fcvbrarjp ofthetheological ^emittanp PRINCETON • NEW JERSEY -XV \ //A V// vw PRESENTED BY Samuel Agnew, Esq. 1845 BT 590.N2 M93 1838 v.2 Mylne Title and Offices of Christ Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2019 with funding from Princeton Theological Seminary Library https://archive.org/details/titlesofficesofo02myln TITLES AND OFFICES OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST: ILLUSTRATED IN A SERIES OF ESSAYS. ISABELLA GRAY MYLNE. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. II. EDINBURGH: WILLIAM OLIPIIANT AND SON, 7, SOUTH BRIDGE STREET; WILLIAM COLLINS, GLASGOW ; WILLIAM CURRY AND CO., DUBLIN AND HAMILTON, ADAMS, AND CO., LONDON. MDCCCXXXVIU. EDINBURGH: W. OEIPHANT, .TUN. AND CO., PRINTERS SOUTH BRIDGE STREET CONTENTS OF VOL. II. PART VI. TITLES EXPRESSIVE OF THE SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS BESTOWED BY CHRIST ON HIS PEOPLE, THROUGH THE COVENANT OF GRACE. PAGE Essay XXV.—The Last Adam—Covenant of the Peo¬ ple—Everlasting Father—Testator, 1 XXVI.—The Life,—including, Quickening Spi¬ rit-Bread of Life—Tree of Life— True Vine—Prince of Life—Our Life, or Life Eternal, . . .29 XXVII.—The Light,-—including. Light of Life—- Light of the World—Morning Star— Sun of Righteousness, . . 52 XXVIII.—Author and Finisher of our Faith, . 67 XXIX.—Our Justification—The Lord our Righte¬ ousness, ..... 90 XXX.—-Our Peace—Prince of Peace—Shiloh, 102 XXXI.—The Way—The Door, . . .114 XXXII_Foundation — Corner-Stone — Rock of Ages, . . . . . .122 XXXIII. — Refuge,—including, Rock or Hiding- place, City of Refuge, Ark, Strong¬ hold, Tower, Fortress, Shadow — Dwelling-place or Habitation—Sanc- t.iary, . . . . . .134 XV CONTENTS. PAGE Ess ax' XXXIV.—Shield and Buckler—Ensign or Banner —The Lord our Banner—Captain of the Lord’s Host—Seed of the Wo¬ man, ...... 149 XXXV.—Sanctification—Example, . . .173 XXXVI.—Wisdom—-Counsellor, . . .196 XXXVII.—The Consolation of Israel, . . .210 XXXVIII.—The Hope of Israel, .... 228 XXXIX.—The Joy of Israel, .... 242 XL.—The Glory of Israel, . . . .255 PART VII. ADDITIONAL OFFICES, OF A MORE PERSONAL NATURE, WHICH THE REDEEMER SUSTAINS TOWARDS HIS PEOPLE. Essay XLI.-—The Shepherd of Israel — The Good Shepherd, . . . . .267 XLII.—Physician, . . . . . .279 XLIII. — Friend — Friend of Sinners, . . 292 XLIV. — Brother, . . . . . 307 XLV_Bridegroom—Husband, . . .321 XL VI.—Head of the Body—Head over all Things to the Church, .... 335 XLVII_The Resurrection—He that Ascended up I on High — Forerunner, . . . 352 XLVIII.—The Righteous Judge—Judge of Quick and Dead, « . . . .371 XLIX.—All in All—Portion—Inheritance, 395 PART YI. TITLES EXPRESSIVE OF THE SPIRITUAL BLESS¬ INGS BESTOWED BY CHRIST ON HIS PEOPLE, THROUGH THE COVENANT OF GRACE. ESSAY XXV. THE LAST ADAM—COVENANT OF THE PEOPLE- EVERLASTING FATHER—TESTATOR. We have lately viewed Redemption as the subject of a Covenant between the sacred Persons of the glorious Tri¬ nity ; in virtue of which, the Son became a Servant, that he might mediate a covenant between the Father and his chosen people. W e have seen that the Son is so entirely the Substance and Centre of that covenant, as to be styled, The Covenant ; c I will give thee for a covenant of the people.’ We proceed now to view the Divine Mediator more directly under this character, of Covenant-Head to his people, or, The Last Adam. A covenant between beings of the same nature, is a mutual agreement, whereby each party stipulates to receive certain benefits, on the per¬ formance of certain annexed conditions. But in a cove- VOL. IT. A 2 THE LAST ADAM- riant between the infinite God and his dependant crea¬ tures, all the benefit is on their side, all the power to perform conditions on His ; it is a covenant of infinite power and goodness on one side, and of infinite obliga¬ tion on the other. It is therefore in great condescension that God deals with men by covenant transactions and engagements, and not merely by commands and sanc¬ tions. The first covenant made with man was so far an exception to this rule, that man then had power to perform the stipulated condition: hut this power he derived solely from his Maker ; and ever since the breach of that first covenant, man has lost both power and will to perform any conditions. When God in mercy resolved to make a second cove¬ nant with man, it was therefore necessary that he should appoint for him a Covenant-Head both able and willing to perform its conditions for and in him ; and such a Head could be found in no created order of beings : the eternal Son alone was qualified for the office ; the Father appointed him to it; and he most willingly undertook it. The reason, then, why Christ is called ‘ The Second Man,’ or 4 The Last Adam ,’ 1 is, that he resembles Adam in being the Federal Head or Representative of his people, his spiritual seed. Although in most respects Adam was opposite to Christ, in this ‘ he was a figure of Him that was to come,’ that he acted as surety and covenant-head of his posterity ; and conveyed all that was his to all re¬ lated and belonging to him. But to prevent mistakes, we mention here, at the outset, that Adam and Christ did not represent the same body of people. Adam stood for the whole human race, and conveyed all that was his to the whole race. Christ stands only for his elect peo- 1 1 Cor. xv. 45-47. COVENANT OF THE PEOPLE. 3 pie, and conveys all that is his to those only who are by faith united and related to him. These two covenant-heads are brought forward, in their resemblance and in their opposition, only in tAvo chap¬ ters of the Bible ; A r iz. the fifth of Romans, and the fifteenth of First Corinthians ; but, to explain the covenants made with them respectively, and the consequences flowing from each, forms the sum and substance of the Bible, from beginning to end. For, what is the object of God’s revelation to man, but to teach him what he has lost in Adam, and what he may regain in Christ,—to teach him how ‘ Adam the Second, from the dust 4 Raises the ruins of the First.’ In order, then, to form any correct notions of the cove¬ nant made with Christ, we must understand that which was made with Adam. On this deep and mysterious subject, Ave shall not trust to our own limited knowledge and feeble light; but borrow occasionally the words of those 4 godly and judicious divines,’ who compiled the standards of the Church of Scotland ; or, as they were originally styled, ‘ A part of the. covenanted uniformity in 4 Religion betwixt the Churches of Christ, in the Kingdoms 4 of Scotland , Englandand Ireland .’ To describe the coA enant made with Adam Ave quote the Avords of the 4 Larger Catechism.’ Having stated the original perfec¬ tion of man’s nature, that 4 God created them male and 4 female, endued them with living, reasonable, and im- 4 mortal souls, made them after his own image, in know- 4 ledge, righteousness, and holiness; having the laAV of 4 God written in their hearts, and power to fulfil it, 4 yet subject to fall,’—the Catechism proceeds in these terms :— 4 God entered into a covenant of life with him, 4 THE LAST ADAM- 4 on condition of perfect, personal, and perpetual obe- 4 dience, of which the Tree of Life was the pledge ; and 4 forbidding to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good 4 and evil. Our first parents, being left to the freedom 4 of their own will, through the temptation of Satan, 4 transgressed the commandment of God, in eating the 4 forbidden fruit; and thereby fell from the estate of in- 4 nocency wherein they were created. The covenant 4 being made with Adam, as a public person, not for 4 himself alone, but for his posterity, all mankind, de- 4 scending from him by ordinary generation, sinned in 4 him, and fell with him, in that first transgression/ It is true, there is no intimation given, in the few sad sentences which record Adam’s sin and fall, that he act¬ ed as a public person, the representative of the whole human race ; and that all his posterity sinned in him, and fell with him. He is addressed as an individual, both in the denunciation before his fall, 4 In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die ;’ x and in the sentence which followed the fatal deed, 4 Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it : Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee ; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground ; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return/ 2 It is readily granted, that the federal character of Adam is not here explained, as we find it in systems of Divinity. It is one of the peculiarities of the Sacred Volume, that it does not teach systematically ; but, that to under- 1 Gen. ii. 17. 2 Gen. iii. 17-19. COVENANT OF THE PEOPLE. 5 stand it aright, we must compare one part with another. Our Catechism, accordingly, directs us to compare the account of Adam’s sin and fall, in the Book of Genesis, with St Paul’s account of the effects of the fall, in his Epistle to the Romans. In the fifth chapter of this Epistle, from verse 12th to 20tli, we find the mortality and depravity of all mankind directly traced to Adam’s first transgression ; and, although the Apostle uses repe¬ tition, to enforce beyond doubt a truth he knew to he so offensive to the proud heart of man, it is remark¬ able, that he does not state it as a point to be established , but draws from it, as from a point already established , arguments for the security of the Covenant of Grace. ‘ Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin ; and so deatli passed upon all men, for that all have sinned,’ &c. 4 For if through the offence of one, many be dead; much more,’ &c. 4 For if by one man’s offence, death reigned by one; much more,’ &c. ‘ Therefore, as by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so,’ &c. 4 For, as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners; so by the obedience of one,’ &c. Another passage from the writings of St Paul bears directly on this point;— 4 For since by man came death, by Man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.’ 1 W e have, then, the express authority of Scripture for asserting, that Adam’s fall brought all mankind into a state of sin, condemnation, and death; and that in this dreadful word death is included much more than the death of the body, is evident, both from the event in Adam’s own case, and from what is said of the state of his posterity in every part of Scripture. The threat denounced against 1 1 Cor. xv. 21, 22. 6 THE LAST ADAM Adam was, ‘ In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou slialt surely die.’ Now, we know that he did not on that day suffer temporal death ; but it is evident that on that day he became spiritually dead, and exposed to God’s dreadful wrath, which is eternal death. Comparing this event of the fall in Adam’s case, with the natural state of every one of his children, as de¬ scribed by St Paul, in Eph. ii. 2-5, we are bound to infer, that, in the denunciation, 4 Thou shalt surely die,’ was involved death, temporal, spiritual, and eternal, to Adam and all his posterity, as long as they should con¬ tinue under a Covenant of Works. The passage we re¬ fer to in Ephesians, throws light upon that referred to in Romans fifth, by explaining the twofold sense in which 4 many were made sinners they became '•children of wrath,’ by imputed guilt; and 4 dead in trespasses and sins,’ serving the devil, the world, and their own sinful lusts, by inherent and actual guilt. From these Scrip¬ ture proofs, it is evident that our Catechism does not strain the doctrine of Original Sin, in stating the effects of the fall as follows,— 4 The fall brought mankind into 4 an estate of sin and misery. The sinfulness of that 4 estate whereinto man fell, consisteth in the guilt of 4 Adam’s first sin, the want of that righteousness where- 4 in he was created, and the corruption of his nature, 4 whereby he is utterly indisposed, disabled, and made 4 opposite to all that is spiritually good, and wholly in- 4 dined to evil, and that continually, which is common- 4 ly called Original Sin, and from whence do proceed all 4 actual transgressions. The misery of that estate which 4 the fall brought upon mankind, consisteth in the loss 4 of communion with God, his displeasure and curse ; so 4 as we are by nature children of wrath, bond-slaves to 4 Satan, and justly liable to all punishments, in this COVENANT OF THE PEOPLE. ry I ‘ world and that which is to come/ That all were in¬ cluded in the First Covenant, is proved by all being manifestly tinder the sentence inflicted for the breach of it. For the righteous God would not inflict punishment upon those who were unconcerned in the offence. This is an awful doctrine; we quote, concerning it, the remarks of an able commentator, 1 not venturing to make any ourselves. ‘ If men find fault with what God has evi- ‘ dently done, let them answer it to him. lie deigns ‘ not to apologize for his own conduct ; and, with our ‘ dark and imperfect views, we shall be deemed too offi- ‘ cious if we attempt it. “ Shall not the Judge of all ‘ the earth do right?” seems the proper answer to ob- ‘ jectors ; and to wait for a world of clearer light, is our ‘ proper behaviour. Many things have been copiously ‘ and plausibly argued upon these topics; but it is readi- ‘ ly granted, that great difficulties remain : it becomes ‘ us, and it is honourable to God, when we adore the ‘ depths which we cannot fathom, and believe that while ‘ “ clouds and darkness are round about him, righteous- ‘ ness and judgment are the basis of his throne.” Man’s ‘ mortality and depravity, as well as universal history, ‘ coincide with and confirm the Scriptural account of this ‘ transaction ; and, as collateral evidences, prove that it ‘ is the “ testimony of God,” and that we do not mis¬ take its meaning: on this ground Faith receives it; ‘ and humbled Reason submits to her Teacher, God, ‘ and allows his righteousness, though she cannot fully ‘ comprehend it.’ Let us now examine, a little more closely, the evi¬ dences of man’s sinful and miserable state; as we find them in Scripture, in universal history, and by personal observation and experience. And, first, of his sinful 1 Scott, Notes on Gen. ii. 16, 17. 8 THE LAST ADAM- state, as described in Scripture ; —‘ When men began to multiply on the face of the earth,’ sin multiplied also to such a horrible extent, that it is recorded, after the man¬ ner of human expression, ‘ It repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.’ For this was his character in the eyes of Him who cannot err, ‘ God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.’ 1 And, after the Flood, the same character is ascribed to him, ‘ The imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth.’ 2 Throughout the whole Bible, man’s heart and life are described as ‘ desperately wicked,’ 3 by historians, by prophets, by a.postles, and by the Redeemer himself. St Paul corroborates the testimony of David, as equally true in his day,—‘ There is none righteous, no, not one ; there is none that understandetli, there is none that seek- eth after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that do- eth good, no, not one.’ 4 The emphatic question of Jere¬ miah shows, in a very strong light, the desert of every man,—‘ Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?’ 5 As if he had said, ‘ The wages of sin is death;’ every man has earned these wages, even eternal death : as long, therefore, as he is in the land of the living and in the place of hope, he has no ground of complaint; his sufferings, however severe and complicated, are less than he deserves ; and even when cast into everlasting fire, he will have no just com¬ plaint against the God of heaven and earth. The misery of man’s estate is set forth in Scripture, no less plainly than its sinfulness. Job says, ‘ Man that 1 Gen. vi. ]-7. 2 Gen. viii. 21. 3 Jer. xvii. 9 ; Mat. xv. 19, 4 Rom. iii. 10-12, from Ps. xiv. & liii. 5 Lam. iii. 39. COVENANT OE THE PEOPLE. 9 is born of a woman, is of few days, and full of trouble.’ 1 His friend Eliphaz says, 4 Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground ; yet man is horn unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.’ 2 But it may be said, that we have selected an extreme case : Joh’s extraordinary afflictions gave a peculiar cast of melancholy to his own views and those of his friends. Let us then inquire the opinion of one who had better opportunities of judging what happiness is to be enjoyed on earth ; who had unlimited power to gratify his desires, and greater prosperity than any man ever had, before or after him. Let us hear his own con¬ fession,—‘ I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: 3 whatsoever mine eyes desired, I kept not from them ; I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour.’ 4 And what was the result of these searches after earthly bliss ?—‘ I hated life; because the work that is •wrought under the sun is grievous unto me : for all is vanity and vexation of spi¬ rit :’ 5 ‘ for what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun ? For ali bis days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This also is vanity.’ 6 ‘ I have seen all the works that ai’e done under the sun ; and behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.’ 7 But it may be again objected, that we have not taken a fair specimen. It was not surprising that Solomon looked with disgust on the joys of life, after abusing them as he did in his latter years. We will then inquire of ‘ Moses, the man of God,’ what were his views of man’s estate.— ‘ We are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath 1 Job xiv. 1. 2 Job v. 6. 3 Eccles. i. 17. 4 Eccles. ii. 10. 6 Eccles. ii. 17. 6 Eccles. ii. 22, 23. 7 Eccles. i. 14. 10 THE LAST ADAM- are we troubled. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. For all our days are passed away in thy wrath : we spend our years as a tale that is told.’ 1 But lastly, it may be said, all these verdicts were given before the introduction of the Christian dispensation. The true follower of Jesus may surely expect some exemption from this general misery. It is true, the follower of Jesus has consolations which more than compensate for all his griefs; but to him, expressly, his Lord has said, 4 In the world ye shall have tribulation.’ 2 The sin and misery of man’s estate are abundantly evidenced also by universal history. The first man born of woman, envied, hated, and slew his brother; was un¬ believing, disobedient, and rebellious towards his Maker. And, alas ! his character has proved the type of a large portion of mankind ever since. For, what is history, in general, but a record of the various ways in which nations and individuals have hated and destroyed one another,— a series of acts of treachery, rapine, cruelty, and slaughter, producing miseries innumerable,—a record of the various Avays which man has devised to rebel against his God, and bring down upon himself Ills awful judgments ? And is it in past history only that these dismal effects of the fall are to be traced ? Alas ! the history of each passing day furnishes an epitome of the records of ages. For if Ave cast our eye over a Daily Register of events, public and private, sin and misery meet it at every glance. In proportion as human beings are collected together, and brought into close contact, sin and misery are found to prevail; so that those whose duty does not lead them to explore the crowded abodes of wretchedness in large cities, can have but faint ideas of Avhat the be- 1 Ps. xc 7-9. 3 John xvi. 33. COVENANT OF THE PEOPLE. 11 nevolent visitor must suffer, in witnessing the combina¬ tion and re-action of sin and misery amongst those whom he goes to relieve. But where is the happy family, or the favoured indi¬ vidual, that is free from sin and its consequent misery '{ Everything on earth bears the stamp of God’s displeasure and curse. It is true, the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord, and this goodness is enhanced by the con¬ sideration of our litter unworthiness. Innumerable blessings, and comforts, and joys, are bestowed upon us, for which our constant gratitude is due. But upon each of these is inscribed 4 Vanity and vexation of spirit;’ and the more precious they are, the sorer is the pang that rends our heart when deprived of them, which we know may be our lot, any day, any hour. Every rela¬ tion and every occupation of life exposes us botli to sin and suffering. In every joy is hidden a snare, to avoid which we require constant help from above ; in every employment, whether social or solitary, we are exposed to temptation. Our bodies are liable to pain and dis¬ ease in infinite variety and degree ; our minds to diseases still more dreadful. Every thing 4 we fondly call our own’ may, on a moment’s warning, be snatched from our side ; and even in the full enjoyment of temporal blessings, there is a want, a satiety, a blank, 4 the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hear¬ ing.’ A large portion of mankind spend their lives in labour and sorrow; and those who are exempted from actual suffering, generally make for themselves cares and anxieties, which equalize their lot with the poor man’s. We have already said too much to prove, what every one already knows, that 4 Ills on ills, by Heaven’s decree, * In man’s estate are found.’ 12 THE LAST ADAM- The event which terminates his earthly existence, al¬ though a blessing to the believer, is yet strongly mark¬ ed with God’s wrath and curse. The soul and body, during life such close companions, are separated, often with agonies and terrors; the soul to depart for a region unknown, except by the light of revelation,—the body to sink out of sight in humiliating dissolution and corrup¬ tion. The miseries that await sin in the world to come are at present hid from our senses, and from our under¬ standings ; but a foretaste of them has sometimes been felt even here, by the hardened infidel, and the proud blasphemer, when the horrors of conscience have over¬ taken them; convincing themselves and all around them that there is such a thing as hell-fire. Outward evils all men feel keenly ; but there is ano¬ ther class of punishments, consequent upon the fall, which are little felt and complained of, because insensi¬ bility is generally combined with them. We allude to the inward punishments of blindness of mind to com¬ prehend the gospel, corrupt inclinations and passions, delusions to believe a lie, hardness of heart, and prone¬ ness to yield to temptation. It may seem paradoxical, but it is nevertheless true, that the inward effects of the fall are never keenly felt, nor deeply lamented, till we are in some measure delivered from them. Blindness of mind is not perceived till the eyes of the understanding- have begun to be opened : Satan’s chain is not felt irk¬ some till we begin to try and move in the service of God : the stony heart gives no pain till part of it is turned to flesh ; and then, as an old author says, ‘ The ‘ stone grates against the flesh, and makes it bleed sinful passions are not hated and mourned over till we begin to resist them : loss of communion with God can- not be a felt misery till we have tasted something of the COVENANT OF THE PEOPLE. 13 sweetness of his presence and favour. Hence it follows, that while the Christian 4 sighs and cries’ over the abo- minations committed in the world around him, it is in his own experience that he sees most clearly, and feels most painfully, the sad effects of the fall. Looking hack upon his unrenewed state, he sees it to have been death in trespasses and sins, utter indisposition, inability, and opposition, to all that is spiritually good, and inclination to all evil; and that continually. Moral dispositions he may have had which were useful and pleasing to man; but no desire for communion with his Maker; on the contrary, he hid himself under the shade of worldly cares and employments, worldly companions, and reli¬ gious forms, whenever the voice of the Lord called him into his immediate presence ; conscious guilt made him shun the face of God as that of an incensed Judge ; or indifference made him neglect the call of God as that of a Stranger. And even now, when he is in some degree renewed after the image of God, 4 in knowledge, righteousness, and holinessnow that he can look to God as to a re¬ conciled Father and Friend, and truly desires to he con¬ formed to 4 all that is spiritually good,’ he still finds sin dwelling in him, hindering him in every duty, and con¬ sequently mingling with misery even his holiest joys. Communion with God is now, indeed, his chief joy and delight; hut when he would rise to heaven, he finds 4 twice ten thousand ties’ binding him down to earth. Often, alas ! he has not even a desire to rise; enmity and indifference towards God are not yet rooted out of his heart; nor will they be entirely eradicated as long as he is mortal. Hard thoughts of his gracious Lord at one time, conscious guilt not freely confessed at another, indolence and careless walking at many times, keep him 14 THE LAST ADAM at a distance from God, and therefore at a distance from happiness ; and secret declensions, if not open and mani¬ fest backsliding, make him often cry out, ‘ Oh ! wretch¬ ed man that I am ! who shall deliver me from the body of this death ? ’ We have now brought to a conclusion the painful part of our task,—that of tracing the Covenant made with, and broken by, the first Adam, with the ruinous effects of his fall. We joyfully turn to the part which remains,— that of tracing the Covenant made with, and ever to be kept by, the Last Adam, with the blessed results of His obedience and faithfulness. But before examining the Covenant itself, we must dwell for a little upon the qualifications which fitted our Divine Surety to perform its conditions for his people, upon his resemblance to, yet superiority over, the first Adam, and upon the manner in which he performed that part of which Earth was the scene. As the first Adam was ‘ made of the red earth ’ (the literal meaning of his name), so the Last Adam assumed an earthly frame ; yet he was not of the earth, earthy, but the Lord from Heaven. Adam was made in the image of God, after his likeness ; Jesus was from everlasting the express Image of the Father, the Brightness of his glory. Adam had the law of God written in his heart, and power to fulfil it; Jesus, in an infinitely higher sense, had the law of God written in his heart, and power to fulfil it ; but there was this essential difference,—Adam was subject to fall; Jesus could not fall. As the first Adam was placed under a Covenant of Works, so also, as far as he was personally concerned, was the Last Adam. He was re¬ quired to render ‘ personal, perfect, and perpetual obe¬ dience,' in a state of trial and temptation. But how in- COVENANT OF THE PEOPLE. 15 comparably greater were the temptations which assailed him, than that which overcame the First Adam ! He, amid innumerable gratifications, had only to submit to a single act of self-denial. Jesus had to suffer unceasing privations, with scarce one outward comfort to sweeten them. As far as we know, the Tempter prevailed in his first attempt on Adam’s fidelity; and having suc¬ ceeded so easily in that instance, he tried all his arts to seduce the Second Man, but in vain. He could not in¬ ject into His pure mind one unholy or sinful thought ; but was made to experience the fulfilment of the sentence, ‘ It shall bruise thy head.’ Our Surety fulfilled, in his own person , perfect obedience, thereby bringing in for his people perpetual , yea ‘ everlasting righteousness.’ But the Covenant of Works, under which he personally stood, required him, not only to perform perfect obe¬ dience^ but to suffer the punishment of disobedience , in¬ curred by those whom he represented. In other words, he had undertaken to bear the curse for his people, and severely he did bear it in all its parts, as expressed in its first denouncement. He ate bread in sorrow all the days of his life; he sweat great drops of blood; he suffered death , in a way accounted cursed by the Law. Yea, he was dealt with as accursed by his heavenly Father, being, as it were, driven out of his presence for a season. 1 As the Last Adam, our blessed Lord is not only the Covenant-Head of his people, but their Father ; for to Him belongs the glorious title, ‘ Everlasting Father .’ 2 At first sight, this title seems to belong to God the Fa¬ ther ; and we would carefully avoid swelling our list of the Saviour’s titles by the addition of any one not strictly applicable to him. But we have abundant warrant in Scripture for applying to him the name before us. The 1 Gen. iii. 17 24. 2 Is. ix. 6. 16 THE LAST ADAM place it occupies, among the names to be given to the Child born , the Son given , would alone justify its appli¬ cation to Immanuel; hut we have many other warrants in Scripture. In Isaiah 53d, for instance, the redeemed of Messiah are called ‘ his seed.’ In the 59th of the same prophecy, the Father covenants with the Son to put his Spirit, not upon himself only, but upon his ‘ seed,’ and his ‘ seed’s seed;’ and St Paul, by the con¬ nexion in which he quotes the words of Isaiah, in chap¬ ter eighth, relative primarily to the prophet himself and his children, proves that they were spoken prophetically by the Redeemer, relative to himself and his spiritual offspring. 1 Jesus, then, is not ashamed to call us his children , as well as his brethren ; the children whom, by solemn covenant, God has given him. Again, the co¬ venant made with David, for himself and his posterity, typified that made with Christ, for himself and his peo¬ ple, under the relation of children to a Father. This is especially evident in the 89th Psalm. The title Everlasting Father seems nearly synony¬ mous with that in the New Testament, ‘ Author of Eternal Salvation ; 2 denoting that, as our first pa¬ rent conveyed natural life to his posterity, but could not convey that which he had himself lost, spiritual life,—‘ the Second Man’ conveys to his seed life spiritual and eternal. To this agree the words of our catechism, 1 The Covenant ‘ of Grace was made with Christ, as the Second Adam, ‘ and in him with all the elect, as his seed.’ This title is, by some able commentators, rendered, ‘ The Father of the World to Come.’ Of this ren¬ dering, Lowth remarks, ‘ I ca’nt but have a particular ‘ regard for it, because I am persuaded it is from the au- ‘ thority of this text (Is. ix. G.) that the kingdom of the 1 Heb. ii. 12, 13 ; Is. viii. 18. 2 Heb. v. 9. COVENANT OF THE PEOPLE. 17 4 Messias is called in the New Testament, by the title of 4 44 The Age or World to Come!” Let us now come, with humble and teachable hearts, to the consideration of this blessed Covenant; viewing it first, compared witli other covenants, as the New, or Better Covenant; and afterwards, as explained in Scripture, by the terms Covenant of God’s Peace, the Covenant of Promise, the Holy Covenant, the Everlasting Covenant, or, as expressed by divines, 4 The Covenant of Grace.’ First, in what sense is it called the New or Better Covenant? 1 Not in respect of its date; for it was planned from everlasting, and revealed to Adam im¬ mediately after his fall. 2 It was confirmed to Noah, the second Father of the human race, and sealed by the sign of the rainbow. 3 It was very solemnly made with Abraham, the father of the faithful, and sealed by the sign of circumcision. 4 It was ratified anew to Isaac and Jacob ; and typified in the national covenant made with Israel; 5 which, as we have before remarked, partook of the nature both of the Covenant of Works and the Cove¬ nant of Grace; the temporal blessings suspended on na¬ tional obedience resembling the former; the ceremonial rites being lively emblems, and to the faithful, effectual means of enjoying the latter. Now, it is compared with this national covenant, that the Christian dispensation is termed the New Covenant; not in contra-distinction to the Covenant of Works, nor to that made with the pa¬ triarchs ; for, 4 There are not therefore two covenants of 4 grace, differing in substance, hut one and the same, 4 under various dispensations.’ 6 The New Covenant, then, differs from the Old, in that by it the law of God 1 Heb. viii. 6, 13. 2 Gen. iii. 15. 3 Gen. vi. 18. 4 Gen. xvii. 5 Exod. vi. 4 ; Deut. v. 2. 6 Confession of Faith. 18 THE LAST ADAM- is written, not on tables of stone, but on the tablet of the heart; it is now a Testament , 1 sealed by the blood of the Testator, made new by his actual death and sufferings, the benefits of which, under the old covenant, were en¬ joyed by anticipation. And how precious was the legacy which the Redeemer bequeathed to his children, when he took the cup after supper, and said, 4 This cup is the New Testament (or covenant) in my blood, which is shed for you / 2 And how grateful should we be for having our lot cast in the clearer light and richer dis- pensation of the New Testament ! We come at length to the immediate study of that Covenant of which Christ is the Head. And, as we have done in the former part of this Essay, we shall follow our Catechism, as it follows Scripture. 4 God doth ‘ not leave all men to perish in the estate of sin and 4 misery into which they fell by the breach of the first 4 covenant, commonly called the Covenant of Works; 4 but, of his mere love and mercy, delivereth his elect out ‘ of it, and bringeth them into an estate of salvation by 4 the second covenant, commonly called the Covenant of 4 Grace. The grace of God is manifested in the second 4 covenant, in that he freely provideth and offereth to 4 sinners a Mediator, and life, and salvation by him; 4 and requiring faith as the condition to interest them in 4 him, promiseth and givetli his Holy Spirit to all his 4 elect, to icork in them that faith with all other saving 4 graces; and to enable them unto all holy obedience, as 4 the evidence of the truth of their faith and thankfulness 4 to God, and as the way which he hath appointed them 4 to salvation/ This view entirely accords with Scripture, although the term Covenant of Grace is not found there. When 1 Heb. vii. 22.; ix. 15-20. 2 Luke xxii. 20. COVENANT OP THE PEOPLE. 19 the Lord Jesus said, ‘ God so loved the world, that lie gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life,’ 1 he preached the Covenant of Grace. For he taught that by nature, all men deserved to perish, and might justly have been left so to do; that God’s free love or mercy found out a plan of redemption for them; and this, through his Son, as a Covenant-Head, to convey life everlasting; that this life was offered to the whole world; but that none would benefit by it, except those who be¬ lieved. That the second covenant is entirely of grace is manifest from faith being the only condition required ; for it is the character of faith to have nothing of its own, but to receive every thing from God, as his free gift; ‘ therefore , it is of faith, that it might be by grace.’ 2 But the freeness of the covenant is still further manifest, in that this only condition is itself the gift of God,—‘ By grace are ye saved, through faith; and that not of your¬ selves : it is the gift of God.’ 3 From the view already given of the desert of man, since his forfeiture of the first covenant, it is evident that any overture of peace, or even of mitigated wrath, on the part of his offended God, would have been a Covenant of Grace. But, in this blessed charter are contained not only pardon, but the imputation of perfect righteousness ; not only deliverance from the wrath of God, but access into a state of favour, acceptance, and friendship with him; not only freedom from eternal misery, but the gift of eternal bliss; with the foretaste of it, in present sanc¬ tification and fellowship with the Lord. The covenant, then, by which God binds himself to confer all these ricli and immortal blessings on his creatures, may well be termed the Covenant of Grace. 1 John iii. 16. 4 Rom. iv. 16. 3 Eph. ii. 8. 20 THE LAST ADAM' Were we to trace this covenant in all its ramifications, we must illustrate the source whence it flows, the chan¬ nel through which it is conveyed, the condition whereby we become interested in it, with the source whence this condition itself proceeds, and all the effects of becoming interested in it, such as reconciliation, justification, sanc¬ tification, in all its branches;—in short, all spiritual blessings which flow from union with God in Christ, in the present life, and all the glory which shall be enjoyed in more intimate union with God in the life to come. For the whole of Christianity is involved in what, by this covenant, God in Christ becomes to man, and man in Christ becomes to God. Christ, as the Head of the Covenant, is the grand Centre of union, in whom God and redeemed sinners meet, to the glory of the Godhead, and the eternal salvation of the elect. But, purposing to illustrate separately the different privileges and benefits conferred upon believers, under the Covenant of Grace, and the delightful relations into which, by it, they are brought to Christ and the Father, we must at present confine ourselves to the design with which we set out, of contrasting it with the broken co¬ venant, under which we all are by nature. For this purpose, we turn again to the contrast drawn by St Paul between the two covenants and their respective heads . 1 He points out two opposite causes, and traces to each its inseparable effects ; to Adam’s disobedience, condemnation, and death; to Christ’s obedience, righteousness, or justifi¬ cation, and life; each train of consequences belonging to all who are in Adam, or in Christ. His argument goes to prove two points ; first, that, through the super- abounding grace manifested in the second covenant, those interested in it are ‘ much more’ than freed from 1 Rom. v. 12-20. COVENANT OF THE PEOPLE. 21 the consequences of the first; secondly, that the good effects of the second are 4 much more’ certainly conveyed to all in Christ, than the bad effects of the first are to all in Adam. 4 Can any thing be 44 much more” certain than 4 that all men, as one with Adam, die? Yes, it is 4 44 much more” certain that all who, by faith, receive 4 abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteousness, 4 shall reign in life with Christ. Enoch and Elijah did 4 not die, but were translated; and multitudes innumer- 4 able shall be living when Christ shall come, but not 4 one true believer shall come short of reigning in life 4 with him .’ 1 This certainty arises from the unchange¬ able perfection of their Representative, in whom are hid their safety and their life. They are not put to the in¬ evitably fatal trial of their own personal obedience, for justification ; the perfect obedience of their Surety forms their righteousness in the sight of God; and he keeps it for them, and secures their eternal right 4 to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God.’ But we said, that an interest in the second covenant 4 much more than frees us from the bad effects of our share in the first. How can this be ? Because, by the righteousness of Christ, imputed to them, believers are not only freed from the guilt of Adam’s transgression, and from the guilt of their own actual transgressions ; but they are placed in a safer, happier, and more exalted condition than they could have been, had Adam never sinned. They are safer, because their safety does not depend upon their own strength and obedience : they are happier and more exalted, because, by their relation to Christ, their Everlasting Father, they are raised to more delightful and closer fellowship with God, than Adam, even in his state of innocence, could enjoy. They 1 Scott. 22 THE LAST ADAM- are the beloved children, whom Jesus will present to the Father, as those given him by solemn and eternal cove¬ nant, whom he has redeemed by his blood, sanctified by his Spirit, and united to himself so entirely that he will even share his throne with them to all eternity. The propriety wherewith this second covenant is termed The Covenant of Grace , will be still further evi¬ dent, when we consider the epithets by which it is de¬ scribed in Scripture, namely, the ‘ Covenants of Pro¬ mise,’ 1 the ‘ Covenant of God’s Peace,’ 2 the ‘ Holy Co¬ venant,’ 3 and the ‘ Everlasting Covenant.’ 4 First, it is called The Covenants of Promise. This term perhaps strictly means the covenants made with Abraham, with Israel, with David, &c. of which the promised Messiah was the great subject. But it is surely not straining the term, to view it as denoting the rich store of promises contained in the Covenant of Grace. So rich, so free and full, so perfectly adapted to the believer’s wants, are these promises, that, had he been employed to frame them for himself, he could have added nothing to the catalogue. The promises have been arranged and collected in various forms, for the use of Christians ; and such collections are very valuable to refer to ; but, for our own part, we prefer gathering the precious fruits, in the different parts of the garden, where they hang, to having them arranged in baskets ready to our hand ; and even those who have little knowledge or experience in the study of the Bible, we would advise to a similar course. A single promise which you found for yourself, and which, brought home by the Spirit, was made effectual to strengthen, to encourage, or comfort you, will be looked back upon in future years, when expe- 1 Eph. ii. 12; Rom. ix. 4, 8. 2 Numb. xxv. 12. 3 Luke i. 72 ; Dan. xi. 28, 30. 4 Jer. xxxii, 40. COVENANT OF THE PEOPLE. 23 rience has proved its truth, with far more delight, with far deeper impression, than a whole class of promises collected by another. This promise, when turned up in your Bible, will not need the mark of pen or pencil to attract your eye. It is marked in your grateful expe¬ rience. It has been fulfilled more abundantly than you could have asked or thought. Without enlarging upon this endless and most blessed theme, of the promises contained in the covenant, it may be remarked, that they are all involved in the three re¬ maining designations of the covenant; having reference to either peace , holiness , or everlasting life. The covenant of which Christ is the Head, is eminently a covenant of God’s peace .’ 1 lie is 4 our peace ;’ 2 through whom, being justified by faitb, we have peace with God, and are admitted to a state of favour, acceptance, and friendship with him, 3 —a state opposite to that wherein w r e all are by nature. This covenanted peace was typi¬ fied, and, by the faithful enjoyed, in the peace-offerings of old. It was promised as one of the chief blessings of Messiah’s reign, and it forms a principal characteristic of his followers. But the covenant is no less eminently a holy covenant; preserving unsullied the holiness of God’s government, and bestowing upon man personal holiness. This is what gives confidence to believers in laying hold of the cove¬ nant, that, while it procures for them all possible bless¬ ings, without the least merit of their own ; its conditions have been perfectly performed by their Head, so that God is just in forgiving them, glorified in saving them. And they delight not more in those clauses of the charter which ensure their pardon and peace, than in those which ensure their sanctification. The promise, 4 1 will forgive 1 Numb. xxv. 12. 2 Eph. ii. 14. 3 Rom. v. 1,2. 24 TIIE LAST ADAM their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more, is endeared to them by its inseparable companion in the charter, ‘ I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts ; ’ and by this, ‘ they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord/ 1 The believer rejoices to find that by the terms of the covenant, he is provided with a twofold righteousness, answering to the two-fold unrighteousness which he inherited from Adam : imputed righteousness, wrought for him by Christ, and inward and personal righteousness wrought in him by the Spirit of Christ. We have still to view the covenant under one other character, without which all the foregoing woidd be worse than valueless. The blessings and privileges conveyed by it would but aggravate the misery of those who taste them, were it liable to change or to termination. But, blessed be God, the Covenant of Grace, the New, the Holy, the Peaceful covenant, is immutable , everlasting: not depending upon the faithfulness of frail, sinful man ; but ensured by all the perfections of the eternal and un¬ changeable Jehovah. In the Old Testament, God pro¬ mises, ‘ I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me/ 2 Thus the Lord engages for our part of the covenant as well as for his own; another proof that it is all of grace. And assurances to the same purpose are given in the New Testament. Christ un¬ dertakes to keep his sheep, so that no man shall be able to pluck them out of his hand. 3 Believers are called the ‘preserved in Jesus Christ:’ 4 they are ‘kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation/ 5 1 Jer. xxxi. 33, 34. 2 Jer. xxxii. 40. 3 John x. 28. 4 Jude 1. 5 1 Pet. i. 5. COVENANT OF THE PEOPLE. 25 To the views above taken of the covenant of grace, it may be objected, That by representing it as performed so entirely by God, in Christ, we leave to man no free agency, no responsibility; as if be were not required personally to enter into covenant with God, and could not be blamed for refusing to do so. So much is this the reverse of our view, that we would urge every one to try bis interest in the covenant made with Christ as the Head, by what he knows of personal covenanting with God. We say not, that no one can be in Christ, but we say, no one can know that he is , who is not conscious of a personal transaction, equivalent to a covenant, hav¬ ing taken place between God and himself. Whether we have done this in the express and solemn manner recom¬ mended by some excellent Divines, 1 or in the more ordi¬ nary exercises of devotion, there must have been a dis¬ tinct and cordial acquiescence, on our part, in the plan of salvation by grace, a hearty renunciation of every thing that would mingle with free grace in our salvation ; and, at the same time, a hearty dedication of ourselves, in soul and body, in every thing we are, and have, to the service of our Covenant-God. This transaction will not be performed once only. It will be renewed again and again; our treacherous departures from it deplored, and strength for the future earnestly supplicated. And while we rejoice to know that our everlasting interest in it is secure, out of reach of harm, we shall all the more be ashamed and confounded for our own vile ingratitude and unfaithfulness. Mark, God does not keep us from de¬ parting from him, by putting presumption and careless - ness into our hearts, but by putting his fear there ; 2 by infusing a godly fear of sin, a fear of grieving his Holy 1 See Doddridge’s Rise and Progress, and Guthrie’s Christian’s Great Interest. 2 Jer. xxxii. 40. VOL. II. B i 26 THE LAST ADAM- Spirit, a fear lest, after all our professions, and duties, and privileges, we should ourselves be cast away. Now, seeing that all men are either in Adam, or in Christ, might it not have been expected, that all would have lain low in the dust before their Maker, acknow¬ ledging their fallen, abject, condemned state, and eagerly looking out for deliverance from it; and that, a hope being held out of another and better covenant, into which they might enter, all would have pressed into it ? And, yet, it is a lamentable fact, that most men are neither humbled for their share in the first Adam, nor anxious to train a share in the Second : although urged and en- treated to do so, by all the motives of fear and hope, of danger and deliverance, that the God of heaven can ad- dress to them. Some are denying the depravity of their natural state, saying, it is not nearly so bad as we repre¬ sent : others are impiously accusing their Maker, for bringing them into this state, though He offers them an¬ other covenant which, as we have seen, would ‘ much more’ than deliver them from the bad effects of the first. Most men are unwilling to trace their misery to its true cause, sin ; and thus they virtually deny that ‘ by one man sin entered, and death by sin.’ They walk through the world, proudly and independently , as they imagine, with little or no concern whether they are still in the bonds of the broken covenant, or brought into the bonds of the ever¬ lasting covenant. Others again make for themselves a complex covenant; trusting partly to their own obe¬ dience or innocence, and partly to the mercy of God. Indeed, teachers are not wanting to encourage men in this complex system. While they profess to preach that 6 salvation is of free grace; ’ they make the first turning from sin to God, or repentance, to originate in the sinner himself; his perseverance in a right course they trace to COVENANT OF THE PEOPLE. 27 himself also, and his final victory is a mixture of his own merits and those of the Redeemer. In short, they tell their hearers, that if they do their part , God will not be wanting in His. Poor comfort this, to a wretched, weak, sinful soul, that knows it can do no part but trans¬ gress the covenant. But what solid comfort and peace does the believer find in the Covenant of Grace! The simple word of God would have been a sufficient warrant for our confidence ; but he has been pleased to add to this, his solemn oath; to pledge all the perfections of his cha¬ racter and being, for the fulfilment of a covenant trans¬ action ; that by two immutable things, his promise and his oath, we might have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us. The Christian, then, rests, according to the measure of his faith, upon this c sure’ and ‘ well ordered’ covenant. He rejoices in its promises, with ‘ ever new delight;’ and in this, especially, he rejoices, that it is an everlast¬ ing and absolute covenant. Did its permanence depend upon one single act of his own, he knows it might be broken the next hour ; but this is his confidence, that the Last Adam has perfectly fulfilled its conditions, and in the name of his people taken possession of the true Para¬ dise. He has already received some tokens of relation¬ ship to the Second Adam ; and therefore can surely rely on receiving all the rest; even grace, mercy, and peace, until he comes to glory. In conclusion, we would repeat what we formerly said, under the title Surety, that the covenant of grace, mercy, and peace, is freely offered to all; that no qualification is required for an interest in it, but willingness. AVe would affectionately urge all who are in doubt concern¬ ing their state, to examine whether any thing like a hearty covenant transaction has passed between them and 28 THE LAST ADAM. God : for, although it is made with Christ, as the Head, it must be ratified with each individual, as his member. And oh ! in how fatal an error will you be found at last, if you are seeking to enter Paradise, by that way which is still guarded by the flaming sword; which, if in any measure you are trusting to your own repentance, faith, or obedience, you are actually doing ! oh ! remember, this is making ‘ a covenant with death, an agreement with hell :’ x and a day is coming, when, as far as safety is con¬ cerned, this covenant must be disannulled, this agreement shall not stand; but they shall stand , as the only covenant in which you have any interest. How bitter then will be the reflection, that you were repeatedly warned to flee from that covenant, and accept of a better, an ever¬ lasting covenant, and ye would not! To our fellow-members, interested in the Covenant of Life, we would say, The Lord will ever be mindful of his covenant: Oh ! be ve also mindful of it always. Stand by the pillar, on which the blood of the covenant was shed: renew your covenant with God, over this blessed sacrifice; and then, in the strength of your Head, make a covenant before the Lord, to walk after him, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all your heart, and with all your soul. 2 We cannot conclude better than in the words of a pious author, ‘ Oh! Adam ! what hast thou done ? Oh! Jesus ! what hast thou not done?’ 2 Ps. cxi. 5; 2 Kings xxiii. 3; Ps. 1. 5. 1 Isaiah xxviii. 15. ESSAY XXVI. THE LIFE—QUICKENING SPIRIT—BREAD OF LIFE- TREE OF LIFE —THE TRUE VINE —PRINCE OF LIFE—OUR LIFE, or LIFE ETERNAL. Having viewed the Lord Jesus Christ as the Last Adam, or Head of the Covenant of Grace, we now pro¬ ceed to study separately the blessings which, by virtue of that covenant, he conveys and secures to his people. And first, let us study him as The Life. ‘ God ‘ oidy is The Life, properly so called, and no other be- ‘ ing hath a life of its own, independent or underived. ‘ He is the first Cause of existence; therefore, in Him ‘ all things, whether spiritual or material, have their be- ‘ ing. That the Father hath life in himself\ nobody will ‘ deny. Of Christ it was said, that in Him was Life , ‘ and the Life was the Light of men; and he says ex- ‘ pressly, I am the Life. That the Spirit is also Life, ‘ appears, both from the attribute being applied to Him, ‘ The Spirit of Life , and from the exercise of the attri- ‘ bute by him.’ 1 The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, have each Life in themselves; but, in a peculiar sense, 1 the Father hath given to the Son to have life in himself;’ 2 as the Head of the Covenant, to bestow and convey life to his spiritual offspring. This is the subject at present before us; and it naturally divides itself into two parts,— 1 Serle. 2 John v. 26. 30 THE LIFE. 1st, What is the life that Christ bestows on his people? 2d, IIow does he so bestow it, as to be called their Life? First, What is the Life that Christ bestows on his people ? and, first of all, What is Life, in the general meaning of the term ? There are various kinds of life bestowed on creatures by the Creator. There is the life of angels , an immortal and purely spiritual existence; there is the life of man, either by the union of soul and body, or by the separate existence of the soul; there is the life of animals , a bodi¬ ly existence without soul; and, lower still, there is the life of vegetation. Nothing is more certain, than that even the lowest of these kinds of life, it is beyond the power of a creature to bestow. Man could no more give its short span of life to an ephemera, or even to a blade of grass, than he could give immortality to an angel. But still we have not answered the question, What is Life ? The truth is, man can no more explain what is life, than he can bestow it. tie tells us, 4 Life is mo¬ tion,’ or, 4 a power to move, and do the actions of life ;’ but this tells us little more than that life is the power to live; in short, that life is life. Since this, however, is the only definition we can find, we must rest satisfied with saying, that 4 Life is motion , whether in the animal 4 or intellectual world ; n while we confess our utter in¬ ability to comprehend the nature of that vital principle which produces motion, either in the material body, or in the immaterial mind. 4 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward?’ When we witness the change that takes place in a hu¬ man body, when suddenly deprived of life, how totally 1 Serle. THE LIFE. o 1 ol unable are we to express or understand what it has lost! How feeble then seems the definition, ‘ Life is motion ! ’ It is true, that body which so lately was all motion, ac¬ tivity, and animation, is now motionless, both as to out¬ ward action, and the wonderful machinery which moved within. But we feel that life was a great deal more than motion; though that may be the philosophical de¬ finition. In the case of a well organized body, there was the exercise of all the senses ; by which information and evidence were communicated to the mind, while each served as an inlet of pleasure or of pain, according to the different objects presented to it. Now, the body neither sees nor hears, can neither smell, feel, nor taste. But, in answer to the question, What is the Life that Christ bestows on his people ? we reply, It is 4 a spiri- ‘ tural, supernatural, and heavenly life, whereby we live ‘ to God, and enjoy peace with him, which is also the ‘ way to, and the beginning of, eternal life/ 1 —‘ If we 4 would share in a happier being after this life, the life 4 that ends not, it must begin here ; grace and glory 4 is one and the same life, only with this difference, that 4 the one is the beginning, and the other the perfection 4 of it; or, if we do call them two several lives, yet the 4 one is the undoubted pledge of the other/ 2 Now, this spiritual or eternal life bears analogy to natural life, in both the definitions given of the latter. It has motion , and the exercise of the senses. As long as a man remains in his natural state, dead in trespasses and sins, he has neither spiritual motion, nor spiritual senses. But when spiritual life is infused into him, spiritual motion is felt within, all the powers of the mind, and the affections of the heart, being moved towards God; and spiritual motion appears in the life, 2 Leighton. 1 Crnden. 32 THE LIFE. it being now devoted to the service of God. Now also the spiritual senses are awakened from their dormant state, and exercised to discern good and evil. The eye is opened to see the beauty of holiness, the hideousness of sin, the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, the worthlessness of the world, and the reality of eternal things; it is especially opened to see the vileness and helplessness of the man’s own state, and the perfect suit¬ ableness of the Saviour to his necessities. The ear is opened to hear the glad sound of the Gospel; a savour of life is diffused over the soul; spiritual feelings , and a spiritual taste , are produced in it. If it be not too fanciful, we would remark, that the analogy between the bodily and spiritual senses is closest in those senses, the exercise of which can be least ex¬ pressed in words; such as feeling and taste ; and that these, therefore, form the truest criteria of spiritual life. W e can describe, though often but faintly, what we see or hear ; but what we feel or taste, no words can express. In like manner, we can describe, in some degree, the light and knowledge that have been imparted to our minds, since we began to live unto God ; but to describe the new emotions and the new taste that have been implanted there, is impossible. We now love what we formerly hated or regarded with indifference; we now hate many things in which we formerly delighted; we now fear many things in which before we could see no danger ; and hope for those things which till now pre¬ sented to us no attractions. Our feelings of gratitude, of shame, of reverence, and of love, towards our redeem¬ ing God, of sorrow for sin, and joy in the Holy Ghost, of brotherly affection for the saints, and yearning com¬ passion for the unconverted, words can but faintly de¬ scribe. Nor can we describe any better the new taste THE LIFE. 33 we have acquired. There is a relish of divine things, a sort of instinctive desire for the food that is nourishing to the soul, and a sort of instinctive aversion to what is hurtful to it; while sometimes we cannot assign any positive reason for choosing the one and refusing the other ; at least the taste decides, before the judgment has time to deliberate ; and it decides, for reasons quite inexplicable to those who have not this spiritual discern¬ ment. In short, when the soul is made spiritually alive, 4 all things are become new,’ because the soul itself has be¬ come ‘ a new creature.’ It has begun a new existence ; a new world has opened to its view ; it can tell the instru¬ ment whereby it was called into this new existence, ‘ the incorruptible word of God ;’ and perhaps the particular part of that word, and the particular occasion, which were made effectual to its new birth ; but the new life itself it can no more explain, than we can explain natu¬ ral life. We have hitherto viewed spiritual life only in its analogy to the life of the body. But, to give a more enlarged and Scriptural view of it, we shall take two de¬ scriptions of life eternal, spoken by Jesus himself. The first of these is, ‘ lie that heareth my word, and be- lieveth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.’ 1 The other,—‘ This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Je¬ sus Christ, whom thou hast sent.’ 2 In the first of these texts, eternal life being contrasted with a state of con¬ demnation , it must there mean a title to everlasting bliss, by the imputation of Christ’s righteousness, instead of that title to everlasting misery, to which we are all born. 1 John v, 24. 2 John xvii. 3, THE LIFE. 34 And this title is represented as sure, from the time that a man believes; from that moment, he is passed from death unto life: it is as sure in God’s sight, though per¬ haps not in the man’s own apprehension, as it will be when the veil of mortality shall he dropped. ‘ This ‘ new life puts us out of the danger and fear of that ‘ eternal death : we are passed from death unto life, ‘ says St John, 2 speaking of those that are horn again ; ‘ and being passed, there is no repassing, no going back ‘ from this life to death again.’ 3 As our first text shows how to obtain a title to life eternal , our second teaches in what that life consists. It tells us, This is life eternal, to know God , and Jesus Christ whom he has sent. This knowledge is the beginning, foretaste, and pledge of life everlasting. And the know¬ ledge of God and of Christ, here intended, must be in¬ ward, personal, and experimental. We may entertain a high esteem and regard for an individual, from knowing his character, from hearing his public speeches, and see¬ ing his public doings ; but how is our esteem enhanced by affection and gratitude, when we become personally acquainted with him; when he honours us with his friendship, enters into all our concerns, assists us in every difficulty, gives us his valuable counsel, and equally va¬ luable reproofs! Now, the knowledge of God which constitutes eternal life, is of this intimate and personal nature. The happiness of Heaven will consist in the perfection of this knowledge and communion; and the more we taste of them here on earth, the surer pledge have we of eternally enjoying them in heaven. We be¬ come partakers of eternal life, in the two senses above described, at one and the same time. The Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus frees us at the same time from the death J 1 John iii. 14. 2 Leighton. THE LIFE. 35 of condemnation , x and from the death of unregeneracy ; only the former transition is complete at once, the other is gradual. We come now to the second part of our subject, How does Christ so bestow life on his people, as to be styled their Life ? This question we shall answer, by proving that to him belong the following titles :— 4 A Quicken¬ ing Spirit;’ 4 The Bread of Life;’ 4 The Tree of Life ;’ ‘ The True Vine,’ 4 The Prince of Life,’ and 4 Our Life,’ or 4 Eternal Life.’ A QUICKENING SPIRIT. First, he is 4 A Quickening Spirit ,’ 2 This title de¬ notes both his power to quicken the body, which, by the context, seems chiefly intended, and his power and office to quicken the soul, dead in trespasses and sins. He who can effect the one, must be able also to effect the other. His power to raise the body will form the subject of a future Essay. It is the resurrection of the soul that at present engages us ; and, in reference to it, 4 The last Adam was made a quickening Spirit.’ 4 Christ, the 4 second Adam, or public person, and Head of the New 4 Covenant, is partaker of the divine nature, and endued 4 with the Holy Spirit, whereby he becomes the fountain 4 of heavenly life to all his members ; 3 and, as the soul 4 dwelling in the first Adam’s body made him a living 4 soul; so Christ, dwelling in true believers, quickens and 4 enables them both here and hereafter.’ 4 1 Rom. viii. 1, 2. * Rom. viii. 10, 11. 2 1 Cor. xv. 4-5. 4 Cruden. 36 THE LIFE. But it may be objected, Since regeneration is pecu¬ liarly the work of the Holy Ghost; since they who are born again are born of the Spirit, why do we ascribe to the Son the work of quickening the soul? We reply, The title being plainly given to the Son, would be suffi¬ cient warrant for our doing so; but we have a larger warrant in the general tenor of Scripture. The Holy Spirit is ‘ the Spirit of Christ;’ 1 all his influences on the believer’s soul, from first to last, flow from and through Christ, being procured by his death, and bestowed through his intercession. Believers are ‘ quickened to¬ gether with Christ ;” 2 they are begotten again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 3 in virtue of his resurrection, and of all the benefits thereby procured and sealed. The washing of regenera¬ tion, and renewing of the Holy Ghpst, are shed on them abundantly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour ; 4 and, with regard to both body and soul, ‘ as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them ; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.’ 5 BREAD OF LIFE. That the Lord Jesus merits the title of Ofr Life, is further evident from his styling himself The Bread of Life. Not only does he impart the new and spiritual life, but he becomes its support and sustenance, being both the Author and the Matter of life eternal In the O' th chapter of John’s Gospel, is recorded the appropria¬ tion of this affecting title by the Lord Jesus himself. I Ie said, ‘ I am the Bread of Life ;’— 4 the Bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life to 1 1 Pet. i. 11. 2 Epli. ii. 5. 3 1 Pet. i. .*5. 4 Tit. iii. 5, 6. 3 John v. 21. THE LIFE. •37 the world.’ lie declared that this Bread from heaven was a nourishing and satisfying food, infinitely superior to the manna of the wilderness, in that it preserved, not natural life merely, but eternal life ; and he further de¬ clared it to be the only and indispensable food of the soul, without which it could have no life in it. Nor did our blessed Master utter this doctrine in a dark parable, leaving it to our own interpretation. He declared, in plain terms, the manner in which he was to become the food of our souls, and the manner in which we must partake of that food, so as to have life in him. By the expressions, 4 the bread that I will give is my flesh , which I will give for the life of the world,’ 4 My flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed,’ he implied, that it was by the separation of his human flesh and blood in death, that he was to give life to the world. And, by the familiar and expressive figure of eating and drinking , he taught the most unlettered, in what man¬ ner they are invited to partake of this life. We all know that the most excellent and wholesome food, though prepared, and set before us, will not nourish our bodies unless we eat it ; so this most excellent and divine Bread, prepared by God himself, and set before us in his word and ordinances, will not nourish our souls, unless received and applied by faith, and digested by holy me¬ ditation. To 4 eat the flesh of the Son of Man,’ then, and 4 to drink his blood,’ is, plainly, to receive, with adoring gratitude, the benefits purchased by his death, and to apply them to our own perishing souls, as their only support and sustenance; and the more simply and constantly we so 4 feed upon Christ in our hearts, by faith, with thanksgiving,’ the stronger we grow in the divine life; the clearer are our evidences of having 4 passed from death unto life,’ by justification ; and the 38 THE LIFE. richer is our enjoyment of that ‘ life eternal,’ which con¬ sists in the knowledge of God, and of Jesus Christ. This Bread is equally necessary to the believer in every period of his heavenly life. As soon as he is born again, he hungers after it with an appetite that nothing else will satisfy, and which destroys his relish for w’orldly pleasures. And so satisfying a portion does he find it, that the more he receives, the more he desires ; he finds it both necessary and delightful to gather this manna daily, ere the sun of earthly avocations has melted it; and it is his own fault if his vessel be not filled. By eating of this Bread, the ‘ little children’ in Christ know that their sins are forgiven them, for his name’s sake. By eating of this Bread, the 4 young men’ in Christ be¬ come strong to overcome the wicked one; and, as they grow up to be 4 fathers’ in Christ, their experience of the necessity and satisfaction of feeding upon this Bread, is ever increasing;’ 1 they receive it more simply, more gratefully, more unreservedly by far, than they did when 4 babes;’ and devoutly acknowledge that all they know, or have known of the Father, has been through the broken body and shed blood of the Son of Man, and by the life therein communicated to them. TREE OF LIFE. To make it more evident that all kinds of life are trea¬ sured up in Christ, he is compared even to those things which have vegetable life, and is called The Tree of Life. Both good and wicked men are, in Scripture, com¬ pared to trees. 4 The godly’ (says the Psalmist) 4 shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bring- 1 1 John ii. 12-14. THE LIFE. 39 eth forth his fruit in his season.’ The wicked are called barren and unfruitful trees, trees whose fruit withereth, or is sour and bad. The aptness of this comparison is obvious, as no object in nature is more beautiful and valuable than a fine tree, and few are more worthless and unsightly than a withered or barren one. The life of a tree is longer than that of animals, or of human beings. When God was to promise long life and prosperity to his people, he said, 4 As the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.’ In the garden of Eden were two trees of very solemn significance,—the Tree of Life, and the Tree of the Know¬ ledge of Good and Evil. The former was 4 a natural 4 means of prolonging man’s life, and also a sacramental 4 pledge of his continuance in that life, on condition of 4 his perfect obedience. But this Tree of Life was to him 4 a Tree of Death, because of his infidelity and disobe- 4 dience. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good cmd Evil 4 was so called, because, by the eating of it, man came 4 to know experimentally the vast difference between 4 good and evil ; the greatness of that good he formerly 4 enjoyed, by the loss of it; and the greatness of that 4 evil he had brought upon himself, by the feeling of it; 4 and this was another sacramental pledge which sealed 4 death spiritual, temporal, and eternal, in case of dis- 4 obedience .’ 1 How can we sufficiently adore the mercy and good¬ ness of God, in that, after we had forfeited all right to the first tree of life, Almighty Wisdom and Love did provide for us a Second, far better than the first, being not a sacramental pledge of life merely, but a real, un¬ fading, eternal Fountain of Life. 1 Cruden. 40 THE LIFE. After this first mention of the tree of life, in paradise, we find the term only in the book of Proverbs, and in that of Revelation. ‘ As used in Proverbs, it sometimes ‘ denotes rather th e fruits of the tree than the tree itself; ‘ the graces, good example, pious discourse, wise in- ‘ structions, fervent prayers, and zealous good works of ‘ the righteous, which become exceedingly beneficial to ‘ those around them, and promote the salvation of sinful ‘ men. But, in the 3d chapter, 18th verse, it seems to ‘ denote Christ himself:—“ She (Wisdom) is a tree of ‘ life to them that lay hold upon her ; and happy is every ‘ one that retaineth her.” If we understand it of Christ, ‘ the Wisdom of God (as Origen, St Ambrose, St Au- ‘ gustine, and others do), or of his doctrine, which is the ‘ same, it is literally true that he gives immortality, as ‘ the tree of life in paradise would have done. A tree of ‘ life, then, seems to be a proverbial expression for that ‘ which prolongs life, and makes it very delightful and 4 pleasant, as well as firm and durable.’ 1 When our blessed Lord is compared to a tree, it is always to a fruit-tree, ‘ a tree for meat,’ a vine, an ap¬ ple-tree. Many trees are valuable to men, for their shade alone, without bearing fruit; but our Tree of Life combines both these valuable properties, shade and fruit. In the 47th chapter of Ezekiel, a vision is described, exactly similar to that of St John, in the 22d of Revela¬ tion : and, though the trees in the former vision are called ‘ trees for meat,’ while those in the latter are ‘ the tree of life,’ it is manifestly the same Tree that was seen bv the prophet of the Old Testament, and by the prophet and apostle of the New. And it is of little consequence whether we understand it of Christ himself, or of the blessings which he conveys. In either sense, it repre- 1 Scott. THE LIFE. 41 sents the several parts of his mediatorial work ; the suf¬ ficiency of his salvation to supply all the various wants of believers, and to complete their everlasting felicity; the plenteous provisions of the Gospel, the precious pro¬ mises of the Sacred Word, and the privileges of believers, communicated to their souls by him. 1 Let us, then, depending on the help of his life-giving Spirit, for light and for efficacy to our humble endea¬ vours, dwell for a little upon this delightful emblem of our Redeemer, as presented in the two visions, viewed as one and the same; 2 connected also with the blessed experience of the church, ‘ I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.’ The trees seen by Ezekiel and by St. John, grew in luxuriant abundance ; very many trees, on the one side of the river and on the other: they were trees for meat, or many trees of one excellent species, the Tree of Life. They yielded a constant and never failing supply of fruit, varying with each varying season, twelve manner of fruits, new according to his months. The leaf of this Tree was no less valuable than its fruit; for as the one supported life, and rendered it pleasant, the other healed the diseases which would have destroyed all relish for the fruit: the leaf was for medicine, for the healing of the nations. To complete the perfection of this Tree, the prophet saw that it was imperishable, a tree whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall its fruit be consumed: and all this, because the river on whose banks it grew was the River of Life, the waters that issued out of the sanc¬ tuary, and healed and vivified every thing where they came. 1 Scott on Ezek. xlvii. 2 Ezek. xlvii. 1-12, and Rev. xxii. 1,2, taken in connexion with Cant. ii. 3. 42 THE LIFE. This is the Tree, excelling all 4 the trees of the wood,’ under whose shadow the believer sits down, and finds shelter from the scorching rays of Divine Justice, from the accusations of Satan and his own conscience, and from all the trials and troubles of life. He betakes himself to this shelter on first setting out on his journey heaven-ward, and never quits it, knowing that there alone he is safe and happy. In this view, the 4 very many trees’ suit the idea of a journey, as in every stage of his progress, the believer travels under the shade of the Tree of Life, find¬ ing it ever above his head. The path of the flock is along the banks of the River of living water, that pure 4 River of water of Life, clear as crystal,’ which proceeds out of the throne of God and of the Lamb ; and on each side of which grows the Tree of Life. That is, by following the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we enjoy all the bless¬ ings of life and salvation, procured by the mediation of Christ, of which shade and fruit are lively emblems. Every one who truly reposes under the shadow of this Tree, gathers of its fruit; but it is gathered in various degrees of abundance, by different pilgrims, according to the sovereign pleasure of the Proprietor of the garden, and according to their own diligence. Under this image of fruit , the higher enjoyments of believers seem princi¬ pally intended. As, for our bodies, God gives us not only bread for the necessary support of life, but a great variety of pleasant fruits, which are 4 sweet to the taste,’ and refreshing to the frame, especially in eastern climates; so, for our souls, he graciously provides not merely Bread to sustain our spiritual existence, but a rich and inex¬ haustible variety of Fruits, to render that existence de¬ lightful. We have already said, that the Bread of Life is as necessary to the advanced Christian as to the babe in Christ; and that the former feeds upon it with greater THE LIFE. 43 simplicity and gratitude than the latter, because with more experimental knowledge of its virtues. We do not therefore mean to imply, that the Bread is food for the young in grace, and the Fruit for the more advanced : but although both partake of both, the Fruit is most enjoyed by the experienced Christian, because it repre¬ sents the higher attainments, sweeter comforts, and more choice privileges which he enjoys, by closer union and fellowship with Christ. These fruits are too numerous to be named; they are ever 4 new,’ according to the varying circumstances and necessities of every pilgrim, and ever 4 new,’ in the delight unmixed with satiety which they impart. The most precious of them are, peace of conscience, a sense of God’s love, the witness of the Spirit that we are children of God, the knowledge that our sins are forgiven us for Christ’s sake, joy in the Holy Ghost, increase of grace, fellowship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, the consolation that is in Christ, the comfort of love, and the assurance that we shall be enabled to persevere to the end. But what gives to these fruits their highest zest is, that sweet as they are, they are but as the grapes of Eslicol, pledges and samples of the far-famed fruit of the Land of Promise, which the redeemed shall soon gather, fresh from the Tree, in the immediate presence of their reconciled God, in the true Paradise, which the Last Adam secures to them. For, through his death, and his living again, they have a right to the Tree of Life, and shall enter in through the gates into the city. But the leaves of the Tree must not be passed over unnoticed; they were 4 for medicine,’ or, 4 for the heal¬ ing of the nationsand are supposed to denote the less attractive and pleasing gifts of Providence and of Grace, which are, nevertheless, very profitable and necessary. THE LIFE. 44 Affliction and humiliation are needful, to bring the soul into a healthy state, to give it an appetite and relish for the high privileges and joys of fellowship with Christ; to cure it of its palsied inaction, and restore the right exercise of the spiritual senses, besides other healing operations, too numerous to mention. Perhaps the leaves may also denote the humbler parts of the Saviour’s work, without which the more exalted had been of no avail. For, with¬ out leaves, there is no shade afforded by a tree; and without the abasement and death of the Saviour, we could have had no shelter from the wrath of God. As to the future benefits and enjoyments resulting from the Tree of Life, the leaves will be for the healing of both body and soul, of all diseases, infirmities, decays, and dissolution ; for there shall be ‘ no more curse’ there. Then, truly, we shall experience that the leaf of this Tree does not fade, neither is its fruit consumed, to all eternity: for, as the days of the Tree of Life itself, shall be the days of every one of God’s people ; and they shall long, yea, for ever, enjoy the work of their hands. The people of Christ are, in an inferior sense, called ‘ trees of life ;’ but that all their life, vigour, and fruit¬ fulness are derived from him, is still further proved, by another title which he adopted,— THE TRUE VINE. ‘ I am the vine (said Jesus), ye are the branches ; he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered.’ 1 The deity of our Lord has been compared 1 John xv. 1-6. THE LIFE. 45 to the root of the Vine; his humanity to the stem; and believers are the branches , which draw all their sap from the root , through the stem. In proportion as they abide closely in him, they bear much fruit. That this fruit is not the natural produce of their hearts is evident, both from their name of branches, and from the means required to increase their fruitfulness, which resemble the sharp pruning-knife. PRINCE OF LIFE. But, that Christ is the Life of his people, is still fur¬ ther proved, from his being styled the Prince of Life. As God, he is the author and giver of temporal life ; ‘ in whom we live, and move, and have our being ;’ in whose hand is our breath : and as Mediator, he is invested with sovereign authority to give eternal life to as many as the Father has given him. 1 He gives to his sheep eternal life, 2 and ensures them against the possibility of forfeiting it. It is true, the ‘ Prince of Life’ 3 himself came under the power of death, for a season ; he was ‘ killed,’ but he had power to lay down his life, and power to take it again ; and, ‘ to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord loth of the dead , and lie- mg. * OUR LIFE, OR LIFE ETERNAL. The various titles under which we have now traced the Lord Jesus Christ abundantly testify that all the life 1 John xvii. 2. 