PRESENTED TO THE LIBRARY OF PRINCETON THEOLOGICRL SEMINKRY BY ^Fs. Ale^tander Ppoudfit. 31 '/H' ui/^v^^r^- SERMONS, PREACHED IN THE PARISH CHURCH OF ST. MICHAEL'S, BATH. / Rev. EDWARD WIL80N, M.A. PRINCIPAL OF KING WILLIAM's COLLEGE IN THE ISLE OF MAN; LATE FELLOW OF ST. JOHN's COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE; AND LATE CURATE OF THE ABOVE PARISH. Hoittron: SEELEY & SONS, FLEET STREET; LONGMAN & CO., PATERNOSTER ROW; AND HATCHARD & SON. PALL MALL. ISatlj : COLLINGS, SAVILLE ROW; AND GODWIN, MILSOM STREET. 1833. PRINTED BV GEORGE WOOD, PARSONAGE I.ANE. CONGREGATION St. MICHAEL'S, BATH, THIS VOLUME OF Snmon^, PREACHED BEFORE THEM, AND NOW PUBLISHED AT THEIR REQUEST, RESPECTFULLY AND AFFECTIONATELY zir scxtiBSs, BY THE AUTHOR. PREFACE. The following Sermons do not appear before the Public as competitors for theological reputation. They make no pretensions to being elaborate Dis- courses. They were written, not indeed without care, nor without prayer, yet rapidly, and under the pressure and dis- traction of various parochial and other avocations ; and they are printed almost verbatim as they were preached. Cir- cumstances rendered it impracticable for the Author materially to alter them, if VI PREFACE. he had been disposed to do so. But he was not disposed to do so, on this account — his affectionate Congregation were kind enough to desire, as a memo- rial of him, not simply a Volume of his Sermons, hut a Volume of those Sermons which he had delivered to them from the Pulpit : and his object in publishing at all is, to meet, the wishes of his people, which he would not have met by a Volume of altered Sermons. But these, he hopes, may now "stir up their minds by way of remembrance ;" and thus, though absent, he may have the pleasure and honour of still teaching them the same truths as when he was present with them. May this his pas- toral offering be accepted by a flock in whom he will never cease to feel the liveliest interest : and if what he has written " in simplicity and godly sin- PREFACE. Vll cerity" prove useful, as well as accept- able, to them, aud to any portion of the Public, both he and they will know whither to return the praise. Bath; April, 1833. CONTENTS. SERMON I. Genesis iii. 6, 7. PAGE And u'hen the woman saiv that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband loith her ; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 1 SERMON II. I Kings xviii. 21. And Elijah came unto all the people, and said. How long halt ye between tivo opinions P if the Lord be God, follow him : but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a ivord 19 SERMON III. Daniel iii. 16 — 18. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to ansicer thee in this " matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he tvi/l deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it knoivn unto thee, O king, that we urill not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up 36 SERMON IV. Psalm xviii. 35. Thy gentleness hath made me great 52 SERMON V. PREACHED FOR THE BATH HOSPITAL. Matthew xiv. 14. And Jesxts went forth, and saw a great imdtilude^ and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick ... 72 X CONTENTS. SERMON VI. Matthew xiv. 22. PAGE And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away 88 SERMON VII. Luke vii. 13. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not 108 SERMON VIII. Luke ix. 51 — 56. And it came to pass, when the time ivas come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before his face ; and they ivent, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. And ivhen his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, tvilt thou that ive command fire to come doivn from heaven, and consxime them, even as JSlias did P But he turned, and rebtihed them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village 122 SERMON IX. Matthew xxi. 15 — 17. And tvhen the Chief Priests and Scribes saiv the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David ; they were sore displeased, and said unto him, Hearest thou what these say ? And Jesus saith unto them. Yea ; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise P And he left them . 141 SERMON X. PREACHED ON GOOD FRIDAY. John xix. 30. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished : and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost . . . 163 SERMON XI. PREACHED ON EASTER SUNDAY.. Job xiv. 14. If a man die, shall he live again p . . . 182 CONTENTS. XI SERMON XII. PREACHED ON WHITSUNDAY. Ephesians iv. 30. PAGE Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God 203 SERMON XIII. 2 Cor. xii. 9. My grace is sufficient for thee 223 SERMON XIV. Prov. xxviii. 26. He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool 241 SERMON XV. 1 TiMOTHV vi. 6 — 12. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this tvorld, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment, let us be there- vnth content But they that will he rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil : which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things ; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, ivhereunto thou art also called .... 261 SERMON XVI. Ephesians vi. 5 — 9. Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ ; not with eye-service, as men-pleasers ; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart ; with good ivill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men : knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall lie receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening : knoiving that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him. 281 SERMON XVII. Matt. v. 7. , Blessed are the merciful; for they shalt obtain mercy. . . 301 XU CONTENTS. SERMON XVIII. Rom. vi. 21, 22. PAGE What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are noiv ashamed P for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life . 321 SERMON XIX. Gen. vi. 9. Noah walked with God 342 SERMON XX. PREACHED ON ADVENT SUNDAY. Isaiah xlii. 1 — 4. Behold my servant, lohom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth ; I have put my Spirit upon him : he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench : he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth : and the isles shall ivait for his law. . . . 361 SERMON XXI. PREACHED ON THE LAST SUNDAY IN THE YEAR. Heb. ix. 27, 28. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment : so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many ; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. 380 SERMON XXII. 2 Cor. xii. 7—10. And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me. My grace is sufficient for thee : for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will J rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon, me. Therefore I take ' pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in perse- cutions, in distresses for ChrisCs sake : for ivhen I am weak, then am I strong 400 SERMON I. Genesis iii. 6, 7- ^^ And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, ayid that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her ; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons,'* In approaching the consideration of the fall of our first parents, it is necessary that we have simple faith in God's account of it given in this chapter. It should he remembered, that there is no other account of the fall of man, but the account given in this chapter. Had this chapter been lost, we should have been in utter ignorance how we first came to be, what we feel we are, a fallen world. For, if we have any feeling, we must feel that we are a B 2 SERMON I. fallen world. We and all creation groan, being burdened witli great and sore troubles. Our world is full of disorder, wickedness, miseries, and deatli. We see tbat our very nature is corrupt, and suffering. Children, infants, as soon as they are born, show signs of pain ; and as soon as they have any sense, give proofs of sin. It is impossible to believe that a world so groaning with evil came, in its present state, out of the hands of God who is only good. We must be, what indeed we are, a fallen world. But when and how we fell, we should not know at all, if it were not for this chapter. This chapter, however, gives us an authoritative, short, clear, and, I must add, literal history of our fall. That it is not a mystical, but a literal history, is manifest from the way it is ever after referred to, both in the Old and New Testament, as a matter of fact, which really took place. For instance, in 2 Cor. xi. 3, St. Paul says, " I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtil ty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." It is not to be believed that the Apostle would so have referred to this third chapter of Genesis, were it not familiar to his mind, as containing the true and literal history of the Fall. And it is referred to in the same artless manner, and in no other manner, throughout the whole of Scripture. I coii- ceive therefore that we are bound to receive the S E R M O N I. 3 bistoiy of the Fall with the simplicity of little children, as containing an inspired and true record of what actually occurred in the beginning of our world. So let us come now to its more distinct and painful contemplation. The Scripture says, "God made man upright:" " He made man in his own image ; in the image of God created he him ; male and female created he them :" " and he beheld them after their creation, and behold they were very good." "And God blessed them." From these words it is manifest that both Adam and Eve were without sin, very good, and perfect in their kind, when they came out of the hands of their Creator. They neither did evil, nor knew evil. So constituted, they were put in a state of trial. It would seem that a state of trial is necessary for reasonable creatures : at least the only other race of reasonable creatures we have any knowledge of was put in a state of trial, viz. the angels. Some of them stood, and some of them fell. Satan and some of his followers seem to have been "lifted up with pride," and others to have " left their own habitation," " through the lust of uncleanness." Gen. vi. 2. For this sin " God spared them not, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto the judgment of the last day." For thein we know, on our Lord's authority, that "everlasting fire is pre- B 2 4 S E R M O N I pared." Meanwhile, ever since their Fall, they have heen in the darkness of sin, wretcliedness, and. despair ; with no light of holiness, no hope of happi- ness. They see torments hefore them, and tremble. But it appears from Scripture, that from the beginning of our world, either all, or some of them, have been permitted by " the only wise God" to " go to and fro in our earth, and walk up and down in it," and even to mingle among their former companions, the holy angels. It appears also from Scripture that these evil spirits are capable of enter- ing into other creatures, both rational and brute. For instance, a " legion" of devils were living in that man whom our Lord healed ; and when they were cast out of him, they entered into two thousand swine, and had such power over them, as to drive them to self-destruction. There is therefore nothing peculiar in the circumstance of the serpent in Paradise being inhabited by Satan. That it was inhabited by Satan is proved by Rev. xii. 9, where St. John says, " The great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world." There can be no doubt he is called "that old serpent," because of old, viz. at the beginning of our world, he lived and acted in the serpent in Paradise. The serpent then was, apparently, not the same creature altogether that it is now. It seems bv nature to have walked erect, from the circumstance S E R M O N 1 . 5 that the after curse upon it was, that " upon its belli/ it shouhl go, and eat dust all the days of its life." We are the rather led to suj)pose it was a very superior and sensible creature before its fall, because it is expressly pronounced " more subtle than any beast of the field, which the Lord God had made," and because there is no indication of surprise on Eve's part, that it should hold conversation with her. Had it not then been a very superior creature to w^hat it is notv, we cannot but think that the mere circumstance of its speaking in reasonable language would have so startled Eve, as to have delivered her, like a bird, from the snare of the fowler, and frustrated Satan's design. However, leaving what is only probable, let us come to what is certain. This is certain, " The serpent beguiled Eve by his subtlety." The narrative of his subtlety is very short. He put into Eve's mind bad thoughts, and wrong desires. " He said unto the woman. Yea, hath God said. Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden ?" Here was, in the first place, a suggestion of scepticism, or doubt of God's word — " hath God said ? ;" and, secondly, a suggestion of discontent — " Is it possible God has been so arbitrary and selfish as to deny you some of the trees of the garden ?" " And the woman said unto the serijent. We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden : but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the 6 SERMON I. garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die." This answer seemed complete against both Satan's suggestions : it argued no discontent, and certainly no doubt on Eve's part. She appeared satisfied with other fruits, and was quite clear that the fruit of the tree of knowledge was forhidden her by God, under pain of death. So when insinuation would not answer, Satan had recourse to lying. " The serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall Jiot surely die : for God doth know,- that, in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened ; and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." Here was a temptation to the woman's vanity and ambition : and, at the same time, no doubt Satan directed her attention to the beauty and excellence of the fruit before her : and the concur- rence of outward enticement of the senses, with inward desire of the heart, prevailed with her to believe and obey Satan rather than God. She was deceived into an idea that it would be to her advan- tage to disobey her Maker's known command. *' When she saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat." Observe how she was wrought upon by the tliree great temptations which, up to this hour, have seduced such multitudes of her children " She saw that the tree was good for SERMON I. 7 food," and hence her ''hist of the flesh" — "and pleasant to the eyes," and hence her "lust of the eye" — " and a tree to be desu*ed to make one wise," and hence her " pride of life." So, not mortifying her " desires of the flesh and of the mind," her appetite after fancied but forbidden pleasure enflamed her till she broke through all restraint, and trans- gressed openly — " she took of the fruit, and did eat." Here then was the first great instance of sin, " Sin is the transgression of the law." The law in Para(Use, the only law, was, not to eat of this fruit. Eve knew and acknowledged this law : yet she broke it : which Avas her plain and grievous sin. She was without excuse. Her guilt was, in daring to disobey God under any pretence whatever. It is vain to say. Where was the harm of taking a little fruit ? The harm w^as in disobeying her Creator. If she would disobey him in one thing, she would disobey him in another. Had the test of her obedience bden something else, and not the fruit of the tree of knowledge, we have every reason to suppose she would have yielded to temptation in that, just as soon as in this. Her sin was in allowing any suggestions to steal away her confi- dence in the rectitude and goodness of God, and in allowing her sensual and mental appetites to prevail over her better judgment, and her remon- strating conscience. 8 SERMON I. And now having been seduced herself, she became Satan's very best agent for seducing her husband. No doubt she went to tell him what she had done, and why, and the pleasure she had found from the fruit : but "Adam was not deceived :" he saw the evil of what she had done ; but he was not proof against temptation, when Eve was the temptress — " She gave unto her husband with her, and he did eat." This was the consummation of the sin of our first parents ; and immediately " their sin found them out" — " the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked." They had, for the first time, " a con- science of sin," and a sense of shame. It is impossible for us adequately to conceive what a change they felt — a change the greatness and grievousness of which they continued feeling more and more every moment. But the first confusing emotions were those which arose from a conscious- ness of nakedness and exposure. They had an indescribable sensation of wanting a covering ; and so their immediate instinctive effort was, to cover themselves — " they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons." And thus covered, they seem to have summoned confidence enough just to look one another in the face. But the moment they thought of looking God in the face, their sense of being covered failed them, and their S E R iM O N 1 . 9 miserable feeling of nakedness came over them afresh with terrifying power — " They heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day : and Adam and his wafe hid themselves from the j^resence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden." They had gone forth to meet their God, and walked with him without fear, when they w ere upright : but now that they had wilfully sinned against him, they had a sense of exposure, and a dread of meeting his eye, which they could not surmount, notwithstanding their best efforts to cover their nakedness. This, then, my brethren, is the simple history of the fall of our first parents, and of its effect upon their feelings. It is written for our infor- mation, and for our warning. With the information we are now furnished. It remains that we lay to heart some of the warning lessons it conveys to us. And, first, it warns us of the reality, subtlety, and power of Satanic temptation. Satan is not dead, nor sleepeth : on tiie contrary, St. Peter assures us "he walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." So that he is a real tempter at this day. And he has lost none of his subtletg, but rather increased it by experience. If he "beguiled Eve by his subtlety," St. John says he " deceiveth the whole world." So we ought neither to be ignorant, nor forgetful, of his devices. 10 SE R M O N I. We are warned also of the power of his tempta- tions. They overcame Eve in her state of holiness : what then must be their power on us ? They are so powerful, that their removal will immediately usher in millenian blessedness, as we learn from the 20th chapter of Revelations. Meanwhile, till Satan is bound, he has not only great power, but " great wrath, because he knows that his time is short." We are warned therefore to prepare our hearts against his certain, subtle, and powerful temp- tations. This is the first lesson we should learn from the history before us. The second lesson is, that his temptations will be both inimrd and outward, both spiritual and sensual. His first aim is to jmt bad thoughts into the mind. We read, "The Devil put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot to betray Christ ;" and that " he filled Ananias' heart to lie to the Holy Ghost." So tiiat the same poisoning attempt which he made upon the mind of Eve, he continued making upon later minds, and makes upon minds now. These bad thoughts which he injects seem to be " the fiery darts of his," mentioned by St. Paul, and which it behoves us immediately to quench with " the shield of faith." If thoughts arise in our hearts, such as tend to set God before us in an unamiable point of view, and to make us question the propriety of his arrangements, we should imme- SERMONI. 