though ye were the servants of Satan, ijet ye have 
 obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine delivered unto you, Eom. 
 vii. 17, and now, thou art no more a servant hut a son. 
 
 II. This, therefore, leads to the second stage in your spiritual 
 history, Sonship to God in this world. 
 
 There are many great changes witnessed in the world. The 
 dark and. dirty coal is by chemical changes made to assume the 
 transparency, and lustre, and costliness of the diamond. The 
 little seeds that you may hold in the palm of your hand, are by 
 vegetable changes, made to assume the form, and the beauty, and 
 the utility of waving fields of grain, or stately oaks in the forest. 
 By the mysterious changes of animal life, the torpid grub, or 
 inanimate chrysalis, puts on the gay coloring and acquires the 
 life and vigor of the insect state ; while the unborn infant is 
 brought forth from the darkness and silence of the womb, to the 
 sports of childhood, the business of riper years, and the solemn 
 expectations of eternity. But all these changes are not so great 
 as the change that passes over the immortal soul — the regenera- 
 tion of the nature, the new creation which occurs, when any 
 child of Adam becomes a child of God. What a change is this ! 
 The prodigal son was willing to become a servant in his father's 
 house, and receiye a servant's fare, but you, more degenerate than 
 he, are become sons in the house of God. I know of but one 
 change greater than this. As far as the book of God's provi- 
 dence, or the deeper revelations of his word inform us, the 
 universe has seen but one change more astonishing or more 
 momentous than the change that occurs in every instance of re- 
 generation by grace. The change that I refer to, is that change 
 that was wrought when lie, who is the eternal Son of God, and 
 
SERVANTS— SONS— HEIRS. 429 
 
 thought it no robbery to be equal with God, laid aside all his 
 glory, and exchanged it fof the veil of our inferior clay. That 
 change, my brethren, was greater than the change that has passed 
 over you, if from servants you are now become sons ; and it is 
 to us a matter of peculiar interest, that that change of Christ 
 is the cause of our change from slaves of sin to sons of God. It 
 is so announced to us by the apostle in the words that precede 
 the text. After speaking in the first verses of the chapter, of 
 our servitude, and bondage under the elements of this world, he 
 adds, But when the fulness of time was come^ God sent forth his Son 
 made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were 
 under the law, Gal. iv. 4. There you have it, brethren, the way in 
 which you were redeemed from that bitter servitude of which 
 mention has been made. Israel, in old time, were held in bond- 
 age in Egypt, and they were redeemed from it by a mighty 
 hand, and an outstretched arm. You were held in a sorer bond- 
 age than they, but you were redeemed from it by one who 
 submitted to a deeper bondage than yours, and instead of stretch- 
 ing out an arm clothed with thunder, he bowed his own back to 
 the stroke, and from shame and spitting withheld not his own 
 face. He met the law of God which came to execute its ven- 
 geance on you, and in his own person bare its heavy penalties, 
 and in his own soul, drank to the very dregs its bitterest cup. He 
 submitted to all the temptations and trials under which you so often 
 give way, but painful as they were to his holy soul, they left no 
 stain there. He suffered Satan to exert all his malice on him, and 
 gave himself up to wicked men, and in sign of the deepest igno- 
 miny, suffered the death of the cross which only slaves and the 
 vilest malefactors endured. Thus were you redeemed from under 
 the law. Oh, think on the price paid for your ransom, and when 
 you sit at the Lord's table, think on it too. But not merely did 
 he wish to redeem you from the servitude and the curse of the law. 
 He had a further object in view, to wit : that we might receive the 
 adoption of sons. Those who are justified by faith on the Son of 
 God, are by his grace received into the family of God, and become 
 entitled to all the privileges of the sons of God. Wherefore thou 
 art no more a servant, but a son. And therefore. Because ye are sons, 
 Ood has sent forth the spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying Abba, 
 Father! Gal. iv. 6. "What is this spirit of adoption ? Ye who are 
 parents, or who have the care of little children, ought to know it 
 well. It is the spirit of a child. It is the unreserved confidence a 
 
430 SERVANTS — SONS — HEIRS, 
 
 child feels when in the arms of its parents. Its affections are 
 centred on them, its hap2:)iness is found in their presence. It 
 matters little to the child Avhere its home is, provided its mother 
 be there, and when wearied with its play it can lay its head on 
 her bosom and sleep, though surrounded by strangers^ though 
 lost in the wilderness, or though tossed on the sea. 
 
 It is not many months since I held a little child in my arms. 
 It was in a strange house, and had been among strangers, — its 
 parents had left it with me for awhile, — it had leaned back its 
 head, and was gone to sleep, and I bent over it and marked its 
 quiet features, and its calm breathing, with an almost painful in- 
 terest, for I thought, " Thus should the Christian repose in the 
 arms of his God. It matters not where his lot may be cast, it 
 matters not who may be his companions, or what may be his 
 solitude, still should he feel that the everlasting arms are around 
 him, and quietly should he rest on the bosom of his God." 
 
 Thou art no more a servant hut a son. Have you considered 
 that relation, my brethren ? Are you aware of what sonship 
 supposes? How many there are who seem to forget one almost 
 essential condition in sonship. I have seen many Christians, but 
 as yet have seen none exempt from trials and afflictions. These 
 afflictions have been very various; some have affected property, 
 and some have affected friends, and some have affected bodily 
 health, and some have affected mental pursuits, and some have 
 affected spiritual enjoyments. But amidst all those thus afflicted, 
 it has been my lot to meet with very few who did not more or 
 less indulge in complaints, and in comparison of their state as 
 being harder to endure than that of some of their neighbors. Why 
 brethren, how is this ? Did you not know that trials are a part 
 of your portion here ? What son is he whom his Father chasteneth 
 not? If y^ he without chastisement, lohereof all are partakers, then 
 are ye bastards and not sons, Heb. xii. 8, and yet you are com- 
 plaining because you are called to endure that, without which 
 you could scarcely have any evidence that you are no more a 
 servant but a son ! Oh, how many there are, who give little 
 evidence of their being sons, except that melancholy one, of 
 grieving by their way wardness and faults, the Father whose every 
 thought to them is love ! Heaviness to her that hare us, and grief to 
 our fathers, Prov. x. 1, are too often the consequences of the 
 courses of children of earthly parents, but surely the spirit of 
 adoption given us by our heavenly Father, does not produce 
 
SERVANTS — SONS — HEIRS. 431 
 
 sucL. bitterness^ as tliis. Searcli yourselves, then, my brethren, 
 and see to it, that the spirit of adoption, of which you trust you 
 partake, leads you to unreserved consecration of yourselves to 
 God, of happy acquiescence in his will, of esteem for his service, 
 of hearty diligence in doing his will. He is an idle and thrift- 
 less son who spends the years of his minority in folly or dissipa- 
 tion. Ye are sons, and if sons should imitate the conduct of 
 that elde?' brother, who even in childhood, said he must be about Ms 
 Fitther's business, Luke ii. 49, and ivhose meat and drink it was to do 
 the will of his Father in heaven, John iv. 34. 
 
 III. But leaving this copious subject, the sonship of God's 
 children in this world, let us attend to the last thing held up 
 before us in the text. A^o more a servant but a son, and if a son, 
 then an heir of God through Christ. Have you ever considered the 
 full import of the words aii heir of God f I do not ask, " Are you 
 familiar with these words?" Of course you are. But do you 
 know what they mean? An heir is one who receives an inheri- 
 tance by descent from his ancestors. In the Jewish law, no prop- 
 erty was so secure and valuable as that received by inheritance, 
 for it could not be alienated ; and even if sold away, the year of 
 jubilee was sure to bring it back again. The possession of the 
 inheritance, as you are aware, accrued to the heir on the death of 
 the testator ; and ye who are sons of God, are heirs of God by 
 Jesus Christ, who has died for you, and left you a testament, 
 sealed with his own blood. And lest you should forget your 
 title to your inheritance, he appointed the ordinance of the Lord's 
 supper, in which the wine in the cup represents the New Testa- 
 ment in his blood, which is shed for you. 
 