2 John x. 28. 3 Acts iii. 15. 4 Rom. xiv. 9. 46 THE LIFE. his people enjoy, from its commencement in the new birth, to its consummation in eternal glory, they owe to him, and enjoy through him. He is therefore justly styled, Their Life . 1 Not only is he the Author of Life, as a Quickening Spirit, the Support of Life as the Bread, the Protector and Enjoyment of Life as the Tree, the Foun¬ tain of it as the Vine, and the Sovereign Disposer of it as the Prince of Life : he is the very Life itself to his people ; being to every one of them, what the soul is to the body,—the vital principle, the spring of all spiritual motion and sensation. Thus St. Paul, after declaring that he lived unto God, earnestly disclaims all power of life in himself; ‘ I live ; yet not I, but Christ livetli in me : and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God.’ 2 Thus St. John, to the same purpose, 4 This is the record, that God hath given to us eternal Life; and this Life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.’ 3 Thus Jesus himself spake, ‘ I am the Life ; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live : and whosoever livetli, and believeth in me, shall never die.’ 4 St. John concludes his first Epistle by this definition of eternal life; 4 We know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true; and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.’ To have Christ as 4 our Life,’ then, is to be united to him by a mutual indwell¬ ing, as intimate as that which unites the branches to the vine, the body to the soul: it is to abide in Him, and He in us. Were this union perfect and uninterrupted, the life of faith on earth would almost resemble the life 1 Col. iii. 3, 4. 2 Gal. ii. 20. 3 1 John v. 11, 12. * John xi. 25, 26. THE LIFE. 47 of heaven. But, alas ! the Christian has to learn that Christ is his Life, not only by a happy enjoyment of com¬ munion with him, but by the occasional loss of that com¬ munion. His life of justification cannot be interrupted : but this is hidden in the secret counsels of God, and can only be discerned by the life of sanctification. And, when provoked by the unbelief or slothfulness of his servants, Jesus withdraws his vivifying presence, they feel as dead as ever, and learn by painful experience, that their life is in him alone. In this state, the Christian often fears that he has never been quickened by the Spirit of Christ, but is still dead in sin : but on searching deeper, he finds some symptoms of life, even in his complaints and fears. The dead cannot grieve: to them it is no ground of la¬ mentation, that they cleave to the dust, that they cannot move nor feel. But the Christian, even by complaining of insensibility, proves that he is not quite insensible. He is restless and uneasy, and would give much to be in bitterness, rather than remain in this painful deadness. Were it possible for Christ to die, his people would die also: but because he lives, they live also; because he ever liveth, and is made their High Priest ‘ after the power of an endless life,’ they also shall inherit everlasting- life. ‘ That eternal life,’ which was once the object of bodily perception to his people, shall once more be seen and heard on the earth : and, when Christ who is our Life shall appear, then shall we also appear with him in glory. Then shall our true life begin, a life worthy of the name. God has not seen fit clearly to reveal to us in what this blessed life eternal shall consist. Were it such as we could comprehend with our present limited facul¬ ties, it would not be ‘ an exceeding and eternal weight of glory.’ This much, however, we know, and this is suf- 1 John xiv. ] 9. 48 THE LIFE. ficient, that it will mainly consist in the perfect enjoy¬ ment of that life of communion with, and conformity to, our adorable Saviour, which he has begun in us here be¬ low. Then will he show us our names indelibly written in the Book of Life, give us to eat of the Tree of Life, satisfy our thirst from the Fountain of the Water of Life, and place upon our head the Crown of Life. Then shall we know, after a different manner from what we now know it, that ‘ we have eternal life, and that this life is in God’s Son.’ This Essay has been of so practical a nature through¬ out, that little remains to be said by way of application. But, oh i that the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus would be pleased to make use of this feeble instrument, to awaken some immortal souls from their death-like sleep ! Let me at least entreat you, my fellow-sinners, to in¬ quire seriously whether you are aware of any change having been wrought in you comparable to a new birth ? Such a change cannot have been effected with¬ out your having some consciousness of it: and if you die without being born again, better, far better, had it been for you, that you had never been born. For, con¬ sider what is the alternative. If you do not receive life from Christ , you remain in death. You know you must submit to temporal death ; but you are also in a state of spiritual death; which is, ‘ a separation of soul and body ‘ from God’s favour; ’ 1 and you are exposed every moment to eternal death , which is 4 the perpetual separation of the ‘ whole man from God’s heavenly presence and glory, to ‘ be tormented for ever, with the devil and his ano;els.’ 2 Oh ! remember, if you refuse eternal life from Christ, the alternative is not annihilation: abhorrent as this is to 1 Cruden. 2 Cruden. THE LIFE. 49 human nature, it would gladly and eagerly be accepted instead of everlasting destruction , never-ending misery of soul and body, aggravated by bitter self-accusation in the case of those, who, during a season of grace, heard the voice of Christ in his word, complaining, ‘ Ye will not come unto one , that ye might have life .’ Oh ! that you might now hear that voice, ere it be too late, saying, ‘ Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee life.’ One sure sign of spiritual life having been begun in us is, a hungering after the Bread of Life: for, if Ave have no desire for this Bread, it is too evident that we have not the life, to sustain which it was provided. How lamen¬ table is it to see multitudes feeding on empty husks, and ‘ spending money for that which is not breadwhile the Bread of Life, though offered to all, freely, without money and without price, stands despised, neglected, un • sought! And it is lamentable too, to see those who are eating of it, taking it so sparingly. Men do not starve their bodies as they do their souls : yet the consequences are equally injurious to the latter as to the former. ‘ The idle soul shall suffer hunger, but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.’ A large proportion of Christians, it is feared, take of the Bread of God, just enough to sus¬ tain their spiritual life, but not enough to make it healthy, vigorous, and active. There is life enough in them to render loathsome the ‘ body of death’ to which they are chained; but not enough to make existence pleasant and joyful. Christians of this sort thwart the design of their blessed Master, who came, not only that they might have life, but that they might have it ‘ more abundantly; ’ who says, 4 Eat, O friends ; drink, yea drink abundantly, 0 beloved.’ But may He give to every one of us a spi¬ ritual appetite for this spiritual food; not only laying VOL. II. c 50 THE LIFE. before us 1 the meat which endureth unto everlasting o life;’, but taking the yoke oft’ our jaws, 1 that we may eat, and be satisfied, yet hunger for more and more ; saying, with better understanding than the Jews of old, ‘ Lord, evermore give us this Bread.’ Let us next inquire, what do we know of Jesus as the Tree of Life ? Are we sitting down under his shadow with great delight, and finding his fruit sweet to our taste ? Or do we know any thing at all of these holy fruits , the consolations and joys of religion ? Do we ex¬ perience, or expect, any more from Christ, than bare sustenance, freedom from eternal death ? Alas ! we all come sadly short in this respect; too indolent and supine to put forth our hand and gather the delicious fruits which hang in richest abundance and variety over our heads, we drag on our grovelling way, weary, parched, and weak; just alive and no more. We seldom enjoy even the shcicloic of the Tree, with any thing like delight , because we do not walk close beside the River on which it grows. Lord, fulfil thy gracious promises to thine own Israel! Bring them back to thee with weeping, and with supplications do thou lead them : cause them to walk by the rivers of water in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble. Then shall they know that Thou art their Father, their Shepherd, their Redeemer. There¬ fore shall they come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil; they shall rejoice from their sorrow, and be satisfied with thy goodness; even with the fruits of thy Spirit, which are Love, Joy, and Peace. 2 W e ought to be roused from our low and lethargic state, by the consideration, that it not only keeps our . 1 Hosea xi. 4. 2 See Jer. xxxi. 9-14. THE LIFE. 51 own souls meagre and comfortless ; but is unprofitable to our brethren, and dishonourable to our God. Herein is the Father glorified, that we bear much fruit, that we arc filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are, by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Oh ! then, let us beseech Him who is our Life to ‘ quicken’ us again, ‘ according to his word,’ ‘ according to his loving kind¬ ness,’ and, ‘ for his Name’s sake that we may be not alive merely, but lively. Let us thankfully receive Life from him, as his free, sovereign gift, acknowledging that Death was our merited wages. And, as the best means of manifesting in our body the Life of the Lord Jesus, let us ever bear about a lively and affectionate remem¬ brance of his Death. 1 Then shall we be constrained, by his exceeding great love, to live not to ourselves, but to Him who died for us and rose again. And, ‘ walking in newness of life,’ we shall possess increasing evidences that we have passed from death unto life ; and that, the narrow stream of Jordan past, we shall live and reign with Christ, in glory everlasting. 1 2 Cor. iv. 10. ESSAY XXVII. THE LIGHT. After having viewed the Lord Jesus Christ as ‘ The Life,' we naturally turn to view him as that which forms one of the greatest blessings of life, viz. as Thf. Light. In this order, we follow the connexion pointed out in Scripture. The Psalmist says, 4 With thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light .’ 1 St John, when declaring that the Word was Life , adds the declaration, that he was Light also. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.’ 2 Jesus himself, when announcing his character, as 4 the Light of the World,’ styles this light 4 the Light of Life .’ 3 Nothing is more familiar to us than natural light; yet nothing is more inexplicable. If we were at a loss how to define life , we must confess ourselves equally at a loss when attempting to say, What is light ? Its ex¬ treme velocity, moving, as is computed, at the rate of ten or eleven millions of miles in a minute of time ; the inconceivable minuteness of its particles, which, notwith¬ standing their velocity, makes them fall upon the tender eye-ball with a sensation, not of pain but of pleasure; the various colours of which it is composed, so blended as to produce one pure, colourless medium; its innu¬ merable changes and varieties, and the adaptation of our 1 Ps. xxxvi. 9. 3 John i. 4. 3 John viii. 12. THE LIGHT. visual organs to every change:—These, and many more considerations, render light one of the most astonishing wonders of creation. How, then, should our wonder and holy admiration rise, when we turn from the sub¬ stance itself to him who formed it; when we read that sublime sentence, 4 God said, Let there be light, and there was light.’ As far as we can judge, no object in nature is a fitter emblem of its Maker, than this of light. It represents his infinite knowledge, wisdom, penetration, and truth ; his perfect purity, holiness, excellency, joy, and glory. The Scriptures accordingly tell us, that 4 God is light, and in him is no darkness at all 1 that he is the Father of Lights ; 2 the only Author and Source of all light, whe¬ ther natural, intellectual, moral, or spiritual to his crea¬ tures ; that he 4 dwells in the light which no man can approach unto ,’ 3 being surrounded with such terrible majesty and resplendent glory, that no man can approach unto him but in and by his incarnate Son. Not only is the Godhead, generally, represented in Scripture under this emblem ; it is peculiarly applied to Immanuel, God our Saviour; and this in various forms and modifications. He is styled 4 The True Light;’ 4 The Light of Men ;’ 4 Light of the World 4 a Light to lighten the Gentiles; ’ 4 the Day-spring from on high ; ’ 4 the Morning Star;’ 4 a Star out of Jacob 4 the Sun of Righteousness.’ But before proceeding to the direct contemplation of Jesus under these titles, we must consider first, what is meant by spiritual light , as opposed to spiritual darkness , and first of all, advert to the darkness of man’s natural state. Of this we have ample and affecting testimonies in the 1 1 John i. 5. 2 James i. 17. 3 1 Tim. vi. 16. 54 THE LIGHT. word of God, confirmed by history, observation, and ex¬ perience. From the time when Adam sinned, he was ‘ driven from light into darkness,’ 1 into the darkness of ignorance, error , and uncertainty , respecting the charac¬ ter of God, and his own position relative to God ; he fell into the darkness of separation from God , 4 having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that was in him, because of the blindness of his heart ;’ 2 and into sin and impurity , which are the 4 works of darkness,’ becoming, at the same time, liable to eternal misery , which is awfully termed ‘ outer darkness,’ ‘ the blackness of darkness for ever.’ And what rendered man’s condition most desperate was his love of darkness. 4 Their foolish heart was darkened, so that they did not like to retain God in their knowledge.’ They 4 loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds w T ere evil.’ And from generation to generation, except where the light of God’s Spirit has shone, men have 4 walked on still in darkness,' have con¬ tentedly 4 sat in darkness, and in the shadow of death.' The light they have possessed in other matters, the lights of reason, of conscience, of philosophy, and of science, have only served to show more plainly their utter blindness and darkness in spiritual things. And so completely unable were they to recover the light which they had lost, that their darkness is, in Scripture, compared to that of a dungeon. 3 In opposition to this his dreadful state by nature, man’s state, when redeemed and saved, is called light, by which we understand true saving knowledge , holiness , and joy. The propriety of this figure must be obvious, when 1 Job xviii. 18. 2 Eph. iv. 18. 3 Is. xlii. 7. THE LIGHT. 55 we reflect for a moment how essential light is to our cor¬ rect information on different subjects, to our security , prosperity , and comfort. How little idea can we form of objects without seeing them ? All that can be told us of their form and substance, of their beauty or deformity, all the information we can obtain of them through the other senses, fails to convey to our minds their real cha¬ racter. But let them become objects of sight, and in¬ stantaneous knowledge flashes upon us. Then as to security , we all know how dangerous it is to walk in the dark. Even where our path leads beside no precipices nor pit-falls, no swollen rivers nor deceitful swamps, we are apt to stumble and fall, over a stone, the stump of a tree, or other impediment, which in day-light we would pass without observing. And if it be difficult to walk safely in the dark, it is impossible, in most cases, to work in the dark. ‘ In the night (says our Lord) no man can work.’ All the works of art and science, of business, and domestic occupations, must stand still at the approach of night, did not He, who formed the sun in the firmament, supply us also with artificial lights, to compensate in some measure for his absence. Then as to comfort , although this does not exactly depend upon the degree of light we enjoy, do we not all experience the cheering and exhilarating effect of bright sunshine on our animal frame and mental feelings, imparting a joy and elasticity that we cannot account for nor express ? And what would be the state of men absolutely without light, we may form some idea of, from the description of the Egyptians during those awful days, wherein ‘ they saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days.’ Those who are in spiritual darkness, then, can know nothing aright of God or of themselves; they cannot .56 THE LIGHT. walk in the way of God’s commandments, or in the way of peace; they cannot work the works of God ; and they are shut out from all true joy and comfort , which con¬ sists in glorifying and enjoying God. By nature, every man walketh in a vain show ; he sees every object in false colours, and distorted shapes, and many of them reversed. His mental vision is so diseased, that it con¬ stantly magnifies small things, and diminishes great ones, magnifying the smaller to such a degree, indeed, as often to exclude the larger altogether. It invests the most loathsome things with false fascination, and obscures and disfigures real loveliness. It puts crooked things for straight, and straight for crooked ; darkness for light, and light for darkness ; confounds right and wrong, bliss and woe, time and eternity. Nor is it with the spiritual senses as with those of the body, that where one is defective or wanting, the others acquire more than ordinary delicacy and acuteness. Where spiritual sight is wanting, alas ! spiritual hearing is wanting also; the spiritual tongue is dumb, the spi¬ ritual touch and taste are not only blunted, but absolute¬ ly wanting, and there is no savour , no discernment or perception, of divine things. Nor is spiritual blindness, like that of the body, capa¬ ble of being sanctified to those afflicted by it. The loss of bodily eye-sight is often richly compensated by the gain or the increase of mental vision. The eye, now closed to all external objects, to all the charms of nature, on which it used so fondly to gaze, and to those dearer charms, the countenances of beloved friends,—the eye, now no longer the inlet of divine truth to the mind, may, by God’s Spirit, be so turned inward and upward, so enlightened to behold the beauties of the spiritual and eternal world, as to reconcile the sufferer to his loss ; THE LIGHT. nay, to make him thank God for it. But mental blind¬ ness is an unmitigated calamity, and as long as we labour under it, we are exposed to every danger, and cut oft' from every true joy, both here and hereafter. None of us can cure it in his brother, any more than we can give siojit to one born blind. Now, it was to deliver men from this dismal darkness, this fatal blindness, that the eternal Word became ‘ the Light of the world,’ and ‘ the Light of life.’ And we are now to consider, secondly, In what senses these titles belong to him. We begin with the title Light of Life, as it best expresses the perfect adaptation of Christ to the double necessity of man’s fallen condition. We have seen, that ever since sin entered, man has been ‘ driven from light into darkness ,’ by the judicial sentence of God, forbidding his access to the Divine favour ; and also, that he has loved, to remain in the darkness of unbelief, iniquity, and alienation from his Maker. Now, to deliver from this twofold darkness, no light could be effectual that did not remove both these causes of gloom, that did not open a way for the light of God’s countenance again to shine upon men, and, at the same time, open men’s eyes to behold that light. And since their eyes were closed in the sleep of death , the only light which could avail them must be vivifying, quickening, the Light of Life; in other words, it must be the self-existent, the life-giving Jeho¬ vah. But for Jehovah to become ‘ the Light of men,’ it was necessary that he should veil his glory in human flesh ; that he should suffer and die, in order to satisfy Divine justice, and procure for man the gift of the Holy Ghost. Jesus Christ is the Light , then, not only be¬ cause he reveals to us the way of salvation, but because he is Salvation itself, as the Psalmist sings, ‘ The Lord .58 THE LIGHT. is my Light and my Salvation; the Lord is the strength of my life.’ 1 In promising Messiah as a Light of the people, God promised him also as a Liberator? When he came to open the blind eyes , he was, at the same time, to say to the prisoners, Go forth , and to them that were in dark¬ ness, Shew yourselves ; thus, with the word of authority and power, bestowing upon the helpless captives at one moment, sight, light, and liberty. This is most truly fulfilled in Jesus as 4 the true Light,’ 4 the Light of Life.’ Any light that could have reached fallen man, without his wonderful work of redemption, would but have resem¬ bled the sickly lamp of the dungeon, which shows to its wretched inmate the names of his predecessors inscribed on the gloomy walls, with perhaps the instruments of tor¬ ture under which they have groaned, and the massy iron bolts and bars, which make all hope of escape desperate, and too plainly tell that none can quit the horrible cell but to be led to execution. So, any knowledge that man could have acquired, concerning his present state and future prospects, concerning the law and character of God, and his own character, would only have served to aggravate his misery, had not He who is the Light, become also the Life, the Saviour, the Redeemer of men. To prove beyond a doubt, that all light, of whatever kind, comes from Christ, he is designated, not merely by the general title of 4 the Light of the world,’ he is also made known as 4 the Morning Star,’ 4 a Star out of -Jacob,’ 4 the Sun of Righteousness.’ As 4 there was light’ ere the natural sun was created, and it was thenceforth concentred in that great luminary as its fountain; so the heavenly light which, from all eternity, dwelt in the Godhead, was, after the fall of 1 Ps. xxvii. 1. 2 Is. xlii. and xlix. THE LIGHT. 59 Adam, concentred in God the Son, that he might he ‘ the Sun of Righteousness,’ ‘ tiie Light of men,’ to enlighten, to warm, and to fertilize the spiritual uni¬ verse, to he the Centre of attraction, the principle of vi ¬ tality and motion, the joy of the whole system. This confirms what we have had frequent occasion to remark, that in all the manifestations of Jehovah vouchsafed to the church of old, the Father was declared hy the Son, who, as the Angel of the Covenant, made known his will to men. In those manifestations, visible light was very frequently the token of the Divine presence and favour. When Egypt was enveloped in darkness, ‘ the children of Israel had light in their dwellings when they wandered in the wilderness, God led them hy a pillar of fire ; and both the Tabernacle and the Temple were so filled with visible glory , that at times no man could enter them. What were all these lights, but the streaks of early dawn, preparatory to the rising Sun ? And what were all the predictions and types of Messiah’s coming, but similar indications, which increased in brightness as the glorious dawn approached, till within a short period of its rise; when, as is the case in the natural world, the darkness and chill seemed almost greater than ever, when darkness covered the earth, and gross darkness the people ? At length, the blessed Sun of Righteous¬ ness did arise with healing in his wings. 1 He arose to be ‘ a Light to the Gentiles,’ as well as 1 the glory of God’s people Israel;’ to diffuse the light of revelation and the light of grace amid the gross darkness of Pagan¬ ism, and the obscurity of Jewish rites ; to bring ‘ life and immortality to light by the gospel.’ On the birth of the Saviour, there were a few pious individuals who 1 Mai. iv. 2. 60 THE LIGHT. hailed him as ‘ the Day-spring from on high,’ (or Branch, or Sun-rising), as 4 a Light to lighten the Gentiles,’ the long promised ‘ Star out of Jacob,’ 1 which was to defend Israel, and destroy his enemies. But in general, ‘ the Light shone in darkness, and the darkness comprehend¬ ed it not.’ 2 In every way, Jesus proved himself the true Sun of Righteousness. He revealed the character, will, and purposes of God, the present duties and future destinies of men, and the only way of salvation, with a clearness, a simplicity, a lieavenliness, that infinitely surpassed all former revelations made hy all preceding prophets; he also accompanied his words hy the life-giving energy of his Spirit, thus opening men’s eyes to behold the light. Jesus gave outward and sensible tokens of his power to restore the sight of the soul by restoring that of the body; or rather, hy bestowing sight on those who were horn blind, a well known attribute of Messiah. 3 And he called the attention of his hearers to the outward miracle, as typical of his office to perform the inward one. When about to give sight to the man who was born blind, he said, ‘ As long as I am in the world, I am the Light of the world ;’ and to the same poor man, when he found him, he said, ‘ For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see, and that they which see might be made blind.’ 4 During the earthly sojourn of Immanuel, he was, on one occasion, honoured by the Father with visible glory, similar to that which filled the Tabernacle and Temple in ancient times. On 4 the holy Mount’ 4 his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.’ During a short but awful period, the glory of the Sun 1 Num. xxiv. 17. 2 John i. 5. 3 Is. xxxv. 5. * John ix. 5, 39. THE LIGHT. 61 of Righteousness was apparently overcast; thick clouds of sorrow and of wrath eclipsed, for a moment, the brightness of his rays ; and the natural sun, as if sym¬ pathizing with its Creator, withdrew its light. But this transient gloom was the introduction to a day of more perfect light, of more resplendent lustre, than had ever shone on earth since the days of Paradise. On the morning of the Resurrection, the Sun of Righteousness arose anew, the day of Gospel light commenced with brighter beams than ever, and the strongest pledge was given, that it should 4 shine more and more unto the per¬ fect day.’ Then the Gentiles began to come to his light, and kings to the brightness of his rising. 1 The foul darkness of Heathenism began to give place to the pure light of Christianity, and the obscure shadows of Mosaic institutions fled away before the clear and spiritual wor¬ ship of Gospel ordinances. Once, after his ascension, the Lord Jesus manifested himself in the form of brioht shining light; it was to arrest Saul the persecutor, and to open the eyes of his understanding to the madness of his course. 2 And, oh ! how bright, how comprehensive, how heavenly, was the light vouchsafed to this chiefest Apostle, and through him to the whole Church ! How eminent and powerful an instrument has he been, in every succeeding age, ‘ to open men’s eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God.’ 3 Since those early hours of the Gospel-morning, ; the light may seem, to our apprehension, to have made but slow progress. Few parts of the habitable globe, in¬ deed, are now wholly dark. Yet still there are vast por¬ tions of it under the power of the Prince of Darkness, ‘ full of the habitations of cruelty.’ A great proportion 1 Is. lx. 3. 2 Acts ix. 3. 3 Acts xxvi. 18. 62 THE LIGHT. of the nominally Christian world is in the night of super¬ stition and ignorance ; and even where the Gospel day shines in full brightness, many are groping as in the night. But slow as this progress may appear, and ob¬ scured as the light of Gospel Truth at present is, its in¬ creasing brightness unto the perfect day is pledged by the light of each returning sun, and as certain as the word of God can make it. Yes, even on earth, the Church shall receive the accomplishment of that promise, ‘ The light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be seven-fold, as the light of seven days.’ 1 And of this promise also, denoting the universal diffusion of the light, ‘ And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear nor dark: 2 (in the margin, ‘ It shall not be clear in some places, and dark in other places of the world’) :—but it shall come to pass, that at evening-time it shall be light.’ And hereafter shall the Church see a day more glorious still, a day that shall know no night; when this word, also, shall be accomplished, ‘ The sun shall no more be thy light by day ; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee; but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting Light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down, neither shall thy moon withdraw itself; for the Lord shall be thine everlasting Light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.’ 3 After viewing our blessed Lord as the Sun, it may seem diminishing his glory to view him as a Star. Yet he condescends to adopt this emblem also; and it suggests some beautiful analogies. Next to the great orb of day itself, and to the moon, ‘ which giveth light in the night,’ no object in the visible creation is so glo¬ rious as a star. The fixed stars resemble Christ in this 1 Is. xxx. 26. a Zecb. xiv. 6, 7. 3 Is. lx. 19, 20. THE LIGHT. (Jo respect, that their light is underived, unreflected ; they shine as suns. Their unchanged position, relative to each other, may also remind us of Him, who has 4 no variableness, neither shadow of turning;’ of 4 Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever.' How interesting and how majestic do the heavenly bodies appear, when we reflect, that they have been seen by all generations of our race, as we now see them ; that while the earth has gone through so many changes and vicissitudes, 4 the Pleiades, Orion, and Arcturus,’ and 4 all the ordinances of heaven,’ remain unchanged, as when Job gazed on them with sacred awe. The valuable properties of a star, as a light shining in darkness, represent also the direction and comfort which the saints receive from Christ, during their passage through this dark wilderness. 4 In the night of nature, 4 and amidst the darkness of this evil world, Jesus Christ, 4 like the true Polar Star, attracts the needle of his 4 people’s faith and affections to himself, having flrst 4 touched their hearts by the magnetic virtue of his liv- 4 ing Spirit, which, from thenceforward, by the unerring 4 compass of his outward word and secret illumination, 4 steers them to the haven (of peace) where they would 4 be. Not a vessel, thus directed, can fail of making its 4 desired port.’ 1 4 The Bright and Morning Star,’ was the very last name under which the glorified Saviour revealed himself to the Church. 2 Did not this betoken the .ap¬ proach of such a brilliant light, as, compared with what she now enjoys, shall be as the meridian sun to the morning-star ? To this Star, then, let us give heed, 4 as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn,’ and 4 the shadows flee away.’ 1 Serle. 2 Rev. xxii. 16. THE LIGHT. ()4 The light which Christ vouchsafes to every believer, is, like that which he gives to his Church, gradual; often partially obscured, by clouds of sin, and by consequent hidings of his face, but infallibly increasing. 4 His going forth,’ in each awakened soul, as in the Church at large, 4 is prepared as the morning : ’ 1 at first, the light is scarce¬ ly perceptible; but wherever it truly begins, it will as¬ suredly shine 4 more and more, unto the perfect day .’ 2 But, while we rejoice in this blessed assurance, let us earnestly inquire whether the light of the glorious Gos¬ pel of Christ has shined into our understandings and our hearts, as well as to our outward senses. For, enjoying, as we do, the full blaze of Gospel light, how fearful will be our condemnation, if we are not walking- in the light, not using the precious lamp of truth, which God has given, to guide our feet into the way of his tes¬ timonies, and walking 4 as children of the light.’ With this blessed lamp in our hand, we may pass safely through all the dangers that beset our path. But we must be careful to keep our sight clear from the impuri¬ ties of sin, hardness of heart, vanity, self-indulgence, and carnality; or rather, we must look to Jesus to anoint our eyes with eye-salve that we may see. Let us will¬ ingly come to the searching light of God’s Spirit, that our inmost thoughts, our words, and works, may be made manifest, whether or not they are wrought in God. For, let us ever remember, that the light of knowledge, if unattended by the light of sincerity, is the worst of all darkness, the most fatal of all blindness. 4 If any man say he hath fellowship with God, and walketh in darkness, he lieth, and doeth not the truth.' 4 He that hateth his brother (whatever be his attainments in know¬ ledge), is in darkness.’ And the Saviour, while he gra- 1 Hos. vi. 3. 2 Prov. iv. 18. TIIE LIGHT. 65 ciously healed all that came to him, acknowledging their blindness, and praying for its removal, denounced heavy woes upon them who know not that they are blind, hut say, We see . 1 Let us then beseech him to open our eyes ; that, with Job, we may so see God, as to abhor ourselves, and repent in dust and in ashes; that we may see wondrous things out of God’s law; that, the eyes of our understanding being enlightened, we may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. 2 —Above all, that we may so behold the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ, as to be changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord . 3 For, not only are we required to use the light ourselves, but to reflect it for the use of others. Christian minis¬ ters and private Christians are, in an inferior sense, stars , ‘ lights in the world appointed to hold forth the word of life, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation ; 4 to shine, not in their own light, for they have none, but by reflecting the rays of heaven, in their lives and con¬ versation. Oh ! how humbling and rousing is the ques¬ tion, Are we letting our light so shine before men, that they may see our good works, and glorify our Father which is in heaven ? And what a stimulus to our humble efforts for the conversion of others, is this pro¬ mise of our God, c They that turn many to righteous¬ ness, shall shine as the stars for ever and ever .’ 5 Our Saviour’s promise is more glorious still, of the reward awaiting his people above. ‘ Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kinoclom of their Father .’ 0 o Their glory then shall be full, because no clouds shall ever intercept the light of the Sun of Righteousness; 1 Rev. iii. 17 ; John ix. 41. 2 Eph. i. 18. 3 2 Cor. iii. 18. * Mat. v. 14-16 ; Phil. ii. 15. 5 Dan. xii. 3. 6 Matt. xiii. 43. 66 THE LIGHT. ‘ There shall be no night there,' for the Lord God Al¬ mighty and the Lamb are the Light of that city. In the prosecution of this work, we are frequently re¬ minded of a glass prism, which, by separating the rays of light, causes each to impart its own bright hue to the objects on which it falls ; for each office of our blessed Lord, as it comes before us, seems to colour every part of the Bible, and every relation of man to God ; whereas the Person of Immanuel, viewed as a whole, diffuses a glorious light over the whole Sacred Volume, and, like the sun in the natural world, displays every object in its true colour, form, and proportion. God grant that, by the use of this prism, we may learn better to appreciate the undivided light of the Sun of Righteousness. ESSAY XXVIII. AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH. Jesus is here presented to us in a title delightfully sig ¬ nificant. It occurs only once in the sacred oracles ; 1 hut what the Spirit of Truth says once, is as sure as if said a thousand times ; and what he testifies of Jesus, especially, though hut once testified, is sure to be con¬ firmed by the whole tenor of Scripture. There is a beautiful harmony between the different offices of Christ, whereby each lends confirmation to, and receives confirmation from, all the rest. Thus, had Jesus not been even once distinctly revealed as ‘ the Author and Finisher of our faith,’ we might almost have inferred that he sustained that office, from knowing that he is ‘ the Last Adam,’ ‘ the Life,’ and 1 the Light. ’ While contemplating our Lord as Covenant-Head of his people, we found that he conveys to them all imagin¬ able blessings, by a covenant purely of grace. Now, faith being required, as the indispensable condition of access into a covenant-relation with God, Christ must be the Author and Finisher of that condition ; other¬ wise it would not be entirely a covenant of grace, but man would have some merit in gaining an interest in it. Again, seeing that Christ is The Life of his people, 1 Heb. xii. 2. 68 AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH. the Author and Preserver of their life, from its com¬ mencement in the new birth, to its perfection in immor¬ tal bliss, and that the life they live in the flesh is the life of faith ; he must be the Author and Finisher of that vital principle, whereby his people are quickened at first, and kept alive ever after. Further, since Christ is the Light of Life , it follows that he must be the Author and Finisher of faith ; for, faith being the eye of the soul, wherewith it sees things invisible, the window whereby it admits the light of di¬ vine truth, he who is the Author of Light and of Sight, must be also the Author of Faith. We may trace the unity of operation between the sacred Persons of the Trinity, in that the precious gift of faith is ascribed sometimes to the Father, 1 at other times to the Holy Ghost, 2 sometimes to God, without distinction of Persons, 3 and in this place 4 to the Son, through whom alone every blessed gift from the God¬ head flows to sinful men. A most important place, in the economy of Redemp¬ tion, is assigned to Faith. Through it we obtain an in¬ terest in the great propitiation in Christ’s blood; 5 by faith we are justified, and have access to God ; 6 by faith we are purified in heart, 7 sanctified, 8 and enabled to over¬ come the w r orld. 9 By faith we are comforted, 10 we have Christ dwelling in our hearts, 11 and are made children of God. 12 In short, through faith we are saved, 13 made wise unto salvation, 14 and kept by the power of God un¬ to everlasting salvation. 15 1 Mat. xvi. 17 4 Heb. xii. 2. 7 Acts xv. 9, 10 Rom. i. 12. 13 Eph. ii. 8. 2 1 Cor. ii. 10. 5 Rom. iii. 25. 8 Actsxxvi. 18. 11 Eph. iii. 17. 14 2 Tim. iii. 15. 3 Eph. ii. 8. 8 Rom. v. 1, 2 9 1 John v. 4. 12 Gal. iii. 26. 15 1 Pet. i. 5. AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH. 69 Faitli in the Lord Jesus Christ was the one only requisite for salvation, in the preaching of the apostles. ‘ Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved,’ 1 was their answer to all inquiring sinners. But what stamps with the highest value this principle of faith, is the pre¬ eminent place it occupied, in the instructions of the Lord Jesus himself. No other mental quality was so highly commended by him, nor was the want of any so severe¬ ly censured. He particularly noticed the strength or the weakness of faith, in all those who approached him ; and rewarded it, wherever sincere, with the greatest blessings, both temporal and spiritual. Faith in himself, as the Messiah, was the great work to which he exhorted his hearers; ‘ This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent ;’ 2 and unbelief in him he declared to be certain and evei'lastino- o ruin ; 4 If ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins.’ 3 Upon this single thread he suspended life and death, salvation and condemnation; saying, ‘ He that believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved ; but he that believeth not shall be damned.’ 4 Seeing, then, the paramount and incalculable import¬ ance of this ‘ precious faith,’ it must be of the greatest consequence to have a right conception of its nature; and, simple as the term appears, it is yet understood in a great variety of ways, and has occasioned interminable controversies. While some regard faith as a bare speculative assent to the truths of Christianity, of the same kind as the as¬ sent they yield to any other facts, the authenticity of which they have never doubted ; others include in faith all those graces and dispositions which necessarily flow 1 Acts xvi. 31. 2 John vi. 29. 8 John viii. 24. 4 Mark xvi. 16. 70 AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH. from and attend it; thus confounding the tree with its fruits, the cause with its effects. While Christians of one class insist upon full assurance of our own salvation, as essential to faith, and accuse all who fall short of this of making God a liar, by disbelieving the record he has given of his Son ; the great proportion of mankind seem to think it matters little what they believe, provided they are sincere in their profession, and tolerably conscientious in the discharge of moral obligations. The most general notion of faith, among those who really desire to under¬ stand its meaning, seems to be, that it resides in the heart , as much or more than in the understanding; and includes choice, desire, affection, &c. This idea they draw from what appears to us a misconception of St Paul’s assertion, that ‘ with the heart man believeth un¬ to righteousness supposing that the distinction drawn by the apostle is between the working of the affections and the exercise of the understanding, not between the consent of the mind and the confession of the lips, ‘ For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.’ 1 But, happily, we are not left to discover the nature of this gracious principle, from the varying opinions of fal¬ lible man : the Holy Ghost has revealed it to us by the pen of an inspired apostle. St Paul tells us, ‘ Faith is the substance of things hopedfor , the evidence of things not seen.’ 2 It oives such realizing, substantiating views of things invisible, whether ‘ hoped for’ as desirable, or feared as terrible, that they seem actually present with us ; we feel as certain of their reality, as if we saw them with our bodily eyes, or touched and handled them. We have certain demonstration and conviction of their exist¬ ence. Faith, therefore, does not include any moral dispo- 1 Rom. x. 10. 2 Heb. xi. 1. AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH. 71 sition, or bias of tbe affections; but merely assent , or persuasion of the truth of a testimony. * The idea that faith includes repentance, love, new obedience, or even a choice of, and cleaving to Christ, is very congenial to the pride and self-righteousness of the heart : the man who dislikes the doctrine of justification by faith alone, is easily reconciled to it, if you allow any of these disposi¬ tions to form parts of faith ; because then he can secretly take some merit in his own salvation. This, of itself, is sufficient to prove the unsoundness of the idea ; for the position assigned to faith, in the economy of Redemp¬ tion, is assigned it, for this very purpose, that salvation may be seen to be all of grace. ‘ Therefore it is of faith, that it might he by grace .’ 1 Therefore the salvation of every sinner is ascribed to faith , because faith has no mo¬ ral efficacy towards procuring his pardon and acceptance, but is merely the channel, whereby he receives the free mercy of God, and the blood and righteousness of Christ, which are the sole procuring causes of his salvation. Again, faith cannot consist absolutely in believing that we ourselves are already saved ; for ''faith cometh by hearing , and hearing by the word of God .’ 2 Faith must refer to a testimony; to something revealed in the word of God, which was true, before we believed it, and which would have continued true, although we had died in un- 1 Rom. iv. 16. 2 Rom. x. 17. * I am aware that the view of faith here adopted, may be ob¬ jected to, as requiring the exercise of the understanding, to the exclusion of that of the heart. I trust, however, that after a care¬ ful perusal of the whole Essay, it will be found to assign to the heart its proper share in the work ; and that, however I may differ from some of my readers in the manner of stating this subject, we are agreed in the most essential point, viz. that the Holy Ghost is the sole and indispensable agent- in producing faith, whether in the understanding or the heart of fallen man. ?2 AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH. belief. Now, it is evident that, in the case of an un¬ believer, this could not be part of the divine record. That assurance of our own salvation is necessary to our progress and stability in holiness and in comfort, we firm¬ ly maintain; but we deny its forming part of 4 the re¬ cord that God has given of his Son,’ and which he com¬ mands every man, on pain of eternal death, to believe. To many sincere believers it may appear a bare and cold definition of faith to call it merely assent or persua¬ sion. They may inquire, How, then, are we to distin¬ guish the assent given by true faith, from the assent of the careless multitude, who are evidently not under the influence ascribed to faith, and yet seem undoubtingly to credit the word of God? It shall be our object, in this Essay, to draw the distinction required: and we trust it may be found sufficiently broad, without forcing into the word faith, things which, in common language, it does not signify, and which, in Scripture language, it cannot, in many cases, admit of. The meaning of the word 4 believe ,’ in the following texts, is plain. 4 But, behold, they will not believe me, 1 ’ 4 Woman, believe me, the hour cometh :’ 2 and we need not attach to it, in other places, a mysterious or complicated meaning, fully to perceive its value. True faith, then, differs from nominal faith, in the truths believed , in the nature of assent given, and in the grounds or foundation of that assent. * To ascertain the difference, in the first of these points, we must inquire, What are the truths , a belief of which is necessary to the saving of the soul ?—True faith cre- 1 Exod. iv. 1. 2 John iv. 21. * This definition, with much of the substance of the foregoing and following pages, is borrowed from a Dissertation on the Nature of Christian Faith, by the late Dr John Erskine. AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH. 73 clits the whole word of God, as far as it is made known to it. But there is one grand fundamental truth , belief in which constitutes a Christian, even where much ig¬ norance may exist on minor points. This truth is ex¬ pressed in various forms in Scripture, such as the follow¬ ing :—‘ The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world 1 —‘ Thou art the Christ, the Son of the liv¬ ing God:’ 2 —‘ Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. ’ 3 Now, this truth, all who call themselves Chris¬ tians, profess to believe. But, if they understand not the terms of their creed, and attach to those terms a sig¬ nification quite different from that in which God em¬ ploys them, this cannot be believing the record that God has given of his Son. This is not knowing in whom they believe ! Alas ! many who profess a belief that ‘ Jesus is the Christ , the Son of the living God ,' know ‘ neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.’ For they know not the unspeakable dignity and glory of Jesus, as the Son , as the equal and fellow of the Father, one with him in eternal power and Godhead, and in every divine perfection. Their views, therefore, of the love of the Father in sending his Son, and of the love and con¬ descension of the Son in giving himself, of the worth and efficacy of his atonement, of the merit of his righte¬ ousness, and of his ability to carry on the work which he has begun, must be very superficial and defective. Then, what does it avail, to say we believe in Christ as our Saviour , if we know not what salvation is ; if we are still insensible to our lost state, which requires so great salvation, and know not that it implies deliverance from the dominion and pollution of sin, as well as from its guilt and punishment, a begun conformity to the image of God here, and fulness of joy hereafter? Or, 1 1 John iv. 14. 2 Mat. xvi. 16. 3 1 Tim. i. 15. VOL. II. D 71 AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH. Jiow can we be said to believe in Jesus as the Christ, unless we know something of his eternal appointment to the office of Mediator; of the anointing of the Spirit poured out upon him ; of the fulness of grace that dwells in him, equal to all the necessities of all In's people, and of the power given to him in heaven and in earth ? A true belief in the Sonship , Messiakship , and Sal¬ vation of Jesus , necessarily includes belief in the infinite evil of sin ; in the tremendous justice and spotless purity of God ; in the total inability of man to save himself, either by satisfying divine vengeance due to his sins, or by curing the depravity of his nature; and thus con¬ vinces the sinner that his salvation must be entirely of free grace. But, where erroneous or defective views are taken of this one great truth, all other truths are seen with proportionable dimness. Nor let it be supposed that the difference consists merely in degrees of faith and of evangelical light. The difference consists in believing, or believing not. For he who believes a testimony to be something which it is not, or not to be what it is, cannot be said to believe it at all. But it must be owned there are many unbelievers who have orthodox sentiments concerning salvation, who can state clearly and correctly all the great truths of the gospel, and understand their harmony and mutual bear¬ ing. IIow, then, are they to be distinguished from the true believer ? To answer this question, we must pro¬ ceed to the second point above stated, viz. that saving faith differs from nominal , in the nature of assent which it yields ; and here we refer again to the apostolic defi¬ nition, ‘ Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.’ The truth of this de- finition the apostle abundantly proves, in the cases of the ancient worthies, which he adduces in illustration of AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH. 75 it . 1 The faith of Noah, in things ‘ not seen as yet’ so realized the coming destruction, that he prepared an ark for the saving of his house. The faith of Abraham so substantiated the inheritance promised to his seed, that he willingly left his own country, and dwelt in taber¬ nacles in a strange land, looking for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. His re¬ liance on God’s promises was so firm and strong, that lie was ready to offer up 4 the son of promise,’ thus ap¬ parently making the fulfilment of them impossible. The prophetic blessings pronounced by Isaac and Jacob on their posterity, and the commandment of Joseph con¬ cerning the removal of his bones, showed how firmly their faith rested on the promises, how it substantiated and brought near things unseen and distant. The faith of Moses, in the blessedness of being numbered with the people of God, and in the misery of being found among his enemies, made him renounce the splendid prospects and present indulgences of Egypt, and cast in his lot with the oppressed and afflicted Israelites. The reason given for his choice applies to every exercise of faith, ‘ lie endured, as seeing him who is invisible.’ And the description of those ancient believers, generally, agrees with the definition of faith above given : they had not received the promises, but had seen them afar off, and been 'persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth , 2 This, then, is the great peculiarity of faith, that it realizes things invisible and future , so as to make their influence not only rival, but counteract and subdue, the influence of things present and visible. Now, we suppose few nominal believers will pretend that their faith resembles that of Moses or of Abraham, leading 1 Heb. xi. throughout. 2 Hob. xi. 13. 76 AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH. them to forego the most tempting worldly advantages, and to suffer the most severe losses and afflictions here, •for the sake of the favour of God, and in hope of an eternal 4 recompence of reward.’ Yet, such have been found among the votaries of false religion. It must be, then, such a faith in Jesus , as the Christ , the Son of the living God , and in all the truths necessarily flowing therefrom, as influences us to look not at the things which are seen and temporal, but at the things which are not seen and eternal; as makes us take joyfully all earthly losses and disappointments, knowing in ourselves, that we have in heaven a better and an enduring sub- stance ; 1 as makes us 4 walk by faith, not by sight .’ 2 But, thirdly , Christian faith differs from mere nominal faith, not only in the truths believed , and in the nature of assent given, but in the grounds or foundation of assent. If faith signified no more than the passive mechanical assent that multitudes give to the truths of Revelation, we cannot suppose it would have been so solemnly de¬ clared that faith is the gift of God; 3 that 4 no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. ’ 4 The generality of professors find no difficulty in confessing that 4 Jesus is the Lord ;’ and yet they are not conscious of any thing supernatural or divine in the way they have learned this great truth. They believe it, just as they believe any other facts, either by educational habit, or upon examination of external evidence, without special aid from the Iloly Ghost. But the true believer, while he thankfully studies the external evidences of Revela¬ tion, has evidence of another kind, peculiar to himself. God has shined into his heart, giving the light of the knowledge of his glory in the face of Jesus Christ . 5 The 1 Heb. x. 34. 2 2 Cor. v. 7. 3 Eph. ii. 3. 4 1 Cor. xii. 3. 5 2 Cor. iv. 6 . AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH. ?? Spirit of Truth, who inspired the Scriptures, can alone carry home such a witness to the heart, as enables it savingly to believe them ; and, when this takes place in any soul, a flood of light breaks in upon it, displaying the person and offices of Christ, in such beauty, excel¬ lency, and glory, as captivates the affections, subdues the will, and convinces, by a demonstration not to be described, that a scheme so glorious could have none but God for its Author. The truths formerly credited on external evidence, seem altogether different, when brought home to the soul by this internal demonstration. They seem indeed never to have been believed before, their all- commanding influence was so little felt. Now, does not the experience of many amongst us testify, that their belief in the Gospel does not proceed from the witness of the Spirit, from his taking of the things of Christ, and showing them unto them, but from mere natural grounds? If so, let them humbly entreat the Father to reveal to them the Sonship and Messiahship of the Lord Jesus, in a manner that flesh and blood cannot reveal them . 1 Lastly, True faith is distinguished from nominal , by its effects. The first of these is a personal application of the salvation w T rought by Christ. We say not a positive assurance that it is already ours, but such a sense of our need of it, and of God’s willingness tp bestow it upon us, as determines us to seek it earnestly, perseveringly, im¬ portunately, and to renounce every thing that might endanger it,—such views of the perfect suitableness of the Saviour to our perishing souls, as makes us receive him cordially, come to him, embrace and cleave to him, as our Prophet, Priest, and King, and esteem all that we can render him too little to express our infinite obligations. 1 Mat. xvi. 16. * Faith is in the understanding, in respect of its being and sub- 78 AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH. When a sinner rightly understands and believes the threatenings of God’s law, and the promises of his Gos¬ pel, he must necessarily shun the former, and embrace the latter : for, ‘ to know any thing to be greatly de- ‘ sirable, and yet not to desire it; or, to be extremely ‘ dreadful, and yet not to dread it, and to do our utmost ‘ to avoid it, is contrary to human nature .’ 1 We all know the truth of this remark, as regards temporal things. If we heard a man informed that his house was on fire, and yet saw that he moved not from the place where he was standing, could we have any doubt whe¬ ther or not he believed the report ? Or, if a man were offered great riches in a certain line of business, and yet preferred toiling on in another, in which nothing but loss could be looked for, would he be thought sincere in saying he believed the former to be best ? Why, then, do we reason so foolishly on heavenly things, as to fancy they can be believed , and yet not acted upon , but for this reason, that the god of this world has blinded our minds to their real excellency and importance ? When we do believe, with any portion of the Spirit’s teaching, Who our Redeemer is, what he has done and suffered for us, from what he delivers us, and to what he appoints us, every motive in the human breast is stirred into active energy. Love, hatred, joy, sorrow, hope, fear, jealousy, circumspection, all spring into action, and we begin to walk as Christ also walked, to have that mind in us which was also in Christ Jesus. In short, by beholding, in the glass of the Gospel, the glory of the Lord, we are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Lord the Spirit . 2 Do not these considerations force upon us the melan- sistence ; in the will and heart, in respect of its effectual work ings.— Dr Owen. 1 Erskine. 2 2 Cor. iii. 18. AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH. ?.9 choly conclusion, that 4 all men have not faith?’ Nay, that so rare is this blessed principle, that the ministers of Christ, even in these days of Gospel light and privi¬ lege, have reason to complain, in the words of the pro¬ phet of old, ‘ Who hath believed our report ? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed ?’ It is true we cannot read the hearts of our fellow men ; and we should be very cautious in pronouncing on the belief or unbelief of individuals. But when we see men manifestly despising the favour of God, trampling upon his laws, living for themselves and the world, all the days of vigour and freshness, devoting only the last dregs of life (if these are granted them) to God, and to pre¬ paration for eternity ; neglecting the cause and service of Christ, and seeking intensely the riches, honours, and indulgences of this perishing world;—when we see all this, can we, by any stretch of what is called charity , suppose that these persons are possessed of that faith which is ‘ the substance of tilings hoped for, the evi¬ dence of things not seen V They cannot believe the aw¬ ful strictness of God’s law, requiring, even from those who are freed from its penalty, constant and unreserved obedience ; they cannot believe the favour of God to be better than life, and bis wrath to be worse than death ; or they could not possibly neglect and despise the one Mediator, through whom alone they can gain the former, and escape the latter. They cannot believe that Christ requires his followers to forsake all for his sake and the Gospel’s ; to deny themselves; to separate from an evil world ; to watch and pray always ; to set their affections on things above, and seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; otherwise they could not live and act as they do. It will not avail to say, such persons may believe the doctrines and duties of the ties- SO AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH. pel, though they have not the courage or self-com¬ mand, necessary for acting upon their faith. If they did believe, and know what they believed, it would require far more courage to disobey than to obey ; even the fatal courage which runs upon the thick bosses of the Al¬ mighty’s buckler , 1 and courts everlasting destruction. To this complaint, of the unbelief of the generality of professing Christians, must be added, alas! the confes¬ sion of true believers, that their faith is sadly weak, in¬ constant, and inefficient; that they often believe the lies of Satan, more than the faithful promises of their God; that they find it difficult to trust in him, when present appearances are against the fulfilment of his promises; that their views of things above are still very dim; and that they live too much at home in this present world; too little 4 as strangers and pilgrims,’ as those who 4 seek a better country, even an heavenly.’ Especially, they have to lament the inconstancy of their dependance on Christ, the listlessness with which they often view the cross; how little they realize and appropriate the won¬ ders of redeeming grace. To the weakness of their faith they justly trace their remissness in every other duty, inward and outward; the shallowness of their repent¬ ance, the coldness of their love, the dimness of their hope, the feebleness of their efforts in all good works. Under these painful views of the unbelief that we see around, and feel within us, how consoling is the invita¬ tion held out by the Apostle, 4 to look unto Jesus ’ as 4 the Author and Finisher of our faith.’ 2 How encou¬ raging is it to reflect, that this precious gift is not in our own treacherous keeping, nor in that of a fellow-creature, but safely deposited in Ilis hands, who loved us and 2 Heb. xii. 2. 1 Job xv. 26. AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH. 81 gave himself for us ! The title belongs to him, as he is the 4 Author and Finisher’ of that salvation, of which by faith we are made partakers ; as the great Revealer of that salvation; and as the most illustrious Example of faith during his state of incarnation. For, although he needed not, as we do, faith to justify him before God, being himself the Just One; he did need faith in the covenant engagements of the Father and of the Spirit, to uphold him under his stupendous work ; and he did not disdain to draw support, amid present sorrows, from the pros¬ pect of future joys : for the Apostle tells us, that 4 for the joy set before him,’ he endured the cross, despising the shame. Jesus himself, then, was supported by that faith which is ‘ the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.’ And we are taught by St Paul, to look off from the greatest human examples of faith, that we may fix our stedfast contemplation on Him, from whom all the patriarchs, prophets, mar¬ tyrs, and saints received their faith, and who incompa¬ rably eclipsed them all; to 4 consider him who endured such contradiction of sinners against himself.’ But in an especial sense, the title we are studying be¬ longs to Jesus, as he, by his Spirit, works faith in the soids of his people, and having begun the work , carries it on to perfection. Let us, therefore, look unto him more closely in this character, and inquire by what means he bestows and in¬ creases faith. The two great means which Jesus employs for this work, are his Word and his Providence ; but he often increases his people’s faith without the direct use of either of these means, by his immediate communica¬ tions to their souls. In each of these three ways, the Lord Jesus wrought faith in his disciples during his earthly ministry. It 82 AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH. was by a Divine light shed upon ancient Scripture, and upon his own words, that he convinced them he was the true Messiah. lie confirmed this conviction by his mi¬ racles ; hut, that miraculous evidence is less convincing than that of the word, he testified, by declaring, ‘ If they believe not Moses and the prophets, neither will they he persuaded though one rose from the dead.' And this de¬ claration was verified, both in the hardened unbelief of multitudes who witnessed his miracles, and heard of his resurrection; and in the comparative effect of those two sorts of evidences, that of miracles and of the word, upon the faith of the Apostles. Long before their Master’s death, they believed in him, so as even to perform mira¬ cles themselves in his name; and yet they had no spiritual, realizing, substantiating apprehensions of his kingdom and offices, till after his resurrection, when he ‘ opened their understandings that they might understand the Scrip¬ tures and till after his ascension, when he sent down the Holy Ghost still further to illuminate their minds, and convince them that all the testimony of Scripture was fulfilled in himself. Thus, the Apostles’ faith came by hearing , and their hearing by the word of God. And this is still the grand and indispensable means of producing faith in men’s souls. The word of God, whether heard, read, or otherwise communicated, is the only guide and object of faith, and whatever is not there recorded, we cannot be required to believe. Where Jesus implants faith, he always makes it grow ; and the word is abun¬ dantly effectual for this purpose ; the more enlarged our knowledge of the word of Christ, the firmer will be the grasp of our faith, and the broader its basis. The other principal means employed by Christ for beginning and carrying on the work of faith, is his Pro¬ vidence ; and of this also we see illustrations in his deal- AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH. 83 ings with the disciples. He often brought them into new and trying circumstances, for the purpose of dis¬ playing his power and willingness to deliver them. He sent them forth to preach, without any provision for their bodily wants; yet he could appeal to their expe¬ rience, on returning, that they had lacked nothing. He brought their feeble bark into the raging tempest, that, at the moment of their extremity, he might calm the furious elements, saying, ‘ Peace, be still.’ Notwithstanding their repeated experience of his Al¬ mighty power and watchful guardianship, the faith of the disciples still remained weak and wavering; and they received, in consequence, many severe rebukes from their Master. These rebukes, however, w r ere the strongest marks of his love, intended not to discourage, but to strengthen them ; and they w T ere generally followed by some new proof of his benignity. Similar means are still used by our blessed Lord to try and to strengthen his people’s faith ; and similar, alas ! are their unbelief and carnality, which bring upon them his faithful rebukes. He has still occasion to say to them, ‘ Perceive ye not yet, neither understand ? have ye your heart yet hardened V 1 Do ye not remember ?’ ‘ Where is your faith ?’ And still he makes them ashamed of their unbelieving fears, by his timely and unlooked-for deliverances. Those Christians who have been most severely tried by Providential dispensations, are often the most eminent in faith, and, consequently, in other graces of which faith is the root. On this account, young Christians are sometimes inclined to pray for affliction, as if the Lord could not carry on his good work in their hearts with¬ out it. But God is not confined to one mode of work¬ ing ; nor does he teach all his children in one way. As sharp afflictions cannot increase faith, unless the Spirit 84 AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH. sanctify them to this end, so Christ can increase faith without them. All believers are not cast into the fur¬ nace of outward affliction, neither do they all suffer in¬ tensely from inward griefs, though of these last every one must have a share. But all believers experience the power of Jesus to im¬ part faith, in the third manner mentioned above, viz. by directly manifesting himself to their souls. Ilis grace is absolutely necessary to render effectual either the minis¬ try of his W ord, or the dealings of his Providence; but he often bestows grace without the direct use of means, as he did, while on earth, by direct manifestations. These direct manifestations are, it is true, evidences of the believer’s own interest in the salvation of Christ, rather than of the truth of salvation itself; but they af¬ ford to him who enjoys them, the most affecting testi¬ monies to the character and offices of Jesus. Faith ob¬ tained in this way, however, must be grounded upon knowledge of the word, and tested by the dispositions and conduct which flow from it, otherwise we are in danger of deceiving ourselves, by mistaking for the teaching of Christ the fancies of our own brain, or the lying errors of Satan. First , it must he grounded upon knowledge of the word , and, therefore, agreeable to the icord. Let us take an in¬ stance or two from the Gospels. Nathaniel believed that Jesus of Nazareth was ‘ the Son of God ’ and ‘ the King of Israel ,’ because he said unto him, ‘ I saw thee under the fig-tree.’ But had Nathaniel not known, from the study of Moses and the prophets, that Messiah was to be pos¬ sessed of all Divine attributes, the Omniscience and Omnipresence displayed by Jesus of Nazareth would have conveyed to his mind no sound evidence that he was the true Messiah. AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH. 85 In like manner, the woman of Sychar received direct personal manifestation of the Messiahship of Jesus, when he said to her, 4 I that speak unto thee am He,’ and when he told her all that ever she did. But had she and her fellow-citizens not formed correct notions from Scripture what kind of Prophet the Messiah was to be, they could not have recognised in Jesus 4 the Christ, the Saviour of the world.’ Again, the disciples, who ate and drank with Jesus after he rose from the dead, could no more doubt his re¬ surrection, than they could doubt their own existence. But their conviction of the truth of that event would have conveyed no saving knowledge to their minds, had they not understood and believed from Scripture, and from his own words, the blessed ends for which Messiali died and rose again. Secondly , these personal discoveries of Jesus and of his offices must be tried by the dispositions and conduct which flow from them. When Levi the publican heard the voice of Jesus, say¬ ing, 4 Follow me,’ he experienced the exertion of his Kingly power, constraining him instantaneously to leave his covetous occupation, and follow the self-denying foot¬ steps of the Saviour. When the female penitent, who stood behind Jesus, weeping, heard his gracious words, 4 Thy sins are forgiven thee; thy faith hath saved thee ; go in peace;’ she experienced the exertion of his autho¬ rity as Priest, to cleanse from sin, and speak peace to the wounded conscience. The Apostles experienced the Prophetical power of Jesus, when their minds were so wonderfully enlightened, after his ascension. And their inward experience was proved genuine, by both the tests we have mentioned : it was in fulfilment of the word of God , and it was accompanied by corresponding/ disposi- 86 AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH. tions and conduct , in the most eminent degree. The © faith of St Paul had its beginning in a most remark- able direct manifestation of the Saviour, when he was arrested in the way and heard those astonishing words, ‘ I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest.’ We may sup¬ pose, that at first, he would be so overwhelmed and en¬ grossed by the vision itself, as to lose sight of every thing else. But when the first excitement was over, his faith would be confirmed, and his experience proved genuine, by comparing the revelation personally made to him with that contained in the written word ; and also, by dis¬ covering the complete change which had been wrought in his affections, judgment, will, and pursuits. Miraculous tokens of the Saviour’s presence are no longer to be expected; nor can we now hear his human voice: but still he manifests himself to his people, as he does not unto the world, and convinces them that he is God their Saviour, by the wonderful things he does for their souls. But it may be objected, Does not the view here given of faith, as entirely the gift of God, weaken our sense of personal obligation to use means for increasing our own faith ? We reply, The view here given is, we trust, not our own, but that of the Scripture. Whoever impartially studies the sacred volume, will find clear evidence, that no man can believe except it be given him from above. But he will find evidence equally clear, that it is the bounden duty of all wdio are within the sound of the Gospel to believe it, and that all will be condemned who persist in unbelief. He will find, that although ‘ God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith ;’■* and although ‘ Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith still men are upbraided for the want or the 1 Rom. xii. 3. AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH. 87 weakness of their faith. This difficulty, though confessed ¬ ly great, is not greater than that which belongs to other branches of Christian duty. We are commanded to per¬ form all righteousness, and abstain from all evil: while, at the same time, we have no power in ourselves to do good, or refrain from evil. In both cases, w T e are called upon, not to explain, but to obey; not to argue,but to act. And in the case of believing, we are to look unto Jesus for the gift of faith, as simply as if we used no means ourselves; and yet, to be as diligent in the use of means as if we could by our own power acquire it. What then are the means we must employ to increase our faith ? These may be gathered from the means which Jesus employs for the same end; viz. hearing and read¬ ing the Word , observing the dealings of Providence , and opening our hearts to communion with Jesus, in medita¬ tion and prayer. Above all other means for obtaining faith, Prayer rises pre-eminent; for in prayer, we open our hearts and minds to the direct influence of the Spirit of Christ ; and it is delightful to find, in the gospel history, warrants to ap¬ ply to Christ himself for this precious gift. He actually assumed the office of 4 Author and Finisher of faith,’ by the favourable reception he gave to petitions for the in¬ crease of this grace. Had such petitions been improper, he would, no doubt, have reproved those who offered them. But, on the contrary, he showed them marked approbation. One of these petitions has encouraged many a poor trembling sinner to approach the Saviour, under the painful struggle between faith and unbelief: 4 Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.’ 1 The other was offered by the Apostles, when enjoined by their Master to perform certain difficult duties :— 4 The Apostles said J Mark ix. 24. 88 AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH. unto the Lord, Increase our faith.’ 1 And not only do we find that our Lord favourably received prayers for faith; we find that he also gave, unsolicited, a promise to uphold faith, in the most difficult circumstances : 4 Simon, Si¬ mon, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.’ 2 If then we would 4 stand fast in the faith,’ 4 continue’ in it 4 rooted and grounded,’ and have our faith 4 grow exceedingly,’ as was the desire of the Apostles, for them¬ selves and their brethren; let us simply 4 look unto Jesus,’ and diligently use every means of his appointment. We are too apt to imagine that faith, once implanted in us, will grow and bear fruit of itself, without either our own labour, or the special aid of Jesus. But painful experience convinces us, sooner or later, how false is this imaoination. We find that our faith can lie, for a long season, dormant, producing little or no fruit; and we are almost ashamed to tell the world how great things faith accomplishes, while it is doing so little in ourselves. We cannot have better advice on this subject than that of the pious Leighton. Speaking of the growth of faith, and the consequent growth of love, he says,— 4 If you would have it grow, turn the spiritual eye 4 frequently to him that is the proper object of it; for 4 even they that are believers may possibly abate of their 4 love and esteem of Christ, by suffering faith to be dead 4 within them, and not using it in beholding and apply- 4 ing of Christ. And the world, or some particular vani- 4 ties may insensibly creep in, and get into the heart, and 4 cost them much pains ere they can be thrust out again. 4 But when they are daily reviewing those excellencies 4 that are in Christ, which first persuaded their hearts to 2 Luke xxii. 31, 32. 1 Luke xvii. 5. AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH. 89 * love him, and discovering still more and more of them, ‘ his love will certainly grow, and will chase away those ‘ follies that the world doats upon, as unworthy to be 4 taken notice of by such a soul.’ Lord God, he pleased to fulfil in all thy people all the good pleasure of thy goodness, and the work of faith with power ; that their faith may grow exceedingly, and that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in them, and they in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. ESSAY XXIX. OUR JUSTIFICATION—THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. The doctrines of Clmistianity, and the offices of its bless¬ ed Author, are so closely interwoven, that it is impossi¬ ble to treat of one, without touching upon several others. The doctrine of our Justification by the Righteous¬ ness of Christ, is so prominent and fundamental a point, in the scheme of redemption, that it has necessarily enter¬ ed into almost every view in which we have contemplat¬ ed the Redeemer. The vast importance, however, of this Title, the Watch-word of the Reformers, demands a se¬ parate and particular examination : and after the general view of Faith, attempted to be given in the last Essay, we naturally turn to the first and chiefest effect of faith, that of justifying the believer. The two great parts of salvation are Justification and Sanctification ; the inseparable connexion of which we have repeatedly noticed. They may be said to differ as follows,— ‘ Justification is the absolution of a sinner from the ‘ guilt of sin and death : whereas Sanctification is an al- ‘ teration of qualities from evil to good. Justification ‘ consists of remission of sins, through the imputation of ‘ Christ’s righteousness; Sanctification is the renovation ‘ of nature by the Holy Spirit. Justification is perfect c in this life ; so is not Sanctification. Justification is ‘ in order of nature, before Sanctification ; but not in THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. 91 4 order of time.’ 1 There is no precedence in order of time; for, in effectual calling, these two acts of God’s grace are simultaneous ; the faith which justifies the sinner being itself the beginning of his sanctification. But Justification is before Sanctification, in the same sense that a man’s title to an inheritance is before his possession of it; although the first fruits of the inheritance may be put into his hands at the same moment with the title- deed which secures it to him. In pursuance, then, of the 4 order of nature,’ we pro¬ ceed, in humble dependance on the teaching of God, to study first the doctrine of Justification; to consider the Lord Jesus Christ, as ‘Made unto us Righteousness ;’ 2 as 4 The End of the Law for Righteousness ;’ 3 as 4 Jehovah our Righteousness ;’ 4 as 4 Him in whom we are Justified .’ 5 4 To bej justified is a term taken from the forms of law, 4 and signifies, to be acquitted, or pronounced innocent, 4 and to come oft’ victorious in a cause.’ 6 4 It seems in- 4 deed, in the Scripture, to mean even more than this ; 4 namely, to be accounted or dealt with, not merely as 4 innocent , which merely exempts from punishment; but 4 as righteous , and entitled to the reward of righteous- 4 ness.’ 7 That this last definition is just, appears, by the manner in which St Paul, in the 4th chapter of Ro¬ mans, quotes the words of David, in the 32d Psalm. The Psalmist had made no direct mention of imputed righteousness ; but he had extolled the blessedness of the man whose sin was covered , and to whom the Lord would not impute iniquity. The apostle, however, re¬ cognises the principle, that no man can stand in a neutral position before God, neither liable to punishment nor 1 Cruden. 2 1 Cor. i. 30. 3 Rom. x. 4. 4 Jer. xxiii. 6. 5 Rom. iii. 24. e Lowth. 7 Scott. 92 OUR JUSTIFICATION— entitled to reward, by using, as synonymous terms, ini¬ quity not imputed , and righteousness imputed. 4 Even as David describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.’ 