11 (liately quench those thoughts by au implicit con- fidence in the declaration, that "He is a Rock, liis work is perfect, and all his ways are judgment ; a God of truth, and without iniquity, just and right is he." But vSatan tempts us outwardly hy means of objects attractive to our senses and minds. He avails himself of " the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eye, and the pride of life," as much now, as ever he did. We know the inflaming and seductive power of the sensual, covetous, and ambi- tious desires which he kindles in us by various enticements around us. St. James says, " Every man is tempted, when he is drawn aside, and enticed''' Eve was enticed by the apparent deli- cacy and beauty and usefulness of the forbidden fruit. Achan was enticed by the forhidden spoil of Jericho, and Gehazi by Naaman's profi'ered treasures. Many now make a " god of their belly." Others " have eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin." And others are " high-minded, and have proud looks," or ambitious aims to be above their proper stations. We are all apt to be " lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God." So Satan sets before us forbidden plea- sures of the sort most tempting to us, and with these he tries to seduce us into sin. And which of us here present have not often 12 SERMON I. yielded to appetite and passionate desire, and taken and eaten our favourite forbidden fruit ? I fear we have all been too much the slaves of " inordinate affection, and evil concupiscence :" and have not only yielded to temptation ourselves, but have been Satan's agents in tempting one another. And notliing is a more lamentable truth, than that oftentimes a man's worst, because his most insi- nuating, " foes are they of his own house." Adam would probably have been proof against any temp- tation which had not come through Eve. Few things are so difficult for the children of God to withstand, as the blandishments of affectionate relatives and friends. It was his wives tliat turned awaj the heart of even Solomon : and many a husband, especially a young husband, is now improperly wrought upon by his " weaker vessel," and yields up his clearer knowledge and better judgment to her solicitations. But by the history before us we are warned, in the third place, that whatever be our temptations, or whoever our tempters, it will be an evil and a bitter thing for us, if we give way to them. However alluring forbidden pleasures may be pre- vious to enjoyment, when they have been enjoyed, they end in disappointment and shame. God does not (jrudge us pleasure. " God is love ;" God is good ; and '' givetli us richly all things to enjoy." SERM O N I. 13 His wish and object is to put us in the way of enjoying real pleasure. If, in bis holy word, he forbids us certain things which we fancy would be pleasurable, might we enjoy them, we ought to believe God, contrary to our fancy and appetite, that the forbidden things, if we rushed on their enjoyment, would not turn out to be enjoyable. Either we must believe that things forbidden us would not be for our real advantage, or we must believe that God envies us certain pleasures ; which is just what Satan wishes us to believe of God : because if we can be brought to think hardly of the God who prohibits, and well of the enjoyments prohibited, the next step we are almost sure to take is, to follow our own pleasure instead of God's. But the consequences of so doing are sure to be disastrous to us. How dreadfully disastrous to Adam and Eve were the consequences of self-will and self-indulgence ! If we will not believe the wisdom and goodness of God, when he tells us in the Scriptures to " mortify our members which are upon the earth, fornication, un cleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry," we have only to gratify these passions, and we shall soon find out, by the effects of so doing, that " the wrath of God cometh upon the children of disobedience." The sense of nakedness and shame and guilt and desert of punishment 14 S E R M O N I. which we see so afflicting our first parents after their sin, more or less afflicts all persons after their sins. People may be hardened by a course of sinful indulgences, and so may come to commit sins without feeling much after them : but the way to judge truly of the miserable feelings produced by sin, is to observe what they are in novices in transgression. The difficulty is to find novices in transgression in our fallen race. Adam and Eve were the onlv real novices in transg-ression. We are " transgressors from the v/omb," and, through early familiarity with more or less sin, we by no means feel that acute misery after wilful transgres- sion in our riper years, which we should feel, if we then transgressed for the first time. We see the confusion and wretchedness of our first parents after their first transgression ; and that is a speci- men of what we should feel after every trangression, were we not, in some degree, " hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." But notwithstanding our natural hardness and impenitency of heart, it is probable we have felt not a little after the com- mission of ceriain sins which our memory can recal. Very uncomfortably have we looked the partners of our guilt in the face, and much liave we mutually inflicted and suffered of shame and reproof: and as to God, the thought of Him, and of being summoned into his presence to give account SERMON I. 15 of our wickedness, has been terrible. Repetition of sin may have diminished, to a considerable extent, our sensibility to the evil of it, and our uncomfortableness under the thought of appearing before God, after the commission of it. But con- science is not soon lulled to sleep, and it is soon wakened again, especially by alarming occurrences, and embarrassing questions. We see how it waked in Adam and Eve, when '* they heard the voice of the Lord God." We see how it waked in Joseph's brethren, when they found themselves in trouble. We see how it waked in Herod, when he thought that John whom he had murdered was risen again from the dead. We see how it waked in the Scribes and Pharisees, who brought to our Lord the woman taken in adultery, when Jesus put to them the startling proposal, " Let him that is without sin among you cast the first stone at her." They were so convicted in their own con- sciences, and so confused, as to be obliged to retire and hide themselves. In all these cases the persons had for awhile covered their own sin from their own eye, and put on a degree of boldness : but when conscience of sin awaked, under the touch of God, they were presently self-condemned, and hasting to hide themselves, because they were naked. Now so it is, or will be, with each of us, my 16 S E R M O N I. brethren. There is no doubt of our guilt before God. We may somewhat relieve for awhile our uncomfortable sense of it, by fig-leaf inventions of our own to hide it from ourselves and from one another : but wherewithal shall we hide it from God ? We may contrive to put on a bold face before those who are as sinful as ourselves : but what face can we put on, when we feel ourselves summoned, by conscience or by death, into the immediate presence of our "holy Lord God?" There is no covering of our own, in which we can stand before God. We can never stand before Him, till our conscience of sin is gone, and instead of it we have a conscience of righteousness ; that is, a feeling that we are per- fectly righteous. Now, by what means are we to lose the one feeling, and become possessed of the other ? Sin is mixed with all we do. So that we can no more cover our impurity from the eyes of God, than our first parents could cover theirs. We can no more cover our past sin with works of right- eousness which we can do, than they could cover theirs with fig-leaves. All our prayers, and repent- ances, and alms, and acts of piety in general, have no efficacy to cover our past sin, have no power to justify us, or make us righteous before God. To lose our conscience of sin, and have a conscience of righteousness, we must " be found in Christ." We can be "justified" only "by his blood" — we can SE RM O N I, ]7 be ''the righteousness of God" only ''in him." If we are to have " our conscience purged from dead works," we must earnestly believe that Christ died for our sins. Nothing but the stedfast belief that he suffered for us can remove our fear of suffering. But "justified by faith," we may "have peace with God," and peace of mind, "through our Lord Jesus Christ." He is "the Lord our righteousness;" and if we put our whole trust in him, "he is of God made unto us righteousness." We are "accepted in the Beloved," and are "complete in Him." "We may have boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus." Througli him we may "draw near to God w^ith a true heart, in full assurance of fciith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience." Thus we may regain in Christ the confidence before God which we lost in Adam. And not only so, but Christ is the source of practical as well as personal holiness to us, if we receive and obey Him. If the Tempter vanquished Adam, he was vanquished by Christ, who was perfectly proof against the lust of the flesh, bread ; and the lust of the eye, worldly splendours; and the pride of life, display ; when these three great temptations were tried upon him, with Satan's craftiest skill. And now, having Himself overcome temptation, he is al)le to make ks overcome it; c 18 SERMON I. " because greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world." But as our first parents fell by self-indulgence, so Christ overcame by self-denial ; and there is no way but this, by which He can overcome in us. So he says plainly, " If any man will be my disciple, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." We see, then, brethren, our only safe way to glory, viz., to follow Christ in a course of habitual self-denial. We must "keep under our body, and bring it into subjection." We must " crucify the flesh, with the affections and lusts." " For if we live after the flesh, we shall die : but if we, through the Spirit, mortify the deeds of the body, we shall live." SERMON II. 1 Kings xviii. 21. And Elijah ca?ne unto all the people, and said. How long halt ye between two ojnnions ? if the Lord be God, follow him : but if Haul, then follow him. And the people answered fmn not a word." And why did thej not answer him a word ? Because they were the undecided characters Elijali had reproved them for being. Their conscience would not let them declare for Baa] ; and they had not courage to declare for God. So between their convictions and their fears they remained silent. Their tongue was tied by Elijah on the one hand, and by Aliab on tlie other : and they were in the distressful and ashamed condition of men who had too much good feeling to act wrong, and too little to act riglit. Their emban-assed situation leads us to reflect on the evil of indecision in religion. Reflection on c 2 20 SERMON II. this point may, perhaps, neither he unnecessary nor useless for some here. Unhappily, indecision in religion was not confined to the time of Elijah, hut exists in a large number of professors in every age of the Church. Indeed I fear there are those present, who, up to this very hour, have been "halting between two opinions," and are conscious at this moment of being ambiguous characters. To such of you I would now address myself; "and I beseech you suffer the word of exhortation," which is not designed to offend, but to do you good. I would first describe your undecided state — then point out to you the evil of it — and conclude with urging you to make your decision with all speed. May God command his blessing on what shall be said, for Jesus Christ's sake. First let me endeavour to describe the state of some of you, who are undecided in religion. In the first place, you are not decided against religion, which is a very important consideration, and a very distinguishing feature of your case. Some are decided against religion. They are "in the gall of bitterness" against it. Bent on doing evil, they hate the light. They found it reproving their deeds, putting their consciences to pain, and their faces to shame ; and they have never forgiven it for this. It has "become their enemy because it told them the truth ;" and it has their confirmed dislike, and SERMON II. 21 deadly opposition. But such is not the case with you who are i(7idecided. Because you are unde- cided, you are not decided against rehgion. It has not your hatred —it lias not your aversion : on the contrary, it has your attention — nay more, it has your respect — perhaps even it has your secret affec- tion. In the hottom of your soul you approve of religion, and you could not he brought openly to renounce it. You would not, for the world, at this moment solemnly deny God, deny Christ, deny the work of the Spirit, shake off all religion, and take your stand with avowedly infidel and profane persons. You Avould shrink from such daring impiety. Your heart tells you that there is a God — your guilt reminds you that you want a Saviour — and your corruptions make you feel that you need a Sanctifier. You know enough of Christianity to know that it is the only religion for a sinful fallen worm like you — the only thing that will do you good. And yet you have not decidedly embraced Clnistianity. Like Agrippa, you are only "almost persuaded to be a Clnistian." What is it that prevents your decision ? What is it that distracts your choice ? What is it that you put in the balance against " pure and undefiled religion ?" What was it that embarrassed the Israelites Avhom Elijah addressed ? It was Baal — it was idolatry. And it is idolatry that embarrasses you — spiiitual idolatry — you have 22 S E R M O N 1 1 . idols in your heart, and your heart goeth after them. In plain words, your affections are divided. You have not no regard for God, and Christ, and the things of the Spirit : hut then you have not a supreme regard for them. You regard them in part, and in part you regard things that are earthly and sensual. You respect religion, but you have your secret sins. You follow God sometimes ; hut then at other times you follow your idols. You have your seasons of prayer, and your feelings of piety ; but you have also your seasons of dissipation, and your feelings of worldliness. On the Sunday you can come hither to worship God ; but in the week you can resort to scenes where He is forgotten. You can keep company with saints, and you can keep company with sinners. You can alternately countenance what is good and what is evil : yea, you can alternately care for your soul, and for " the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life." Thus you are undecided charsLCieTs. There is a check upon your conscience, and yet a wavering in your conduct. You are like those Samaritans of old, of whom it is said in Scripture, " They feared the Lord, and served their graven images." This is a description of the state of some — perhaps of some of you who hear me. If you know, in your consciences, that you are thus wavering between your convictions of what is right, and your fondness SERMON II. 23 for what is wrong — between religion and carelessness — between God and the world — lend me your atten- tion farther, while, in the Second place, I endeavour to point out to you the evil of this undecided state. It is evil on these two accounts — First, because it is offensive to God, and Secondly, because it is injurious to yourselves. First, Your indecision is offensive to God. The same sin must always be viewed by him in the same light. And in what light did he view the indecision of the Israelites in the chapter before us ? It so displeased him, that he sent Elijah to rebuke it sharply. You, then, are under the same displeasure of Almighty God, as many of you as are consciously " halting between two opinions." And why God is displeased with your indecision is manifest, viz. because it proves that your affections are divided and distracted between Himself and some other object ; whereas He says, " My son, give me thine heart" — "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart." You cannot be loving Him with entire affection, while you hesitate to follow him. Your hesitation must arise from your heart being entangled in some other direction, and in some other direction opposite to God. Your hesitation must arise from your being attached to something wrong, or wrongly attached to something right. Your desires after something worldly must be sinful, either 24 SERMON II. in kind or in degree. In short, you dare to put some idol in competition with God : and for this reason he is displeased with you ; and justly ; for ought the creature to rival the Creator ? ought you to hesitate whether your God is the supreme good, or not ? Can he be otherwise than offended to see you doubt in your heart, whether it is advisable to follow him fully ? Have you never read that he is " a jealous God ?" And what can more directly touch his jealousy, than to observe you questioning whether to give the preference to Him, or to other objects ? His anger is kindled that you should move a question on such a point — that you should waver for a moment in your choice between Himself and any created good. That you may be sure I do not overstate this matter, let me remind you of the explicit declaration of God our Saviour. " He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me : and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and folio vveth after me, is not worthy of me." Such plain declarations were frequently made by our Saviour, on purpose to convince us that indecision in religion is offensive to God ; and how offensive, will appear to you from one more declaration of his, which, because it is the strongest, I have reserved to the last — I mean his declaration to the church of the Laodiceans. " I know thy SERMON II. 25 works, that thou art neither cold nor hot : I would thou wert cold or hot. So then hecause thou art lukewiQ-m, and neitlier cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth." No words can more strongly express the ojfensiveness of indecision. And the quotation is exactly to the purport of the text, where Elijah rehukes Israel precisely for this sin of halting; as if he had said, " I would you would make a deci- sive move one way or other. ' If the Lord be God, follow Him : hut if Baal, then follow him :' hut follow one or the other, because this your vacillation is intolerable to the Lord, and he will endure it no longer : you must come to a decision either to give yourselves wholly to him, or cease pretending to follow him at all." Now what God said to Israel he says to all here present. Hence, if any of you, my friends, especially of you, my young friends, are conscious of halting between religion and dissipation, between God and the world, between the cai'e of your soul and the care of your flesh, be assured that you are in a state of mind displeasing to your Maker and Redeemer. You may not be cold — you may not be open followers of Baal — you may not be thorough-paced men and women of the world, much less notorious evil livers : but put you at your best — suppose you are only anibignous characters — suppose you are only undecided — as such you are offensive to God. 26 SE RM O N II. This, then, is one evil of your undecided state : and the other evil is, that your state is injurious to yourselves. Indeed if it were not so, God would not be angry with it. He is angry with nothing that tends to our welfare, because he is love. " His commandments are not grievous ;" and if he com- mands us to cease from indecision, it is because it is injurious to ourselves. And I appeal to your own experience whether it is not, you who are undecided. Have you been happy ? have you been comfortable in your thoughts? have you enjoyed your manner of life, and been at ease in your reflec- tions ? You know you have not. You have had no pleasure in religion, because your heart was not in it. You have had no delight in God, because you knew you deserved to have none. You have had a bad conscience, and that has prevented your " going boldly to the throne of grace." You have not been able to pray with any confidence, because "you have regarded iniquity in your heart." You have had no fellowship with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ, because you would have fellowship with works of darkness. You have had no communion with the Holy Ghost, because you would set up in his temple "an image provoking to jealousy;" and therefore he forsook you. Thus you have had no j)leasure in religion, because you have not been hearty in it. SERMON II. 27 Alul, oil the other hand, you have had no pleasure in irreli-glon, because neither were you hearty in it. You have had too much light and knowledge to sin ignorautly ; and conscience has restrained you from sinning Avilfully. Your clear understanding, your correct feelings, your good education and habits, have made it impossible for you to enjoy a number of things which sinners around you enjoyed ; and if you thoiiyht you could enjoy them, you found them apples of Sodom, promising fair, but bitter on trial. Thus your indecision has made you incapable of finding real gratification in any thing. You have been too worldly to enjoy religion, and too religious to enjoy the world. So by wavering you have mai'red your own happiness. And not only so, but you have brought yourselves into trouble, into suspicion, and perliaps into disrepute. Sometimes you have been so much on the Lord's side, as to give umbrage to the world : and then shortly after you have been so much on the world's side, as to give umbrage to the Church. Both good people and bad have alternately stood in doubt of you ; and so you have shaken, if not lost, the confidence of each party in succession. Thus I have endeavoured to describe your undecided state, and to point out the evil of it. Now, therefore, let me conclude with urging you 28 S E R M O N 1 1 . to make your decision with all speed. You are convinced from jour own experience that yours has been an unhai)py state to you so far. Let me assure you it will be the same, as long as you continue in it. For the causes of your unhappiness will remain the same ; and therefore they will produce the same eflfect. Scripture, as well as reason, forewarns you of this. " He that wavereth," says St. James, "is like a wave of the sea, driven of the wind and tossed." There can be no peace, no tranquillity, in the bosom of one