 Thus then you are heirs of God, and the testament is in your 
 hands. Open it and see the possessions that are left and reserved 
 for you. You are of course aware that the mere fact of your 
 being an heir, does not specify how much of your father's prop- 
 erty you are to receive. Some heirs enjoy the whole inheritance, 
 while others are granted but a very small portion of what their 
 fathers possessed. Hence the interest manifested to have the will 
 opened, and to hear the disposition of the estate, and the portion 
 each one is to receive. Have you ever inquired what portion is 
 allotted to you in this precious testament ? Let us look through 
 it, and see if we cannot find something to inform us. Here in 
 Gal. iii. 29, Ave read, A7id if you be Christ's then are ye Abraham^s 
 seed, and heirs according to the promise. What promise ? If I mis- 
 
432 SERVANTS — SONS — HEIRS. 
 
 take not, tlie apostle here refers to all those promises made to Abra- 
 ham which in Eom. iv. 3 he characterizes as the promise, that he 
 should he heir of the ivorld. This is a very large promise. Men 
 of the world toil for a very small portion of its wealth, and a 
 single one of its many kingdoms would satisfy the desires of most 
 men. But much more than this world is promised you, for in 
 1 Cor. iii, 22, we read. All tilings are yours^ lohether Paul, or Aioollos, 
 or Cephas^ or the ivorld, or life or death, or tilings present or things to 
 come, all are yours. And so we read in Eev. xxi. 7, He that 
 overcometh shall inherit all things, and I loill he his Qod, and he shall 
 he my son. There is no obscurity here. The testament is clear 
 and explicit ; the inheritance is large, and if it seem not well de- 
 fined, it is only because our limited faculties are unable to grasp 
 its dimensions. Thou art no more a servant hut a son, ayid if a son, 
 then an heir of God in Christ Jesus. 
 
 Look over your inheritance, my brethren. Be as Abraham 
 when God said to him, Lift up noiu thine eyes and look from the 
 place ivhere thou art, northward and southward and eastward and 
 westward. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it, and in the 
 hreadth of it ; for I will give it unto thee. Gen. xiii. 14-17. 
 
 What a glorious inheritance is yours ! an heir of God! Look 
 abroad over your inheritance. Look not alone on the flesh-pots of 
 Egypt — these trifles that delight men's hearts. If you are a Chris- 
 tian, i! is your deliberate choice, that you prefer to be poor and af- 
 flicted here, and exposed to every variety of trials, if you may win 
 heaven at last, rather than be rich and prosperous and free from care, 
 and finally share with the rich man his torment in that flame where 
 the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. But have you 
 really lost anything by your choice ? Has not the " earnest money," 
 so to speak, been faithfully paid to you ? Are you not perfectly sure 
 that an inheritance far more glorious than your brightest and 
 fondest expectations is laid up in store, and reserved for you and 
 every one who truly makes this choice ? But perhaps the great fault 
 with you is, that you have no very clear idea of what the inherit- 
 ance is. It seems to you very far off, and your poor weak eyes, 
 dimmed by your former hard bondage to sin, and it may be even 
 yet partially blinded by your fear of the law, cannot see its 
 glories. It may seem so. But how know you that it is very far 
 off? For aught you know it may be very near at hand. You 
 think it very far off, and you may be in it to-morrow. It is not 
 far off. Some of those who, a year ago, or perhaps two years ago, 
 
SERVANTS — SONS — HEIRS. 433 
 
 like you thought it was very far away, are in it already. Dis- 
 tress not yourself with the idea of its distance. The day of your 
 salvation is nearer than when you believed. The night is far spent — 
 the day is at hand, Kom. xiii. 11, 12. 
 
 Oh, brethren, it will take a long day even to go over the in- 
 ventory of all that is contained in your inheritance. You know 
 the apostle says, All things are yours. You know it is said, He 
 that overcometh shall inherit all things, Kev. xxi. 7. It is a great 
 pity that our ideas of heavenly things are so indistinct. It is a 
 sad evidence of the depth of our original bondage, that even now, 
 on our journey through this desert to the promised land that 
 flows with milk and honey, we so often cast a longing eye back 
 to the fish and the onions and the garlic of Egypt, Num. xi. 5. Lift 
 your eyes above these things to some of those all things that are 
 promised you. Look abroad over all of God's possessions. You 
 are heir to all these things. Enumerate them. Why should you 
 not try to form some conception of your estate. You know 
 somewhat of the wonderful discoveries lately made in Astronomy. 
 You know how the far-piercing telescope has sounded into the 
 depths of space, and brought worlds and systems of worlds to 
 our notice, so numerous and vast that the leaf in the forest, the 
 grain of sand in the desert, the drop in the ocean, seem of more 
 importance in their several places than our whole world, com- 
 pared with these vast continents of stars. Who shall count their 
 numbers ? Who shall number their riches ? Who shall describe 
 the displays of God's glory they contain ? Brethren, all these 
 are yours. Yours to behold, yours to admire, yours to delight 
 in, yours to serve God in, if it please him to send you there, or it 
 be best for you that you go there. But perhaps you desire some 
 post nearer to the throne of God. Perhaps you wish to stand in his 
 immediate presence, clothed in that pure white robe, wearing that 
 amaranthine crown, singing that new song, to the music of those 
 heavenly harps. Be it so. This, too, is yours. Perhaps you 
 wish an entire freedom from sin, a perfect sanctiilcation of your 
 nature, an entire transformation into the likeness of God. Be it 
 so. This, too, is yours. For we all, with open face heholding as in 
 a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from 
 glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord, 2 Cor. iii. 18. Perhaps 
 you wish to stand by the fountain of life, quaffing in its ever flow- 
 ing streams, and feeling your heart expanding with sensations of 
 unutterable love and joy, as the beams of a Father's reconciled 
 28 
 
434 SERVANTS — SONS — HEIRS. 
 
 face shine into your souls forever and ever. It is a liigh thing 
 you desire, but be it so, even this is yours. 
 
 In the bosom of bliss, and the throned light of light, you shall 
 be the sons of God. For our Saviour says, To him that overcom- 
 eth, will I grant to sit with me on my throne^ even as I overcame^ and 
 am set down with my Father in his throne, Rev. iii. 21. 
 
 Brethren, a word with you, in your inmost hearts. How 
 came you up hither ? We found you in the beginning of our 
 discourse sunk in a slavery too horrible to think of We leave 
 you set upon a throne and enjoying a happiness, which human 
 language does not express. How came you up hither ? But the 
 reason is very plain. The apostle gives it in the text, Thou art 
 an heir of God through Christ. This is the reason. You from 
 servants are become sons and heirs of God, because Christ from a 
 son became a servant. He went down from his high throne in 
 glory to your mean estate, that he might raise you up to sit with 
 him on his throne. You have gone up the steps that Christ went 
 down. Oh how many reflections crowd upon the mind, as we 
 think of all his grace and love ! How cheerfully he bore that 
 load, and carried that cross under which we groan and grieve so 
 much. Yet it was hard work to go down as he did, far harder 
 than for us to come up, for though our old masters often strive 
 to pull us back, yet his grace lightens our load, and lends us 
 many a helping hand, aye, more than a helping hand. Remem- 
 ber ye not, how the Lord found you in a desert land, in the waste 
 howling wilderness ? he led you about, he instructed you, he kept 
 'jovl as the apple of his eye. As an eagle stirreth up her nest, flut- 
 tereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, talceth tliem, beareth 
 them on her ivings ; so the Lord alone did lead you, Deut. xxxii. 
 9-11. 
 
 Having this inheritance in view, will you ever complain any 
 more over your present wants, and trials ? Will you not reckoii 
 with the apostle, that the sufferings of this 2i'>'6sent time are not wor- 
 thy to be compared zvith the glory that shall be revealed in us ? Rom. 
 viii. 18. 
 
 May God grant, beloved hearers, that you and I may perse- 
 vere unto the end, and enter at last on the rest that remaineth for 
 the people of God, and the inheritance that shall be given to his 
 sons 1 
 
 NiNGFO, March U, 1847. 
 
SERMON XLVIII 
 
 WHAT THINK YE OF CHRIST? 
 What think ye of Christ ?— Matt. xxii. 43. 
 
 These words were spoken by our Saviour to the Jews, in 
 order to lead them to consider the testimony of their own Scrip- 
 tures respecting himself. How true were the words of Simeon, 
 He was set or appointed, that the thoughts of many hearts miyht he re- 
 vealed, Luke ii. 35. Witness the doubts and questions of the 
 Jews, as they inquired who he was, whether Isaiah, or Jeremiah, 
 or Elijah, or the risen Baptist, or one of the old prophets, or he 
 that should come ? But not merely while on the earth was he the 
 object of anxious interest and inquiry. Long lines of prophecy 
 pointed to him, commencing from the day when the darkness of 
 the fall was relieved by the light that beamed forth from the an- 
 nouncement of the woman's seed. Abraham rejoiced to see his 
 day. David spoke of him. Isaiah saw his glory, and all the 
 prophets inquired and searched diligentli/, searching what or ivhat 
 manner of time the Spirit of Christ did signify ivhen it testified before- 
 hand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that shoidd follow, 1 Pet. 
 i. 10, 11. And not alone by holy men were thoughts of Christ 
 exercised. It is no exaggeration but simple truth to say that 
 from the throne of God on high, to the lowest depths of hell be- 
 neath, there is no being created or uncreated, to whom it is not 
 a question of the deepest interest. What thinkest thou of Christ f 
 Let us then consider what is thought of Christ by the different 
 orders of intelligent and moral beings, with whose existence and 
 nature the Bible makes us acquainted. 
 