4 Righteousness is the active and passive obedience of 4 Christ, whereby he perfectly fulfilled the law, and pro- ‘ pitiated the justice of God ; which obedience being im- ‘ puted to the elect, and received by faith, their sins are 4 pardoned, their persons accepted, and they are brought 4 to eternal glory. 1 This righteousness, whereby a sin- 4 ner is justified, is called the righteousness of God, 2 be- 4 cause it is of God’s institution, ordination, and appoint- ‘ ment, and which alone he will accept of to life ; or, be- 4 cause it was performed by Him who is God as well as 4 Man, and is therefore of infinite value and merit; or, 4 because it is opposed to the righteousness of works, or 4 man’s own righteousness. 3 It is called also the righte- 4 ousness of faith, 4 because it is apprehended and applied 4 by faith. And it is called the law of righteousness , 5 in 4 opposition to that law of righteousness, by which the 4 unbelieving Jews sought to be justified. Christ is 4 called The Lord our Righteousness ; that is, the 4 Procurer and Bestower of all that righteousness and 4 holiness that is in believers.’ 6 As Righteousness, or Justification, is expressed in va¬ rious terms in Scripture, so also is the mode by which we partake of it. We are said to be justified by Christy by his blood , 8 by his resurrection , 9 by grace freely , 10 through 1 Dan. ix. 24. 2 Rom. i. 17. 3 Rom. x. 3. 4 Rom. iv. 13. 5 Rom. ix. 31. 6 Cruden. 7 Gal. ii. 17. 8 Rom. v. 9. 9 Rom. iv. 25. 10 Rom. iii. 24. THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. 93 faith, 1 by the knowledge of Christ, 2 by works and not by faith only? These terms, though apparently varying, are in per¬ fect harmony, and express one simple act. We are jus¬ tified by faith , or a right belief in Christ, flowing from a right knowledge of his Person, work, and offices ; but this not as if faith were in itself a meritorious act, en¬ titling us either to pardon or reward ; faith is ‘ the gift of God and, in that sense, therefore, to be ‘justified by faith,’ is to be justified ‘ by God’s grace , freely: ’ but, further still, faith, when received, is not the procuring cause of justification, but merely the channel through which we partake of it. The Righteousness of Christ, including his perfect obedience and all-sufficient atone¬ ment, is the only procuring cause of justification ; there¬ fore we are justified by Christ, and by his blood ; the effi¬ cacy of this Righteousness was attested by his resurrec¬ tion, and the justifying faith of believers is proved ge¬ nuine by their good works. The parts of Holy Writ where this doctrine is most clearly taught, are, the Epistle to the Romans, 3d, 4th, and 5th chapters, and the Epistle to the Galatians. But St Paul teaches us to trace it in all parts of Scrip¬ ture, by the following declaration,—‘ But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets! 4 Let us, therefore, briefly examine the truth of this declaration, before we study St Paul’s own comment upon it, and inquire how the Righteousness of God was witnessed by the Law. The term ‘ laic’ as used in the apostolic writings, signifies sometimes the moral law, sometimes the ceremonial law, sometimes the whole legal dispensa- 1 Gal. iii. 8. 2 Is. liii. 11. * James ii. 24. 4 Rom. iii. 21. 04 . OUR JUSTIFICATION- tion, and at other times the Scriptures generally. But in whichever of these senses we take the word ‘ law,’ in this assertion of St Paul, it will be found equally true, that ‘ the righteousness of God is witnessed by the law ,’ as the only hope of sinners. The strictness of the moral law, and the awful curses it denounced upon every transgression, combined with the promises of mercy made to man, implied that a perfect righteousness was to be wrought for him. The shadows of the cere- o monial law prefigured the same truth. It was witnessed to, by the privileges of the chosen people, and by the faith of believers, during the legal dispensation ; and it may he traced throughout the Old Testament , when rightly understood. The Righteousness of God had also been distinctly witnessed by the Prophets. Moses, while extolling the pardoning mercy and grace of the Lord God, added this clause, ‘ And that will by no means clear the guilty ;’ 1 that is, without a due satisfaction for their guilt. David, though at times he seemed to ap¬ peal to his own innocence and righteousness, proved that he did so only in arrest of man’s unjust accusations, by the humble confessions he made, at other times, of the total unworthiness and unrighteousness of every man, in the sight of God ; and by his resolution to make men¬ tion of God’s Righteousness, and of His only. 2 Solomon witnessed, ‘ There is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good and sinneth not.’ 3 Isaiah sang, ‘ In the Lord have I righteousness and strength.’ ‘ In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.’ 4 Jeremiah announced the coming of Messiah, by the name of Jehovah our Righteousness. 5 Ilabakkuk de¬ clared, ‘ The just shall live by his faith;’ 6 and Daniel 1 Exod. xxxiv. 7. 2 Ps. cxliii. 2 ; lxxi. 16. 3 Eccles. vii. 20. 4 Is. xlv. 24, 25. 6 Jer. xxiii. 6. 8 Hab. ii. 4. THE LORI) OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. 95 gave the joyful intimation, that Messiah should ‘ bring in everlasting righteousness/ as well as ‘ make an end of * * 1 sm, 1 Let us now, with all simplicity, learn the doctrine of Justification, as taught by St Paul, in the third chapter of Romans. Having, in the foregoing chapters, and in the first part of tins one, ‘ proved both Jews and Gen¬ tiles that they are all under sin ; ’ having brought in a verdict of ‘ guilty before God/ against the whole world ; he distinctly states in what way men cannot be justified, and in what way they can be perfectly justified. After casting aside all deeds of man, as utterly incapable of justifying him, how beautifully and powerfully does the apostle bring: forward the only Righteousness which can avail him ; ‘ But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being- witnessed by the law and the prophets ; even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe ; for there is no difference : for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God : being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.’ 2 The only Righteousness which God could accept on behalf of man, was a perfect and meritorious oledien.ee , and a perfect and meritorious sacrifice. This obedience and this sacrifice could never have been offered by a creature, however exalted; but by the voluntary sub¬ mission of the eternal Son to the yoke and the penalty of his Father’s law, a Righteousness was wrought out, sufficient for the pardon and Justification of the whole of our fallen race. This Righteousness is imputed to or placed to the account of believers, as if performed by themselves ; and put upon them, as a robe to cover all 1 Dan. ix. 24. 2 Rom. iii. 21-24. OUR JUSTIFICATION- 06 their own unrighteousness. All men equally need a free justification, and must receive it on the same terms; for whatever difference may appear in the degrees of guilt, between one sinner and another, this difference diminishes greatly, when we take into account their re¬ spective circumstances and temptations ; and it absolute¬ ly dwindles to nothing, when both are compared with the Law, which demands perfect and perpetual obedience, and with the Example of obedience, set before us in the character of Christ. As ‘ all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God and as the least shortcoming destroys all claim to justification in ourselves; there is positively ‘ no difference,’ as to the maimer of obtaining justifying righteousness, between the holiest saint and the vilest sinner. All must be justified ‘ freely , through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus! From stating the icay of justification, St Paul pro¬ ceeds to give an example of it, in the patriarch Abra¬ ham. 1 Abraham was honoured with such intimate fel¬ lowship with Jehovah, as to be called ‘ The Friend of God his obedience to God’s commands was so remark¬ able, as to render him a pattern to believers, in every succeeding age. He was the progenitor of the Messiah, and the father of all them that believe, whether of the circumcision or the uncircumcision. Yet neither his exalted privileges nor his exemplary obedience could, in any measure, justify Abraham. ‘ He hath whereof to glory, but not before God. For what saith the Scrip¬ ture ? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.’ 2 For another example of justification by faith alone, we may take the case of St Paul himself, as described in the third chapter of Philippians ; and the ground of his jus- 1 Rom. iv. 2 Rom. iv. 2, 3. THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. 9? tification will be found substantially the same as the ground of Abraham’s justification. He discards and re¬ nounces, not only his works before conversion, performed as they w T ere under a mistaken, but sincere zeal for God ; but, to borrow the words of Scott, 4 After many years 4 spent in preaching the Gospel, with apostolical authori- ‘ ty, abundant miraculous gifts, immense labours, extraor- 4 dinary success, unparalleled sufferings, and most exalt- 4 ed holiness; he decidedly counted all these things to 4 be loss, in comparison of the most excellent knowledge 4 of Christ; and his great desire was to be found in 4 Christ, to stand before God, not having as his plea or 4 title to life, his own righteousness, which, having the 4 law of God as its measure, could only condemn him ; 4 44 but that which is through the faith of Christ , the '■righteousness which is of God by faith;” even that 4 righteousness which God imputes to the believing sin- 4 ner; namely, the perfect obedience unto death of his 4 Incarnate Son, which alone can answer the demands of 4 the law, and render a transgressor’s salvation consistent 4 with the perfect justice of God.’ Since, then, neither Abraham nor Paul were justified by their works, how vain must be the attempt of any other human being to justify himself! Indeed, were it not for the perversion of intellect, which sin has introduced, man could never have formed so preposterous an idea, as that a criminal could be acquitted and rewarded, by a law which he has broken in time past, and which he must continue to break in time to come. The idea can arise only from gross ignorance of the guilt of the crimi¬ nal, of the strictness of the law, and of the inflexible jus¬ tice of the Lawgiver. But, before quitting the subject of Abraham’s righte¬ ousness, we must notice the apparently opposite conclu- VOL. II. E OUR JUSTIFICATION 98 sion drawn by St James, to that of St Paul, as given above. He says, ‘ Was not Abraham our father justi¬ fied by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon tire altar ? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?—Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only . M At first sight, nothing can appear more contradictory than the statements of the two apostles, on this subject. Yet the contradiction is only apparent. St Paul shows that faith alone interests a sinner in the mercy of God, through the redemption and righteous¬ ness of Christ, for justification; and he constantly af¬ firms the constraining efficacy of this living faith, to pro¬ duce love and all good works. St James shows that no faith can justify a man which is not productive of good works. In short, St Paul addressed those who opposed the doctrine of justification by faith; St James address¬ ed those who perverted it. Indeed, this view is neces¬ sary, to render the words of James consistent with each other ; for, in a verse which intervenes, he says, ‘ And the Scripture was fulfilled which saitli, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness .’ 2 Enough has now been said, we think, to prove that the Lord Jesus Christ is ‘ of God made unto us righteous¬ ness ;’ 3 and that he is ‘ the End of the law for righteous¬ ness to every one that believeth ; ’ 4 it being the end and design of every kind of law that God has given, to lead men to Christ, that they might be justified by faith. But this doctrine is proved still more gloriously, in the title, Jehovah our Righteousness , 5 assumed by our blessed Mediator. This title belongs to him in a double sense ; his obedience unto death is the justifying 1 James ii. 21-24. 2 James ii. 23. 3 1 Cor. i. 30. * Rom. x. 4. 6 Jer. xxiii. 0. THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. 99 Righteousness of his people, and their title to everlast¬ ing bliss; and it is by union with him, and by the in¬ fluences of his Spirit, that they have any personal righte¬ ousness, holiness, and meetness for heaven. Does not this title bear in itself a direct refutation of the strange doctrine we have heard asserted, ‘ That, in the work of Redemption, Jesus laid aside his Deity, and that his holy obedience was no more than a perfectly sanctified human obedience?’ We ask, How could Christ be 4 Jehovah our Righteousness,’ unless the Righteous¬ ness which he performed, in our nature, and for our be¬ nefit, was performed by him as God , as well as Man ? So entirely does his Righteousness, as Mediator, belong to the Church, that she herself is styled, ‘ The Lord our Righteousness.’ 1 What solid satisfaction, what well-grounded confi¬ dence, and strong consolation, are found in this blessed Title! We are not required to work out a righteous¬ ness for ourselves; we need not make the impracticable attempt; for here is a Righteousness freely offered to our acceptance, by Him who cannot lie; a Righteous¬ ness of infinite worth, in which Omniscience itself can discover no flaw, for it is divine. Our extreme need of such a righteousness is fully at¬ tested by its being provided for us. For God does no¬ thing without an adequate cause; and, 4 if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.’ 2 Since, then, God has in such an awful and astonishing manner provided a divine Righteousness for us, by making his beloved Son ‘to be sin for us,’ 3 we may be assured that righteousness can be obtained in no other way, than by faith in him. How melancholy is it, to behold multitudes of sinners 1 Jer. xxxiii. 1 6 . * Gal. ii. 21. 3 2 Cor. v. 21. 100 OUR JUSTIFICATION rejecting pardon and justification, in the only way they can he obtained ; and, ignorant of God’s Righteousness, going about to establish their own righteousness , 1 either in whole, or, which is as fatally ruinous, in part. We must choose one mode of justification, or the other ; they are quite incompatible with each other ; for if, in any degree, Ave desire to be justified by the laAA’, ‘ Christ is become of no effect to us / 2 If none could be sa\ r ed, hoAvever, who did not wholly and perfectly renounce their oavii righteousness, the num¬ ber of the saved would, it is feared, be but small. The sin of self-righteousness is so extremely subtle, that if any one think he is free from it, he cannot lia\'e a stronger proof of self-ignorance; for it is the confession of the most advanced believers, that no sin cleaves so fast to them, or returns so perpetually to torment them, as this one. It defiles every thing they do ; turning even their humility and self-renunciation into pride and self-compla¬ cency ; weakening their gratitude for unmerited mercy, and rendering their best works sinful and hell-deserving. How carefully, then, should we watch against this insidious foe ; how earnestly should we entreat the Lord to expel it from our hearts, by any means he may see needful; to strip us of every vain, boasting plea, and en ¬ able us to glory in Himself alone ; to put into our lips and hearts the joyful song of the Prophet, ‘ I will great¬ ly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God ; for he hath clothed me with the garments of sal¬ vation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteous¬ ness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.’ 3 It is a great encouragement to prayer for justifying grace, to knoAvthat he who is ‘ The Lord our Righte- 1 Rom. x. 3, 4. 2 Gal. v. 4. 3 Is. lxi. 10. THE LOUD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. 101 ousness,’ is also ‘ The Author and Finisher of our Faith of that faith whereby we become interested in his Righteousness ; and to know that he has promised to give his Holy Spirit to convince us of sin, and also of righteousness. The Righteousness of Christ is ‘the white stone ’ 1 of acquittal, which he will give to each of his true follow¬ ers, in the great day of account; and which he gives them, by anticipation, even here. Their own ‘ new name’ is inscribed upon it ; and, though not always legible to themselves, it is clearly read when the Holy Spirit illumines his own work in their souls. This Righteousness is ‘ the white robe ’ 2 which covers the shame of all their transgressions, original and personal; the fine linen, clean and white, arrayed in which, the saints shall he called to the Marriage-Supper of the Lamb. For whom God hath justified, them will he also glorify. ‘ Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect ? It is God that justifieth ; who is lie that condemneth ?’ 3 1 Rev. ii. 17. 3 Rom. viii. 30, 33, 34. 2 Rev. vii. 9, 13, 14. ESSAY XXX. OUR PEACE—PRINCE OF PEACE—SHILOH. One of the most blessed fruits of justification by faith is Peace ; as the Apostle joyfully declares, 4 Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ/ 1 4 The word Peace is used in Scripture in various dif- 4 ferent ways, as, 1st, There is peace with God by satis- 4 faction for sins committed against him ; this is done by 4 the sufferings and merit of Christ ; 2d, There is peace 4 with ourselves, or in our own consciences; this arises 4 from a sense of our reconciliation to God; it is the gift 4 of Christ, and wrought in us by his Spirit; 3d, There 4 is submission to the will of God ;’ 2 for peace between an absolute sovereign and his poor dependant subjects, must consist greatly, on their part, in willing submis¬ sion. Now, in the first and in the third sense of the term, peace is the immediate effect of justification, but not always so in the second. As soon as a sinner is pardon¬ ed and justified, the cause of controversy between him and his God being removed, he is made partaker of the reconciliation wrought by Christ, and received into a state of favour and friendship with his offended Sove¬ reign. A great change is, at the same time, wrought in 1 Rom. v. 1. * Cruden. OUR PEACE-PRINCE OF PEACE-SHILOH. 103 the sinner’s mind and dispositions. He now desires to lay down all the weapons of rebellion, and live in perfect allegiance to his reconciled God; and nothing grieves him so much as the remaining enmity of his corrupt nature to the will of his heavenly Father. But a man may be at peace with God in both these senses, he may have the peace of reconciliation , and the peace of submis¬ sion ; and yet, through remaining darkness, legality, or weakness of faith, he may not enjoy peace of conscience, or a sense of his acceptance and reconciliation. He may have an interest in the work of righteousness, which is peace, and yet not enjoy the effect of righteousness, which is quietness and assurance. 1 The word peace, however, is used in other senses be¬ sides those already noticed. ‘ There is peace with men , ‘ either mutual concord and agreement with Christian ‘ brethren, or safety and deliverance from such as are ‘ our enemies. Peace is opposed to war. It is taken ‘ for the public tranquillity and quiet state of the church, ‘ when it is not troubled within by schisms and heresies, ‘ or without by persecuting tyrants. The apostle Paul, ‘ in the titles of his Epistles, generally wishes for grace ‘ and peace to the faithful to whom he writes. This is ‘ both a Christian salutation, and an apostolical, minis- ‘ terial benediction ; that is, I wish that the free, unde- c served love and favour of God, and a lively sense there- ‘ of in your souls, may be continued and increased to ‘ you, and that, as a fruit of this, you may enjoy all ‘ blessings, both inward and outward, especially peace of ‘ conscience, and a secure enjoyment of the love of God. ‘ Lastly, peace is put for the perfect rest, joy, and feli- ‘ city, which the saints enjoy in heaven, where they are ‘ out of reach of enemies to disturb or molest them.’ 2 1 Is. xxxii. 17. 2 Cruden. J 04 1 OUR PEACE-PRINCE OF PEACE-SHILOH. For peace, in each and all of these senses, we are in¬ debted to the Lord Jesus Christ. And we are now to contemplate him under titles expressive of his peace- bestowing office, viz. as 4 our Peace,’ or 4 the Lord who sendeth Peace ; ’ as 4 Shiloh,’ or 4 the Prince of Peace,’ all which titles are nearly synonymous. First, the Lord Jesus is Our Peace. As, from being entirely the Substance and Centre of the Covenant of Grace, he is styled 4 a Covenant of the people; ’ so, from being the Centre and Substance of all kinds of peace, between God and men, and between man and man, he is styled Our Peace. If we understand it as peace with God , Jesus is Our Peace, because 4 the chastisement of our peace was upon him ; ’ because, 4 when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son.’ And not only was our peace with God procured by the sufferings and obedience of his eternal Son, it is preserved by his continual intercession. But we must beware of ascribing to the Father any vindictive wrath, which needed to be appeased by the atonement and intercession of the Son. The maintenance of his righteous government required that justice should be satisfied, in the very act of extending mercy to sin¬ ners. But this mercy was the free, voluntary gift of the Father as well as of the Son. 4 It pleased the Father ,— having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all thino-s unto himself.’ 1 4 God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself;’ and continually he beseeches men to be reconciled to him. 2 Or, if we understand Peace to mean peace of conscience, a comfortable repose of mind, arising from appropriation of the finished work of the Redeemer, in this sense also he is Our Peace. For joy and peace in believing must 1 Col. i. 19, 20. 2 2 Cor. v. 18-20. OUR PEACE-PRINCE OF PEACE-SIIILOH. 105 come from him who is the Author and Finisher of our faith. ‘ The peace of God which passeth all under¬ standing,’ can keep our minds only ‘ through Christ Jesus.’ 1 That peace which the Apostles prayed might he multiplied unto their Christian brethren, they sup¬ plicated from ‘ our Lord Jesus Christ,’ in conjunction with the Father; and it is only ‘ by the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,’ that this peace can be en¬ joyed. Again, if w T e understand Peace, as submission to the will and service of God , still it is true that Christ is Our Peace ; for it is only a believing apprehension of his as¬ tonishing love in bearing our sins, that can subdue the natural enmity of our hearts to God, and melt them into grateful and affectionate submission. Believing that we have been bought at such a price, we are changed from rebels into humble and obedient subjects; and the lan¬ guage of our hearts becomes, ‘ Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ?’ Christ is also the Centre and Substance of Peace between men and men , whether individuals or nations, and however inimical they may previously have been to each other. In the second chapter of St Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians, he teaches them, that they the Gen¬ tile converts, and himself and his countrymen the Jews, who had hitherto been so widely separated, were ‘ made niyli by the blood of Christ.’ ‘ For he is our Peace who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace ; and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the 1 Philip, iv. 7. 106 OUR PEACE-PRINCE OF PEACE-SHILOH. enmity thereby ; and came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.’ 1 In this passage we learn, that Christ, by fulfilling , abolish¬ ed the ordinances of the Jewish ritual, which opposed so strong a barrier to the union of Jews and Gentiles; and forming them into one harmonious and peaceful church, reconciles them all to each other, and to God ; having, by his cross, slain the enmity that existed between Jews and Gentiles, and between both of them and God. Further, we may remark, that Christ is Our Peace, as lie defends the Church from all outward enemies. These enemies are all included under the term Assyrian in Micah v. 5. 4 And this man shall be the Peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land.’ Lastly, our blessed Lord is the Centre and Substance of that unalloyed and perfect Peace which the saints enjoy in heaven ; for it is only in consequence of the re¬ conciliation accomplished by him, that God can dwell with any of the human race as their God, and they with him as his people, in delightful fellowship. ‘ There the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest/ The titles ‘ Prince of Peace,’ and ‘ Shiloh,’ may be considered as of nearly similar signification ; both ex¬ pressing the royal dignity, authority, and dominion, pos¬ sessed by Christ as Mediator, and exercised by him in bestowing peace, happiness, and prosperity upon his people, individually and collectively;—as a Sovereign, who bestows peace, in all the senses above mentioned. The name ‘ Prince of Peace’ occurs only once in Scrip • ture, forming one of that glorious catalogue in Isaiah ix. 6, where the reign of Messiah is described as an endless increase of peace. In various parts of Isaiah’s prophecy, 1 Eph. ii. 13-17. OUR PEACE-PRINCE OP PEACE-SHILOH. 107 and of the other prophetical writings, this blessed feature of Messiah’s reign is predicted; some of these predictions have been already quoted, when viewing Solomon, the Peaceable , as a type of Christ. Amid the turmoils, wars, and strifes of present times, how refreshing is it to know, that there is a time coming, even on this earth, when men 4 shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning- hooks; when nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.’ 1 But this cannot be realized until the kingdom of Christ is fully established in the world. The name 4 Shiloh’ also occurs but once in Scripture, viz. in the dying predictions of Israel, regarding his pos¬ terity : 4 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 be.’ 2 4 The 4 meaning of the name seems to be, Saviour , or happy , 4 blessed , peaceable , or a Peace-Maker , from the root Sha- 4 lah, he was quiet , and in peace, he was safe and happy! 4 A passage in the prophecy of Ezekiel throws light upon that in Gen. xlix. 10, and much resembles it; evi¬ dently referring to Shiloh, although not by name, 4 Thus saith the Lord, I will overturn, overturn, overturn it: and it shall be no more, until He come, whose right it is; and I will give it him.’ 4 The following remarks of Scott will open this title, and the text where it occurs, better than any illustration we can ourselves offer. 4 The word rendered sceptre properly signifies a rod or 4 staff, and simply denotes the exercise of dominion or 4 authority, of which the rod or sceptre was the badge. 4 This authority, in Judah, however assailed, or changed 4 as to external form, should not finally depart, till Shiloh 4 came, on whom the legislative and judicial authority 1 Is. ii. 4. 2 Gen. xlix. 10. 3 Cruden. 4 Ezek. xxi. 27. 108 OUR PEACE-PRINCE OF PEACE-SHILOH. ‘ would devolve,—the authority would remain with Ju- ‘ dah, till He came whose right it teas, and with him it 1 should henceforth remain for ever. As to the time of ‘ his coining, it is foretold clearly, that it should he ‘ before the sceptre and lawgiver should depart from Ju- ‘ dah, or about that time. We have seen how the sceptre ‘ and the authority remained with Judah, tiil the cap- ‘ tivity.—Even in Babylon, the Jews seem to have been 4 under some internal government, exercised by the family ‘ of David. After their return from Babylon, Zerubbabel, 1 of David’s race, was their leader; and the tribe of Judah, 4 and those who were incorporated with them, had regu- 4 lar magistrates and rulers among themselves, under the 4 kings of Persia and Syria, and afterwards under the 4 Romans. The Sanhedrim, constituted in great mea- 4 sure of the tribe of Judah, and the other courts depen- 4 dant on it, possessed great authority till the coming of 4 Christ, according to the concurrent testimony of ancient 4 writers. The tribe of Judah likewise was preserved 4 distinct, and could trace back its genealogies without 4 difficulty. In all respects, the sceptre , though gradually 4 enfeebled, did not depart , nor was the exercise of legis- 4 lative and judicial authority, though interrupted, finally 4 suspended till after that event.—The word Shiloh may 4 mean, He who is sent , or, the Seed , or, the Peaceable , or 4 the Prosperous One ; but all will allow that the Messiah 4 was intended, who was sent into the world, as the pro- 4 mised Seed, , to be the Prince of Peace. Till his coming, 4 Judah possessed considerable authority : but shortly 4 after his crucifixion, this authority was vastly abridged ; 4 and within that generation, according to his express 4 prediction, Jerusalem was destroyed, the whole civil and 4 ecclesiastical state was subverted, and all distinctions, 4 among the poor harrassed remnant, were confounded ; OUR PEACE-PRINCE OF PEACE-SHILOH. 109 ‘ tliey were scattered over the face of the earth ; and to ‘ this day, after almost 1800 years, they have been more ‘ destitute of sceptre and lawgiver , than even during the ‘ Babylonish captivity. The inspired Patriarch added, ‘ “ To him shall the gathering of the people he.” If we ‘ understand this of Judah, its exact accomplishment has ‘ already been shown.—But the clause seems more im- ‘ mediately to refer to Shiloh. After his coming, when ‘ the sceptre departed from Judah, the gathering both of ‘ Jews and Gentiles was to him, as their Prince and Sa- ‘ viour. It has continued to he so even to this present ‘ time; and we are taught to expect that this will he 4 the case, more and more, till the earth shall he filled with, ‘ his glory; and that the very Jews, now without prince ‘ or sceptre, will ere long he gathered to him, as his willing ‘ people. But, “ When the Son of Man shall come, in c his glory , and all his holy angels with him , then shall ‘ he sit on the throne of his glory , and before him shall ‘ he gathered all nations.” And finally, the unnum- ‘ bered millions of the redeemed shall be Gathered to him ‘ into his heavenly kingdom, to behold his glory, and to ‘ rejoice in his love for ever.’ 1 With what deep reverence, combined with ardent af¬ fection, should we regard our adorable Prince of Peace ! invested as he is with universal dominion, and exercising all this dominion to promote the happiness and prosperity of his people. This view of the Saviour suggests impor¬ tant lessons, both in respect of duty and of privilege; the duty of following his example in promoting peace ; and the privilege of enjoying that peace which he gives. First, as regards the duty of peace,—Jesus exhorted his disciples to have peace one with another ; 2 and pro- 1 Scott on Gen. xlix. 10. 2 Mark ix. 50. 110 OUR PEACE-PRINCE OF PEACE-SHILOH. liouncecl a precious benediction on peace-makers, ‘ Bless¬ ed are the peace-makers; for they shall be called the child¬ ren of God.’ 1 It is the bounden duty of Christians to live in peace with each other, and to promote peace among all men : and it is a cause of deep humiliation to the Church, that among her members, there should be so little of the spirit of the Prince of Peace : that in fami¬ lies, in communities, and in nations, the religion of the gospel has been made the ground of bitter animosity, fierce strife, and frightful bloodshed; each side using alike the weapons of destruction, and contending with obstinacy proportioned to the smallness of the point in dispute. But the word Peace , like the word Charity , is much abused and perverted. A great deal that is applauded, as promoting peace , is nothing else than careless indiffer¬ ence to the honour of Christ, and the good of souls : and many are accused of being inconsistent followers of the Prince of Peace, because they boldly defend the cause of God against its enemies, and faithfully warn the wicked of their doom. We must remember, that genuine peace is inseparable from truth; according to the exhortation of the Prophet, ‘ Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates : — love the truth and peace .’ 2 This implies, that truth is not to be sacrificed to peace ; and the same lesson was taught by our Lord’s own example. He did not decline controversy, when the cause of truth demand¬ ed it; nay, he frequently sought it. And he expressly predicted divisions, as the inevitable consequence of a partial reception of his religion. 4 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth ? I tell you Nay; but rather division : for from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against 1 Matt. v. 9. 2 Zech. viii. 16-19. OUR PEACE-PRINCE OF PEACE-SHILOH. I 1 1 three, and a man’s foes shall be they of his own house¬ hold.’ 1 This, indeed, is the very opposite from the gen¬ uine tendency of the gospel, which is 4 to make men of one mind in an house/ But owing to the enmity between the 4 Seed of the woman,’ and the seed of the devil, divisions and disagreements necessarily occur, when the followers of Jesus walk consistently among those who neither know nor love him. This is implied, in the double limitation, attached by St Paul, to the precept, 4 Live peaceably with all men : ’ he says, 4 If it be possible ,— as much as lieth in you , live peaceably with all men.’ In general, however, we have more need to study the rule than the exception ; and whichever we know to be our weak side, whether a love of contention, or a too great pliability, here we must keep the strictest watch. If peace be little understood and little practised as a duty , we suspect it is still less understood, and still less enjoyed, as a privilege. A double perversion prevails on the sub¬ ject. Although God lias promised that 4 Peace shall be upon Israel ;’ 2 yea, that 4 great shall be the peace of his children ;’ 3 and though he has declared, 4 There is no peace to the wicked ;’ 4 still, many of God’s own children have little enjoyment of peace; they know not the thoughts that God is thinking towards them, thoughts of peace, and not of evil ; 5 while, on the other hand, thousands are saying to themselves, 4 Peace, peace,’ to whom there is 4 no peace.’ 6 The latter mistake is the more common and the more dangerous of the two. It is that fatal security in which Satan lulls his wretched cap¬ tives ; keeping them ignorant of their own guilt, of the infinite evil of sin, and of God’s terrible vengeance. ! Luke xii. 51-53 ; Matt. x. 34-36. 2 Ps. exxv. 5. 3 Isaiah liv. 13. 4 Isaiah xlviii. 22. 5 Jer. xxix. 11. 0 Jer. viii. 11. OUR PEACE-PRINCE OF PEACE-SHILOH. I 12 Having never been troubled, they fancy themselves at peace; and even go down to the grave in their fatal dream of peace, having no ‘ hands in their death.’ Better, far better is it, ‘ to go mourning all the day long,’ under the burden of sin, if at length our mourning shall he turn¬ ed to joy, than to repose in this false, deceitful calm. At the same time, it is much to be regretted, that true be¬ lievers often live so far below their privileges ; and, by remaining unbelief, indolence, and careless walking, de¬ prive themselves, in a great measure, of this precious legacy of their Lord, cloud the brightness of God’s glory in their souls, and lessen their influence with others. These two errors, with regard to the enjoyment of peace, are generally acknowledged. But there is a third, which it is also very necessary to guard against, and the more so, because it is less suspected. It is well known that many ungodly men possess a false peace; and that many pious men have little true peace. But alas ! we must confess, that it is possible for the renewed and converted to indulge in false peace. Their original security has indeed been broken up; they cannot now trust to their comparative innocence, nor to the mitigated rigour of God’s law, and the vague notions of mercy, which for¬ merly stilled the agitations of conscience. But too often they fall into a second security, which, though not equally fatal with the first, is yet extremely hurtful to the soul, and approaches awfully near to practical antinomianism :— a sort of quiet serenity pervades the mind, which had its rise at first in the lively hope of mercy through Christ; but, by the languor of faith, by forgetfulness of sins, by time, and worldly business, has degenerated into a stupid, easy complacency in present attainments. We feel that we are safe , because we are believers; our conscience be¬ comes blunted, so as not to require the healing Balm of OUR PEACE-PRINCE OF PEACE-SHILOH. I 13 Gilead ; and alas ! this serenity is not easily disturbed even by conscious guilt. A two-fold evil arises from this state,—no true peace is enjoyed ; none of that lively gra¬ titude and joy which springs from a sense of pardoning love ; and no barrier is raised against future temptations ; because our guilt is done away, not by application of the blood of sprinkling, but by forgetfulness.* Since, then, so many dangerous errors surround this blessed gift of Peace, how thankful should we be that the office of bestowing it belongs to Jesus ! that it be¬ longs to him, both to break up false peace by the con¬ vincing influences of his Spirit, and to give true peace, in his character of Shiloh, the sent of the Father, sent to give peace and prosperity to Israel. Let us then wait upon him humbly and diligently, that we may receive ‘ abundance of peace.’ Here is no danger of excess. When Christ ‘ speaks peace’ to his people, and to his saints, it does not encourage them to ‘ turn again to folly; 1 it forms the best preservative of their holiness, especially when they reflect at what a price this peace was obtained. Lastly, if we know any thing of the peace of Christ ourselves, we shall be anxious to diffuse it among all who are within our sphere of influence : above all, we shall desire the peace of the Church; we shall continually pray for Jerusalem, that ‘ peace may be within her walls, and prosperity within her palaces;’ and for all that are new creatures, in Christ Jesus, that ‘ peace may be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.’ * See some excellent reflections, in the Memoir of the Rev. Thomas Charles of Bala. 1 Ps. lxxxv. 8. ESSAY XXXI. THE WAY—THE DOOR. One of the first blessings flowing from a state of peace and reconciliation with God, is liberty of access to him. 4 Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand.’ 1 Those to whom Christ preaches peace, have, through him, 4 access by one Spirit unto the Father.’ 2 The word translated access is used only in the two passages above quoted, and signifies 4 introduction , as any 4 one is introduced into the presence of a prince, by some 4 person of superior distinction, or one appointed for that 4 purpose.’ 3 And surely no word could better express the way in which sinners are admitted to the presence and favour of their offended God, through the interposi¬ tion of his co-equal Son, who is fitted for the office, both by original dignity, and by the express appointment of the Father. Two figurative Titles have been assumed by Christ himself, to describe this his gracious office of bringing and admitting sinners to God; viz. The Way and The Door. These titles are so simple, and the parts of Scrip¬ ture where they occur explain them so fully, that no lengthened illustration will be necessary; especially as 1 Rom. v. 1, 2. 2 Eplies. ii. 14-18. 3 Scott. THE WAY-TIIE DOOR. 115 the office they denote bears a close affinity to that of Mediator, already illustrated. We shall therefore simply notice the passages in the order in which they stand; and then offer a few practical remarks. The only place where we find the term Door, as an emblem of the Saviour, is in John x. 1-9, where Jesus employs it to teach us, that by Him alone every pastor must enter the fold, before he can teach others to enter : and that by the same Door every sinner must pass, who would obtain access to God’s favour and to his Throne of Grace here, and to his glory hereafter;—nay, that by this same Door, viz. his own meritorious obedience and sacrifice, he himself, as Man and Mediator, and as the Shepherd of the sheep, would enter the true fold above. The other figurative term, The Way, 1 is also recorded but once as used by our blessed Lord; but his whole life and conversation testified, that the great purpose of his manifestation in the flesh was to lead men back to their heavenly Father, from whom they have so widely stray¬ ed ; and that in no other way can any one return. ‘ I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life : no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ ‘ Jesus Christ is called The Way, because it is by him ‘ alone that believers obtain eternal life, and an entrance ‘ into heaven. He is the Way to heaven, by the doc- ‘ trines which he taught; by his death, which pur- ‘ chased this heavenly inheritance for the elect; by his ‘ holy life and conversation, setting us an example, that ‘ we should follow his steps; and, by tbe influences of ‘ his Spirit, whereby believers are sanctified, and made ‘ meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in ‘ light.’ 2 That which, in the Gospels, is styled the Door and 1 John xiv. 6. 2 Cruden. 116 THE WAY-THE DOOR. the Way is, in the Epistles, termed access. The texts to which we shall turn, for explanation of this Way of access are, Rom. v. 2 ; Epli. ii. 18, and iii. 12 ; Ileb. iv. 16, and x. 19-22. These passages mutually elucidate one another; and together form a complete description of the nature and purpose of this office of Jesus. In the first of these passages, Rom. v. 2, is stated the mode whereby we obtain access , viz. by faith; and be¬ lievers are represented as having entered into a state of grace , or full favour and friendship with God, and as having such a sweet persuasion that this is their state, as assures them of admittance into his glorious presence hereafter. In Epli. ii. 18, and the following verses, the power by which we avail ourselves of this Way of access is added, viz. by the Spirit. 4 Through him (that is Christ), we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.’ And the glorious privileges of which, in consequence of this access, we partake, are further stated. We are brought into the family and household of God, and are made ‘ an habitation of God, through the Spirit.’ In Eph. iii. 12, are pointed out the dispositions where¬ with we should come to God, through Christ, viz. ‘ with boldness and confidence.’ In Heb. iv. 16, the blessings for which ice are to come , viz. mercy, grace, which terms comprehend all that sinners can want. Lastly, in Heb. x. 19-22, all the substance of the pre¬ ceding passages is concentrated, and the whole employed to inculcate the most practical and encouraging lessons. We are told the place into which we are invited to enter, —‘ into the holiest,’ into the closest fellowship with the holy God attainable in this mortal life, and into the true sanctuary above, where his holy Majesty is fully dis¬ played. We are next told the Way through which we THE WAY-THE DOOR. 11? may enter,— 4 by the blood of Jesus,’ or 4 through his flesh through the rending of that vail of human flesh which concealed, in part, his Divine Majesty, and which must be l'ent, ere he could, as our Surety, enter into the holiest himself, or open the way for us to enter in. This Way is called new and living. It is new , in opposition to the original way of access, by personal righteousness, which the entrance of sin has for ever closed; and new, compared with the entrance which the Jewish High Priest made once a-year, which itself proved 4 that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made mani¬ fest.’ It is living , because it not only leads to life eter¬ nal, but is itself possessed of life-giving energy. For this Way is none other than the Lord Jesus, who, by his death, opened the Way, and, by his continual inter¬ cession, keeps it open. Having described the Way opened for us, the apostle proceeds to teach us liow we should make use of it, exhorting us to come 4 with boldness,’ 4 with a true heart, and with full assurance of faith.’ They to whom such a Way of access is made known ought not to stand at a distance from God, as if afraid or unwilling to approach him ; but, in spite of all their unworthiness, shame, and guilt, to expect a gracious re¬ ception, as often as they come in simple dependance on the blood of Jesus. Looking to the free grace, the rich promises, and the glorious perfections of God in Christ, they should come with enlarged and confident expecta¬ tions of the success of their petitions. All who would enjoy such blessed communion with God must, how¬ ever, be careful to avoid every thing approaching to hy¬ pocrisy. They must have their 4 hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience,’ by continual application of the blood of the Lamb, and by putting away every known or in¬ dulged sin, and they must have their outward conduct 118 THE WAY-THE DOOR. purified by that cleansing of the Spirit, of which the water used in baptism is a sign. We have now illustrated this subject as much as, by its simplicity, it seems to require. But the main point is, What practical use do we make of it ? Have we, in sincerity, renounced every way of approach to God, ex¬ cept through his beloved Son, and gratefully availed our¬ selves of this Way? How utterly vain and hopeless must be the attempt to force our way into the presence of Jehovah, by paths which he has peremptorily closed i What can we look for but death, as the reward of our rash presumption ? Are we then willing to enter by Christ, the Door, although this be ‘ a strait gate ,’ 1 too strait to admit our pride, our self-righteousness, or any¬ thing we can call our own ? Do we desire to pass through the Pilgrim’s wicket-gate, though it conduct us out of the broad road into the narrow Way, 4 the Way of holiness ?’ 2 If so, let us thank Him who has made us willing, and rejoice in his precious promise, that ‘ the way-faring men, though fools, shall not err therein .’ 3 But, alas! we, who know and acknowledge the excellence and plea¬ santness of this Way, have cause to bewail our mis- improvement of it. There is, perhaps, no one subject more humbling to Christians, than that such a Way of access to God being opened to them, by means so asto¬ nishing, by agency so divine, and knowing as they do, their constant need of supplies received in this Way, they yet make such lamentably deficient use of it. If we heard that a powerful and benignant prince had issued a proclamation to all his subjects, inviting them to come into his presence, in a particular way, prescribed in 1 Mat. vii. 14. 2 Is. xxxv. 8. 3 Is. xxxv. 8. THE WAY-THE DOOR. 119 the proclamation, promising not only to pardon and over¬ look all past offences, but to bestow on each supplicant the most endearing tokens of personal regard, as well as the richest gifts, exceeding their largest desires ; gifts exactly suited to the exigencies of each; and, if we knew, be¬ yond a doubt, that all the subjects of this prince had in¬ curred his severest displeasure, and were in a state of utter destitution, from which none but he could rescue them ;—if we knew all this, and yet saw that a great pro¬ portion of those subjects refused to come to their gra¬ cious king at all; that many of them obstinately per¬ sisted in attempting to come by ways that he had for¬ bidden ; and that, even the small portion who did come in the right way, came but seldom, and then expected but little ;—must we not be forced to conclude, that these poor, destitute creatures were under some unhappy de¬ lusion, which blinded them to their own state, to the character of their sovereign, and to the nature of the way appointed by him for their approach ? On examining the case of these people more closely, we might discover that several causes combined to occa- sion their delusion; that, in the first place, they la¬ boured under a hereditary disease, which affected their intellect and enervated their constitution ;—that, in addi - tion to this natural disease, they breathed a deleterious atmosphere, a kind of malaria, which either weighed them down in listless languor, or buoyed them up in feverish excitement; the former leading them to despair of the king’s mercy, the latter persuading them that they did not stand in absolute need of it. We might further discover, that a malicious foreign enemy was perpetually on the alert, to prevent these poor people from setting out in their way to the king’s court, rais¬ ing false reports against his character and government. 120 THE WAY-THE DOOR. and representing the journey sometimes as needless, some¬ times as impossible;—and, when any of them did set out, rendering their journey as hard and painful as he could. These causes we might perceive operating with uncon¬ trolled sway upon the larger part of the community ; and, though resisted by the few faithful subjects, yet operating greatly to their injury also. This is no exaggerated representation, hut one which falls immensely short of the truth. The great mass of mankind are content to live without God in the world. A numerous class endeavour to approach him by outward observances, and self-righteous formalities; and believers themselves shamefully undervalue and neglect their in¬ estimable privilege of access to the Majesty of Heaven, through Christ, the living Way. Our Sovereign main¬ tains no haughty reserve, not even that formal distance, necessary to the dignity of earthly potentates. He in¬ vites all his subjects to come before him at stated times, in large bodies, to present their united supplications. But, even at these times, each may put into the King’s hand his own individual petitions, as well as join in the general addresses. And, at all times, and in all circum¬ stances, the meanest of his subjects may obtain a private audience, sure of his requests being granted, as far as is consistent with his real welfare, provided only he come in the right Way. Yet, knowing all this, how little are our prayers characterized by holy boldness and cheer¬ ful expectation ! How little heart -felt dependance have we upon the introduction provided for us. Did God deal with us as we deserve, he would shut up that Way which we so ungratefully slight; but, Blessed be his name, Jesus ‘ ever liveth to make intercession for us;’ therefore the Way is still kept open ; and, vile and un¬ worthy though we be, we may still come with boldness THE WAY-THE DOOR. 121 to the Throne of Grace, as often as we come in the name of Jesus. But not in the act of prayer only, are the people of God privileged to hold communion with him. They may have fellowship with him, at all times, and in all their occupations, through the blood and intercession of Immanuel. Believers under the old dispensation came to God in this Way, by anticipation of the efficacy of the atone¬ ment. Enoch walked with God ; Abraham was called the Fi'iend of God; and Moses saw him face to face. Under the new dispensation, promises of exalted com ¬ munion with God are given in clearer terms, and of more general application, than were given in the old. But alas! in this respect most Christians live sadly below their privileges. They do not, like David, ‘ follow hard’ after the Lord, but are satisfied with vague, indistinct tokens of his gracious presence; being often at a loss to know whether the light of his countenance be lifted up upon them or not ; and yet not mourning over their darkness and distance. This is a branch of the false peace we lamented in the last Essay, and it is as detrimental to the enjoyment of God’s presence, as false peace is to true. It is a sad evidence of the coldness of our love, of the grovelling tendency of our minds, and our low apprehen¬ sions of the honour and happiness of a close walk with God. Finally, if we hope to meet our God with comfort, in the hour of death, and at the day of judgment; if we desire, when quitting this moi’tal body, to possess a lively hope of admission into the heavenly sanctuary, by the blood of Jesus, let us be continually coming to God now by Christ, the Door and the Way. VOL. II. F ESSAY XXXII. FOUNDATION.—CORNER-STONE. An attentive study of the varied offices of Jesus cannot fail to impress the mind with a sense of the completeness of that salvation which he came to accomplish, with the beautiful harmony of its several parts, and their perfect adaptation to the wants of returning sinners. In proof of this remark, let us suppose a man who has received the Saviour in all the characters lately presented to our notice,—as his Righteousness , his Peace, and his Wag ,— who has just begun to taste the joy of putting on Christ’s Righteousness, instead of vainly trying to work out a righteousness for himself; of exchanging false for true Peace, and the cold distance of his unrenewed state for ‘ Access with confidence by the faith of Jesus let us suppose this man permitted to choose under what cha¬ racter his Almighty Friend should next appear, so as best to meet his wants, and he could not, we think, in¬ vent a character more adapted to those wants than the (me now before us, viz. a Foundation, a ground of con fidence, something whereon he can safely rest, as a build¬ ing rests securely on its foundation. This is the very thing the man wants, something to give stability to his newly-acquired privileges, something to assure him that his new joys, hopes, and comforts, rest on a sure and permanent basis. For, the more FOUNDATION-CORNER-STONE. 123 highly he values these privileges, the more fearful is he of losing them ; and knowing now, in a measure, his own weakness, the wavering of his faith, and the incon¬ stancy of his best affections, he eagerly looks out for some ground of hope beyond himself, for some foun¬ dation of happiness and peace, eternal as his soul, and unchangeable as his soul is inconstant. With what delight, then, will he discover, that the Scriptures, both of the Old and New Testaments, reveal Jesus Christ in that very character which his necessities require,—as the Foundation of the whole Church, and of every member of it; as that Foundation upon which he is invited by prophets, by Apostles, and by the Lord Jesus himself, to build his every hope for time and fox- eternity. The passages of Scripture to which this title leads us are simple, and mutually illustrative. In Isaiah xxviii. is a description of this Stone, evei-y woi’d of which speaks rest and comfort to the trembling believer . 1 They are the words of the Lord God ; he calls our atten¬ tion to them as to words of the highest importance, say¬ ing, Behold ! He declares, that the Foundation is to be laid by his own hand, ‘ Behold, I laythat it is to be laid in Zion for the foundation of the whole Church ; that it is to be a tried Stone, chosen with perfect assur¬ ance of its sufficiency, as men choose things best after trying them ; and actually to be tried by the powers of eai'th and hell, and even by God himself, and proved all- sufficient. This Stone is further styled by the Lord God A Corner-Stone, that which forms the angle of a building, and unites its different sides, whether at the foundation, or at the top of the wall. He styles it a precious Corner-Stone , precious in his own eyes on ac- 1 Is. xxviii. 16. 124 FOUNDATION-CORNER-STONE. count of its excellency, rareness, and beauty, and precious also in the eyes of believers. As a Foundation, the Lord God declares it sure , so that he who rests upon it (or believeth), shall never find cause to hasten from it, ashamed of his confidence; whereas, all other founda¬ tions shall be sw r ept away as 1 refuges of lies.’ 1 Under this emblem of a Stone, Messiah was revealed also to the prophets Daniel and Zechariah; and the re¬ velations made to them concerning this Stone, contain several particulars not mentioned by Isaiah. To Daniel it appeared (or rather in the king’s dream, interpreted by Daniel, it appeared) as a Stone ‘ cut out without hands,’ which brake in pieces the kingdoms of this world, ‘ and became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.’ 2 Here we perceive the origin of the kingdom of Christ; that it is not set up by human agency, but by the invi¬ sible power of God; and we perceive, also, its gradual rise , from small beginnings to universal empire and vic¬ tory. To Zechariah this Stone was revealed as laid hg the Lord , as graven by him, and having upon it seven eyes? The removal of iniquity in one day being promised in connexion with the graving of the Stone, seems to ex¬ plain that part of the vision as descriptive of the suffer¬ ings of the Divine Redeemer; of the piercing of his hands, his feet, and his side, whereby the iniquity of his people, in all ages, was removed in one day. The seven eyes upon the Stone are supposed to denote the perfect wis¬ dom and knowledge with which Messiah should be endued, to order all things in the Church, and watch over all its concerns. Or, the expression may mean, that the eyes of all, in heaven, in earth, and in hell, would, in one way or other, be fixed upon tbe precious 1 Is. xxviii. 17. 2 Dan. ii. 34,35. 3 Zech. iii, 9. FOUNDATION-CORNER-STONE. 125 Corner-Stone,—those of believers, in faith, love, and hope ; those of unbelievers, in contempt and abhorrence ; those of evil spirits, in malignity and despair. But, great and glorious as this Stone was declared to be by God himself,—sure as a Foundation, and precious as a Corner-Stone,—it was yet foretold by the prophets with equal clearness, that, far from meeting with the admiration and confidence to which it was entitled, it should be refused as worthless by those who professed to be builders ; and that many, instead of building on it as their Foundation, would convert it, to their own destruc¬ tion, into ‘ a Stone of Stumbling, and a Rock of Offence ; 1 that is, into an occasion of sin and ruin, at which they would take offence and stumble, so as to fall and -be broken. Yet the contempt and opposition of men would not be able to overturn the unalterable decree of God. The rejection of God’s chosen and precious Stone, far from hindering its advancement, would prepare the way for its exaltation to be ‘ the Head-Stone of the Corner,’ and this by the hand of the Lord, to the admiration of all his people. 2 One more passage will close our quotations from the Prophetical Scriptures ; it is this, ‘ Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord -Jehovah is everlasting strength.’ 3 The connexion of this text with the emble- matical title now before us appears in the margin of our Bibles, where ‘ everlasting strength ,’ is rendered ‘ the Rock of Ages.’ Now, since Jesus is Jehovah, he is also ‘ the Rock of Ages,’ the eternal and self-existent Basis of all strength and stability : we have, therefore, in this verse, another glorious attribute ascribed to him, as the Foundation or Rock on which the Church is built; and we are also taught why all his blessed qualities, as a 1 Is. viii. 14, 15. 2 Ps. cxvlii. 23. 3 Is. xxvi. 4. 126- foundation-CORNER-STONE. Foundation, are revealed to us; it is that we may trust in him, as alone worthy of everlasting confidence. His Person, his Atonement, his Righteousness, and Media¬ tion, form the only ground of confidence to sinners ; and in his power and grace alone we are to trust, for the preservation and stability, the union and beauty, of the whole Church. Let us now inquire what reference was made by our Lord himself to this his character of a Stone or Founda¬ tion, and in what manner he applied to himself the predic¬ tions above referred to. We do not find that Jesus quoted expressly the words of Isaiah xxviii. 16; but he used the emblem of a Foundation , when he compared the man who heard and obeyed his words , to a wise man who built his house upon a Rock, and thus rendered it proof against the fiercest rage of the elements. 1 And he used the same metaphor, when he said to Peter, ‘ Upon this Rock (viz. his own Messiahship and Sonship) I will build my Church ; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.’ 2 The prediction of David, in the 118th Psalm, our Lord quoted most distinctly, in connexion with his own para¬ ble of ‘ the wicked husbandmenapplying it to his own rejection by the Jews, and their consequent destruction, in terms which they could not misunderstand. 3 The casting out and slaying of the Heir he showed to be parallel with the rejection of the Corner-Stone; and the miserable destruction of the husbandmen, with the ruin of those who should fall on that Stone, or on whom it should fall. This ruin, Jesus showed to be in fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy, chap. viii. 14, 15. And perhaps lie referred also to Zech. xii. 3, and Dan. ii. 44. 1 Mat. vii. 24, 25. 2 Mat. xvi. 18. 3 Mat. xxi. 41-44, and Luke xx. 16-18. FOUNDATION-CORNER-STONE. 127 After the ascension of his Master, Peter boldly de¬ clared to the Jews, that Jesus of Nazareth, whom they had crucified, and whom God had raised, was The Cor¬ ner-Stone, so long expected. ‘ This is the Stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the Head of the Corner.’ 1 We find, in the Apostolic Epistles, frequent allusion to Christ, in this character of a Foundation or Corner- Stone. In Romans ix. 31-33, St Paul explains why his countrymen stumbled at the Stone laid in Zion. It was because they sought righteousness, ‘ not by faith, but by the works of the lawand he quotes the words of Isaiah, to describe the blessed contrast, in the case of believers,—‘ Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.’ In 1 Cor. iii., St Paul declares Jesus Christ to be the Foundation, which, as a wise master-builder of the Church, he was laying, and the only Foundation which any man could lay. In the 2d chapter of Ephesians, after giving his Gentile converts many encouraging as¬ surances of their cordial reception into the household of God, the apostle adds this substantial proof of then- union with the chosen Israel, that they were all built upon One Foundation, ‘Jesus Christ himself,’ who was also ‘ the chief Corner-Stone,’ uniting Jews and Gentiles in one compact and growing building. In this beauti¬ ful passage, we learn, further, the design of that build¬ ing, of which Christ is the Foundation and Corner- Stone :—it is the most glorious that can be conceived ; even to be ‘ an holy temple in the Lord,’ ‘ an habitation of God through the Spirit.’ As each believer individual¬ ly is a temple of the Holy Ghost, so the whole body of 1 Acts iv. 11. 128 FOUNDATION-CORNER-STONE. believers are builded together into one magnificent Temple. St Peter, like one who, standing on an eminence, sur¬ veys the course of a mighty river, from its rise in the dim and distant mountains to its wide development in the plain beneath his feet, presents to us, in one grand comprehensive view, all the great predictions of ancient Scripture, on this subject, and the fulfilment of those predictions in his own day. lie traces the Foundation of Zion, from its having been laid in the eternal purpose of God to its supporting and vivifying the sacred temple built upon it, under his own eye; he traces the Corner- Stone, from its predicted rejection to its actual exaltation to be ‘ the Head of the Corner.’ All these points he exhibits in their relative bearings; and appeals to his brethren for the truth of his delineation, for the exact ful¬ filment of Prophecy, in their own times; both in the stumbling and falling of unbelievers, and in the value set on the Stone by believers. 1 Lastly, in the Book of Revelation, the doctrine of the apostles is, in a subordinate sense, represented as the foundation of the Church. For ‘ the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb ;’ 2 a glorious testimony to the truth and value of the apostles’ doctrine, which, ex¬ hibiting Jesus Christ as the only Saviour, Mediator, and Head of the Church, was, in a certain sense, its foundation. The practical instruction to be drawn from this sub¬ ject, is of the deepest moment to every human being; —we are all building for ourselves an eternal Home : and whether that Home be one of unalloyed bliss, or of unmitigated woe, depends entirely on our choice of a 1 1 Pet. ii. 4-8. 2 Rev. xxi. 14. FOUNDATION-CORNER-STONE. 120 foundation. This, however, is a truth not generally al¬ lowed, even in theory. In erecting tabernacles for their perishing bodies, indeed, men look well to the founda¬ tion, before they begin to build; and he would be pro¬ nounced a madman, who should say, If my house look fair and solid above ground, no matter what the founda¬ tion be. But, in preparing their eternal abodes, men do not bestow so much precaution, nor argue so rationally. They begin to build, without knowing on what ground ; nay, they avow it, as a principle, that if the superstruc¬ ture be fair and symmetrical, it is of little consequence whether the foundation be sound or not; in other words, that if the life and conduct appear moral and amiable, it is a point of speculative distinction, whether the confi¬ dence be rested on Christ, or not. So little attention is paid to this point by many, that they never seriously examine what is their foundation for eternity, till forced to do so, by some sudden alarm, or by approaching dis¬ solution. And then, alas! how false are the grounds upon which they too often rest! some, upon their gene¬ ral good conduct, and exemption from gross crime ; others, upon their connexion with the visible Church, and regular performance of her rites ; many, upon the mercy of God, without special trust in that only Way in which God has promised mercy; or, upon the merits of the Saviour, mixed with their own sincere, though confessedly defective, obedience. All these false founda ¬ tions will be swept away, by the flood of God’s righteous judgment; and great will be the fall of many build¬ ings, which looked well in the eyes of men, but which, not being grounded on the only sure Foundation, were always hateful in the sight of God. For, since God has, from eternity, laid a Foundation for sinners to rest upon ; —since he has revealed it to them, and declared it to be 130 FOUNDATION-CORNER-STONE. the only Foundation;—is it to be conceived, that he will allow them to build upon other foundations, and yet be safe ? The thing is impossible; proved to be so by Re¬ velation, and even by our own reason. The choice before us, then, is not, whether we will build upon Christ, or not have to do with him at all; it is, whether we will build upon him, so as never to be confounded; or, 4 stumble and fall’ upon him here, and be ‘ground to powder’ by him hereafter; for, as Head- Stone of the Corner, it is his office to destroy all those that reject him, as well as to uphold all those that re¬ ceive him. Since, then, the alternative is so awful, how carefully should we examine, ere it be too late, whether we our¬ selves are building upon the Foundation which God has laid in Zion ; whether Jesus Christ himself,\ in his Per¬ son, Work, and Offices, in his Atonement, Righteous¬ ness, and Mediation, be the sole ground of our hope and confidence, in the great concerns of salvation; or, if we lie not resting partly on something else. Let us not too readily conclude, that our dependance on Christ is simple and exclusive; for in no one point are we more apt to be deceived by Satan and our own hearts. Even after long and painful experience of the impossibility of finding any thing in ourselves whereon to rest; and after, by the grace of God, we have been taught to rest, in tire main, upon Jesus, we still unconsciously build some portion of our confidence upon the work of the Spirit within us, instead of laying our whole trust on the work of Christ without us; and so subtle is this temptation, that the believer is often sorely perplexed, in trying to ascertain his true state. The difficulty of ascertaining whether we are truly built upon the right Foundation, is, however, lessened, FOUNDATION-CORNER-STONE. 131 by comparing our own state with that of the ‘ lively stones’ described by St Peter. We may discover whe¬ ther we have come to Christ, and been built upon him, by the estimation in which we hold him , and by our expe¬ rience of the effects of union with him. As to our estima¬ tion of Christ, does it correspond with that in which he is held by God his Father ? Although we see him dis¬ allowed and rejected by an ungrateful world, do we choose and delight in him ? Is he precious in our eyes ? so pre¬ cious, that all the things we can desire are not to be compared with him ? If so, this is one good evidence.— Then, are we conscious of having had life transfused into our souls, by union with Christ, our living Foundation, so as to be made lively stones in the spiritual house, the holy temple of God ? Have we this evidence of union with Christ, that we arc united to his people; not only fixed on Him as the Foundation of our own security, but knit to all the stones composing the temple, by mutual union with Him, the great Corner-Stone ? Do we know any thing experimentally of the in-dwelling of God through the Spirit ? and are our eyes fixed, in humble faith, on Christ, as the Head-Stone of the Corner; waiting for the spiritual gifts which he is exalted to bestow, and ardently longing for the time, when this Stone, cut out without hands, shall become a great Mountain, and fill the whole earth ? If these evidences are, in any measure, ours, what abundant cause have we to bless and praise our God! and how gratefully should we acknowledge, that the same Almighty Hand, which laid the Foundation in Zion, has hewn our souls out of the quarry of nature, and cemented them upon it; otherwise this could never have been our happy case. Let us ever remember, too, the means by which the 132 FOUNDATION-CORNER STONE. Stone was prepared for its place, as Foundation to the Church ;—it was by being graven ; it was by enduring the ci’oss, despising the shame, that the blessed Jesus procured for us a ground of confidence, whereof we shall never be ashamed. While, however, we rejoice in the assurance that all who build on Christ, as their Foundation, are safe; we would yet be mindful of the apostle’s injunction,— 4 But let every man take heed hoic he luildeth thereupon . M For, while some believers, by their steady, consistent walk, and holy conversation, adorn the spiritual temple, as that of Solomon was adorned with gold, and silver, and precious stones, and so build, as that their work will endure throughout eternity;—others, by a mixture of unsuitable materials, by inconsistency, worldly-minded¬ ness, unprofitableness, and negligence, add only wood, hay, and stubble to the building of God. Of such builders, St Paul says, 4 They shall suffer loss ; but they themselves shall be saved; yet so as by fire.’ They barely secure their own salvation; but are not honoured by being made instrumental in the salvation of others. Thus they 4 suffer loss,’ as to comfort and usefulness here, and also in the degree of their eternal reward here¬ after. For, although the merits of Christ form the sole ground of his people’s future bliss; yet he has plainly declared, that the reward of each servant shall be in pro¬ portion to his improvement of the talents committed to him. The apostle’s injunction, it is true, is chiefly addressed to ministers, as the builders of God’s temple. But as all true Christians are, in a subordinate sense, builders, or at least stones, in that temple, each is required to 1 1 Cor. iii. 10-15. FOUNDATION-CORNER STONE. 133 contribute to its beauty and union ; to be a lively and a growing stone. Let this be the aim of every one of us,—that, being united to Christ by faith, and to our brethren by love, we may fill up the place God has assigned to us, in his temple below ; until he transport us to be ‘ pil¬ lars ’ in his glorious Temple above, whence we shall ‘ no more go out,’ but be inscribed with the name of our God, and of the city of our God, the New -Jerusalem . 1 1 Rev. iii. 12. ESSAY XXXIII. REFUGE —ROCK or HIDING-PLACE, CITY OF RE¬ FUGE, ARK, STRONGHOLD, TOWER, FORTRESS, SHADOW —DWELLING-PLACE or HABITATION — SANCTUARY. All these figurative Titles may be classed under the ge¬ neral term. Refuge, or place of safety. They are taken from refuges of three different descriptions. Some places are fitted for shelter by their natural strength , or capa¬ city of concealment, such as rocks ; some are prepared by the art of man, such as towers and fortresses; others are made secure by virtue of God’s express appointment , as were the cities of refuge in the land of Canaan. The Titles we are now to consider are found chiefly in the Old Testament; in the writings of Moses, David, and Isaiah. In their primary sense, they were used to ex¬ press the Godhead, without distinction of Persons, as af¬ fording, by his infinite perfections, a sure Refuge for his people, in all dangers, temporal and spiritual. Thus, Moses encouraged Israel, by the assurance that the eter¬ nal God was his Refuge; 1 at another time, he styled God the Rock, 2 and at another, the Dwelling-place, of his people. 3 David and Isaiah, seldom satisfied with a.s- * Deut. xxxiii. 27. 1 Deut. xxxii. 4. 3 Ps. xc. I. REFUGE. 135 cribing to God one of these Titles at a time, utter many of them in a breath ; as if to show that the combination of all that is strong and secure, by nature, by art, and by Divine appointment, is too feeble to express the perfect security enjoyed by those, who make the Lord their Refuo-e. © But although these Titles had perhaps, in their primary sense, no direct reference to the Redeemer; yet, as all the safety enjoyed by Israel of old was typical of the safety of the true Israel in all ages, we may fairly con¬ clude, that those truly evangelical writers of the (did Testament frequently looked through the former to the latter; and that, whenever they spoke of God, as a Refuge for the souls of his people, they must have spoken of God in Christ , and, by faith, have beheld the glory of the Divine perfections, in the face of Immanuel. In no other way can God, the Holy, and the Just, be a Refuge for guilty rebels ; it is only when the name Jesus is joined to the name Jeiiovaii, that it forms a strong Tower, into which fallen man can run and be safe. 1 These titles, then, may be considered as 4 the Old 4 Testament style for salvation;’ 2 signifying, primarily, temporal protection; typically, the protection of the soul; and in the latter sense, applicable chiefly to our Lord Jesus Christ. In what sense, then, are we to consider Christ as a Refuge for man ? In every sense in which man needs a Refuge ; viz. from the common evils of life, from the accusations of Satan and of his own conscience; but chiefly, from the just vengeance of God on account of sin. In all these respects, the Lord Jesus is the Re¬ fuge of his people. They find in him protection in all outward evils; because, to those who are in him, 4 all things work together for good;’ and because they can 1 Prov. xviii. 10. 2 Scott. 136 REFUGE. through him come to God, as their Father, to shelter them in every time of need. But it is as a Refuge from the terrors of guilt here, and from eternal punishment here¬ after, that Jesus is, most truly and emphatically, a Re¬ fuge for sinners. He is so, in his Person, Character, and Offices, in his Atonement, Righteousness, and all- prevailing Intercession. Should the question arise, Why are so many images employed to describe the Saviour in this character ? it is not difficult to discover reasons, both in the situation, and in the constitution, of fallen man. First, in his situation , —as far as we know, there is no creature in the universe, who stands so much in need of a refuge, as man. The angels, placed in blissful security, need no refuge; the devils, doomed to irreversible woe, are beyond the reach of one; even the brutes are supplied with coverts and means of defence, suited to their peculiar dangers, and to their appointed period of existence. Man alone is placed in the midst of perils, which threaten the ruin of his best interests, without any natural means of defence or escape, yet within reach of a Refuge. Do we then impugn the Divine wisdom and good¬ ness ; and argue that to man is shown less favour than to other orders of created beings ? God forbid. Rather would we extol the special favour shown to man, in that he is thus placed, with the express design, that Je¬ hovah may be his Refuge. Here, then, is one reason for the variety of emblems signifying Refuge, a reason drawn from man’s situation; another may be found in man’s constitution. Exposed and defenceless, though he be, man is naturally proud and self-dependant; un¬ willing to believe that he deeply needs a Refuge, and inclined to spurn the gracious invitation to flee for Re¬ fuge to Christ. And when, through grace, he is con- REFUGE. 1 Q9 The CROSS! —A marvellous emblem of victory, the ignominious death of the Leader! In the eyes of the world, a mean and contemptible emblem, but, to the soldiers of Christ, unutterably glorious. One glance at this emblem animates them anew to the combat, rouses them to crucify the flesh, to come out from the world, and manfully to resist the devil; and strengthens their determination to glory in nothing else, saying, ‘ God forbid that I should glory, save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. ’ Many and great are the victo¬ ries already obtained under this banner. Wherever the Cross of Christ has been displayed in its true colours, mul¬ titudes have been detached from the service of Satan, anti enlisted under the Gospel Standard ; and still more glo¬ rious are the victories to which it shall conduct in the latter days. Let us, therefore, study diligently and prayerfully our duties as soldiers of the Cross, and remember the warn¬ ing given by St Paul to his son Timothy, that good sol¬ diers must endure hardness, and not entangle themselves with the affairs of this life, that they may please Him who hath chosen them to be soldiers. Let us remember that, before we can expect to be honoured as ‘ fellow- workers' with Christ, in destroying the works of the devil, in the world, we must have the devil’s works sub¬ dued in our own hearts. ‘ The Holy Spirit describes the people of God as con- ‘ querors, and that they have not only a struggle with 4 that which is evil, but some real success in the struggle • 4 not only a fight, but, in some real sense a victory. The ‘ palm is not awarded to the mere combatant, ‘ but 4 to him that overcometh.’ 1 Defective as the victory ‘ may be, partial as the success, complete only when 1 Rev. ii. 7, 11, 17,26 ; hi. 5, 12,21. VOL. IX. H 170 CAPTAIN OF THE LORDS HOST- 4 faith is lost in sight, and hope in certainty; yet it is c true that, even on earth, the believer, through the Spirit 4 of Gocl, achieves real mastery over the sin that dwelleth 4 in him, real conquest over the power of corruption. 4 The love of God, a sense of solemn obligation, and the 4 dread of consequences, all of them principles in the new 4 nature drawn forth by the indwelling Spirit, lead him 4 on to the battle. It is a long and wearisome fight. 4 Sometimes he is worsted, and sometimes wounded, 4 fainting, cast down, ready to die. Long possession of 4 the ground on the part of his enemy, deep cunning, 4 and mighty power, all aided and abetted by the great 4 mover of the fray, Satan the prince of darkness, make 4 the struggle always painful, sometimes dreadful. The 4 spirit often sinks at the constant repetition of the same 4 contest with the same enemy, at the prospect of having 4 the same ground to retread, the same difficulties to re- 4 conquer. Vantage ground is often given to the foe, 4 through supineness, lethargy, unbelief, and want of 4 prayer. Distrust of God often weakens the believer, 4 on the one hand, and self-trust on the other. In the 4 paths of duty he often slips through carelessness. In 4 the region of temptation, he often sleeps, through fan- 4 cied security ; and yet, notwithstanding all this, he is, 4 on the whole a conqueror. Greater is he that is in 4 him, than he that is in the world. Christ is the life of 4 his soul. 1 God is his God, and dwelleth in him, and 4 walketli in him. 2 lie is the temple of the Holy Ghost. 3 4 In this is the true secret of his victory. The indwell - 4 ing Spirit braces the sinews of the new man, and 4 strengthens him again and again for the mighty eon- 4 flict. Through this it is, that even the weakest, the 1 Col. iii. 4. 2 2 Cor. vi. 1G. 3 1 Cor. vi. 19. SEED OF THE WOMAN. 171 ‘ feeblest, the most tried and tempted of God’s people on ‘ earth, are described as conquerors.’ 