who is thus the sport of contradictory influences. I hope, then, it may have some weight in bringing you to a decision, if you are convinced that halting is unwise while it lasts. But next I add that it cannot last for ever. If you think you can always remain ambiguous characters, you deceive yourselves. The thing is impossible, for Christ says so. " No man can serve two masters : for either he will hate the one, and love the other ; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon." Cease, then, from attempting to serve both. Throw off ambiguity of character, before God strips you of disguise. Satan is willing enough that you should halt between two opinions. He " loves to have it so," because you are all but sure to become his prey. But God hates to have it so, because he has compassion on your immortal SERMON II. 29 soul. He wishes to rouse you out of your indif- ference, to undeceive you in thinkinj^ you are safe. He wishes to make you know yourself, and examine yourself, and declare yourself. He lets your inde- cision i^ut you to pain, that you may put yourself out of it by decision. Be wise, therefore, and put yourself out of it with all speed. Choose you this day whom you will serve, God or Satan. Consider well what each party has to advance in support of his claim upon you. " If the Lord be God, follow him : but if Baal, then follow him." And is Satan, is Baal, God ? Are you prepared to worship Satan ? He is " the god of this world," and he has various favours to confer upon you, if you will openly do him homage. Are you willing, then, to have from him first " the pleasures of sin for a season," and then " the wages of sin, which is death ?" Are you willing to gain more or less of the world by iniquitous practices, and then "lose your soul ?" In a word, are you willing, like Aliab, to "sell yourselves to do evil?" If you are, why do you not at once " give yourselves over to work all uncleanness with greediness ?" Why do you not launch out into the depths of wickedness, and take your fill of guilty pleasures ? If you have devoted yourselves to the service of Satan, why not serve him with all your might ? Because you are afraid to do so — because there is 30 SERMON II. a check upon your spirit when you think of doing so. And who makes you fear ? Who puts this check upon your spirit ? It is God. He restrains you — His Spirit strives witli you — he keeps hack your soul from the pit — he sends you pain to warn you of your danger. He would not have you perish, but rather that you should come to repent- ance. He has sent you his word this morning, to call you to repentance — to repentance for having trifled with him so long — to repentance for having dishonoured him so long, by putting other objects in competition with him. Now therefore " if the Lord be God, follow him." And is he not God ? You know there is a supreme Being, " in whom you live, and move, and have your being;" and " he is not far from every one of you." All creation speaks his existence, and all vScripture is given by his inspiration. The Bible, like the sun, proclaims itself the depository of light. Nature shows that there is a God — what sort of a God He is, may be gathered from his revelation of him- self in his word. There he discloses himself as our Creator, and lays claim to us as the work of his hands. There too he discloses himself as our Lawgiver, our King, our Observer, and our Judge. And what Scripture says, our conscience ratifies. The law written in our Bibles corresponds with the law written on our hearts. We cannot read the SERMON II. 31 Scriptures without finding a response to tliem in our own bosoms. They speak to us with author- ity — an authority we find it impossible to shake off. They set God before us, and make us hear his voice : and we feel that his laws are holy, and his commandments holy and just and good. And yet they are death unto us. They make us sensible of our sinfulness, and adjudge us to eternal punish- ment for our conscious criminality. Under one aspect, then, they set God before us in an awful and alarming point of view, as a consuming fire. But again they set him before us, in another point of view, as a merciful God, " forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin : but who will by no means clear the guilty." Hence, they also set him before us providing an atonement for our guilt, laying on Christ the iniquity of us all, and opening for us in his blood a way of pardon, holiness, and peace. In a word, they set him before us as " God our Saviour," redeeming us from punishment by his Son, and hallowing us from pollution by his Spirit. And our conscience bears witness with the Scriptures that such a merciful, redeeming, sanc- tifying God is the God we sinners need. Our heart loudly tells us that " this God is our God," the only God in whom we fallen worms can find com- fort. There is not a vacillator, a waverer here, 32 SERMON II. but feels that this God must be his only hope, as He is the only Beiug suited to his wants. Then, if this Lord be God, upon you, who may hitherto have been double-minded persons, it becomes incumbent to follow him. Your heart tells you that He demands and deserves your reverence, your love, and your service. Then be faithful to your convictions, and give the Lord the honour due unto his name. Made by his hands, obey him as your Creator. Bought by his blood, love him as your Saviour. Taught by his Spirit, yield yourselves to his holy influences. Be the Christians you were designed to be. Let Christ see in you of the travail of his soul, and be satisfied. " I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, accept- able unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God." This you will never prove, so as to know it by your own experience, while you continue conforming to the world. But become " transformed by the renewing of your mind," — be in earnest and decided in religion- give yourselves to the Lord, to follow Him, like Caleb, "fully," and you will soon prove that "his SERMON II. 33 ways are ways of pleasantness, and that all his patlis are peace." "The secret of the Lord is with tliem that fear him, and He will show them his covenant." When the heart is sincerely yielded to the divine will, and opened to the divine influ- ence, all heaven soon descends into that heart, and a kingdom is set up in it, which is righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. With indecision gloom vanishes ; and with decision cheer- fulness comes in : and - the path of the just is as the shining liglit, which shineth more and more unto the perfect day." When therefore I urge you to be decided for or against religion, do not maintain the dead silence and heavy indifference of Israel of old. "Either do good, or do evil." Either be on the Lord's side, or on Satan's. You cannot be on the side of both at the same time. " Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils : ye cannot be partakers of the table of the Lord, and of the table of devils." There is no concord between Christ and Belial. Christianity and sin will not amalgamate. Save yourselves therefore the pain and the loss of attempting to make them do so. " God hath divided the light from the darkness ;" and what He has put asunder you cannot join togetlier. So "have no fellowship with the unfruit- ful works of darkness," but " walk as children of D 34 S E R M O N 1 1 . light." And " withdraw yourselves from those that walk disorderly." " Come out from among them, and he ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing ; and I will receive you, and will he a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." Having these promises, no longer "halt between two opinions" — no longer vacillate between two lines of conduct. Dread wavering longer, lest you waver too long. Recollect, while you are undecided whom to serve now, death may decide for you whom you shall serve for ever. When you are transported into the next world, you will not halt between two opinions there. Therefore halt not here, lest you endanger your final salvation. " In the midst of life you may be in death." To-day, therefore, " yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God." Put not ofi" your decision till to-m.orrow. Should you live till to-morrow, you will be less disposed to goodness then, than you are now. Come, therefore, and join yourselves to the Lord "to-day, while it is called to-day, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfuluess of sin." Now the command of God your Saviour is distinct and urgent, " Follow me." Arise, and follow him, and you will never repent your decision. You may leave much, you may SERMON II. 35 leave all, to follow him ; but he will recompense it to you abundantly. "Verily, he says unto you, There is no man that shall leave house, or breth- ren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for his sake and the Gospel's, but he shall receive an hundred fold now in this time," in mental satisfaction and spiritual enjoy- ment ; " and in the world to come eternal life." D 2 SERMON III. Daniel iii. 16 — 18. " tShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burn- ing fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, he it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.^' These words, my brethren, are too remarkable to be passed without our particular notice ; and, if the Lord be pleased to command his blessing, the con- sideration of them this morning will tend very much to "the strengthening and refreshing of our souls." Nebuchadnezzar was a great and mighty king, who had conquered nearly all the then known world, because it pleased the God of heaven, "by whom kings reign," to prosper his arms. Among other S E R M O N 1 1 1 . 37 nations the Lord had given his chosen people the Jews into his hand, for the abundance of their sins ; and he had carried them away out of their own land, Judea, captives to his royal city Babylon and its neighbourhood. According to the barbarous and cruel custom of those ages, he had selected some of the most beautiful, able, and promising young Hebrews to be eunuchs in his palace ; and, distin- guished above the rest, were Daniel, and his three fellows, the three young men mentioned in the text, commonly called "the three children." ''As for these four children" (it says in the first chapter), " God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom : and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. Therefore they stood before the king : and in all matters of wisdom and under- standing, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm." In process of time God sent to Nebuchadnezzar that dream concerning the image, which you will find recorded in the 2d chapter ; and when all the king's wise men had been completely baffled by this dream, but Daniel had been enabled by God both to tell the king his dream and also its interpretation, " then the king made Daniel a great man ; and ruler over the whole province of Babylon." Afterwards, at his request, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego 38 SERMON III. were " promoted over the affairs of tlie province of Babjlou ; but Daniel himself sat in the gate of the king," that is, was the king's special judge and privy councillor. Thus these four Hebrew youths were raised to high honours and great emoluments, and the path before them seemed smooth and easy. But a sharp trial of their faithfulness to the one true God was nigh at hand. Nebuchadnezzar was an idolater. And having amassed prodigious wealth out of conquered kingdoms, he seems to have set his heart upon shewing his riches by making a gigantic golden image of his god Bel, and upon shelving his power by obliging all his nobility and officers and great men to assemble from all places of his dominion, and worship this image at his com- mand. And knowing that he had worshippers of various gods in his dominions, and fearing some of those worshippers might resent and resist bowing down to his God, and being excessively jealous of carrying his point, with the imperious fierceness of an Eastern Despot, he had a fiery furnace ready heated for the summary execution of all recusants. So his great men were assembled from all quarters to worship this golden image on the plains of Dura, in the province of Babylon ; and among others Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were compelled to be present. Why Daniel was not there, does not appear, and it were idle to conjecture. It is impos- S E R M O N 1 1 1 . 39 sible to suppose he worshipped the image, and there- fore impossible to suppose he was present, or he would have been watched and accused as much, or more, than his three fellows. However, they were present. Superiors are to be obeyed by inferiors in all things lawful. There was no law against Hebrews being in presence of an idol, because " an idol is nothing in the world." Therefore, at the king's command, they assembled, with other officers, around the golden image. So far they conformed, because so far conformity was lawful and proper : but they would conform no further. There is a point at which faithful people " must obey God rather than men." The Hebrew law was plain and explicit, " Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven image — thou shalt not bow down to them nor worship them ; for I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous God." Wherefore, at that trying moment, " when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music ; and when all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up" — at that trying moment Shadrach, Meshaclj, and Abednego, those faithful servants of the Most High God, stood erect, in glorious but dangerous elevation above myriads of prostrate idolaters. For this they were eagerly accused to the king 40 S E R M O N 1 1 1 . by certain envious and servile Chaldeans, who hoped to rise on their ruin. "Then Nebuchadnezzar in bis rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king. And Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up ?" Are you, whom I raised from nothing, so ungrateful — are you, whom I can reduce to nothing, so daring — as deliberately to resist my will, and set me at defiance before all my assembled people? I can scarcely believe this. Your not bowing down to my image, at my command, must surely have been accidental, through ignorance, or misunder- standing of my wish. You could not have meant to stand out against me — no — you could not — that were incredible rebellion and madness — it must have been through mistake. Therefore you shall have an opportunity of retrieving your character, and con- vincing me of your loyalty and obedience. The rest of the people will prostrate themselves a second time by-and-by. "Now therefore if ye be ready, that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worsliip the image which I have made — well : but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst SERMON III. 41 of a iHiniIng fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of ray hands ?" " Then Shadrach, Mesliach, and Ahednego answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter." Our answer is ready, is plain, is full, is final. " If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." Behold, my brethren, in these three Hebrew children the power and practical nature of true faith in God ! Behold, first, its power. How calm and quiet is their behaviour under the most trying circumstances ! There are they — three among myriads — in presence of the most mighty monarch upon earth, in whose countenance they see fury, and in whose furnace they see flames, ready to devour them — and yet they are all com- posure — " their heart standeth fast, believing in the Lord" — " they endure as seeing him who is invi- sible" — they realize the presence, the power, and the promise of Jehovah, " When thou walkest tlu'ougli the fire, thou shalt not be burned ; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee" — and in the 42 S E R M O N 1 1 1 . confidence of faith, and the hopefuhiess of conscious innocence, they tell the imperious, boasting monarch, " Our God is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thy hand, O king." " But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." Behold here, secondly, the practical nature of true faith in God ! It made these Hebrews " yield their bodies, that they might not serve nor worsliip any God except their own God" — it made them " resist unto blood, striving against sin" — they would not commit an act of disobedience to the Lord, whatever were the consequences — " though he should slay them, yet would they trust in him." His commandment was plain against idols, " Thou shalt not bow down to them nor worship them ;" and they would obey Him even unto death, if it should seem good to him, believing that if they were taken out of this present life, " the King immortal, invisible," " the blessed and only Potentate," would " raise them up, who had died for his laws, unto everlasting life." My brethren, we ought to imitate their faith and obedience. Have we not the very same God as they had ? Why sliould 7ve not trust him, and follow him fully, as they did ? Was he not " with them in trouble ?" Did he not " deliver them. S E R M O N 1 1 1 . 43 and bring them to honour ?" Did be not " with long life satisfy them, and show them bis salva- tion ?" " They fell down bound in the midst of the burning fiery furnace." Yet soon was " king Nebuchadnezzar astonied and rose up in baste, and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt ; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God." And when they came forth of tlie midst of the fire, " the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw those men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them." And " Nebuchadnezzar blessed God, the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego ;" and " promoted them in the province of Babylon." These things " were written for our learning ; that we, through patience and comfort of such ►Scriptures, miglit have hope." The burning fiery furnace on the plain of Dura was not the only furnace into which the children of God have to go on earth. There are furnaces, burning fiery furnaces, flaming now for Shadrachs, Meshachs, and Abednegos of our day, and there is a Nebu- chadnezzar to put them into them. In plain words, the mass of mankind are idolaters now, as truly, though not as grossly, as in the ancient province 44 S E R M O N 1 1 1 of Babylon. The Devil, "the god of this world," sets up some engaging idol before their face ; and they, at his command, and charmed by his music, fall down and worship it. " The covetous man is an idolater," for St. Paul says so plainly ; and money is the golden image by which the Devil entices him to idolatry ; for " he cannot serve God aiid mammon." The sensual man is an idolater ; for he makes " a god of his belly ;" and never had any of the heathen a more beastly idol. The man of the world is an idolater -, for he is a " lover of pleasures more than a lover of God." The vain man makes an idol of himself, " whose height is three score cubits." In short, the plain of the wide world is full of idolaters, who, some through fear, others for profit, some through indifference, and others through mistaken fondness and pitiable weakness and igno- rance, at the command and instigation of Satan, fall down and worship the idols which he has set up. They either know not or fear not God, and obfy not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, being " children that have no faith." But, blessed be God, there are children who have faith — there are Shadrachs, Meshachs, and Abednegos, among the overwhelming myriads of idolaters in our day — I hope there are some here SE R M O N III. 45 present, who botli trust God and obey him. To such I now speak. Brethren, it is at your peril if you will dare to he singular — it is at your peril if you will dare to stand up for God in the midst of those who either know him not, or profanely desert him, through temporising and worldly consi- derations. Your loyalty to God, your renunciation of the authority of Satan, and your condemnation of an idolatrous world by your example of upright faithfulness, cannot escape the malevolent notice of those who will be the friends of the world, and therefore the enemies of God : and hence you may expect to be threatened with a burning fiery furnace. Satan will not quietly bear to see you resist his idolatrous enactments ; and your worldly-minded friends and neighbours will not quietly endure seeing themselves reproved by your obedient piety. You must compromise your principles, you must conceal your religion, you must dissemble your behaviour in their presence ; or you must affront them by your singularity, and run the risk of con- sequent suffering in your worldly ease or prospects. If you have a single eye to the glory of God as your end, to the word of God as your rule, and to the example of Christ as your pattern, you cannot always " please men," not even those whom you would wish to please, so far as a good conscience will permit. Cases will occur in which " you must 46 SERMON III. obey God rather than them." You will come into such circumstances that trimming will he impracti- cable, even if you could think of trimming. You will be obliged to act with decision — you will be obliged to shew what you are, and to run worldly risks, if you are sincere Christians. You will be constrained perhaps to act differently from your natural superiors, perhaps to disoblige former bene- factors, and, by not giving way to their unlawful commands, to fly in the face of influential persons, on whose favour or frown your earthly prosperity or adversity seems suspended. Firmness in main- taining your Christian principles, and openly putting them in practice, will threaten you with severe losses, and the greatest personal inconvenience. And to be thus situated will sharply try your faith and your obedience. Peradventure you may then feel the comfort of such a Scripture narrative as the chapter from which my text is taken. It will confirm your faith to mark how faithful were those three children, in circumstances as trying to the full as yours : and it will encourage you to " give your body to be burned," rather than deny your Lord and Master, and " make shipwreck of faith and of a good conscience." It will console you to reflect that He was with his martyrs in the midst of the burning fiery furnace, and " quenched the violence of the fire," and made " their latter end S E R M O N 1 1 1 . 