 We might commence our inquiries with Him who is from 
 everlasting to everlasting, but let us rather first ask what is 
 thought of Christ, by those beings the deepest sunk in sin, and 
 the most miserable whom the universe contains. That old ser- 
 pent the devil, with his legions of fallen angels were once glorious 
 
436 WHAT THINK YE OF CHRIST? 
 
 and happy inhabitants of the upper sanctuary. They might have 
 continued there through unending ages, amidst ever increasing 
 felicities, but sin entered in, how, we know not, and they fell. 
 " From the bosom of bliss — to the bottomless deep." How 
 long they remained in their dark prison-house before our world 
 was created it does not concern us to know. We are first inform- 
 ed of their existence and nature in the sad story of our first pa- 
 rents' fall, but blessed be God, the same page which tells us of 
 this arch enemy 's too successful wiles, tells us also of one stronger 
 thati he, who shall yet bruise the serpent's head, and tread Satan 
 under our feet. For a time it may be, Satan thought his triumph 
 was complete. . He saw our first parents seduced into his snares, 
 and his hellish heart rejoiced in the expectation that they and all 
 their posterity should follow him to his gloomy dungeon. But 
 how must he have been amazed when he heard, amidst the thun- 
 ders of the curse upon his head, the announcement of the seed 
 of the woman who was to deliver the captives of the mighty and the 
 prey of the terrible one, Is. xlix. 25. From that time we may sup- 
 pose him to look with the most anxious curiosity for new revela- 
 tions of Him that should come. He would scan every prophecy 
 — he would mark every providence — he would go to and fro 
 through the earth and laalk up and down in it, Job i. 7, to learn 
 more of Him whom he had so much reason to fear. Something 
 he must have known well, but it seems to have pleased God to 
 keep him in a most perplexing state of ignorance and partial in- 
 formation, in consequence of which every scheme he tried to 
 avert the threatened danger only reverted with redoubled force on 
 his own devoted head. When Christ was born, Satan's malice 
 and power were exerted with increased zeal. He sought to slay 
 him in infancy. He dogged his steps through life. Though 
 he heard the voice from heaven proclaim. This is my heloued Son, 
 yet immediately afterwards he dared to spread his temptations 
 before him, and even asked him to fall down and worship him, 
 Matt. iv. 
 
 Fellow-Christian, beware of this great adversary. He who 
 tempted your Lord, will not spare you. He followed our Lord 
 with temptations all his life. He set wicked men on to deeds of 
 the foulest wickedness. He taught them to despise, to scorn, to 
 reproach, to revile, to persecute, and to slay the Lord of life and 
 glory. When the close of our Saviour's life approached, the 
 malice and exertions of the devil seem to have been redoubled, 
 
WHAT THINK YE OF CHRIST? 437 
 
 and the sacred historian informs ns of one fact which sets this 
 before us in the clearest light. You are aware that in the days 
 when our Lord tabernacled in flesh, many men were possessed 
 with devils. In all these cases, however, they were inferior 
 spirits of evil who entered into the bodies of the men they tor- 
 mented. You are aware that, in the original Greek, they were 
 damovEoi, demons, by whom these unhappy men were possessed. 
 The 8ia6o\og, the devil himself, is not said to have entered into 
 any person. But when the time came that Christ Avas to be 
 delivered up, by the hand of one of his own disciples, the devil 
 would trust none of his inferior angels to spirit on the wretched man 
 to the deed. The case was too important to entrust to any sub- 
 ordinate. Not merely did the devil put it into the heart of Judas 
 Iscariot to betray him, John xiii. 2. The evangelists Luke and 
 John tell us expressly, that Satan entered into him, Luke xxii. 3, 
 John xiii. 27. He felt that his kingdom depended on the move 
 then about to be made, and no malice or power that hell could 
 muster was wanting in the hour of conflict. You know the 
 result. To the devil it may have seemed that the victory was 
 gained, when he saw the Saviour expire on the cross — saw the 
 spear enter his heart, and his body laid in its cold and silent 
 grave. In all this, my brethren, you see a part of what Satan 
 thought of Christ. You see the length to which he would go in 
 his hatred and opposition, and may suppose that his heart was 
 filled with exultation as he saw his deep-laid schemes prosper, and 
 he against whom he plotted laid low in death. 
 
 But Satan had other thoughts of Christ than those of malice. 
 Deep as was his hatred of our Lord, it could not have been deej^er 
 than his fear. He must have ever felt when in his presence that 
 he stood before his superior, and though at times he raged like 
 a wild bull, or a monster of the deep, yet ever and anon, he felt 
 the hook in his nose, and the bridle in his lips, and, however unwil- 
 lingly, was forced to turn hack hy the uxiy in lohich he came, Is. 
 xxxvii. 29. 
 
 It is most instructive to note the conduct of our Lord toward 
 this arch-enemy. You find, in all the New Testament, not the 
 shghtest trace that our Saviour ever feared him. With what a 
 majestic, yet calm and holy serenity, he ever speaks to, or of him ! 
 For wise and holy purposes, he suffered his presence and endured 
 his temptations, and felt the utmost stretch of his malice ; but all 
 with unalterable calmness and self-possession. When he pleased, 
 
438 WHAT THINK YE OF CHRIST? 
 
 he could say to the bold intruder, Oet thee behind me — and Satan 
 obeyed. One after another as the victims of Satan's power were 
 brought to his notice, he loosed their bands — opening the closed 
 ear, loosing the tied tongue, making straight the long bent body, 
 driving out the entrenched foe, and proclaiming himself the sove- 
 reign Lord. Devils trembled in his presence. What have xoe to 
 do with thee^ Jesus of Nazareth ? Art thou come to destroy us ? I 
 beseech thee, torment me not. I hnoiv thee tvho thou art^ the holy one 
 of God, Luke iv. 84. These were the testimonies that his presence 
 sxtorted from them. Yea, though a legion of evil spirits had 
 entered into one man, yet must i\xQy all obey his solitary word — 
 and beseech him not to command them to go out into the deep, Luke 
 viii. 31 ; and such became their terror when he appeared, that at 
 the last he suffered them not to speak. They knew that he teas the 
 Christ, Luke iv. 41. 
 
 If such the fear the devils had of Christ, when he came not 
 to judge, but to suffer, what will it be when he shall come not to 
 suffer, but to judge? He will come, he will judge them, he will 
 sentence them, and confine them forever in everlasting chains 
 and darkness. They know it well, and fear and hate him too. 
 Therefore, my brethren, while 3^ou be on your guard against the 
 devil, and watch and be vigilant lest he devour you, yet ma}^ you 
 comfort your hearts with the joyful truth, that, if ye resist the 
 devil, he must flee from you, and however much he may harass 
 you now, yet assuredly the God of peace shall bruise Satan under 
 your feet shortly, Eom. xvi. 20, and in your home in the skies you 
 shall never, never again be troubled with his devices. 
 
 Ye are of your father, the devil, and the works of your father ye 
 loill do, were words that our Lord once addressed to men clothed 
 in flesh and blood like ourselves, and who thought themselves as 
 good as other men, and as likely to enter heaven. These Avords 
 embody a truth of fearful moment. They are a part of those 
 solemn teachings of our Lord, in which he tells us that there are 
 but two classes of men in the world. To most men it seems that 
 the variety of moral character in the world is almost infinite, but 
 to the eye of God, every son and daughter of Adam is arrayed in 
 one or other of two bands, and the answer to the question. What 
 ihinkest thou of Christ f decides to which of them you belong. 
 The Bible acknowledges only the distinction between the seed of 
 the ivoman, and the seed of the serpent — the children of God, and 
 the children of the devil. The Saviour tells us of those that are 
 
WHAT THINK YE OF CHRIST? 439 
 
 for Mm, and those that are against him; and the apostle, with a 
 solemnity that reminds us of the judgment-day, says to us, If any 
 man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him he Anathema, Maranatha, 
 the Lord cometh, 1 Cor. xvi, 22. These testimonies of the Scrip- 
 ture lead us with sufficient clearness to the conclusion, that all the 
 thoughts of the men of this world respecting Christ, are either 
 those of opposition or of love. There is no middle ground. 
 There may be various degrees of opposition, as there are various 
 degrees of love, but to one or other of these classes must all men 
 belong. 
 