1 We must be prepared for public service by personal victories over our pride, ambition, selfishness, and every other evil passion. For want of this preparation, the soldiers of Christ, while fighting in one army, often weaken the cause of their Lord, and strengthen that of his adversary, by envying one another, provoking one another, biting and devouring one another. Let us, then, be on our guard against every thing that would unfit us for joining with our brethren, in the glorious contest to which we are called; not attaching great importance to differences in the form of our weapons, or the colour of our uniform, if we are obviously fighting under the same banner. We all need to copy the example of the pious builders, lately alluded to. The holier the duty in which we en¬ gage, the more need we have to hold the spear in one hand, while we work with the other. And O ! that there were such a spirit of union among Christians, as distinguished those pious Jews, each keeping his own place, and attending to his proper work, yet ready to hasten to the relief of his brethren, whenever the trumpet of danger sounds! Finally, let us all watch and pray, believe and hope, fight in the strength of the Lord, and we shall certainly overcome. For, hear the gracious promises of his word, 4 God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempt¬ ed above that ye are able; but will with the tempta¬ tion also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.’ 2 —‘ Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.’ 3 —‘ The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. ’ 4 Let us cherish a lively hope of victory 1 Evans. 2 1 Cor. x. 13. 3 James iv. 7. 4 Rom. xvi. 20. 172 CAPTAIN OF THE LORD’S HOST. over Satan, sin, and death itself, through Him who shall make us c more than conquerors.’ And, whilst we faith¬ fully use the spiritual armour given us by our Divine Leader, and diligently use every means of defence which he prescribes, let us look, above all these, to his own Al¬ mighty arm, and cry, 4 Fight, Lord, against them that tight against me ; take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for my help. Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me : say unto mv soul, I am thy salvation.’ * ' * ESSAY XXXV. SANCTIFICATION—EXAMPLE. In the course of this work, frequent allusion has been made to the inseparable union of the different parts of salvation, one with another. It has been our earnest endeavour, while tracing separately each individual part, not to lose sight of other parts, but to represent them as ‘ one harmonious whole.’ The important subject to which our attention is now to be directed, that of Sanctification, has, therefore, been necessarily touched upon in many fonner Essays. We have seen that it forms an essential branch of salvation; 1 that it invariably attends justification ; 2 and, more lately^ while viewing Christ as a Refuge, 3 we have seen that he is, to all who truly flee to him, a holy Refuge, a Sanctuary. We are now, in humble dependance on the blessing of God, to study this part of salvation more directly, and seek to enter into the meaning of the apostle’s de¬ claration, that ‘ Christ Jesus is of God, made unto us Sanctification.’ But, first of all, we must inquire what is meant by the term Sanctification ? ‘ To sanctify is to prepare or set apart persons or ‘ things to a holy use. The saints are sanctified, when, 1 See Saviour. 3 The Lord our Righteousness. 3 Refuge. 174 SANCTIFICATION-EXAMPLE. 4 by the blood of Jesus sprinkled on their conscience, ‘ to remove the curse, as the source and strength of sin, ‘ and to purge their hearts from dead works; and, by ‘ the Holy Ghost entering into them, and gradually re- ‘ moving their corruption, and bestowing on them his ‘ grace, they are set apart to God’s service, and conformed to his image.’ 1 © 4 Holiness is assimilation to God,—a restoration, by ‘ the grace of God, to that Divine image, which by sin ‘ was utterly destroyed and lost. It includes in it a de- ‘ cided and determining bent of the mind for God, a ‘ supreme love to his name, a fear of offending him, a 4 delight in his ways. It is the effect of faith in Christ ‘ Jesus our Lord, of that faith which worketh by love, 4 which purifieth the affections, and is fruitful in good ‘ works. 4 A saint of God is one whose mind is savingly en- 4 lightened in the spiritual knowledge of sin, as the great 4 evil; of Christ, as the great salvation from it ; of God, 4 as the great good; nor only this, his heart is led into 4 real hatred of sin, into an unfeigned welcome of Christ, 4 into a sincere love of God and his ways. This change 4 in the understanding and affections, necessarily sancti- 4 ties the temper and the pursuits, the principles and the 4 practice; and he who is the subject of it, lives soberly, ‘ righteously, and godly in this present world, 2 his con- 4 duct before others evidencing the reality of the change 4 within.’ 3 Let us next inquire into the importance and necessity of this gracious principle, and here again we borrow the comprehensive language of Brown :— 4 That the holiness 4 of our nature and practice is of unspeakable moment, 4 appears from its being the end of all the offices of 1 Brown’s Dictionary. a Tit. ii. 12. 3 Evans. SANCTIFICATION-EXAMPLE. 175 ‘ Christ; the end of his debasement and his exaltation ; ‘ the end of the Holy Ghost in his whole work on Christ, ‘ and on his church ; the end of all the precepts, pro- ‘ mises, and providences; and the end' of our election, ‘ redemption, effectual calling, justification, adoption? ‘ and spiritual comfort.’ 1 We cannot open the Bible at any part, without per¬ ceiving the necessity of Holiness or Sanctification, both Of the heart and life. Inward sanctification is necessary to our enjoyment o* fellowship with God, in which all true happiness con¬ sists, and necessary as our preparation for heavenly bless¬ edness. The outward acts of holiness, or good works, are not necessary to qualify us for receiving Christ as our Saviour, nor can they procure for us any right to the mercy or favour of God, here or hereafter; but they are absolutely necessary as evidences of our union with Christ, and as tokens of our gratitude to God for his unspeakable benefits and rich grace : they are also neces¬ sary to adorn our profession in the eyes of our fellow men, and so to win them to Christ. Nay, the cultivation of holiness, both inward and outward, is our bounden duty, in obedience to the will of our Sovereign and our God. After these statements of the nature, importance, and necessity of sanctification, or holiness, we may well in¬ quire, Who is the author of it, and from whom may we obtain it ?—God only is holy; he alone is, in his own nature, infinitely holy, and the author of all holiness in angels and in men. So entire is the unity of design and operation, between the sacred Persons of the blessed Tri¬ nity, that, while to each is assigned a distinct part, in the great work of man’s redemption, the same part is sometimes, in Scripture, ascribed to each individually. J Brown's Dictionary. ire SANCTIFICATION-EXAMPLE. Thus while the work of sanctifying the redeemed is ge¬ nerally ascribed to God the Holy Ghost, it is also ascribed to God the Father, 1 and to God the Son. 2 Our present study being the offices of God the Son, it is to His share in the work of sanctification that we are chiefly called to attend. First, then, Christ Jesus is, in the most comprehen¬ sive sense, ‘ made unto us Sanctification,’ in that, by his atonement, righteousness, and intercession, he has pro¬ cured , and is authorized to bestow , the gift of the Holy Ghost.’ 4 Being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth,’ 3 and does ever shed forth, those holy influences by which sinners are sanctified, and without which all means of sanctification are ineffectual. In virtue of his Mediatorial authority, Christ Jesus also dispenses his Word , his Ordinances , and his Provi¬ dence ; all of which are, through his Spirit, powerful means of sanctification. But there are two other senses in which he is more directly and personally 4 made unto us Sanctification. ’ These are his Example , and his Love. Let us first shortly notice the sanctifying effects of the word of Christ, of his ordinances, and his Providential dealings; and then dwell more particularly on the Ex¬ ample of holiness, given us by our Divine Master, and on the incentives to holiness, drawn from his wondrous Love. The Word is a most powerful and indispensable means of sanctification. Without it we could never have under¬ stood the Providence of God ; without it we coidd not have known either the Example or the Love of Christ. The word is ‘ the good seed,’ which, sown in the heart, and watered by the Spirit, springs up, and bears all the fruits of holiness in the heart and life. ‘ As, in the first 2 1 Cor. i. 2, 30. 1 Jude 1. 3 Acts ii. 33. SANCTIFICATION—EXAMPLE. 177 ‘ departure from God, the medium of all unholy practice ‘ was the believing a lie, through the spirit of darkness, ‘ so, in the sinner’s return to God, will it be found that ‘ the medium of all holy influence is believing the truth ‘ by the Spirit of God.’ 1 By its doctrines and revela¬ tions, its precepts and examples, its promises, threaten- ings, encouragements, and warnings, the word instructs in righteousness, and makes the man of God perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. 2 Jesus him¬ self testified to the sanctifying influence of the word ; praying to the Father, on behalf of his people, ‘ Sanctify them through thy truth : thy word is truth.’ 3 And the apostle tells us, that one great end for which Christ gave himself for the Church, was ‘ that he might sanc¬ tify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.’ 4 The Ordinances of religion are richly blessed, to carry on the work of sanctification in the people of God, and to begin it in the unconverted. As of old, God appoint¬ ed his Sabbaths to be a sign between himself and Israel, that he the Lord did sanctify them, so he still appoints his Sabbaths and ordinances, and the secret and social exer¬ cises of devotion, as means whereby to sanctify us. By his Providential dealings , also, the Lord sanctifies his people, chastening us for our profit, ‘ that we may be partakers of his holiness.’ 5 But we must remember, it is only through ‘ the Spirit of holiness,’ that any of these means become effectual. The Gospel cannot come to us ‘ in power,’ as well as ‘ in word,’ till it comes to us ‘ in the Holy Ghost;’ 6 and no affliction can ‘ turn to our salva¬ tion,’ except ‘ through the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.’ 7 1 Evans. * 2 Tim. iii. 17. 3 John xvii. 17. 4 Eph. v. 26. 4 Heb. xii. 10, 8 1 Thes. i. 5. 7 Philip, i. 19. 178 SANCTIFICATION-EXAMPLE. We now turn to that powerful and direct means em¬ ployed by Christ Jesus to effect our sanctification, viz. his own Example , the perfect pattern of holiness which lie exhibited in his life on earth. ‘ The example of ‘ Christ is most proper to form us to holiness, it being ‘ absolutely perfect, and accommodated to our present 4 state. There is no example of a mere man, that is to ‘ be followed without limitation. “ Be ye followers of 4 me (says the great apostle), as I am of Christ.” But 4 the example of Christ is absolutely perfect. His con- 4 versation was a living law. He was holy, harmless, 4 undefiled, and separate from sinners. His example is ‘ also most accommodated to our present state. The 4 Divine nature is the supreme rule of moral perfections, 4 for we are commanded to be holy, as God is holy. But 4 such is the obscurity of our minds, and the weakness 4 of our nature, that the pattern was too high and glori- 4 ous to be expressed by us. And though we had not 4 strength to ascend to Him, He had goodness to descend 4 to us; and in this present state, and in our nature, to 4 set before us a pattern more fitted to our capacity ; so 4 that the Divine attributes are sweetened in the Son of 4 God incarnate ; and being united w ith the graces pro- 4 per for the human nature, are more perceptible to our 4 minds, and more imitable by us.’ 1 With profound reverence, then, and with admiring gratitude, let us approach this heavenly Pattern, and learn holiness by learning Christ. To delineate this Pattern, indeed, is a task which the highest archangel would feel himself unworthy and unable to perform. How then shall a sinful mortal attempt it ? Yet, for sinful mortals this Pattern was given ; and He who gave it will not despise the humble endeavour, nor withhold ’ Crnden. SANCTIFICATION-EXAMPLE. 179 that grace, without which an archangel could not per¬ form it, but through which, a poor mortal may. A subject so vast, and which has already furnished materials for many excellent volumes, must be very faintly and imperfectly sketched in a single section of a work like this. The points of imitation, in the character of our blessed Lord, are so numerous and varied, that we know not where to begin or end. Numerous and varied as they are, however, they may all be traced to one source,—the all-pervading principle of Love ; Love to God and to man. This divine Love so filled the heart of Jesus, ancl the exercise of it so engrossed his time and his energies, as to leave no room for the world, or for self. It rendered his life one continued course of un¬ wearied, indefatigable, self-denying devotion to the glory of God, and the welfare of men ; a living model of obe¬ dience to the First and Great Commandment, and to the Second, which is like unto it. Innumerable other vir¬ tues shone brightly in the Redeemers character; such as zeal, courage, patience, meekness, forgiveness, self- denial, deadness to the world, spirituality. But these all sprang from Love, as the root; and we find them all traced to this root, by the Apostle Paul, in his descrip¬ tion of heavenly Love, or Charity. 1 Let us consider some of the ways in which the bless¬ ed Jesus testified his Love to God. He testified this Love, by living in secret communion with the Father. We read of his rising up a great while before day, and departing into a solitary place to pray ; of his spending a whole night in prayer to God ; and,, in the prospect of important duty, or of severe trial, we find him seeking 1 1 Cor. xiii. ISO SANC'TIFIC ATION-EX A M PEE. strength and consolation in secret prayer. 1 He abound¬ ed also in praise ; giving thanks on the receipt of tem¬ poral blessings, and on the review of spiritual ones, and on receiving answers to prayer. 2 The ardent Love of Jesus to his heavenly Father was poured out freely, when engaged in social prayer with his disciples. 3 He was also constant and regular in his attendance on all the public institutions of religion, 4 although those institutions were about to give place to the sim¬ pler and more spiritual rites of his own appointment. k His custom was’ to attend the synagogue* n the Sab- bath-day ; and he conformed to every appointed ordi¬ nance, from his circumcision and baptism, to the Pass- over which he ate with his disciples, ‘ the same night in which he was betrayed.’ 5 He also testified his love to God’s house, by contributing to the expenses of the temple, working a miracle for that purpose, though he never did so for the supply of his own wants. 6 The Love Jesus bore to the Father, was further mani¬ fested in his discourse ; the uniform tendency of which was to show forth the character, will, and perfections of God, to express his own happy enjoyment of fellowship with the Father, and to lead others to enjoy it also. 1 le made (if we may so speak) the most decided profession of devotedness to the service of God, from the period of childhood, when he gave that striking epitome of his ensuing life, ‘ Wist ye not that I must be about my Fa¬ ther’s business ?’ till that business was ‘ finished,’ by his agonising death. In the highest possible sense, he ae- 1 Mat. xiv. 23 ; xxvi. 39 ; Mark i. 35 ; Luke vi. 12 ; John xvii. E Mark xiv. 23 ; Mat. xi. 25 ; John xi. 41. 3 Luke ix. 28. * Luke iv. 16. 5 Luke ii. 21 ; Mat. iii. 13 ; Luke xxii. 7-It. 6 Mat. xvii. 25-27 ; Exod. xxx. 13. SANCTIFICATION-EXAMPLE. 181 knowledged God in all his ways; openly avowing the Father’s will and commandment, as the rule of all his words and actions; declaring that he did nothing of himself, but as the Father had taught him, so he spake, and so he acted. 1 The practice of Jesus corresponded, in the fullest mea¬ sure, with his profession. He did always those things that pleased the Father, yielding a perfect obedience to the whole law, doing God’s will, constantly and cheer¬ fully, without the smallest deviation, imperfection, or short-coming. 2 Zeal for the honour of God was another mark of Love which shone conspicuously in the character of Jesus. Having professed in words that he honoured his Father, he showed in deeds the power of that principle; being raised by it above all personal considerations, above the desire of man’s applause, and above the fear of man’s rage. 3 But not in active, zealous service, alone, did the holy Jesus obey the will of his Father in heaven. He obeyed that will, in what is far more difficult, in lowly submis¬ sion, and patient endurance. It was his own declaration, ‘ I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me.’ 4 In one sense, indeed, the Divine Redeemer did his own will ; he offer¬ ed himself voluntarily to the stupendous work of our Redemption, saying, ‘ Lo ! I come: I delight to do thy will, O my God.’ 5 He laid himself a willing sacrifice on the altar of God ; and, as the eternal Son, and the Fellow of the Lord of Hosts, lie took infinite delight in every part of his work. But we must recollect, that our Surety was Man, as well as God ; and that, in ns- 1 .John viii. 2fJ. * John viii. 29 ; xv. 10. 3 John ii. 13 17. 4 John vi. 38. 5 Ps. xl. 7, 8. 182 SANCTIFICATION-EXAMPLE. suming all the sinless infirmities of our nature, he became as much averse to suffering, for its own sake, as any of us can he. We are apt to lose much of the impression which our Saviour’s self-denial ought to produce, by overlooking this truth, that ‘ Himself took our infirmities.' Had he not done so, hut been shielded by his Divinity from the sense of privation, sorrow, and pain, his sacri¬ fice could not have availed for our pardon ; for then he would not have endured our deserved penalty. Bear¬ ing in mind, then, the dignity of our Lord’s Divine na¬ ture, and the tender susceptibility of his Human nature, with what feelings ought we to regard his submission to the Father’s will, in contentedly bearing all the evils in¬ cident to a poor and despised earthly condition ; in tak ¬ ing up his cross daily; in meekly enduring the bitterest calumny and reproach ; as it was written of him, ‘ The reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen on me ;’—and even at the awful crisis, when the will of the Father required him to drink that cup, the prospect of which agitated his pure frame, and filled his spotless soul with sore amazement and exceeding sorrow ;—even in his most intense agony, when horror and dread forced from him the prayer, that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him, calmly subjoining, ‘ Nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt; ’ 1 drinking the dread¬ ful cup, not only because it might not pass from him , but because it was given him by his Father ; 4 The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?’ 2 Words can never do justice to this amazing, this un¬ speakable Example of submission to the will of God. But it is not in words chiefly, that we are called to show our sense of it. We are called to imitate it; for con¬ science toward God to endure grief, suffering wrongfully; J Mat. xxvi. 39. 2 John xviii. 11. SANCTIFICATION-EXAMPLE. 183 because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example , that we should follow his steps} Confidence in his Fathers Love , notwithstanding the severity of his chastisement, was another beautiful fea¬ ture in the character of Jesus : and in this also, he is our Example. As he, while engaged in the active duties of life, declared his assurance, that the Father left him not alone, but heard him always ; 2 and as he, when dying, commended his spirit into the Father’s hands ; 3 so, living and dying, we are to show our love to God, by con¬ fidence in his Love to us; in every danger or trouble committing ourselves to 4 him that judgeth righteously.’ When we turn next to the proofs of our blessed Mas¬ ter’s Love to men , we find them equally rich and varied. He sympathised in the feelings of those whom he con¬ descended to call his brethren ; rejoicing with them that rejoiced, and weeping with them that wept. 4 lie did not, with ostentatious austerity, withdraw from the common intercourse of society, nor even from the festive board : ;> but, whenever he honoured with his presence the social entertainment, it was with these two ends steadily in view, viz, to do all to the glory of God , and to please his neighbour for his good to edification. In taking encour¬ agement, therefore, from the Example of Christ, to mingle with the world, we must ask ourselves whether we are moved by these considerations, and whether we act upon them: for otherwise, we are perverting the sacred Pattern, to follow our own worldly inclinations. Let us observe the constant watchfulness of Jesus, to draw from every incident, some improving lesson; and then inquire, 1 1 Pet. ii. 19-21. 2 John viii. 29 ; xi. 42. 3 Luke xxiii. 4(J. * John xi. 35. 6 John ii. 2 ; Lukexi. 37 ; v. 29. J8J SANCTIFICATION-EXAMPLE. whether, according to our measure of talents and oppor¬ tunities, we are aiming thus to order our conversation. Again, Jesus showed Love to men, by the exemplary discharge of all relative duties. He was a submissive, an affectionate and dutiful Son, 1 a confiding and faithful Friend, 2 an unwearied and merciful Benefactor, 3 a labo¬ rious, self-denying, and indefatigable Minister. 4 Within the little circle of his chosen friends , the Love of Christ glowed, with a warmth and tenderness, the best comment on which is the simple narration of his beloved John, from chapter xiii. to xvii. of his Gos¬ pel. These chosen companions were treated by him, notwithstanding all their errors, their blindness, and re¬ maining carnality, as his brother, his sister, and his mother. lie admitted them to the closest and most endeared intimacy ; disclosing to them, as far as they were able to bear, the inmost secrets of his heart; his sorrows, his joys, the wonders of his Person and offices, and the wonderful plan by which sinners are admitted to fellowship with God through him. To each of these, his friends, Jesus gave appropriate counsels, warnings, and encouragements ; he exhorted, he comforted, he pray¬ ed with and for them ; and gently, though faithfully, rebuked their sins. He even stooped to perform for them the humblest offices of kindness ; and to this point he called their particular attention, and required their imita - tion, saying, ‘ I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.’ 5 But not to his brethren only, did the Lord Jesus manifest his Love. Like the rain, which God sendetli on the just and on the unjust; and like the sun, which he maketh to rise on the evil and the good, the Love of 1 Lukeii. 51 ; John xix. 26,27. 2 John xv. 3 Acts. x. 38. 4 Mark i. 38. s John xiii. 1-15. SANCTIFICATION-EXAMPLE. 18o. Christ to our race diffused itself universally, 1 without distinction of characters: not indeed that special Love which he bare to ‘ his own,’—the world could not have comprehended, and would not have received, that Love,— but the Love of universal Benevolence. He fed whole multitudes, healed all that came to him, preached the gospel to the poor, whenever they would hear it. In short, his whole time, except such portions of it as were devoted to secret communion with God, was spent in doing good to the souls and bodies of men. And, universal as his Charity was, he yet attended minutely to the cases of those whom he relieved. His compassion for the widow of Nain was proportioned to the aggrava¬ tions of her case ; this was her only son, and she was a widow. 2 lie knew how long the impotent man had been ‘ in that case,’ 3 and that the poor bowed down woman had been so bound for ‘ eighteen years.’ 4 Neither in¬ gratitude, false accusation, nor personal danger ever made the Son of Man slacken his labours of love ; he went stedfastly on, rendering good for evil, though the more he loved the less he was loved. One conspicuous feature in the Love of Christ to men was the meekness of his deportment towards them, lie condescended to notice little children ; 5 he despised not the prayer of the poor and destitute, 6 but was ‘ gentle, and easy to be entreated,’ by the meanest and vilest of mankind. Although he was Holiness itself, he put on no austere aspect of sanctity ; he did not say to the greatest sinner, ‘ Stand by thyself ; come not near to me; for I am holier than thou.’ On the contrary, he permitted to approach his sacred Person characters who were banished from the society of their fellow sinners; 1 Luke iv. 40 ; vi. 19. 2 Luke vii. 12. 3 John v. 6. 4 Lukcxiii. 16. 5 Mark x. 13-16. 6 Matt. xx. 29-34. SANCTIFICATION-EXAMPLE. 186 graciously accepting tlieir tokens of penitence, condemn¬ ing them not, but pronouncing their sins forgiven, and exhorting them to sin no more. 1 lie was not easily pro¬ voked, he vaunted not himself; but, out of Love to per¬ ishing souls, he bore all things, and endured all things ; all the bitter taunts and revilings that could be cast upon his guiltless head; ‘ when he was reviled, he reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not.’ 2 Tender, sympathising, bountiful, and meek as was the Love of Christ to men, it was not, however, of that mor¬ bid kind which suffers sin to pass unreproved, from false tenderness to the sinner. He showed his Love to sin¬ ners, by telling them the truth , even when his doing so made them count him their enemy. 3 Lie drew upon himself the hatred of the world, by testifying that the works thereof were evil: and, whereas in all that con¬ cerned his personal ease, comfort, or reputation, he was ‘the Lamb;’ when the honour of his Father, or the cause of truth was concerned, he could also show himself ‘ the Lion of the tribe of Judah.’ lie showed his Love to sinners, by exposing the odious nature, and dreadful consequences of sin, by bringing home conviction to their hearts, and urging them to repentance, faith, and obedience. Love to man, as well as Love to God, re¬ quired that he should severely and unsparingly rebuke the hardened and hypocritical ; 4 that, if they themselves refused to hearken, others might take warning and ‘ flee from the wrath to come.’ Finally, the Lord Jesus gave the highest and most stupendous proof of Love to men, by laying clown for them his precious life j 5 and by praying for his murderers . 6 1 Luke vii. 37-50; John viii. 1-11. 2 1 Peter ii. 23. 3 John viii. 40 ; vii. 7. 4 Mat. xxiii; John viii. 38-55. 5 John xv. 13. 6 Luke xxiii. 34. SANCTIFICATION-EXAMPLE. 187 lie thus, in the most astonishing manner, fulfilled his own precepts. He loved his enemies, blessed them that cursed him, did good to them that hated him, and prayed for them which despitefully used him and persecuted him ; and, by the perfection with which he performed all these most difficult duties, proved himself to be, in a sense wherein no other son of man ever was, or can be, 4 the Son of the Highest/ 1 This amazing Love of Christ is adduced by St Paul, as our Example, in various branches of relative duty. After this Example, he exhorts us to be kind one to an¬ other, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, to walk in love, to forbear one another, and forgive one another. After the example of Christ he enforces the duties of conjugal affection, of liberality in alms-giving, of indul¬ gence to the infirmities of weak brethren, and careful abstinence from every thing that might cause them to fall. 2 The test of our abiding in Christ, stated by St John, is awfully strict and searching, 4 He that saith he abideth in him , ought himself also so to walk , even as he walked.’ 3 The alternative stated by St Paul is equally awful, 4 If any man have not the Spirit of Christ , he is none of his.’* Our admiration of the virtues displayed in the Re- deemer’s character, is unspeakably heightened, by con¬ sidering his Divine attributes, in connexion with those virtues. His humility was enhanced by the immensity of his eternal greatness and glory ; his meekness by the Almighty power wherewith he could instantaneously have destroyed his tormentors; his self-denial, by the 1 Mat. v. 44, 45 ; Luke vi. 35. 2 Eph. iv. 32 ; v. 2, 22, 23 ; Col. iii. 13 ; 1 Cor. viii. 11, 12 ; 2 Cor. viii. 9 ; Rom. xv. 1-3. 3 1 John ii. 6. * Rom. viii. 9. ] 88 SANCTIFICATION-EXAMPLE. ease with which he could have gratified his every desire; his love, by the provocation which, as the Holy and the Just God, he had, from the beginning, received from guilty and rebellious man. Our obligation to imitate those virtues is also the more binding, when we contrast our own situation with that of the Saviour, relatively both to God and man. If He, who was equal with God, was so lowly, patient, sub¬ missive, and obedient to the Father; how much more ought we, who are worms of the dust, the dependant creatures of God, to be humbled under his mighty hand, patient under all his dispensations, obedient to all his commands ! If He, who had no sins to confess, no evil heart to be sanctified, no corruptions to be cured, was so ardent and diligent in communion with God; how much more ought we, who every moment need pardon, healing, strength, and consolation, to ‘ continue instant in prayer !’ If He, who was the object of the Father’s infinite love, endured so patiently the dreadful effects of his wrath; how much more should we endure with patience all the chastisements of our Father, who deserve, in our own persons, far more than he ever in¬ flicts ! Then, in relation to men, if Jesus was so sympathising, compassionate, and benevolent, to those whose nature he condescended, as their Surety, to bear ; how much more ought we to sympathise with, and relieve each other, who are all brethren, sharers in one common ruin, ex¬ cept as we are sharers in one common salvation ! Again, if He who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth, bore so meekly‘the revilings and false accusations of sinners; surely the recollection of our own offences against God and man ought to make us forbearing, long- O to to’ to suffering, and merciful towards our fellow-sinners ! Since SANCTIFICATION-EXAMPLE. 189 lie, who was perfect Holiness, sought out the vicious, that he might reclaim them, surely we ought not to refuse our efforts to rescue our poor fellow-sinners from Satan’s yoke ; but, as far as is consistent with the safety of our own souls, should seek out the most abandoned, and endeavour to bring them to repentance. Lastly, if He, who ‘ was rich,’ in inexhaustible, unsearchable riches, ‘ for our sakes became poor ; ’ oh ! what are all the sacrifices we, poor, indigent creatures can make, for God, or for each other ! In spite, however, of all the reasons and obligations which bind us to imitate Christ, the first emotion sug¬ gested by the contemplation of His character, and the comparison of it with our own, is that of overwhelming shame and sorrow, at the sad contrast presented. Not only do we discover, in our hearts and lives, but faint traces of resemblance to the Pattern which some of us have, for many years, professed to copy; we also find many things directly opposed to it : nay, we must con¬ fess that often we do not even attempt to copy it. We absolutely lose sight of the high Standard held up for our imitation, every thing short of which is sin. We forget that we are called upon and required to surrender all our ease, comfort, interest, property, reputation, nay, our very life itself, if the glory of God, or the good of our brethren demand it ; to live a life of constant self- denying devotion to these united objects; to be conform¬ ed to the spirit, temper, and conduct of Jesus, not only in the daily performance of ordinary duties, but in that amazing act of Love, his laying down his life for his brethren. 1 If to be a saint is to be conformed to the likeness of 1 1 John iii. 16. J 90 SANCTIFICATION-EXAMPLE. Ilim who was Sanctification personified, oh! who amongst us are saints ? Some of us, perhaps, are far from desiring the appellation, deeming it rather a term of ridicule or reproach. Or, if we respect the character it denotes, we are yet perhaps contented to admire it in others, especially in those who have departed this life, viewing it as the attainment of but a few, and not to be expected of Christians in general. But if we are not saints, not sanctified ones, what are we ? Not the people of God certainly, but his enemies. Let us remember the frequent use of the term saints throughout the Scriptures. The Israelites were called 4 an holy nation,’ the people of the Lord who ‘ sanctified them 1 in the Book of Psalms, tiie godly are frequently distinguished by the name of ‘ saints ;’ 2 and in St Paul’s Epistles, Christians are ge¬ nerally described under this name, which, if it does not imply that all to whom he wrote were saints indeed, implies, at least, that all Christians profess, and ought to be such . 3 Alas ! how contrary to the Example here set before us is the course of this world! How do ungodliness and wickedness, pride and selfishness, malice, revenge, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, en- vyings, murders, and the like, abound in this nominally (Christian land ! And even among the true followers of Christ, how rarely do we see any that manifestly resem¬ ble him in mind and conduct! A few such have appear¬ ed ; but they have been wonders in their own and suc¬ ceeding generations, putting to shame the low attain¬ ments of ordinary Christians, by showing what it is possible for grace to effect in the life and soul of man. 1 Lev. xxi. 23. 2 Ps. xvi. 3 ; xxxi. 23 ; xxxvii. 28. 3 1 Cor. i. 2 ; Eph. i. 1 ; iii. 8. SANCTIFICATION-EXAMPLE. 191 ‘ There are some individuals with whom one can k scarcely ever have any intercourse, hut one seems to ‘ discern something of their blessed Master in them,— 1 something of his meekness, humility, and love,—some - 4 thing of his self-denial, patience, submission,—some- ‘ thing of his purity, courage, and zeal, and holy confidence 4 in God. There are some with whom we seldom mingle O 4 as we pass through life’s pilgrimage, but we are ready 4 to say of them, This is a man of God, a man of prayer, 4 a man of holiness; I know with whom he has lately 4 been. He has been at a throne of grace, he has been 4 with God, and the savour of his name is upon him. 4 Can we describe the weight, the influence, the moral 4 importance which such an individual possesses ? Impos- 4 sible! his counsel and advice, his admonitions, his 4 cautions, his encouragements, above all, his example 4 and his prayers, are so many channels through which 4 a gracious God conveys unutterable blessings to our 4 souls.’ 1 If, as we have seen, sanctification, or conformity to Christ, mainly consists in love to God and man pervad¬ ing the whole heart and conduct; oh ! how rare a thing is sanctification ! How lamentably does selfishness con¬ tract all our hearts ! How much of self-pleasing re¬ mains even in the regenerate! Brethren, let us not de¬ ceive ourselves. We may, for years, have maintained a religious profession ; we may have embraced evangeli¬ cal sentiments, and attained to considerable knowledge in the mysteries of the Gospel; we may have lost our relish for the vanities of the world, and engaged in man}* useful and excellent pursuits ; our tastes and enjoyments may have become, in some measure, spiritual; and yet, with all this, experience and conscience may tell us 1 Evans. 102 SANCTIFICATION-EXAMPLE. that we have very little love, self-denial, or humility. We may he pleasing ourselves as much, while indulging our new tastes, and following our new pursuits, as we did formerly in our old tastes and pursuits. It is easy and pleasant to go on in the way of duty, when nothing opposes our inclinations ; hut let God afflict, let Provi¬ dence appoint some irksome duty, let man provoke, or return evil for good, and then it will be seen whether that mind is in us which was also in Christ Jesus. Let us now inquire, if there be any motive strong enough to constrain our naturally selfish and unholy minds, to imitate this perfect Model of love and holi¬ ness ? Yes, there is one motive , and but one, that can do it,—that to which we alluded in the early part of this Kssay, as the second direct means whereby Christ Jesus is made unto us Sanctification ; namely, the sense of his amazing Love in our redemption. The power of an example depends greatly on attach¬ ment to the person who sets it. We are prone to imi¬ tate even the failings of those whom we tenderly love, or to whom we are deeply indebted. What love, then, and what debt of gratitude, can compare with those we owe to Christ ? Surely we ought to be moved, by a sense of them, to transcribe into our own character every line and lineament of his. And here is no danger of excess, for ‘ in him was no fault at all.’ This was the argument used by the Apostles, and found effectual, in their own experience, for the promo¬ tion of sanctification, the constraining Love of Christ in dying for sinners. It was 4 by the mercies of God,’ in the salvation wrought by Christ, that Paul besought the Romans to present their bodies 4 a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God not to be conformed to this SANCTIFICATION-EXAMPLE. 193 world, but transformed by the renewing of their mind . 1 It was by the promises of communion with God in Christ, and adoption into his family, that he urged the Corinthians to cleanse themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, and to perfect holiness in the fear of God . 2 It was because the Corinthians knew they were bought with a price, that the Apostle required them to glorify God in their bodies and in their spirits, which were God’s . 3 And it was the lively assurance St Paid himself possessed that the Son of God loved him , and gave himself for him , which animated him to live unto God, to live as having Christ living in him, to be dead to the law, and crucified with Christ . 4 It is this personal appropriation of redeeming Love that operates most powerfully in promoting our sancti¬ fication. The richest blessings conferred on others, move us little, unless we ourselves are partakers of them. Would we then grow in holiness, we must grow in appro¬ priating faith. Would we know Jesus as our Sanctifi¬ cation, we must know him as our Redemption and our Righteousness, and enjoy, in our own experience, the wonders of his Love. Yet, let us always remember, that neither the Example, nor the Love of Christ, have power to sanctify us, unless they are applied by the Spi¬ rit of Christ. It is only ‘ by the Lord the Spirit,’ that we are enabled so to behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, as to be changed into the same image . 5 It is only when the love of God is ‘ shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost,’ that it becomes an efficacious principle. If, then, we have any ambition to be ‘ vessels of honour, sanctified and meet for the Master’s use,’ let us 1 Rom. xii. 1,2. 2 2 Cor. vi. 16-18 ; vii. 1. 3 1 Cor. vi. 19,20. 4 Gal. ii. 20. 6 2 Cor. iii. 18. VOL. II. I 194 SANCTIFICATION-EXAMPLE. pray more fervently and constantly for that blessed Spi¬ rit who is promised to all that ask. Let us continually wait for and expect his influences, avoid every thing that has a tendency to quench his godly motions, and with holy ambition desire to be ‘ filled with the Spirit.’ We often hear believers deploring their slow progress in holiness, complaining of their unbelief, lukewarmness, inconsistencies, &c.: but many of them appear satisfied with acknowledging these things, and seem to bestow little pains to conquer their besetting sins, and to grow in grace, as if higher attainments were beyond their reach. 4 Many complain of their want of growth, and they 4 have reason. They do not grow; and the cause is here: 4 They forget that, 44 laying aside every weight, ” is an in- 4 dispensable requisite for running this race set before us. 4 We must put off the old man, before we can put on 4 the new.’ 1 4 If you thrive not in grace and holiness, if you go not 4 from strength to strength, it is ordinarily from sinful 4 ueolio'ence, love of the world, and indulgence of sin. 4 You may repose in a mere conviction of safety, and 4 turn it into an occasion of inactivity, instead of aspir- 4 ino - after all that God has promised. You may indo- 4 lently recline upon the invincible operation of the Holy 4 Spirit, forgetting that his mode of administering his 4 own blessings is in his own way, that is, in the dili - 4 gent, prayerful use of all the means which he has him- 4 self appointed. 4 Seek, then, 0 seek the inestimable mercy. Stop not 4 short of the promised blessing. Rest not in mere de- 4 sires. Be not as the sluggard, that desireth and hath 4 nothing. See all sanctification in Christ, and there 4 seek it; not only see it in him, but seek it from him. 1 Eph. iv. 22-24. SANCTIFICATION-EXAMPLE. 19.5 ‘ He has it to bestow, yea, in order to bestow. Seek to ‘ grow inwardly , J into Christ in all things; outwardly , c in good works, before the world;’ 2 downwards , in a ‘ deeper humility; 3 upwards , in all holy conversation ‘ and godliness.’ 4 We may ascertain whether holiness be, in any mea¬ sure, our attainment , by examining whether it is our element. Do we delight in holy occupations, in holy society, and holy conversation ? Do we feel regret at the close of holy exercises and ordinances, a regret which we can only solace by the reflection, that in the temple above we shall ‘ go no more out ? ’ Or is it, rather, a relief to us when the Sabbath or the Commu¬ nion season is over, or when the conversation returns to the topics of earth ? In short, are we most in our ele¬ ment when engaged in spiritual or in temporal concerns ? The same point may be also ascertained by examining our feelings with regard to heavenly bliss. What is it that excites our most ardent longings and brightest hopes in the anticipation of heaven ? Is it that we shall be for ever delivered from trouble, and sorrow, and care, and re-united to beloved relatives and friends ? These, doubtless, are lawful and worthy objects of hope. But, to the saints, heaven presents nobler and sweeter pros¬ pects still; even freedom from every motion of sin, and from all association with sinners, the company of all holy men and holy angels, and, above ah, the full en¬ joyment of the thrice Holy Lord God, and the sight of Jesus as he is. In proportion as this hope is in us, the hope of beino- made like Jesus, and seeing him as he is, we shall purify ourselves , even as he is pure. 1 Eph. iv. 15. 2 Philip, i. 9-11. 4 1 Pet. i, 15. Evans. 3 1 Pet. v. 5, 6. ESSAY XXXVI. WISDOM—COUNSELLOR. In order to understand the meaning of the Apostle when he declares that Christ Jesus is of God made unto us wisdom , 1 two things are necessary ; 1st, To ascertain the Scriptural sense of the term wisdom ; and, 2d, To ascertain how Christ becomes that Wisdom to us, or what connexion there exists between Christ and our ac¬ quisition of wisdom. The word wisdom has various significations in Scrip¬ ture. I. ‘ It means that prudence and discretion, which ‘ enables men to perceive what is fit to be done, accord- ‘ ing to the circumstances of time, place, persons, man- t ner, and end of doing. “ I saw that wisdom excelleth ‘ folly, as far as light excelleth darkness. The wise ‘ man’s eyes are in his head,” &c. 2 The wise man has ‘ the use of his eyes and reason, he sees his way, and ‘ orders all his affairs with discretion; he foresees, and ‘ so avoids many dangers and mischiefs. Knowledge 1 directs a man what is to be done, and what is not to 1 1 Cor. i. 30. 2 Eccles. ii. 13, 14. WISDOM-COUNSELLOR. 197 4 be done ; but Wisdom directs him how to do all things 4 duly, conveniently, and fitly. It was this sort of wis- 4 dom especially that Solomon entreated of God with so 4 much earnestness, and which God granted him with 4 great liberality. 1 II. 4 Wisdom is taken for quickness of invention, and ‘ dexterity in the execution of several works, which re- 4 quire not so much strength of body, as industry and ‘ labour of the mind ; as God told Moses that he had ‘ filled with wisdom, and understanding, and knowledge, 4 Bezaleel and Aholiab, to invent and perform several 4 sorts of work for completing the tabernacle. 2 III. 4 Wisdom is used for craft, cunning, and strata- 4 gem, and that whether good or evil. 44 Come on (said 4 Pharaoh) let us deal wisely with the Israelites.” 3 Let 4 us fall upon some stratagem, whereby we may exhaust 4 both their wealth and their strength. IV. 4 Wisdom is taken for doctrine, learning, and ex- 4 perience. 44 With the ancient is wisdom.” 4 And where 4 it is said of Moses, that 44 he was learned in all the wis- 4 dom of the Egyptians;” 5 he was instructed in the 4 knowledge of those arts and sciences, for which, in 4 those times, the Egyptians were famous. V. 4 Wisdom is taken for true piety, or the fear of 4 God, which is spiritual wisdom. 44 The fear of the 4 Lord is the beginning of wisdom ; and the knowledge 4 of the Holy is understanding.” 6 The fear of the Lord, 1 1 Kings iii. 9 , 12, 28. 2 Ex. xxxi. 2, 3. 3 Ex. i. 10. 4 Job. xii. 12. 8 Acts vii. 22. 6 Prov. ix. 10. 198 WISDOM-COUNSELLOR. ‘ that is wisdom ; and to depart from evil, is understand- ‘ in g- 1 This last it is which truly and pre-eminently deserves the name of wisdom , and is generally meant by the term in Scripture. Other kinds of wisdom may be purchased too dearly, and may leave the possessor foolish and mi¬ serable, blind and poor, for ever. This wisdom alone is above all price, and insures to the possessor ‘ riches and honour, yea, durable riches and righteousness.’ Its fruit is ‘ better than fine gold ; and its revenue than choice silver;’ it is ‘ better than rubies ; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.’ 2 The first definition of wisdom given above is true, in the highest sense, of spiritual wisdom. This alone teaches us what is fit to be done, according to the circumstances wherein we stand, as guilty and helpless, yet responsible creatures ; as dying, yet immortal beings, liable to be summoned, we know not how soon or how suddenly, to that awful tribunal which will fix our everlasting state. This wisdom alone can teach us how to act, according to the circumstances of tune , place , and persons , wherewith we have to do in our present transitory, but most mo¬ mentous existence; according to the end we ought to have supremely in view, our own salvation , and the manner of attaining that end , through Christ. If escape from eternal misery, and the attainment of eternal bliss, be the end most worthy of an immortal being to pursue; and if Jesus Christ be not only the best, but the only Way to attain that end; surely he alone is wise who pursues that best end by that best and only 1 Job xxviii. 28 ; Cruden, 3 Prov. viii. 18, 19, 11. WISDOM-COUNSELLOR. 199 Way: and they are ruinously foolish, who neglect to pursue that end, or who pursue it in ways contrary to that which the God of wisdom has revealed. In the course of this Essay, we shall collect from Scrip¬ ture many particulars descriptive of heavenly wisdom. But first, let us examine the point to which our subject mainly tends, viz. in what sense Christ Jesus is of God made unto us Wisdom. We have seen in a former Essay, 1 that the Son is, in his essential nature, the uncreated Wisdom, the eternal Word ; that divine Wisdom by which God established the heavens, and founded the earth ; of whom Solomon discourses so largely and profoundly in the 8th chapter of Proverbs. But how is the Son made unto us Wisdom ? It might seem more correct to ascribe the wisdom given us to the ‘ Father of lights,’ from whom cometh every good and perfect gift; or to the Holy Ghost, ‘ the Spirit of wisdom and revelation.’ Nevertheless, St Paul as¬ cribes it to the Son ; and a little examination will prove the agreement of this ascription with other parts of Holy Writ. Besides the general declarations, that ‘ all things are delivered unto the Son of the Father ;’—‘ that it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; ’—‘ that out of his fulness all we have received ; ’— in which general terms, the grace of wisdom is of course included with all other graces ;—we have more express authority for ascribing to our blessed Lord and Saviour the gift of wisdom, in that he was anointed for his Me¬ diatorial office with 4 the spirit of wisdom and under¬ standing, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord.’ 2 And we know that the gifts of the Spirit rested, and do rest, upon him, 1 See, The Word, or Wisdom of God. 2 Is. xi. 2, 200 WISDOM-COUNSELLOR. not only to qualify him for his personal work as our Surety, but that he may give gifts unto men. 1 We have our Lord’s own authority for ascribing to him the gift of wisdom. He declared, while on earth, his power to bestow both the wisdom which teaches the knowledge of God, and that which directs us in the path of duty ; the former in that saying, 4 No man knoweth the Father save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him ;’ 2 the latter, by promising to give his Apostles a mouth and wisdom, which all their adver¬ saries should not be able to gainsay nor resist. 3 Having now attempted to prove from Scripture, that Christ Jesus is of God made unto us Wisdom, we are next to inquire. In what respects he is so made; or, in other words, How does Christ communicate to us wisdom ? In two ways principally, 1st, By making us wise unto salvation ; 2d, By giving us that wisdom which is pro¬ fitable to direct. First, then, Christ Jesus becomes our Wisdom, by making us 4 wise unto salvation.’ This he does, when, by his Spirit accompanying his word, and by the gift of faith, of which he is the Author and Finisher, he enables us to choose as our wisdom, that which is the wisdom of God, even that most wise contrivance and counsel of God concerning the salvation of men by Christ crucified, which, though to the Jews a stumbling-block, and to the Greeks foolishness, is, unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the Power of God, and the Wisdom of God. 4 In 4 the mystery of God, and of the Father , and of Christ’ (or in that mysterious and bless¬ ed covenant between the Persons of the Sacred Trinity 1 Ps. lxviii. 18 ; Eph. iv. 8. 2 Mat. xi. 27. 3 Luke xxi. 15. * 1 Cor. i. 18-31. WISDOM-COUNSELLOR. 20 « for the salvation of men, by the anointing of the Son to he their Saviour), ‘ are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.’ 1 Now, Christ Jesus is ‘made unto us Wisdom,’ when, by his grace, we are led to renounce all other hopes of acceptance with God, but those which flow from his Cross, and humbly and gratefully to re¬ ceive salvation as a free gift. The man who has attain- ed this wisdom is truly wise, whatever else he may be ignorant of; whereas, all who have it not are fools, how¬ ever great may be their attainments in the wisdom of this world. Indeed, this world’s wisdom, far from aid¬ ing us in the acquisition of spiritual wisdom, must be renounced ere we can learn the first lesson in it. ‘ If any man among you seemetli to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise ; for the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.’ 2 Thus we see that every man who seeks and finds sal¬ vation by Christ is savingly wise. But this is not all that is desirable for believers, nor all that Christ Jesus has in store for them. For, secondly , he is ‘ made unto us Wisdom,’ by giving us the wisdom that is profitable to direct , in every duty towards God, our neighbour, and ourselves. The prayers of St Paid, for his converts, furnish beau¬ tiful models for our aspirations, in behalf of ourselves and others, with regard to spiritual wisdom. When he heard of their faith and love, he was filled with the most fervent gratitude, and acknowledged them as saints, and faithful brethren ; of whose salvation he entertained no doubt. Yet this did not satisfy the Apostle. He pray¬ ed incessantly for them, that they might be ‘ filled with 2 1 Cor. iii. 18, 19. 1 Col. ii. 2, 3. 202 WISDOM-COUNSELLOR. the knowledge of God’s will , in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;’ that they might ‘ increase in the know¬ ledge of God; n that their love might abound yet more and more, in knowledge and in all judgment:” 2 that their pious affections, being guided by sound discretion and prudence, might bring forth the richest harvest of those ‘ fruits of righteousness, which are, by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.’ One of the sad effects of the Fall is, that sin has blind¬ ed our understandings. ‘ We grope as if we had no eyes ; we stumble at noon-day, as in the night.’—‘ It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.’ But it is one of the blessed provisions of the Gospel, that Christ Jesus is appointed our Counsellor , 3 to enlighten our dark understandings, and to guide our erring footsteps. One grand means which lie employs for this end is his written Word , which is ‘ a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path.’ Let us, then, humbly and grate¬ fully make use of this sacred lamp, imploring, at the same time, the light of the Spirit of truth, which the Saviour has promised. We are warned in Scripture, that wis¬ dom is not to be gained without labour and perseverance. Although ‘ the Lord giveth wisdom,’ as a free gift, yet he gives it to those only whom he inspires with ardent desires for it, and whom he makes willing to toil for it. ‘ Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding: if thou seekest her as silver, and searcliest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.’ Let us, therefore, both cry unto the Lord for wisdom, and dig for it in the sacred mine of Scripture. We find, 1 Col. i. 9 , 10. 2 Philip i. 9. 3 Isaiah ix. fi. WISDOM-COUNSELLOR. 203 in the Bible, many very comprehensive definitions of wisdom, such as those already alluded to, 4 the know¬ ledge of the Holy/— 4 the fear of the Lord/ and ‘ to de¬ part from evil.’ These general definitions abundantly prove, that in Christ Jesus alone, we can be truly wise: for no man can rightly know the Holy One , fear God, or depart from evil , unless he be, in Christ, reconciled, jus¬ tified, adopted, and sanctified. Our Divine Counsellor, however, does not limit his in¬ structions to general directions. With condescending minuteness, he points out the various marks and evi¬ dences, the effects and advantages, of wisdom, and the means necessary for its cultivation. Wisdom begins in the inward parts, where it produces purity, peace, a humble distrust of our own judgment, and child-like docility in seeking knowledge from God and from our brethren. 1 It teaches both to 4 refrain the lips/ when expedient, and to open them 4 as the well-spring of wisdom, and as a flowing brook/ when opportunity offers. 2 It qualifies for mutual edification: for the wise man ‘ receives reproof/ and loves them that rebuke him : while, in his turn, he becomes ‘ a wise reprover/ and his words make deep and lasting impressions, ‘ as goads and as nails/ sticking fast in the conscience. 3 It makes men 4 well advised/ prudent and discreet in conduct; for 4 wisdom is profitable to direct.’ It teaches them to 4 walk circumspectly/ and to 4 redeem the time; ’ to improve present opportunities, as 4 the wise son, who gathereth in summer/ and as the unjust steward, who 4 did wisely.’ 4 1 Ps. li. 6; Prov. xviii. 15 ; James iii. 17. 2 Prov. x. 19 ; xviii. 4. 3 Prov. ix. 8 ; xxv. 12 ; Eccles. xii. 11. 4 Prov. xiii. 10 ; Eccles. x. 10 ; Eph. v. 15, 16 ; Prov. x. 5. 201 - wisdom-COUNSELLOR. It teaches the proper line of conduct, towards men of all descriptions ; how to walk 4 towards those that are without;’ avoiding needless offence, yet not compromis¬ ing principle; to be 4 wise as serpents, ’ when in the midst of wolves ; and, though in malice to be children, in understanding to be men. 1 Wisdom makes men watchful and faithful in duty ; as those virgins who had oil in their vessels, and so were ready to go forth and meet the bridegroom, or, as the wise and faithful servant, who, not knowing what hour his Lord would come, was found diligently employed in his service. 2 Wisdom reminds men of the shortness and uncertainty of their sojourn on earth ; and makes them so to consider their latter end, as carefully to prepare for it. 3 The noblest exercise of wisdom is that of 4 winning souls.’ 4 This wisdom was vouchsafed, in abundant mea¬ sure, to the Apostle Paul, and gratefully acknowledged by him, as received not from man, but from the Holy Ghost. 4 Being crafty,’ he says, he caught many souls with his blessed 4 guile.’ Innumerable are the characteristics of this grace, to be found in Scripture. But we must close our selection of them, with the full and beautiful description of heavenly wisdom given by St James : 4 The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without par¬ tiality, and without hypocrisy.’ 5 When we look around us in the world, and listen to the common opinions of men, it is but too evident, 1 Mat. x, 16 ; 1 Cor. xiv. 20. 2 Matt. xxv. 4 ; xxiv. 4.5. 3 Deut. xxxii. 2D; Ps. xc. 12. 4 Dan. xii. 3 ; Prov. xi. 30. 5 James iii. 17. WISDOM— COUNSELLOR. 205 that while all other kinds of wisdom receive their due meed of praise, that wisdom alone is despised which makes men 4 wise unto salvation,’ and teaches them how to walk in the road to heaven. The reason is obvious : the maxims and arguments of heavenly wisdom are directly opposed to the tastes and desires of the natural man, and to the course of this world. Compare St James’s defini¬ tion of wisdom, with the prevailing sentiments of man¬ kind ; and you will find, that really to practise this wis¬ dom exposes a man to the charge of folly, however wise he may, in other respects, be considered. 4 The Day,’ the Day of Judgment, 4 shall declare,’ who, amongst us, has been wise, and who has been foolish, during this our seed-time for eternity. But even without looking be¬ yond 4 the life that now is,’ wisdom, like godliness , 4 is profitable for all things.’ Let us therefore consider next, some of the advantages of wisdom, described in Scrip¬ ture. It gives sweet peace and serenity within, which is to the soul as honey to the taste : it keeps it calm and com¬ posed, amid outward changes and perils; so that the believer 4 can lie down and not be afraid ; yea, he shall lie down, and his sleep shall be sweet,’ undisturbed by over-anxiety or sudden fear. 1 It gives a lovely consistency and gracefulness to the character ; as an ornament of grace unto the head, and chains about the neck. 2 It enables the believer to run in the ways of godliness, without stumbling, and with happy freedom. 3 It is valuable both in prosperity and adversity; for 4 wisdom is good with an inheritance,’ teaching the right use and the true enjoyment of temporal blessings : while ! Prov. iii. 24 ; xxiv. 13, 14. 3 Prov. iv. 12. 2 Prov. i. 9. 206 WISDOM-COUNSELLOR. it also inclines the heart to visit ‘ the house of mourning,’ as more profitable than ‘ the house of feasting.’ 1 It imparts an understanding of the ‘ ways of God,’ of ‘ the loving kindness of the Lord.’ 2 ‘ Wisdom is a defence,’ ‘ better than weapons of war,’ against all sorts of attacks. 3 ‘ Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.’ 4 Such are some of the advantages, resulting from true wisdom, in the present life. But who can utter, or con ¬ ceive, the advantages which shall result from it here - after ? ‘ The wise shall inherit glory !' When they that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,—they that he wise shall shine as the brightness of the firma¬ ment ; and they that have used their wisdom in turning many to righteousness, as the stars for ever and ever. 5 llow many false estimates of wisdom will that Day discover ! The simple, unlettered Christian, who knew little but his Bible, and who, for his conscientious en¬ deavour to walk by its rules, was deemed weakly scru¬ pulous, foolishly negligent of his own interest, a well- meaning enthusiast, will then be pronounced wise before the assembled universe. Although, while on earth, he saw through a glass darkly; he shall then see face to face, .and know even as he is known : yea, and be ever growing- in heavenly wisdom, throughout a blessed eternity.— While, on the other hand, many whom the world es¬ teemed wise, the prudent man of business, who laboured indefatigably to increase his gains, and whose success was admired and envied, the politic statesman, the renowned philosopher, the man of highest attainments in science 1 Eccles. \ii. 2, 4, 11. * Ps. cvii. 43- 3 Eccles. ix, 18. 4 Prov. iii. 17. i Prov. iii. 35 ; Dan. xii. 2, 3. WISDOM-COUNSELLOR. 207 and literature; all these, if destitute of heavenly wisdom, will be proved utter fools, and vainly lament their own folly, world without end. It matters not what be the object that is pursued, to the neglect of Christ, and salvation through him ; be it riches, pleasure, honour, or human learning, it is folly, egregious folly. The philosopher can carry out of this world as little of his science, as the ricli man can of his gold. Both will he found to have made the falsest cal- O culations of ‘ the chief end of man and, for the sake of a few empty hubbies, to have cast away substantial and glorious realities. And well would it be for them, were their loss but a negative one. But, alas ! this is far from the worst of their case. If men will not be allured by the joys of Heaven, we would try to alarm them by the terrors of Hell; and ask those who now find their highest enjoyment in the charms of literature, and the fascinations of refined so¬ ciety, how they will endure to be associated with all the most brutal, and gross, and ignorant of the human race ; who, however they may have differed from them here, in many respects, resembled them in this decisive point, that ‘ they rejected the counsel of God against themselves.’ The superior talents and wisdom of the ungodly philo¬ sopher will then serve only to aggravate his misery, and deepen his condemnation; and if he has not learned to know Christ crucified, he must be classed among the ‘ fools,’ who ‘ die for want of wisdom/ 1 But, turning from the consideration of this fatal folly, we must lament also that, even among those who seem wise unto salvation , there often appears a great lack of the wisdom that is ’profitable to direct. The saying of our Lord Jesus still holds good ; ‘ The children of this world 1 Prov. x. 21. 208 WISDOM-COUNSELLOR. are, in their generation, wiser than the children of light.’ Christians do not exercise half the diligence, self-denial, prudence, and perseverance, in pursuit of their enduring- portion, that the men of the world exercise in pursuit of their perishing vanities. Having ascertained the right means, whereby to procure heavenly blessings, and even after having proved their eflicacy, they yet are guilty of most culpable negligence in the use of these means. Hence they advance but slowly in the acquisition of wisdom. They remain long in partial ignorance ; ever learning, yet not coming to a full knowledge of the truth ; and they commit many errors and mistakes in practice, which cause the way of truth to be evil spoken of. Great allowance must, doubtless, be made for dif¬ ferent degrees of natural discretion and judgment ; but still, these errors may be traced, in a great measure, to neglect of the means appointed by God for obtaining spiritual wisdom. These are, prayer, the study of Scrip- tore , keeping company with the wise , a icillingness to hear reproof \ and waiting for the teaching of the Spirit. Let us then be stirred up to a more diligent use of these means. In believing prayer , let us ask of God that wisdom we so greatly lack, not doubting but that he will give it liberally, and without upbraiding. 1 Let the word of Christ dwell in us richly, in all wis¬ dom, that we may wisely admonish ourselves and one another. 2 Let us, as much as in our power, ‘ walk with wise men,’ 3 and be willing to hear their rebukes . 4 Above all, let us listen to Him who is ‘ of God made unto us Wisdom,’ when he cries, ‘ Turn ye at my re¬ proof : behold, I will pour out my Spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.’ 5 1 James i. 5, 6. 2 Col. iii. 16. 3 Prov. xiii. ‘20. 4 Eccles. vii. 5. 5 Prov. i 23. WISDOM-COUNSELLOR. 209 And may this be the language of each of our hearts,— 4 Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes, and 1 shall keep it unto the end. Teach me good judgment and knowledge ; for I have believed thy commandments. I am thy servant: give me understanding, that I may know thy testimonies. For the entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple/ ESSAY XXXVII. THE CONSOLATION OF ISRAEL. All consolation, for the people of God, comes from Im¬ manuel. The Father is, indeed, ‘ the God of consola ¬ tion,’ the ‘ God of all comfort; ’ and the Holy Ghost is ‘ the Comforter.’ But it is only in and by Christ, by the grounds of consolation drawn from his Person, Work, and Offices, that either the Father or the Holy Ghost give comfort to sinners. ‘ The Consolation of Israel’ was one of those de¬ lightful characters, under which Messiah was revealed to the ancient Church. In this character, he was made known to the Patriarchal Church, by the typical name of Noah, which signifies Repose , Rest , Consolation. When calling his son Noah, Lamech said, 4 This same shall comfort us, concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed.’ 1 Here, then, was pre-figured, though obscure¬ ly, the coming of Him who was to comfort the people of God, under all the sad effects of the Lord’s curse, in¬ flicted at the Fall. This event was the grand theme of consolation, where¬ with the Prophets comforted the people of God, under 1 Gen. v. 29. THE CONSOLATION OF ISRAEL. 211 all the sad tidings they had to deliver to them. Isaiah, in particular, was the honoured messenger of rich and abundant consolation to Israel. From the opening of the 40th chapter, with these soothing words, ‘ Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, saith your God,' to the close of the Book, this Prophecy is almost an uninterrupted strain of consolation ; all drawn from one source,—the prospect of Messiah’s coming, to redeem his people, and establish his kingdom of righteousness and peace. Tem¬ poral deliverances of the Jewish nation were, no doubt, the subject of many of the promises in this Book ; but these seem almost lost sight of, in the eternal and glorious deliverance, promised to the true Israel, in all ages. It was by the coming of an Almighty Redeemer, that Jehovah promised to comfort Zion, 1 to comfort all her waste places, to make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord. So clearly was The Consolation of Israel revealed to this highly-honoured Prophet, that, by the eye of faith, he beheld him as al¬ ready come ; devoutly exclaiming, ‘ Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains : for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.’ 2 And, that no doubt might remain, as to the Agent whereby God was about to comfort his people, the words of consolation are, in the 61st chapter, put into the mouth of Messiah himself. He becomes the speaker, and thus announces his blessed office of Comforter ; ‘ The Lord hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted ; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heavi¬ ness.’ 3 1 Is. li. 3. 2 Is. xlix, 13. 3 Is. lxi. 1-3. 212 THE CONSOLATION OF ISRAEL. In firm reliance on the faithfulness of God to his promises, the venerable Simeon, and other pious Jews, waited for Christ, as for The Consolation of Israel, 1 as for Him who was to comfort them, under all their troubles, temporal and spiritual. And most truly did Jesus perform the office of Comforter, during his earth¬ ly sojourn. He pronounced a blessing on mourners, 12 promising that they should be comforted. He explicit¬ ly claimed the office of Comforter, assigned to Messiah, 3 by appropriating the declaration quoted above. 4 And his constant delight was to comfort the afflicted, whether 4 in mind, body, or estate.’ He spake pardon and peace to the penitent, encouraged the fearful, supplied the wants of the needy, healed the sick, and sympathised, in the tenderest manner, with the bereaved, often restor¬ ing their dead to life. Most of these consolatory acts, Jesus performed to¬ wards the people indiscriminately; but, as they were 4 not all Israel, which were of Israel,’ the most part were not prepared to receive his best consolations. These were enjoyed only by the faithful few, who looked to him for spiritual comfort. To such, his words of con¬ solation were tender, beyond those of all human com¬ forters. They were generally few, but most emphatic and comprehensive; such as, 4 Daughter, be of good comfort — 4 Thy faith hath saved thee, go in peace — 4 Be not afraid, only believe ;’— 4 Fear not, little flock ; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.’ 5 CJ We have, however, one specimen of our Lord’s con¬ solatory addresses, of considerable length, in the 14th, 1 Luke ii. 25. 2 Mat. v. 4. 3 Luke iv. 16-21. 4 Is. lxi. 1-3. 5 Mat. ix. 22 ; Luke vii. 50 ; Mark y. 36 ; Luke xii. 32 THE CONSOLATION OP ISRAEL. 213 loth, and 16th chapters of the gospel by John, which, while it shows how tenderly he performed the office of Consoler to his people, during his personal ministry, shows also the manner in which he continues to perform it, since his return to heaven. How solid, how suitable, and rich were the con¬ solations given by the Redeemer to his followers, in that blessed discourse ! lie knew that sorrow had filled their hearts at the prospect of his departure, and of the suffer- ino-s that awaited them for his sake. Nor did he con- tradict their well-grounded apprehensions ; but he admi¬ nistered such cordials as were fitted to revive their droop¬ ing spirits, and counterbalance all their griefs. As the crowning and paramount consolation, he gave them the 1 Jessed assurance of admission to those heavenly mansions which, by his death, resurrection, and ascension, he was going to prepare for them. But, knowing they would need present comforts, while waiting for future bliss, he promised them many rich and precious blessings, during their abode on earth. The chief of these were, access to the Father, through himself, as the Way; assurance of God’s favour; union and communion with the Father and the Son ; friendship with himself, of the tenderest and most confidential nature ; peace and harmony among themselves ; joy, yea a fulness of joy ; and, although they must endure much tribulation from the hatred of the world, they should take comfort from the reflection, that they were thereby conformed to him, their Lord and Master ; and that this was an evidence of his having- chosen them out of the world. They must, indeed, for a season, weep and lament; but their mourning should soon be turned to joy, at the glorious residts of his work of Redemption. But the grand subject of this discourse was the pro- 2U THE CONSOLATION OF ISRAEL. mise of the Holy Ghost, the Comforter. Till then, Jesus had comforted his disciples in his own person. But now, when he was about to depart, he promised them ‘ another Comforter,’ whose abiding consolations should more than compensate for the loss of his bodily presence. This Comforter could not come to them unless he went away; for it was only by his sacrifice, and his mediation ground¬ ed upon it, that the influences of the Holy Ghost could be procured for sinners. No doubt, believers enjoyed the enlightening, sanctify¬ ing, and comforting influences of the Spirit, before the coming of Christ. Yet they enjoyed them in virtue of his anticipated sacrifice; and, after the actual offer¬ ing up of the Lamb, the gifts of the Holy Ghost were poured out in much greater abundance and efficacy. The entire union of operation between the sacred Per¬ sons of the Trinity, is beautifully displayed in the varied terms wherein the promise of the Comforter is given in these chapters. At one time Jesus himself promises to send him, ‘ If I depart, I will send him unto you.’ At another, he says the Father will send him , in his name; and yet he promises, as if in his own person , still to be their Comforter, ‘ I will not leave you comfortless, / will come unto you.’ From these variations in the terms of the promise, we may conclude that it is through the agency of the Holy Ghost, that Christ, since his ascension, comforts his Israel; yet that the union of the Godhead is so close, that, through the Spirit’s indwell¬ ing, the Father and the Son also come and abide in be¬ lievers, and comfort them. This is a mystery, incom¬ prehensible by our understandings ; but, blessed be God, not unknown to our hearts. In the history and writings of our Lord’s immediate followers, we see how fully those promises were verified. THE CONSOLATION OF ISRAEL. 215 They received such abundant consolation, under their fiery trials, as enabled them to ‘ glory in tribulation;' to rejoice that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Christ: to count the sufferings of this present time, not worthy to be compared with the glory that should be revealed in them ? J We have, in the experience of St Paul, the strongest possible evidence of the power of Divine consolations. His labours, persecutions, and sufferings, exceeded those of most men that ever lived. See his own account of them in 2 Cor. xi. 23-28. Yet hear his grateful ac¬ knowledgment, 4 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort, who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For, as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.’ 2 It may indeed be truly observed, that the sufferings of St Paul, like those of other martyrs, being endured more directly for the cause of Christ, and of righteous¬ ness, drew down upon the sufferer a larger measure of the consolations of the Gospel than can be expected in the common trials of life. Such sufferers have special pro¬ mises, both of exalted reward in heaven, and of abundant consolation on earth. But yet St Paul warrants us to draw encouragement from his case, under 4 any trouble;’ and we know that lie who gives to the martyr conso¬ lations proportioned to his day, will and does give to the ordinary believer, consolation proportioned to his. This the tried Christian will joyfully testify. With what delightful force does the argument of the apostle, 1 Horn. v. 3 : Acts v. 41 ; Rom. viii. 18. 2 2 Ccr. i. 3-5. 216 THE CONSOLATION OF ISRAEL. ‘ If there be , therefore , any consolation in Christ f come home to such a one! ‘ If there be any consolation in Christ!’ he replies ; ‘ yes, if there he a sun in the firma¬ ment ; if a God in the universe ; if such a thing as con¬ solation in the world; if 1 have a head to think, or a heart to feel,—there is, O ! there is consolation in Christ , strong, abundant, everlasting consolation. The name Noah, we remarked, was typical of Christ, because he was to comfort the people of God, under the Lord’s curse. God’s people are indeed redeemed from the curse of the law, by Him who was made a curse for them ; yet they have to bear the effects of the curse, in outward afflictions, sickness, bereavements, and death, and in the inward burden of sin. Far from being exempt from the common trials of life, the child of God has often a large share of them ; for this, among other wise reasons, that it may be proved, both to himself, and other men, that there is consolation in Christ. Deep in the believer’s soul is this consolation hidden. It cannot be described; for ‘ it passeth all un¬ derstanding.’ Yet he will endeavour to make it known, to show forth the praise of God, his Saviour, and lead others to try for themselves, if there beany consolation in Christ. When friends rise up to comfort him, he will thank¬ fully receive their sympathy (even St Paul acknowledged his friends as 4 a comfort’ to him in sorrow), and if they be friends in Jesus, they may be blessed to administer much consolation. But still the afflicted Christian will say, or feel, 4 Thankful as I am for your kind offices, 4 they would avail me little, had 1 not another Comforter. 4 Your words, however soothing, unless blessed by Him, 1 Philip, ii. 1. THE CONSOLATION OP ISRAEL. 217 ‘ cannot reach my heart; but he speaks comfort effectually, ‘ because lie speaks to my heart! 1 In the midst of this storm of affliction, I hear his gracious voice saying, 4 Be of good cheer, it is I; he not afraid.’ I hear him whis¬ per, 4 1, even I, am He that comforteth von.’ 2 Let us take, for example, the most severe trial of or¬ dinary life, the sickness and death of a beloved relative or friend, and let us ask, what consolation is to be found in Christ under this grief? It would be easier to tell how little consolation there would be without Christ , than how much there is in him. How utterly inconsolable would the Christian be, while watching the dying couch of a parent, a husband, or wife, a brother, a child, or a friend dear to him as his own soul; were it not for the consolation that is in Christ ! AYere it not for the new and living way open for him to the throne of grace, how could the Christian approach God to plead either for his departing friend, or for himself? AVere it not for the sympathy of his merciful and faithful High Priest, who, having once been a Man of Sorrows himself, can be touch¬ ed with a feeling of our infirmities, how could the be¬ liever support this agonizing scene ? AY ere it not for the atoning blood and justifying righteousness of Christ, with what hopeless anguish must we see the soul, even of a good man, depart to the tribunal of a just and holy God ! And without the assured hope of a resurrection, through Him who is the Resurrection and the Life, how could we bear to part with the dear, though lifeless remains- of our beloved! Had we not the promise, and some experience, of indissoluble union with that Friend who can never die, and who sticketh closer than a brother, how could we contemplate, without despair, the stroke which must separate us from every earthly 1 IIos. ii. 14, marginal reading. 2 Is. li. 12. K VOL. II. 2 i 8 THE CONSOLATION OF ISRAEL. friend, either by their previous removal, leaving us in this dark world alone, or by our own entrance into an unknown and untried existence ! Oh ! yes, brethren, there is consolation in Christ for the anxious and the bereaved heart. There is consola¬ tion in the simple and affecting record, ‘ Jesus weptin the tenderness wherewith he sympathized with mourners while here below, noticing all the peculiarities of their several cases, and pitying and relieving them according¬ ly. There is consolation in the assurance that ‘ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever;’ the same in compassion, though invested with all the majesty of Divine and Mediatorial glory : there is con¬ solation in the assurance, that all things are given into His hands who groaned and bled for us; and that He will make all things work together for good to them that love God. If we have the blessed hope that our departed friends have fallen asleep in Jesus, then indeed we have precious consolation in Christ. We 4 sorrow not, even as others which have no hope ; ’ 1 for we have an assured convic¬ tion, that the event which we mourn is to them un¬ speakable gain ; and that, by the grace of God, it shall be made gain to us also; that we shall be more weaned from this transitory world, have our affections drawn more to things above, be brought into closer fellowship with, and nearer conformity to, our blessed Lord; that the promises of God shall be endeared to us, and we shall be quickened in prayer and in every duty, by the nearer and clearer view of eternal realities, that opens to us through the void left in our domestic circle. There is consolation in the assurance, that, washed in the blood of the Lamb, we, and all the redeemed, shall meet, to 1 1 Thes. iv. 13, 14. TIIE CONSOLATION" OF ISRAEL. 219 part no more, in that blessed world, where our inter¬ course shall no longer be stained by sin, nor interrupted by distance and by death ; but that with glorified bodies, and spirits ‘ made perfect,’ we shall be ‘ ever with the Lord,’ and with one another. Well, indeed, may we ‘ comfort one another with these words.’ 