47 better than their beginning," " because they believed in their God." Hence you will derive a cheerful confidence that certainly he will be with you, if you are called to suffer shame or pain or loss for his name ; and that " with every trial he will make you a way to escape, that you should be able to bear it." Certainly he can enable you to bear it, and he can deliver you out of the threatening danger, if he see good. You may trust him to do so, if it would be for your real good ; and you may humbly pray to him and expect him to do so. But if he do not, if the worst come upon you, if there seem no alternative but you must suffer extremities for righteousness' sake, still let it appear in your language and in your conduct, as it did in the language and conduct of the three children, that you will make no sinful compliances to evade perse- cution, to retain the favour of the worldly-minded, no, nor to escape the greatest losses, the worst sufferings, or even death itself. Happy, in fact, and honoured above others will you be, if " to you it is given, in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake." You may " reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in you." None will ever regret in tlie next world the sacrifices which they made in this for Christ's sake, but will perceive that " their 48 SERMON III. light affliction, which was but for a moment, wrought out for them a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." In fact, the difficulty is not so much to believe that all will be abundantly made up to us which we do undergo for Christ's sake, but the difficulty is, to have faith enough in him to undergo it. Nothing less than a firm, abiding, habitual per- suasion of the reality of " things not seen as yet," will carry us through the temptations and trials of this present evil world. The pains of sense, and the sufferings of experience, will not long be pati- ently endured by any but those who have " the root of the matter in them," by any but those who have an awful fear of God before their eyes, who choose his favour more than life, and who have such a conviction of his presence with them and his goodwill and approbation towards them in his beloved Son, that their faith, like Stephen's, can, as it were, pierce the clouds, and see heaven opened, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God to succour all those that suffer for him their only Mediator and Redeemer. The faith of the three children was of this vivid kind, or it would never have supported them to act with such cheerful obedience in such trying circumstances. Where- fore, Christian brethren, let their beautiful consist- ency of deportment be an encouragement to us SERMON III. 49 also to have faith in their Saviour and our Saviour, and in their God and our God; and to obey him at all risks, " through evil report, or good report," not hesitating to " confess him before men, that he also may confess us before the angels of God." But if any of us are " children who have no faith," or not faith enough to make us obey our Lord in trying cases, we are rebuked by the intel- ligent constancy of these Hebrew youths. They were ready to give up their rich and honourable places under government — -they were ready to renounce the favour of the king who had raised them from captivity to nobility — they were ready to go into the furnace, and to apparent certain death — rather than disobey the plain commandment of the Lord their God. And they would not shuffle, or trim, or compromise, or make compliances. Inwardly, in their conscience, they could not bow to the idol j and therefore no threat could induce them so to behave outwardly, as to seem to bow to it. God was to be honoured by them that day, or Bel ; therefore without equivocation or disguise they told tlie truth, they avowed their principles, they followed the Lord fully, and were not careful about the consequences. If Jehovah was confessed with their lips, believed on in their heart, and gloiified in their bodies, whether he was glorified by their life or their death, they were not solicitous. " The E 50 SERMON III. eternal God was their refuge, and underneath were the everlasting arms." Into these his providence called them to fall — into these they fell with the confidence of ohedient children — and they found support. My brethren, there is no salvation for any who do not possess the same spirit of faith and obedi- ence. No man can be a faithful Christian without making sacrifices for Christ's and for conscience sake, at some time or other. Things may go smooth with the professing Church for awhile, but sooner or later the Gospel will be a discerning touchstone of the sincerity and constancy of all who embrace it. Jesus Christ's " fan is in liis hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather the wheat into his garner ; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." In due time his providence will be so arranged as to put us all to the most accurate test, and discern what manner of spirit we are of. Then many a professing Christian will turn out far other than his acquaintance think. " The first will be last, and the last first." Many, who are flourishing professors, while the path of obedience to Christ is easy, "when affliction or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by will be offended." The Church will be thinned of its members. A Mark will '' not go forth with them to the work" —a Demas will forsake them. SERMON III. 51 liaving loved tliis present world — and Shadrachs, Mesliachs, and Abednegos will be left in honour- able loneliness. Therefore, brethren, look well to your principles, to your foundations, to your resources. " My son, if thou come to serve the Lord, prepare thy heart for temptations." Unless we are prepared to " deny ourselves and take up our cross daily and follow Christ," whithersoever he calls us, and through whatsoever painful sacrifices, " we cannot be his disciples." But if " we count not our lives dear unto ourselves, that we may finish our course with joy," He is one who " will never leave us, nor forsake us 3" but "guide us by his counsel," support us with his Spirit, " and after that receive us to glory." And " now unto him that is able to keep us from falling, and to present us faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. E 2 SERMON IV. Psalm xviii. 35. " Thy gentleness hath made me great.*' These words are part of "the song, which," as appears from the title, " David, the servant of the Lord, spake unto the Lord, in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his ene- mies, and from the hand of Saul." He afterwards delivered it " to the chief musician" for the service of the Church, that by it the mercies of God might " be had in everlasting remembrance." It now constitutes the 18th Psalm, which we have read this evening. It is, in its character, the joyous song of a man " wholly at ease and quiet," sitting upon the high rock of salvation, and looking back, with admiring eye, on " all the way" by which his wonder-working God had raised him to his present elevation. The retrospect was touching in SERMON IV. 53 the extreme. " His eye affected his heart ;" and " out of the abundance of his heart his mouth spake," what yet language evidently failed him to speak fully, his sense of thankfulness. All he can say, (though, indeed, what could he say more ?) is, "I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deli- verer ; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust ; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower." In other words, the Lord is my all. I am nothing — He is every thing. And because more I cannot do, this I must do, this I will do, " I will love thee, O Lord, my strength" — I will love thee for many things, and oh ! not least for this, " Thy gentleness hath made me great." The acknowledgment is peculiar and affecting. We find in Scripture much celebration of the power of God, and the wisdom of God ; yea, and of the mercy of God, and the love of God ; but the celebration of the gentleness of God is peculiar to the passage before us. The moment, however, we hear this attribute of the Almighty brought prominently forward by the Psalmist, and particu- larly acknowledged, we are struck with the justness and propriety and force of the acknowledgment. Nay more, its affectionateness makes it a singularly affecting acknowledgment. When we hear, " Thy 54 SERMON IV. gentleness hath made me great," we are immedi- ately presented with the image of Royal David thanking the Lord of all that to him he had mercifully merged (as it were) the awful character of God in the endearing one of Father — thanking him that he had condescendingly stooped from "the habitation of his holiness and of his glory" to take the conduct of him, a lowly and sinful child of the earth — thanking him that He had "loved him with an everlasting love" — that he had been considerate for his weakness — had helped his infirmities — had checked his errors — had borne with his frowardness — had dispersed his enemies — had guided him safely in the way he should go — and had reared him with unwearied patience and indulgent tenderness into vigorous, disciplined, and accomplished manhood. We are presented, I say, in the text, with this image of grateful David. David could not forget, and could not remember without emotion, how much he was indebted to the gentleness of his God. As he reviewed, (and he did continually review,) the divine dealings with himself during his past life, he could not but recal the sins of his youth, yea, and of his riper years too. Conscience reminded him of the frequent " pride and naughtiness of his heart," and how he had been rebellious and perverse and vexatious and trying. And yet, though he had so much and so SERMON IV. 55 often "grieved the Holy Spirit of God," and pro- voked Him to depart from him, He had not departed from him. The Psalmist was sensible that God had " overcome his evil with good ;" and, instead of rejecting him, when, for his refractory conduct, he deserved such a judgment, had borne with his provocations, loved him tlu'ough his sins, been merciful to his transgressions, and " restored him in the spirit of meekness." And now, in his better moments, he was touched with " the kindness and love of God his Saviour;" he was, in all his heart and in all his soul, aware that, but for them, he must have perished ; and hence he could not but "speak good of His Name," whose ''gentleness had made him great." He felt that, had God been either hasty or rough with him, he should have been overdone and undone by the divine severity, and should have withered before " the blast of the breath of His displeasure." He felt that his spirit would have been broken, his affection alienated, his behaviour servile at best. But now, when he looked back upon all he had met with at the hands of God, he saw in it such good- ness, rather than severity ; such forbearance, rather than shai*puess ; and such manifest love shining tln'ough even his most grievous chastenings ; that he felt God had won his esteem, gained his con- fidence, and secured his heart. He felt he could 56 SERMON IV. love him as his Father, while he reverenced him as his "holy Lord God." He felt, in a word, that, by his gentleness, God had made him, what he never could have made him by harsh measures — he had made him " great" — had reared his spirit — had made him an established character, " rooted and grounded in the love" of his Benefactor, and disposed to serve him with hearty gratitude and filial alacrity for ever and ever. And what a holy triumph was this for God ! How hard a citadel is the human heart to win ! a citadel which cannot be taken by storm, no, not by the power of the Almighty God : it must be yielded, before God can inhabit there : and, to this end, it must be won. " He that winneth souls is wise ;" and none has this wisdom like " the only wise God our Saviour." He won the heart of the Royal Psalmist by his gentleness : and thus, my brethren, he is aiming and endeavouring to win your's and mine. He wishes that his gentleness should make us great. But to be sensible of his gentleness, and duly, or even in some good measure, affected by it, we too, like David, must review our past life, and meditate on what we have deserved, and what we have experienced, at the hands of God. And what have we deserved ? More than Jacob ? What had he deserved P or, at least. SERMON IV. 67 what did he feel he had deserved ? Let us hear what he says, iu Genesis xxxii. 9, when he was returning with large prosperity to his father's house. " Jacoh said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord Avhich saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee : I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant ; for with my staff I passed over this Jor- dan ; and now I am become two bands." We hear, then, what Jacob felt he deserved from God — not the least of all his mercies. And have we deserved more ? Are we, have we been, better than Jacob ? Let conscience testify — let memory recal some of those " manifold transgressions and those mighty sins" which weakly, wantonly, and wilfully we have committed against the Lord. But " who can understand his errors P" Our proper feelings and our proper posture are suggested to us by holy Jeremiah, in the end of his third chap- ter — " We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us : for we have sinned against the Lord our God, w^e and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God." Thus we ou^ht to feel, and thus we ought to lie low before God, and " blush to lift up our face to him," whom we have grieved 58 SERMON IV. and offended and tried, we best know how, and to what a dreadful extent. We have deserved from him nothing hut " indignation and wrath," nothing hut " tribulation and anguish ;" for " every soul of us has done evil ;" and conscience knows the par- ticular aggravations of our own case. And, while these have been our deserts, what have we 7net with at the hands of God? Have we met with destruction ? No — here we are *' not destroyed." That is a mercy. But have we met with chastisement ? Be it so : yet that too has been a mercy : " He that spareth the rod hateth his son ; but whoso loveth him chasteneth him betimes." "I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right; and that thou in very faithfulness hast caused me to be in trouble." Well, then, what else have we met with? JS^mtZwess, nothing but kindness. "Mercy has embraced us on every side." We have had health and strength ; we have had food and raiment ; we have had abundance of comforts, personal, social, and public -, we have had much success, and many enjoyments, of a temporal kind. And what shall we say of our acquaintance with God's " inestimable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ?" What shall we say of our "means of grace," and of our " hopes of glory ?" What shall we say of the rebukes we have had from conscience — the admonitions from friends — the exhor- SERMON IV. 69 tations from ministers — the instructions from Scrip- ture — the warnings from providence — the strivings from the Holj Spirit — the helps from this quarter, and tlie otlier quarter, too numerous to he detailed, but too precious to be forgotten ? *' Whoso is wise, and will ponder these things, even they shall under- stand the lovingkindness of the Lord." I conceive it impossible for any of us to ponder what our God has met with from us, and what we have met with from him, without our acknowledging with some emotion, that, whatever be the degree of our present elevation, " his gentleness hath made us gi'eat." " Had He dealt with us after our sins, or rewarded us according to our iniquities," we should have been in a very different situation from that we now occupy. Therefore " bless the Lord, O our souls 3 and all that is within us, bless his holy Name : bless the Lord, O our souls ; and forget not all his bene- fits." These " tender mercies have been over us all,'' " high and low, rich and poor, one with ano- ther ;" and they have been over us all with a view to convince us that " God is love," and worthy of being loved by us with entire affection. But as God has a general love toward us all, so he has a special love to those of us who are his children, by faith in Jesus Christ. That Jesus Christ tells us that " the Highest is kind even to the unthankful and the evil." How "great, then, 60 SERMON IV. is his mercy toward them that fear him/' and are reconciled to him through the death of his Son ! "Let them give thanks, whom the Lord hath redeemed^ Nothing can exceed the gentleness which ihey may hope to meet with. Hear how it showed itself toward the redeemed of old. What says the Lord in the opening of Hosea ii. ? " When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my Son out of Egypt. I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them hy their arms ; hut they knew not that I healed them. I drew them with cords of a man, with hands of love." And in Deut. i. 31, Moses reminds them how " in the wilderness they had seen that the Lord their God had borne them, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way they had gone, until they came to that place." " About the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness," says St. Paul ; "he led them about, he instructed them, he kept them as the apple of his eye ;" and eventually " his gentleness made them great" in Canaan. " Now these things happened unto them for ensamples, and they are written for our consolation^ upon whom the ends of the world are come." If such was the gentleness of God toward " Israel after the flesh," what should we believe of his gentleness toward his spiritual Israel ! toward the purchase of his Son's blood, toward the subjects of his holy SERMON IV. 61 influence, toward his sons and daughters who are to live with him for ever ! Great is the tenderness we might believe they would meet with from " the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and God of all grace :" but we are not left to infer this by faith; we know it by facts. We know it by the actual deportment of Him, who was " God manifest in the flesh." We have no surer way of learning the character of God, than by observing the character of Christ : because " the Father that dwelt in him, he did the works." What, then, was, perhaps, the most conspicuous attribute in the character of Christ? Was it not the very one celebrated in our text ? So conspicuous was this attribute of his to be, that it was the subject of distinct prophecy, in Isaiah xl. 10, 11. " Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his ai'm shall rule for him : behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd : he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young." And so he did, when, in the fulness of time, he entered on his ministry in the flesh. He was full of grace, full of kindness, patience, and considerateness — so full, that, when 8t. Paul would use his strongest argument to touch and melt petulant Corinthians, thus he pleads, "Now I Paul myself beseech you 62 SERMON IV. by the meekness and gentleness of Christy Signal indeed must his meekness and gentleness have been, thus to form the ground-work of such an Apostolic entreaty. In fact, how gentle he was, we may, in a good degree, gather for ourselves, from observing his deportment toward his disciples, as it displays itself in the Gospels. He taught them " line upon line, and precept upon precept," " as they were able to bear them." " He said not many things unto them at the first, because they were not able to bear them then." But at length "he endued them with power from on high." "They had an unction from the Holy One, and knew all things." Such was his gentleness in teaching, which ultimately " made them great." And his gentleness of deport- ment was not less edifying. He was the Lamb of God. He made himself beloved of his disciples. Their Master he might have been ; but he preferred being their Friend. He bore with their infirmities, was