 Leaving out of view, for the present, the vast mass of our 
 fellow-men who have never heard of Christ, and who, therefore, 
 will not be judged by his gospel, we may confine our inquiry 
 solely to those who live in Christian lands, and are nominal pro- 
 fessors of the faith of Christ. If we ask, then, What think ye of 
 Christ ? what answer shall we get ? It may be remarked here, 
 that no right thoughts of Christ are ever held, except as taught 
 by the Holy Spirit, whose great office it is to take of the things 
 of Christ and show them unto men. But many of those who 
 profess the name of Christ, are not taught by the Spirit of God. 
 What thoughts can such as these have of Christ ? They may 
 think of him as some eminent teacher, but as to any further or 
 soul-saving knowledge of him, they are utterly destitute. 
 
 There is again another class, and it is also large, who possess 
 a tolerably accurate and extensive knowledge of the doctrines re- 
 specting Christ, and of the facts of his history, but their knowl- 
 edge is all speculative and dead. There are, again, those who 
 look on Christ with veneration and esteem, as the young ruler 
 did, and would gladly learn what they must do to be saved ; but 
 when it comes to the strict command. Sell all that thou hast, take up 
 the cross, and follow him, Matt. xix. 21, it is more than they can 
 do, and they go away sorrowful — not, be it observed, sorrowful 
 because they do not love Christ, but sorrowful because they can- 
 not love Christ and the world too. Now most of the persons just 
 referred to are very loth to acknowledge themselves the opposers 
 and the enemies of Christ, and when Ave bring the charge home 
 upon them, they are apt to deny it, and even with apparent in- 
 dignation. But what saith the Scripture ? Re that is not ivith, is 
 against. Even by your own showing, you are not with Christ, 
 for you reject his yoke as one too heavy to bear, and his laws as 
 too strict to be observed. You stand aloof from the church of 
 
440 WHAT THINK YE OF CHRIST? 
 
 God, you shut your eyes to your own danger, and your ears to 
 the warnings that you hear. You turn away from the service of 
 the Saviour, and prefer the gratification of your own appetites 
 and desires to the narrow path of self-denial and obedience. 
 Your answer therefore to the question. What think ye of Christ ? 
 is sufficiently obvious. You say in effect, and you act it in your 
 lives, We see no great beauty in Christ, nor desirableness in his 
 service. For ourselves, we prefer to seek first the things of this 
 "world, and to feast ourselves on its pleasures. If at the last it 
 must be so, then will we endeavor at the end of our days to be- 
 come religious enough to get to heaven. Alas, my impenitent 
 friends ! it is very plain what you think of Christ. To you he is 
 a root out of a dry ground ; he hath no form or comeliness^ and when 
 you see him^ there is no beauty in him that you should desire hvn, Is. 
 liii. 2. You are not the friends of Christ, and though you do not 
 openly oppose him, it is because. you prefer a negative opposition, 
 a mere neglect, to open hostility. But this plea will not avail 
 you — How shall you escape, if you neglect this great salvation? Heb. 
 iL 3. But all the opposers of Christ are not satisfied with this 
 mere negative opposition and disregard. There are many, who, 
 in answer to the question. What think ye of Christ? show them- 
 selves most plainly to be the children of the devil. I refer here 
 to all who openly despise the religion and persecute the followers 
 of Christ, and by persecution. I mean not simply that outward 
 form which torments the bodies of its victims, but that more pol- 
 ished style, Avhich satisfies itself with ridicule, and jest, and scorn, 
 and plumes itself on being too liberal-minded to be entrammelled 
 with old wives' fables, and silly superstitions, as many vainly speak. 
 In this class of open opposers must be ranged all those who re- 
 ject any part of God's revelation, or who set themselves against 
 any of its truths, and especially the truths that refer more directly 
 to the Saviour. How fearful it is to hear the blasphemies that 
 some men utter against the Lord of glory ! strange that any can 
 allow themselves to utter a word against him, whose every word 
 was kindness, and every thought was love. And yet who knows 
 not that in our own days there are organized bands of men, whose 
 chief object is to put down ever}' remembrance of Christ, and 
 whose chief glory is in their success in turning any away from the 
 service of the Saviour. Verily all such are of their father the 
 devil, and the works of their father they do. But my impenitent 
 and unbelieving hearers, wherein do you differ from them ? As 
 
WHAT THINK YE OF CHRIST? 441 
 
 long as you have not enrolled yourselves on the Lord's side, you 
 are, in accordance with his own declaration, among his enemies, 
 and there is nothing but the restraints of his providence, in the 
 circumstances of your early education and companions, and the 
 unseen influences of his common grace, that prevents you from 
 joining with these bold opposers. And let me tell you, as I do 
 with all sadness, and with the hope that it may lead you to re- 
 flection and repentance, that unless you repent and come out 
 boldly on the Lord's side, the time is not far distant when you 
 will be visibly associated even with the vilest of those who now 
 profane the name of Christ. Yea, the time is not distant — but 
 may God grant you grace to escape it — when you must take up 
 your portion with the spirits of the lost, and join with them in 
 execrations on the name of Jesus, every execration only sinking 
 you deeper in sin, and heaping added misery on your own heads. 
 Oh turn ye, why will ye die ? There is yet time for repentance, 
 there is yet room for hope. Do not, I beseech you, as you value 
 your own immortal souls, do not longer run the fearful risk of 
 being numbered with those who when they hear the question, 
 What think ye of Christ? are forced to gnash their teeth in bitter 
 sorrow and unavailing remorse. It will be a part, and one of the 
 bitterest parts, of the pains of hell, to think of Christ and his sal- 
 vation, to see how lovely he is, and yet hate him for that loveli- 
 ness as Satan does. 
 
 From this painful subject let us turn to contemplate a more 
 pleasing picture. We have seen that altogether lovely as Christ 
 is, there are yet beings in our universe so miserable and so vile 
 that they hate his very loveliness. It is yet more painful to re- 
 flect, that we ourselves are acquainted and in daily association 
 with many, who, however their real feelings may lie buried now, 
 will yet one day hate him as bitterly as any atheist that ever 
 lived. How fearful a thing must sin be, that can produce a re- 
 sult so horrible as this. It extracts deadly poison from the fair- 
 est flowers, it changes honey into gall, it defaces God's image in 
 his creatures, it defiles God's beauty in his works, it hurls its en- 
 venomed shafts alike against the throne of the Almighty, and 
 against the son of his love, it rushes madly on the thick bosses 
 of Jehovah's buckler, and even when bound in chains and ever- 
 lasting darkness, it vents its spite in rage and hatred against 
 heaven. And this sin, this fearful thing, my Christian hearers, it 
 dwells in your bosom and in mine, and there is nothing but di- 
 
442 WHAT THIXK YE OF CHRIST? 
 
 vine grace that can prevent it showing its nature and working its 
 purposes, as fully in you and me, as in Voltaire, or Paine, or even 
 in the spirits of darkness themselves. Oh who shall deliver us 
 from this body of death ? Thanks he to God who giveth us the victory 
 through our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 To one who knew nothing of sin, it would seem incredible 
 that it can extend to such fearful depths of iniquity. To one 
 who has seen sin, it seems well nigh incredible that the sinner can 
 ever be changed and made a friend of God. But the wondrous 
 grace of Christ — that grace which brought him from his throne in 
 the heavens to the cross and the grave — that grace can accom- 
 plish it. It can reach beneath the lowest depth of sin, and exalt 
 him who had been a blasphemer to the highest seat in glory, j^ut- 
 ting a new song into his mouth, even praise to our God. It can so 
 change the hard and stubborn heart, that he who verily thought 
 with himself that he ought to do many things contrary to the 
 name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, shall become a preacher of the 
 faith he once destroyed. Let us then consider what they think 
 of Christ, who by his grace are rescued from the fearful state of 
 misery and sin in which we all find ourselves by nature, Eph. ii. 
 8. I shall not stop to ask what is thought of Christ by the cold 
 formalist, who has put on the outward robe of a profession of re- 
 ligion, but whose heart never beat at the mention of his name. 
 Nor shall I delay to ask what those think of Christ, who, though 
 charity may hope they are really his servants, yet give but feeble 
 evidences of their love to him. Let us rather ask what they 
 think who know him best, and have lived in the nearest inter- 
 course and communion with him? What do they think of 
 Christ, who are held up to the church — not for her worship as 
 part mediators with Christ, but as examples whom we are to fol- 
 low in so flir as they followed him ? Look at the apostles, who 
 followed Christ in his tribulations, and shall sit on thrones in the 
 regeneration. Even while poor and despised by men, they could 
 say. We believe and are sure that thou art the Son of God, John vi. 
 69. With what veneration did the favored disciples look on him 
 when they saw him transfigured in the mount ! With what as- 
 tonishment when they saw him quell the boisterous winds, and 
 calm the raging waves ! With what admiration, as they saw the 
 few loaves multiply, till the wants of assembled thousands were 
 satisfied ! How did they hang on his lips, and mark his words, 
 and treasure up his sayings ! When sadness overwhelmed his 
 