1 Heavy as are the sorrows which oppress the Christian from without, he has, however, still heavier- sorrows from within , which make him appreciate still more highly the consolation that is in Christ. These sorrows arise from a sense of guilt, a fear of deserved wrath, and the hiding of God’s countenance. When the Holy Ghost is about to come to any man as a Comforter, his first office is to convince of sin. And when he does this deeply and effectually, he causes a mourning and bitter¬ ness, like that which is felt at the loss of a first-born; a terror of the wrath to come, and of an eternity of misery, which sometimes drives the poor sinner almost to despair. There are various degrees of this bitterness. Many, we believe, are truly brought to God without overwhelming terror and distress. But, in all real peni¬ tents, there must be sorrow which can find consolation nowhere hut in Christ , in looking unto Him whom they have pierced. And how strong is the consolation the trembling sinner finds, when he flees for refuge there ! With admiring gratitude he surveys the all-sufficiency of the Atonement offered, the divine perfection of the Righteousness wrought, the acceptableness of the Media¬ tion carrying on, the fulness and freeness of the Cove¬ nant mediated between God and sinful men, and the rich store of promises laid up for the penitent, till his 1 1 Thes. iv. 18. 220 THE CONSOLATION OF ISRAEL. heart revives within him, and he testifies, from deep-felt experience, that there is consolation in Christ. But, alas ! it is not at the beginning of his course only that the believer has cause to mourn for sin. The longer experience he has of his own corrupt heart, and of the goodness of his Lord, the deeper does his godly sorrow become. Even after being reconciled to God, by the death of his Son, and admitted to all the privileges of an adopted and beloved child, he too often wanders again from his gracious Father, lightly esteems the Rock of his salvation, and grieves and quenches the Holy Spi¬ rit, the Comforter. Then, when in mercy, the arrows of conviction are again made to reach his heart, how agonis¬ ing are the wounds they inflict! He thinks of the grace he has abused, of the friendship of Christ which he has slighted, of the love of Christ which he has returned with coldness; of opportunities and warnings misimproved ; of resolutions broken ; of old sins relapsed into ; of stum¬ bling-blocks laid in the way of his brethren, and dis¬ honour done to the cause of his Divine Master ;—he feels corruption still strong within him, and grace still weak, and knows that this is all to be traced to his own negli- gence in seeking supplies out of the fulness that is laid up in Christ Jesus. At this dismal review, the believer sighs bitterly, and finds his sin a sore burden, too heavy for him to bear. But he looks anew to Christ crucified, and there finds consolation ; he looks to the word of God, and there finds promises exactly suited to his need ; such as, ‘ Return thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord, and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you; for I am merciful, saith the Lord.’ 1 The Comforter applies these blessed promises and invitations to the believer’s bleeding heart, and enables him to reply, ‘ O 1 Jeriii. 12. THE CONSOLATION OF ISRAEL. 221 Lord, I will praise thee; though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me .’ 1 At this fresh instance of the goodness and for¬ bearance of God, the believer’s tears flow still faster ; he loathes himself, and is confounded more and more, after that the Lord is pacified toward him . 2 But there is holy joy mingled with his tears, and he testifies, even more confidently than at his first coming to the cross, that there is consolation in Christ. To deepen godly sorrow, to try faith, and to produce a higher sense of the value of his favour, the Lord is pleased at times to withdraw from the Christian the comfort of his manifested presence, to hide his face from him. Then, indeed, the Christian mourns, and is in heaviness. His hands hang down, and his knees mow feeble, and he sadly inquires, ‘ Hath God forgotten to be gracious ? And will he shut up his loving-kindness in displeasure ?’ Yet here, likewise, there is consolation in Christ , and in the word of his grace. The Comforter has promises in store for this season also,—‘ Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light ? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God .’ 3 Though destitute of sensible comfort, the believer finds consolation in meditating on the un- changeable faithfulness of God. Though his own frame fluctuates, he knows that the Eternal changes not; that his covenant standeth sure; that he cannot deny him¬ self. Though unable to find comfort in the experience of Christ’s promises, he can yet find comfort in the con¬ sideration of them. If he cannot hear the Saviour say to him, ‘ Be of good comfort, thy sins be forgiven thee ; go in peace;’ he may yet hear the invitation, 4 Be of 1 Is. xii. 1. 2 Ezek. xvi. 63, 3 Is. 1. 10 ; liv. 7, 8. 222 T1IB CONSOLATION OF ISRAEL. good comfort; rise, he calleth thee.’ He calleth thee to come to him note , whether thou canst find evidence of a previous coming or not. If not, thou hast all the more need to hasten to him. Come, that you may find to your increasing humiliation, love, and confidence, that there is consolation in Christ. We have hitherto viewed separately the sorrows aris¬ ing from outward affliction, and those which spring from inward corruption and spiritual darkness, as if those sorrows never met in the believer at one time. But, alas ! he is sometimes made to groan under their united pressure. Sometimes, indeed, under the greatest accu¬ mulation of trials from without, there is such a full tide of consolation poured within, as neutralises the affliction, and makes it scarcely felt to be grievous. But, at other times,—to show that the Lord is not bound to bestow one description of comfort, when he takes away another, and to humble the Christian in the lowest dust,—his sins are brought to his remembrance with peculiar bitterness, while his heart is broken by outward affliction ; and God seems to forsake him at the very time when he most needs the comfort of his presence. He tries to pray, but God seems to have covered himself with a cloud, that his prayer should not pass through. 1 He tries to take comfort from the promises of Divine support in the time of trouble. But finding no sensible fulfilment of these promises, they only aggravate his distress, as if they witnessed against his being a child of God. Con¬ scious guilt weighs down his spirits, and the Enemy takes advantage of his dejection, to bring fierce accusa¬ tions against him, to alarm his conscience, and conceal from him the only Refuge. This is, indeed, a dark 1 Lam. iii. 44. THE CONSOLATION OF ISRAEL. 223 season : without are fightings, within are fears. When o o 7 the poor believer would comfort himself against sorrow, his heart is faint within him. 1 Yet, even here, there is consolation in Christ. There is consolation in the thought, that Jesus drank for us a cup of trembling, made up of similar ingredients, and mixed in infinitely greater pro¬ portions. In the hour of his excruciating bodily tor¬ ments, and in the day of his desertion by earthly friends, his soul was overwhelmed with sins, though not his own ; and the Father so forsook him, as to call forth the dole¬ ful lamentation, ‘ My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me ? ’ Since, then, God so dealt with his be¬ loved Son, when standing in the room of sinners, it is no proof of our not being sons, if he deal with us somewhat in like manner. And although we cannot trace our adop¬ tion in a Father’s smile, we may perhaps trace it in the spirit with which we are enabled to receive a Fa¬ ther’s frown. If, while we humbly receive the chastise¬ ment as less than we deserve, saying, ‘ I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him,’ we can, at the same time, receive it as from a Fa¬ ther, who chasteneth us for our profit, and loveth whom he chasteneth, we are not totally destitute of comfort.— we have some evidence that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is, in him, our God and Father. And though, for the present, the chastening seemeth not joyous, but grievous, we have a confident hope, that afterward it shall yield the peaceable fruits of righteous¬ ness unto us, who are exercised thereby. 2 In the mean¬ time, we cast ourselves, more lowly than ever, at the foot of the Cross; and, dark as our views may be, we yet do truly find consolation in Christ. In the last great trial, when the believer has to walk 1 Jer. viii. 18. 2 Heb. xii. 11. 224 TIIE CONSOLATION OF ISRAEL. through the valley of the shadow of death, oh! how solid, how blessed, is the consolation he finds in Christ! The rod and staff of the Lord, his Shepherd, do indeed comfort him ; and so sweet are the consolations he re¬ ceives, that the pangs of dissolution, and the grief of parting with those lie loves, are swallowed up in the joyful anticipation of being ‘ ever with the Lord.’ But the Christian is often called to mourn over pub¬ lic, as well as private troubles. The state of the Church, weakened by lukewarmness, and rent by divisions within, and assailed by hostile forces without, causes him un¬ feigned sorrow. Yet here especially he may find conso¬ lation in Christ. lie knows that lie who is Head of the Church is Head over all things to the Church ; that the government is upon His shoulders, who shall, in his own time and way, bring all his enemies either to a will- ins or a forced submission. And, as the Jewish Church waited for his first coming to console them under all their troubles, so the Christian Church waits for his second coming, to render his cause triumphant, and put a final termination to the sorrows of his people. In what a delightful and attractive view does this Title present God our Saviour! Surely, one would think, it must disarm the enmity, and win the affection, of all who sojourn in the vale of tears, where trouble and sorrow are the inevitable portion of every man. Yet, alas! It is not so. Christ is not the Consolation of men in general , but only, of Israel: though he tender¬ ly offers comfort to all who will seek it from him, the most part 4 refuse to hear the voice of this Charmer, charm he never so wisely.’ The reason is obvious. His comforts are holy comforts ; and for these they have no relish. Another reason why unconverted men do not THE CONSOLATION OP ISRAEL. 225 seek consolation in Christ is, that they have no need of consolation under one of the principal causes of grief to Israel , viz. spiritual trouble. They know not what it is to mourn for sin, nor for the hiding of God’s counte¬ nance, because they do not hate sin, nor do they know the joy of fellowship with God. They, therefore, feel no occasion to repair to Christ for spiritual consolation. Yet, they have their share of outward affliction ; and it often excites the wonder of a Christian how temporal evils can he borne with so much fortitude and compo¬ sure, by those who give no evidences of vital union with Christ. While he himself finds all the consolations of the gospel needful to keep up his drooping spirit, how can they hear similar afflictions without similar sup¬ ports ? Several causes combine, to lessen the external distinc¬ tion between Christian consolation and natural compo¬ sure. Strength of mind, and buoyancy of disposition often make their possessor appear as cheerful, under af¬ fliction, as the consolation of Christ makes the Christian. Then, ‘ Time, the consoler,’ gradually blunts the edge of the feelings, and brings with him new cares, occupa¬ tions, and pleasures, which cheat men into a forgetful¬ ness of their misery, as well as of their sin. The lost comfort is replaced by a new one ; and this, in its turn, by another ; so that, until all human and earthly com¬ forts fail, the man contrives to be tolerably comfortable, without Christ; and in the preservation of this deceitful comfort, Satan doubtless assists. How different is this state from that of the consoled be¬ liever, though, in outward appearance, there may be no very marked distinction. Often, however, the hollow¬ ness of worldly comforts is more conspicuous, in the hope¬ less dejection, the rebellious murmurs, and peevish dis- 22 G THE CONSOLATION OF ISRAEL. content, which appear in the unsanctified mourner, and render him a truly pitiable object. But we have still to inquire, whether they are to be envied, who are exempt from the greatest of all troubles, spiritual trouble? On the contrary, they are objects of the deepest commiseration, to good men on earth, and to angels in heaven. Nay, He who knew what was in man, and what is good for man, while he pronounced a blessing on mourners, pronounced a ‘ woe’ on them who were rich, and who had ‘received their consolation .’ 1 His Prophets denounced ‘ woe to them that are at ease in Zion,’ that put far from them the evil day; and, in the midst of carnal indulgences and dissipation, ‘ are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph .’ 2 His Apostles call upon the careless and worldly, to be afflicted, and mourn, and weep; to let their laughter be turned to mourning, and their joy to heaviness . 3 And oh ! that they would listen to the Divine admo¬ nitions, that their hearts might be softened and broken by the Spirit of God. For, if they will not mourn for sin now, they will be forced to mourn for it hereafter, for ever, ‘ with weeping and wailing, and gnashing of teeth.’ Then, they who have sown in tears of godly sorrow shall reap in joy unutterable. For, ‘ God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain : for the former things (shall) have passed away .’ 4 One thing more deserves consideration, under this Title, viz. the various meanings of the word rendered Comforter. 1 Luke vi. 24. 2 Amos vi. 1-6. 3 James iv. 9. 4 Rev. xxi. 3,4. THE CONSOLATION OF ISRAEL. 227 These have been purposely reserved for the conclusion, as furnishing a sort of test whereby to ascertain whether we are individually partakers of the consolation that is in Christ. The word, translated Comforter, also means Advocate, Counsellor, Monitor. In all these offices, Christ promised to send the Holy Ghost. We may therefore ascertain, in some degree, whether the Holy Ghost is our Comforter , by inquiring whether we receive, and heartily desire him as our Monitor, to convince us of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment ; 1 whether we look to him as our Counsellor, to guide us into all truth, to take of the things of Christ and show them unto us ; 2 and as our Advocate, to make intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered : 3 in short, whether we desire to be led by the Spirit, and can discern in our hearts the indwelling of the Spirit. If so, how thankfully may we adopt the language of the Apostle, ‘ Now, our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation, and good hope through grace, comfort our hearts, and stablish us in every good word and work ,’ 4 1 John xvi. 8. 2 John xvi. 13, 14. 3 Rom. viii. 26. 4 2 Thes. ii. 16. ESSAY XXXVIII. THE HOPE OF ISRAEL. We are so familiar with the name of Hope, it is so powerful and universal a principle of our nature, that to define its meaning seems almost needless. Yet it is good to be able 4 to give a reason of the hope that is in us ;’ 1 and more especially, when about to study this new title of God our Saviour, The Hope of Israel. Hope, as well as Consolation, belongs to a state of mingled bliss and woe, of uncertainty and change. Where perfect and unchangeable happiness reigns, there is no room for Hope. It is, therefore, one proof, among many, that our present state is a state of probation and trial, that our reward is out of sight, and that the comfort of the saints consists more in hope than in present enjoy¬ ment, that we are said to be 4 saved by hope ,’ 2 and that Christ is styled 4 the Hope of Israel.’ Hope is one of the principal Christian graces. It is ranked by the Apostle, between those other two excellent graces, Faith and Charity . 3 The 4 patience of hope’ is associated by him with the 4 work of faith,’ and the 4 labour of love,’ as an undoubted evidence of salvation . 4 2 Rom. viii. 24. 4 1 Thes. i. 3. 1 1 Peter iii. 15. 3 1 Cor. xiii. 13. THE HOPE OF ISRAEL. 229 To possess true Christian hope, we must be 4 begotten again :’ 1 and those who have ‘ no hope,’ are 4 without Christ, and without God in the world .’ 2 So important, then, being the place assigned to hope, in the economy of salvation, it becomes us seriously to inquire what distinct meaning we should attach to it, and in what senses it is used in Holy Scripture. 4 Hope is a confident persuasion of obtaining some fu- 4 ture good. The saint’s hope is a firm expectation of 4 all good things in time and in eternity, founded on the 4 promises, relations, and perfections of God, and on the 4 offices, righteousness, and intercession of Christ. It has 4 an infinitely precious object, an infallible ground, and a 4 purifying influence . 3 There is a strong analogy between Hope and Faith. Leighton remarks, 4 Faith is the root of all graces and of 4 all obedience and holiness : and Hope is so near in na- 4 ture to it, that the one is commonly named for the 4 other : for the thing that faith apprehends and lays hold 4 on, as present, in the truth of Divine promises, hope 4 looks out for as to come, in their certain performance. 4 The Apostle calls faith the substance of things hoped for , 4 that which makes them be before they be,—gives a so- 4 lidity and substance to them.’ Matthew Henry says, 4 Faith respects the promise , 4 Hope the thing promised. Faith is the evidence , Hope 4 the expectation of things not seen. Faith is the mother 4 of Hope.’ St Paul’s definition of hope seems a combination of patient waiting with earnest expectation. 4 The earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. But if we hope for that we see not, 1 1 Peter i. 3. 2 Ephes. ii. 12. 3 Brown’s Dictionary. 230 THE HOPE OP ISRAEL. then do we with patience icait for it.’ 1 Hope is not merely the absence of Despair. It is such an earnest desire, ardent longing, and lively expectation, as requires patient waiting to chasten and uphold it. But the word hope, in Scripture, means sometimes, not the emotion or principle itself; but 1st, 4 the thing hoped for ; or 2 d, the ground of hope. In the first of these senses, eternal life is called 4 that blessed hope ,’ 2 and our hope is said to be laid up in heaven , 3 because the reward we hope for is laid up there. In the second, viz. as the ground of hope, Ethiopia was said to be the hope or expectation of the Jews ; 4 they expected help from her against the Assyrians. And, in both these senses, God Almighty is 4 the Hope of his people,’ 4 the Hope of Israel ;’ 5 because he is both the Object and the Founda¬ tion of their hope. The full enjoyment of God is the sum of all the good they hope for : and his power, wisdom, goodness, and truth, form the ground of all their hope. In the Old Testament, we find this title ascribed to Jehovah, as the Object and Foundation of Israel’s hope, under whatever griefs or troubles they might be. Jere¬ miah styles him, 4 The Hope of Israel, the Saviour thereof in time of trouble.’ 6 He pronounces a curse upon the man 7 that trustetli in man, and a blessing upon the man 4 whose Hope the Lord is.’ And he introduces the ad¬ versaries of Israel, as excusing their cruelties towards them, on this ground, that they had sinned against the Lord, the habitation of justice; 4 even the Lord, the Hope of their fathers.’ 8 In the Psalms, also, God is frequently addressed as the Hope of his saints. 9 Nothing, however, is more certain, than that it is only 1 Rom. viii. 19-25. 2 Tit. ii. 13. 3 Col. i. 5. * Isaiah xx. 5. 5 Joel iii. 16. 6 Jer. xiv. 8. 7 Jer. xvii. 5-8. 8 Jer. 1. 7 9 Ps. lxxviii. 7 ; cxlvi. 5. THE HOPE OF ISRAEL. 231 God in Christ who can, or ever could be, the Hope of sinners. Out of Christ, 4 God is a consuming fire,’ an Object, not of hope, but of terror and despair. We find, accordingly, that this title, The Hope of Israel, was un¬ derstood as prophetic of the Messiah, by St Paid and his countrymen the Jews. When preaching to them at Rome, he said, 4 For the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.’ 1 On a former occasion, when answer¬ ing for himself before Agrippa, the Apostle said, 4 Now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers : unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come: for which hope’s sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews.’ 2 It is plain, from the context, that the hope and promise , to which Paul here alludes, are the hope and promise of the resurrection of the dead : whether, therefore, by 4 The Hope of Israel,’ we under¬ stand him to mean Christ in person, or Christ as 4 the Resurrection and the Life,’ it is evident that he declares Messiah to have been the Hope of the fathers, the Hope of Israel. In his Epistles, St Paul speaks of the Lord Jesus, as 4 our Hope,’ as 4 Christ in you, the Hope of glory.’ 3 The propriety of these titles, as ascribed to the Lord Jesus, will be manifest, when we view him shortly, as the Author , the Object , and the Foundation of his peo¬ ple’s hope. As he is the Author and Finisher of Faith , he must also be the Author and Finisher of Hope. For hope, like every other Christian grace, is wrought in the heart, and maintained there, by the Holy Ghost, shed abroad through the merits and intercession of the Saviour. And, 1 Acts xxviii. 20. 3 1 Tim. i. 1 ; Col. i. 27. 2 Acts xxvi. 6-8. 232 THE HOPE OP ISRAEL. as being the centre, substance, and Mediator of the co¬ venant of grace, be is called ‘ a Covenant of the people so, being the author, centre, object, and foundation of his people’s hope, he is called their Hope. Where Christ dwells, there Hope dwells ; where Christ, the Lord of glory, reigns, there the Hope of glory reigns also. It is because Jesus, as our Forerunner and High Priest, has entered in within the vail, that our hope can anchor within the vail. 1 Christ seen by faith, and hope, are inseparable. This will be still further manifest, by reference to the Scriptural statements concerning hope. Let us see by what epithets and qualities it is described by inspired apostles. It is called a good, a blessed hope , lively , sure , and sted/ast; a hope that malceth not ashamed; a pa¬ tient, a believing , and rejoicing hope; a hope against hope ; a hope that purifies , and defends as a helmet. 2 Now, who could work, in our corrupt, miserable, unbe¬ lieving, and fearful hearts, a principle so exalted, so di¬ vine, save Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith ? Then, as to its objects , or things hoped for , our hope is called, the hope of the Gospel , the hope of salvation , the hope of righteousness by faith , the hope of the resurrec¬ tion , the hope of eternal life , of an inheritance incorrupt¬ ible , undefiled , and that fadeth not cnvay, the hope of glory , the hope of the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour , Jesus Christ , the hope of being like him , when he shall appear . 3 Now, who can read these 1 Heb. vi. 13-20. 2 2 Tlies. ii. 16 ; Tit. ii. 13 ; 1 Pet. i. 3 ; Heb. vi. 19 ; Rom. v. 5 ; 1 Thes. i. 3 ; Rom. xv. 13 ; Rom. xii. 12 ; Rom. iv. 18 ; 1 John iii. 3 ; 1 Thes. v. 8. 3 Col. i. 23 ; 1 Thes. v. 8 ; Gal. v. 5 ; Acts xxiii. 6 ; Tit. iii. 7 ; 1 Pet, i. 3, 4 ; Col. i. 27 ; Tit. ii. 13 ; 1 John iii. 3. THE HOPE OP ISRAEL. 233 expressions, and not perceive, that, of them all, Christ is the sum and substance? For, what is 4 the hope of the gospel,’ hut Christ, in his person, work, offices, life, death, resurrection, and exaltation, as revealed there ? What ‘ the hope of salvation,’ hut Christ, the Saviour of sinners ? What the glory and blessedness of our eternal inheritance, but the full enjoyment of Christ our Lord, and perfect resemblance to him ? Then, as to the grounds of hope,—It is founded on the mercy of God ; on His Almight y power, who can do all things ; on His unchangeable truth , who cannot lie ; on his word , on his grace , on his promise, on his oath, on his covenant ; in short, on God himself. 1 But, as we have often had occasion to remark, it is only in and through Christ, the Mediator, that any of the divine perfections can be grounds of hope to sinners. It is when we view them as pledged to perform all the promises of the cove¬ nant made between the Father and the Son, for man’s redemption; pledged to reward the perfect obedience of the Son, to accept his burnt-sacrifice, to remember all his offerings, and fulfil all his petitions, 2 on our behalf; that the power, wisdom, justice, goodness, and faithful¬ ness of Jehovah, form the sure and stedfast anchor of our souls. In his Resurrection , the Lord Jesus is espe¬ cially declared to be The Hope of Israel. For, not till the period of the general Resurrection, will the hopes of his people be fully realized, either as regards their per¬ sonal happiness, the prosperity of the Church, or, what is dearer to them than all besides, the glory of their Lord and Master. Even when at death they leave all sin and sorrow behind, and go to the immediate presence 1 Ps. xxxiii. 18 ; 2 Tim. i. 12 ; Heb. vi. 18, 19 ; Ps. cxix. 49 ; 2 Thes. ii. 1G ; Ps. cxxx. 7. 2 Ps. xx. 3-5. 234 THE IIOI’E OF ISRAEL. of God and of the Lamb, their flesh rests in hope , 1 and their soul has still room for hope, waiting till ‘ the crea¬ ture itself also (its mortal part) shall he delivered from the bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the children of God;’ 2 till this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal immortality; till Death itself shall be swallowed up in victory, and all enemies be put for ever under the feet of the Lamb. Now, of this magnificent object of hope, the Resurrec¬ tion of Christ is the sure and certain pledge. It is ‘ by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,’ that we are ‘begotten again unto this lively hope.’ 3 All pro¬ mised blessings are objects of the Christian’s hope. St Paul accounted it worthy of his earnest expectation and his hope, that in nothing he should be ashamed ; but that, with all boldness, as always, so then also, Christ might be magnified in his body, whether it were by life or by death. 4 Yet so paramount in his mind was the hope of eternal life, so necessary did he feel this hope, to support and comfort him under the trials and sorrows of a present world, that he exclaimed, ‘ If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miser¬ able.’ 5 ‘ But now is Christ risen from the dead, and be¬ come the first-fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by Man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.’ In this sense, then, most emphatically, Jesus Christ is Our Hope, The Hope of Glory. Compared with this blessed and glorious hope, how vain, empty, and false are all other hopes! whether of 1 Ps. xvi. 9. 2 Rom. viii. 19-21. 4 Philip, i. 20. 5 1 Cor. xv. 19-22. 3 1 Pet. i. 3. THE HOPE OF ISRAEL. 235 happiness in general, or of salvation in particular ! Let us consider, for a moment, the superiority of Christian hope over every other , in its objects , its foundation , and its effects. What are the objects which the men of the world de¬ sire and hope for, but gilded baubles, presenting an ap¬ pearance of worth, but empty and perishable in the ex¬ treme ? Even when gained, they commonly mock the pursuer, and melt away as he attempts to grasp them. Or if they do retain their value in his estimation, when attained, how long can he possess them ? Is the enjoy¬ ment of forty or fifty years, which far exceeds their pro¬ bable duration, worthy the hope of an immortal soul ? Then, as to their foundation , even the best and purest objects of earthly hope are marred by infirmity, and con¬ tain in themselves the seeds of disappointment and decay. Being tainted with pollution, they can yield no perfect hap¬ piness ; and the happiness they do yield must soon expire, blow often do we see the fair prospect of domestic bliss clouded and overcast, when at its height! How many fond parents are called to bury in the grave their cherish¬ ed hopes of future comfort and reward in their children ! How often have the hopes of a family, of a nation, of a church, been blighted by what we call the premature Heath of one whose talents, dispositions, and graces, gave pro¬ mise of eminent usefulness in his generation! It must be so. For, when we build our hope of happiness upon any earthly object, be it lawful and right, or carnal and for¬ bidden, we build it not only without God’s promise, but contrary to his command. Has he not commanded us not to put our trust in princes, nor in any child of man ? Has he not commissioned his servants to cry, ‘ All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof as the flower of the field ? ’ 4 What is your life ? It is even a vapour, 286 THE HOPE OF ISRAEL. that appeareth for a little time, and then vanishetli away.' Whatever rests upon the power, will, or life of human agents, must he uncertain. Their power may fail, their will may change, or their life he cut off, at the very time when we most need their help. All such hopes are ‘ like a spider’s weh,’ liable to be destroyed, any moment, by the slightest accident; like 4 the giving up of the ghost,’ or 4 a puff of breath.’ 1 Of all other hopes but that of the Gospel, it is truly said, 4 Hope is the name of an uncertain good.’ But the hope of the Chris¬ tian, being built on two immutable things, viz. the pro¬ mise and the oath of Jehovah, is sure and stedfast, and can never disappoint, or make him ashamed. But Christian hope is distinguished from worldly hope , by its effects also. Whatever be the great object of de¬ sire for the future, tinges the character for the present. He whose hopes are set upon earthly things, remains earthly in his thoughts, tastes, and pursuits; but he whose mind and treasure are in heaven, gradually ac¬ quires heavenly dispositions, tastes, and habits. The glorious prospect of perfect conformity to Christ, here¬ after, has a direct tendency to increase conformity to him here. 4 Every man that hath this hope in him (the hope of seeing Christ as he is, and of being like him), pu- rifieth himself, even as he is pure.’ 2 Anticipation of the high honour and dignity we shall enjoy, when we are made kings and priests unto God in heaven, raises us above the mean and sordid cares and the polluting plea¬ sures of earth, and makes us endeavour to taste as much of heaven as possible, even here. The happy effects of Christian hope, upon the cha¬ racter and conduct, are very numerous. It produces pa¬ tience under trials, self-denial, courage, activity, joy, even 1 Job viii. 14 ; xi. 20. 2 1 John iii, 2, 3. THE HOPE OF ISRAEL. 237 jov unspeakable, and full of glory, amidst present tribu¬ lations. We constantly see the effects of hope in ordi¬ nary affairs. How diligently does the husbandman sow his seed, how patiently does he wait for the early and latter rain, in hope of a plentiful harvest! What bitter draughts will the sick man swallow, in hope of recovery ! What arduous efforts does the drowning man put forth, if but a hope of safety remain ! And with what valour does the hope of victory inspire the warrior ! The Christian then can never be impatient, self-indulgent, timid, sloth¬ ful, or sorrowful overmuch, while his hope is lively. Leighton well remarks, ‘ It is a foolish and groundless ‘ fear that assured hope is unfavourable to holiness. They ‘ are mutually strengthened and increased by the other. ‘ The more assurance of salvation, the more holiness, ‘ the more delight in it, and study of it, as the only way ‘ to that end. And as labour is then most pleasant, ‘ when we are made surest it shall not be lost, notliino- ‘ doth make the soul so nimble and active in obedience, ‘ as this oil of gladness, this assured hope of glory.’ But the hope of the true Israelite differs from that of the nominal Israelite, as respects salvation , as widely as in the pursuit of happiness in general. We need not here dwell on the difference of their respective grounds of hope ; the one resting on ‘ the Rock of Ages the other on the shifting sand, on vague notions of God’s mercy, and of his own comparative innocence or righteousness, mingled in any proportions that suit his own estimate of himself, but utterly unscriptural and false. But the ob¬ ject of hope , with the nominal Christian, as respects salva¬ tion, is totally different from that of the believer. It is positively not ‘ the hope of righteousness by faith,’ not ‘ the hope of the gospel,’ not ‘ the hope of God’s calling,’ 23S THE HOPE OF ISRAEL. nor 4 the hope of glory.’ The most it aspires after, in this life, is such a measure of righteousness as will suffice to quiet conscience, and maintain a good reputation among men : the highest points of its ambition, for eternity, are cessation from toil, exemption from sorrow and pain, re¬ union with departed friends, and certain dull and vague ideas of happiness, it knows not from whence. Never having known the sweetness of fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ, here on earth, it can be no object of hope, to the unconverted to obtain access to the immediate presence of God hereafter. Never having longed for the second coming of the Saviour, to take to himself his great power and reign, they cannot fix their hope on that grand event. Even deliverance from 4 the wrath to u come,’ can hardly he said to form an object of hope to those who never felt what it was to be exposed to that wrath. Many live all their lives without either hope or fear, in respect of their immortal interests, at least with¬ out any lively sense of either. Good were it for them to be brought to feel the terrors of the Lord, to be forced to cry out, concerning every thing in themselves, 4 There is no hope ;’ for, until they are reduced to this, they will never look out in earnest for hope in God. The effects of this fearless yet hopeless state, are just such as might be expected. Instead of lively joy in Christ, instead of cheerful, devoted obedience, and patient submission, there is, at best, a stinted and niggard ser¬ vice, a formal and cold morality, and a heart at enmity with God. Of all the hopes which men build upon any thing but the finished work of Christ, accepted by the Father, and applied by the Spirit, it must be said, as of 4 the hope of the hypocrite,’ that it 4 shall perish.’ 4 For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gain¬ ed, wffien God taketh away his soul ? Will God hear his THE HOPE OP ISRAEL. 239 cry, when trouble cometh upon him?’ 1 —Yes, even for him, ‘ there is hope,’ as long as he is joined to the living.’ 2 Let him, as ‘ a prisoner of hope,’ ‘ turn him to the Strong¬ hold,’ 3 Jesus, the Refuge for sinners ; and he may soon be ‘filled with joy and peace in believing,’ and ‘ abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.’ Hope, like other Christian graces, exists in very dif ferent measures, in different believers, and in the same believer, at different times. Sometimes it is at so low’ an ebb, that ‘ he putteth his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope.’ 4 At other times, he ‘ abounds in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.’ 5 Often he has to struggle with unbelieving; fears, and to urge his soul still to hope in God. G Then, again, he is found ‘ rejoicing in hope' 1 with ‘ joy unspeakable and full of glory.’ 8 This fluctuation may be traced, in part, to the sovereignty of God, who bestow’s hope, like every other gift, according to his good pleasure. But chiefly we must trace it to the sin and infirmity of believers themselves. Since, then, to abound in hope, is not only a precious privilege, but a commanded duty, and an eminent grace, let us, in conclusion, inquire into the causes of its weak¬ ness and variableness, and into the best means of cultivat¬ ing and cherishing it. ‘ It is (indeed) good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. ’ 9 And we ought not to repine if ‘ full assurance of hope’ be not granted us, as soon as we ask for it. In ge¬ neral, however, we have less cause to chide ourselves for impatience in desiring this full assurance, than for indolent acquiescence in the w T ant of it. Our hope is too seldom 1 Job xxvii. 8. 2 Eccles. ix. 4. 3 Zecli. ix. 12. 4 Lam. iii. 29. 5 Rom. xv. 13. 6 Ps. xlii. 5. 7 Rom. xii. 12. 8 1 Pet. i. 8. 9 Lam. iii. 20. 240 THE HOPE OF ISRAEL. ‘ a lively hope,’ 1 an animating principle, producing love, obedience, gratitude and zeal. The principal causes of this are, the weakness of our faith, the coldness of our love to Christ, the remaining carnality of our hearts, which inclines us to rest too much in earthly enjoy¬ ments ; our shallow acquaintance with heavenly things, and our negligence in cultivating the fruits of the Spirit. We have such poor, low conceptions of the ‘ better country, that is, the heavenly,’ which we profess to seek, that weeks, nay months sometimes pass, without one joyful realizing anticipation of it. We too much resem¬ ble Israel of old, who ‘ thought scorn of that pleasant land, and gave no credence to God’s word.’ 2 True it is, that we ‘ know not what we shall be;’ yet we know enough to engage our most ardent desires, were those desires supremely fixed on Christ, and were our faith in all he has done, and is doing for us, in lively exercise. We know that ‘ when Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall we also appear with him in glory.’ ‘ Let us, ‘ then, be frequently considering the glory wherein he is, ‘ and have our eye often upon that, and our hearts so- ‘ lacing themselves frequently with thoughts of that ‘ place and condition wherein Christ is, and where our ‘ hopes are, ere long, to behold him; both to see his ‘ glory, and to be glorified in him. Is it not reason, ‘ yea, it is necessary; it cannot be otherwise, if our trea- ‘ sure and head be in heaven, that our hearts be there ‘ likewise.’ 3 But, while simple faith in Christ, and frequent medi¬ tation on ‘ things above,’ are necessary for the main¬ tenance of a good and lively hope; it is no less necessary that we perceive within ourselves the warrant and seal of God’s Spirit witnessing to the sincerity of our hope. Al- 1 1 Pet. i. 3. 2 Ps. cvi. 24. Prayer-Book Version. 3 Leighton. TIIE HOPE OF ISRAEL. 241 though Christ alone is the Hope of glory , it is Christ In us , that can alone warrant our individual hope of glory. We can distinguish our hope from ‘ the hope of the hypocrite,’ only by having in our hearts the witness of the Spirit. What was it that assured St Paul that he was an heir of God, and a joint-heir with Christ, but this, that the Spirit witnessed with his spirit, that he was a child of God ? 1 What made him so confident that, whenever he should leave the body, he should be present with the Lord, but this, that God had given to him the earnest of the Spirit ? 2 And how did he exhort the Hebrews to seek the c full assurance of hope unto the end,’ but by avoiding sloth, and by diligence in every good work ? 3 It needs no evidence in himself, for the poor sinner to hope in God’s mercy, through Christ: he might wait for ever in vain, were this needful. But would we have a well-grounded hope that ice are children of God, and partakers of the glory of Christ, we must prove the sin¬ cerity of our faith, by patience, experience, love, and every other fruit of the Spirit : 4 we must, in short, have evidence, that we dwell in Christ, and Christ in us. ‘ Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God ; which made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that therein is; which keepetli truth for ever.’ ‘ Let Israel hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption, and he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.’ 1 Rom. viii. 15-17, &c. 2 '2 Cor. v. 1-8. 3 Heb. vi. 11, 12. 4 Rom. v. 1-5. VOL. II. L ESSAY XXXIX, THE JOY OF ISRAEL. The Joy of Israel, though not literally a Scripture- title of the Redeemer, is the essence of much that is de¬ clared of him, in the Scriptures both of the Old and New Testaments. The pious Israelites used often to exhort one another to rejoice in the Lord. ‘ Let Israel rejoice in him that made him : let the children of Zion be glad in their King,’ 1 was the frequent strain of the Psalmist. c Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God,’ 2 was the delightful summons of the Prophets. No doubt the Israelites of old rejoiced in God, as their Almighty Protector, Benefactor, and King, who had chosen them for his peculiar people, and bestowed on them many exalted national privileges and spiritual ad¬ vantages, above all other people. But the pious among them, doubtless, rejoiced in the Lord chiefly, on account of the salvation which he had promised them, through the Messiah. It was in anticipation of his coming, that the ancient Church was called on to rejoice :—‘ Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for Lo, 1 come , and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord.’ 3 This great 1 Ps. cxlix. 2. 3 Joel ii. 23. 3 Zech. ii. 10. THE JOY OF ISRAEL. 243 event it was, which was to cause the wilderness and the solitary place to be glad, and the desert to rejoice, even with joy and singing j 1 which was to make the Gentiles also to rejoice, along with God’s ancient people. 2 That God in Christ is the ground of joy to believers, is indeed revealed with far more clearness in the New Tes¬ tament than in the Old ; but St Paul, by identifying ‘ the circumcision’ with those ‘ who rejoice in Christ Je¬ sus,’ 6 proves, beyond a doubt, that the joy of Israel was substantially the same as the joy of Christians. The coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh is, indeed, the most joyful event contained in the annals of this world. The birth of his herald, John the Baptist, was announced by an angel, as that which should cause many to rejoice. 4 The virgin mother of Jesus, in faith of the wonderful things told her from the Lord, said, 4 My soul doth mag¬ nify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God mv Saviour.’ 5 And, when those wonderful things were per¬ formed, and the holy Child Jesus was laid in the manger, the news was proclaimed by a heavenly messenger, as 4 good tidings of great joy,’ which should be to all people. 6 Nor was the joy arising from this event con¬ fined to earth ; a multitude of the heavenly host testi¬ fied their sympathy with man, by joining in a rapturous song of praise. 7 To an ungodly and unbelieving generation, the coming of so lowly a Messiah was indeed no cause of joy. In their eyes, he had 4 no form nor comeliness, no beauty that they should desire him.’ But, to the humble and believing, to them who 4 looked for redemption in Israel, ’ the birth of Christ was, like the star which betokened it to the 4 wise men,’ a source of 4 exceeding great joy.’ 1 Is. xxxv. 1,2, 2 Deut. xxxii. 43. 3 Philip, iii. 3. 4 Lukei. It. 6 Luke i. 46, 47. 6 Luke ii. 10. 7 Lukeii. 13,14. 244 THE JOY OP ISRAEL. During his personal ministry, the Lord Jesus pro¬ mised much joy to his followers, a joy which no man should take from them. 1 But their minds were not pre¬ pared to receive this joy, till, by his death and resurrec¬ tion, Jesus went away, and came again unto them. They had seasons of rejoicing, indeed, over his miracu¬ lous works, and in expectation of his triumphal reign. But that was a transient joy, not such as could endure through 4 much tribulation;’ for 4 the Holy Ghost was not yet given,’ in the fulness of his operation. No sooner, however, was the Lord risen from the dead, than great joy filled the hearts of his disciples. He saw them again, and their hearts rejoiced. Even when their be¬ loved Master was parted from them, and carried up into heaven, they were enabled to rejoice, because he was gone to the Father; 4 they returned to Jerusalem with great joy ; and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God.’ 2 The promises of their Lord were abundantly fulfilled; they were 4 filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.’ They rejoiced even amidst per¬ secution, contempt, and reproach,—according to the com¬ mand, and the implied promise, of Jesus, 4 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy; for, behold, your reward is great in heaven : for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.’ 3 The early converts to Christianity were eminent ex¬ amples of the power of this joy. They received the word • in much affliction,’ yet 4 with joy of the Holy Ghost.’ 4 They were 4 exceeding joyful’in all their tribulation. 5 They took joyfully the spoiling of their goods, knowing in themselves that they had in heaven a better and an enduring substance. 6 1 John xvi. 22. 2 Luke xxiv. 51-53. 3 Luke vi. 23. 4 1 Tlies. i. 6. 5 2 Cor. vii. 4. 6 Heb. x. 34. TIIE JOY OF ISRAEL. 245 Christ Jesus, then, is the Joy of his people, The Joy of Israel. He would not have them rest satisfied with con¬ solation and hope, which, sweet as they are, are yet emo¬ tions of comparative delight, deriving their chief value from the opposite emotions of grief and fear, and known only to imperfect beings, placed in a state of vicissitude and danger. lie gives them also joy, an emotion of positive delight and satisfaction, felt in the realms of perfect purity and unchanging bliss, by sinless angels, yea, by the glorious Jehovah himself; for, saith the Lord, ' I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my peo¬ ple.’ 1 ‘ As the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.’ 2 To the believer, when in a lively frame, it seems a cold formal thing, to sit down and deliberately state, why he rejoices in Christ Jesus! The blessed name of the Sa¬ viour fills his heart with joy, ere he has time to trace its sources. This joy has become a sort of second nature to him, which can be better felt than described. Still, we ought to be ready to give a reason of the joy, as well as of the hope, that is in us. Let us therefore inquire first. What grounds of rejoicing the believer has in Christ ? and, secondly , By what means this joy is to be maintained and increased? In this, as in all former inquiries, our guide shall be the infallible word of God, and its replies will be found invariably to accord with experience. The first cause of joy in Christ which the sinner can taste, springs from belief in the reconciliation which he has effected between God and man. 4 We joy in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.’ 3 The word here rendered atone¬ ment might be more properly rendered reconciliation ; for, 1 Isaiah lxv. 19. 2 Isaiah lxii. 5. 3 Rom. v. 11. 246 THE JOY OF ISRAEL. strictly speaking, it is God who receives the atonement , and man the reconciliation wrought by the atonement. 1 What greater joy can be conceived, than that of the self- condemned sinner, when first he finds that the Omni¬ potent Being, whom he has so grievously offended, is pacified toward him ; that God has himself removed every obstacle to peace, and made it consistent with the ho¬ nour of his government, to c justify the ungodly, who believe in Jesus;’ not only to pardon the penitent sin¬ ner, but to admit him to the most cordial and unre¬ served friendship ! It is joy even to hear the message of reconciliation; but O! it is far greater joy to receive the reconciliation, gratefully to acquiesce in the terms of it, and to experience the tenderness of a Fathers forgive¬ ness, of which the reception of the Prodigal Son is a beautiful illustration. The next ground of rejoicing which the believer finds in Christ, is in his perfect Righteousness being imputed to him. With the prophet, he exclaims, ‘ I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.’ 2 This also is ajoy of appropriation and experience. It is joyful news that ‘ the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ, is unto all, and upon all them that believe.’ 3 But how is that joy enhanced when, with lively confi¬ dence, we can say, ‘ Being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and re¬ joice in hope of the glory of God.’ 4 We might enumerate many more grounds of joy which 1 See Scott on Rom. v. 11. 2 Isaiah lxi. 10. 3 Rom. iii. 22. 4 Rom. v. 1,2. THE JOY OP ISRAEL. 247 the believer finds in Christ; for every part of his person, of his character, of his work, and offices, abounds in mat¬ ter of joy, to those whose hearts are opened to receive it. But this would lead to too wide a range, and we must confine ourselves at present to one consideration; viz. that Christian joy arises principally from conscious union and communion with Christ. Union with Christ is necessary to communion with him. A felt union is necessary to joyful communion; and these two, by mutual re-action, strengthen each_ other, and form the basis of the believer’s joy. Assur¬ ance of union with Christ sweetly constrains the believer to seek communion with him, in every appointed way; and the more diligently, humbly, and affectionately he communes with Christ, the stronger becomes his assur¬ ance that he is Christ's , and Christ is his. To 4 rejoice in Christ -Jesus,’ then, we must have some evidence of personal union with him. 4 We must find 4 him ours, otherwise the more excellent he is, the more 4 cause hath the heart to be sad, while it hath no portion 4 in him. 44 My Spirit hath rejoiced saitli the blessed 4 virgin, 44 in God my Saviour.” ’ 1 Many sincere Chris¬ tians shrink from rejoicing at all in their evidences, as if it savoured of legality and self-righteousness; but St Paul, while he utterly renounced his own righteousness for justification, while he confessed that in him, that is in his flesh, there dwelt no good thing, yet rejoiced in the evidences of his interest in Christ, which he could trace in his renewed state and holy walk. To the Co¬ rinthians he writes, 4 Our rejoicing is this , the testimony of our conscience , that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abnn- 1 Leighton. 248 THE JOY OF ISRAEL. dantly to you-ward.’ 1 And he exhorts the Galatians to prove every man his oivn work , and then he should have rejoicing in himself alone? The same lesson is taught in the Old Testament. For, who are they that are summoned to rejoice in the Lord, to he glad in him, and shout for joy 1 ? It is 4 the righte¬ ous ,’ the 4 upright in heart’ 3 —those who know their jus¬ tification by their begun sanctification , and, amid num¬ berless sins and short-comings, are yet conscious of in¬ tegrity in God’s service. Christian joy is well defined by Cruden, as ‘ the de • 4 light and satisfaction of the reasonable soul in its union 4 with God in Christ, as the greatest and highest good, 4 with an actual rejoicing in what is for his honour and 4 glory.’ It was immediately after he had unfolded to his disciples the intimate union they should have with him¬ self, and with the Father, through him, that Jesus said, 4 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.’ 4 From the same source, viz. '•Fellowship with the Father , and with his Son Jesus Christ ,’ the apostle John drew his joy, and urged his brethren to draw theirs , even fulness of joy. 5 If friendly and confidential intercourse between human beings, alloyed as it is by mutual infirmities, and inter¬ rupted as it often is by distance and by death, yet affords so much delight, how delightful must it be to hold inter¬ course, more tender and confiding, than we can enjoy with our most congenial earthly friend, with One who lias no error nor infirmity, being Infinite Perfection and Incom¬ parable Loveliness ; and who, nevertheless, can bear with our infirmities far better than any of our own race can do; who is never absent, and, above all, who can never die! 1 2 Cor. i. 12. 2 Gal. vi. 4. * John xv. 1-11. 6 1 John i. 3, 4. 3 Ps. xxxii. 11 ; lxviii. 3, &c. THE JOY OF ISRAEL. 249 This holy intercourse with Gocl, through Christ, the saints enjoy especially in ordinances , those ‘ wells of sal¬ vation,’ out of which they ‘ draw water with joy.’ 1 They go to the altar of God, unto God their exceeding joy; 2 and he meets them, and makes them joyful in his house of prayer. 3 But not in ordinances only, does the believer rejoice in communion with his God and Saviour. The secret study of God’s word is to him a source of true delight. He rejoices in it, as one that findeth great spoil. 4 He says unto the Lord, ‘ Thy words were found, and I did eat them ; and thy word was unto me the joy and re¬ joicing of mine heart.’ And how abundant does this joy become, when, with conscious interest in the love of God through Christ, the believer can add, ‘ for I am called by thy name, 0 Lord God of Hosts.’ 5 Secret prayer is another most necessary and delightful mode of enjoying God. When, in this exercise, the be¬ liever is admitted to near communion with his heavenly Father, he experiences the truth of the Saviour’s pro¬ mise, ‘ Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full; ’—he finds the declaration of the Psalmist verified, ‘ In thy presence is fulness of joy;’—and feels dispos¬ ed to say to all around him, ‘ O taste and see that the Lord is good.’ But, of all modes of exercising holy joy, the act of praise is the most natural and appropriate ; praise being the expression of the believer’s joy in Christ. When, by remembering God upon our bed, and meditating on him in the night-watches, our soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, the fit expression of this satisfaction is to praise God with joyful lips. 6 Indeed, the very end 1 Is. xii. 3. 2 Ps. xliii. 4. 3 Is. lvi. 7. * Ps. cxix. 162. 6 Jer. xv. 16. ? Ps. Ixiii. 5, G. 2.50 THE JOY OF ISRAEL. for which the Lord turns his people’s mourning into dancing, puts off their sackcloth, and girds them with gladness, is, that they may sing praise to him, and not he silent. 1 It is said in the Psalms, c The saints sing aloud upon their beds.’ Yes, often upon the bed of agony and of death, when the body is fast hastening to decay, the soul rejoices in communion with Christ, and gives utterance to this joy in songs of triumph and praise. The joy which thus cheers the dying saint has been enlarged upon in the preceding Essay, for it is ‘ rejoicing in hope of the glory of God.’ Since, then, the hope of glory gives such unutterable joy, what will its possession give ( We can say nothing concerning it, but that it will be a participation of the joy of our Lord, 2 —a share in that exalted blessedness, which the Redeemer himself enjoys, and for which ‘ he endured the cross, despising the shame.’ 3 And what more need be said ? Oh ! how must the soul be lost in wonder, and delight, when first it enters into the joy of its Lord ! Nor will the joys of heaven, like those of earth, lose their zest by familiarity, or satiate by abundance : they will be ever new, ever increasing, as the capacities of the soul enlarge, and as the glory of God is more fully displayed to it. Then, indeed, ‘ the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs, and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.’ 4 But we have still to show that the believer’s joy springs from communion with Christ, taking the word communion in the sense of a joint and mutual interest , in virtue of which, the believer feels ‘ an actual rejoicing in ‘ whatever is for Christ’s glory.’ 5 1 Ps. xxx. II, 12. 2 Mat. xxv. 21. 3 Heb. xii. 2. 4 Is. xxxv. 10. 5 Cruden. THE JOY OF ISRAEL. 251 As Christ has made the believer’s interest his , so the believer makes Christ’s interest his ; and therefore re¬ joices in every thing that promotes the honour of his name, whether it be the conversion of one sinner, or the preaching of the Gospel to thousands. Some Christians have imagined that they could re¬ joice in the glory of God, though he were to condemn themselves to everlasting destruction. This is going be¬ yond the command, and even beyond the example, of our blessed Master ; for he exhorted his disciples to c re¬ joice that their names were written in heaven ;’ and lie himself was upheld and encouraged in the stupendous work he had undertaken, by looking to ‘ the joy set be¬ fore him.’ But, while our Lord does not require us to forget or overlook our own eternal interests, he certainly requires us to subordinate all our temporal concerns to his cause and that of his Gospel; and to rejoice when that prospers, although our outward condition be far from joyous. Of this, we have a noble example, in St Paul. He determined to rejoice that Christ was preach - ed, although in a manner that was maliciously intended to add affliction to his bonds. 1 And, in expectation of being ‘ offered up ’ a victim for the truths he preached, he joyed and rejoiced, and urged his converts also to joy and rejoice with him, having the assured prospect of re¬ joicing in the day of Christ, that he had not run in vain, neither laboured in vain. 2 In a subordinate sense, Christians are a joy to each other , helpers of each other’s joy. 3 But this joy in each other, when purest, springs from their united rejoicing in Christ, and in his glory, manifested in each other. With such solid and abundant grounds for rejoicing 1 Philip, i. 15-17. 2 Philip, ii. 16-18. 3 1 Thes. ii. 19, 20. 252 THE JOY OF ISRAEL. in Christ Jesus, it is strange that believers should need to be urged to it, as a duty, as well as invited to it, as a privilege. Yet such is the fact. We are sinfully back¬ ward to engage in joyful exercises; and need to be re¬ minded that spiritual joy is one of ‘ the fruits of the Spirit,’ 1 one of the distinguishing features of Christ’s subjects. 2 Our joy in Christ has so little life, energy, or realization, that it would almost seem as if we trans¬ ferred to it the caution of St Paul, with regard to crea- ture-joys ; we rejoice, as though we rejoiced not. We ought, however, to keep in mind, that much more than our own personal comfort depends on our rejoicing in Christ. Besides being the best stimulus to activity and perseverance, for ‘ the joy of the Lord is our strength ,’ 3 it brings honour to God, and greatly promotes the cause of vital religion. It is very hurtful to that cause, when serious Christians allow themselves to wear a gloomy aspect, and make known their complaints more than their joys. It is indeed a difficult command, ‘ Rejoice in the Lord alway.’ The Christian has so many causes for mourning, within and without, that he must need be sometimes in heaviness ; still, he should strive and pray against habitual dejection ; and endeavour, by a cheerful, serene deportment, to invite others to share his joys; saying, ‘ Come thou with us, and we will do thee good.’ Since, then, Christian joy is so delightful to ourselves, so honourable to God, and so edifying to the world; and since, nevertheless, we are so backward to cultivate it; Let us briefly inquire, Secondly , What are the lest means to this end ? The first advice we would give, for the cultivation of 1 Gal. v. 22. 2 Rom. xiv. 17. 3 Nell. viii. 10. THE JOY OF ISRAEL. 253 holy joy, may excite surprise in some readers: it is the cultivation of godly sorrow. The joy to which we are called, is essentially the joy of a soul whom God has redeemedf it is joy in God’s salvation, 2 the joy and glad¬ ness of one whose hones have been broken 3 by conviction of sin. This godly sorrow is generally acknowledged to be necessary to Christian joy, when the soul first flees for refuge to Jesus and his Cross. But is there not an idea too common, that this sorrow belongs chiefly to the out¬ set of the Christian course ; and that, as we advance, it may be exchanged for permanent joy ? True it is, that as the believer grows in the knowledge of the Divine perfections, seen in the face of Jesus Christ, as he grows in experience of the love and faithfulness of the Saviour, and in sanctification, his joy, like all his other graces, grows abundantly. But it is equally true, that his joy can only abound in proportion as his godly sorrow abounds. In so much as he loses the keen sense of what he is saved from, in so much he loses the keen sense of joy in God’s salvation. If the joy of the blessed in heaven is represented as springing from lively recollection of the dangers they have escaped, and of the means whereby they have escaped ; if their most joyful song runs thus, ‘ For Thou Avast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood surely it must ill become the poor sinner on earth to rejoice in Christ without mingling tears of god Iv contrition with his mirth. Nor will this diminish his real joy: it will add to it a sweetness and a tenderness which must be felt to be understood. Those who, like the lark, lie lowest before God, are prepared, like him, to soar highest towards heaven in joyful songs. And if any have ceased habitually to mourn, they need not 1 Ps. lxxi. 23. 2 Ps. xxxv. 9 . 3 Ps. li. 8. 251 THE JOY OF ISRAEL. search farther to discover why they do not habitually rejoice. When to godly sorrow is added lively faith in the finished and accepted work of Christ, fervent love wrought by faith, and assured hope, springing from faith and love, we have all the necessary ingredients for rejoic¬ ing in Christ. Yet, let us remember, that this, like all other graces, must be sought directly from God ; and let our prayer therefore be, ‘ Rejoice the soul of thy ser¬ vant ; for unto thee, 0 Lord, do I lift up my soul.’ ‘ Wilt thou not revive us again, that thv people may rejoice in thee V ESSAY XL. THE GLORY OF ISRAEL. We are now called to rise a step higher in the contem¬ plation of God our Saviour ; to view him, not only as the Hope, and the Joy, but as tiie Glory op his people Israel. ‘ To glory in any object, includes these two things; ‘ first, a high esteem of it ; and then, some concern in it. ‘ We do not glory in the things we are interested in, ‘ unless we esteem them; nor in the things we admire ‘ and esteem, unless we are some way interested in ‘ them.’ 1 Most men, whether individuals or nations, have some¬ thing wherein they glory, boast, or value themselves. But, 4 Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches : but let him that glorieth, glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am the Lord,’ 2 &c. The only true glory of any people, then, consists in their knowledge of the Lord, and their relation to him. This honourable distinction was, for many ages, conferred 1 Maclaurin’s Sermon on Glorying in the Cross of Christ. ! Jer. ix. 23,24. 25 G THE GLORY OF ISRAEL. almost exclusively upon one people : Jehovah was pleased to style himself, ‘ The Lord God of Israel,’ and ‘ The Glory of Israel.’ Thus, when Israel forsook God in the wilderness, it is said, ‘ They changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass.’ 1 And, when God was complaining of the idolatry of Israel, he said, ‘ My people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit;—they have forsaken Me.’ 2 The ark of the covenant was the honourable token of the Jews’ peculiar relation to God ; ‘ a glorious type and ‘ assurance of God’s presence, and the great safeguard ‘ and ornament of Israel, wherein they could glory above ‘ all other nations.’ 3 When this precious symbol fell into the enemies’ hands, it was said, ‘ The glory is de¬ parted from Israel; or, Where is the glory? — There is no glory.’ 4 St Paul, in enumerating the peculiar privileges of Israel, mentions the ceremonial ark, by this name, ‘ The glory.’ But in the same sentence he shows, that to Israel was given a more honoured relation to God, than that which the ark, and all the other ex¬ ternal symbols of God’s presence, could bestow ; viz. that ‘ of them, as concerning the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever.’ 5 We all know that the grand object of glorying to Israel, was their expected Messiah; and that this was one of the Titles under which the Infant Saviour was welcomed by pious Simeon, ‘ The Glory of thy people Israel.’ 6 ‘ About the time of ‘ Christ’s coming, the Jews were big with the hopes of ‘ him, as their great deliverer, and the chief ornament of ‘ their nation. And, if history be credited, even the ‘ heathens had a notion, about that time, which possibly 1 Pa. cvi. 20. 2 Jer. ii. 11. 3 Cruden. 4 1 Sam. iv. 21 ; marginal reading. 5 Rom. ix. 4, 5. t: Luke ii. 32. THE GLORY OF ISRAEL. 25? ‘ was derived from the Jewish prophecies, that there was ‘ a Prince of unparalleled glory to rise in the East, and ‘ even in Judea in particular, who was to found a kind ‘ of universal monarchy. But their vain hearts, like c those of most men in all ages, were so intoxicated with ‘ the admiration of worldly pomp, that that was the only ‘ greatness they had any notion or relish of. This made ‘ them form a picture of Him who was “ the Desire of ‘ all nations,” very unlike the original.’ 1 Professing Christians, however, are not exposed to the same danger as the Jews were, of mistaking the nature of Messiah’s glory. If they do so, their guilt is much more inexcusable, now that he is come, and has mani¬ fested forth his glory, and has sent his Evangelists and Apostles to declare it to the world. Yet is it a lamen¬ table truth, that but a few, out of the multitude of pro¬ fessing Christians, do glory in Christ ; and that those few do not glory in him as they ought. Two things, as stated above, are necessary to our glorying in any object. 1st, A high esteem of it; 2d, some concern in it. Let us then consider how these two things are involved in the believer’s glorying in Christ. It would lead to too great length and repetition, were we to enlarge much here on the first thing mentioned, viz. the high esteem the belie ver has of his Divine Redeemer. It has been, and by God’s help, it shall be, the design of this whole work, to declare the glory and excellency of Immanuel, and to point him out as the supreme object of love, admiration, esteem, and praise, to all men. M e have adored him as the eternal Word and Son of God, reigning in glory with the Father, 4 before the world was.’ We have traced him, in the records of ancient 1 Maclaurin’s Sermon. 258 THE GLORY OP ISRAEL. prophecy, as ‘ the Branch of the Lord, beautiful and glorious;’ who should ‘ build the temple of the Lord, and bear the glory;’ as ‘ the Root of Jesse, whose rest should be glorious ;’ as that Nail in a sure place, upon whom they should hang ‘ all the glory of his Father's house.’ In the history of Christ’s incarnate state, we have heard his Advent hailed, as that which brought ‘ glory to God in the highest.’ We have followed the blessed Jesus, through the streets of Jerusalem; to the moun¬ tain, to the lake, to the dreary wilderness ; we have sat with him in the fishing-boat, and rested with him on the well; we have seen him feeding, healing, and instruct¬ ing assembled multitudes ; apart with his disciples, or alone on the mountain ; and in all these situations, we, like the disciples, have c beheld his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.’ The closing scenes of the Redeemer’s mortal life we have, with intense interest, contemplated ; we have view¬ ed him, as ‘ the Lord of glory,’ even while hanging on the accursed ti’ee. More lately, we have studied the glory of Christ, as Mediator and Covenant-Head, dispensing all spiritual blessings to his people. In future parts of this work, we propose to consider the glory of his Resurrection and Ascension, and the glory in which he will come again to judge the quick and the dead. Such being the aim and design of this whole work, it is unnecessary in one section of it, to enter minutely into the ground of the believer’s high esteem of Christ. We proceed, therefore, to the second thing implied in the believer’s glorying in Christ ; viz. his personal concern or interest in him. THE GLORY OF ISRAEL. 259 The believer glories in Christ, as The Lord his Righteousness, and The Lord his Strength ; 1 in whom he is justified, and by whom he is enabled to conquer every enemy, and overcome every difficulty. He glories in Christ, not only as the Saviour of all them that believe, but as his own Saviour; according to the song of the Psalmist, ‘ I will praise thee, O Lord my Cod, with all my heart; and I will glorify thy name for evermore; for great is thy mercy toward me , and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.’ He glories in Christ, as made to himself, individually, Wis¬ dom, and Righteousness, and Sanctification, and Re¬ demption. He glories in claiming, in his own person, all those near and tender ties of relationship, which Christ has formed between himself and his people ; in cleaving to Immanuel, as his Friend and Brother ; yea, he glories in the wonderful assurance that he is one with Christ, by mutual interest and mutual sympathy; that he dwells in Christ, and Christ in him, by a union more entire, than can be expressed by any earthly union; for it is compared to that which subsists between the Father and the Son. 2 But what chiefly distinguishes the believei’’s glorying in Christ is, that he glories most in that part of the Sa¬ viour’s history which, to the world, is not only offen¬ sive, but contemptible: viz. in bis Cross ! The world would be willing enough to glory in Christ, if they could blot out the Cross from his history. But the true Israelite glories especially in this, saying, ‘ God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ :’ 3 and it is his own personal concern in that Cross, which renders it to the believer an object of glory - 1 Isaiah xlv. 24,25 ; xli. 15, 16. 2 John xvii. 21. 3 Gal. vi. 14. 260 THE GLORY OF ISRAEL. ing : it is when his faith is in lively exercise, and he can say, 4 he loved me, and gave himself for me,’ that the believer most truly and joyfully glories in Christ. But the Christian glories in Christ, not only as an in¬ dividual, but as a member of the Church universal. He therefore rejoices in the assurance, that the Lord is a wall of fire round about Zion, and the glory in the midst of her and that in the New Jerusalem, which is above, the Lord shall be to his Church an everlasting light, and her God her glory, 2 for she shall have ‘ the glory of God/ 3 From the disposition to glory in Christ springs the desire to glorify him: 4 to confess that all the glory, gifts, 4 and dignity, which we have above other men, are given 4 us of God : to be willing: to abase ourselves in the ac- 4 knowledgement of our own vileness, that God may be 4 glorified/ 4 How careful is the Apostle Paid to give to God all the glory of salvation, from its first cause, in electing grace, to its outward manifestation in the life : all is 4 to the praise of the glory of his grace,’ 5 4 unto the glory and praise of God.’ 6 And this is the aim which he urges all his converts to pursue, 4 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.’ 7 4 Ye are bought with a price: therefore glo¬ rify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.’ 8 In like manner St Peter,— 4 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth : that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ.’ 9 But we have higher authority than that of Apostles, 1 Zech. ii. 5. 2 Isaiah lx. 19. 3 Rev. xxi. 11. 4 Cruden. 5 Eph i. 6. 6 Philip, i. 11. 7 1 Cor. x. 31. 8 1 Cor. vi. 20. 9 1 Peter iv. 11. THE GLORY OF ISRAEL. 201 to enforce upon us this universal aim : our Lord himself has said, ‘ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ 1 On first turning to the Title now before us, it did not appear to involve deep searchings of heart and life: hut on longer consideration, it administers the most cutting rebukes and self-condemning reflections. For, since God has given us such an object to glory in, as his dearly- beloved and co-equal Son; and since lie offers to us the most intimate concern in that Son; what must be the guilt of glorying in any thing hut Christ? Still more, what must be the guilt of being ashamed of Christ? Yet, of both these, sins we are all guilty. We are all prone to glory in something of our own ; in opposition to the declared purpose of God, in the scheme of Redemp¬ tion, ‘That no flesh should glory in his presence;’ 2 but that the salvation of every sinner should be ascribed to his rich mercy and free grace ; ‘ not of works, lest any man should boast.’ The propensity to self-glorying ex¬ ists in a great variety of degrees, in different characters ; but some portion of it lurks in every human breast. Some there are, who, though their standard of morality is not very high, are yet so well satisfied with their own doings, that to the grief and astonishment of the Chris¬ tian, he hears them boast of their virtue, and con¬ fidently expect Heaven, as its due reward; as ignorant of the way of salvation as if they had never heard the Saviour’s name, and as ignorant of their own state, as if they had never formally confessed themselves ‘ miserable sinners.’—Others again, less’confident in the sufficiency 1 Mat. v. 16. 2 1 Cor. i. 29. 262 THE GLORY OF ISRAEL. of their own goodness and their own strength, are con ¬ tented to share with Christ the glory of their salvation: they ascribe to the Righteousness of God the glory of completing that of a sinner ; and to the strength of Om¬ nipotence, the glory of assisting that of a w orm ! All such compromises, however, are vain: as God has de¬ clared, ‘ I will not give my glory to another,’ so neither will he condescend to share his glory with another. He must have all the glory in saving, or he will have glory in destroying. St Paul declares, even of Abraham, the father of the faithful, that he had nothing to glory in before God : 1 and of himself the Apostle confesses, that he is nothing , 2 It may be argued, indeed, from the very portion of Scripture where this expression is found, 3 that St Paul did, at times, glory in himself. But the case was very peculiar. The attacks made on the Apostle, by ‘ false apostles and deceitful workers,’ made it necessary for him to recapitulate his labours and sufferings, his disin¬ terestedness, zeal, gifts and graces, which rendered him 1 not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles.’ It was necessary for the defence of the gospel itself, that he should maintain his own integrity, and the authority which 4 the Lord had given him for edification.’ But, although necessary, it is evident that this ‘ boasting’ w r as very repugnant to the humble mind of the Apostle. He repeatedly calls it ‘ folly ;’ says he has become a ‘ fool in glorying,’ and that they had 4 compelled’ him to it. And mark how he sums up all his ‘ boasting.’— 4 If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things that concern my infirmities: ’— 4 Of myself I will not glory, but in mine in¬ firmities:’— 4 Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in 1 llom. iv. 2. 3 2 Cor. x., xi., xii. 2 2 Cor. xii. 11. THE GLORY OF ISRAEL. 263 my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.’ The consistent Christian is often accused by the un¬ godly, of pride, self-esteem, and vain-glory, because his practice secretly condemns theirs, and they therefore cannot believe but that he glories in his superior strict¬ ness and sanctity. But, whereas the Christian will be the first to confess that pride does indeed lurk within him, and that he feels too often the risings of vain- glory ; this very confession proves that pride and self- glorying are not willingly cherished by him, but hated and resisted, as his own worst enemies, and those of his God. He cannot but be conscious that, in many re¬ spects, he differs from the unconverted ; but remember¬ ing Who maketh him to differ, and comparing all his ad¬ vantages, opportunities, and privileges, with the poor returns he makes for them ;—tracing every good thing to the grace of God, and every evil thing to his own cor¬ ruption ; he stands astonished at the wonderful favour shown to so vile a sinner, and exclaims, ‘ Who am I, Cord God, and what is my father’s house, that thou hast brought me hitherto ? ’ But, while genuine humility and true glorying in Christ are to be found only in believers, it is to be lamented, that even they fall sadly short of the holy triumph and exultation which become the followers of so glorious a Leader; that, although they do not wilfully ‘ glory in the flesh,’ they are, nevertheless, sinfully back¬ ward in glorying in Christ; nay, that they are some¬ times ashamed of him ! This latter sin, indeed, belongs more to disciples, than to the world ; for they can hard¬ ly be said to be ashamed of Jesus who never knew him. It is those who have been his chosen companions and confidential friends, who have received his affectionate 204 THE GLORY OF ISRAEL. counsels, his faithful admonitions, and tender assu¬ rances of love ; it is they against whom the charge must chiefly be laid; of being ashamed of Jesus ! Well may we exclaim, 1 Ashamed of Jesus ! can it he ? ‘ A mortal man ashamed of Thee !’ This, certainly, is the most monstrous sin that any man can commit ; and were it not too plainly proved, by observation and sad experience, would seem impos¬ sible. That the carnal mind should be enmity against God, does not appear quite so amazing : but that help¬ less dust and ashes should despise God, should he ashamed to claim kindred with the Lord of Hosts, the King of glory, this must surely excite the wonder of angels and of devils. Yet are believers so strongly tempted to com¬ mit this monstrous sin, that their Lord’s threat that he will deny those who deny him, and his promise that he will confess those who confess him, before his Father in heaven, are both needful to deter them from it. It is in our ordinary walk and conversation, chiefly, that we are called to glorify, and glory in, Christ our Lord; and it is here, also, that we are most tempted to deny him. Let us, then, seriously examine whether, as opportunity offers, we are ready to ‘ show fortli his righteousness and his wisdom all the day;’ or if we do not rather ‘ hide his righteousness within our hearts,’ and blush to ‘ speak of his testimonies,’ before those who despise them; contented to see our glorious Lord forgot¬ ten, and shut out of the world he has created, provided lie he not openly blasphemed. Are we ready, in all companies, and at all times, to avow our obligations to Jesus, and our entire dependance upon him; to claim kindred with him, as our only dis¬ tinguishing glory ? And if we obtain credit for an)- THE GLORY OP ISRAEL. 2 65 thing we have done, are Ave anxious to ascribe the whole merit of it to Christ ? Or, are we not, rather, well pleased to receive approbation in our own persons, and to welcome the applause of the pious, in exchange for that of the world ? A profession of serious religion is now so common, and, in most societies, so respectable, that it requires but little Christian courage to maintain it in a certain de¬ gree. But, if some mode of honouring Christ be proposed to us, that goes a single step beyond the line marked out by custom in the circle wherein Ave move, do not many doubts, and hesitations, and sinful excuses arise, to deter us from thus glorifying our Lord ? Surely our hearts are but little filled with love to Christ, else Ave should not measure so narrowly the amount of glory AA T e ought to render him. Oh ! that we had more of the Apostle’s spirit, who could say, ‘ Noav thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knoAvledge by us in eA’ery place.’ For attaining this spirit, the same graces are neces¬ sary as for attaining Christian joy, namely, Repent¬ ance, Faith, Loa’c, and Hope. And our glorying in Christ Avill always keep pace Avith our assurance of a personal interest in him. St Paul was not ashamed of Christ and his gospel, because he knew not only in whom lie had believed, and the power and willingness of Christ to keep all the souls committed unto him against that day, but he knew that he had committed his own soul to Christ; 1 that he had made a personal covenant Avith God, through the one Mediator ; and therefore his eter¬ nal interests were secure. In proportion, then, as Ave know Christ , and know him to he ours, Ave shall glory in 1 2 Tim. i. J2. VOL. II, M 266 THE GLORY OF ISRAEL. him, and glorify him in our body and in our spirit, which are his. Finally, let us remember, that the disposition to glory in Christ, prepares us, more than any other frame of mind for the occupations and joys of heaven ; and that glory¬ ing in the cross of Christ especially, prepares us for joining in the song of angels and blessed spirits above, who cry, ‘ Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.’ ‘ Be tliou exalted, O God, above the heavens ; let thy glory be above all the earth.’ PART vn. ADDITIONAL OFFICES, OF A MORE PERSONAL NATURE, WHICH THE REDEEMER SUSTAINS TOWARDS HIS PEOPLE. ESSAY XLI. THE SHEPHERD OF ISRAEL—THE GOOD SHEPHERD. We have for some time been occupied, not so much in direct contemplation of the Redeemer, as in considering the spiritual blessings enjoyed by believers, in conse¬ quence of their union with him. We now return with pleasure to fix our regards more directly on his adorable Person and Character ; proposing, in this, and four suc¬ ceeding Essays, to view him under the tender and en¬ dearing appellations of Shepherd, Physician, Friend, Brother, and Husband. 4 A Pastor, or Shepherd, signifies one who takes care of 4 a flock of sheep, not only that they feed in good pasture, 4 but that they be not torn by wild beasts, or hurt any 4 other way. It is spoken of God , who performs the of- 4 fice of a faithful Shepherd to his people, by leading, 4 feeding , preserving , and healing them ; 1 and of Christ , 4 who not only exposed and adventured his life, but also 1 Ps. xxiii. 