patient with their follies, checked their sins, but loved their persons, trained them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and reared them into great Apostles, attached Apostles, " ready, not to be bound only, but to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." Now whatever was the gentleness of Christ toward his followers then, it is in equal exercise toward his followers noiv ; for " Jesus Clirist is the SERMON IV. 63 same yesterday, to-day, and for ever." Also, being "the brightness of his Father's glory, and the express image of his person," and the comprehen- sible display of his character, from seeing the gen- tleness of Christ, we gather the gentleness of God in Christ : and it is so great, as to be a ground of most comfortable meditation to all believers. It helps us not a little to believe that " all the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, unto such as keep his covenant, and his testimonies." Those of you who keep his covenant and his testimonies may not be able to discern at the time that "all his paths are mercy and truth" to you. But " endure unto the end," and " what you know not now, you shall know hereafter." It was a bitter thing to Jacob to be driven out from his father's house ; and to David, to be driven out from the heritage of the Lord. Many were their sighs and tears under their troubles, and much and frequent was their dejection and despondency. But their God helped them out of their sins, over their trials, and against their enemies ; and he ever liveth to help you, " whose trust is in his tender mercy through Christ for ever and ever." Indeed I think you must be conscious even now, what great things tlie gentle- ness of God has done for you. Surely you can look back on cases and instances in your own particular life, where God was singularly mild and patient toward 64 SERMON IV. you. Many, you must be aware, were the times and ways in which you were trying to the divine forbearance. Since then, through his riches of goodness, and forbearance, and long-suffering, you have come to repentance — you have come to your- selves — and you have come to admire and love Him who loved you through your sins, and waited for your returning to a better mind. You can see now, how ill it had gone with you, if your God had been as hasty with you, as you tempted him to be. You can see now, that you are a debtor for ever to his paternal gentleness. You are sensible now, that he has made you, though you went nigh to the unmaking of yourselves ; and that he has set you up, when, but for his prompt and supporting hand, you would have sunk into perdition. It is not always, perhaps, that you may feel in this softened and grateful manner towards your invisible Friend : yet sometimes, methinks, when faith prevails, and experience of the divine goodness is fresh in your mind, you will be constrained to take up the Psalmist's acknowledgment, and say, " Thou art my hope, O Lord God ; thou art my trust from my youth. By thee have I been holden up from the womb : thou art He that took me out of my mother's bowels : my praise shall be con- tinually of Thee. I am as a wonder unto many ; but thou art my strong refuge. Let my mouth SERMON IV. 65 be filled with thy praise, and with thy honour, all the day. Cast me not off in the time of old age : forsake me not when my strength faileth." And, Christian brethren, he will not forsake you. " He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." " Having loved his own that are in the world, he loves them unto the end." " Hearken unto me," he says in Isaiah xlvi. 3 — " hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, whicli are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the w^omb : and even to your old age I am He j and even to hoar hairs will I carry you : I have made, and I will bear ; even I will carry, and will deliver you." So thoroughly are " the gifts and calling of God with- out repentance," that the very language he has chosen for the conveyance of his promises is as large and unrestricted as themselves. With regard to our text, for example, the very words translated in the Bible version, '' Thy gentleness hath made me great," are equally translatable, " Thy gentleness shall make me great," and are actually translated to this effect in the Prayer- Book Version. Either translation is true, but neither translation is the whole truth. The whole truth conveyed by the pregnant Hebrew is, that, if God's gentleness has not made his children gi'eat already, great it will make them in his good time. "The Lord will 66 S E R M O N I V. give grace and glory, and no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly." So, Christian brethren, wherever you are in your pilgrim- age, you are within the arms of this comprehensive promise. If God's gentleness has made you great now, you may love him for the past ; if otherwise, you may trust him for the future. He who, "of his own will," "has begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ :" and having loved you enough to suflfer your manners so long, he loves you enough to suffer your manners all the while you are in this body of death, and till you attain that world where, made perfect, you will try the gentleness of God no longer. You see then. Christians, with what a gracious God you have to deal. You see how he commendeth himself to you, in his word, and in your own expe- rience, as a gentle God. Hence, I have a word of exhortation for you in conclusion. " Be ye followers of God, as dear children, and walk in love." " Be ye perfect, as your Father which is in heaven is perfect," in this character of gentleness. Having felt the gentleness of God towards yourselves, exemplify some portion of it towards your fellow-creatures. I observe that such was the effect of the divine gentleness on the saints of old. See how Jacob had drunk into the spirit of his God. Profane Esau was all impatience SERMON IV. 07 and inconsiderateness, as we read in Genesis xxxiii. 12. " He said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee. But Jacob said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me : and if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die. Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant : and I will lead on softly, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children be able to endure, until I come unto my lord unto Seir." This good man had been melted by the gentleness of God to himself, till he had become gentle even to his beasts. See again how that David, who wrote our text, had put on the bowels of mercies which had so touched him in God. You know how provoking Absalom had been to him, having usurped his throne, defiled his bed, and sought his life. Yet, when " all the people went out by hundreds and by thousands" to avenge him of his adversaries, " the king stood by the gate side : and the king commanded Joab, and Abishai, and Ittai, saying. Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom : and all the people heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning Absalom." The yearning father's gen- tleness was conspicuous in him, who had met with a father's gentleness at the hands of God. We observe the like effect wrought in the naturally F 2 68 S E R M O N I V. hasty and overbearing Paul. At the very moment he reminds the Corinthians of " the meekness and gentleness of Christ," he gives an exemplification how himself was moulded into the same character — "Now I Paul beseech you." It brings to our recol- lection his similar language to Pliilemon — " I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee that which is convenient, yet for love's sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ : I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds." Nor was such the tenderness of Paul the aged only : he had the same spirit in " the dew of his youth." In the earliest Epistle we have of his, viz. the first to the Thessalonians, we find, from his own language, what had for some time been his own character — "We might," says he, "have been burdensome," (or, as it is better in the margin, we might have used authority,) as the apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children." You see, as the gentleness of God had cherished him into greatness, he would fain cherish his children into gi'eatness by the same deportment. Yea, and he would have them followers of him, even as he also was of Christ. Hear in particular how he exhorts " his own sons after the common faith." To Timothy he says, " But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, S E B M O N I V. 69 knowing that they do gender strifes. And the ser- vant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves, if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth." Thus he puts Timothy in mind of what should be his own conduct : and next he tells Titus how he should put others in mind to the same effect — " put them in mind," he says, " to speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, showing all meekness unto all men. For they themselves also," he reminds him, " were some- times foolish, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another : but the kindness and love of God their Saviour had appeared to them" in a manner so melting, that for them to be harsh with a fellow-creature was altogether unbecoming. My brethren, these examples and exhortations of holy men of old should not be lost upon us. They clearly show what a softening effect the expe- rienced gentleness of God should have upon us. Let us all therefore look to our spirit and conduct. If we are rough and harsh, precipitate and passionate, soon angry with trying persons, and soon tired of doing them good, surely we have not tasted the sweetness of God's mercy to ourselves. The felt love of God to us would make us feel loving to others. The children of God have the heart of 70 S E R M O N I V. God. Whatever may have been their natural dispo- sition, the subjects of grace become gracious. " The fruit of the Spirit is long-suffering, gentleness, good- ness." " The wisdom that is from above is peace- able, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits." Hence, really to have the gentleness of God, we must be born from above of the Spirit of God. The gentleness of good nature, as it is termed, is too limited and precarious to be relied on. The Scripture tells us, we need a new nature, a new heart and a new spirit, that we may live a new life. Let us thoughtfully consider, therefore, whether we have experienced " the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, shed on us abun- dantly through Jesus Clu'ist our Saviour." If this is questionable, how instant should we be in prayer, that " he would create in us a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within us," even " the meekness and gentleness of Christ :" for " if any man have not this Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." But if, on the other hand, we have a "good hope through grace" that we are " the elect of God, holy and beloved," let us "put on" more and more, (as becomes those who have received such an ines- timable benefit,) " bowels of mercies, kindness, hum- bleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering ; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any have SERMON IV. 71 a quaiTel against any : even as Christ forgave us, so also should we." Nor should we remain satisfied with this negative goodness, but strive to be actively beneficial in improving and strengthening one ano- ther's characters. Let us " bear one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ." " A bruised reed let us not break, and smoking flax let us not quench." Let us " warn them that are unruly, comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak, be patient toward all men : not rendering evil for evil, but ever following that which is good, both among ourselves, and toward all men." So shall we best show our gratitude for that divine gentleness which has made us what we are, and on which we are wholly dependent to make us what we ever shall be of good or great. SERMON V. PREACHED FOR THE BATH HOSPITAL. Matthew xiv. 14. And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitudey and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick." *' Let the same mind be in you," says the Apostle, *' which was also in Christ Jesus." This morning, therefore, by the Divine blessing, I purpose consi- dering, first. How the Saviour's mind discovered itself on the occasion mentioned in the text: and then, secondly, Let me exhort you, my brethren, to the cultivation of the same mind. Let us consider, first. How the Saviour's mind discovered itself on the occasion mentioned in the text. In Matthew ix. 35, we read, " Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their syna- S E R M O N V. 73 gogues, and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, hecause they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples. The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few : pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest." The Apostles seem to have prayed as he directed, and the answer to that prayer was, their own commission to go forth as labourers into the same harvest-field wherein their Lord and Master was toiling to exhaustion. For the next words are, " And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease." Accord- ingly, in Luke ix. 6, we read, " they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the Gospel, and healing every where." Did, then, the Saviour set the twelve at work to spare himself ? Was he tii'ed of prosecuting liis benevolent purposes, and did he send his Apos- tles to labour while himself rested ? Far from it. His object in sending the twelve was not to spare himself, but to multiply his bene- volence — to extend it fai' and wide, and do twelve 74 S E R M O N V. times as much additional good by their instrumen- tality as Himself could do alone. Accordingly we read, that while the Apostles were taking their rounds of commissioned mercy, the great Commis- sioner himself was taking His. For, in Matthew xi. 1, we read, " It came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities." No wonder, therefore, we find, in chapter xiii. 2, that " great multitudes were gathered toge- ther unto him." " At that time (proceeds the Evangelist in chapter xiv. 1,) Herod the Tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, and said unto his servants. This is John the Baptist, he is risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him." For, not long before, it appears Herod had cruelly beheaded John, to please the daughter of Herodias for having danced before him. And much about the same time that Jesus received the intelligence of his honoured Messenger's decease, his twelve Apostles rejoined him, having executed their several commissions. For look in Mark vi. 29, 30, and you find the two circumstances connected. " The disciples of John heard of their Master's death, and they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb," — "and went and told Jesus" (adds St. Matthew). And the Apostles gathered themselves together unto S E R M O N V. 76 Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. And now, natural grief on the Saviour's part for the melancholy end of his faithful John — some prudent consideration for his own personal safety and that of his Apostles — the fatigue and weariness of the whole party after their separate travels—^ together with the overwhelming pressure of present engagements — all united to make a temporary retirement highly desirable and pleasant. Accord- ingly, in verse 31, we read, "Jesus said unto them. Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest awhile : for (explains the Evangelist) there were many coming arid going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. And they departed into a desert place by ship privately. And the people saw them departing ; and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him." And so, as St. Matthew observes in the text, " when Jesus went forth" out of the ship, instead of seeing a desert shore, a calm secluded spot, where he might breathe for a moment, and recreate himself and his wearied followers with that repose which nature painfully demanded — instead, I say, of seeing this longed-for scene of silence and retirement, " when Jesus went forth he saw a great multitude!" There was an end at once to his desired pri- 76 S E R M O N V. vacy. The very multitude, the oppressive multitude, he had left hehiud him ou the shore, aud from whom he had conceived himself for awhile so agreeably escaped, lo ! that same multitude had outgone him ; had been fleeter by land, though round about, than he by sea in a du'ect course ; and there they were on the shore, ready to throng aud fatigue him as usual, the moment he should disembark. With what feelings, then, did the Saviour eye the collected crowds ? Was he dis- pleased at their want of consideration for himself and his exhausted apostles ? Was he pettish at their intrusion on his hoped-for spot of quietness and rest ? and, angry at their never-ceasing demands, their never-ending importunities, did he refuse to land, and order the ship off again to some more peaceful shore ? Oh ! no. Such feelings might very possibly (I fear) have been found in such circumstances in our selfish, hard-hearted bosoms. But very differ- ent were the emotions kindled in the Saviour's breast " when he went forth, and saw the great mul- titude" — " he was moved ivith compassion toward them !" He knew how gi'ievously they needed his assistance, and he considered what pains they had taken to procure it, or they would not on foot have outstripped him in the ship. He knew also how devoid of help they were from any but himself. SERMON V. 77 Therefore the bowels of the God of love yearned over them. He sacrificed his own ease and quiet- ness : he gave up his own comfort : yea, he forgot his weariness. " His meat and drink was to do the will of Him that sent him and to finish his work :" an opportunity was now given him : there stood the great multitude before him, full of sin, of ignorance, and woe : " he was moved with com- passion toward them, and he healed their sick," says St. Matthew in the text — " he began to teach them many things," says St. Mark in the corres- ponding passage. Both were true. The Saviour ever united attention to the body with attention to the soulj and to each he gave suitable medicine to heal their sickness. Accordingly St. Luke in the corresponding passage in his Gospel says, " The people followed him, and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed those that had need of healing." We see, then, how the Saviour's mind discovered itself on the occasion mentioned in the text — dis- covered itself in his feelings, and iu his conduct — discovered itself to be a compassionate, benevolent, self-denying mind. Now, therefore, in the second place, while I would animate myself, let me also exhort you, my brethren, to the cultivation of the same mind. We are called Christians. Are we deserving 78 S E R M O N V. of " that worthy name whereby we are called ?" " As many as are baptized into Jesus Christ should put on Christ." " Remember always," says our baptismal service, " that baptism doth represent unto us our profession, which is, to follow the example of our Saviour Christ, and to be made Wee unto him." And so says St. Paul, " If any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his." Let us cultivate, then, in the first place, the Saviour's compassionate spirit. " When he went forth, and saw a great multitude, he was moved with compassion toward them." And what was it in them which so touched his tender heart ? It was their sin, their ignorance, their sufferings, their multitude : yea, it was their multitudinous sin, igno- rance, and sufferings. It was the mass and urgency of the misery before his eyes. Look which way he would, the beach was crowded with sicklv souls and sickly bodies all wanting, all perishing for want of, the good Physician. And, my fellow Christians, look which way we will, do we not see similar sights ? Doubtless we do, if we look at all with our Saviour's eyes — if we care to look at the wants and woes of our fallen fellow-creatures. Wherever and whenever we see a multitude, there and then we see a multitude who call for our compassion : for where there are many persons, there are many sick, and many sinners. S E R M O N V. 79 The sinful meet us every where : theirs are " the streets and lanes of the city." The sick are less obtrusive on the casual observer. But only let him quit for a moment the street and the lane, and enter the dwelling-house and the cottage, and human misery and human want soon burst upon him in appalling abundance. These things are so : but who observes them ? who is affected by them ? Jesus observes and is aflfected by them. He 7vas moved with compassion towards such when he was on earth : he is moved with compassion towards such now he is in heaven ; for he is " the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever." Where, then, are our Christian eyes, if we observe them not ? and where are our Christian bowels, if we pity them not ? Such observers and such feelings may be painful, indeed, and are