WHAT THINK YE OF CHRIST? 443 
 
 soul, liow did they fall back in solemn awe, fearing to intrude into 
 the mysteries they could not comprehend. Listen to the voice of 
 the ardent Peter — / am ready to go with thee both into prison and 
 to death, Luke xxii. 33, likewise also said they all, Matt. xiv. 31. 
 This was no empt}'- boast. Although (alas for the frailty of man) 
 even Peter, in an hour of Satan's active malice, denied his Lord, 
 and all the ^isciples forsook him and fled, yet the denial was but 
 for a moment, the desertion was but for a time, bitter tears were 
 shed for the one, long devotion came after the other, and the lives 
 of one and all, and their triumphant deaths by the sword or the 
 stones of the multitude, or the inverted cross, all showed that for 
 his sake they counted not their lives dear unto them. Listen to 
 Thomas, when the last remnant of unbelief is removed from his 
 mind, and he exclaims Ily Lord and my God, John xx. 28, or the 
 beloved disciple, the only one of that little band who escaped a 
 violent death, as he closes the inspired volume with those words 
 of earnest faith and strong desire, Even so, Lord Jesus, come quicJdy, 
 Eev. xxii. 20. 
 
 From these examples it is not hard to gather what the 
 apostles thought of Christ. But let us consider a little more 
 particularly what he thought of Christ, who, more than any of 
 the apostles, is held up for our example, and to whose pen we 
 owe nearly one half of the New Testament — Saul of Tarsus, who 
 'is also called Paul. 
 
 What this once bitter persecutor, and afterwards zealous and 
 successful preacher of the gospel, thought of Christ, is easily 
 gathered both from his actions and his words ; and may be seen 
 alike in what he gave up for Christ, in what he did for him, in 
 what he endured for his sake, and in what he hoped for from 
 him. 
 
 We know not much of the early history of Paul. He is first 
 brought to our notice in the martyrdom of Stephen, to whose 
 death he was consenting. He was a citizen of Tarsus, no mean 
 city, enjoyed the privileges of a Koman citizen by birth, was read 
 in Grecian literature, was thoroughly instructed in Jewish lore, 
 being brought up at the feet of Gamaliel, and every privilege that 
 a Hebrew could boast was his. Distinguished by his zeal for 
 Judaism, he early gained the confidence of the high priest and 
 elders of the nation. What brighter prospects than these could 
 he have or desire ? for his ambition, be it observed, was not for 
 money, or ease, or luxury. He had higher aims, being zealous 
 
444 WHAT THINK YE OF CHRIST? 
 
 for the law of God, in the only nation where that law was known, 
 and his breathing out slaughter and vengeance against the fol- 
 lowers of Christ, was but acting as he in conscience verily thought 
 he ought to act. But in a moment how changed is the scene ! 
 He hath seen the Lord, he hath heard his voice, he hath received 
 his baptism, and now what becomes of his birth and learning, his 
 Jewish descent and privileges — the things that were gain to him ? 
 Hear his own words, What things were given to ms those I counted 
 loss for Christ. His was no empty boast, or futile aspiration of a 
 retired scholar in his study, who in his dreams builds airy castles, 
 and forms high resolutions, which his sober waking thoughts do 
 not enable him to carry out, for the apostle further ssijs, Yea, 
 doubtless, audi count all things hut loss for the excellency of the knowl- 
 edge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for ivhoni I have stiffered the loss of 
 all things, and do count them hut dung, that I may win Christ, Phil, 
 iii. 7, 8. Such were what Paul gave up for Christ. Do you ask 
 what he did for him? Take the map and follow him in all his 
 journeys and voyages, now beating along the Sj'rian coasts, now 
 boldly venturing out on the bosom of the Mediterranean sea, now 
 going a foot from one place to another, visiting and visiting again 
 the churches he had formed, his own hands ministering to his 
 necessities the while. See him preaching Christ alike in Jerusalem 
 and Damascus, in Antioch and Ephesus, in Corinth and in Rome, on 
 the ship's deck, in the private room, to a few women, or to the Epi- 
 cureans and Sophists. Hear him say, From Jerusalem round about 
 to lllyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ, and lam ready 
 to preach to you that are in Rome also, Rom. xiv. 19. And where 
 did he preach ? Not merely from well-lined pulpits to polished 
 audiences sitting in comfortable pews, reaping the fruit of other 
 men's labor and toil. No, it was his ambition to preach Christ 
 where his name had not before been heard, and in his zeal he 
 proclaimed himself debtor to the barbarian and the Greek, and 
 ready to become all things to all men, if he might by any means 
 save some. All these labors were performed amidst the endur- 
 ance of sufferings and privations that might appal a giant, or task 
 an angel's strength. He knew that in every city bonds and afflic- 
 tions awaited him. Acts xx. 13, yet still went he forth to his 
 work. He had been told how great things he must suffer for the 
 name of Jesus, Acts ix. 16, yet still he was undismayed. Full six 
 years before he lost his life by the Roman sword, and before he 
 had endured any of the trials of his long imprisonment in Judea, 
 
WHAT THINK YE OF CHRIST? 445 
 
 or the perils and discomforts of his voyage to Italy, or the weari- 
 gome chain with which, for two years, he was bound in Eome, 
 he wrote to the Corinthians in these words, Of the Jews five times 
 received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once 
 was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day have I 
 been in the deep ; In journey ings often, in perils of waters, in perils 
 of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, 
 in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in 
 perils among false brethren; in weariness and painfulness, in ivatch- 
 ings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and naked- 
 iiess. Besides those things that are ivithout, that ivhich cometh iipon me 
 daily, the care of all the chicrches, 2 Cor. xi. 24-28. Did all these 
 things appal him, or make him think less of Christ? Far from 
 it, for he says, God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, Gal. vi. 14. Did all these things weary him 
 of the service, or lessen his love of the Saviour ? Far, far from 
 it. Look through his epistles. Did it ever occur to you to note 
 how often he uses the name of Christ ? Not merely is it in the 
 beginning and the end of every epistle, — not merely is it the main 
 subject of his writing, but you can hardly find a sentence in some 
 of the epistles, in which that beloved name does not occur. How 
 well might he have said, 
 
 "Jesus! I love thy charming name, 
 'Tis music to mine ear, 
 Fain -would I sound it out aloud 
 That heaven and earth might hear." 
 
 And how truly might he have added, in the words of another 
 
 hymn, 
 
 " Dear name I the rock on which I build. 
 My shield and hiding-place. 
 My never failing treasury filled 
 With boundless stores of grace." 
 
 These were what Paul gave up for Christ, these were what he 
 did and endured for him. It were long to enumerate all* he 
 hoped for from him, but he himself has given an abstract both 
 of what he did for Christ, and of what he hoped for from him. 
 Writing to Timothy he says, / 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, tvhich the Lord, the righteous Judge^ 
 shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but to all tJiem also 
 that love his appearing, 2 Tim. iv. 7, 8. 
 
446 WHAT THINK YE OF CHRIST? 
 
 I will not weaken with words the impression left on your 
 minds of what the apostle Paul thought of Christ, but I would 
 simply ask you in how far you can subscribe to what he has 
 said ? Surely your hearts must respond to his words, and you 
 must feel that neither did he give up too much, nor do too much, 
 nor suffer too much for Christ, nor hope for too much from him. 
 