268 THE SHEPHERD OF ISRAEL— ‘ willingly laid it down for liis sheep, and who takes the ‘ charge, care, and oversight of them, to dispense all ‘ things necessary for their welfare. Christ Jesus per- ‘ forms all the offices of a tender and faithful Shepherd ‘ towards his people, carrying himself with great wisdom, ‘ condescension, and compassion, to every one of them, 1 according to their several capacities and infirmities. ‘ lie feeds them by his word , Spirit , grace , fulness , re- ‘ dcmption , ordinances , and providences .’ 1 The office of Shepherd was, in the primitive ages, more important and honourable, and therefore more strikingly emblematic of the Saviour, than it can be in modern times. In the Patriarchal age, a man’s riches consisted chiefly in the abundance of his flocks and herds; and they were tended, not by hirelings, as in the present day, hut by the sons and daughters of the owner, el¬ even by the owner himself. Since, then, we see so much patient watching, willing endurance of hardship, and venturing of life itself, in those who are hut hired shepherds, how much more might be looked for in the son of the owner, or in the owner himself! Now, the flock which Christ feeds is his Father’s flock, for he ap¬ pointed him to he his Shepherd : it is his own flock, for he has purchased it with his own blood. The passages of Scripture to which our attention is chiefly called by this title are the following :—Ps. xxiii. ; Ixxx. 1; Is. xl. 11 ; liii. 6 ; Ezek. xxxiv.; Micah v. 4 ; Zechariah xiii. 7; Luke xv. 4—6'; John x. 11-16, and 26-30 ; xxi. 15-17 ; Heb. xiii. 20 ; 1 Pet. ii. 25 ; v. 4 ; Rev. vii. 17. These passages are all so beautifully simple, and so mutually illustrative, that nothing is wanted hut an at - tentive comparison of them one with another, to form 1 -Cr-uden. TJ1E GOOD SHEPHERD. 269 an affecting and impressive picture of 4 tlie Good,’ 4 the Great,’ 4 the Chief Shepherdof the wonders of his Per • son, the excellences of his character, the situation of his sheep, and the manner in which he performs towards them his office of Pastor. Let us then collect some of the leading truths to he gathered from these Scriptures, relative to the Good Shepherd. First, we would remark, that as no office of Christ more obviously requires him to he Divine, so in no office is his Divinity more clearly revealed. Our Shepherd is 4 the Lord,’ ‘ the Lord God,’ ‘ Fie that dwelleth between the elierubims,’ 4 The everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.’ 1 But, it being necessary, for the discharge of this ar¬ duous office, that the agent be human as well as divine, these same Scriptures teach us, for our comfort, that the Shepherd of Israel is Man, as well as the Fel¬ low of the Lord of Hosts; 2 that although, in essential dignity, he reigned from everlasting, the independant and self-existent Jehovah, he, nevertheless, took upon him the form of a servant, and became Shepherd to the lea¬ ther, his Servant David ; 3 that although he himself was God over all, he was to stand and feed (or rule) the flock of God, 4 in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.’ 4 We see clearly predicted, in the texts referred to, the sufferings to which the Good Shepherd must be exposed, not only from the enemies of his flock, but from their just and holy Owner, from whom they had strayed. The Lord of Hosts himself commands the sword to awake against his Shepherd, and smite him. But we see also that the Good Shepherd voluntarily laid down his life 1 Ps. xxiii. ] ; Is. xl. 10 ; Ps. lxxx. 1 ; Is. xl. 28. 2 Zech. xiii. 7. 3 Ezek. xxxvii. 24, 25. 4 Micah v. 4. 270 THE SHEPHERD OF ISRAEL' for the sheep; that he had power to lay it down, and power to take it again ; and that he was, for this volun¬ tary sacrifice of himself, the object of special love to his Father; 1 in proof of which, he brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep. 2 After he rose again, we find that our Shepherd commit- ed the care of his flock to subordinate pastors, to feed them under his direction, and after his example ; 3 still reserving to himself the name and office of Chief Shep¬ herd, 4 and promising to appear again in this world, to reward his faithful servants, and destroy all his and their enemies. Many truths concerning the sheep of Christ are also to be gathered from these Scriptures. We see that they are all by nature alienated from God, their rightful Owner ; 5 and, though destitute of all real comfort, and exposed to continual dangers, while at a distance from him, that they have neither power nor inclination to re¬ turn to the fold, but must be brought back by the arm of Omnipotence. 6 We see, that even when brought back, they are prone to wander again, each in his own way, and are quite ignorant as to the path they should take, and the food that is best for them; that they are, therefore, always dependant on Christ, for the supply of all their wants, for protection in every danger, and guidance in every perplexity. 7 Especially, we see here, how carefully, tenderly, and effectually, our Lord Jesus discharges his office of Pas¬ tor ; how faithfully he watches over the Church, and every member of it, leading, restoring, and satisfying the souls of his people, and dispensing to each of them those 1 John x. ] 7, 18. 2 Heb. xiii. 20. 3 John xxi. 15-17. * 1 Pet. v. 4. 5 Is. liii. 6. 6 Luke xv. 4-6. 7 Ps. xxiii. THE GOOD SHEPHERD. 2 ? 1 o'ifts of nature, those advantages of Providence, those means of grace, and those influences of the Holy Ghost, which are needful in their respective circumstances. His constant care is to promote their spiritual health, vigour, growth, and comfort; and their eternal safety he declares to be infallible, secured by the united power of the Father and himself. ‘ They shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and none is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.’ 1 We see here, also, the mu¬ tual fellowship and affection that subsists between Christ and his people, and the obedience which they render to his word, Spirit, and example; for he knows them, and they know him ; they hear his voice, and follow him. 2 In all ages, Immanuel has been the Shepherd of Israel; but he w T as not fully invested with this office till after his death, resurrection, and exaltation. In one respect, he is a striking contrast to all merely human pastors, viz. that whereas their labours and usefulness terminate at their death, his death was the necessary introduction to his most valuable services to the flock. For, by dying, he not only defeated and destroyed the enemies of his sheep, but procured for them the best possible nourish¬ ment, his own flesh and blood, and the best possible guidance, his Holy Spirit; and by dying, also, he ob¬ tained authority to dispense, out of his own fulness, all things needful for them in time and in eternity. But, that we may better appreciate this encouraging- office of our Redeemer, let us view, more in detail, his treatment of 4 the people of his pasture, the sheep of his hand.’ The first thing he has to do is to ‘ search and 2 John x. 14, 27. 1 John x. 28-30. 272 THE SHEPHERD OF ISRAEL- seek out ’ his sheep, for they have ‘ wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill/ ‘ When he hath found’ one of these silly wanderers, he does not merely invite and advise it to return to the fold. No, he ‘ lays it on his shoulder,’ and brings it back ; and then calls on his friends in earth and in heaven to rejoice with him, for he has found his sheep which was lost. How safe and happy is the sheep now ! the object of its good Shepherd’s constant attention and tender care! ‘ How can it want if He provide ? ‘ Or lose its way with such a guide ?’ The lambs are the objects of special care to the Good Shepherd. He gathers them with his arm when on the brink of ruin, carries them in his bosom 1 when benumb¬ ed or weary, and commends them to the peculiar kind¬ ness of the under-sliephcrds. 2 But his tender compas¬ sion, wisdom, and power, are equally exerted in behalf of every part of his flock ; and his skill is wonderfully displayed in assigning to all of them the pasture best suited to their constitution, and in rendering every spot salubrious to them, even those which naturally appear the least so. Some of his sheep he leads beside ‘ the waters of quietness,’ 3 and makes them to lie down in green pastures most of their lives ; others he leads by steep and rugged paths, over the high mountain, where they are exposed to many a chilling blast and wintry storm, and are forced to crop the scanty herbage from the rock. But, in the case of all the sheep, this promise is fulfilled, ‘ He that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.’ 4 Those bred on the mountain are often more hardy and vigorous, than those which lie down in ‘ the pastures of 1 Is. xl. 11. 2 John xxi. 13-17. 3 Ps. xxiii. 2 ; margin. 4 Is. xlix. 10. THE GOOD SHEPHERD. 2 170 7o tender grass,’ 1 and exhibit more manifestly the power and wisdom of the Shepherd. We remarked, a little ago, how safe and happy were the sheep, as soon as they were brought into the fold. True, their eternal happiness is secure; for the Good Shepherd has himself declared, ‘ I give unto them eter¬ nal life ; and they shall never perish.’ And they enjoy more or less of happiness, from the moment they enter the fold. Yet they are not exempted from temporary alarms, dangers, and distresses, otherwise there would be no room for the exercise of some of the tenderest of¬ fices of their Shepherd. The truth is, they are still poor, silly creatures, prone to wander, though not allow¬ ed finally to stray ; exposed to the attacks of wild beasts, though never mortally wounded ; and liable to innumer¬ able infirmities and sicknesses, though their sickness is ‘ not unto death.’ There is, therefore, continual need of the Shepherd’s vigilance and kindness, to bring again that which was driven away, to bind up that which was broken, and to strengthen that which was sick. 2 Some¬ times, indeed, the sheep have grievous falls, so as to break some of their bones, 3 and fill them with sore anguish. Sometimes one of them is so near being devoured by the roaring Lion, that the Shepherd has to come and deliver it out of his mouth. This is not owing to any want of vigilance on the part of the Good Shepherd; but to the heedlessness, disobedience, and fool-hardiness of the sheep; to their rashness, in venturing too near the edge of pre¬ cipices, and the haunts of the beasts of prey. Even these melancholy cases, however, are, by the wisdom of the Shepherd, turned into occasions of good, both to the suf¬ ferers themselves, and to the rest of the flock. And oh ! how astonishing are his patience, forbearance 1 Ps. xxiii. 2 ; margin. 2 Ezek. xxxiv. 16. 3 Ps. li. 8. 2 74 TI1E SHEPHERD OF ISRAEL- and loving-kindness, towards his erring sheep ! IIow mercifully does he restore them again; healing the wounds they have brought upon themselves, nourishing them again with rich pasture, refreshing them again with streams of living water, and leading them again in the paths of righteousness, for his own Name’s sake. The flock of Christ, however, do not remain long in the wilderness, where so many dangers abound. 3fore fertile plains await them, in a better Country ; where no ravenous beast shall roam, where none of the sheep shall ever be sick, nor one of them wander a step out of the way. The same blessed Shepherd will be over them in that Land; not to deliver them out of dangers, for that will no longer be necessary; but to bestow on them the abundant delights of the heavenly Country : ‘ for the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters.’ 1 In order to reach that blissful shore, every one of the sheep must cross a narrow, but dark valley; and, in spite of all the joys they expect on the other side, this valley appears very formidable to the poor timorous crea¬ tures. None of their companions can go along with them through it, nor return to give a report of it to those on this side. The Good Shepherd himself, however, has passed through this valley, and accompanies every one of his sheep in their passage through it. With his rod and his staff he supports and comforts them ; and although many of them very much dread the valley, while looking at it from a distance, most of them 4 fear no evil,’ when actually entering it. They depart in peace, many of them in lively hope and triumphant joy ; anticipating that great decisive day, when He who has been their 1 Rev. vii. 17. THE GOOD SHEPHERD. 275 Shepherd shall appear as the Judge of quick and dead, and shall own them for his sheep, 1 his valued flock, whom he purchased with his own blood, and whom he will set on his right hand for ever. If, from the keeper of sheep, we turn to the pastors that feed God’s people, to the shepherds of immortal soids, we have an emblem of Christ, still more true and more delightful. Let us then think of the Chief Shepherd, as often as we see a faithful human pastor, bearing his image, and treading in his steps. Do we see ‘ a man of like passions with ourselves,’ assiduously feeding his flock ‘ with knowledge and understanding,’ labouring for their welfare day and night with indefatigable per¬ severance, administering those holy ordinances which, through God’s blessing, nourish, satisfy, and strengthen believers, arouse the careless, and convert the sinner ?— Do we see him following up in private his public labour; watching, with peculiar tenderness, the young and the newly-converted ; sympathising with and coun¬ selling the afflicted and tempted; confirming the wa¬ vering, encouraging the timid, warning the rebellious, reproving backsliders, and building up the faithful ?— Let us remember that we view, here, but a faint repre¬ sentation of the Good Shepherd, and let us raise our admiring regards from the instrument, to the Divine Agent, from the servant, to his Lord. And, while we fervently thank God for giving us pastors after his own heart; while we feel towards them, especially towards any one of them who was the instrument of our own conversion or revival, a mingled reverence, gratitude, and affection, which can be’better felt than described; Oh! should not these emotions be unspeakably stronger to- 1 Mat. xxv. 32. 2 76 THE SHEPHERD OP ISRAEL- wards the great ‘ Shepherd and Bishop of our souls,’ the Lord Jesus Christ! How immensely important is the question, Whether or not we belong to Christ’s little flock ? For, if not, instead of enjoying all the benefits flowing from his Al¬ mighty Guardianship, we are exposed, defenceless, to the rage and subtlety of Satan, are liable every moment to fall into the dangerous pit-falls of error and of crime, and to be plunged by death into the unfathomable abyss of never-ending woe. © If we are desirous to ascertain this point, let us in¬ quire, Whether we have experienced any change so great as that implied in being found when lost, and brought in when wandering ? This change, indeed, is in some cases very gradual, yet in most, it is perceptible: and if we are not conscious of having once been wan- © derers, by nature, by habit, and by inclination, it is to be feared we are wanderers still. Let us also inquire, Whether our dispositions and ha¬ bits are like those of Christ’s sheep,—gentle, tractable, confiding, and submissive; especially, whether we resem¬ ble them in those points whereby the Good Shepherd has himself described them ; viz. that they know him, hear his voice, and follow him ? As the Good Shepherd inti¬ mately knows every one of his sheep, so is he known of them ; not by general report, merely, nor by the com ¬ mendations of others; but by their own personal experi¬ ence of his faithfulness and compassion, of his forbearance, wisdom, powder, and love. This experimental knowledge of Christ cannot be described in words ; but, that we may ascertain whether we have it or not, let us inquire again, Do we expect, listen for, and hear, the voice of Christ, speaking to us in his Word, his Providences, and by his THE GOOD SHEPHERD. q r< ry £ i i Spirit? Even the inferior animals know the voice of their keeper : it would be strange, then, if the sheep of Christ did not know His voice. But they do know it, for they follow him. He has gone before them, in 4 the path of righteousness; ’ and they are willing to follow him ‘ whithersoever he goetli,' whether 4 through evil report or good report.’ Know¬ ing their own ignorance, and folly, and confiding in his wisdom, power, and grace, they rejoice that they are not left to choose their own pasture, but that their Shep¬ herd chooses it for them. They are anxious to keep close beside their Shepherd; following hard after him, 1 fixing their eye upon his eye, 2 that he may guide them with it ; listening to his faintest whisper, relishing his pleasant pastures, and fearful lest they should turn aside from the footsteps of his flock; and when they do turn aside, as too frequently happens, looking to Him alone to restore them. If, after this examination, we find any solid ground to hope, that we are indeed members of Christ’s little flock ; how fervent should be our gratitude to the blessed Shep¬ herd, who ‘ Found us wandering far from God, 4 And brought us to his chosen fold.’ Had he not brought us back, we should have wandered farther and farther from safety and from happiness, from heaven, and from God. And oh! we may ask, Why were we found, while multitudes are left to wander on and perish ? No reason can be given, but this, 4 Even so Father ; for so it seemed good in thy sight.’ Finally, as by the mercy of God, we Gentiles have been brought into one fold with his ancient flock ; so let 3 Ps. xxxii. 8. 1 Ps. lxiii. 3. 278 TJIE SHEPHERD OP ISRAEL. us joyfully expect, and ardently pray for, the time, when ‘ He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock ;’ 1 when 4 there shall he one fold, under one Shepherd;’ when 4 the Lord God will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land :—and one King shall be king to them all.’ 2 To these glorious ends, let us importunately pray, 4 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock ; Thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.’ 1 Jer. xxxi. 10. 2 Ezek. xxxvii. 21-2.5. ESSAY XLII. PHYSICIAN. Every office of the Lord Jesus Christ implies a corres¬ ponding character or condition of his people. His as¬ suming the office of Shepherd implies that they, like sheep, are helpless, dependant, erring creatures : his as¬ suming the office of Physician implies that they are sick; as Jesus himself has said, ‘ They that be whole need not a Physician, but they that are sick.’ 1 We remarked, of the title Shepherd, that it would be a more striking emblem of the Redeemer, in the primi¬ tive ages than it is in modern times : but the reverse ap¬ pears in the title now before us. The term Physician would not, perhaps, convey to the mind of a pious Israel¬ ite, so many soothing and touching associations, as it does to that of a Christian, in the present day. In all ages, and under every dispensation, since the Fall, sickness and disease have been sent by God for the punishment of sin, and for the purification of the soul ; and have been removed by him in his own time and way. The faithful, in all ages, have been ready to acknowledge, ‘ The Lord killeth, and maketli alive : he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.’ 2 ‘ lie 1 Mat. ix. 12. 2 1 Sam. ii. 6. 2S0 PHYSICIAN. maketh sore, and bindeth up; lie woundeth, and liis hands make whole/ 1 But, while the infliction and the cure of sickness have both proceeded from God, equally under all dispensations ; he has been pleased to vary the modes of conveying them, under different dispensations ; making bare his holy arm as the immediate Agent, under one; and employing instruments and subordinate agents, under another. Now, the Israelites of old were under a dispensation of the former description. It was a part of the national covenant, made with them by Jehovah, that he would take away all sickness from them, and put upon them none of the evil diseases of Egypt, as long as they con¬ tinued obedient; but that if disobedient, he would make all those diseases to cleave unto them, and every sick¬ ness and every plague. 2 They were under a dispensa¬ tion of temporal retribution, and miraculous interposi¬ tion. Their diseases were often sent as the instantaneous judgment of God, for some particular offence ; and were removed, as instantaneously, on their repentance, or in answer to prayer. We read many instances of this, both in individuals, such as Miriam, Gehazi, Uzziah; and in the nation generally, as in the ‘ fiery serpents,’ and the plague inflicted for 4 numbering the people.’ The leprosy, which, in its worst form, seems to have been known only to the Israelites, was treated peculiarly as a disease sent by God, and to be cured by him alone. Among all the laws respecting it, we find not a single remedy to be used for its prevention or cure. The priests were the only physicians consulted. They examined the patients, judged of the virulence of the disorder, watched the progress of its removal, and pronounced the reality 1 Job v. 18. 2 Deut. vii. 15 ; xxviii. CO, 61. PHYSICIAN. 281 of its cure; and when that was complete, offered sacri¬ fices to God, thus ascribing to Him all the glory. When, to this consideration, of the economy under which they were placed, we add, the small progress the ancient Hebrews had made in natural philosophy and science, it is fair to infer, that they were not much ac¬ customed to trace their sicknesses to physical causes, nor to consult physicians when sick. And, although we have reason to conclude, that the healing art was not altogether unknown or unpractised by them ; that natu¬ ral substances, such as ‘ The Balm of Gilead,’ were ap¬ plied by them for healing purposes ; and that the use of means, in dependance on God’s blessing, could never be unlawful; yet, in the only instance recorded in the Old Testament, of application to physicians for the cure of bodily disorder, a censure is implied. 4 Asa was diseas¬ ed in his feet, until his disease was exceeding- great: yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians.’ 1 We, who live under the Gospel dispensation, are very differently circumstanced, regarding sickness and its cure. Our maladies, though sent in Fatherly love to believers, are still the effects and punishments of sin, as were those of ancient Israel: but they often come upon us gradually and imperceptibly; and we cannot, in general, trace them to any one particular sin. Our recovery from sickness is as truly the gift of God, as were the miraculous cures of the Israelites. But, in¬ stead of healing us with a word, or commanding us, in order to our cure, to burn incense, to offer burnt-offer¬ ings, or wash seven times in Jordan, the Lord gener¬ ally heals us by the instrumentality of physicians and medicines. Since the cessation of miracles, God has 1 2 Chron. xvi. 12. 2S2 PHYSICIAN. mercifully instructed men in various sciences, whereby the diseases of the human frame are greatly mitigated and cured; and those sciences, gathering strength from the accumulating experience of each succeeding age, have attained a proficiency, a depth, and an accuracy, which unassisted reason could never have reached. Innumer¬ able are the substances, collected from all the tribes of earth, and mingled in infinite varieties of proportion and combination, which are made to yield their properties to the cure of human disorders; innumerable are the alle¬ viations which the skilful physician has in store ; won¬ derful the cures he is enabled to perform. And when to skill is added benevolence, and to benevolence, Chris¬ tian principle, the physician is one of the most valued characters in the world. He is endeared to thousands, by his kind and inestimable services. He has access to the family circle, in the hour of bereavement, and during all the alternations of hope and fear, which precede that hour. His soothing attentions make their way into ‘ the house of mourning,’ when those of other friends can scarcely gain admittance; and he has the most favour¬ able opportunities for dropping a ‘ word in season’ to the sick, the dying, and the afflicted. No profession, in short, affords such ample scope for imitating Him who ‘ went about doing good,’ except that of the spiritual physician, the physician of souls. It forms, therefore, a very delightful emblem of Christ, to his people. But, if the Hebrew's were less acquainted with the instrumental healer, they were, for that very reason, less tempted than w r e are, to ascribe to second causes, what is due to the Great First Cause; and more prac¬ tically mindful that it was the Lord who healed them. Under this character, he revealed himself to them, at the waters of Marah ; converting hitter and poisonous PHYSICIAN. 283 streams into refreshing draughts, that they might thence¬ forth know him by this consoling name, ‘ The Lord that healeth thee.’ 1 In the prophetic intimations of Messiah’s earthly so¬ journ, his power of miraculous healing formed a conspi¬ cuous feature, joined with testimonies to his Divinity. ‘ Behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence ; he will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall he unstopped : then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sino-.’ 2 When Jesus came, therefore, and fulfilled so richly these pre¬ dictions, the Jews were without excuse, for not confess¬ ing him as their Messiah and their God. If, in any one character, while on earth, he shone more brightly than another, it was in this character of Physician. ‘ He healed all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.’ And it is remarkable, that most of the diseases cured by Jesus, were such as are incurable by human skill or natural remedies ; the leper, the paralytic, the man blind from his birth, the deaf, and the dumb, alike experienced his healing power ; not to mention his casting out evil spirits, who, in that age, seem, by Divine permission, to have exercised a power¬ ful influence, for the infliction of bodily disorders. Nor was it necessary that the Divine Physician should see or examine, the objects of his mercy : he perfectly knew their symptoms ; and a word from him, spoken at a dis¬ tance, or a touch of the hem of his garment, secretly stolen, was sufficient to cure the most inveterate and long- continued maladies. The utmost skill of human phy¬ sicians cannot finally rescue their patients from the hand of death;'but Jesus raised his patients even from the 1 Exod. xv. 23-26. 2 Is. xxxv. 4-6. 284 PHYSICIAN. grave. And his sovereign authority to rebuke bodily sickness was still further manifested, by his delegating that authority to his apostles and disciples. Thus far, we have considered only the sickness of the body, and Christ as the Healer of it. But the soul has its sicknesses as well as the body, And these are as much more dreadful and dangerous, as eternity is longer than time. ‘ The polluted nature of man (says Leighton), is ‘ no other but a bundle of desperate diseases. It were ‘ a large task to name our spiritual maladies; how much ‘ more, severally to unfold their natures. Did we see it, ‘ no infirmary or hospital was ever so full of loathsome ‘ and miserable spectacles as, in a spiritual sense, our ‘ wretched nature is, in any one of us apart. How ‘ much more, when multitudes of us are met together ? ‘ But our evils are hid from us, and we perish miserably ‘ in a dream of happiness. That makes up and com- 1 pletes our wretchedness, that we feel it not, with our ‘ other diseases, and this makes it worse still.’ But, blessed be God, we have an infallible Physician for our souls, even the same Jesus who healed every dis¬ ease of the body, and who did so for this purpose, among others, that he might encourage us to apply to him for the healing of our souls. lie is the only Physician of Souls, the Physician in Gilead, who, by his blood and Spirit, recovers the health of God’s people. As Mes¬ siah, it was promised that he should ‘ bind up the broken¬ hearted,’ ‘ heal the broken in heart, and bind up their wounds,’ and that, ‘ by his stripes,’ his people should be ‘ healed;’ that he should ‘ arise’ unto them ‘ with healing in his wings.’ 1 Had any doubt remained as to the meaning of these, 1 Jer. viii. 22 ; Is. lxi. 1 ; Ps. cxlvii. 3 ; Is. liii. 5 ; Mai. iv. 2. PHYSICIAN. 285 and many other prophetic intimations, our Lord him¬ self has removed it, by his own assumption of the title and office now before us. ‘ They that are whole (said Jesus), have no need of the physician, hut they that are sick : I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. ’ 1 Let us, then, with all humility and reverence, and with ardour, such as our own urgent need should ex¬ cite, approach the study of our heavenly Physician; viewing him in his Person, in the way in which he ob¬ tained this important office, and in the manner wherein he executes it. Ilis Person is such as should engage and command our strongest confidence. It is Divine and Human in one. Who but an Infinite, Omnipotent, and Omniscient Being could discover and cure the diseases of millions at one time, and this throughout all ages ; prescribing to each individual, the atmosphere, the nourishment, and the medicine, required for his peculiar case ? Again, who hut a Human being could enter into all the pains, and griefs, and sicknesses, to which our bodies and souls arc alike exposed ? To obtain this office , then, and to qualify himself for it, the Son of God became Man ; ‘ himself took our infir¬ mities, and bare our sicknesses.’ He was wounded, bruised, and pierced, both in body and spirit, till at length he ‘ poured out his soul unto death.’ Thus he acquired from the Father the credentials of his office ; and thus he acquired the most entire acquaintance with all the feelings of his patients, both corporeal and mental, the feeling of remorse alone excepted. • We shall now consider, more at length, the manner in which our blessed Physician discharges his office. 1 Mark ii. 17. 280 PHYSICIAN. It is a wise and merciful ordination of Providence, in our bodily frame, that most of its diseases are accom¬ panied with pain, which indicates their seat and cause, and directs the physician to a suitable remedy. But this is not always the case. Some of the most dangerous maladies are unattended by pain : they may be making fatal inroads on the constitution : some of the vitals may be on the point of ceasing to perform their func¬ tions ; while yet the man appears to his friends, and even to himself, to be in perfect health. So is it with the worst diseases of the soul. And, if it be melancholy to see one on the bed of death, unconscious of his danger, and talking of what he will do when he recovers, how much more melancholy is it to see a soul, sick of mortal disease, and yet refusing to believe it is sick ; yea, boast¬ ing that it has no ‘ need of healing;’ and consequently rejecting the counsel of the great Physician ! It is one of the most precious parts of his character, however, that he does not wait till his patients come to him of their own accord. lie knows they cannot do so. He, therefore, goes into the world, as into a country ra¬ vaged by the Plague, and thence selects inmates for his great Hospital, the Church on earth. lie then places them under the superintendence of his ministering ser¬ vants, and supplies them with every thing conducive to returning health. © The first medicine given to the patients is generally a very nauseous one ,—the sense of their true condition. The effect of this is to show them that, while they dreamed of health, they were covered with a leprosy which ren¬ dered them loathsome to God, and excluded them from all real participation of his ordinances, or communion with himself and his people:—that, in respect of hea¬ venly things, they had been blind, deaf, dumb, lame, PHYSICIAN. 28T and lunatic; and that, had the Divine Physician not in¬ terposed in their hehalf, they must have ‘ perished ever¬ lastingly.’ This medicine heartily received, the worst of the danger is past; for the patient becomes willing to submit to all the rules of the Hospital, to take all the re¬ medies prescribed, however disagreeable, and to expect a cure from the Great Physician alone. But when this medicine is but partially received, when Ephraim sees his sickness, and Judah his wound, 1 hut they see not the only efficacious cure, they then fly to physicians of no value; they try to prove that their disease is not so had as it is represented, and that, by remedies of their own invention, they will soon get better; or they have re¬ course to palliatives, drawn from human infirmity, from the strength of temptation, from counterbalancing good deeds,—and, when all these things combined, fail to as¬ suage the pangs of conscience, they apply the mercy of God, mingled with the former ingredients. Yet cannot these balms heal them, nor cure them of their wounds. There is but One Balm, and hut One Physician, hut One Way, whereby any can he healed. It is this,— ‘ Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.’ 2 After spending all that we have on other physicians, we shall he nothing better, hut rather grow worse, until we come to Jesus, crying, ‘ Unclean, un¬ clean.’ ‘ Thou Son of David, have mercy upon us.’ And if we can say no more than ‘ Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean,’ he will put forth his hand, saying, ‘ I will, he thou clean.’ After the Leprosy of Unconversion has been cured, the patient is pronounced clean by the Great Physician, be¬ ing clothed in the white robe of imputed righteousness, 1 Hosea v. 13. 2 Hosea vi. 1, 288 PHYSICIAN. cleansed from the guilt of sin, and, in a measure, cured of the love of sin. Still, however, many virulent dis¬ eases retain their hold within the patient, and at times break out visibly. Pride, vanity, uncharitableness, envy, indolence, carnal security, worldly mindedness, unbelief, and many other dangerous maladies, lurk in his consti¬ tution, and require the unremitting care of the Physi¬ cian to subdue and eradicate them. Fully aware of all this, the Good Physician visits his Hospital daily, hourly, that he may examine his patients, and treat them ac¬ cordingly. He feels for every sufferer, as for the apple of his eye. His tenderness infinitely surpasses that of any of his servants. Yet, at times, He appears less compassionate than they do. When one of them would administer a strong cordial to a fainting soul, or pour balm into a bleeding wound, His superior skill sees far different remedies needful. The patient, though low, needs to be brought lower still ; the wound, though smarting, must not be healed so soon, lest it rankle be¬ neath the surface, and corrupt the whole frame. The Physician is too wise to heal the wounds of his patients ‘ slightly.’ 1 He, therefore, probes them to the quick, pressing still harder upon that part which shrinks from his touch, till the patient is often forced to cry.out in anguish of spirit. But when the wound is in a safe state for closing, O how soothing, how comfortable is the balm he applies, that Balm of wondrous value, and universal efficacy, his own most precious Blood ! Or, when the crisis of the fever is past, when the wasted frame seems just sinking, and all other help is proved totally vain, how wonderfully does the Divine Healer manifest his power, wisdom, and love! He ‘ revives the spirit of the humble, and the heart of the contrite ones.’ He pours 4 Jer. vi. 14. PHYSICIAN. 289 4 oil and wine’ into the bleeding wounds, and binds them np in a manner that none of his servants can do. The recovery of the patients, in this Hospital, varies much in rapidity and in completeness. Complete reco¬ very indeed, is not promised, until they leave the Hospital, and gain access to the 4 leaves’ of a certain tree, 1 which grows in a better Country, and which, along with the more genial climate of that Country, will give perfect health and immortal vigour, to every one that touches them. But the patients would enjoy much better health than they do, were they more careful in following the written directions, given to each of them on entering the House of the Great Physician ; directions adapted to the cases of all, and which the Physician is ever ready to explain and apply to every one in particular. There are many genei*al directions applicable to all the patients, such as, ‘ Watcli and pray always; ’ 4 Repent, and believe the Gospel;’ 4 Be not afraid, only believe;’ 4 Draw nigh unto God ;’ 4 Resist the devil;’ 4 Keep thy heart with all diligence;’ 4 Love not the world;’ 4 Set your affections on things above;’ 4 Consider your ways;’ 4 See that ye walk circumspectly;’ 4 Search the Scriptures ;’ 4 Pray without ceasing;’ 4 Prepare to meet thy God;’ 4 Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God,’—with many others. Some of the patients, by diligently following these directions, and by entrusting themselves simply and un¬ reservedly into their good Physician’s hands, make won¬ derfully quick recoveries. Others, again, retard their own amendment, by inattention to the written rules and the private counsel of the Physician, and by want of confidence in his skill and faithfulness. Foro-ettino- their o o own extreme liability to disease, they venture into in¬ fected atmospheres, and do those things which they 1 Rev. xxii. 2. VOL. II. N 200 PHYSICIAN. know have injured them in times past. Thus they bring on dangerous relapses, which make them doubt whether their cure was ever begun, and whether the Good Phy¬ sician has any thoughts of kindness towards them ; and they are ashamed to apply to him again, having wilfully disobeyed his kind orders, and brought misery upon them¬ selves. Sometimes he leaves them for a while, to feel all the bitterness of their condition ; but if they have indeed been once under his treatment, and if he has undertaken their cure, he will not fail to perfect it. lie comes with the same precious Balm in his hand, which he applied to them at first, and by it restores health unto them, and heals them of their wounds . 1 A large proportion of the patients, though preserved from any violent relapse, remain in a state of weakness and languor, lose the keen relish they formerly had for the provisions allotted them by their kind Physician, and can enjoy but little of the sweet repose he intends for them. They grow dull and lethargic, incapable of en- joying active pursuits, or exercising with pleasure the functions of restored health. These patients deprive them¬ selves of much comfort, and do discredit to their Physi¬ cian. But he has tonics and stimulants for them, which, from time to time, he administers, in order to strengthen and revive them ; and the growing experience of every patient is, a deeper loathing of his disease, a more grate¬ ful. hearty reliance on the skill, faithfulness, and love of his Physician, and a gradual advancement towards per¬ fect health. We have represented Christ, the Great Physician of Souls, as selecting his patients out of the world; and this we find undeniable, according to our views of Divine Truth. But it is equally undeniable, that he freely re 1 Jer. xxx, 17. PHYSICIAN. 291 ceives, and cordially welcomes, all who come to him, and that none are excluded on account of the inveteracy of their disease; for the very object of his coming was 4 to call sinners to repentance.’ Delay not, then, O sinner, to approach the blessed, the only Healer of your soul. Wait not till you grow better, for that you will never do at a distance from him. Come and be healed by the stripes of the beloved Son of God. In reference to those stripes , we have the following beautiful exhortation from Leighton, with which we shall conclude this Essay. 4 Turn your thoughts, every one of you, to consider 4 this. You that are not healed, that you may be healed ; 4 and you that are, apply it still to perfect the cure, in 4 that part where it is gradual, and not complete; and 4 for the ease you have found, bless and love him who 4 endured so much uneasiness to that end. There is a 4 sweet mixture of sorrow and joy in contemplating these 4 stripes; sorrow sure by sympathy, that they were his 4 stripes; and joy, that they were our healing. Chris- 4 tians are too little mindful and sensible of this, and it 4 may be, somewhat guilty of that great fault, men- 4 tioned in Ilosea xi. 3, 44 They knew not that I healed 4 them.” n 1 Leighton on 1 Peter ii. 24. ESSAY XLIII. FRIEND—FRIEND OF SINNERS. Formally to define the word friend, would be almost to insult the understandings and the hearts of my read¬ ers. For where is the mind so dark, or the heart so cold, as not to brighten and kindle at the name of friend ? Where is the human being so desolate, as never to have known the worth of friendship? General, however, as is the use of the term friend, and common as is the enjoy¬ ment of friendship, in certain forms and degrees, a real friend is far from a common, it is a very rare, possession ; because there are comparatively few minds susceptible of friendship, in its real and exalted sense. Many have been the eulogiums bestowed on friend¬ ship by moralists and by poets ; much is spoken in its praise by men of the world; and many have been the deeds of heroism, of disinterestedness, and kindness, which mere natural friendship has produced. Still, there is but one kind of friendship that deserves the name ; it is that which subsists between the children of God ; who, by his grace, are made 4 of one heart and of one soul; ’ whose bond of union is mutual trust in one FIUEND-FRIEND OF SINNERS. 293 Almighty Saviour, whoso united aim is the advance¬ ment of his glory, and whose union, therefore, being founded not on the perishing things of time, but on the enduring things of eternity, shall stand the shock of death, and ripen to perfection beyond the grave. Would we, then, understand the nature of true friend¬ ship, we must study it as described in the word of God ; and here we find it vividly portrayed, both in general principles, and by particular examples. ‘ Solomon gives the qualities of a true friend : “ A friend c lovcth at all times ; ” 1 not only in prosperity, but also in ‘ adversity. “ There is a friend that sticketh closer than ‘ a brother ;” 2 he is more hearty in the performance of all ‘ friendly offices. “ Faithful are the wounds of a friend;” 3 ‘ he reproves and rebukes when he sees any thing amiss ; ‘ his sharpest reproofs proceed from an upright and truly ‘ loving and faithful sold. “ Ointment and perfume re- ‘ joice the heart; so doth the sweetness of a man’s friend ‘ by hearty counsel;” 4 he is known by his good and ‘ faithful counsel, as well as by bis seasonable rebukes ; ‘ by such counsel as comes from his very heart and soul, ‘ and is the language of his most inward and serious ‘ thoughts. “ Iron sharpeneth iron ; so a man sharpen- ‘ eth the countenance of his friend ;” 5 the company and ‘ conversation of a friend is refreshing and reviving to a ‘ person, who, when alone, is sad, dull, and inactive.’ 0 From these descriptions it appears, that the qualities most valuable in a friend are, constancy in affection , faithfulness in counsel and reproof , and 'wisdom to direct that constancy and that faithf ulness. If to these qualities is added power to assist and relieve , the character is per¬ fect ; our friend combines the threefold offices of an af- 1 Prov. xvii. 17. 2 Prov. xviii. 24. 3 Prov. xxvii. 6. 4 Prov. xxvii. 9. 5 Prov. xxvii. 17. 6 Cruden. 294 FRIEND-FRIEND OF SINNERS. fectionate and confidential companion , a wise and faith¬ ful monitor , and a generous benefactor. It is rarely, however, that we meet with all these qualities combined in an earthly friend. In one, perhaps, we find warm affection and tender sympathy, without much wisdom to counsel, or power to assist; in another, we find pru¬ dent counsel, and both the will and the power to do us good offices ; but still we find not that congeniality of sentiment, which secures our confidence, and imparts its own in return,—that free interchange of thought and feeling, which forms the greatest charm of friendship. Where, then, shall we find a friend who possesses all these valuable qualities in perfection ? whose love can never abate, whose wisdom can never err, whose faith¬ fulness can never fail, and whose power is sufficient to aid us in every time of need ? The answer is obvious. There is but One Being in the whole universe to whom this description can apply. But how can we dare to expect friendship with God ? How can friendship subsist between beings so opposite in character and aims, and so immensely separated by nature and situation, as the holy God, in heaven, and unholy, sin-loving man, on earth ? Are we not all, by nature, enemies to God in our minds, by wicked works ? And is he not pledged, by the honour of his government, to take vengeance on his enemies ? Besides, where there exists such infinite disparity of nature, how can any thing like friendship be found ? These objections would, it is true, have seemed insuperable to human or angelic wisdom; but they formed no barrier to the power and wisdom of Jehovah. Blessed be his name, he has con¬ trived and executed a mighty scheme, whereby his ene¬ mies are transformed into friends. ‘ When we were ene¬ mies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son/ FRIEND-FRIEND OF SINNERS. 295 The atonement, made by the blood of Christ, and applied to the conscience by the Spirit of Christ, reconciles God and sinners; and the Holy Ghost, shed upon their hearts, changes their dispositions from hatred to love, from im¬ purity to holiness, from the pursuits of frivolity and vanity, to zeal for the glory of God ; so that they are. in some measure, conformed to the image of their Maker, and capacitated for enjoying friendly intercourse with him. Even the obstacle arising from disparity of na¬ ture, has been most wonderfully overcome, by the In¬ carnation of the Son of God. By assuming human na¬ ture, in union with the Divine, God has encouraged us, not only to reverence him, as our infallible Monitor, and to adore him, as our munificent Benefactor and power¬ ful Deliverer ; but to approach and hold fellowship with him, as our tender, sympathising, and most confidential Companion ; thus combining in himself all the qualities of a perfect Friend. It was only by virtue of the great atonement, after¬ ward to be made, that believers, under the Old Dispen¬ sation, were admitted to the honourable distinction of friends of God, 4 This title is principally given to Abra- 4 ham, as in 2 Chron. xx. 7, 44 And gavest it to Abra- ‘ ham, thy friend for everand in Is. xli. 8, 44 The seed ‘ of Abraham my friend.” The Apostle James likewise 4 makes mention of this, 44 And he was called the Friend 4 of God.” This title is given him, not only because God 4 frequently appeared to him, conversed familiarly with 4 him, and revealed secrets to him, saying, 44 Shall I hide 4 from Abraham that thing which I do?” but also be- 4 cause he entered into a covenant of perpetual friendship 4 both with him and his seed ; 1 and especially, because 4 he renewed the covenant with him upon the sacrificing Gen. xii. 2, 3, &c. i 2.96 FRIEND-FRIEND OF SINNERS. ‘ of his Son Isaac, and confirmed it by an oath, and ‘ thereby admitted him to a nearer degree of friendship ‘ and communion. 1 And it is upon this trial of Abra- 4 ham’s obedience, namely, the offering up of his son, 4 that the Apostle James quotes the passage, where 4 Abraham is called the Friend of God.’ 2 We justly entertain a high esteem of the distinguished honour thus conferred upon Abraham. But the Gospel presents views of friendship between God and man, still more astonishing and affecting. It tells us, that, in order to bring about this wonderful friendship, one of the Persons in the glorious Trinity descended to earth; not in transient visits, as heretofore, when he conversed with Abraham ; but to sojourn for many years in hu¬ man form, and in more than human suffering ; that he actually received and welcomed the appellation, 4 Friend of Sinners ;’ 3 nay, that he plainly called his disciples friends ; saying, 4 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth : but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father, I have made j^nown unto you.’ 4 In this verse we see a proof of the unreserved confidence where¬ with the blessed Jesus treats his unworthy friends; and in the two verses preceding, we see the measure of his love towards them, and the return of obedience which he ex¬ pects from them ; 4 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’— 4 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.’ 4 And 4 this title, friends, is not peculiar to the apostles only, 4 but is common with them to all true believers; as they 4 are all thus addressed by Christ, “Eat, O friends; drink, 4 yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.’ ” 5 1 Gen. xxii. 16, 17. 2 Cruden. 3 Lulcevii. 34 ; v. 29-32. 4 John xv. 13-15. 5 Cant. v. 1. Cruden. FRIEND-FRIEND OF SINNERS. 297 We remarked, in the beginning of this Essay, that true friendship is represented in Scripture, by example , as well as by description. The most beautiful example of friendship, recorded there, or perhaps any where, is that of Jonathan and David. And although this can scarcely he called typical of the friendship that subsists between Christ and believers, it is yet, in many points, so touchingly analogous to that friendship, that a com¬ parison of the two may aid our conceptions of the latter. But, before tracing the points of analogy, we must guard against error, by marking some essential points, where¬ in the two cases were directly opposed to each other. For instance, the danger to which David was exposed, was the envious, cruel, and unjust wrath of man: the danger to which the sinner is exposed, is the infinitely holy and just wrath of God. Whereas Jonathan saved his friend, by counteracting the design of his father ; Jesus saves his friends, by co-operating in the design of his Father. Nor is it necessary for Jesus to appease his Father, and persuade him to be merciful to his friends, as Jonathan vainly endeavoured to appease Saul: the Father himself lovetli the friends of the Son. 1 ‘ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only be¬ gotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ 2 Bearing these things in mind, we may safely, and it is hoped profitably, borrow illustrations of the friendship shown by Christ to sinners, from that shown by Jona¬ than to David. In one point of view, indeed, David was more emble - matical of the Saviour, and Jonathan of the sinner; inasmuch as David was destined to rise to royal dignity, authority, and glory; and Jonathan humbly covenanted 1 John xvi. 26, 27. 2 John iii. 16. 2.98 FRIEND-FRIEND OF SINNERS. with him for his own protection, and that of his seed for ever. But the relative situations of the two friends, from the commencement of their friendship to its earthly- termination, warrants us in representing Jonathan as the Counsellor and Benefactor, and David as indebted to him for counsel and benefits ; all the protection was on one side, during the life of Jonathan, all the obligation on the other. One of the friends was of low origin, and exposed to imminent peril from the wrath of his sove¬ reign ; the other was son to that sovereign, and, by his rank and influence, had power to save his friend from the wrath of his father. If the relative situation of Jonathan to his friend gave scope for the exercise of friendly offices, resembling those performed by Christ for his friends, the virtues which adorned his friendship were still more strikingly analo¬ gous to those of Jesus, and exactly fulfilled Solomon’s de¬ scription of a true friend. His affection was ardent ; ‘ the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul and he openly tes¬ tified that love, by arraying his friend in his own raiment, and clothing him with his own armour. 1 This was in the day of David’s prosperity ; but when the day of his af¬ fliction came, Jonathan proved himself ‘ a friend that loved at all times,’ and ‘ a brother born for adversity.’ When an order for David’s destruction was issued by the king, and there was, as he himself expressed it, but a step between him and death; when the performance of any friendly office to him was sure, if detected, to draw down the violent displeasure of the monarch, the faith¬ ful Jonathan still held secret interviews with his friend, encouraged him to disclose to him the whole state of his affairs, to pour into his bosom all his perplexities and 1 1 Sam. xviii. 1-4. FRIEND-FRIEND OF SINNER!?. 299 fears,—and then, with prudence and wisdom he coun¬ selled him, and with promptitude and zeal he concerted measures for his deliverance. But the most beautiful characteristic of Jonathan’s friendship was its disinterestedness. He knew, that by saving- the life of David, he was taking measures to cut off his own succession to the throne, besides drawing down upon himself the wrath of his father. But, being a true believer, and child of God, he cordially acquiesced in the Divine decree respecting David’s exaltation, and invoked the Lord’s blessing upon his reign. He, therefore, in¬ terceded with his father for him, endured for his sake ignominy and disgrace, and never intermitted his exer¬ tions, until his friend reached a place of safety. The unreserved confidence with which Jonathan treat¬ ed David, was another beautiful feature of his friendship. He communicated to him all the designs of his father towards him, and gave him secret tokens, understood by himself alone, of the result of his intercessions. 1 Such tender affection and mutual confidence, between two friends, one of whom was so dependant on the other for safety, and so inferior to him in earthly rank and station, was surely a representation, though confess¬ edly a faint one, of the friendship between Christ and the believer; and we are led to this application by several par¬ ticulars in the story, which denote Jonathan’s superiority. David, although admitted to the closest intimacy with him, called himself his servant ; lie paid homage to Jo¬ nathan, falling on his face to the ground, and bowing himself three times ; he received a blessing from him ; and Jonathan promised to grant his largest requests. Above all, the covenant entered into between the parties, although a mutual one, sworn by both of them in the name of 1 1 Sam. xix. 1-7 ; xx. throughout. 300 FRIEND-FRIEND OF SINNERS. the Lord, originated with Jonathan; for David says, ‘ Thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of the Lord with thee / 1 Thus Jonathan performed toward David all the offices of a true friend. lie was to him a faithful Monitor , an affectionate Companion , a ready and powerful Benefactor and Deliverer. And so great was the support which David found in the society of this beloved friend, that a hasty interview with him, stolen in the wood of the wilderness, and a renewal of the covenant between them, was sufficient to strengthen David’s hand in God? But, turning our eyes from this beautiful example of earthly friendship, let us fix them directly on Immanuel, the Friend of Sinners. And if our admiration lias been justly excited by the constancy, tenderness, vigour, and disinterestedness of Jonathan’s friendship, oh ! what words can express the admiration due here ! 4 What ad- 4 miration must have pervaded the hosts of heaven when 4 a friendship was proposed between the object of their 4 exalted adorations, and poor sinful men on earth !’ 3 With the Son of God this covenant originated : it never could have originated with man; for he is, by nature, the determined enemy of God ; but, from all eternity, the delights of God the Son, the uncreated Wisdom, were with the sons of men . 4 For them lie, for a season, resigned his heavenly throne; he laid aside the splendours of Deity, that he might array his unworthy friends with the princely robe of his righteousness, and clothe them with his spiritual armour. For them he endured all the insults and cruelty of men, all the rage and malice of Satan, and the dreadful wrath 1 1 Sam. xx. 8, 41, 42, 4, 8. 3 Scott on John xv. 13-15. 2 1 Sam. xxiii. 1G-18. 4 Prov. viii. 31. FRIEND-FRIEND OF SINNERS. 301 and curse of his heavenly Father. Every one who is historically acquainted with -Jesus, knows how faithfully he discharged, while on earth, all the duties of friend¬ ship • how tender and sympathising he was in fellow¬ ship, how faithful in reproof, how bountiful in all acts of kindness and relief. And every one who is experimen¬ tally acquainted with him, knows that he is still the same,—that he ‘ Pursues in heaven the mighty plan, ‘ The Saviour and the Friend of man.’ 0 ! how’ astonishing is the condescension of the King of kings, and Lord of lords ! Had he, from the height of his heavenly throne, deigned to send down friendly messages, counsels, and gifts, by the hand of angels, to us his poor sinful creatures, our most devoted gratitude had been justly due. But, lo ! he stoops to hold fellow¬ ship with us himself; and this, not for our advantage only, but for his own happiness, and the manifestation of his glory ! +- F or although, as God, his happiness is incapable of increase or diminution, yet, as Mediator, it is inseparable from that of his friends. All their con¬ cerns and interests are his ; he is ready at all times to confer in secret with each one of them, to listen to their complaints of fear or danger, and to counsel them ac¬ cordingly. lie continually pleads with his Father in their behalf, and communicates to them secret tokens of his Father’s purposes toward them,—whether there is ‘ peace to them and no hurt,’ or if they must ‘ make haste, speed, and stay not.’ Often, by a short interview with this adorable Friend, the faith of believers is re¬ vived, and their hand is strengthened in God. A re¬ newal of their covenant with Jesus arms them for every coming trial and danger ; and they delight in reminding him, that it was He who brought them into a covenant 302 FRIEND-FRIEND OF SINNERS. of the Lord with him ; that they did not first choose him , hut that he chose them, therefore their covenant must he perpetual. A blessed difference appears, in comparing our case, if we be friends of Jesus, with that of David. Whereas, in order to insure his safety, he was forced to part from his beloved friend and deliverer ; our safety consists in cleaving close to our Friend. Nothing but our own fault can separate us from him at any time; and the larger our desires and petitions, the more he loves to grant them ; for, in a far higher sense than that in which Jonathan could say it to David, he says to every one of his friends, c Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee.’ ‘ Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that I will do.’ 1 And what a blessed contrast are these two cases in another important respect. David lost his beloved Jo¬ nathan by early death ; but our Jonathan can never die : and our own death, far from interrupting our intercourse with him, will open the way to intercourse unspeakably more delightful and intimate. All our interviews with o Jesus here below, resemble, more or less, that last inter¬ view of David’s with Jonathan in the wilderness of Ziph, being snatched in the middle of hurry and warfare. But hereafter there will be nothing to interrupt or alloy our enjoyment of his blessed society ; for it is his gracious will, that those whom the Father has given him be with him where he is, that they may behold his glory, and not only behold, but share it ! for hear his words of astonishing condescension, ‘ The glory which Thou hast given me , I have given them , that they may be one, even as we are one.’ The full import of these words, Heaven alone can explain ; but assuredly 1 John xiv. 13. FRIEND-FRIEND OF SINNERS. 303 they describe the Redeemer and his redeemed friends as formed into one vast and glorious society, whose har¬ mony no coldness, reserve, or offence, shall ever break, and whose vastness shall not diminish, to any individual, the full enjoyment of Him who is its Centre and Sun. But, before quitting this subject, we must remark, that friendship is a mutual relation, implying mutual affection and mutual duties. 1 A man that hath friends must show himself friendly.’ 1 We know, that between man and man, a certain deference to each other’s wishes is necessary to the maintenance of friendship ; and that any wilful or deliberate opposition, on the part of one, to the favourite purposes or pursuits of the other, must produce coldness, if not separation : in fact, that there can be no friendship on these terms. Now, if this be true, with regard to friendship between beings of equal na¬ ture, how much more true must it be, with regard to friendship between the creature and his Creator, the subject and his absolute Sovereign, the criminal and his Judge! Are we to suppose, that the obligation to grateful re¬ quital and reciprocal affection is annulled, by the im¬ mense superiority of one party over the other ? in other words, that we are less bound to return with gratitude and devotedness the love of Immanuel, than the love of a fellow-sinner ? Alas ! the conduct of multitudes speaks this sentiment; and the perverseness of human nature shows itself too visibly in the reception given to this wonderfully gracious Friend. Instead of regarding him with the mingled awe and affection which the union of infinite Majesty with infinite Love demands, man suffers the greatness of Jesus to produce distance without reve- 1 Prov. xviii. 24. 304 FRIEND-FRIEND OF SINNERS. rence, and liis condescension to produce familiarity with¬ out affection. But we are not left to our own conjectures and rea¬ sonings, as to what constitutes a friend of Jesus, and what are the evidences of friendship required by him. He has given us unequivocal tests, in his own words and those of his inspired Apostles, ‘ Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.’ 1 ‘ Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God ? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.’ 2 Tried by these tests, where do we find the friends of Jesus ? Alas ! they are ‘ like the gleanings of the vintage when they have gathered the summer fruits.’ For, making all due allowance for human infirmity, for the impossibility of rendering perfect obedience to Christ’s commands in our present state, and for our necessary connexion with the world as long as we dwell in it,— m akin of allowance for all this, who does not see that to aim after universal obedience is required by the former test, and to come out and be separate from an evil world by the latter ? And are these the characteristics of the multitude who yet call themselves Christians, and fancy themselves in friendship with God ? But leaving the consideration of these, let us look to ourselves, who lay claim, in a peculiar sense, to the cha¬ racter of friends to Jesus. And, taking the threefold de¬ finition of friendship, given in the former part of this Essay, let us inquire, how we receive and welcome the Lord Jesus, as our Companion, as our Counsellor, and as our Benefactor. First, as our Companion , Do w T e, sen • sible in any degree of the unspeakable honour and happi¬ ness of holding fellowship with the Lord our Saviour, 1 John xv. 14. 2 James iv. 4. FRIEND-FRIEND OF SINNERS. 305 lay ourselves out to secure as much as possible of his blessed society ; avoiding, as far as relative duties permit, every thing that has a tendency to shut him out of our hearts: lamenting the shortness of his visits to us, and humbly, yet importunately, pleading with him for longer and more permanent manifestations of his presence; saying, with the Prophet, ‘ O the Hope of Israel, the Saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night?’ 1 Do we cul¬ tivate, by every appointed means, a growing and closer communion with this Almighty, but most condescending Friend ? Although thankful for even a hasty interview, do we so arrange our plan of life as to secure more un¬ restrained and longer converse with him; esteeming his company sweeter than that of our dearest earthly friends, and necessary to the true enjoyment of that and every other earthly blessing ? Then, as our Counsellor , Do we ardently desire, dili¬ gently seek, and paitently wait for, his advice; flying to him in every emergency, as David did to Jonathan, and implicitly following his injunctions ? Or, as our Benefactor , Do we rightly value the in¬ exhaustible store of benefits he is appointed to dispense to us, and fully credit his faithful promise, to bestow upon us ‘whatsoever we desire?’ and do we therefore wait upon him continually with empty vessels, to be replen¬ ished out of his fulness ? Alas ! alas ! We can only reply to these questions, ‘ Were I not most vile and base ‘ I could not thus my Friend requite ; £ And were he not the God of grace ‘ He’d frown and spurn me from his sight.’ 1 Jer. xiv. 8. 306 FRIEND-FRIEND OF SINNERS. W e confess with shame that, even compared with our requital of human friendship, defective as that is, our requital of Ills friendship who so loved us as to lay down his life for us, and who is ‘ over all, God blessed for ever/ is shamefully cold; that we have neither cultivated his society, sought his counsel, nor valued his benefits, in any measure as we ought; and that, had we treated any human friend as we have treated the Lord of Hosts, he would lono- ere now have cast us off. But this is the O crowning excellence of Immanuel’s friendship ; that it is forgiving. It is difficult to renew with cordiality an earthly friendship, after even a slight breach : but Jesus receives his unworthy friends, with as much cordiality and affection, after their most provoking wanderings, in¬ gratitude, and disobedience, as he did at first. Oh ! then, with mingled shame, love, and joy, let us fall down at the feet of our adorable Friend ; entreating him to pardon all our baseness, and to give us tokens of his continued for¬ bearance by employing us still in his service. Let us re¬ member his great command, That we should love one an¬ other, even as he has loved us ; and study to obey it by loving 4 all that in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both theirs and ours.’ ‘ Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.’ ESSAY XLIV. BROTHER. Every succeeding step we take, in this delightful stage of our progress, brings us nearer to Him who is its great End and Object. Each title of God our Saviour, that offers itself to our notice, proclaims in louder and sweeter accents the blessed truth, that he is a God nigh unto his people, 1 and that they are a people near unto him. 2 We have seen how near Immanuel comes to his people, as their Shepherd and their Physician,—we have seen him come nearer still, as their Friend.—And can the Holy One approach yet nearer to sinful worms? Yes, in as¬ suming the title now before us, Christ avows a nearness to his people, not of office merely, or of choice, of affec¬ tion, or of confidence; but a nearness of affinity, of kin¬ dred, of one common nature and family. For lo ! ‘ Fie is not ashamed to call them brethren.’ 3 Among men, indeed, ‘ a friend’ sometimes ‘ sticketh closer than a brother.’ Children of the same parents, brought up under the same roof, are not always united even by natural affection ; and, if not brethren in Christ, 1 Deut. iv. 7. 2 Ps. cxlviii. 14. 3 Heb.ii. 11. 308 BROTHER. they must bs separated throughout eternity, or united only in eternal woe ; while those who are brethren by the new birth, though not by the natural one, are united by a bond which shall endure for ever. But when these two bonds are combined;—when to the tender ties of youthful companionship, early associations, affection for the same parents, and all the inexpressible charms of home-felt interests, is added the far stronger tie of an abiding and everlasting relation ;—when our brother ac- cording to the flesh becomes our brother in Christ, how precious is the union ! They who are privileged to enjoy it can best appreciate the comfort, support, and joy, of having Christ himself for their Brother : for if brother¬ hood with a fellow-mortal be so great a blessing; who can estimate the blessing of brotherhood with Immanuel, the Lord of glory ! In order that our minds may be more deeply impressed with a sense of the benefits flowing to believers from this relation to their Lord, let us borrow one more typi¬ cal illustration from that rich magazine of Divine Truth, —the Old Testament. We there find the closest imagin- able type of the Lord Jesus, in the character of Brother to his people ; in one whom his brethren hated, envied, sold, and in intention slew; who was, nevertheless, de¬ livered by God out of their murderous hands, and ex¬ alted to the highest pinnacle of earthly greatness; and this, not for his personal advantage chiefly, but for the preservation of many lands; and in particular, for the preservation of those very brethren who had conspired to take away his life. The more we examine the history of Joseph, the more wc must be struck with its typical beauty. Scarcely a single circumstance is recorded of him tliat does not bear a close analogy to the circum¬ stances of Christ; indeed the words of Moses respecting BROTHER. 309 the Type, and of the Evangelists respecting the Anti¬ type, are, in many places, almost identical. Joseph was the beloved son of his father, no doubt be¬ cause of bis piety ; but he was hated by his brethren for that very cause, and because he brought to his father their evil report. Their hatred was increased also bv the predictions of his own future greatness and dominion, which Joseph was inspired to utter. Jesus was the Beloved Son of his Father; but hated by his brethren of mankind for similar reasons; because he was perfectly holy, because he testified of them that their works were evil, and because he claimed Royal and Supreme authority as the co-equal Son of God, and de¬ clared his own future exaltation as Messiah. As the brethren of Joseph indignantly asked, ‘ Shalt thou indeed reion over us, or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us?’ so the Jews, in the prophetic words of Jesus, said, ‘ We will not have this man to reign over us.’ Joseph was sent by bis father ‘ to see the peace of his brethren:’ 1 but when they saw him they conspired against him to slay him, exulting in the thought, that they should thus prevent the accomplishment of his dreams. Jesus was sent by his Father to speak peace to man¬ kind, his brethren ; but when they saw him, they said, ‘ This is the heir : come, let us kill him, that the inherit¬ ance may be ours.’ His predictions of his own future dominion they mocked, by a crown of thorns, by a pur¬ ple robe, and a reed for a sceptre: and, even in his bitterest agonies, they, as it were, said, ‘ We shall see what will become of his dreams ,’ by tauntingly deriding his claims to the Messiahship,— 1 Let Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe him.’ 1 Gen. xxxvii. 14 ; margin. .310 BROTHER. In both cases, the brethren had misgivings that the claims of their Brother to supreme dominion might he verified: —in both, with mad fury, they fought against Omnipotence, to overthrow them : but in both, the fierce¬ ness of man was, by God, turned to his own praise, and to the fulfilment of his own gracious purposes and pro¬ mises. The coincidence between the type and the Antitype, during their respective seasons of humiliation, may be traced to minute particulars. The descent of Joseph into the pit shadowed forth the burial of the Saviour : his being raised out of it again , the resurrection of the Sa¬ viour : Joseph was sold for twenty pieces of silver ; Jesus was sold for thirty pieces ; the one was sold by a Judah; the other by a Judas: and the cruelty of Joseph’s brethren, as it affected their aged father was emblematical of their conduct who, in the words of Jesus, had both seen and hated both him and his Father. Following Joseph into the land of Egypt, we trace distinctly the same analogy, both in the treatment in¬ flicted upon him, and in his behaviour under it. Falsely accused, tempted, punished as a criminal, ‘/or sins , but not his own,’ Joseph was yet meek and patient, stedfast in resisting the Tempter, eminently pure, upright, and wise; and so richly endowed by the Holy Spirit, that all men acknowledged ‘ the Lord teas with him , and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand.’ 1 Even during the period of his captivity, when ‘ his feet were hurt with fetters, and he was laid in iron,’ Joseph possess¬ ed wonderful influence over his fellow-sufferers ; and their future destinies were, in a manner, placed in his hands : at least, he was empowered to pronounce the immediate 1 Gen. xxxix. 3. BROTHER. 311 release and exaltation of one of them, and the dreadful doom of the other. So, when the holy Jesus, our Divine Brother, was falsely accused, tempted, and persecuted, did his imma¬ culate purity, his perfect righteousness, wisdom, and grace, shine brightly from beneath the dark cloud of slan¬ der and malignity, wherewith Satan and his agents sought to obscure them. Even his enemies were con- strained to own the powerful influence of his character, which their hatred to its holiness could not altogether overcome. Numbers who were not, like Nicodemus, disciples of Jesus, were with him forced to confess, ‘ No man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him,’—and with Pilate, ‘ I find in him no fault at all.’ And, in an infinitely higher sense than that in which it could be said of Joseph, ‘ The pleasure of the Lord prospered in his hand.’—So, also, in the moment of his bitterest sufferings, and deepest abasement, did the Lord Jesus promise immediate glory to one of his fellow- sufferers, and leave the other to his merited condemna¬ tion. But let us never forget the immense distance be¬ tween the type and the Antitype. Joseph spake as a mere man, inspired by the Holy Ghost, which was in¬ deed given to him in large measure: Jesus spake by his own sovereign authority, and by the Spirit, which dwelt in him without measure. If Joseph was a striking emblem of our Lord, in his state of humiliation , he was, if possible, still more so, in his state of exaltation. We cannot imagine a closer type of the Mediatorial dignity and authority of Christ, than that which is presented in the corresponding part of the history of Joseph. He was honoured by the king with every mark of favour, and declared to be only second to himself in authority over the kingdom, which was thence- 312 BROTHER. forth committed to his government. Pharaoh command¬ ed all his subjects to pay to Joseph the humblest homage, and most unreserved obedience. The expressions used are very emphatic,—‘ Thou shalt be over my house ; and according to thy word shall all my people be ruled ; ’— 4 and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt—‘ And Pharaoh took the ring- off his hand and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and they cried before him, Bow the knee.’ All these honours were bestowed on Joseph as the reward of his services, during his state of humiliation. But they were also bestowed on him for the good of others ; that as he had been 4 A Revealcr of secrets ,’ interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams, he might be 4 A Preserver of the land ’ 1 by gathering up and dispensing the stores of corn. Now, could there be, in human nature, a more strik¬ ing representation of that God-Man who, in reward of his obedience unto death, and for the eternal good of his people, was highly exalted, and to whom God has given a name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow; 2 —that, as he had been, while on earth, and indeed from all eternity, the 4 Re- vealer of Secrets’ to his people, he might also be 4 The Preserver of the land,’ the appointed Dispenser of the Bread of Life to all believers. 4 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;’ he is invested by the Father with supreme authority over his household the Church, to bestow those inexhaustible stores of pardon, peace, holiness, and comfort, which, by his work of Re¬ demption, he has gathered. To every famishing soul, the Father says, 4 Go unto Jesus, and what he saith to you, 1 The two interpretations of Zaphnath Paaneah, the name given him by Pharaoh. 2 Philip, ii. 8-11. BROTHER. 313 do; ’ and whoever refuses to do this must perish, in spiri¬ tual and eternal destitution . 1 But, in the length of this comparison, we are almost forgetting that it is in the character of brother , we are chiefly to regard Joseph as a type of Christ. Among those who came to buy corn in Egypt, were the sons of Israel; and now were Joseph’s dreams wonderfully veri¬ fied ; for ‘ his ten brethren came, and bowed down themselves to him with their faces to the earth.’ And how did the powerful governor of the land of Egypt re¬ ceive these his brethren, who had sold, and nearly slain him ? He received them in such a manner, as formed a correct and touching picture of the reception given by Christ to those whom he deigns to call his brethren. From the moment when humbled sinners come to Je¬ sus, to buy the Bread of Life, c without money and without price,’ he recognises them as his brethren, for¬ gives all their base treatment of him, and destines for them the richest blessings. But they know not him at first, except in the character of a mighty Prince, to whom they must submit, or perish; and, for wise rea¬ sons, he does not in general make himself known to them, all at once, as their Brother; but, according to their va¬ rious degrees of pride and stoutness of heart, makes them pass through a longer or shorter course of painful disci¬ pline ; to humble them and prove them, to awaken a salutary sense of guilt, and bring them to more entire dependance upon himself. Even after admitting them to his house, and to his table, and giving them some fore¬ tastes of his love, he often brings their sins to remem¬ brance, by fresh alarms and disquietudes, that they may more deeply and practically feel that he is their only Refuge and Deliverer. But when, by these means, he 1 Gen. xli. 55. VOL. II. o 314 BROTHER. has brought them to sincere repentance, then, 0 ! how sweetly does he manifest himself to them as their Bro¬ ther, even that Brother whom, by their sins, they sold and crucified. At first, the poor brethren of Jesus dare not give him any answer. They can scarcely credit, even from his own lips, the wonderful assurance, that a Be¬ ing, so infinitely glorious, condescends to call them his brethren ! Recollections of all their treacherous, contemp¬ tuous, and hateful conduct towards him, flash upon their memory ; so that they, like Joseph’s brethren, are 4 trou¬ bled at his presence.’ But, with tenderest compassion, he invites, nay, he entreats them to come near unto him; gives them sweet tokens of reconciliation; and prevents their excessive sorrow, by showing them that even their abominable sins were overruled by God to his own glory. Jesus does not treat all his brethren after the same man¬ ner. Some, like Simeon, he subjects to a more rigorous bondage; others, like Benjamin, he favours with larger portions of his gifts; some he brings into more honour¬ able situations, like the five whom Joseph selected to present to the king. But all are welcomed as brethren ; all are freely forgiven ; all are supplied with every thing needful during their pilgrimage; and, finally, all are brought to dwell for ever near their exalted Brother, in the true Goshen, the land of pure light and ineffable joy- But not through a type, only, has Immanuel revealed his brotherly relation to his people. He declared it him¬ self, in plain and unequivocal terms, during his earthly sojourn, and confirmed it by the pen of his Apostles, since his ascension to heaven: for, hear his own gracious words, ‘ Whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.’ And stretching forth his hand toward his disciples, ho said, BROTHER. 315 ‘ Behold my mother and my brethren ; ’ 1 and repeatedly, both before and after his death and resurrection, he used the same endearing appellation towards his poor, erring- followers. In the 2d chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews, St Paul makes this consoling statement with regard to Christ and his people, that ‘ he is not ashamed to call them brethren;’ and gives several particulars as to the ends for which this relation was formed, and the bene¬ fits resulting from it. Taking this passage then, Ileb. ii. 11-18, in connexion with those in which the term ‘ brethren’ was used by our blessed Lord himself, let us inquire. In what sense the Lord Jesus has become the Brother of any of our race ? For what ends he assumed that relation? How they are distinguished who really stand thus related to him ? And, how they attained this relation? By taking upon him our nature, the Son of God be¬ came, in a certain sense, the Brother of every child of Adam. But, that no saving effect flows from this general relation to Christ is evident, from his disclaiming any peculiar interest in those who were related to him merely by earthly consanguinity ;—‘ Who is my mother ? and who are my brethren ? ’—and by the fact that ‘ neither did his brethren believe in him.’ 2 But, in a peculiar and endearing sense, he is the Bro¬ ther of his chosen people, of true believers; which will best appear by considering the ends for which he assumed that relation , as stated in Heb. ii. These ends were, that he might, in human nature, declare unto his people the will of God , and lead the chorus of praise , in the Church on earth and in heaven: —‘ I will declare thy name unto my brethren ; in the midst of the church will 1 Mat. xii. 49, 50. 2 Mat. xii. 48 ; John vii. 5. 316 BROTHER. I sing praise unto thee,’ 1 that he might, in human nature, set an example of confidence in God, under the deepest sor¬ row and, anguish; i I will put my trust in him ;’ 2 and, above all, the Son of God took part of flesh and blood, that he might, as the Surety and Representative of his people, and the Captain of their salvation, destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver them out of his tyranny; 3 and that he might he unto them a mer¬ ciful andfaithful High Priest; first, by making atonement for their sins, and afterwards by interceding for, and sym¬ pathising with them, in all their sufferings and tempta tions. 4 For the accomplishment of all these gracious ends, ‘ it behoved Christ to he made like unto his brethren.’ But it is most important to consider, how they are dis¬ tinguished who really stand thus related to the Son of God. They are not distinguished by outward pomp or station ; for, by his own description of them, they may be found destitute of food and clothing, strangers, sick, and in prison. 5 But they are distinguished by inward sancti¬ fication, and outwar l obedience ; they are those whom he sanctifies , those who hear the word of God, and do it, those who do the will of his Father in heaven .’ 6 Yet, lest we should be discouraged by this requisition of perfect obedience, and fear that our blessed relation to Christ, as our Brother, must be broken by every new re¬ lapse into sin, he has mercifully left on record the appli¬ cation of the title 4 brethren’ to his apostles, even after they had denied and forsaken him. After his resurrec¬ tion, when he was soon to return to the glory which he had with the Father, before the world was, and to re¬ ceive the fresh glories of the Mediatorial crown, the 1 Heb. ii. 12. 2 Heb. ii. 13. 3 Heb. ii. 14, 15. * Heb. ii. 17, 18. 5 Matt. xxv. 35-39. 0 Iieb. ii. 11; Luke viii. 21 ; Matt. xii. 50. BROTHER. 317 blessed Redeemer still acknowledged as ‘ brethren,’ his poor, imperfect, and short-coming disciples ; saying, ‘ Go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God and your God.’ 1 In this message of our Lord, besides the con¬ soling inference drawn above, is contained an important truth, relative to the last question we proposed on this subject, viz. :— How the brethren of Christ attain this blessed, relation. They have it not by nature, but by adoption into the family of God, and by the new birth. There is a beau¬ tiful reciprocity between the believer’s filial relation to God, and his brotherly relation to Christ. The Father predestinates him to be conformed to the image of his Son, that his Son may be the first-born among many brethren, 2 —predestinates him unto the adoption of child - ren by Jesus Christ to himself. 3 And the Son gives to as many as receive him, power to become the Sons of God: 4 —‘ Ye are all the children of God, by faith in Christ Jesus;’ and it is in virtue of our union to Christ, as our Brother, that his God and Father, as Mediator, becomes our God and Father also. In order, therefore, to the formation of a brotherly tie between Christ and men, it is necessary, not only that he assume their na¬ ture, but that they partake of his nature. His having- become their Brother, by incarnation, will avail none who are not made his brethren, by adoption, by faith, by regeneration, and conformity to his image. If, then, there be in our character no traces of a family likeness (so to speak) to our Divine Brother, let us not vainly flatter ourselves that the privileges of God’s adopted children belong to us. Let us not trust in any outward signs of union with Christ, but diligently examine the 1 John xx. 17. 2 Rom. viii. 29. 3 Eph. i. 5. 4 John i. 12. 318 BROTHER. state of our hearts towards himself and his chosen brethren. Mutual love was the test continually used by our Lord and his apostles, to evidence the sincerity of professed disciples, to themselves, and to others. ‘ By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another! 1 ‘ We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren! 2 There was a time when brotherly love abounded in the Church. The terms ‘ brother’ and ‘ brethren,’ so constantly used by the primitive Christians, were then no empty names, but the unfeigned expression of their mutual regard. Yet, strong and fervent as that affection was, the apostles were constantly urging their converts to abound in it more and more. Writing to the Tlies- salonians, St Paul says, ‘ Touching brotherly love, ye need not that I write unto you ; for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another;—but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more.’ 3 St Peter, likewise, while he acknowledges the ‘ unfeigned love of the brethren,’ which distinguished those whom he ad¬ dressed, yet adds, ‘ See that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.’ 4 Besides these general exhortations to brotherly love, we have many particular injunctions, from our Lord and his apostles, as to the various duties implied in it. We must be willing to forgive our brother, should he tres¬ pass against us ever so often. We must be willing to be reconciled to our brother, ere we can offer any sacrifice acceptably on God’s altar. We are not to speak evil of nor judge our brother; not unnecessarily to go to law with him ; not to put an occasion of falling in his way; 1 John xiii. 35. 2 1 John iii. 14. 3 1 Tlies. iv. 9 , 10. 4 1 Peter i, 22. BROTHER. 310 nor to offend Ids conscience , by indulging in any thing which lie thinks sinful, though we ourselves may esteem it lawful; which is, in the language of St Paul, to ‘ sin against Christ.’ But, on the contrary, we are to he kindly affectioned towards our believing brethren; to ad¬ monish and strengthen them, and to relieve their wants, as far as in our power. 1 We may well inquire, with grief, What has become of this brotherly love in our own times ? How is it, that amid so much knowledge and profession, and, we trust, so much true piety also, there is, in our day, so little ardent attachment among Christians ? so much, alas ! of bitter envying and strife, even among those who seem to be the brethren of the Lord Jesus ? Surely the ad¬ monition of Joseph was never more needful, ‘ See that ye fall not out by the way.’ Perhaps we may be taught this lesson by some such discipline as that whereby the early Christians were taught it, namely, by persecution. But we must now conclude, by once more 4 looking unto Jesus,’ our adorable Friend and Brother, and con¬ sidering how safe and happy, how rich and honourable, are all those whom he owns as brethren. Yes, whatever be their outward estate, be it a combination of all those ills mentioned in Mat. xxv. 35-39, still they are safe and happy, rich and honourable; for their interests are so closely interwoven with those of their Divine Brother, that he esteems every kind office done or not done to them, as done or not done to himself; and their afflicted condition qualifies them, in an especial manner, for knowing him as 4 a Brother born for adversity.’ If, on the other hand, our circumstances enable us to relieve the indigent brethren of Christ, how highly should 1 Mat. xviii. 21, 22 ; v. 23, 24 ; James iv. 11 ; 1 Cor. vi. 6 ; viii, 9-13 ; Rom. xii. 10 ; xv. 14 ; Luke xxii. 32 ; James ii. 15,1G. 320 BROTHER. we value, and how gladly should we avail ourselves of so great an honour ! Finally, let us often reflect on the wonderful and blessed truth, that we have so close a relation to the Lord God Omnipotent. What can he too great to ex¬ pect from a Brother who is both Human and Divine ? who has, at such immense cost, purchased this relation to us, and by so wonderful an agency brought us into the family of his heavenly Father? Oh ! let us walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called, as ‘ holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling;’ and continually repair to Jesus for the supply of our spiri¬ tual wants, remembering the infinite fulness that dwells in him for our use. Let not conscious guilt deter any trembling sinner from approaching the Saviour. His heart may, like Joseph’s, be yearning over us, although as yet we know him not. Or, if we do know him, if we have tasted the provisions of his house, experienced the joy of commun¬ ing with him, and been treated by him as brethren, oh! let us cleave more closely to him, and seek for clearer evidences of this relation to Jesus, by increasing confor¬ mity to his image. Thus may we look forward with joyful hope to join¬ ing the blessed family who shall meet in their Father’s house, never again to part, where perfect likeness to Christ shall prove them children of God, and Christ himself shall gloriously appear, as 4 the First-born among many brethren.’ ESSAY XLV. BRIDEGROOM—HUSBAND. Our admiration lias been lately called forth by the near union, and intimate communion, to which the Lord Jesus admits his believing people, as displayed under the relations of their Friend and their Brother. But what shall we say of the still closer union, and more in¬ timate communion, revealed under the relation that is now before us ?—a relation incomparably surpassing, in nearness and tenderness, all others with which we are conversant ; a relation so astonishing, so ineffably con¬ descending, that were it not supported by the strongest Scripture evidence, it would be the height of presump¬ tion to conceive. Such evidence, however, we undoubtedly possess; for no relation between the eternal Jehovah and his chosen people, is more clearly revealed, in both Testa¬ ments, than the one we are now to study. In the Old Testament, it is assumed by the Godhead without dis¬ tinction of Persons; for he who graciously styles him¬ self the Husband of the Church, styles himself at the 322 BRIDEGROOM-HUSBAND. same time her 4 Maker,’ 4 the Lord of Hosts,’ 4 the Holy One of Israel,’ 4 the God of the whole earth.’ 1 In the New Testament, this title is as clearly ascribed to, and assumed by, God the Son ; for in his own words, and those of his Apostles, he is styled the Bridegroom, and the Church is styled the Bride, the Lamb’s Wife. 2 And not only is this gracious relation between Christ and his people clearly revealed ; it is also made a chan¬ nel whereby to convey to us, more richly perhaps than any other relation, the assurance of all those gracious purposes of God towards his people, and his dealings with them, which tend to their benefit and to his glory ; such as, his eternal choice of them for his own, the ran¬ som he paid for their deliverance, the grace whereby he prepares them for union to himself, the intimate and endeared communion to which he admits them, his won¬ derful forbearance with all their aggravated offences, his never-failing faithfulness, everlasting kindness, and Al¬ mighty protection; the identity of interests that unites Christ and his redeemed ; the delight he takes in them, and they in him, even in this imperfect state; and the amazing glory which awaits the Church above, when the sacred union begun on earth shall be perfected in heaven, and she shall be invested with all the honours, riches, and delights, prepared for her as the beloved and chosen Bride of the Kino; of kings. Under this aspect of the Church, is shown also the important truth, that she has been 4 but one’ 3 in all ages, and under all dispensations; that believers have stood in the same relation to God, and he to them, in the Taber¬ nacle of the wilderness, in the Temple at Jerusalem, and in the Church of Christ; yea, that the bliss awaiting them in 4 the New Jerusalem’ is but the consummation 1 Is. liv. 5. 2 John iii. 29 ; Rev. xxi. 2 , 9. 3 Cant. vi. 9. BRIDEGROOM-HUSBAND. 323 of that marvellous union. This oneness of the Church may be traced in the prophetic writings, especially in Isaiah liv., xlix., and lx., and the two first chapters of Hosea. Here we find the past, present, and future con¬ ditions of the Church, all represented as events in the life of one individual. This individual is described as a Matron, who had been married in her youth, and had received unspeakable and most unmerited benefits in virtue of the marriage-covenant, but who, for her un¬ faithfulness, had been severely chastised, and apparently forsaken. Yet was she not utterly rejected; for, through the unparalleled forgiveness of her Lord, she was to be restored to all the privileges and endearments of the con¬ jugal state ; and not only restored, but raised to honour and happiness, far greater than she enjoyed before. For, whereas at the period when Isaiah and Hosea wrote, she was desolate from the loss of her children, a captive, and removing to and fro, she is comforted with pro¬ mises of a sudden and amazing increase of offspring, which should oblige her to enlarge the place of her tent, and stretch forth the curtains of her habitation. Indeed, her moveable tent should at length be exchanged for an abiding city, a city whose foundations should be laid with sapphires, and all its borders with pleasant stones; a city which should be the abode of imperturbable peace, security, and joy. The permanency of this marriage- covenant is throughout described as depending, not upon the constancy of the Matron, but upon the inviolable faithfulness of her Lord; for he declares his covenant with her to be sure as that made with Noah, and more lasting than the mountains, because grounded upon his own righteousness, loving-kindness, mercy, and truth. 1 1 Is. liv. ; Hosea ii. 19, 20. 324 BRIDEGROOM-HUSBAND. Now, in these prophetic announcements, do we not read this truth, that the Church is ‘ but one?’—that she was espoused to God by his covenant with the seed of Abraham; was made desolate, and apparently rejected, for the idolatries and corruptions of her children the Hebrews ; but, as the Mother of all believers, was to be raised to far higher honour and bliss than she had ever before known, by the introduction of the Gospel-dispen¬ sation, by the conversion of the Gentiles, the restoration of Israel, the glories of the Millennium, and, finally, by the enduring prosperity of her assembled family in Hea¬ ven. These gracious promises of restoration to the Church began to be fulfilled when the Son of God appeared in human form as her Bridegroom. In this character he was announced by his herald the Baptist, who joyfully assumed to himself the character of the Bridegroom's friend. When John’s disciples came to him to complain of the superior honour paid to Jesus, he replied, ‘ Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the brideoroom : but the friend of the bride- © groom, which standeth and hearetli him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. This my joy there¬ fore is fulfilled.’ 1 Our blessed Lord himself has removed all doubt as to the application of this title, by repeatedly claiming and appropriating it. His presence with his people on earth, he termed that of the Bridegroom with the children of the bride-chamber; his departure from earth, the Bride¬ groom being taken away ; his second coming, he termed the return of the bridegroom to complete his nuptials; the kingdom of heaven he likened to the marriage-feast 1 John iii. 2G-30. BRIDEGROOM-HUSBAND. 325 of a king’s son ; and the qualification for admission into that kingdom, a wedding-garment. The farther illustration, and practical improvement of this sacred relation, our Lord committed to his in¬ spired Apostles. St Paul frequently alludes to it in his Epistles j 1 and in the Fifth chapter of Ephesians, he gives a particular description of the benefits thence re¬ sulting to the Church, and of her consequent duties. As the highest possible model of conjugal affection and tenderness, the Apostle directs husbands to that of Christ towards the Church : as a model for wives, in their sub¬ jection to their husbands, he holds up that of the Church to Christ. Nor does he give us merely the general de¬ claration,— 4 Christ loved the Church ; ’ but gives many proofs of the greatness and sincerity of that love. lie tells us that Christ so loved the church, that ‘ he gave himself for her but this is not all: he prepares her for union with himself by sanctifying and cleansing her with his Spirit and his word, and gradually makes her meet for fellowship with him in glory, where she shall be per¬ fectly holy, and without blemish: and during her so¬ journ here below, compassed as she is with dangers, infir¬ mities, and sori’ows, he nourisheth and cherisheth her, as her Saviour and Head. In short, so entire is the union, and so identical the interests, of the parties thus united, that in loving the Church, Christ loves himself, ‘ his own flesh and bones.’ The evidence afforded by this passage is the stronger, that it does not attempt to prove the union between Christ and his Church, as a new or dis¬ puted point, but adduces it, for the purpose of example, as a point already established and incontrovertible. 2 Hence we are warranted to conclude, that the love of Christ to his Church excels that of the most affectionate 1 Rom. vii. 4 ; 2 Cor. xi. 2, &c. 2 Ephes. v. 32. 326 BRIDEGROOM-HUSBAND. earthly husband to the wife of his choice, as far as the attributes of Deity, joined to the sympathies of perfect Humanity, excel those of a fallible mortal: and that whatever may be looked for, of benefit or happiness, from the purest earthly union, is but a faint shadow of that enjoyed by the Church from her union with Immanuel. It is not on earth, however, that this sacred union is completed. The Church, while here below, cannot be freed from 4 spot or wrinkle, or any such thing-.’ But, by revelation to another apostle, our Lord has favoured us with glimpses of that state, where his Church shall be publicly proclaimed as the object of his choice, the purchase of his blood, the partner of his joys, and the object of his everlasting delight; where she shall be ar¬ rayed in fine linen, clean and white, and be 4 prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.’ 1 Then shall the words of the prophet be fully accomplished, 4 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God ; for he hath clothed me with the garments of sal¬ vation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteous¬ ness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.’ 2 In those portions of Scripture to which our attention has been hitherto directed, the marriage-union between Christ and his Church is treated of doctrinally and pro¬ phetically. But there are two other portions of Scrip¬ ture, wdiere this union is described more experimentally ; where the parties are brought before us with the vividness of living characters, and we can almost fancy that we listen to their mutual commendations, and witness their holy joy in each other. The parts to which we allude are the 45th Psalm, and 4 The Song of songs, which is Solomon’s.' 1 Rev. xix. 7, 8 ; xxi. 2 ; xxii. 17. 2 Isaiah lxi. 10. BRIDEGROOM-HUSBAND. 327 In Psalm xlv. we have a glorious view of Messiah. W e see him honoured, hy the Father himself, as God, seated on his everlasting throne. 1 We see him also honoured as Man and Mediator, anointed by God, even his God; and qualified for his work hy every grace of the Spirit. We see this God-man, in all his terrible ma¬ jesty, as the Conqueror of his enemies, and in all his amiable loveliness, as the Benefactor of his subjects. Especially, we view him as the royal Bridegroom of the Church; delighting in her, notwithstanding her im¬ mense inferiority, for she is his creature , bound to wor¬ ship him as her Lord ; 2 and investing her, as his Consort and Queen, with such dignity, splendour, and glory, as makes her an object of universal respect and admiration. The advancement of her children to the highest honours O is also promised. In the Song of Solomon, this sacred mystery is drawn out still more minutely, presenting, in the interesting form of a dialogue, the mutual affection of Christ and his people. To express the felicity of their union, images are borrowed from every tribe of earth. Flowers lend their beauty and fragrance ; trees their refreshing shade and delicious fruits; perfumes their reviving odours ; banquets their exhilarating cordials; gems their bril¬ liancy, durability, and preciousness; birds their soothing and harmonious strains; spring its fresh and numberless charms. The Spouse, after exhausting all emblems of beauty whereby to describe her Beloved, sums up all in this exclamation, 4 He is altogether lovely.’ And no wonder that she should see incomparable loveliness and matchless grace in Him who is the brightness of the Father’s glory, and the object of unutterable delight to all holy beings in heaven. But here is the wonder,— 1 Ps. xlv. G, compared with Heb. i. 8. 3 Ps. xlv. 11. 328 BRIDEGROOM-HUSBAND. he sees in her similar loveliness and grace. The same expressions are used by both parties regarding each other. Does the Spouse say, 4 Thy love is better than wine ; because of the savour of thy good ointments, thy name is as ointment poured forth V Her Beloved re¬ plies, 4 How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse ! how much better is thy love than wine ! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices !’ Does the Bridegroom style himself ‘ the Rose of Sharon, and the Lily of the valleys?’ He compares the Bride to ‘ a lily among thorns.’ Does she affirm of him, 4 He is altogether lovely ?’ He says to her, 4 Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.’ Does she ardently desire his company, and long to hear his voice ? He addresses to her this tender in¬ vitation, 4 Let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.’ Is the Bride dependant on her Beloved for every thing, leaning upon his arm ? He, with ineffable condescension, speaks as though he were, in a certain sense, dependant on her , inasmuch as he could not resist her believing supplications. As, when the Lord would give to his servant Moses the strongest encouragement to plead for Israel, he said to him, 4 Let me aloyie, that I may consume them so, when Christ would give to his Church the strongest encouragement to prayer, he says, 4 Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me.’ Even the attribute of power , which we might have supposed" applicable to Christ only, he applies to his Church, affirming of her, not only that she is 4 fair as the moon,’ but 4 terrible as an army with banners.’ This is indeed 4 a great mystery;’—that He, in whose sight a single sin is abominable, and deserves eternal wrath, should yet view a vast aggregate of sinners, of which the Church on earth is composed, not only with- BRIDEGROOM-HUSBAND. 329 out abhorrence, but with satisfaction and delight;—that He to whom our goodness extendeth not, and in whose just estimation, we are, at best, unprofitable servants, should yet receive with complacency the tokens of our love, and even desire to hold fellowship with us. For the solution of this mystery, we must study other parts of the word of God ; but hints may be found in this book itself, which partly explain it. The Spouse con¬ fesses that, in herself, she is black, as the tents of Kedar, though, in the righteousness of her Lord, and the graces of his Spirit, she is comely , as the curtains of Solomon. 1 She confesses that the King must drain her, else she could not run after him ; that he had brought her into his chambers; she did not come thither by her own power, or wisdom, or love. She frequently confesses herself grievously to blame : and asks those who admire her, What they can see in her ? There was nothing to be admired in her, but ‘ as it were, the company of two armies;’ the wondrous conflict carrying on within her, between the flesh and the Spirit, in which, through grace, the Spirit should be victorious. In other parts of Scripture, however, we find clearer and fuller explanations of this mystery. We find that, through the atonement, righteousness, and intercession of the One Mediator, God beholds 4 no iniquity in Jacob, nor perverseness in Israel: ’ 2 that they who are by faith united to Christ are made the very righteousness of God in him, have it imputed to them, and put upon them, as their own. 3 This makes them ‘ all fair,’ even in the sight of the Holy One and the Just. But, besides this all-per¬ fect robe, the Lord beautifies his people with personal holiness, with the varied graces of his Spirit, which, like jewels set in their heart, shine forth in their lives and con- 1 Cant. i. 5. 2 Num. xxiii. 21. 3 Rom. iii. 21-26. 330 BRIDEGROOM-HUSBAND. versation, and being the reflection of his own image, and the work of his hands, are pleasing and acceptable to him through Jesus Christ. Of this we have numerous proofs, both in reference to good works in general, and to particular acts of obedience. St Paul says of 4 the fruits of righteousness,’ generally, that they are, 4 by Jesus Christ, unto the praise and glory of God : M and of the charitable contribution of the Philippians, he says, it is 4 an odour of a sweet smell, acceptable, well-pleas¬ ing to Gocl.’ 2 It is said in the hook of Psalms, 4 The Lord’s delight is in them that fear him, and that put their trust in his mercy :’ that 4 The prayer of the up¬ right is his delight:’—that Whoso offereth to God praise, glorifies him ;—and when the disciples of Christ hear much fruit, he has assured them that thus God is glo¬ rified. It is, therefore, possible for man, when united to Christ, and sanctified by the Spirit, to do things pleasing and acceptable to God. While humbly conscious, then, of the defilement that tarnishes our best actions, we should not forget how graciously God encourages all our at¬ tempts to glorify him ; hut nobly aspire to such con¬ formity to Christ our Beloved as may render us pleasing- in his eyes and in those of his Father. But to return to Canticles.—The happiness of the Bride, although great, is far from being unalloyed or un¬ changing. It is liable to sudden interruptions ; and the consciousness of having brought upon herself these inter¬ ruptions, these seasons of estrangement from her Beloved, renders them poignantly afflictive. She is habitually assured of her union to Him whom her soul lovetli: hut owing to her own negligence or slothfulness, she often loses the sweet manifestations of his love. Often is she 1 Philip, i. 11. 2 Philip, iv. 18. 3 John xv. 8. BRIDEGROOM-HUSBAND. 331 heard to complain, ‘ I sought him, hut I found him not: I called him, but he gave me no answer.’ Then again, we hear her glad songs on having found her Beloved, and her anxious charges to all around, not to disturb or shorten his blessed visits. In short, while the happiness here shadowed forth excels all the happiness to be found in earthly unions, it is yet imperfect, and subject to tem¬ porary suspensions, perplexities, and alarms. This is further evident, from the aspirations of the Bride after brighter days and more immediate fellowship with her Beloved. The light she has, though sufficient to dis¬ play his loveliness, suitableness, and preciousness, is yet but as the early dawn, compared with what she hopes for, when the day shall break and the shadows flee away. The communion she enjoys with him, though delightful, is yet limited and imperfect. lie looketh through the windows, and showeth himself through the lattices : but she ardently longs for his fuller manifestations, crying out, 4 Make haste my Beloved, and be thou like to a roe, or to a young hart, upon the mountains of spices.’ Hitherto we have spoken of this union, as existing be¬ tween Christ, and the Church, collectively. But we know, that in whatever relation Christ stands to the body as a whole, he stands in the same to every true member of the body. In the varied experience of the Spouse, then, while we trace the varied condition of the Church, especially the Jewish Church, aspiring after the coming of Messiah, in his Gospel-light, and in the out¬ pouring of his Spirit: we trace also the varied exercises of the believing soul, in its fellowship with Christ. The believer loves and rejoices in an unseen Saviour, and knows that in His spiritual presence alone true happiness is to be found : Christ, with adorable condescension, 332 BRIDEGROOM-HUSBAND. manifests himself to the believer, as he does not to the world. But this blessed communion is often lost and interrupted by neglect and sin, and can only be recover¬ ed by renewed acts of faith, repentance, and diligence. For the practical application of this subject, then, Let us inquire, whether our emotions, dispositions, and con¬ duct, bear any resemblance to those of the Bride, as repre¬ sented in Canticles ? Have we such delight in the pre¬ sence of God our Saviour, and such grief at his absence, as makes us restless and uneasy whenever he withdraws from us the liojit of his countenance ? Or do we know what it is to be nearer to him at one time than at an¬ other ? If not, it is to be feared we have not yet been brought into this wonderfully gracious union with the Son of God. But if we have had any experience of these things ; if we have tasted and seen that the Lord is good ; and known, in any measure, that it is good for us to draw nigh unto him; surely the consideration of this Title should convince us deeply of the guilt of that estrangement from him, in which we too often contented¬ ly remain. For, have we such a high sense of the value of his manifested presence, and such a tender fear of griev¬ ing his Holy Spirit, as makes us carefully shun every trifling pursuit, and every departure from duty in small things, which, like ‘ the little foxes,’ spoil the tender grapes of our fellowship, and mar our spiritual joys ? Have we such a holy admiration of the person, offices, and charac¬ ter of Jesus, and of his suitableness to us, such reverent submission to his authority, such devoted surrender to him of body, soul, and spirit, such reposing confi¬ dence in his faithfulness, power, and love, as might reasonably be expected in so close and endearing a rela¬ tion ? Do we habitually cherish such a jealous care of BRIDEGROOM-HUSBAND. 333 his glory and honour, as makes his interest ours , and warrants ns to conclude that our interest is his? —Alas! when we compare our affections towards Him with his astonishing love and grace towards us; and especially when we consider His infinite dignity and purity, our own unworthiness and defilement, and the price, at which he has ransomed us to be his own ;—what can we do but loathe ourselves in our own sight, for our ini- quities and for our abominations ? But we are urged to action, as well as to emotion, by the example of the Spouse. Did she lay up for her Be¬ loved, fruits new and old ? Was she constantly em¬ ployed in examining whether the vine flourished, whe¬ ther the tender grape appeared, and the pomegranates budded forth ? Did she invoke the north wind and the south to blow upon her garden, that the spices thereof might flow out? And, having herself tasted the joy of fellowship with the Beloved, did she recommend him to the admiration of all around ? Then let us inquire, what fruits we are bearing, whether they are such as we can invite the Lord Jesus to inspect and partake of? whe¬ ther we are praying importunately for the influences of the Spirit, without which our graces must languish and wither ; and if, according to our opportunities, we are endeavouring to lead others to the knowledge of Christ? In proportion as these things abound in us, we shall be able confidently to say, ‘ My beloved is mine, and I am his.’ And although, at the review of even our pu¬ rest feelings, and best actions, we are disposed to hide ourselves for shame in the clefts of the rock, yet, from thence, we may hear his gracious voice inviting us to come to him, and assuring us that, in spite of all our un¬ worthiness and guilt, he sees in us of the travail of his 334. BRIDEGROOM-HUSBAND. soul, and is satisfied; nay, that he rejoices over us, as the Bridegroom rejoices over the Bride. To many readers, a great proportion of the present Essay may appear enthusiastic ; drawn from fanciful in¬ terpretations of a single book of Scripture, which is con¬ fessedly difficult and mysterious. But to such readers we would say, Do you receive the Psalms as sober guides to devotion, and safe tests for self-examination ? And do you find in them no vehement, and even passionate expressions of holy desire, no lively rejoicings in the light of God’s countenance, no hitter lamentations during the withdrawal of that light ? 1 Look at the experience of holy men of old, — at the exclamation of Job, ‘ Oh! that I knew where I might find him—at the impor¬ tunity of wrestling Jacob, ‘ I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.’ Look also at the apostles and martyrs of the New Testament, counting all things but loss that they might win Christ, and at the rebukes of Christ to the Churches of Asia, recorded in Revelation i. and ii., and you will find that all Scripture demands the warm¬ est affections of the heart, and the whole service of the life, for Him who loved us, and gave himself for us; and that those who are cold, or even lukewarm in their at ¬ tachment to him, are reckoned among his enemies. 1 See Psalms xlii. lxiii. lxxxiv. cxliii, &c. ESSAY XLYI. HEAD OF THE BODY—HEAD OYER ALL THINGS TO THE CHURCH. Oh ! the wonders of that union which subsists between the Lord Jesus Christ and his Church ! Oh ! the wis¬ dom and goodness of God, in unfolding to us this sacred mystery, in similes so striking and familiar, so admirably suited to our present limited capacities and earthly ima¬ ginations ! We have been occupied, of late, in tracing the reci¬ procal love of Christ and his people, under the endearing relations of friendship and of kindred ; and we seemed to have exhausted our store of images, and to have traced the union under its closest possible form, while viewing Christ as the Husband of his Church. But, in the title now before us, the same union is presented under a closer form still; not only as that indissoluble bond whereby two persons become, in a figurative sense, 4 no more twain but one flesh but as that union whereby the head and the members literally form but one body. The appeal here made is not to natural affection, but to that still stronger and more universal principle of our nature, self-preservation. This emblem derives its force, not from our connexion with other human beings, how ever near and dear, but from the connexion of parts in 336 HEAD OF THE BODY- that fearful and wonderful frame which every one of us carries about with him. The unity of Christ with his people is fully declared by St Paul under this emblem. In one place, he says, 4 As we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office; so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.’ 1 In another place, he says, 4 We are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.’ 2 And in one chapter espe¬ cially, the 12th of 1st Corinthians, the Apostle enlarges upon this emblem, and draws from it a rich store of prac¬ tical instruction. He represents Christ, as not existing separately from his people, but entirely one with them. ‘ For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one hody: so also is Christ.’ 3 This statement perfectly ac¬ cords with the petition of the Redeemer, in behalf of his true disciples in every age, ‘ That they all may be One ; as Thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be One in us.’ 4 What amazing condescension is here displayed ! He who, in essential Deity, is One with the Father , in glory and majesty, becomes One with, Man , in nature, in cove¬ nant, and in identity of interests; so as to deem the Church a part of himself ! He, by whom and for whom all things were created, who is before all things, and by whom all things consist, who is infinitely exalted in divine sovereignty, above all orders of created beings, has yet identified his own glory, as Mediator, with the sal¬ vation of his elect. For although, as God, he needs not their homage or service ; yet, as Mediator, his glory would be incomplete, if one of his members should perish; 1 Rom. xii. 4, 5. 3 Eph. v. 30. 3 1 Cor. xii. 12. 4 John xvii. 21. HEAD OVER ALL THINGS TO THE CHURCH. 337 so that, with reverence, we may apply to Christ and his people this saying of St Paul, ‘ The Head cannot say to the feet, I have no need of you.’ 4 The Church of Christ, then, is his Body, firmly 4 united to him and among themselves, by the Spirit, 4 faith, love, sacraments, word, and ministry ; which, 4 like the veins and arteries in the body, serve to join 4 them with Christ and among themselves, and also to 4 convey influence and nourishment from the head to 4 every member of this mystical body.’ 1 As the head is the seat of reflection, motion, and guidance, to the body; so Christ is the source of wisdom, activity, and direction, to the Church ; and as, severed from the head, the best proportioned body instantly becomes lifeless, powerless, and a prey to corruption, so is every soul that is severed from Christ: for 4 without (or severed from) me,’ says the Saviour, 4 ye can do nothing.’ 2 But, 2dly, we are now to apply this Title to Christ in another sense ; viz. that of a Ruler or Governor. Christ is the Head of the Church , as he rules and governs her. The titles Head of the Body, and Head of the Church, are one; because Christ is 4 the Head of the body, the Church.’ 3 For the sake of distinctness, how¬ ever, we shall take them separately ; using the former, 4 Head of the Body ,’ to denote the unity and tender sym¬ pathy of Christ with his people; and the latter, 4 Head of the Church ,’ to express his sovereign rule and autho¬ rity over his people. These two senses of the title, far from confusing, serve to elucidate and strengthen each other : indeed, it is the combination of the two that renders this title so precious to the Church ; the sympathy implied in the former sense being a pledge that the authority implied in the latter will be exercised in 1 Cruden. 2 John xv. 5 ; margin. 3 Col. i. 1 8. VOL. II. P 338 HEAD OF THE BODY- the kindest possible manner ; the power implied by the latter being a pledge that the sympathy implied by the former will be available in every emergency. These two acceptations of the title are finely illustrated by St Paul, in the 4th chapter of Ephesians. Here we view the Church, as one Body , animated by one Spirit , having ‘ one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all.’ We see the Head of this Body, af¬ ter his visible sojourn on earth, ascending up far above all heavens, leaving his poor members, apparently scat¬ tered and defenceless. But wherefore lias their Head left them, and gone up on high ? It is, that he may carry on in heaven the great work which he began on earth, that of gathering and uniting his members to himself and to each other ; it is, that he may send down upon them the blessed gifts of a Christian ministry, and Christian graces. And for what end does he send these gifts ? It is ‘ for the edifying of the body of Christ that his members ‘ may grow up into him in all things,’ and be firmly joined to him, and to each other, as the different parts of the body are by joints and bands knit together; and that, by the proportionable increase of every part, the body itself may increase, until it come unto a perfect Man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. 1 Thus we see how Christ em¬ ploys his sovereign rule over his people as Head of the Church , to promote his unity with them as Head of the Body: how he dispenses to certain of his members, offices and gifts, whereby to cement the whole in one Body ; that, by mutual union with him, their Head, they may have nourishment ministered, and increase with the increase of God. 2 But, 3dly, the term Head is used in Scripture in a 1 Eph. iv. 4-16. 2 Col. ii. 19. HEAD OVER ALL THINGS TO THE CHURCH. 339 still higher sense, even to express the absolute and uni¬ versal dominion of Jehovah. David, in a devout as¬ cription of glory to God, says, ‘ Thine is the kingdom, 0 Lord, and thou art exalted as Head above all.! 1 That the title Head, taken in this, its highest sense, belongs to the Son, equally with the Father and the Holy Ghost, none can doubt who acknowledge the doctrine of the Trinity. But it belongs to the Son in a peculiar man¬ ner ; for not only is he ‘ Head above all ,’ by essential Deity : he is also ‘ Head above all to the Church ,’ as the appointed Mediator. This is the great matter of rejoic¬ ing to the Church, that he who is so closely united to her as to style her his Body , and who is her internal Ruler and Governor , not only possesses infinite and un¬ controlled authority , in heaven, in earth, and in hell; but holds this authority for the express purpose of pro¬ moting her welfare , and securing her interests. No doc¬ trine is more clearly stated in the New Testament than this,—that, in reward of his obedience unto death, and in order to perfect the great designs of his death, the glory of God and the salvation of the elect, our Lord Jesus Christ was, upon his ascension, exalted, as Man and Mediator, to the highest favour with God his Fa¬ ther, and invested by him with universal dominion ; with the administration of Nature, of Providence, and of Grace ; with power to subdue all enemies under his feet, and to gather together in One all the children of God. Let no one think that we can derogate from the glory of God the Father, in thus ascribing to the Son all ho¬ nour and dominion. We only acquiesce in the Father’s will, by doing so ; ‘ for it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell,’ 2 ‘ that in all things he 1 1 Chron. xxix. 11. 2 Col. i. 18, 19. 340 HEAD OF THE BODY' might have the pre-eminence^ 4 that he might gather to¬ gether in one all things in Christ , both which are in hea¬ ven, and which are on earth, even in him .’ 1 It remained for the Gospel-dispensation fully to de¬ clare this great office of Christ; but intimations of it were not wanting under the Mosaic dispensation. We may trace, though dimly, in the ancient Church, all the three points stated above; the unity of Christ with his people, his government of them, and his universal sway for their benefit. His unity with them was revealed in the terms of the first promise, ‘ It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel; ’ for the people of Christ, as well as himself, personally, were included in that Seed of the woman, which was to bruise the serpent’s head; as they were also in the covenant made with Abraham and his Seed . 2 That the government of the Church w r as, from the beginning, vested in the Son, in anticipation of his Mediatorial office, has been frequently proved in the course of this work; and we need not here repeat the evidences which prove him to have been ‘ The Ruler in Israel from everlasting,’ as well as Israel’s 4 Redeemer from everlasting .’ 3 The same evidences warrant us to conclude, that as he regulated the internal policy of his Church, so he overruled all external affairs and events to her good; that it was He, who of old 4 suffered no man to do his people wrong, yea, who reproved kings for their salces ; saying, Touch not mine anoint¬ ed, and do my prophets no harm .’ 4 The sublime de¬ claration, 4 Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever ,’ 5 is sufficient proof that every office the Son of God now sustains, he has sustained 1 Eph. i. 10. 2 Gen. xvii. 7, 8; Gal. iii. 16-29. 3 See Essay on the 4 Angel-Jehovah.' 1 1 Ps. cv. 14, 15. 5 Heb. xiii, 8. HEAD OVER ALL THINGS TO THE CHURCH. 341 from the beginning, though not with equal clearness of manifestation. During his lowly sojourn with his members, on earth, our Lord uttered many declarations of his office as Head of the Church, in all the senses noticed above; viz. by unity with her, by authority over her, and by universal dominion for her benefit. Of his unity with his people, the blessed Jesus gave the most touching assurances ; such as the following :— ‘ Hethat receiveth you receiveth me;’— 4 he that despiseth you despiseth me : ’—‘ inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me ;—inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.’ 1 Of his authority over the Church, as her Head, Jesus gave many proofs, both by word and deed. He ap¬ pointed and sent forth apostles and preachers, endowing them with spiritual and miraculous gifts : he cleansed the Temple by his own authority; he instituted new rites of worship, to supersede the old ; and, with Divine authority, he pronounced eternal blessedness to be the portion of all who heard and obeyed him ; and eternal misery to be the doom of all who rejected him. On one occasion, in particular, the despised Jesus of Na¬ zareth stood forth as Head of the Church, at the time then present, from the beginning of time, and to the end. The occasion to which we allude, was that when he rebuked the Scribes and Pharisees, the pretended office-bearers of the Church, for their hypocrisy,—there¬ by asserting a present rule over her; and at the same time claimed, as his own, all the Divine efforts for Is¬ rael’s reformation in ages past, and all the new efforts to be made in ages to come. For he speaks in his own 1 Matt. x. 40; Luke x. 16 ; Matt. xxv. 40, 4.5. 342 HEAD OF THE BODY- name, when exclaiming, ‘ 0 Jerusalem ! Jerusalem ! how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! ’ And here also, ‘ Behold I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes; and some of them ye shall kill,’ 1 &c. It did not consist with his state of humiliation, that Jesus should openly avow himself ‘ Head overall things. Yet he gave to his disciples clear and repeated assur¬ ances of this, his glorious character; and to the multi¬ tude it was displayed, though they were too blind to discern it, in his miraculous sway over the elements, over the bodies and souls of men, and over evil spirits. The Baptist bore witness to Christ, in this character, saying, ‘The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.’ The Son himself declared, ‘ All things are delivered unto me of my Father.’ 2 But it was not till after his sacrifice had been offered and ac¬ cepted, till his victory over death and hell had been achieved, and he was about to ascend up where he was before, that Jesus entered upon the full exercise of his office, as ‘ Head over all things to the Church.’ This he announced to his apostles, when parting from them, say¬ ing, ‘ All power is given unto me, in heaven and in earth ; ’ and forthwith gave them the authoritative com¬ mission, ‘ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,’—and the encouraging promise, ‘ Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.’ 3 The particulars related by St John, in the close of his Gospel, mark the risen Saviour, as ‘ Head of the body, the Church,’ both by tender sympathy, and by supreme authority ; 4 the former, in his injunction to Peter, to 1 Matt, xxiii. 2 John iii. 35 ; Luke x. 22. 8 Matt, xxviii. 19, 20. 4 John xxi. 15-23. HEAD OVER ALL THINGS TO THE CHURCH. 343 feed his lambs, the weak and helpless members of his body ; the latter, in his sovereign decisions regarding the Apostles themselves, viz. that Peter should suffer for him, and by ‘ what death and that John should tarry, if he willed, till he came. We have now drawn, from the Gospels and Epistles, many proofs of the justness of this title, as applied to our Lord Jesus Christ. But there are two books of the New Testament, which, although they do not contain one mention of the title in words, may yet be considered, throughout, as illustrative of its meaning. These books are the Acts, and the Revelation. The book of Acts, containing the history of the primitive Church, is truly a delineation of the Body of Christ, and of Him as her Head. Every thing is done in His name, and by His authority. He sheds forth the Holy Ghost upon his ministers; in His name they baptise, they preach, they heal the sick, they cast out devils. And while due ho¬ nour is rendered to the other Persons of the blessed Tri¬ nity, it is the honour rendered to the name of Jesus which is the grand characteristic of the new Church. To be witnesses for Him , witnesses of His resurrection , is the principal office of the ministers of God ; to believe in Him ,, the distinguishing mark of the people of God, who thenceforth are called after His name, Christians. While the apostles laboured to convince their country¬ men, that this religion, though new in the clearness of its discoveries, was not new in substance ; for that Jesus Christ was ‘before preached’ unto them, ‘by Moses and all God’s holy prophets since the world began:’ yet teaching and preaching in the name of Jesus was the offence which drew down upon them all the rage of the Jewish authorities. Jesus Christ, therefore, was consi- HEAD OF THE BODY- 344 dered Head of the Church, Founder of the new religion, both by its enemies and by its friends. There is an instance of the immediate agency of Christ, recorded in Acts, which strikingly illustrates the two¬ fold meaning of this title, Head of the Body, and Head of the Church : we mean the conversion of St Paul, with its attendant circumstances. Here we see, in perfect harmony, the tender sympathy of Christ with individual members, and his sovereign authority over the whole body. In the touching expostulation, 4 Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?’ we have the surest pledge of the sympathy of Christ, that whoso touchetli his people, touchetli the apple of his eye : while, in the authoritative command laid upon the subdued persecutor, and after¬ wards in the commission given to Ananias, we as clearly discern the supremacy of Christ, and see how he em¬ ploys, at his pleasure, certain members of the body, to benefit the other members, and magnify his own glory, as their Head ; for, to bear His name was the office to which he appointed this 4 chosen vesselthe great things he must suffer were for His names sake. In the Book of Revelation, we trace this office of Christ, through a later period, but one distinguished still by his immediate agency. The three first chapters present him, in the clearest possible light, as 4 Head of the body, the Church;’ the remainder of the book ex¬ hibits him with equal clearness, as 4 Head over all things to the Church.’ No emblem can be imagined more expressive of the vigilant superintendence of Christ over the members of his body, than the one presented in the early part of this book ; viz. his holding the seven stars in his right hand, and walking in the midst of the seven golden candle¬ sticks. Nor are we left to discover, by our own conjee- HEAD OVER ALL THINGS TO THE CHURCH. 345 tures, the meaning of these symbolical terms ; we are ex¬ pressly told, ‘ the seven stars are the seven angels (or ministers) of the seven churches; and the seven candle¬ sticks are the seven churches.’ The addresses to each separate church, by name, aw¬ fully declare the truth of this emblematical description ; showing how minutely the Lord Christ inspects, not only the works, but the secret emotions, of his professed disciples; whether as individuals or communities ; how he marks every secret declension in love, and other graces, even where no outward signs betray it; how strict he is to point out the ‘ few things ’ that offend him, even where the general conduct is good ; how he compares the present with the former state of each church, sees whether it be increasing in fruitfulness, or if the things that remain be ready to die; distinguishes the different classes that compose each church ; notices with approbation the few that are worthy, among the many who have a name to live, but are dead ; and in¬ dignantly rebukes the unwatchful, the lukewarm, and the self-righteous. Nor does the Head of the Church suffer us to suppose that his authority is exercised only in the way of admoni¬ tion and rebuke. With Divine authority, he threatens the most fearful judgments on those who should continue impenitent, especially the spiritual judgment of depriva¬ tion of Gospel light,—the removal of their candlestick. And of all his dealings with the churches, he declares this to be the object,— 4 And all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.’ 1 But, along with these awful tokens of the vigilance 1 Rev. ii. 23. 346 HEAD OF THE BODY- and judicial authority of Christ, as Head of the Church, we see mingled the sweetest tokens of his tender sympathy, as Head of the Body. How considerately does he weigh the peculiar temptations of each church, with the measure of strength granted to each ; marking ‘ where the dwelling ’ of one is, the ‘ tribulation and po¬ verty’ of another; the ‘ little strength’ which yet had ‘ kept his word, and not denied his name,’ in a third. How condescendingly does he take notice of any graces that exist, amidst much infirmity and unworthiness ; commending the labour and patience, the charity and service; the faith, patience, and growing fruitfulness of his people ; using every means to nourish and cherish them, giving them to eat of the hidden manna, and of the fruit of the tree of life, inviting them to close com¬ munion with him here, and promising them a share of his throne hereafter. We remarked that, as in the early chapters of the hook of Revelation, the Lord Christ manifestly appears Head of the Body ; so, in the remainder of the book, he as ma¬ nifestly appears Head over all things to the Church. Much obscurity hangs over the deep things here revealed; but, amidst this obscurity, one bright truth shines with equal and steady light, namely, That all events in this world , past, present , or future , and all operations in the unseen world, are ordained and permitted by ‘ Him who liveth , and was dead, and is alive for evermore,’ to accomplish his grand scheme, the salvation of his elect. Is the scene of the vision laid in heaven? We behold angels, and authorities, and powers, made subject unto the Son, and finding their highest joy in extolling him as the Lamb, or the glorified Head of the Church. Is the scene laid on earth ? We see angels, the ministers of God’s plea¬ sure, pouring out the vials of his wrath upon the ene- HEAD OVER ALL THINGS TO THE CHURCH. 347 mies of his church. We see wars, famines, pestilences, and all other human miseries, not the fruit of second causes, as we are so prone to view them ; but appointed, as to their time, place, and measure, by Him who sitteth upon the throne; all issuing from that mysterious book, the seals of which were opened by the Lamb. We see a broad and careful distinction made between God’s deal¬ ings with the world and with the church. His people must not be involved in any of those terrible judgments which he sends upon the ungodly ; but the hand of the destroying angels must be stayed, till every one of them be ‘ sealed in their foreheads.’ Not that the church is exempt from judgments; far otherwise. Her children are oppressed, persecuted, and slain, for the testimony which they hold, and their Head seems at times to withdraw from the conflict, and leave the issue doubtful; so that they are heard to complain, ‘ How long, Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth ?’ Yet, amid all this apparent triumph of his enemies, and apparent danger of his church, the Lord God Omni¬ potent is directing every movement of the mighty army, to the completion of his victory over hell and death. The foe cannot inflict a single wound on one of his peo¬ ple, nor on his church, which he has not decreed to be inflicted. His witnesses must indeed prophesy in sack¬ cloth ; his holy city must be trodden under foot; his people must suffer tribulation ; his church must flee into the wilderness. But how greatly does it alleviate all these troubles, when we see them, not caused by men or devils, who are but instruments, but ordained by Him who loveth the Church, and gave himself for her. He has decreed the precise duration of each judgment; and although he afflicts his own people, he will yet severely 34S HEAD OE TIIE BODY- punish their persecutors. For so great is the value he sets upon his witnesses, that, ‘ if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies ; and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut hea¬ ven, that it rain not,—power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.’ 1 The glorious issue of all these conflicts is unalterably fixed in the counsels of Heaven.—‘ The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. ’ All the kings who receive power with the beast, and give their power and strength unto the beast, shall be overcome by the Lamb; ‘ for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings. ’—‘ Babylon the great,—drunken with the blood of saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus,’—‘shall be utterly burned with fire,’—‘be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.’ 2 Satan, the accuser of the brethren, shall be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone; and the celestial courts shall resound with the voice of exultation over the enemies of the Lord, and of praise for his wonderful love to his re¬ deemed, saying, ‘ Alleluia: for the Lord God Omnipo¬ tent reigneth. Let us be glad, and rejoice, and give honour to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.’ Does it not, then, most gloriously appear in this book, that the Lord Jesus Christ is not only Head of the Church, but Head over all things to the Church ? Since the volume of inspiration was closed, the Lord Jesus has not, by immediate revelation, or miraculous interposition, shown himself Head over all things to the 1 Rev. xi. 5, G. 2 Rev. xi. 15; xvii. 12-14, 6 ; xviii, 8,21. HEAD OVER ALL THINGS TO THE CHURCH. 349 Church. But can we, therefore, doubt his continued exercise of this office ? Do we not rather see, in every page of the Church’s history, in all succeeding ages, un¬ deniable proofs of an Almighty Head, guiding and di¬ recting the Body, maintaining within the Church, the pure word of life, the ordinances of the sanctuary, and a succession of faithful ministers; and never leaving himself without witnesses, even during the darkest times ? And do we not also see, in the history of the Church, proofs of Christ’s universal sway for her good ? Do we not see how the events of Providence have been overruled to this great end ; how the ambi¬ tion, the caprice, the sinful passions, of kings, the selfish policy of cabinets, the wars and alliances of nations, and numberless links in the chain of events, have been all overruled to this one great object ?—how, in critical junctures, such, for instance, as the establishment of the Reformation in Europe, and its introduction into Scot¬ land and other countries, a succession of instruments was raised up, one appearing, just as another disappearr- ed, evidently proving, to the mind of the Christian reader, that He who is Head of the Church, is also Head over all things to the Church ? The same blessed truth may be discerned in the his¬ tory, and is felt in the experience, of every true member of Christ’s body ; viz. that he to whom they are united by so close and tender a tie, rules in them, and rules for them, causing ‘ all things to work together for their What cause, then, can the Church have to despond, whatever be the dangers that threaten her ? Although ‘ the heathen rage, and the kings of the earth set them¬ selves, and the rulers take counsel together ; ’— 4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh : the Lord shall have 350 HEAD OP THE BODY- them in derision.’ The gates of hell shall never prevail against Zion; for she is united in the closest and most inseparable bond to Him who ruleth Omnipotent, over heaven, earth, and hell. While, however, we cannot be too confident of the stability of the Church invisible, and of every one of her members, we may yet reasonably and believingly tremble for the stability of certain portions of the Church visible. We have strong grounds for apprehension, lest the can¬ dlestick should be removed, where the light is rejected or misimproved. The only strength of a church is its union to Christ the Head. But, alas! there are churches so calling themselves, who do not even outwardly 4 hold the Head;’ and there are many more, whose 4 angels’ are themselves but feebly united to Christ the Head, and therefore cannot minister much nourishment to their hearers. Even where the doctrines of the Cross are faithfully declared, and there is much outward semblance of union to Christ, how small is the proportion of living members! how few who are not chargeable with one or more of the faults imputed to the members of 4 the seven churches!’ And, if these things be so in this highly favoured land, which has so long enjoyed pure Gospel light, how can she expect to escape the just chastisement of the Head of the Church ? Oh ! that, roused by the loud calls of Providence, and by the still small voice of the Spirit, we might turn, and repent, and do the first works, ere our candlestick be removed out of its place! Let us often, by faith, realize the solemn truth, that our illustrious Head is walking amongst us, examining, with his eyes of fire, our professed union with himself, trying our works, and the motives whence they flow, weighing our faith, love, and patience, and infallibly discerning which of us have but 4 a name to live,’ while we are IIEAD OVER ALL THINGS TO THE CHURCH. 351 ‘ dead.’ Especially, let us remember how closely lie marks what improvement we are making of his precious gifts, his ordinances, his word, and ministers. Oh ! let us not rest any confidence on being mem¬ bers of the Church visible, which, if misimproved, will only add to our condemnation; but earnestly inquire whether we are members of the Church invisible, which ‘ has communion with Christ in grace here, and in glory hereafter.’ 1 But we must also remember, that if members of Christ, we are also ‘ members one of another.’ We have in this emblem the strongest possible injunction to mutual sympathy and care one of another, to quiet and contented occupation of our respective places, and to faithful and diligent use of our talents; not each for his own advantage or his own glory, but each for the good of the whole Body, and the glory of its Divine Head. The more these evidences abound, whether in churches, or in individual members, the more confidently may they adopt the words of the Apostle, ‘ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ ? I am persuad¬ ed that neither death, iior life, nor angels, nor prin¬ cipalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ 1 Shorter Catechism. ESSAY XLVJI. THE RESURRECTION—HE THAT ASCENDED UP ON HIGH—FORERUNNER. We have been engaged of late in studying the union that subsists between the Lord Jesus Christ and his people, under many delightful emblems. We are now to study the most glorious consequence of that union,— viz. that the people of Christ are one with him in his Resurrection and Ascension ; for it was as a public Person, or Covenant-Head, as ‘ the Second Adam,’ as ‘ the Head of the body, the Church,’ that he rose from the dead, and ascended up far above all heavens. These two events, the Resurrection and Ascension of our Lord, are so closely connected, the one being the in¬ troduction to the other, that we shall view them tooe- ther. And having already considered Christ as the Author of resurrection to the soul, 1 it shall be the object of the present Essay to consider him as the Author of re¬ surrection to the body, and of glorification to both body and soul in heaven. This subject naturally divides itself into three branches:— 1 See ‘ Quickening Spirit.’ IIE THAT ASCENDED UP ON HIGH. 353 1st, The importance of the fact of Christ’s resurrection. 2d, The evidences of that fact. 3d, The blessed results of it. Or, we may state these three points in the words of St Paul:— 1st, c If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain ; ye are yet in your sins.’ 1 2d, 4 But now is Christ risen from the dead.’ 2 3d, 4 If we believe that Jesus died, and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.’ 3 First, Let us consider the importance of the fact of Christ’s Resurrection. Although all the fundamental doc¬ trines of the Gospel are so linked together, that where one is wanting, the chain cannot stand, and therefore are all, in one sense, equally important, yet 4 the doctrine of the 4 Resurrection of Christ possesses superior importance, 4 inasmuch as it is the demonstration of all the rest. Hence 4 St Paul says, 44 If Christ be not risen, then is our preach- 4 ing vain, and your faith is also vain.” 44 If Christ be 4 not raised, your faith is vain, ye are yet in your sins.” 4 The Apostles, being sent to convert the world, were to 4 lay this down as the foundation of their preaching, 4 44 that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead,” 4 that all 4 might yield faith and obedience to him. The resur- 4 rection of Christ confirms the faith of Christians in his 4 person, as he is thereby 44 declared to he the Son of God 4 with power.” 5 He was the Son of God from eternity 4 as the Word, and from the first moment of his incar- 4 nation as God-man; yet the honour of this relation 4 was much eclipsed in his poor life and ignominious 4 death ; but in his resurrection, God did publicly own 1 1 Cor. xv. 17. 2 1 Cor. xv. 20. 3 1 Thes. iv. 14. * Acts i. 21, 22. 5 Rom. i. 4. 354 THE RESURRECTION- ‘ him in the face of the world ; therefore he is represent- ‘ ed testifying from heaven, 44 Thou art my Son , this day 4 have I begotten thee.” 1 His resurrection was likewise 4 a most pregnant proof of the all-sufficiency of his satis- 4 faction. The curse of the law accompanied his death, 4 and seemed, like an infinite weight, to lie on his grave; 4 but in rising again, the value and virtue of his suffier- 4 ings was fully declared : ‘•’•He was deliveredfor our sins , 4 and was raised again for our justification." Having, as 4 our Surety, paid our debt, and given full satisfaction to 4 divine justice, he was released from the grave, and the 4 discharge was most solemnly published to the world. 4 On this doctrine of his resurrection is also built our 4 faith in his promises to give life and glory to his ser- 4 vants. For how could we believe him to be the Author 4 of Life, who remained under the power of death ? If 4 he had been confined to the grave, all our hopes had 4 been buried with him. But his resurrection is the cause, 4 pattern, and argument of ours ; and Christ may be said 4 not only to have raised his body from the grave, but 4 also his Church with him.' 2 Secondly , The importance of this fact, then, being so vast, how thankful should we be for the clear and strong evidences we possess of its truth ! We have the evidence of ancient prophecy, the distinct and oft repeated predic¬ tions of our Lord himself before his death, and the evi¬ dence of friends and enemies, from the ao-e in which the event happened to the present day. In adducing the evidence of ancient prophecy , it must be confessed, that the resurrection of Messiah was not so clearly foretold by the Prophets, as his birth, his incar¬ nate life, and his death. It was chiefly to be gathered from what they testified of 4 the sufferings of Christ , and 1 Acts xili. 33. 2 Cruden. IIE THAT ASCENDED UP ON HIGH. 355 the glory that should follow . M Hence we find, that although the doctrine of a general resurrection was be¬ lieved by the Jews at the time of our Lord’s coming, as is evident from the Sadducees being distinguished for denying it,—from the assured confidence of Martha in her brother’s resurrection at the last day,—and from its being a subject of discussion among the people,—yet the resurrection of Messiah was a doctrine unknown to them. Even the companions of Jesus, who had so often heard from his own lips, that on the third day he should rise again , were so far from recognising in this declaration, a token of his Messiahship, that their hopes were entire¬ ly blasted by bis death ; and they distrusted the strongest evidences of his resurrection, until he himself opened to them the Scriptures , and showed them that, according to the Prophets , Christ ought to have suffered these things , and to enter into his glory . 2 The cause of this ignorance in the Jews is obvious. They looked for no other deliverance from the Messiah, but what could be effected during the natural life of a human conqueror; they knew not the nature of his person as God-man, the nature of his conquests as re¬ quiring sufferings and death, nor the nature of his king¬ dom as spiritual and heavenly. They therefore mis¬ understood all the intimations of his glorious reign suc¬ ceeding his death and burial , such as in Isaiah liii. and Psalm xxii. And although they had the sign of the prophet Jonas; 3 the prediction of the prophet Ilosea, ‘ A fter tiro days will he revive us: in the third day he ‘ will raise us up , and we shall live in his sight and the lively typical anticipation of David in the 16'th Psalm, ‘ Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither 1 1 Pet. i. 11. 3 Mat. xii. 39, 40. 2 Luke xxiv. 26-46. 4 Hosea vi. 2. 356 THE RESURRECTION wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption;’ a prediction which, as Peter proved, could apply only to the resurrection of Messiah they were, nevertheless, too much blinded by carnal prejudices to comprehend and apply them. We, however, who enjoy the mutually-reflected light of both Testaments, may trace in ancient Scripture, be¬ sides the evidences above given, many proofs ‘ that Christ must needs have suffered , and risen again from the dead ;’ 2 that his being,- the first that should rise from the dead, was one of the things which 4 the Prophets and Moses did sag should come! We may trace it in the words of Isaiah, ‘ Thy dead men shall live; together with my dead body shall they arise.’ 3 We may trace it in all those Psalms and other prophetic writings which de¬ scribe the glorious kingdom of Messiah succeeding his death and burial; and if we do not find, in the words of Moses, any express prediction of the resurrection of Christ, we find in the rites established by Moses, and in the events recorded by him, striking emblems of that great event. For example, we find an emblem in the living bird, after having been dipped in his fellow’s blood, and used for cleansing the leprous man, or the leprous house, being then let go loose into the open field; we find another in the scape-goat, released, after bearing away the iniquities of all Israel; and another, still more strik¬ ing, in the figurative resurrection of Isaac; for St Paul says, Abraham received him from the dead in a figure. 4 If, however, there was obscurity in the intimations of this event, given by ancient prophets, there was none in those given by Christ himself. In the most distinct manner, he repeatedly declared, that after his death he Acts ii. 25-34. 2 Acts xvii. 3. 3 Is. xxvi. 19. 4 Heb. xi. 19. HE THAT ASCENDED UP ON HIGH. 357 should rise again on the third day, and ascend up where he was before. The period which he fixed for his Re¬ surrection, was carefully recorded by his enemies ; for it was their chief accusation against him, that he asserted his power to re-build the temple in three days } By the wonderful interposition of Providence, they were moved to take such precautions against the fulfilment of his assertion, as serve, in the strongest manner, to prove its real accomplishment. They took every means to ‘ make the sepulchre sure, until the third day,’ sealing the stone and setting a watch, because ‘ that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.’ ‘ But vain the stone, the seal, the watch.’ Yea, rather, Blessed the stone, the seal, the watch ; for they prove, even more strongly than the blood-sealed testimony of friends , the truth of this magnificent fact, 4 Now is Christ risen from the dead.’ TIis enemies, by tak¬ ing these precautions, reduced themselves to the neces¬ sity of sitting down under the foulest aspersions of false¬ hood, cruelty, and murder, rather than make any far¬ ther inquiry into the transaction, by bringing to trial, either the apostles whom they charged with so bold a fraud, or the soldiers whom they bribed to accuse them¬ selves of a crime punishable with death by the Roman law. But we possess, in testimony of this great event, not merely the forced, negative evidence of enemies, but the cordial , positive , and disinterested evidence of many friends. The eleven Apostles, to whom a twelfth was soon added, were men of irreproachable integrity : they could not be mistaken in the fact, that they saw and conversed with Jesus after he rose from the dead ; and that this was not the effect of a heated imagination, prepossessed with an¬ ticipations of his reappearance, is evident from the ex - 1 Matt. xxvi. 61. 358 THE RESURRECTION treme slowness which they showed to believe it. 4 One ‘ of the ancients well says, Their doubting is the con- ‘ firmation of our faith; and the more difficulty they ‘ showed in believing; Christ’s resurrection, the greater ‘ reason have we to believe it. For the testimony of 4 them that believed not themselves till after unquestion- 4 able conviction is the more credible on that account.’ 1 Now, since these men spent the whole of their remain¬ ing lives in asserting that Christ was risen,—since they persisted in this assertion in the face of persecution and death, ready to seal it with their blood, as indeed most of them did, bequeathing their testimony in writing to posterity,—how can any reasonable doubt be entertain • ed of their truth ? Their blessed Master condescended to give them the strongest sensible evidences of his Re- surrection: he ate and drank with them; he walked, sat at meat with, and conversed with them; he invited them minutely to examine his body, that they might be convinced he had flesh and bones; and that it was the same body which had been pierced with the nails and the spear. Yet, along with these evidences of his real humanity, and resurrection in the body, there were tokens of a spiritual body, in the miraculous way in which he appeared to his disciples and then vanished out of their sight; and along with his former sympathy and tenderness, there was mingled more of dignity and au¬ thority, as he was about to ascend to his Father and their Father, to his God and their God. His ascension was likewise visibly manifested to bis Apostles. 4 While they beheld, he was taken up ; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly towards heaven, as he went up,’ they 1 Whitby in Scott; Mark xvi. 12, 13. ITE THAT ASCENDED UP ON HIGH. 359 saw and heard angels, who spake of his second coming, ‘ in like manner,’ that is, in the body. Nor does the fact of our Lord’s Resurrection rest upon the testimony of his Apostles alone. The number of wit¬ nesses, according to St Paul, was above five hundred, the greater part of whom were alive, when St Paul appealed to them twenty-six years after the event; 1 yet not one of these witnesses ever retracted his testimony. And, because all human testimony was too feeble to confirm so stupendous a truth, God himself was pleased to bear witness of it, by bestowing on those who preached it the most extraordinary gifts of the Ploly Ghost, to which they confidently appealed, as evidences of the truth of their doctrine. 2 And the continued fulfilment of the pro¬ phecies left on record by these men, during a period of 1S00 years, is a standing and increasing confirmation of their grand doctrine, That Jesus Christ is risen from the dead . 3 With unhesitating confidence, then, may we exclaim, with the Apostle, ‘ Now is Christ risen from the dead;’ and proceed to examine the grounds of our third proposi¬ tion : ‘ If Jesus died and 7'ose again , even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him:’ or, in other words of the same Apostle, ‘ Christ the first-fruits, afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.’ This is indeed the very essence and marrow of our subject. For Jesus is The Resurrection and the Life, 4 not chiefly because he raised his own body from the grave, and ascended in that body to heaven ; but because, by his Resurrection and Ascension, he became th e Author, Pat¬ tern , and Forerunner , of his peoples resurrection and 1 1 Cor. xv. 6. s Acts ii. 32, 33; v. 30-32. 3 This summary of evidences is partly drawn from Scott’s Com¬ mentary. 4 John xi. 25. 360 THE RESURRECTION eternal glorification. As it was in the character of our Surety and Representative, that he died, it was in that same character that he rose again, and took possession of the heavenly mansions. As it was not possible that Christ, ‘ the Head of the body,’ should be holden of the pains of death, 1 neither is it possible that any of his mem¬ bers should be holden of them. In the lively realization of this truth, St Paul overlooks all intervening time and space, and speaks of himself and his fellow Christians as already risen together with Christ, and made to sit to¬ gether with him in heavenly places. 2 In one sense, indeed, Christ is the Resurrection to all men: for all will be raised by his power ; ‘ the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth.’ 3 But, in a pecu¬ liar and blessed sense, he is The Resurrection, to ‘ them that are his for they only have cause to rejoice in the prospect of a resurrection. Of the resurrection of the wicked, little is said in Scripture, except with regard to its tremendous consequences. These must come before us, in the ensuing Essay. At present, we may dwell with unmingled delight, on the Resurrection of believers, which is alone treated of, in that sublime chapter whence our clearest notions of it are drawn—the 15th of 1 Co¬ rinthians. That the resurrection of believers to glory is the in¬ fallible consequence of the resurrection of Christ to glory, is here set forth under the striking emblem of the harvest succeeding the First-fruits :—‘ Christ the First-fruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.’ 4 It is here shown to be as certain, as their inheritance of this mortal existence from their first parent; ‘ for as in Adam 2 Ephes. ii. 6, 7. 4 1 Cor. xv. 23. 1 Acts ii. 24. 3 John v. 28. HE THAT ASCENDED UP ON HIGH. 361 all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.’ 1 And the victory which Christ shall thus obtain for his people, over the last enemy, Death, is shown to be necessary to the completion of his Mediatorial glory; according to the ancient predictions, that 4 He must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feetand that 4 Death is swallowed up in victory.’ 2 The victory of the Re¬ deemer is to be sung, not only over spiritual death, by the regeneration and immortal bliss of the soul ; but also over temporal death, by the resurrection of the body : 4 O death, where is thy sting ? O grave, where is thy vic¬ tory ?—Thanks be to God, which givetli us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ 3 The same blessed truth, the resurrection of believers to glory, is declared in many other parts of the Apostolic writings. But why should we appeal to them, when we can appeal to the very words and acts of our Lord himself ? It was in reference to his office of raising his people’s bodies , that he said to Martha, c I am the Resurrection and the Life.’—It was to encourage his beloved John with the assurance of his authority over the grave , that he said, 4 I am he that liveth, and was dead ; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen ; and have the keys of hell and of death.’ 4 During his earthly sojourn, Jesus announced most distinctly his appoint¬ ment to this office:— 4 As the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickenetli them ; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will :’ 5 — 4 This is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.’ 0 ' In this all , the bodies of his people, as well as their souls, 1 1 Cor. xv. 22. 2 Ps. cx. 1 ; Isaiah xxv. 8. 3 1 Cor. xv. 54-57. 4 Rev. i. 18. s John v. 21. 6 John vi. 39. VOL. II. Q, 302 THE RESURRECTION- were doubtless included. That the resurrection of Ins people is the certain consequence of His own death and resurrection, Jesus declared, in that beautiful metaphor, — 4 Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: hut if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.’ 1 And the purpose of his own ascension being to prepare for the ascension of his people to reign in glory with him, he also declared, ‘ I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may he also.’ 2 Christ is, therefore, our •Forerunner, who has for us entered within the vail; 3 and because he lives, ice shall live also, in glory everlast- ing. But not in words, only, did the Lord Jesus prove him¬ self, while on earth, The Resurrection and the Life. He abundantly proved the same by his deeds ; by raising- several individuals to life, at different periods after death. Jairus’s daughter had been dead but a few hours,—the widow’s son was on his way to the narrow house,— Lazarus had lain in the grave 4 four days already.’