 Bright angels in heaven, and ye spirits of the just made per- 
 fect, who cast your crowns at his feet, what think ye of Christ ! 
 Oh brethren, would that we could hear the songs of the upper 
 sanctuary ! Would that we could see the throngs who stand 
 upon the sea of glass with the harps of God. They sing the song 
 of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb. But 
 this sight is reserved ; if we are his we shall not only heart hose 
 songs, but shall ourselves j(9in that triumphant throng. In the 
 meantime it is not forbidden to us to read of the angel visits 
 made from the paradise above. They looked forward to his birth 
 with an eagerness even greater than that of men. Gabriel, who 
 stands in the presence of God, came down to announce the birth 
 of his forerunner, and came down again to salute the virgin 
 mother of our Lord. Angel bands flew down to the earth when 
 he was born. They watched over him, they ministered unto 
 him. Moses and Elijah came from their thrones above to talk 
 with him on the holy Mount. Angels were ever around his 
 path. He had but to speak and more than twelve legions of 
 angels would appear. Did it ever occur to you to ask what that 
 angel thought of Christ, who stood by him in his hour of agony 
 in the garden ? — or what he thought who came to roll away the 
 stone from the sepulchre ? It was a festival day in heaven when 
 Christ rose again from the dead. White-robed angels came down 
 to tell the news to the weeping disciples ; and angels stood by 
 when a cloud received him out of their sight. 
 
 The chariots of Ood are twenty thousand, even thousands of angeh. 
 The Lord is among them as in Sinai in the holy place. Thou hast 
 ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive ; thou hast received 
 gifts for men, yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord Ood might dwell 
 among them, Ps. Ixviii, 17, 18. The angels delight to look into 
 these things. They are ministering spirits sent forth to minister 
 to them who shall be heirs of salvation. There may be some of 
 them present in this room now, wondering why we think so little 
 of Christ. Listen to the voice of the apostle John, And I beheld, 
 and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the 
 
WHAT THINK YE OF CHRIST? 447 
 
 leasts and the elders ; and the number of them teas ten thousand times 
 ten thousand^ and thousands of thousands ; saying ivith a loud voice^ 
 Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive i^ower^ and riches^ and 
 luisdom^ and strength^ and glory, and honor and blessing. And every 
 creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, 
 and such as ai'e in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, 
 Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth 
 upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever. And the four 
 beasts said. Amen. And the four-and-twenty elders fell down and wor- 
 shipped him that liveth forever and ever, Eev. v. 11-14. 
 
 May we now with all reverence, humbly ask — ^^Vhat doth 
 God the everlasting Father think of his son Jesus Christ ? Breth- 
 ren, I fear to approach this part of our subject. My words and 
 your thoughts alike must fall so utterly short, that it is but dark- 
 ening counsel by words without knowledge to attempt to answer 
 the question. It cannot be done save in the Avords of inspiration 
 themselves, and to these I refer you. 
 
 In Prov. viii. 22-31, The Lord possesseth me in the beginning 
 of his way, before ever the earth was, then was I by him as one 
 brought up with him; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always 
 before him ; rejoicing in the habitable parts of his earth; (and oh, how 
 gracious are these words) and my delights were loith the sons of men. 
 
 In the account of the baptism of Christ, Matt. iii. 16, 17, La, 
 the heavens were opened, and he saiu the Spirit of God descending like 
 a dove, and lighting upon him; and lo! a voice from heaven saying. 
 This is my beloved Son, in lohom, I am well p>leased. 
 
 In the account of the transfiguration of Christ, Luke ix, 34, 35, 
 a cloud overshadowed them and there came a voice out of the 
 cloud saying. This is my beloved Son : hear him. 
 
 In this connection let me simply repeat to you the words of 
 Christ, God so loved the loorld that he gave his only begotten Son, that 
 lohosoever believeth in Mm should not perish but have everlasting life, 
 John iii. 16. 
 
 And now as a final answer to the question, What think ye of 
 Christ? Take these words of our Saviour, No man knoweth the 
 Son but the Father. But though it be so, yet still he says to each 
 of us. Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I ivill 
 give you rest. Matt. xi. 27, 28. 
 
 Shanghai, July 11, 1847. 
 
SEKMON TO THE CHINESE. 
 
 TE NYOH TSZ' YING VUH. THE PUNISHMENT OF HELL, 
 
 KuH leang nyieh, alia ting 
 mung yew-ho nying kong kuh 
 tsung jeangdaou, fuh che tsa le- 
 hai. Hai yang le kaw joh ghen 
 fuh che to seaou tsah soo yaou 
 yew-ho dung-deen. Jeang-daou 
 fuh che tsa wah. Kuh tso- 
 sang-e-go ghen, ya m'na zoh 
 ghe-ya m'na hae ghe-soh-e m'na 
 haou lo-lea-ghe. Wae yew, 
 kuh sz' van wong fa. 'Ng waw 
 kuh tsa lung fu ne? 
 
 Kwoon foo tong kae chuh 
 kaw-16-lai ; yaou kaw ying vuh, 
 Ho-tsea yaou tsan-tsan ghe-go 
 deeu — ho-tsea yaou tang-tang 
 ghe. Nying kaw ko-ko waw 
 tong kae sz'-ka-go. Puh foo, 
 kung paw kwoon foo vay kaw 
 joh? Kuh sz'-kane nan lung. 
 Wy yew-ngoh keen nying van 
 wong fa — ho-tsea sah nying- 
 kaw, ho-tsea toeu tung-se, kuh- 
 sing wah sz'-kane: nying kaw 
 too sz' ka wa — "kuh sz' m'daou- 
 le-go nying, tsung yaou kaw 
 joh, tsung yaou vuh ghe." 
 Alia ting-mung nying sz' ka 
 waw. Shih-waw sz' ka go. 
 
 At this time we hear every- 
 body talking about the pirates, 
 they are so numerous. A large 
 number of vessels at sea have 
 already been captured by them. 
 The merchant vessels neither 
 reviled them nor injured them, 
 so that they had no excuse for 
 seizing them. Besides, in so 
 doing they violate the laws of 
 the empire. You will say, what 
 is to be done then ? 
 
 The officers ought to go out 
 and seize them and punish them. 
 They should behead them or 
 punish them by whipping. 
 Every one will say that they 
 deserve thus to be punished. 
 But suppose the officers are not 
 able to take them? This is a 
 difficult matter. Again — we see 
 that if a man violates the impe- 
 rial law — whether he commits 
 murder or is guilty of theft — or 
 similar crimes, all men will saj^. 
 That is a man destitute of prin- 
 ciple, he should undoubtedly be 
 seized and punished. When 
 we hear men say this we agree 
 
SERMON TO THE CHINESE. 
 
 449 
 
 Pull foo, alia too-be leite tsang, 
 living kaw-tsa way lung tsung 
 waw — " m'daou-le-go nying, van 
 zay nying tong kae seu ying- 
 vuh?" Kuh tsa kong kew? 
 So sz'-kane yaouying-vuh-ghe? 
 ISTgoli waw — sz' ying way tso 
 kuli-tsung sz'-kane pung lai sz' 
 wall sz'-kane. Yaou tso tong 
 kae seu ying viili. Wae yew — 
 tso wall sz'-kane, kuh sz' van 
 wong fa, sz' dae-man wong-te, 
 yu kaw yaou ying-vuli glie. 
 Wae yew, tso kuh sing sz'-kane 
 ya sz' wah nying kaw; soli-e 
 ya yaou kaw ying vuh. Kuh 
 shih-waw too sz'go. Kulla, 
 ngoh yewih geen sz'kane, yaou 
 tay ngoh bang yew kaw, waw 
 waw kane. 
 
 Koo-sz'-tseen tsing Boo-sa 
 zaou chuh she-kan-zong nying 
 do-deh yew-ho haou-choo sz' po 
 ghe, aeu ghe tsing-jing jea leili 
 pae tsing zhing-daou, m'aou pae 
 kaw Boo-sa, m'aou dae-man 
 tsing Boo-sa, m'aou lauen pae 
 tsing Boo-sa. Wae yew fung- 
 foo ghe, yaou 'heaou jhing voo 
 mau, yaou ae-seih pih nying 
 zeang ae se eang go — m'aou sah, 
 m'aou ying-kane, m'aou tau, 
 m'aou shih hwong, m'aou tane. 
 Kuh sing sz'-kane too sz' tsing 
 Boo-sa fung foo nying kaw. 
 Ling nga Boo-sa sz' ka waw, 
 '"Ng'nuh nying fuh e ngoh, 
 ng'nuhe yaou van ngoh keae. 
 
 with them that what they say 
 is perfectly correct. B ut I think 
 within myself — Why is it that 
 all men say that a man guilty 
 of crime should be punished? 
 I answer — It is because to act 
 in this manner is in its \ery 
 nature wicked. These things 
 ought not to be done. If such 
 crimes are committed they 
 ought to be punished. Again, 
 to act thus wickedly is to vio- 
 late the imperial law, and thus 
 to insult the emperor, and for 
 this reason also they ought to 
 be punished. Further — to do 
 these things is to injure men, 
 which is another reason why 
 they ought to be punished. 
 What I say is true. For this 
 reason I have a subject concern- 
 ing which, my friends, I wish 
 to address you. 
 