— All these, with equal ease, with instantaneous effect, and by his own sovereign authority, Jesus summoned back to life ; saying, 4 Damsel, I say unto thee arise — 4 Young- man, I say unto thee, arise;’— 4 Lazarus, come forth.’ 4 He spake the word, and it was done: he commanded, and it stood fast.’ And these miracles were as superior, in the manner of their performance, to the miracles wrought by Prophets and Apostles, as the acts of the Lord exceed those of his servants. An illustrious testimony was borne to Christ, as The Resurrection, by the extraordinary fact, that 4 many bodies of the saints which slept, arose, and came out of 1 John xii. 24. 2 John xiv. 2, 3. 3 Heb. vi. 19, 20. HE THAT ASCENDED UP ON HIGH. 363 their graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.’ 1 Thus, the 4 Corn of Wheat’ produced an immediate harvest; the grave was forced to yield an immediate triumph to Him who, by his death and resurrection, ‘ hath abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light.’ In our own age and nation, there are comparatively few professed Sadducees : yet there is still much practi¬ cal unbelief on the subject of the Resurrection. Even in the Christian’s mind, the question of 4 the fool’ will sometimes secretly arise, 4 How are the dead raised up ? and with what body do they come ? ’ Even those who delight to dwell on the state of the departed soul, departed to be with Jesus, seem, out of revenge on the body, for the inordinate share of attention it once en¬ grossed, to withhold from it those anticipations of fu¬ ture glory which are its due. Doubtless, the soul is in¬ comparably the nobler part of our being : but the body also is God’s curious workmanship, formed for his glory. Both soul and body are necessary to the perfection of a human being; and God’s everlasting covenant is made with both. Of this our Lord gave evidence, by addu¬ cing the covenant made with the Patriarchs, as a proof that there should be a resurrection of the body. We might have supposed, that the title assumed by Jeho¬ vah, 4 the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,’ referred more to the immortality of the soul than to the resurrection of the body ; but it is to the latter that our infallible Expositor applies it; and his argument was unanswerable to the Sadducees of that age. 2 All degrees of infidelity, on this subject, spring from the same cause to which our Lord traced it, in the Sadducees 1 Mat. xxvii. 52, 53. 2 Mat. xxii. 23-23. 364 THE RESURRECTION- of old, viz. from 4 not knowing the Scriptures , and the power of God.’ 1 That the doctrine of the Resurrection was revealed with sufficient clearness, in the Old Testa¬ ment, to enable the faithful to rejoice in it, is abundantly manifest. Job, one of the most ancient believers whose history is recorded, expressed his faith in that doctrine, with a vividness which few Christians can equal, and none can excel.— 4 I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my'flesh shall I see God : whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me/ 2 David, in many of his Psalms, especially in the 16th, 17th, and 49th, dwells confidently on the prospect of a release from the grave, and a joyful rising in the likeness of God.— 4 As forme, I will behold thy face in righteousness : I shall be satis¬ fied, when I awake, with thy likeness.’— 4 God will re¬ deem my soul from the power of the grave ; for he shall receive me.’ 3 Ezekiel was honoured with a most lively representation of the general Resurrection, in the vision of dry bones. 4 —It was predicted, in the clearest terms, by Daniel. 5 —In short, St Paul had good warrant to as¬ sert, as he did before Felix, that the Jews themselves al¬ lowed, 4 that there should be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.’ 6 II ow inexcusable, then, are professing Christians, if they 4 know not the Scriptures ,’ on this subject; having, in addition to the ancient Jewish Scriptures, the clearer and more express prophecies of Christ and his Apostles. We have, in the New Testament, discoveries of this great 1 Mat. xxii. 29. 2 Job xix. 25-27. 3 Ps. xvii. 15 ; Ps. xlix. 15. 4 Ezck. xxxvii. 6 Dan. xii. 2, 3. a Acts xxiv. 15. HE THAT ASCENDED UP ON HIGH. 365 ' mystery, as clear as our present limited capacities could receive, and sufficiently minute to engage our deepest attention. In the 15th of 1 Corinthians, St Paul labours to strengthen our faith in 4 the power of God ’ to raise the dead , by drawing our attention to those exercises of his Almighty Power with which we are already familiar; and conclusively argues from the less to the greater. He first draws an illustration from vegetable life, from the resurrection of plants.—‘ That which thou sowest is not quickened except it die : ’— c And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be ; ’ and yet ‘ God giveth to every seed his own body.’ It is not necessary to the identity of the body that it should be composed of the self-same particles which were sown; though even this were easy to Omnipotence: but the risen body shall spring from the dead one, as truly as the full ear of corn springs from the ‘ bare grain.’ Still more to confirm our faith in this act of Omnipotence, the Apos¬ tle reminds us of the power displayed in creating so many different kinds of animal substances, as are already under our observation :—‘ There is one kind of flesh of men, an¬ other flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial.’ Since, then, we see how admirably God has provided every creature with the body fitted to its peculiar element and use, even in this transitory state; can we doubt his power, to give to his people bodies suited to that state of glory and immortality, to which, through Christ, they shall rise ? The Apostle then proceeds to show that, to fit them for the life of heaven, our bodies must be, in many respects, the reverse of what they now are : that, whereas they are sown in corruption, dishonour, and weakness, they shall be raised in incorruption, glory. 366 TIIE RESURRECTION- and power: that whereas, even in the midst of life and health, they are but natural bodies, they shall be raised spiritual bodies : 4 for flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, neither doth corruption inherit incor¬ ruption/ The contrast between our present and our future state is thus described by our Lord himself. ‘ In the resur¬ rection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven:’ 4 Neither can they die any more : for they are equal unto the angels ; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.’ 1 And not only shall they be ‘ as the an¬ gels :’ they shall be like the Lord of angels; for 4 he shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body:’ 2 4 we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him.’ 3 Although, therefore, 4 we know not what we shall be,’ we yet know enough to raise our conceptions of the power, vigour, and beauty of our future bodies, of their spiritu¬ ality and glory, as high as possible. There is here no danger of excess; as we are to be equal to the angels, and to bear the image of Christ himself, as he now ap¬ pears in glory. The ascension of the saints will as surely follow their resurrection, as the ascension of Christ followed his re¬ surrection. Those who are alive at his coming must also © be changed, to fit them for the life of glory. St Paul informs us that they shall be caught up, together with their risen brethren, to meet the Lord in the air. And, having sat with him in judgment on wicked men and wicked angels, they shall ascend with him, that where he is, there they may ever be. 4 1 Mat. xxii. 30 ; Luke xx. 36. 2 Phil. iii. 21. 3 1 John iii.2. 4 1 Thes. iv. 17. HE THAT ASCENDED UP ON HIGH. 367 But, besides those instances of ‘ the power of God,’ ad¬ duced in Scripture, for confirmation of this great truth, we have daily emblems and types of the resurrection, within our own observation and experience. Each morn¬ ing that we rise, from an unbroken slumber of forgetful¬ ness, inaction, and unconsciousness, we experience a type of the resurrection. Each returning Spring teems with emblems of the same, both in the vegetable and animal worlds. The apparently withered branches are clothed with fresh verdure ; out of the dry scaly bulb rises the tall graceful flower, with its brilliant hues and delicious fragrance : numerous animal tribes awake from their long O o winter sleep : and when the warm sunshine again cheers the earth, the butterfly breaks through its narrow se¬ pulchre ; the beautiful ethereal creature wings its joyous flight, in a body totally different from that in which for¬ merly it crept ; yet still it is the same creature, the same seed. Surely we may say, We are of more value than many butterflies. With what rapturous delight will the soul rejoin its long lost companion, and survey the marvellous change wrought on it since they parted! Formerly, it was a clog and hindrance; now it is a vigorous and ready help¬ meet. It is true, the body of the believer becomes the servant of God, as soon as his soul is regenerate; but yet, through infirmity, and remaining carnality, it is a great hindrance to the soul in holy exercises: When the body is sick and feeble, it cramps the energies of the soul, and ties it down to earth : and even in health, how large a proportion of our time is necessarily occupied in caring for the body ; in feeding, clothing, and resting it. Sleep alone engrosses nearly a third part of most men’s lives ; and, between the helplessness of infancy, and the infirmi¬ ties of old age, how T short is the period of man’s prime ! 368 THE RESURRECTION- But the risen and glorified body shall need no refresh¬ ment, nor cessation from the blissful work of praising and serving its Maker. Like the angels, it will rest not day and night, saying, ‘ Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!' and, like the angels, it may be rendered capable of services such as we have no conception of, in this our frail mortal state. It shall know neither infancy nor old age, but enjoy immortal youth ; and, above all, it shall no more be an inlet to temptation ; but, purified from all earthly dross, be ‘ a vessel unto honour, sancti¬ fied, and made meet for the Master’s use.’ Let us then cease to mourn over, and dread, the disso¬ lution of our earthly house of this tabernacle. Death is indeed repugnant to nature, and dreadful as the token of God’s displeasure against sin: but it is the necessary process to sanctify, spiritualise, and glorify the taber¬ nacle. Its ruins we may safely commit to Him, who is The Resurrection and the'Life; and if we have truly em¬ braced him as our Refuge and our Righteousness, we shall find the sting of death taken away, and fearlessly descend into the grave. Meantime, let the thoughts of death, and of the resur¬ rection, teach us to avoid all needless pampering of these vile bodies, which must so soon 4 say to corruption, Thou art my father ; to the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister.’ 1 Let us ‘ keep them under, and bring them into subjection;’ and turn to good account our na¬ tural propensity to care for them, by thinking more of what they shall be, than of what they are. Let us seek to employ them now, as much as possible, in holy services, such as they shall be employed in hereafter, yielding our¬ selves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and our members as instruments of righteousness unto God; 2 1 Job xvii. 14. 2 Rom. vi. 13. HE THAT ASCENDED UP ON HIGH. 369 and, if we be risen with Christ, let us also ascend with him, in heart and mind, seeking those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God ; setting our affections on things above, not on things on the earth : and 4 when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall we also appear with him in glory.’ 1 We conclude with some beautiful reflections of Hur- rion, on the ascension of our Lord :— ‘ Is Christ ascended! Then how highly is our nature ‘ dignified and honoured ! Adam had rendered it more ‘ vile than the beasts that perish, but Christ has raised ‘ it above the highest angels. After the fall, it was ‘ thought to be unworthy of the earthly paradise; but, 4 in Christ, it is exalted at God’s right hand, and fills ‘ the hio-hest and most honourable seat, next his throne. 4 Sin had made human nature the derision of devils, but 4 Christ has made it the delight of angels, and the joy 4 and glory of the redeemed for ever. The union of our 4 nature to Christ’s divine person, gives it a glory infi- 4 nitely above all conception. The continuance of that ‘ union is such an honour done to it, as is far above our ‘ highest admiration, and should make us cry out, 4 Lord, ‘ what is man, that thou art mindful of him!’ Has ‘ Christ, then, ascended, and do our hearts descend ? ‘ To have our Head in heaven, and our hearts in the ‘ earth, is a very unbecoming separation. Did Christ 4 leave the world, and shall we cleave faster to it ? Did 4 he ascend above it, and are we buried in the cares and 4 pleasures of it ? How dishonourable and displeasing < to Christ must this be! O then, let the Christian s 4 affections be above, where his Saviour is. Is Christ 4 ascended ? Then how willingly may the believer leave this world, and follow his Saviour to heaven! While 1 Col. iii. 1-4. 370 THE RESURRECTION. ‘ we are present in the hocly, we are absent from the ‘ Lord. How confident and willing, then, may the sin- ‘ cere Christian be, rather to be absent from the body, ‘ and present with the Lord ! Heaven has a new at- ‘ tractive in it now ; the Man Christ Jesus is there in ‘ all his glory. Christ’s ministry in the heavenly temple, ‘ is infinitely preferable to the ministry and ordinances of ‘ the church on earth. The believer is an infinite gainer ‘ by exchanging the sight of Christ, through a glass dark- ‘ ly, for a sight of him as he is, and face to face. Christ ‘ thought our sight of his heavenly glory worth his pray- ‘ ing for, and the Christian should think it worth the ‘ dying for. We have been attempting to get a glimpse ‘ of this glory, through the glass of the Gospel, and that ‘ is refreshing; hut O what is it to behold it with open ‘ face; when there shall be no veil, either upon the eye, ‘ or upon the object. To see the glory of the Deity ‘ shining through the Man Christ Jesus, must be most ‘ desirable. How, then, can the Christian refrain from ‘ earnestly longing to depart, and to be with Christ, ‘ which is far better?’ 1 1 Hurrion. ESSAY XLVIII. THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE—JUDGE OF QUICK AND DEAD. We have at length arrived at the consideration of that awful character, in which the Lord Jesus shall terminate his Mediatorial reign. May our minds be suitably im¬ pressed and solemnized, whilst we muse upon it. May we, by God’s help, approach the subject, not with spe¬ culative curiosity, but with a recollection of our own personal concern in it; as those who must ourselves stand before the judgment-seat of Christ. This subject is closely connected with the one we last considered. For, what is it that invests the Resurrection with such unutterable importance, but this, that after it cometli Tiie Judgment. This is the purpose for which ‘ all that are in the graves shall come forth,’ that they that have done good may come to the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil, to the resurrection of damna¬ tion. 1 The resurrection of the wicked, ‘ to shame and everlasting contempt,’ is no less certain, by God’s word, than that of the saints 4 to everlasting life.’ 2 The office of Christ, which we are now' to study, is 1 John v. 28, 29. 2 Dan. xii. 2, 372 THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE- also closely connected with the one we last considered. St Paul adduces his resurrection, as the pledge of his judicial coming, saying, 4 God hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.’ The apostles, while witnessing their Master’s ascension, received from angels the intimation of his second com¬ ing. ‘ This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.’ 1 They, therefore, joined with their testimony to his resurrection, the revelation of his com¬ ing again to judge the world. While bearing witness to their having eaten and drunk with him, after he rose from the dead, they declared also, that God commanded them to testify that it is He who was ordained of God to be The Judge of Quick and Dead . 2 The belief in a future state of rewards and punish¬ ments is generally implanted in the conscience of man; as we see by its having a place in most systems of hea¬ then divinity; and, from the earliest ages of the church, such a state has been clearly revealed, and universally expected, by all who believed the word of God. Moses declared, ‘ The Lord shall judge his people.’ 3 Abraham styles God, ‘ The Judge of the whole earth.’ 4 Job had awful impressions of him, under that character. 6 Han¬ nah, in her song of praise, rejoices that ‘ the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth.’ 6 ’ The Psalms abound in exulting anticipations of the same grand event; they tell us, 4 God is a righteous Judge.’ 4 He shall judge the people righteously.’ 4 With righteousness shall he judge 1 Acts i. 11. 2 Acts x. 40-42. 3 Deut. xxxii. 36. 4 Gen. xviii. 25. 5 Job viii. 3; xxxiv. 11. 8 1 Sam. ii. 10. JUDGE OF QUICK AND DEAD. 3?3 the world, and the people with equity.’ 1 In the 50th Psalm especially, the day of judgment is set forth with great solemnity ; in its awful accompaniments, in the terror with which it shall strike the wicked, and in the safety and blessedness which, even then, will be the por¬ tion of the saints. In the 1st Psalm also, is clearly re¬ vealed, the separation hereafter to be made between the righteous and sinners. Solomon, in the book of Eccle¬ siastes, has left awful warnings of an approaching period of judgment. In irony he urges the young man to re¬ joice in his youth, to walk in the ways of his heart, and in the sight of his eyes; but, in solemn earnestness, he adds, 4 But know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee unto judgment.’ 2 And he enforces the fear of God, and the keeping of his commandments, by this tremendous sanction, 4 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be oood, or whether it be evil.’ 3 In the writings of the prophets, we find many fearful announcements of God’s coming in judgment, most of them, no doubt, referring primarily to minor events ; many of them already fulfilled, in the various chastise¬ ments inflicted on Israel, and in the destruction of Jeru¬ salem ; some of them, probably, to be fulfilled in the troubles preceding the Millennium. Yet the language of many of these predictions can be fully and literally verified, only, in the great day of final judgment, of which, all pre¬ ceding judgments put together will form but a feebletype. 4 It remained, however, for Christ himself, clearly to make known the realities of a judgment to come. In his own words, and in those of his apostles, he has un¬ equivocally declared the Person of the Judge, the circum- 1 Ps. xciv. 2 ; xcvi. 10 ; xcviii. 9. 2 Eccl. xi. 9. 3 Eccl. xii. 14. 4 See Zeph. i. 14-18 ; Joel ii. 2-11 ; ili. 11-16 ; Nahum i. 2_8. 374 THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE- stances that shall attend his coming, the momentous re¬ sults of his decisions, and the principles on which those decisions will be awarded. First , then, let us consider the Person of the Judge. It had been declared, in the Old Testament, that 4 God is Judge himself;’ but no clear intimation had been given as to the Person in the Godhead who should execute this solemn office. Jesus, however, removed all doubt on the subject, by declaring, 4 The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son.’ 4 The Father hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of Man.’ 1 And he desired his hearers not to marvel at this ; for his executing the office of Judge, would be the appropriate continuation of that authority whereby he was to summon the dead from their graves, and the fit termination of his Mediatorial reign. In communing with © © his disciples, Jesus distinctly foretold the acts of the judg¬ ment-day, as his own individual acts, though in perfect union with the Father. He told them, 4 The Son of Man shall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels; and then he shall rew T ard every man according to his works.’ 2 And in that most awful and magnificent description of the judgment, given in Matthew xxv., the Son of Man is sole arbiter of the destinies of an assembled world. He is King, not of his own people alone, but of all nations. The throne of glory is His. The separation of the two classes is His act. He pronounces the sentence of blessed¬ ness on the one class, and the sentence of condemnation on the other; and proves the justice of both sentences, with special reference to the respective conduct of each class towards Himself. Even while standing as a con- © demned criminal, before the High Priest, Jesus declared his future coming, as Judge of the Earth :— 4 Hereafter 1 John V. 22, 27. 2 Mat. xvi. 27. JUDGE OF QUICK AND DEAD. 3 ? 5 shall ye see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.’ 1 The Apostolic Epistles contain many clear attestations to this great truth, ‘ that God shall judge the secrets of men, by Jesus Christthat 4 we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ.’ 2 And in the hook of Reve¬ lation we find awful descriptions of the scene then to be displayed, in all of which, the wrath of the Lamb forms the most tremendous feature. No office of Christ more clearly proves his Divinity than this one ; for how could he make an infallible sepa¬ ration between the righteous and the wicked ; determine the exact portion of reward or punishment due to each ; according to their respective advantages or disadvantages, temptations, obligations, gifts, and graces ; and bestow it accordingly ; unless he were possessed of omniscience, omnipotence, infinite wisdom, power, and goodness ? But while the Divine nature of Christ is clearly proved by his appointment to the office of Judge, it is the conjunction of his Human nature with his Divine that peculiarly fits him for the office. He himself said, that the Father gave him authority to execute judg¬ ment, 4 because he is the Son of Mannot only in re¬ ward of his obedience and sufferings as Man, but to manifest, to the assembled universe, the holiness and jus¬ tice of the transactions of that awful season. Then will it be seen how highly the Father 4 delights to honour’ him whom once it pleased him to bruise; 3 then will be removed from the human nature of Christ, every possible imputation of weakness or guilt; when He who once was brought as a Lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers, was dumb,—who was mock- 1 Matt. xxvi. 64. 2 2 Cor. v. 10; Rom. xiv. 10 ; Jude xiv. 15. 3 Is. liii. 10. 376 THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE- ed, reviled, tortured, .and put to death as a malefactor, by insolent worms,—shall sit in judgment on those very worms, and pronounce their irrevocable doom. The appearance of the Almighty Judge in Human form will speak volumes of terror to his enemies, and of encouragement to his friends, even before he shall pro¬ nounce their respective sentences. To his enemies it will say, Behold the Lamb ! the Son of God ! who died for sinners, and whose blood you were so often entreated to sprinkle upon your guilty souls ! He became ‘ a Man of Sorrows,’ and was made ‘ a Curse,’ that all who should believe in him might not perish, but haA r e everlasting life. His mouth was full of the tenderest invitations, to you, and to all sinners without exception, that you might come unto him and live: he even complained that you would not come; and after his ascension, he employed his minis¬ tering servants to reiterate his invitations and expostu¬ lations : he gave you his word, he strove with you by his Spirit; he did all but compel you to come unto him,—- but ye would not} Ye despised and rejected him, be¬ cause of his lowliness and condescension: ye hid your faces from him, and shut him out of your hearts, when, as a gracious Saviour, he stood and knocked at the door : ye would not endure any self-denial nor show any kindness, for his sake, while it was in your power, and now it is too late. Those lips which so tenderly invited you to come , must now open to bid you depart ; He who so long sat on a throne of grace , is now seated on the throne of judgment ; and that very Humanity which might have been your salvation , must now, through your unbelief and impenitence, be your destruction. How different will be the feelings of the righteous on 1 John v. 40. JUDGE OF QUICK AND DEAD. 3?? beholding, for the first time with their bodily eyes, ‘ God manifest in the flesh,’ him whom, having not seen, they had loved! Even to them, the scene must indeed be awful beyond conception ; yet they can entertain no fears for their personal safety; especially those of them whose spirits have already been resting with Jesus, and have tasted the joys above. To those who shall be alive at his coming, the shock must be great; but the first glimpse of the Judge will dissipate every remaining fear. For, who is he that wields the dread sword of justice ? Is he not their Advocate, their Surety, their Friend? Did he not take flesh and blood in order to become their Brother, their Husband, and Head ? Have they not known him, and been known by him, .as their Shepherd ? Has he not, as their High Priest, offered an all-sufficient sacrifice for their sins, and been ever living to make intercession for them ? Has he not taught them as their Prophet, and ruled and defended them as their King ? And can he now forsake them, when they most need his protection ? Need they fear the sword in His hands ? No; in that day they shall say, ‘ Lo, this is our God ; we have waited for him, and he will save us : this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad, and rejoice in his salvation.’ 1 2 d, Circumstances attending the coming of the Judge. —The Lord Jesus has not merely declared the stupendous fact, that he will come to judge the world; he has con¬ firmed this declaration, by adding many circumstances which shall attend the event, suited to arrest our attention, to engage our imagination, and to awaken our drowsy sen - sibilities. AVere it not that habit has rendered the de¬ tail of those circumstances familiar to our minds, we 1 Is. xxv. 9. 378 THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE- could not but be struck with their awful grandeur. How- different will be the Second coming of the Son of Man from his First coming ! lie came, then, unattended and alone, helpless, obscure, unknown. But he shall come again, in his own glory, in the glory of the Father, and with ten thousand times ten thousand of his saints and angels. None shall then be able to mistake him, for ‘ every eye shall see him he shall be revealed from heaven in flaming fire, and shall shine as the lightning, from the east even unto the w r est. Tremendous signs and sounds, of which we can now form no idea, will an¬ nounce the approach of 4 the consummation of all things 4 signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars ; upon the earth distress of nations, w ith perplexity ; the sea and the waves roaring ; men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth : for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.’ 1 4 As often,’ says Jerome, 4 as I consider that day, my 4 w-hole body trembles; whether I eat or drink, or 4 whatsoever I do, I think I have ever in my ear the 4 sound of that terrible trumpet, Arise ye (lead, and 4 come to judgment! How vain will then be proved all those things on which men are now building their confidence ! 4 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s w r rath.’ Natural strength, and the force of arms, shall then also prove utterly vain ; 4 for the great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord : the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.’ It shall be 4 a day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.’ 2 The wdiole visible frame 1 Rev. i. 7 ; 2 Tlies. i. 7, 8 ; Matt. xxiv.; Luke xxi. 2 Zepli. i. 14-16. JUDGE OF QUICK AND DEAD. 379 of nature will be dissolved ; the elements shall melt with fervent heat. ‘ All the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and o 7 all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig-tree.’ 1 What will then become of those who have been making- the world their home, and leaning upon earthly props and earthly friends ? They have now to do with One Being alone. One all-engrossing object banishes every other. This object is 1 a great white throne,’ 2 and Him that sits on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven are flee¬ ing away, and no place is found for them. Oh ! what refuge or hiding-place can then avail to shelter the ap¬ palled sinner ? In vain will he say to the rocks and mountains, ‘ Fall on me, and hide me from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb ;’ 3 for the mountains themselves shall be crush - ed in the universal wreck. He can no longer hide him¬ self from the overwhelming eye of the Judge ; not a spot is left whereon to rest his foot. ' ‘ It will be in vain to ‘ look about for help ; all the world cannot rescue one * soul: there is no avoiding by appeal, for it is the last ‘ judgment ; nor by rescue, for they shall be compelled ; 4 nor by flight, for there is no escaping ; nor by en- ‘ treaties, for the Judge is inexorable.’ 4 But for the saints, even at this awful crisis, there will be a sure Refuge, Harbour, and Place of Repair : for, when the Lord shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth shall shake: the Lord himself will be the Hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. 5 1 Is. xxxiv. 4. 2 Rev. xx. 11. 3 Rev. vi. 15, 16. 4 From Manton in Hurrion. 5 Joel iii. 15, 16 ; See margin on Hope. 380 THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE- 3. Momentous Decisions of the Judge. —All this, how¬ ever, is hut introductory to the great transactions of ‘the Day of Decision.’ We have now to study those transactions, with their momentous results. When the trumpet shall be heard with a great sound, an eter¬ nal separation shall be made, between those who, on earth, were as closely connected, as the wheat with the chaff, growing on the same stalk ; as the wheat and the tares, springing up in the same field; as faithful and unfaithful servants, working in the same house; as good and bad fishes, caught in the same net; as sheep and goats feeding on the same mountain. At present, the distinction between the two classes is too little dis¬ cernible : the godly have so many imperfections and inconsistencies, and many of the ungodly are so amiable and plausible, that, to a human judge, the task of sepa¬ rating them would be impossible. But He that search- eth the hearts cannot be at a loss, nor mistake, as to the due portion of a single soul before him. He shall send forth his servants, the angels, to sever the wicked from among the just; saying, ‘ Put ye in the sickle; for the harvest is ripe : come, get you down ; for the press is full, the fats overflow ; for their wickedness is great.’ 1 Then shall the wicked be ‘ cast away,’ as bad, corrupt fish; ‘ burned with fire,’ as the chaff, and the tares ; 1 cast into outer darkness,’ as unprofitable servants ; ‘ set on the left hand’ of the Judge, as the goats. But the just shall then be ‘ gathered,’ as the valued property of Christ, as wheat into the garner, as jewels to be set in a crown, as faithful servants to be honoured and re¬ warded. 2 The Judge, by a great variety of emblems, has laboured to convince men of the awful misery and everlasting du- 1 Matt. xiii. 49 ; Joel iii. 13. 2 Matt. xiii. 48, 40 ; xxv. 30, 33. JUDGE OF QUICK AND DEAD. 331 ration of his punishments ; and of the inconceivable blessedness and eternal duration of his rewards. On the one hand, he speaks of ‘ shame and everlasting con¬ tempt,’— 4 everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power,’— 4 the wine of the wrath of God, poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation,’— 4 a treasure of wrath laid up,’— 4 indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish,’ — 4 outer darkness, where shall be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth,’— 4 the worm that dietli not, and the fire that is not quenched,’— 4 a lake of fire, burning with brimstone,’— 4 the resurrection of damnation,’ — 4 everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.’ 1 On the other hand, the Judge presents 4 glory, and ho¬ nour, and immortality, eternal life,’— 4 a crown of righte¬ ousness,’— 4 a crown of glory that fadeth not away,’— 4 an incorruptible crown,’—the inheritance of a king¬ dom,— 4 a right to the Tree of Life,’ and constant access to the Fountain of the water of Life,— 4 rivers of plea¬ sure at God’s right hand,’—entrance through the gates into the city, which shall have no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it; for the glory of God shall lighten it, and the Lamb shall be the light thereof.' 2 4. Principles on which the decisions will he awarded .— So stupendous, then, being the results of the Judgment- Day, how immensely important is it, to every human being, clearly to understand the principles on which its 1 Dan. xii. 2 ; 2 Thes. i. 9 ; Rev. xiv. 10 ; Rom. ii. 5, 9 ; Matt. xxv. 30 ; Mark ix. 44, 4G, 48 ; Rev. xix. 20 ; John v. 29 ; Matt. xxv. 41. 2 Rom. ii. 7 ; 2 Tim. iv. 8 ; 1 Pet. v. 4 ; 1 Cor. ix. 25 ; Luke xii. 32; Rev. xxii. 14; xxi. G; Ps. xvi. 11; xxxvi. 8; Rev. xxi. 22, 23 ; xxii. 14. 382 THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE- awards will be given ! And since the Judge himself has condescended to forewarn us of those principles, how carefully should we study them ! The first thing that strikes the attentive reader, in studying the grounds of acquittal and of condemnation, to be brought forward at the great day, is their apparent inconsistency with the doctrines of free grace, and of sal¬ vation by faith alone. In the descriptions given of that awful trial, we find but few intimations of the sovereign will and choice of God, as the efficient cause , nor of faith in the atonement and righteousness of Christ, as the effec¬ tual means , of a sinners justification and salvation. All seems to depend upon his own works; upon whether he have done good , or done evil , 1 served God , or served him not. Every man is to receive the things done in the body, according to that he hath done , whether it be good or bad . 2 Now, at first sight, and viewed apart from the rest of Scripture, these declarations do seem to give countenance to the sentiments of those who say, It is of little consequence what a man believes , provided he act aright. Why insist so constantly upon simple faith, and a change of heart; when we are so positively told that ‘ by works a man is justified, and not by faith only ?’ 3 And, as to the decrees of God, and his electing and con¬ verting grace, we find no mention of these; but simply of a man’s own conduct, as the ground of his reward or punishment.—And, not only do these declarations of personal retribution seem to warrant the confidence of the self-righteous; they seem also to w arrant the fears of the desponding. For, says the broken-hearted peni¬ tent, If we are to be judged by our works , according to the straight rule of God’s commandments, oh ! how shall I stand ? I have never done any thing really good ; 1 John v. 29. 3 2 Cor. v. 10. 3 James ii. 24. JUDGE OF QUICK AND DEAD. 383 my best actions deserve the wrath of God, in their mo¬ tive, their end, and their performance; my comparative good is mixed with so much real evil, that I am quite at a loss whether to class myself among them that are doing good, or doing evil. If a certain measure of obedience be necessary for acquittal at the bar of Christ, how shall I know when I have reached that measure ? How can I ever attain a good hope of eternal life, or even a faint hope of escaping the wrath to come ? Besides (adds such a one), I have been taught in the Bible, and it is my only hope, that 4 a man is justified by faith , without the deeds of the law;’ 1 that 4 by grace we are saved, through faith ; and that not of ourselves,—not of works.’ 2 I have been leaning my whole confidence on the finished work of my Redeemer; trusting to his gracious assur¬ ance, 4 he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation ;’ 3 but if, after all, I am to be judged by my own righteousness, what is the use of my faith ? How can I look forward, without dismay, to death, judgment, and eternity? It must be confessed, there is much plausibility in both these arguments : yet both spring from partial and confused views of Scriptui’e truth ; and the examination of them will lead to many useful lessons in doctrine and practice. First, let those who are trusting in their own good works, for acceptance, take the trouble to examine what constitutes a good work in the sight of God ; and they will find it very different from that which is so called by men. In the first place, no work can be good that does not flow from faith in Christ ; for 4 without faith it is impossible to please God ; ’ and the first work God 1 Rom. iii. 28. 2 Eph. ii. 8, 9. 3 John v. 24. 384 THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE- requires of sinners, is to believe on his Son : 4 This is the work of God,’ said the Saviour, 4 that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.’ Then, a good work must be done in obedience to God's command , from a desire to do the will of our Father in heaven : it must have the glory of God for its end, , and be done in the name of Christ. 4 Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or what¬ soever ye do, do all to the glory of God ; ’—‘ and what¬ soever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord -Jesus.’ Then again, by the works which are to be judged at the great day, we are not to understand the outward acts merely, but the whole character, including thoughts, words, and deeds. It is ‘ He which searcheth the reins and hearts ,’ who will 4 give to every one ac¬ cording to his works; ’ the secrets of men are to be judged in that day ; 4 the Lord will both 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 And, 4 By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be con¬ demned.’ 2 Even in that portion of Scripture, where our Lord seems to rest the whole decision on the per¬ formance or omission of one branch of moral duty,— that of alms-giving ; he shows distinctly that the inward motive which prompted, or did not prompt, to the dis¬ charge of that duty, was the decisive test. 3 For, what is it that distinguishes the benevolence so highly ho- noui'ed by our future -Judge, from that condemned as worthless by his servant Paul, 4 but that the one springs from'love to Christ , and the other does not ? Now, love to Christ can flow only from a sense of his love to us; it is only they 4 to whom much is forgiven,’ who can 1 Rev. ii. 23 ; Rom. ii. 16 ; 1 Cor. iv. 5. 2 Matt. xii. 37. 3 Matt. xxv. 31-46. * 1 Cor. xiii. JUDGE OF QUICK AND DEAD. 385 4 love much ; ’ and it must be wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit. None, therefore, can show such labo¬ rious, expensive, and self-denying love to the poor, for Christ’s sake , and because they are his brethren , as is de¬ scribed in Matthew xxv., hut those who are penitent, believing, renewed, and sanctified. This branch of duty, then, forms a very proper and sure evidence of an inter¬ est in Christ; and it will be very suitably adduced, on the great day, as a test of character which was visible to the world , as well as to the All-seeing God. But many other tests are mentioned in Scripture, as distinguishing the righteous in the great day of account. They will be proved such as have known God , and obeyed the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ ,—such as are saints , faithful servants , who have waited for the coming of their Lord, and loved the appearing of Christ. 1 To do good , then, does not mean to perform a certain amount of benevolent deeds, from whatever motive. Many, from various circumstances, have not the power nor the means literally to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the sick. Many are not given time, between their con¬ version and their death, to perform any such deeds. While, on the other hand, men may give all their goods to feed the poor, 2 and yet be placed at the left hand of the Judge. But to do good means to acquiesce in God’s plan of saving sinners, so as truly to believe and repent; to have such a constraining sense of Redeeming Love, as will produce a habitual desire to please and obey God, and to be conformed to his image, in thought, speech, and action ; and will show itself, as opportunity and abi¬ lity permit, in love to the bodies and souls of men, espe¬ cially to them that belong to Christ. Finally, every 1 2 Thes. i. 8,10 ; Matt.xxv. 14-30 ; Lukexii. 35-48 ; 2 Tim. iv. 8. 2 1 Cor. xiii. 3. VOL. II. R 386 THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE one who possesses this character, will be so far from glorying in it, that he will he astonished at the mention of any thing he has done, as in any sense worthy of ap¬ proval by his Judge . 1 They, therefore, who trust in their good works, condemn themselves, by exhibiting a character contrary to that of the righteous, as described in Matthew xxv. The objection raised against the doctrine of Election, from reference to the Scripture descriptions of the Judg¬ ment, vanishes on nearer inspection. For, who are they, whom the Judge welcomes to the inheritance of the kingdom ? They are those for whom it was prepared from the foundation of the world . 2 Who are they that escape being cast into the lake of fire ? They are those who are found written in the Lamb’s Book of Life . 3 But for this Book, the secret love and choice of God, through Christ, not one of our fallen race could escape from the charges contained against us in the other hooks, the Book of the Law, and the Book of Conscience, which must also be opened on ‘ that day.’ Nor is it any refu¬ tation of the doctrine of salvation by faith alone, that the decisions of the great day will be pronounced, ac¬ cording to the evidences of our faith, which were visible and approved by man, rather than according to the se¬ cret principles and motives of the heart, which were known only to God. This will be necessary, for the purpose of manifesting to the assembled universe, the justice of our God. We have now answered, to the best of our ability, the boastings of the self-righteous. But the fears of the timid are more difficult to answer, because they arise 1 Matt. xxv. 37-39. 3 Rev. xx. 12-15 ; xxi. 27. 2 Matt. xxv. 34. JUDGE OP QUICK AND DEAD. 387 from causes of opposite natures;—either from sinful com - pliances, and want of a close walk with God, or from looking too exclusively at their own sinfulness, without lively exercise of faith in the Saviour. To the fearful Christian, we would say, You are not to he judged by the Old Covenant of Works, of which perfect, personal, and perpetual obedience was the condition ;—were that still in force, not one of our race could escape the just condemnation of God. But if you are in Christ, you are to he judged 4 according to the Gospel,’ 1 according to the Covenant of Grace, the glory of which is, that Christ has wrought a full, perfect, and all-sufficient righteousness for his people; and even when sitting as Judge, he will still he ‘ Jehovah their Righteous- O 7 NESS.’ At the same time, we dare not, by a sort of fallacious, spiritual chemistry, mingle the doctrines of Scripture in such proportions, as to neutralize one set by another. True spiritual chemistry does not require, and will not stoop to, such fallacies. It mingles the seemingly op¬ posite ingredients in such proportions, as to preserve to each its proper character and tendency, as in the Bible itself. While, therefore, we cling to the righteousness of Christ, as our only ground of justification, both now, and when placed at his awful tribunal, and reject with abhorrence all our own filthy righteousnesses, when they would presume to mingle with His; we nevertheless maintain, that there is a certain character and course of conduct, absolutely necessary to salvation;—that al¬ though our holiest actions cannot contribute in the least to our acquittal, as meritorious, they are yet indispen¬ sable as evidences of our interest in the Covenant of Grace. And if we now possess few distinctive marks of the fol- 1 Rom. ii. 16. 388 THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE- lowers of Christ, we may justly doubt on which hand of the throne he will set us at the great day. We see, in the evidences to be then brought forward, merciful ad¬ monitions of the necessity for watchfulness, faithfulness, and diligence, in every appointed duty. We see in them warrants to conclude, that our comfortable assurance of future bliss, and also the degree of that bliss which we shall enjoy, must be in proportion to our present obedi¬ ence and conformity to Christ. And let those who may charge us with legality for this sentiment, first answer the declarations of our Lord and his Apostles ; such as in the Parable of the Talents, where each servant’s re¬ ward was proportioned to his improvement of liis trust ; 1 such as, ‘ lie which soieetli sparingly shall reap also sparingly ; and he which sotceth bountifully shall reap also bountifully .’ 2 According to this view, the fears of the Christian may require, not to be soothed, but deeply probed ; that he may ascertain whether they do not spring from careless walking, conformity to the world, want of self-denial in the service of Christ, indo¬ lence in the use of means, want of liberality to the poor; —in short, from the want of a holier and more decidedly Christian conversation. And these causes, alas ! abound in many who yet possess some true knowledge, faith, and other graces. But while stimulants are needed in some cases, cordials are needed in others. The fearful believer may be ‘ walking in all good conscience before God,’ diligently and faithfully acting up to his light; and yet, for want of clearer views of the Gospel, and more simple and lively exercises of faith, he may be weighed down to the earth under a sense of his unworthiness and mult, and 1 Luke xix. 12-26. 2 2 Cor. ix. 6. JUDGE OF QUICK AND DEAD. 389 tremble exceedingly at the thought of having to give ac¬ count of himself to God. To such a one we would say, Do you think it possible that the Lord, faithful and true, would encourage you to rely on one ground of justi¬ fication here, and try you by another hereafter ? Has not Jesus given you repeated tokens of his pardon since you first fled for refuge to his Cross ? And can you suppose that he will bring you into judgment for those lamented sins which he has already forgiven ? After assuring you, that ( there is now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus,’ can he bring you into condemna¬ tion ? Has he not, in many ways, given you tokens of reconciliation to God ; by shedding abroad the love of God in your heart, by causing you to delight in serving and communing with God, by honouring you perhaps as his instrument in doing some good, though much less than you desire, by infusing into your mind some likeness to himself in your affections, tastes, and pursuits ? In short, has he not made you ‘ a new creature ? ’ Although your evidences fall far short of what you desire, still you cannot, in truth, deny that they are sufficient to prove your union to Christ. Has he then brought you into such close and endeared relations to himself, and will he at last disown you ? Has he been ever living to make intercession for you, and will he leave you in that important crisis to plead your own cause ? ‘ Christ has advised his people to buy ‘ of him white raiment, that the shame of their nakecl- ‘ ness may not appear; and shall this shame appear ‘ after they are thus clothed ? Shall the Church be pre- ‘ sented in that day by Christ “ without spot,” and yet ‘ will he expose all her spots to public view ? Is not ‘ Christ’s merit a sufficient covering to hide all his people’s ‘ sins ? Christ’s satisfaction takes away the charge of 390 THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE- ‘ guilt; liis obedience answers the demand of righteous- ‘ ness; and so the believer will stand rectus in curia , ‘ blameless in court. Has God said, all the transgressions ‘ of the believer, that he hath committed, shall not be men- ‘ tioned to him; and yet will he himself make a repetition 1 of them before the whole world?' 1 It is impossible. Discard, therefore, your gloomy fears, which are dishon¬ ourable to your Lord, as well as uncomfortable to your¬ self. It is true, the question may still remain, Am I a believer ? This can be answered only by a man’s own conscience. There is no boundary line to define ex¬ actly the measure of holiness and obedience necessary to prove true faith and union with Christ. Had such a line existed, it would have produced the obedience of a slave, not that of a free-born child. As it stands, the question is calculated to awaken a salutary fear of coming short, and a determination to keep on the safe side; not inquiring how little we may safely do for Christ, but how much we can do. After all, we must confess some difficulty remains, in the reward of the saints being represented as due to them by the justice of God. We find no difficulty in acquiescing in his justice in the punishment of the wicked; but how the infinite rewards of eternity can be the just portion of any fallen sinner, is not so easily un¬ derstood, by those who know any thing of the desert of sin, and the corruption of the heart, even in believers. And yet this is frequently stated in Scripture. St Paul says, ‘ God is not unrighteous , to forget your work and labour of love.’ 2 He quotes the righteousness of God as pledged to recompense, not only tribulation to persecu¬ tors , but rest to his people . 3 And he anticipates his own crown of righteousness, not directly from the mercy and 1 Hurrion. 2 Heb. vi. 10. 3 2 Tlies. i. 6, 7. JUDGE OF QUICK AND DEAD. 3.91 free bounty of God in Christ, but because be had 4 fought a good fight, and kept the faith.’ 1 A reference to the terms of the Covenant of Grace, however, clears up this difficulty. Paul knew well that, as a sinner, he was justly condemned by the law ; and yet he knew that, as a believer, he should be justly acquitted and rewarded by the Gospel. This reward will be in perfect justice to Christ , the Covenant-head of his people, because he has purchased it by his inestimable righteousness and atone¬ ment ; and it will also be in equity and faithfulness to believers themselves, because in accordance with the promises of God, to reward their services done in his Son’s name. Still, the reward will be so entirely of grace, in respect of us or our deservings, that, though according to justice and faithfulness, it yet involves a blessed paradox, it will be according to the Justice of Grace. When, after even this slighi survey of the solemnities of Judgment and Eternity, we return to view the world around us, we are involuntarily led to exclaim, Surely men do not lelieve these things , or it is impossible they could so waste and abuse the short season allowed them to flee from eternal misery, and secure eternal bliss. Some, indeed, avow their disbelief of eternal punish¬ ment, and urge the mercy of God to contradict his justice and truth; arguing, that he is too benevolent a Being to doom any of his creatures to everlasting woe. But has God ever yet denounced judgment, and failed to execute it? Has he not, in the curse inflicted on Adam,—in the ‘ flood brought upon the world of the ungodly,’—in the cities turned to ashes,—in the destruc - tion of Jerusalem,—fulfilled to the utmost his awful 1 2 Tim. iv. 7 , 8. 392 THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE- threats ? And, besides the tremendous proofs of his justice, of which Earth has been the scene, we are in¬ formed, for our warning, of still more tremendous proofs of that justice, towards a higher order of beings than our¬ selves ; for ‘ God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.’ 1 Oh ! then, let no man run the awful risk of incurring God’s fiery indignation, by listening to such presump¬ tuous doubts. Even on the possibility of its being true, a wise man would be prepared for it. And do we not at times hear, in the dying desperation of an impenitent transgressor, incontestable evidence that the never-dying- worm is no fable ? But the number of those who avowedly disbelieve in a future Judgment is small, compared with the mul¬ titudes who, professing to believe it, yet show, by their daily walk and conversation, that their impressions of it are but faint and transient. We speak not of the fla¬ grantly vicious, the openly profane, and the violators of human laws. Their condemnation, dying impenitent, is too obvious to require demonstration. None who be¬ lieve in a Divine Government, and a future Retribution at all, can doubt that ‘ the wicked,’ in this sense of the term, ‘ shall be turned into hell.’ But, alas! many overlook the other clause of the verse, ‘ and all the na¬ tions that forget God.’ 2 All, who, however moral, re¬ spectable, and amiable, are living in habitual forgetful¬ ness of their Maker, of their obligations and their respon¬ sibility to him, and all, whose happiness would suffer no diminution, were they told, ‘ There is no God,’ are in¬ volved in this awful sentence. We, who know something of the 4 terror of the Lord,’ 1 Peter ii. 4. 2 Ps. ix. 17. JUDGE OP QUICK AND DEAD. 393 would most affectionately seek to ‘ persuade men’ to ex¬ amine for tliemselves tlie grounds of condemnation re¬ vealed by the Judge himself. There is ignorance of God, and disobedience to the Gospel, unfruitfulness, ne¬ glect of known duty, idolatry whether outward or secret, deceit in any form, covetousness, omission of be¬ nevolent deeds for the sake of Christ, and many other sins, little thought of by man. Above all, the sins of unbelief and impenitence are denounced by the Judge, as deserving and treasuring up more intolerable woe, for those who have been favoured with Gospel-light, than the worst crimes can bring upon the less favoured. 1 As to the fate of the Heathen, including all who have not had the means of religious instruction, nor the know¬ ledge of a Saviour, the Bible does not gratify our curio¬ sity. It could not have availed them from whom the Gospel is hidden. But we may be sure that, if not saved through an unknown Saviour, they will at least meet a doom far ‘ more tolerable’ than that of those who, seeing the Light, loved darkness rather than light, be¬ cause their deeds were evil. Again, we ask, Is there, in the world in general, and even among them who are trusting to their own works, in whole or in part, for jus¬ tification and future reward, any appearance of that care¬ fulness, and diligence, and abstaining from evil, which might reasonably he expected from immortal creatures, sowing the seeds of their everlasting condition ?—And, with shame we would ask, Is there, among the children of God, a rich abundance of those fruits, which, though they know, are hut evidences of salvation, they ought to he laying up against the great day, to prove their sure 1 2 Thes. i. 8, 9 ; Mat. xxv. 30 ; Luke xii. 47 ; James iv. 17 ; Col. iii. 5, 6 ; Rev. xxii. 15 ; Mat. xxv. 41-46 ; xi. 20-24 ; John viii. 24 ; xv. 22-24. 394 THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE. title to the kingdom ?—Alas ! the doubts as to their O own state, entertained by many believers, and the faint¬ ness of ‘ the mark in their foreheads,’ in the sight of the world, prove how negligent they are in making their calling and election sure. Even to the holiest and most watchful, a frequent remembrance of the Judgment is very salutary and needful, to enliven their gratitude for deliverance from the bottomless pit, to rouse their con¬ cern for the souls of perishing sinners every where, and to urge them to efforts and prayers for their rescue. Finally, may we all so firmly believe in Jesus Christ, as all our Salvation, and so faithfully walk in holy obe¬ dience before him, as to be able to say with the Apos¬ tle, 1 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect ? It is God that justifieth; who is he that con- demneth ? It is Christ that died, yea, rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.’ ESSAY XLIX. ALL IN ALL—PORTION—INHERITANCE. The last great act of liis administration being performed, whereby all his enemies shall be for ever put under his feet, and all his friends exalted to a share of his own glory, 4 then shall the Son also himself he subject unto him that did put all things under him, that God may be All in All;’ that, as Christ, God-Man, has been, during earth’s eventful history, all in all to the redeemed, so thenceforward, God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, may be, throughout eternity, their all in all. The end, however, is not yet come. Christ has not yet delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father. His mediatorial reign is still in force; and it is through him alone that sinners can safely approach the Divine Majesty, or draw comfort from any of the Divine per¬ fections. Let us, therefore, as the proper conclusion of this train of meditations, view the Lord Jesus Christ as All in All to his people. The passage of Scripture where this title is most pro¬ minent, is Colossians iii. 11. The apostle, contrasting 4 the old man,’ which believers have put off, with 4 the new man, ’ which they have put on, says, in reference to the latter, that 4 there is neither Greek nor Jew, circum- 39G ALL IN ALL. cision nor nncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free; but Christ is all, and in all/ Christ dwelling- in a man, is all that is necessary to salvation; all out¬ ward distinctions among believers, therefore, whether of nation, of civilization, of ceremonial observances, or of earthly condition, are lost in this one grand point of union, that Christ is in them all; that he dwells in them by his Spirit of light, of holiness, and peace; that they are all temples of the Holy Ghost, and have Christ dwelling in their hearts, by faith; and are, therefore, all equally heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ. They also take Christ as their all ; finding in him a rich and abundant supply of all things needful for their holiness and happiness, both here and hereafter. A practical lesson seems implied in this passage, viz. that, as Christ , dwelling in a man, is all that is necessary to salvation, so it should he all that is necessary to bro¬ therly affection ; that the mutual bond which secures our everlasting union, should be sufficient to unite us now, notwithstanding many differences in minor points. Another passage in the same Epistle, declares in few, hut most comprehensive words, the riches of the glory of Christ, and his all-sufficiency for his people’s wants. 1 In him clwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily; and ye are complete in him/ 1 In him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead, not only by essential Deity, hut bodily, in human form, as 4 God manifest in the flesh,’ as the appointed Mediator, to convey all spiritual bless¬ ings to man: 4 for it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell ;’ 2 4 and of his fulness have all we received.’ 3 4 Ye are complete in him,’ saith the apos¬ tle. 4 Are we enemies ? He is reconciliation. Are we 4 sold to sin and Satan ? He is redemption. Are we 1 Col. ii. 9, 10. 2 Col. i. 19. 3 John i. 16. ALL IN ALL. 39? ‘ condemned by the law ? He is the Lord onr Righte- 4 ousness. Hath sin polluted us ? He is a fountain 4 opened for sin and for uncleanness. Are we lost by 4 departing from God ? He is the way to the Father. 4 Rest is not so suitable to the weary, nor bread to the 4 hungry, as Christ is to the sensible sinner. The breath 4 of our nostrils, the life of our souls, is in Jesus Christ.’ 1 But, before enlarging further on the New Testament illustrations of this blessed title, let us trace it in the books of ancient Scripture, under the synonymous title, Portion or Inheritance. In this character, Jehovah was pleased to reveal him¬ self to the saints of old. Many of them could say, 4 The Lord is my portion, saith my soul ; therefore will I hope in him.’ 2 4 The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance, and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.’ 3 And the Israelites had a practical illustration of the all-sufficiency of the Lord, as his people’s Portion, in the appointment of the Levites, who were to have no inheritance among their brethren, because the Lord was their Part and their Inheritance. And not only did the Lord invite his an¬ cient people to take Him for their Portion ; he even con¬ descended to claim them as His Portion, whom he had chosen, redeemed, and purchased to be his peculiar trea¬ sure. For thus God spake by Moses, 4 The Lord’s por¬ tion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.’ 4 The Lord hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, as ye are this day.’ 4 This mutual appropriation is expressed in few, but most emphatic words, by the prophet Jeremiah. Contrasting the graven images of the heathen, with the true and living God, he says, 4 The portion of Jacob is not like them : for he 1 Flavel. 2 Lara. iii. 24. 3 Ps. xvi. 5. 4 Deut. iv. 20. 398 ALL IN ALL. is the former of all things, and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: the Lord of Hosts is his name.’ 1 Thus the Lord of Hosts was Jacob’s portion, and Jacob was his portion. But this mutual appropriation is still more emphatically and concisely expressed in the words of the Bride, ‘ My beloved is mine, and I am his.’ 2 It was, however, only through faith in the promised Messiah, that any Israelite could take God for his Por¬ tion, or devote himself to God, as a part of His inhe¬ ritance. Ever since the fall, God has been an Object of terror and enmity to man, in proportion as man has un¬ derstood the attributes of God, except as those attributes have been seen through the One Mediator. Without a Mediator, man can neither enjoy God, nor render to Him any acceptable service. But, in Immanuel, all the Di¬ vine attributes have become the portion of believers : even those awful ones of holiness and justice which, but for his interposition, must have sealed their condemna¬ tion. And in Immanuel, also, believers are enabled to surrender themselves to God, as his purchased inherit¬ ance, bought with a price, to glorify Him. In the personal teaching of our Lord, we distinctly trace the mutual appropriation, expressed in the Title, Portion. In his Parables of 4 the treasure hid in the field,’ and ‘ the pearl of great price,’ Jesus declared the surpassing and incomparable value of those spiritual blessings which are laid up in Himself, and communi¬ cated through his gospel; their all-sufficiency to com¬ pensate for the loss of all other things ; yea, the wisdom of parting with all other things to obtain them. 3 Attend¬ ance on his heavenly instructions he declared to be the ‘ one thing needful;’ 4 that good part,’ which could never 1 Jer. x. 16. 2 Cant. ii. 16. 3 Mat. xiii. 44-46. ALL IN ALL. 390 be taken from tlicm who chose it. 1 And he exhorted his followers to seek the privileges of his kingdom, not only first, or in preference to any other portion, but, in a cer¬ tain sense, to the exclusion of any other : at least, he in¬ timated that a faithful adherence to him would, in many cases, oblige them to renounce all other things; and that whoever should be unwilling to do this was not worthy to be his disciple; for that Himself and his Cross were the only Portion to which a man might safely cling. 2 But our blessed Master did not require such self- denial, from his followers, without promising them a rich reward, even in this life. Every one who should leave house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake, he promised should re¬ ceive manifold more in this present time (that is, in solid and spiritual happiness), and in the world to come life everlasting. 3 They should have, in Christ, peace, joy, love : yea, a portion of Christ’s own peace, 4 of his own joy, 5 and of that love wherewith the Father loved him. 15 And oh ! how rich was the portion he promised them in a future world! While requiring them to sell all that they had, for his sake, he, at the same time, held out to them ‘ a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approaclieth, neither moth corruptetli ;’ ‘a kingdom’ reserved for them by his Father. 7 And those who accepted Christ as tlieir Portion, he graciously owned as His portion, his little flock, the joint and peculiar property of the Father and himself; on whom alone, of all the inhabitants of earth they could look with complacency, and for whose sake alone this rebellious world was continued in being. For they were 1 Luke x. 42. 2 Mat. vi. 33; Luke xiv. 26-33 ; Mat. xvi. 24. 3 Luke xviii. 30. 4 John xiv. 27. 5 John xv. 11. 6 John xvii. 23, 26. 7 Luke xii. 32, 33. 400 ALL IN ALL. the salt of the earth, which preserved it from total cor¬ ruption ; the light of the world, 1 which reflected some faint rays of the Sun of Righteousness, to break the sur¬ rounding gloom ; and their good works and spiritual sa¬ crifices were the only revenue of glory which arose from earth to heaven. In his last and most affecting prayer for his chosen ones, Jesus distinctly owned them as his portion, given to him by the Father; saying, ‘ I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.’ 2 After the great Atonement had been offered and ac¬ cepted, and the way thus opened for more free and friendly communication between God and men, the peo¬ ple of God were enabled, by his grace, to realize more vividly the mutual appropriation of which we speak ; to see and feel that in Christ they possessed all things, and that to Christ they ow r ed all things. If the believing Patriarchs, whose views of Messiah’s glory were com¬ paratively dim and distant, yet renounced, for his sake, all the allurements of this present world, declaring plainly that they sought a better country, even an heavenly; 3 if Moses ‘ esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt,’ because ‘ he had respect unto the recompense of the reward; 4 much more might the immediate followers of Jesus take joyfully the spoil¬ ing of their goods, knowing in themselves that they had in heaven a better and an enduring substance. 5 Ac- cordingly, we find that they renounced, for His sake, wealth, reputation, liberty, and life itself; assured, that ‘ having nothing,’ they yet in Him ‘ possessed all things; ’ that although ‘ poor,’ they yet had in Him wherewithal 1 Mat. v. 13, 14. 2 John xvii. 9, 10. 3 Heb. xi. 14-16. * Heb. xi. 26. 5 Heb. x. 34. ALL IN ALL. 401 to i make many rich.’ 1 Christ was their all in all, in tilings temporal ancl spiritual, for time and for eternity. Of this we have ample proof in the case of St Paul. He avows his resolution to know nothing save Jesus © Christ and him crucified ; to glory in nothing save in the cross of his Lord Jesus Christ; he counted all things hut loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus his Lord, for whom he had suffered the loss of all things, and did count them but dung, that he might win Christ. 2 He took Christ for Wisdom, and Righteous ness, and Sanctification, and Redemption, according as it is written, ‘ He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.’ In one magnificent sentence, St Paul includes the whole of our present subject.—‘ All things are yours ; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours ; and ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.’ 3 Believers are Christ’s ; his property, his beloved friends, his members; inseparably united to Him whom the Father hath appointed Heir of all things, and therefore joint-heirs with him in all the rich inheritance which he claims. The gifts and services of Christ’s ministers are theirs , as far as necessary to their edification. The world is theirs : this seems startling ; for many true dis¬ ciples seem to have hut a scanty portion of the world ; little hut its toils and cares, its griefs and disappoint¬ ments : yet it is true, of the poorest and most afflicted of them, that the world is theirs. They have exactly that portion of it which their all-wise and bountiful Father sees best for them : were more of it needful, He who spared not his own Son would not withhold it: 1 2 Cor. vi. 10. 2 1 Cor. ii. 2 ; Gal. vi. 14 ; Philip, iii. 4-11 ; 1 Cor. i. 30, 31. 3 1 Cor. iii. 21-23. 402 ALL IN ALL. they have a sanctified enjoyment of every thing they possess, and a sanctified privation of every thing they Jack ; and they know, both by God’s word and their own experience, that ‘ all things work together for good to them that love God.’ Life is theirs; for they are sure of its continuance, as long as is needfid to finish their work, and to ripen their graces. And then, oh ! how truly, Death is theirs , as the gate of everlasting life. Things present , however displeasing to flesh and blood, are theirs , by the blessing of God upon his own dispen¬ sations ; and things to come , including not only all com¬ ing trials of this life, but the awful solemnities of the dying hour, of the Resurrection, and the Judgment, are theirs also. The all-sufficiency of Christ is finely drawn by an old author; when, viewing him as ‘ The Mercy’ of God, pro¬ mised to the Fathers, 1 he says, ‘ Christ is The Mercy , ‘ emphatically so called; the peerless, invaluable, and ‘ matchless Mercy ; because be is the prime fruit of the ‘ mercy of God to sinners. All other mercies, compared ‘ with him, are but fruits from that root, and streams ‘ from that fountain of mercy. Christ is The Mercy , be- ‘ cause all the mercy of God to sinners is dispensed and ‘ conveyed through Christ to them. Christ is the me- ‘ dium of all divine comunications, the Channel of grace; ‘ fond and vain, therefore, are all the expectations of ‘ mercy, out of Christ; no drop of saving mercy runs ‘ beside this channel. Christ is a f ull Mercy , replenish- ‘ ed with all that answers to the wishes or wants of sin- ‘ ners ; in him alone is found whatever the justice of an ‘ angry God requires for satisfaction, or the necessities ‘ of souls require for their supply. Christ is an unsearch ■ 1 Luke i. 72. ALL IN ALL. 403 4 able Mercy; who can fully express his wonderful ‘ name? 1 Who can tell over his unsearchable riches V 2 4 Hence it is, that souls never tire in the study or love ‘ of Christ, because new wonders are eternally rising out ‘ of him : He is a deep which no line of any created un- 4 derstanding, angelical or human, can fathom. Lastly, 4 He is an everlasting Mercy , 44 the same yesterday, and 4 to-day, and for ever.” All other enjoyments are perish- 4 able, time-eaten things; time, like a moth, will fret 4 them out; but the riches of Christ are “durable riches,” 4 the graces of Christ are durable graces. All the crea- 4 tures are flowers that appear and fade in their month ; 4 but this Rose of Sharon, this Lily of the Valley, never 4 withers.’ 3 Looking 4 beyond the narrow bounds of time,’ how glorious is the inheritance of the people of God ! One apostle terms it, 4 a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.’ 4 Another calls it, 4 an inheritance incorrupt¬ ible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away.’ 5 And the value of this inheritance is exalted to the highest pitch, by its being termed, not only that of the saints, but of Christ himself; for it is 4 the riches of the glory of Iiis inheritance in the saints.’ 6 To a true child of God, the great and surpassing object of desire, in a fu¬ ture state, to which he looks almost exclusively, is the enjoyment of God himself, in perfect fellowship, and un¬ alloyed friendship. He says, with the Psalmist, 4 Whom have I in heaven but Thee ? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides Thee.’ 7 The Portion to which he aspires, is that promised by the Alpha and Omega him¬ self,— 4 He that overcometh shall inherit all things ; and 1 Prov. xxx. 4. 2 Epli. iii. 8. 3 Flavel. 4 2 Cor. iv. 17. 5 1 Pet. i. 3-5. 6 Eph. i. 18. 7 Ps. lxxiii. 25. 404 ALL IN ALL. I will be liis God, and he shall be my son.’— 4 Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God him¬ self shall be with them, and be their God.’ 1 What can they want, who have God for their own God ? who can say, 4 This God is our God for ever and ever : he will be our Guide even unto death; ’ yea, even in death, and after death ; for, though their flesh and their heart must fail, God is the strength of their heart, and their portion for ever. 2 How different is the portion of the men of the world ! 4 They have their portion in this life;’ and they vainly think the world is theirs, if they succeed in amassing or preserving some of its perishing treasures, for their own enjoyment while they live, and to bequeath to their children when they die ; if they gain a name for learning or genius, to immortalize their memory, as it is called ; if they are exalted to dignity and influence among the great ones of the earth ; or, without aspiring to great affluence, renown, or dignity, if they enjoy a comfortable competency, are esteemed by their neighbours, and sur¬ rounded by affectionate friends and relatives. Yet they have no true enjoyment of the things of this world, be¬ cause they have not the favour of God along with them. Their corn and wine may increase, and they may have 4 much goods laid up for many years,’ yet is there no real gladness in their heart, for the joyful light of God’s countenance is not lifted up upon them. The more they possess, of wealth, talents, or influence, if not employed for God, as his stewards, the deeper will be their con¬ demnation. The longer they live, they do but treasure up for themselves more 4 wrath against the day of wrath, 1 Rev. xxi. 7, 3. 2 Ps. xlviii. 14 ; lxxiii. 26. ALL IN ALL. 40.5 and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.’ And, Oh ! when they die, what a portion awaits them ! It is thus awfully described in the hook of Job ! c God shall cast the fury of his wrath upon him.—The heaven shall reveal his iniquity; and the earth shall rise up against him. The increase of his house shall depart, and his goods shall flow away, in the day of his wrath. This is the portion of a wicked man, from God, and the heritage appointed unto him by God.’ 1 It is thus described also in the book of Psalms, ‘ fire and brimstone, and an hor¬ rible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.’ 2 In the New Testament, the portion of the wicked is re¬ vealed, in terms the most awful imaginable, as that ‘ pre¬ pared for the devil and his angels.’ 3 With this comparative view before our eyes, of the two portions , one of which must be chosen by every hu¬ man being who has access to the Bible, how strange and lamentable is it to see most men choosing the evil, and refusing the good! to see them panting and toiling after an inheritance in this fleeting world, while they scarcely take the trouble to inquire wdiat is to be their inheritance for eternity! And if they could, by all their anxious toil, secure a certain measure of enjoyment, during the term of 4 threescore years and ten,’ their madness would not be quite so glaring; though, even then, they would be making a poor exchange indeed. But the case, as all know, is widely different. The uncertainty of all things under the sun, including their own lives, is quite pro¬ verbial. Few, comparatively, attain the longest term of man’s existence; and of those few, but a small propor¬ tion succeed in their schemes for happiness; and even those fortunate ones, as they are styled, have not one hour of genuine happiness, because they are seeking it 1 Job xx. 23-29. 2 Ps. xi. 6 . 3 Mat. xxv. 41. 40 6 ALL IN ALL. apart from God, the fountain of light, and life, and bliss. The infatuation of their choice, therefore, is beyond ex¬ pression. £ How mad are they that part with Christ, the best ‘ of mercies, to secure and preserve any temporal, lesser 4 mercies to themselves! Thus Demas and Judas gave ‘ up Christ, to gain a little of the world. O ! soul- ‘ undoing bargain ! How dear do they pay for the ‘ world, that purchase it with the loss of Christ, and ‘ their own peace for ever ! 1 These men, however, do not deliberately choose self- destruction ; but, having a relish for earthly things, and none for heavenly things, they persuade themselves that it is not necessary wholly to relinquish the former, in order to secure the latter ; that they may still cleave to the world, as their portion, without forfeiting their por¬ tion in heaven. They, therefore, overlook all the strict injunctions to self-denial, non-conformity to the world, heavenly-mindedness, and devotion in body and sonl to the service of God, given by our Lord, and his apostles ; and vainly and presumptuously think to appropriate that part of salvation which suits their carnal taste, and re¬ ject the rest; while, in return, they devote to Christ just so much of their time, talents, substance, and affec¬ tions, as they think will satisfy his demands, and use all the remainder according to their own inclination. And is this to take Christ for our Portion, and to sur¬ render ourselves to be his portion ? Will He consent thus to share our hearts with the world ? Ah! no. He has given himself to us, not in part, but wholly in his Divine and in his Human natures, with all their respective attributes; and he requires from us, in return, not a certain part, but the whole of our services, in body, 1 Flavel. ALL IN ALL. 407 soul, and spirit; for, in a far higher sense than the aged apostle could say to Philemon, Jesus says to us, that we owe unto him even our own selves. Are we, then, will¬ ing to take Christ for our Portion ? The best way to ascertain this, is by putting to ourselves another ques¬ tion, Are we willing to be His portion ? If so, we may well bless the Lord, who has given us counsel, and say, 4 The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.’ We have now contemplated God our Saviour under a great variety of names and offices, of aspects and charac¬ ters. We have seen that in eternal majesty he is Jeho¬ vah, Lord of Hosts, God over all, blessed for ever; — that in Mediatorial authority he is King of kings, and Lord of lords, Christ the Power of God and the Wisdom of God. We have seen to what a depth of humiliation he submitted, in order to accomplish the work of our Redemption ; and to what a height of glory he has been exalted, in consequence of that work. We have seen that Jesus is the only Saviour; for in Him alone we have pardon, peace, and justification : to Him alone we can look, for life and light, for the gift of faith, for wis¬ dom, strength, sanctification, and example : He is the only Foundation on which we can rest, the only Refuge to which we can fly; 4 for there is none other name un¬ der heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.’ We have seen, also, that Jesus is a rich and all-sufficient Saviour: that in Him his people have 4 all things: ’ not only all things necessary to salvation, but all things conducive to happiness : for he is their Con¬ solation, their Hope, their Joy and Glory : He performs toward them all the tender offices of friendship and kindred : nay, so entire is their union with Christ, their 408 ALL IN ALL. Divine Head, tliat they are joint-heirs with him in all that the Father has given him : for, as we have seen, in the Title last considered, all things are theirs ; for they are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. By the precious Gift of his own Son, God has pledged himself freely to give us all things : and 4 all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, to the glory of God by us.’ As the blessed ^result of these contemplations, may the Lord impress upon each of our minds a deep and lasting- conviction that Christ is All, and enable us truly to take him for All. And with humble, adoring grati¬ tude, may we all exclaim, Blessed be God for Jesus Christ; Thanks be to God for his unspeakable Gift; Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings, in hea¬ venly places, in Christ. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abun- dantly. above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church, by Christ Jesus, throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. FINIS EDINBURGH ! PRINTED BY W, OLIPIUNT, JUN. & CO., SOUTH BRIDGE STREET. Princeton Theological Seminary-Speer Library 0 2 0 023 5788