 Anciently the true God cre- 
 ated man. He bestowed upon 
 him many blessings, and com- 
 manded him earnestly and con- 
 stantly to worship the true God. 
 He commanded him also to 
 honor father and mother — to 
 love his neighbor as himself — 
 not to kill — not to commit 
 adultery — not to steal — not to 
 speak falsely — not to covet. 
 He forbade him also to worship 
 false gods, and idols of clay, in 
 contempt of the true God. All 
 these tilings the true God com- 
 manded men. Moreover God 
 said. If you will not obey me, 
 and disregard my command - 
 
 29 
 
450 
 
 SERMON TO THE CHINESE. 
 
 ngoh. tsing yaou kaw le-hai 
 ying-vuh pij 'ng'nuh." Nan kae 
 tsing 'ng'nuli pang-yew kaw 
 tsaug tsang, kuh nying kae tsa 
 tso fa? 'Ng waw, "tsung yaou 
 fah sze kuk tsing Boo-sa. 
 Tsung yaou eglie tso." Ko- 
 seih nying m^na ka tso fa. 
 Tsung alia te ih ko tsoo tsung, 
 ih je lo lai taou king nang kae, 
 yew ho nying too eking van-cleh 
 zay. Alia kane kane she kan 
 zong nying m'neh ih ku nying 
 way ting haou nying kaw. 
 Tsung seaou lai sz'oeu, ghe yew 
 zay ko. Kuh sing seaou seaou 
 go njing ya wa}^ sang die, 3^a 
 way tsang zaou, ya way zoh, 
 yah way shih hwong, ya way 
 peen nying. Do che lai, yew 
 kaw 3^ew wah sz'-kane. Alle 
 yew nying 'm zay ko? 'Ng'nuh 
 sing-le tsang wah sing-clzeang. 
 'Ng'nuh che paw yew wah shih 
 waw. 'Ng'nuh ke sing zong 
 yew wah sz'-kane, Nying kaw 
 yaou peen nying kaw, kulla, 
 ng'nuh oh-la mung koeu, kae- 
 mung, too 3^ew so, yew shen, 
 koe so-haou-leaou, shen-haou- 
 leaou. Nying kaw way shih 
 hwong, hway-pong nying kaw, 
 kulla nyieh nyieh yew nying 
 seang zoh, tsang zaou. Nying 
 kaw way tay nyu-nying aou- 
 tsaou-puh-la tso wah sz'-kane, 
 woo ghe leaou fuh teh. 
 
 Wah yew pih yang ka sz'- 
 kane. Yew nying tso zaih, tso 
 jeang daou. Yew nying kaw 
 hae nying ming. Soh e hane- 
 
 ment, I will assuredly visit you 
 with severe punishment. Now 
 I request you, my friends, to 
 consider what ought men to do? 
 You will say. All ought to 
 reverence this true God. All 
 ought to obey him. Alas I 
 men have not done so. From 
 our first parents down to this 
 day all men have already com- 
 mitted sin. Of all mankind we 
 see not one that is good. From 
 childhood up all have sin. Lit- 
 tle children will show anger — 
 they Avill quarrel, and curse and 
 lie, and cheat. As they grow 
 up they become worse. Where 
 is there a man that is free from 
 sin? In our hearts we think 
 wicked thoughts. With our 
 mouths we speak wicked words. 
 With our bodies we do wicked 
 deeds. Men deceive and cheat 
 their fellow-men. Our houses 
 must have doors and windows 
 that can be fastened with locks 
 and bars. Men will lie, and 
 will cheat each other, therefore 
 we daily hear them cursing and 
 railing at each other. Men will 
 also with wicked women, com- 
 mit crimes which cannot be 
 sufficiently hated. 
 
 There are besides many other 
 crimes. There are thieves and 
 robbers and murderers. There- 
 fore everywhere there must be 
 
SERMON TO THE CHINESE. 
 
 451 
 
 taou-choo, yew kwoon-foo, yew 
 «inc-tsah-sze, kuli sing, yaou 
 sing pooen, yaou vuh nying 
 kaw. Soli e tsung ka kane 
 chuh lai, tsung seaou taou do ; 
 tsung ncen ke laou taou neen 
 ke king, nying kaw too yew 
 zay. Yew sing zay kwooen foo 
 yaou kwoon. Yew-lio zay don- 
 dceu kwooen foo fuh chuh 
 kwoon ghe, kwooen foo fuh 
 sheaou-teh sing-le. Ghe tan- 
 cliih kane ngameen ; soh-e yew- 
 ho zay-ko ghe vay koo-djoh. 
 AVae yew; yew sing zay nying 
 she-daou do, kwooen vay kaw 
 djoh; soh-e m'neh kaw ying- 
 vuh. 
 
 Puh foo, say chih kwooen 
 fuh sheaou-teh nying yew zay, 
 ho-tsea vay kaw ying-vuh, zong 
 doeu tsing zhing-daou tsung 
 sheaouteh-go, tsung way vuli 
 ngoh. Ngoh sing-le lai-teh 
 tsung say-been suh-ko sing 
 dzeang ghe tsung aheaou-teh-go. 
 Kulla Boo-sa kane kane ngoh 
 sing-le lai-teh tsung wah neen 
 leh, hoh-tsca sing-le tane doo, 
 hoh-tsea sing-le sang che, hoh- 
 tsea sing-le fuh tsung-jing tsing 
 zhiugdaou keli too sze zay-che, 
 pell ding yaou sen ying-vuh. 
 Ngoh yaou sheaou-teh go, Boo- 
 sa pe wong-te wa do ; ghe daou- 
 le pe wong-fa wa neen le, wa 
 yaou king, kulla ngoh nying 
 van zay ghe, dae man ghe, keh 
 sz' 'heih fuh lai: "oh nying 
 tsung yew oh paou." 
 
 officers, judges, &c., to try and 
 to punish the guilty. From 
 what has been said, we see that 
 all men — small and great, old 
 and young — all are sinners. 
 There are some crimes of which 
 the officers take cognizance, but 
 there are also very many crimes 
 of which they can take no cog- 
 nizance. The officers do not 
 know the heart. They can 
 only see that which is external, 
 so that there are many sins 
 which they cannot bring under 
 their jurisdiction. Moreover, 
 there are some wicked men 
 whose power and influence are 
 so great that the officers dare 
 not bring them to justice. 
 
 But although the officers may 
 not know that a man is guilty 
 of crime and so cannot punish 
 him, there is the true God above. 
 He knows it and will not fail 
 to punish. Whatever thoughts 
 we conceive in our hearts he 
 kno^^;s. So God sees if I think 
 wicked thoughts, or harbor 
 covetousness or anger, or if I 
 do not reverence the true God. 
 All these are criminal, and will 
 certainly be punished. We 
 ought to know that God is 
 greater than any earthly mon- 
 arch, and his laws more severe 
 and of more importance than 
 the imperial code. Therefore 
 if men sin against him and treat 
 him with contempt it is inevita- 
 ble that — "oA nying tsung yew 
 oh imou^' — "the evil must re- 
 ceive an evil recompense." 
 
452 
 
 SERMON TO THE CHINESE. 
 
 Boo-sa ying-vuli yew san 
 yang. 
 
 (1.) Ih yang sz' lai kin-nan- 
 kan. Yew nying ying-way tso 
 wall sze-kane ghe ke-sing sang 
 bing. Choh tseu choh teli tsay, 
 ngoh ke sing full sliong kwa. 
 Choh a-peen ngoh ke-sing yaou 
 soeu. Tay wah nyu nying tso 
 wah sze-kane yaou sang yang 
 may tsoug kuh sing. 
 
 (2.) Te ne yang, keh sz' ngoh 
 ke-sing yaou se. Kin-nan-kan 
 alia yew-ho nying, too yew zay, 
 too yaou se. Tup-paw jew 
 nying tseang-tung m'neh zay, 
 tseang-tung fuh tso wah, kuh 
 nying vay se. Ko-seih kuh 
 tsung nying m'neh-go: kulla 
 nying too yaou se. Sang bing ! 
 leih-che m'neh-leh ; tung-shong ! 
 yaou se ! tsong tsong ! Ian woo ! 
 m'neh-deh ! 
 
 (3.) Te san yang ying-vuh, 
 sz' ting le-hai. Ngoh ke sing 
 sang bing, ngoh ke-sing yaou 
 se, kuh leang yang, say.chih 
 sing koo-leh-ching, kuh puh foo 
 sz' ke-sing zong sze-kane. Ngoh 
 ke sing le-doeu wae yew keh-ko 
 woh-ling, ting paou-pay, ting 
 jang ming. Ke-sing se woh- 
 ling vay se, vay Ian- woo, sz' 
 tseang-tung lai-tung. Soli-e ke- 
 sing se-deh e oeu woh ling wae 
 lai-tung, ya way seu koo. Ng' 
 sheaou sz' suh-ko koo ? Seu sz' 
 te-nyoh go koo. Ilaw se chili 
 yew leang te fong: ih-ko sz' 
 teen-dong, haou nying dung- 
 tung, kwa-wo-go te fong. Ih- 
 
 The punishment inflicted by 
 God is of three kinds. 
 
 1. The first is in this life. 
 Some men, in consequence of 
 crime, have their bodies suffer 
 the attacks of disease. Those, 
 for instance, who drink to in- 
 toxication injure the health of 
 their bodies. Those who use 
 opium cause their bodies to 
 waste away and become thin. 
 
 2. The second kind is the 
 death of the body. All men 
 have sin, and all men die. If 
 we suppose a man who never 
 committed any crime, and was 
 entirely sinless, he would never 
 die. Alas!' there is no such 
 man, so that all men must die. 
 Disease, pain, death, burial, cor- 
 ruption, are the lot of all. 
 
 3. The third is the most se- 
 vere and terrible, and is to be 
 greatly dreaded. Sickness and 
 death, although bitter in the 
 extreme, do not extend bej^ond 
 the body. Within the body 
 there remains the soul — most 
 precious — never-dying. Tlie 
 body dies, but the soul can 
 never die, and is not subject to 
 corruption: it is immortal. 
 Therefore after the death of the 
 body the soul remains and is 
 capable of suffering. What 
 suffering? It is the torment 
 of hell. After death there are 
 but two places. One is hell, the 
 abode of the wicked. This 
 
SERMON TO THE CHINESE. 
 
 453 
 
 ko sz' te-nyuh, wall nying seu 
 ying-vuh go te-fong. Keh-ko 
 te-nj'oh go te-fong ting ko paw, 
 yew-ho wall nying too zhoo 
 lung lai. Yew-ho oh kit too lai 
 tung, yew ho seaou, yew lay 
 tang, yew Boo-sa oh wong, aze- 
 ang fa fung, sze-teh ho yu-kaw 
 djea, yu-kaw le-hai. 
 
 Pung lai, te nyoh go koo sz 
 tseang-tung lai-tung, m'yew-ko 
 keih-sa, m' djeung-dzing go, sz' 
 ting ko paw. Dondoeu nying 
 waw, "Tseih yueh le te-nyoh 
 kac-tung, kit kuh-sing lang- 
 tsung tsoeu chuh. Kulla yaou 
 pae choh-tung, lung tung-se poh 
 ghe choh, kuh too sz' ho-zong 
 daou-le, ih-nga m'neh bing-keu. 
 "Vung che kwooen ghe; vung 
 seang-sing ghe. Wy-yew nying 
 waw nying kaw se-teh hoeu-doeu 
 way tso koeu, way tso maw, 
 ngoeu, kuh sing, hoh-tsea way 
 tso nying. Keh shih waw ya 
 fuh sz' go ; ya sz ho zong daou- 
 le, ih nga m'na bing-keu, haou- 
 vung seang-sing ghe. 
 
 Haw-se go sz'-kane alia she 
 kan zong nying fuh sheaou-teh 
 go. Chih yew zong dceu tsing 
 Boo-sa. Ghe eking juen lo-lai 
 ih pung sing king shoo, kaou 
 'heang ngoh daou, kuh shoo 
 waw, haw se yew kuh leang te- 
 fong. E-deh nying kaw wa 
 laitung soil tso go sz'-kane, 
 hoeudoeu yaou paou ying ghe. 
 Haou nying, seang-sing Yay-soo 
 go nying way zong teen dong. 
 
 place of torment we should 
 exceedingly fear. All wicked 
 men shall dwell in it, and it is 
 the abode of all devils. It is a 
 place burning with fire, and the 
 wrath of God like a mighty 
 wind, makes the fire more in- 
 tense, and causes it to burn with 
 increased fierceness. 
 
 The torment of hell is endless 
 and unceasing, so that we should 
 greatly fear it. The people of 
 this place say that in the sev- 
 enth month all the spirits in 
 hell are allowed to come forth, 
 and that we should at that time 
 spread tables and prepare food 
 for them to eat. All this is the 
 doctrine of the Buddhist priests 
 and is wholly destitute of proof; 
 it deserves no attention, and is 
 unworthy of your belief There 
 are also some who say that after 
 death men become dogs, horses, 
 cows, or again become men. 
 This also is not true — it is the 
 doctrine of the Buddhists and 
 destitute of proof. Do not be- 
 lieve it. 
 
 What is after death we can- 
 not know. God above alone 
 can know. He has given us 
 the Holy Book to teach us. 
 This book says that after death 
 there are two places. Accord- 
 ing to men's works in this life 
 they will be recompensed. The 
 good — those who believe in 
 Jesus, will go to heaven. The 
 wicked — those who do not be- 
 lieve in Jesus, will inevitably be 
 
454 
 
 SERMON TO THE CHINESE. 
 
 Wa nying, fuh seang-sing Yay- 
 soo go nying peih ding loh te- 
 njoh. Soh e Yay-soo fung foo 
 ghe mnng sang, ghe waw 
 " ng'nnh kuh jDan nying, yaou 
 tsoeu lai tsoeu die taou yew ho 
 te-fong che, che kong alia daou- 
 le. Nying kaw ting mung, 
 kimg seang sing, ghe way 'heang 
 3'^ungyuenfuh-che. Fuh kiing 
 seang-sing, kul sz' 'heih fuh lai 
 go, tsung yaou loh te-nyoh sen 
 koo." (Yid. Matt. 28 : 19.) 
 
 Alia pang yew kaw, tsung 
 ting ngoh shih waw. Alia fuh 
 yaou peen ng'nuh, ya fuh yaou 
 ng'nuh dung-deen, ya fuh yaou 
 ng'nuh do tung-se sung po 
 ngoh. Alia e-sze chih e 'keh-ko 
 la ; yaou keuen ng'nuh kwa 
 kwa taou tsoeu ; haou meen 
 tsing Boo-sa 6h-wong, te-nyoh 
 go koo, ngoh too yew zay, kulla 
 tsung yaou seu ying vuh. Tsa 
 way nang koeu meen ko keh 
 le-hai ying-viih? Yew suh-ko 
 daou-loo yaou tsoeu? ISTgoh 
 kaou 'heang ng'daou. Chih 
 yew ih-daou loo. Chih yew 
 ih-ku ming-sz' ngoh ko-e kaou- 
 djoh, haou kew ngoh woh-ling. 
 
 Tsing zhing-daou tsa se-go 
 ng'tsz tae nying kaw seu koo- 
 haou kew ngoh zay nying. 
 
 punished in hell. Therefore 
 Jesus commanded his disciples, 
 saying. Go into all the world 
 and teach men my doctrine ; 
 those who hear and believe 
 shall obtain everlasting happi- 
 ness: those who will not be- 
 lieve must fall into hell and be 
 tormented, [or literally — " re- 
 ceive hitierness."! 
 
 My friends, listen to my 
 words. I do not wish to de- 
 ceive you. I do not desire your 
 money, nor that yon should 
 give me anything. My only 
 object is to exhort you quickl}' 
 to flee, that you may esqape the 
 wrath of the true God and the 
 bitterness of hell.- We all are 
 sinners and all deserve punish- 
 ment How shall we escape 
 this terrible punishment? What 
 way is there by which we may 
 flee? I will tell you. There 
 is but one way. There is only 
 one name on which Ave may 
 trust for the salvation of the 
 soul. The true God has sent 
 his Son to suffer in the place 
 of men, in order that he might 
 save us sinners. 
 
 NiNGPO, May 23, 1847. 
 
'+e Due 
 
*r^'