so : but persons are not to be envied who are without them. If we might safely, or could properly, be without them, they would not have been so plen- tifully found in the Lord Jesus Christ our perfect pattern ; nor would his chief Apostle have exhorted us to " put on, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies" — " to be kind one to another, tender-hearted." And how, my brethren, are our ''^ bowels of mercies" to be moved, how are our compassionate feelings to be excited and cherished, but by our 80 S E R M O N V. benevolently coming into close contact with cases of wretchedness and sin ? Wretchedness is to be contemplated with the eyes of our body : sin, with the eyes of our soul, opened and enlightened by the word of God. Therefore, would we possess and cultivate the compassionate spirit which was in Christ, we must " see the great multitude," as he did. Christian compassion comes, not by ima- gining distress, no, nor by believing its existence, much less by shrinking and hiding ourselves from it ; but it comes by seeing it. Would we then, be like our Saviour, let us make a conscience of bene- volently looking into the sin and suffering of our fellow-creatures. Let us look at our Bibles, and then at the condition of our neighbours ; and that is the Vi^ay to affect our hearts with a proper sense of their sinfulness. We are not to measure sin by our own notions and imaginations, but by the written word of God. When we read that, and read therein, how all have sinned, and are by nature the children of wrath — when we read too that to sinners " is born a Saviour, Christ the Lord" — and that " God is in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing tlieir trespasses unto them" — when we read that a clean heart is offered, and the gift of the Holy Ghost to renew sinners unto repentance and holiness — when we read this SERMON V. 81 liberal provision of tlie Father of mercies and God of all grace, for the pardon and restoration to happi. ness of his fallen children of men, and reflect how comparatively few, how very few are partakers of God's bounty, or are even aware of it ; the reflection should excite our pity, if we have any Chiistian feeling at all ; it should make us grieve for the perishing condition of immortal souls, and "have compassion on the ignorant and on them that are out of the way ;" it should make us not only willing, but eager, and active to go forth mtli the Scriptures in our hand and Christ in our heart, to tell them, " This is a faitliful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." This is practical benevo- lence of the highest kind ; and is the duty not of compassionate ministers alone, but of compassionate private Christians. Every individual who " has tasted that the Lord is gracious" should cultivate the Missionary spirit, and be anxious and active that others should taste him too. And as we should pity the sinful and ignorant multitude around us, and, like our Lord, " begin to teach them many things" with our own mouth, and by lending them good books, so also should we commiserate their infirmities, their wants, their sufferings. We should see with our own eyes of how many comforts they are deprived, and with how G 82 SERMON V. many afflictive burdens they are oppressed. And surely that sight will touch us ; and, overcoming a little of that selfishness and hardness of heart which too generally prevails, surely it will make us put our compassionate feelings into benevolent deeds, and " open wide our hand to our poor brethren," and help forward any measures for healing their sick. But (you say) such acquaintance with the wants, temporal and spiritual, of our fellow-creatures, and such exertions for their relief, are not to be made without great labour and expense on our part. I know it, brethren ; and therefore I remind myself and you, that our blessed Saviour's was not only a compassionate and benevolent, but also a self-denying spirit. And, depend upon it, none of us shall ever do that good in our generation which we are capable of doing, and which our Lord expects us to do, unless 7ve also " deny ourselves," as he bids us, "and take up our cross daily, and follow him." He summons us plainly to the duty of self-denial : but then, he enjoins nothing, however difficult, of which he did not first set us the bright example. Think once more how he acted on the occasion mentioned in the text. Behold him, who had been laboriously travelling on foot, from city to city, from village to village, oppressed at last with grief for his murdered messenger, and exhausted S E R M O N V. 83 with fatiffue ! For a little moment he seeks the calm of privacy, the restoration of languid nature. He seeks the ship, and is wafted propitiously toward the desired desert place. And, behold, there is the multitude, the very multitude he had been necessi- tated to leave. To meet them again, again to toil among them (as he knew he must, if he lauded) from morning to night, preaching the word, and healing the sick, required in such circumstances no ordinary effort of self-denial. Human nature will bear few things worse than interruption and loss of hoped-for ease after long-protracted laborious exer- tions. We all know this. When therefore we recollect that the vSaviour was perfect man as well as perfect God -, and that his sensitive mind felt disappointment, and his sensitive body felt fatigue, as keenly, or more so, than we ourselves ; we can tolerably estimate the extent of self-denial exercised by him on this occasion, by thinking how reluctantly we should have been brought to exercise the same. To give up our ease and comfort, yea, even our necessary repose, for the sake of doing good to the souls and bodies of our fellow-creatures, this is Christian self-denial. The Christian whose love and obedience to his Master will lead him to practise such self-denial under such circumstances, will easily practise it in less trying cases. Multitudes will charitably give their money, when they will not G 2 84 SERMON V. charitably give their time : and many will charitably give their time at certain hours, who will not charit- ably sacrifice their ease and leisure, much less their refreshment and their rest. But when Jesus saw the assembled crowds, he sacrificed to them at once his necessary repose, his most cherished hours of privacy and meditation. Much more then would he have given them his money, had he been rich in this world's good. However, " silver and gold had he none ; yet such as he had gave he them" — "he healed their sick" — their sick bodies with his touch — their sicker souls with the good word of his grace. Now, therefore, my brethren, if you call your- selves Christians, and would prove yourselves such, not in empty name only, but in deed and in truth, then I invite you to imitate your Redeemer's healing kindness as nearly as you well can, both in general, by benefiting the souls and bodies of your ignorant and sick neighbours, and particularly, in the present case, by supporting the Bath Hospital, of which I this day stand the willing and the needy Advocate. I solicit your compassionate and benevolent contri- butions : and if you think you cannot easily afford them, then I solicit your self-denying contributions. I solicit them as you love your Saviour, and would make his conduct the pattern for your imitation. In the porches of our Hospital " lie a great number S E R M O N V. 85 of impotent folk, leprous, halt, withered, waiting for the movement of our healing waters." Would not the Saviour, think you, were lie again on earth, deny himself a little to do them good ? Then let us not be slow to imitate him, who " left us an example that we should follow liis steps." Good has been done by our waters to many former patients in the Hospital ; good is doing to many now ; good will be done, I hope, to many more in future, through the instrumentality, in part, of your liberal contributions, which the accounts of the Hospital will satisfy you are wanted. Be it that you have many calls upon you : so had Jesus. Yet which of them did he refuse ? What single applicant, or what applying multitude, did he ever send empty away ? On the contrary, his compassion "was stirred within him" by throng- ing supplicants, and always rose to the occasion. The more multitudinous were the calls upon his bounty, the more profuse was his benevolence ; and if they " opened their mouth wide, he filled it." Then let us all, (which we may do,) cultivate his spirit, and let us imitate his conduct, " according to our several ability." Many of you, I am sure, can afford your handsome support without any great personal sacrifice : yet not a few of you, perhaps, cannot. What then ? Are such of you excused from contributing your Christian aid ? By no 86 S E R M O N V. means. If you cannot contribute it without self- denial, then deny yourselves to contribute it, as your Saviour did in like circumstances. And do it cheerfully, as unto the Lord. Your offering is to Him : and that it will cost you something is the very tiling which makes it a proper offering. Even David, under the Law, " would not offer to his God that which did cost him nothing :" much less should you under the Gospel, wliich pre-eminently furnishes you with motives to self-denial. Deny, then, yourselves the next expensive gratification, or the next not quite necessary comfort, or even the next real want ] and you are furnished at once with a mite for the Bath Hospital — a mite, like the widow's mite, the more acceptable to your Redeemer, because it will be cast in out of your living. The mind of the giver is what regulates in His eye the value of the gift. You, therefore, my friends, who can afford little, look to your hearts when your hand giveth, that with little money you may shew much love. Let us all recollect the kindness of Almighty God in giving us what we have, and be glad to acknowledge before Him, with the pious Psalmist, " All things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee." Let us recol- lect the kindness of the Lord Jesus Clirist in giving us undone perishing sinners his toil, his example, his Spirit, " yea, and his own life also," " to make S E R M O N V. 87 US the children of God, and to exalt us unto ever- lasting life." And, ''heloved, if He so loved us, we ought also to love one another j" and in that loving spirit to do what we can for the patients in the Hospital, where they receive attention hoth to their souls and bodies. So should Christ be honoured, our neighbour be benefited, and ourselves be blessed: for it is "blessed to give," said the Lord Jesus ; yea, " more blessed to give than to 7'eceive." SERMON VI. Matthew xiv. 22. " And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.^' It is my wish on the present occasion to give you a short practical exposition of this and the eleven following verses. All that I may say will be but simple, and familiar, no doubt, to many of you ; but it may be useful, if God permit ; and useful- ness, not novelty, should be the chief consideration. I will take the narrative, verse by verse, in order as it stands, explain it occasionally in passing, and suggest some reflections that seem naturally to arise from the different parts of it. If you open your Testaments at the passage, you will be able to follow me with the greater clearness. From the 13th verse it appears our Lord had SERMONVI. 89 crossed the sea of Galilee for the purpose of tem- porary retirement into a desert place, that (as St. Mark says in the parallel passage) he and his disciples " might rest awhile." But the people would not let him rest. They followed him round the lake on foot, and outwent him, being fleeter by land than he by sea. So " when he went forth" out of the hold of the ship, with an expectation of landing on a secluded shore, he found the face of things quite different — " he saw a great multitude." There was an end at once of his hoped-for retire- ment. However he was not angry with the impor- tunate crowds : on the contrary, " he was moved with compassion toward them," and " received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed those that had need of healing :" leaving us an example not to be weary of well-doing, but even to deny ourselves not a little for the sake of relieving the temporal and spiritual wants of our needy fellow-creatures. Thus our Lord spent the day fasting and toiling among the great multitude. Nor was this the whole extent of his goodness. When the evening was at hand, his disciples were proposing to him to send the multitudes away, that they might go and buy food where they could find it. But the considerate Saviour would spare them that expense and fatigue ; thereby teaching his ministers to remember that their people have bodies 90 SERMON VI. as well as souls, and teaching his people to remem- ber that if thej "seek first the kingdom of God and his rigliteousness, all other requisite temporal things should be added unto them." When the hungry cravings of five thousand men, beside women and children, had been thus bountifully satisfied by him "who giveth food to all flesh, for his mercy endureth for ever," "straightway Jesus con- strained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side of the sea, while he sent the multitudes away." He, who is "the wisdom of God," designed to answer several pur- poses by this arrangement, and first to teach all his disciples unreserved obedience to him, even though his commands be painfully opposed to their natural inclinations. No wonder they of old were reluctant to put to sea without Him ; but " he constrained them" — compelled them, as the expres- sion is, in the original. We must not dispute our Saviour's plain commands under any pretext of attachment to his person. Implicit obedience is the best j^roof of our aff'ection for him. He says, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken, than the fat of lambs." When he, by his " never-failing providence, which ordereth all things in heaven and earth," sends us away from what is comfortable to what is trying, we must SERMON VI. 91 mortify self-will, and let our " soul be even as a weaned child." But this arrangement taught his disciples, in the second place, to " walk by faith, not by sight." They were naturally desirous of their Lord's bodily presence : but it was well for them to learn reliance on his spiritual presence. And it is well for us to learn the same. We are prone to walk by frames and feelings, rather than by faith; and to think ourselves forsaken, if we have not sensible comfort. Yet, when we are in the way of positive duty, we should not doubt our Lord's approving presence, though, " verily, Thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour." But our poet's recommendation is good — "Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust him for his grace." ''There was a time," said dying Joseph Milner, " when I should have been much disturbed at experiencing so little sensible comfort as I now do : but I have learnt to believe it one of the most acceptable exercises of faith in God to lean quietly on the written word." But, beside the good purposes to be answered to the disciples by sending them away, Jesus had a purpose to answer to himself , viz. the purpose of retirement for prayer. " When he had sent the 92 SERMON VI. multitude away, he went up into a mountain apart to prayT Retirement had been the original object of his voyage across the lake, and retirement he would have, even though it were by the sacrifice of that rest which his wearied body naturally craved. There is nothing more remarkable and instructive than the carefulness with which our Lord retired for secret devotion both before and after seasons of unusual exertion. Surely we should be wise to do the same. Busier than our Lord we cannot be ; and if even He needed, along with " diligence in business, to be fervent in spirit, serving his Father," how needful must devotion be to us ! We should therefore pray before business, that we may do it well ; and we should pray after business, that when it has been done well, it may speed well, and that God may be honoured, and ourselves not puffed up, with its success. We can expect no blessing on the greatest exertions, unless they be sanctified by prayer. We may make much stir, but we shall do little good, if we are not devout. Opportunities therefore of secret devotion we should carefully embrace, and make them, if they do not present themselves. What is the end of all our labour, but success ? and that is the alone gift of God. " Paul may plant, and Apollos water ; but it is God that giveth the increase." Except therefore the Lord be on our side, we may " labour in the very SERMONVI. 93 fire," and yet " weary ourselves for very vanity." So let us never forget to unite prayer with pains, since om* great Example toiled the more the more he prayed, and prayed the more the more he toiled. In the gi'eatest press of business it cannot be safe for us to omit or abridge, but rather to increase, our devotions ; or, after a weary time and a weary day, Jesus would not have climbed the mountain " apart to pray." " When the evening was come he was there alone,''' and when midnight was past he was still there alone. And yet " he was not alone, because the Father was with him." A devout Christian is never less alone, than when he is alone. To him loneliness is loveliness. He longs to be alone, labours to be alone. To escape for awhile from the great Babel, and be alone with God, whether on the mountain, or in the vale, or in secret chambers at still evening or dawn, is to him a source of peculiar refreshment. A Christian who works as he should do while he is in the world, will enjoy retirement as he should do when he is out of the world. Solitude hangs heavy only on idle and sinful hands. But let us proceed to contemplate the situation of the disciples. " The ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves ; for the wind was contrary." All the circumstances of this voyage were, no doubt, figurative, or emblematic. The 94 SERMON VI. disciples, without Jesus, are tossed ivith waves. The sea, in Scripture, is continually the emblem of trouble ; and when Christians, from any cause, have lost their comfortable sense of their Saviour's pre- sence with them, they are tossed with uneasy feelings and fears. The Psalmist was in such a storm, when he said, " O my God, my soul is cast down within me. Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts : all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me." Jeremiah Avas in such a storm, when he said, " Waters flowed over mine head : then I said, I am cut off." So the disciples, tossed with waves, and in apparent danger of going to the bottom, are an apt type of Christians agitated with doubts of their acceptance, ready to despond of salvation, and fearful of sinking into perdition. And Christians in such a state are not unknown. Spiritual trouble may not be felt alarmingly by all Christians, but it is sometimes felt very alarmingly by some, who are tried with great dejection, and disquieted with innumerable terrors, till their " spirit is over- whelmed within them," and they feel themselves "ready to perish." And why their Lord allows them to be so, is somewhat mysterious. They are not sinners above others of his children, that they suffer such things. He, no doubt, has good reasons for permitting them to be so troubled, though his reasons may be secret to us. He giveth not account SERMON VI. 95 of all his matters : but he probably has purposes to auswer both to the sufferers, and to others through them, which could not be answered unless they both went through, and came out of, great spiritual tribu- lation. There is nothing like experienced distress for making people humble before God, and feeling towards men. It was well for the disciples of old to be sensible of their own helplessness without Jesus : and any of us might become self-sufficient, if we were not sometimes left to see that " without Him we can do nothing" to any purpose. In vain did they " toil in rowing" — " the wind was con- trary ;" and their best exertions for three quarters of the night were of no avail to bring the ship to land. What an emblem that " we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves !" " Bound on a voyage of awful length, And dangers little known, A stranger to superior strength, Man vainly trusts his own. "But oars alone can ne'er prevail, To reach the distant coast; The breath of heaven must swell the sail, Or all the toil is lost." Cowper. The darkness also, amid which the disciples of old made all their fruitless exertions, is aptly emblematic of that confusion and perplexity of mind into which we fall, when our best efforts are made, and with 96 SERMON VI. no success. While we can do any thing to help ourselves, we appear to he somehody, and to have some light. But when we have tried all our own devices, and yet are haffled, and our prospects seem getting worse and worse, then " a horror of great darkness" comes upon us. So it was with the Israelites at Pihahiroth : so it was with the disciples in the case before us : so it was with J esus on the cross. But man's extremity is God's oppor- tunity. When we cease from our work, He begins His : and when we have found that we are nothing, he begins to show us that He is every thing. " In the fourth watch of the night, Jesas went unto them." He might have gone sooner ; but he saw it proper to delay. We must learn to " tarry the Lord's leisure." He has his own time for doing all things, and that the best time, as appears in the end. His delay was a sore trial of the faith and patience of Martha and Mary, when they had informed him Lazarus was sick. " When he heard that, he abode two days still in the same place where he was." Lazarus died and was buried ; and perhaps the sisters thought in their hearts that Jesus was scarcely the kind friend they had believed him to be. And yet he meant his delay for good, and tarried on purpose to do greater things when he came at last : and if Martha and Mary had doubted his affection, a SERMON VI. 97 blush of shame would afterwards suffuse their cheeks. And many "evil surmises" of sleep, he is all confusion and indiscretion. He SERMON XIV. 245 sees liis Lord surrounded with fiery faces and threat- ening bands, and, with more zeal than judgment, has immediate recourse to carnal violence. " Having a sword, he drew it, and smote a servant of the High Priest, and cut off his right ear." This was the momentary bravery of animal excitement. It soon gave way to animal fear. " He trusted in his own heart," but he was "a fool" in so doing. It deceived his confidence. He saw the armed hand lay firm hold on Jesus, notwithstanding his own petty valour : and alarmed lest he himself should be arrested with his master, along with the other ten he " forsook him and fled." However, his "heart" returned to him in some degree. No doubt, his conscience reproached him for his cowardice, and he resolved to make good his promises of adherence to his Master. So he " followed him," but " afar ofl." However, he followed him, " even unto the High Priest's palace, and went in, and sat with the servants," round a fire, "to see the end" of his Lord's trial. And now Peter was tried himself, not by the High Priest, but by the High Priest's servants. They presently put his courage to the proof. " There cometh unto him one of the maids of the High Priest ; and when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked earnestly upon him, and said. This man was also with him. And he denied him before 246 SERMON XIV. them all, saying, Woman, I know him not." Here was the first failure of his trusted heart. It seems to have disquieted him, as well it might. So " he went out into the porch," " and the cock crew." That sound would not add to his comfort. He seems to have heard it, and to have gone into the palace again with fresh good resolutions. Let us see how trustworthy his heart was this time. " After a little while another maid saw him, and began to say to the servants and officers that stood by. This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth. And Peter again denied it with an oath, and said, I do not know the man." Here his heart failed him a second time. However, he remained in the palace, perhaps flattering himself he should now be safe from any further challenge. But "about the space of one hour after, another confidently affirmed, saying. Of a truth this fellow also was with him, for he is a Galilean. And they that stood by came unto him, and said again to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them ; for tliou art a Galilean, and thy speech agreeth thereto, and bewrayeth thee." This was sufficiently embarrassing ; but a new challenger appeared, who completed his confusion. "One of the servants of the High Priest, being his kinsman whose ear Peter cut off, saith, Did not I see thee in the garden with him ? Then Peter," terrified at the danger to which he should be exposed, if he SERMON XIV, 247 were discovered to be the person who made the attack on the High Priest's servant, " denied it again" more violently than ever : and, that he might not be questioned any more, he " began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak." " And immediately, while he yet spake, the second time the cock crew." " And the Lord turned and looked upon Peter. And Peter remem- bered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out, and when he thought thereon, he wept bitterly." He wept bitterly as he thought on his ingratitude, his hard-hearted- ness, his lies, his dissimulation, his cowardice. He wept bitterly as he contrasted his " great swelling words" with his mean disgraceful conduct. He wept bitterly as he recollected how he had been puffed up with an invincible self-conceit — how he had con- tradicted his Master's prophecies ; despised his warn- ings ; thought scorn of his brethren ; concluded any of them might be cowards, but he never — how he had neglected watchfulness, slept when he should have prayed — fought when he should have suffered — shrunk when he should have been foremost — and thrice abjured with imprecations his blessed Lord, when he had vehemently promised, and was distinctly called upon, to confess him openly. Oh ! he wept 248 SERMON XIV. bitterly, as he thought on his own audacious words, and his turning Master's gentle look. Surely he would make the reflection in the text, "He that tmsteth in his own heart is a fool!" At all events this is the first reflection we ouffht to make, after hearing his painful story. We lose the proper benefit of one of the most affecting occurrences recorded in Scripture, if we do not learn from Peter's fall an impressive lesson against self- confidence. And we 7vant an impressive lesson against a "sin that does so easily beset us." Surely, however, such a lesson we have in the history before us. Let us remember who it was that fell — no common man — no common Christian — but Peter, a chief, not to say the very chiefest Apostle. He was weak. Howbeit whereinsoever any of us is bold, Peter was bold also. Are we sincerely attached to Christ ? So was he. Have we long cleaved to Christ ? So had he. Have we openly confessed Christ ? So had lie. Have we a full persuasion that nothing would induce us to draw back from Christ ? Peter had more. He was as sincere as possible in thinking he would die with his Lord sooner than deny him. And yet he thrice denied him with words — with oaths — with imprecations. " Lord, what is man ?" Yea, brethren, what are the best of us, left to ourselves ? What is our SERMON XIV. 249 boasted strength, but weakness ? How can we trust to our good resolutions ? How can we be more resolved than Peter was ? Yet he fell — fell rapidly, foully, scandalously. " Wherefore let him among us that thinketh he standeth, take heed, lest he fall." He is the more likely to fall for thinking he standeth. " Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." So " be not high-minded, but fear." " Ponder," says Solomon, " the path of thy feet." We may be supplanted before we are aware, through our lofty eyes and incautious walk. We have a subtler than Jacob laying snares for us : and if, through self-confidence, we are high-minded and have proud looks, in any moment of fancied security our feet may be taken. " God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble." When we are " exalted above measure," he leaves us to " the messenger of Satan to buffet us," that we may not "be exalted above measure," but may be taught humility, even though it be at the expense of a fall. Peter had often before shown himself over-forward and self-confident. Who can say, whether any thing less afflictive than his disgraceful fall would have brought him to thorough humility and self-distrust ? It is just in God, when we think we can walk without him, to let us try till we get a fall. We are seldom thankful for his supporting hand, till we have found by painful experience, that we cannot 250 SERMON XIV. stand, much less walk, without it. Grievous and unseemly falls, if any thing, give us a practical sense, very different from a speculative acknowledgment that "our strength is perfect weakness." Surely Peter would never trust in his own heart any more, after such an experience how it had befooled him. Happy are we, if we will learn his after self-distrust, without his prior fall. But if we will not, circum- stances will certainly arise to pull down our self- flattering imaginations, and convince us that our hearts are no more to be trusted than Peter's was. " As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man." Our heart, therefore, like Peter's, beyond a doubt, " is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked." We may not believe this, till we make the discovery by experience. I doubt whe- ther Peter was as sincere a believer in the depravity of our nature before his fall, as he was afterwards. Perhaps some of us now have as little practical persuasion of our native wickedness, as Peter once had. If so, we may, possibly, find it out, not doubtfully but certainly, by, alas ! too palpable proofs of it in our own conduct. " Conduct has the loudest tongue ;" and if we will not believe, from the still small voice of God's word, how corrupt we naturally are, he may leave us to ourselves, till our misconduct thunder our depravity into the very ears of our soul. Some persons are not to be taught but SERMON XIV. 251 by their own experience. Pity that we should need shame to teach us modesty, and humiliation to teach us humility. However, we must be brought to " become as little children, or we cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven :" and when other methods fail of bringing us to this dependant spirit, we may, perhaps, be brought to it, by finding we have the weakness of children. And how are we to find this, but by having the falls of children ? If therefore we are " proud in heart," we have every reason to anticipate speedy humiliation in our own eyes, by falling into sins of which we little believe ourselves capable. Our present seeming security is no gua- ranty of our being in the same self-complacent state a few hours hence. Peter was as self-secure as possible of his Christian integrity but a very short time before " he cursed and swore that he knew not the man." It is one thing to " flatter ourselves in our own eyes ;" quite another to approve ourselves by our own conduct. It is one thing to promise, another to perform — one thing to be bold before battle, another to be brave in it, and another still to get well through it. It was a good message of Ahab's to boastful Benhadad — " Tell him. Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off." Let us wait for the issue of the combat, and then we shall see Avho " quitted themselves like men and fought." Ah, brethren. 252 SERMON XIV. we know not what we are till we are tried, and tlieu we know that we have no might, no courage. " Being harnessed and carrying bows, we turn our- selves hack in the day of battle." It is surprising, it is shocking, at how little we turn. It is quite humiliating to think how soon " the fear of man bringeth a snare" upon us. Valiant as we may have seemed to ourselves in private, how do we shrink from confessing our Saviour openly ! How will we dissemble and cloak and even disavow our connection with Christ, that is, with Christian persons and Christian sentiments, when we perceive that they are under the world's frown, and that it will involve us in the world's displeasure, to acknowledge and abide by them ! How will we be silent or equivo- cate in presence of worldly people, for fear of their ridicule and evil eye ! How little is there in us of the spirit of Moses, who " esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt !" How ungrateful we are, how slow to " render" unto our blessed Redeemer " according to the benefit done unto us !" For our sakes " he gave his back to the smiters, and his cheeks to them that plucked off the hair; he hid not his face from shame and spitting." But we hide owr's from any indignities for his sake. Rare are the persons among us who are willing to be " vile" for the Lord ; who are prepared to put their worldly reputation and even SERMON XIV. 253 tlieir life in their hand, and constantly confess Christ, and abide the consequences ! Some of us may seem to be very brave Christians in presence of only Christians, and when Clirist is in reputation. Thus brave had Peter been for three years, and upwards. But when he saw Christ arrested, tried, condemned, mocked, buffeted ; and saw himself in danger of the same treatment, if he owned himself a disciple of the despised Nazarene ; theti, then he trembled, dissem- bled, and became all but an apostate. We must be put in a little of his trial before our Christian cou- rage can be proved : and when it is put to the proof, how often, how disgracefully often, does it appear, that though we " endured for awhile," when there was little or nothing to hinder us from enduring, yet, " when affliction or persecution" is to be encoun- tered by us "because of the word," ''by-and-by we are offended." We are ashamed of Jesus. " Though he is not far from every one of us," we fear a few worldlings more than him ; and love our own safety and reputation more than his cause, his honour, his approbation. Thus often do many of us "in time of temptation," that is, of trial, "fall away." And what is the reason ? What was the reason that Peter fell away ? Because he trusted in his own heart, and had not " watched unto prayer." A prayerless man may have animal courage, courage 254 SERMON XIV. enough to march up to the mouth of a cannon : but a prayerless man can not have spiritual courage, no not courage enough to face a laugh at liis reli- gion, much less to endanger his worldly all for Christ's sake. A man must have faith in the promised glories of the world to come, before he will cast the sensible glories of the present world behind his back, and have the constancy to keep them there. Now faith is wrought and cherished in the soul by the Holy Spirit in answer to prayer. " Lord, increase our faith," is the prayer of all those who obtain grace to " confess with their mouth the Lord Jesus," and to " follow him fully" in trying- circumstances. Natural courage may avail us for natural struggles, but we need supernatural courage for supernatural struggles. And the struggles which Christians have to make are supernatural. "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wick- edness in high places. Wherefore," continues the Apostle, " take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand." Brethren, brethren, Satan desires to have us, that he may sift us as wheat, and he 7vill have us, if our faith fail. And how shall it not fail, if we restrain prayer before God ? If it fail not altogether, assuredly it will SERMON XIV. 255 SO decline as to give Satan fearful advantage over us. We have seen that even Christ was carried through his temptations only by " pouring out sup- plications and prayers, with strong crying and tears, unto Him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared." And we have seen that even Peter was not carried through his temptations, because he had previously neglected to " watch and pray." With such examples before us of the opposite consequences of prayer and no prayer, we cannot be ignorant wherein our only safety lies. Tempted we shall be, as surely as Christ and Peter were. Our adversary the Tempter " is not dead, nor sleepeth." On the contrary, " as a roaring lion he walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist," adds the Apostle, "stedfast in the faith." But whence is our sted- fastness in the faith to come, but from on high ? Jesus said to Simon, " I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not." If our faith fail not, it must be through the alone efficacy of the same Saviour's intercession above — it must be entirely through his " strengthening us with might by his Spirit in our inner man." And when he has taught us by his words and by his example, to "watch and pray, that we enter not into temptation," are we pre- sumptuous enough to think he will secure us from temptation, when we indolently omit watchfulness 256 SERMON XIV. and prayer ? Let us go, in spirit, to the High Priest's hall, and there we shall see a sight that will check any such presumption. Look at that . Peter who had slept when he should have watched, and had " trusted in his own heart" when he should have prayed ; and there you see him paying the dreadful penalty of his self-confident negligence — there you see him caught in the snare of the Devil, hecoming entangled worse and worse in the toils of sin, and, hut for an injured Saviour's mercy, involved in inextricable ruin. Such was the pre- cipice to which a chief Apostle was brought through neglect of prayer. And are we stronger than he ? " No, in no wise ;" probably weaker. But weak or strong, " comparing ourselves among ourselves," without " Christ dwelling in our hearts by faith" through prayer, " we can do nothing" but sin. Whereas, through prayer, "his strength can be made perfect in our weakness." So certain is this, that " Satan trembles when he sees The weakest saint upon his knees:" but, on the contrary, he is not without good hope of circumventing and surprising a prayerless Apostle. *That Lord,' says Bishop Reynolds, 'who out of very weakness ordains strength, also out of pre- sumed strength permits weakness ; and as he can make the mouths of babes and sucklings to confess SERMON XIV. 257 him, so he suffers the mouth of an Apostle, a Peter, to deny him : showing in hoth the dependance of the strong as well as the weak on his goodness : the strongest Apostle being not able without his sustaining grace to confess him ; and with it the weakest infant in the street being enabled to cry Hosanna unto him.' Let these considerations, my brethren, teach us the absolute necessity there is for our holding com- munion with God in Christ, if we hope to escape " the wiles of the Devil." And when we think how powerful he is to tempt, and how weak we are to be tempted ; and when we further think into what keen misery and imminent danger he might craftily lead us step by step ; oh, it should be a cheering counter reflection to us, that we have, through prayer, the means of bringing to our aid an all-sufficient Guardian and Friend. How mad are those who miss of such a Keeper through their wilful neglect of prayer ! How they " forsake their own mercy !" Let us cry to him, with his humble Psalmist, "Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe." " Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not." But are there some here, whose footsteps have sHpped? Are there some here, by whom Christ has been ''wounded in the house of his friends?" s 258 SERMON XIV. Are there some here, who, having professed, and known, and done, and intended to continue doing, better things, have been "overtaken in a fault," through their own carelessness and the wiles of the Devil? Are there some here, who, having not watched, nor prayed, nor kept under their body, nor brought it into subjection, have " fallen away like water that runneth apace," till they have been " ashamed of Christ and of his word," till they have denied their principles, and till they have renounced their piety ? It is probable some such are here. Unhappily, backsliders are not so rare, but they may be met with in almost any numerous congregation. You, then, whose conscience is now saying. Thou art the man. Thou art the woman, do you hear me a few words, and may the Lord rivet them on your souls. There is hope for you in this melancholy history of Peter's fall. You are backsliders — so was he ; perhaps as bad a one as the worst among you. Yet " the Lord turned, and looked upon him." vSo your case is not desperate. The same merciful Lord may turn and look upon you. He does look upon you this night. He is here, and by his pro- vidence he brought you here to meet his eye. He looks upon you with compassion. O " look upon him whom you have pierced, and mourn." Look SERMON XIV. 259 upon him whom you have crucified afresh, and " be in bitterness." " Peter went out and wept bitterly." You have imitated his crime : imitate his repentance^ Think on what you have been doing— " consider your ways" — meditate on tlie many aggravating circumstances of your guilt — afflict your souls under the remembrance of it — confess it frankly and fully before God — endeavour deeply to feel and deplore it — pray to be more truly " pricked in your heart" — and, lastly, be persuaded that through this very Saviour, whom you have so denied, is nevertheless " preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, and by him, if you believe, you are justified from all things.'" Take the comfort of this, if you are truly penitent, and " go and sin no more." Rather, like Peter, " when you are converted strengthen your brethren." You can never enough evince your gi'atitude to that gracious Lord, who, "when your foot had slipped," of his infinite mercy " held you up." But let none abuse this useful history of Peter's fall and Peter's restoration. For a backslider to be restored is good, but for a person not to backslide is better. It is best of all not to sin, and next, to amend upon punishment. The uses we should make of this instance of Peter's fall have been already stated in the words of St. Paul — "Thou S 2 260 SERMON XIV. standest by faith : be not highminded, hut fearT " Let liim that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he falV What Augustine said of Dav'uV^ fall we should take to ourselves as we meditate on this of Peter's — " Let those who have not fallen hear, that they fall not; and those who have fallen, let them hear, that they may rise again. Peter is not recommended as an example of falling, hut as an example of rising again after a fall." SERMON XV. 1 Timothy vi. 6 — 12. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For ive brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment, let us be therewith content. But they that ivill he rich fall into temptatio)i and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, ivhich drown m.en in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil : ivhich while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, Jlee these things ; and folloiu after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good Jight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called." This passage is so connected, and so important, I could not prevail on myself to do otherwise than lay the whole of it before you. It requires nothing but the simplest illustration, and the grace of God to enforce it on our hearts. The subject cannot 262 SERMON XV. but be looked upon as very suitable to the pre- sent season* of mortification of sin, and to the present circumstances of the community in gene- ral, among which there is a great deal of poverty and scarceness of money, and therefore a great deal of temptation to discontent, covetousness, and unlaw- ful means of obtaining property. Under such cir- cumstances we should be very thankful to have the cautions and instructions of the Lord our God, given us by the voice of his inspired Apostle. Let us listen therefore to St. Paul " speaking to us from the mouth of God," and seek to profit by his divine and friendly admonitions. In the verse before our text he had been cau- tioning Timothy against certain "men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who supposed that gain was godliness," or (as it should rather be translated) " who supposed that godliness was a scheme for gaining," a plan for making money, and getting forward in the world. There are such men now, who suppose and give out that the religion and piety of their neighbours is only a cloak for dark designs, to obtain confidence and custom and profit by it. But such men, by their base insinua- tions, only shew their own corrupt mind, or they would not be so ready to impute corrupt motives to their more upright neighbours. They are them- * Preached in Lent. SERMON XV. 263 selves " destitute of the truth," conscious of a readiness to deceive confidence placed in their inte- grity, if they saw an opportunity of doing so to their own worldly advantage ; and hence, from being unprincipled themselves, they suppose there is no principle in anybody ; and that religion ensures no more conscientiousness than expediency does. They have no notion of a principle so high and upright as will make a man " swear unto his neighbour and disappoint him not, though it be to his own hind- rance." This lofty Christian integrity "is far above out of their sight." They know and betray that they have it not. Hence they are improper companions for sincere Christians. "' From such," says the Apostle to Timothy, " withdraw thyself." But if godliness was not gain in one sense, that is, in a worldly, money-getting sense, it struck the Apostle that it was gain in another and far higher sense, even " great gain," especially when taken along with its proper accompaniment, a contented mind — " godliness with contentment is great gain." Contentment without godliness is gain, as respects this world ; and godliness without exact contentment is gain, as respects the world to come -, but *' godli- ness with contentment is great gain ;" because the contentment secures happiness here, and the godli- ness secures happiness hereafter : therefore a godly 264 SERMON XV. man, with a contented mind, has, and will have for evermore, '■' a continual feast." Contentment without godliness "is gain," as respects this world : for there may be, and is, a sort of contentment without godliness. You may meet with persons who would decidedly be called, who account themselves, and who, in a qualified sense, are coyitented : and yet they could not be said to be (/odly persons. They have no real fear of God before their eyes — no real love of him in their hearts. Their contentment does not rest upon religious prin- ciple, but upon natural constitution favoured by outward easy circumstances. Just as some persons are born with an indolent, and others with a pas- sionate, so these are born with a contented dispo- sition. And not having been fretted and soured in early life, or disquieted and harassed immoderately as they have gone through life, they remain contented. And their contentment, though without godliness, " is gain," as it respects this world. They pass through the world with much less pain, and abun- dantly more enjoyment, than many of their neigh- bours, who, with as little godliness as themselves, have far more discontent, and therefore far less pleasure. Also, godliness without exact contentment "is gain," as respects the world to come : for there may SERMON XV. 266 be, and is, godliness without exact contentment. There may not be godliness without a fair and increasing degree of contentment. Habitual and prevailing discontent is absolutely inconsistent with godliness. A person of such discontent would show that " his heart fretted against the Lord," and was not submissive. The great trial of the religious principle, that is, of divine grace in the heart, is in its resistance to, and gradual triumph over, inbred sinful tempers and propensities. Now some persons shew their natural sinfulness more in one way than another. The natural sinfulness of some persons particularly shews itself in a sort of perpetual rest- lessness and dissatisfaction with all about them. Discontent may be said to be in them, an easily- besetting sin. And if it be, and they be converted by the power of God and the grace of Christ, and be renewed in the spirit of their mind by the Holy Ghost, still discontent lingers as "a sin that dwelleth in them." The grand difference is, that whereas they once dwelt in discontent, now discontent only dwells in them — dwells in them too, no longer as an allowed indulged friend, but as " an enemy in their habitation," at whose gradual expulsion they shall never cease to aim. But no native evil dispo- sition is hastily expelled, nor, in general, fully and finally expelled till this body of sin is taken down by death, and every " fretting leprosy" purged out 266 SERMON XV. of it ill tlie dust. Hence there is many a godly Diaii, many a true convert and sincere Christian, who has to struggle with a naturally discontented disposition to his life's end. His unhajDpy temper not a little interferes with his enjoyment in this world ; but still his godliness, without exact content- ment, "is gain," as it respects the world to come. For, when his natural frame shall moulder into dust, the dregs of discontent will vanish with it ; and then his godly spirit, set free from " the bondage of corruption," will find itself indeed a gainer before the throne, for having, through grace, maintained on earth an uncompromising struggle with "the lust of the flesh." " But godliness with contentment is great gain." A man is happy as he feels himself to be so. His happiness does not depend so much upon his outward circumstances, as upon his inward feelings. What happiness therefore can compare with his, who, as a godly man, " has peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," and, as a contented man, is satisfied with "the portion of goods that falleth to him" from his heavenly Father ? Such a happy man was St. Paul. When he said, "godliness with contentment is great gain," he said so from his own experience. For hear how he speaks to the Philip- pians, iv. 10 — " I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished SERMON XV. 267 again ; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in respect of want: for / have learned, in whatsoever state I am, to be therewith content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound : every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Surely the Gospel was " great gain" to him, when it had imbued him with such godliness, and, through godliness, with such contentment. You observe, contentment is a feeling to he acquired. St. Paul says, he liad "learned" to be content. But not learned without godliness. He says he learned contentment " through Christ strengthening him." And yet he went through extraordinary hardships, and had more natural causes for c^iscontent than any of us can have. We see therefore how powerful will be the secret grace of Christ in overcoming our corruptions, and enabling us to learn the hardest lessons, if we will but "trust in him at all times, and pour out our hearts before him, for he is our help." We, through our littleness of faith, may never learn contentment as perfectly as the Apostle did. But no one can pretend to set bounds to what we can do " through Christ strengthening us." Let us aim therefore first at godliness, and then, through godliness, at " being content with such 268 SERMON XV. tilings as we have." For why should we "seek great things for ourselves ?" " We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can cany nothing out." "Naked came we out of our mother's womb, and naked shall we return thither." The Lord gave us our property for life, and the Lord will take it away at our death. Why then should we be anxious to "lay up treasures" which we must soon leave? And still more, why should we wish to amass property, in order to indulge the foolish vanity of thinking we shall leave somebody a hand- some fortune ? This is the disposition and conduct of mere worldlings : and " this their way is their folly : yet their posterity approve their sayings." Men of property continue, on that account, to be the admiration of "men of the world;" and even the godly man is tempted to look upon them with too favourable and envious an eye. But hear, " O man of God," what God says to thee on this subject in the xlixth Psalm, verse 16 — "Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, and when the glory of his house is increased ; for when he dieth he shall carry nothing away with him, neither shall his pomp follow him. Though while he lived he counted himself an happy man, (and so long a,s thou doest well unto thyself men rvill speak good of thee ;) he shall go to the generation of his fathers ; they shall never see light. Man that is in honour, and SERMON XV. 269 imderstandeth not, is like the beasts that perish." Who, then, woukl envy " the ways of them who are greedy of gain, which taketh away the life of the owners thereof ?" " A man's life consisteth not in the abundance of those things which he possesseth." "Having therefore food and raiment, let us be therewith content." The pious servants of God in all ages have been very moderate in their desires after this world's goods. Jacob's language in his vow was, " If thou wilt give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on." Agur's petition was, " Give me neither poverty nor riches ; feed me with food convenient for me : lest T be full and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lordj or lest I be poor and steal, and take the name of my God in vain." And you perceive our Apostle's exhortation is to the same effect — " Having food and raiment, let us be therewith content." No sincere Christian there- fore need be ^discontented ; for he has an express promise of food and raiment from the Lord himself, who said, " Take no thought, saying, What shall we eat ? or. What shall we drink ? or. Wherewithal shall we be clothed ? for after all these things do the Gentiles seek : and your heavenly Father know- eth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righte- ousness, and all these things shall be added unto 270 SERMON XV. you." If, therefore, we believe the Lord, and labour quietly in our lawful calling, we need be under no apprehension of wanting food and raiment. He who fed and clothed Israel in the wilderness for forty years, can be at no loss how to feed and clothe us. He feeds the sparrows, and clothes the lilies : and " we are of more value than many lilies and many sparrows." We should exercise implicit faith in the God of providence, especially if we have found Him the God of grace. If he has been "the Father of our spirit," and made us "his children by faith in Jesus Christ," it cannot be doubted but he will " spread a table before us in the wilderness," and provide for all our earthly real wants. " He who spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things ?" Then let us trust him for the future, and be thankful and contented with our present supplies. Let us not hanker after a degree of wealth which God, by his providence, does not seem to have intended for us. Let us " take heed and beware of covetous- ness ;" for what says our text ? " They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil." When it says, "They that will be rich," the original means, " They that ?visk SERMON XV. 271 to be rich ;" they whose hearts are set on getting rich ; they, in short, who are lovers of money. It is not money itself, but the love of it that is so hurtful. Many are born rich, or become rich by inheritance, or by the blessing of God upon their lawful exertions, and honest diligence : and these are not criminal in possessiny riches. " Abram was very rich in cattle and in silver and in gold." Yet Abram was " tlie friend of God." It is not there- fore wealth, but the love of it, and the coveting after it, which is so dangerous : for, says the Apostle, " they that will be rich," that long to be rich, that are set upon becoming rich, " fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown them in destruction and perdition." And who can deny the truth of this declaration, that either knows by experience the seductive, ensnaring, injurious nature of a spirit of avarice when it has unawares stolen upon himself; or that watches the conduct of others who are evidently under the influence of a hankering spirit ? Indeed we have awful instances in the word of God how *Uhe love of money is the root of all evil," and how it plunges those who indulge such a spirit "in destruction and perdition." Balaam, for profit, would have cursed Israel ; God forced him, how- ever, to bless his people, and then left his people to slay him for his avarice. Achan coveted some 272 SERMON XV. of the wealth of Jericho, and stole it, contrary to God's express command ; for which therefore he was stoned, with all his family. Ahab coveted Naboth's vineyard, and committed murder to obtain it ; for which the dogs licked his own blood. Gehazi would be rich, and therefore lied to obtain Naaman's money : for which " the leprosy of Naaman clave unto him, and to his seed for ever." Nay, the love of money, of merely thirty pieces of silver, made the heart of Judas Iscariot absolutely hard, and "fidl of evil,'' till he betrayed his Lord and Master with a kiss ; for which he afterwards hanged himself, and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out — as if God would mark even on his dead corpse his anger against his abhorred avarice. It would be easy to point to Balaams and Achans and Gehazis of modern days : but it is unnecessary. You know, and every magistrate and every observant person in the earth knows, that " the love of money is the root of all evil," and leads to every species of crime and consequent suffering. And avarice has this destructive effect not only upon ignorant, inconsiderate, worldly characters, but even upon the professors of religion. You observe the Apostle adds, " while some coveted after money, they have erred concerning the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." With SERMON XV. 273 such sorrows were Ananias, and Sapphira, and Simon Magus, and Demas pierced, and numbers in later days, who, after their example, have " coveted an evil covetousness," and have thereby " made shipwreck of faith and of a good conscience." It is awful to remark, how undue regard to worldly profit blinds the understanding, warps the judgment, biases the affections, hardens the heart, and corrupts the conduct, of those from whom better things were to be expected. Bitter is their self-reproach, if they are awakened by the Spirit of God to see the iniquity of their past conduct ; and, even if they have the grace of repentance, and much more if they have it not, do they, sooner or later, find themselves " pierced through with many sorrows." Such, then, being the ensnaring nature and, oftentimes, the fatal effects of " the love of money," not only to mere worldly people, but also to pro- mising religious characters, St. Paul immediately adds to Timothy, and in Timothy to every godly person, "But thou, O man of God, Jlee these things" — flee this uncontentedness with present property — flee this hankering after more — flee this love of money which is so baneful in its influence upon conduct, mind, and soul — " and follow after right- eousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called." T 274 SERMON XV. The love and active pursuit of spiritual treasures is the proper way to overcome the love and active pursuit of worldly treasures. We are made with affectious, and we must set them on something : we are 7nade with energies, and we must devote them to some active pursuit. Also, we are con- nected with this world hy our flesh, and with the ne.vt world hy our spirit. And we may eitlier set our affections supremely on things above, or set our afiections supremely on things on this earth : hut we cannot set our affections supremely on the things of both at the same time. In a word, "We cannot serve God and Mammon." The love of money is absolutely irreconcilable with the love of God. They are opposite affections. The love of money chains down the heart to earth : the love of God lifts it up to heaven. Hence our Saviour says, " Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth ; but lay up for yourselves treasures in hea- ven ;" "for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Our heart cannot be in earth and in heaven at the same time. Hence we should flee those thoughts which set the world and its treasures before us in an attractive point of view, lest they beguile us into a persuasion that they are real treasures, and so worth setting our hearts upon. We should " keep our hearts with all diligence'* against indulgence of discontent with what we have. SERMON XV. 275 and of craving for what we have not, of this world's good. If we spend our chief time and thoughts and desires about such worhlly matters, we sliall contract worhlly habits of thought, and be incapable of rising to spiritual and heavenly meditations. Our wisdom, therefore, and our Apostle's exhor- tation, is, that we should ''JJee these things ;" " and," turning from the inordinate pursuit of worldly gain, " follow after" those holy dispositions, and pious habits of soul, which alone are " the true riches." This world is transitory with all its seeming treasures. If a man have no other treasures but those of earth, when he dies he has lost his all, and enters into the eternal world a naked and impoverished spirit, with nothing to take to, and no hope, no possibility of obtaining any thing, for ever and ever. He bittedy " remembers that he in his life-time received his good things," and now "he is tormented," not only with the hell around him, but with the hell within him — the gnawing never- dying worm of remorseful consciousness that he spent his day of grace on earth in gaining a little of the world, and now has lost his soul and is a castaway. And " what can he give in exchange for his soul ?" Nothing. He has nothing to give. " When he died he could carry nothing away with him." He lost his all. He has nothing left with which to indulge even a ray of hope of repurchasing T 2 276 SERMON XV. his soul. On entering the world of spirits he feels himself a bankrupt for eternity ; and " at once he sinks to everlasting ruin." But not so " the man of God" who dies in possession of " the true riches," the riches of holy dispositions, and pious hahits of soul — the riches of " righteousness, godliness, faith (that is, fidelity), love, patience, meekness." These are riches which he carries away with him. These are riches from which he can never he separated. They are part of himself: they are riches with which the grace of God endowed him ; and they are riches which he will use and enjoy for ever in the presence of God. They are the sort of riches, the only sort of riches, he sees around the throne : yea, they are the riches of God himself. " God is a spirit," and his holy dispositions and hahits (if we may he permitted so to speak of God) are his riclies. He is rich in righteousness — rich in faithfulness — rich in love — rich in patience — rich in meekness — rich in every spiritual endowment. Such riches are part of himself, an essential portion of his glorious nature. These, then, my brethren, are indeed " the true riches." These holy dispositions, these benevolent tempers, tliese upright habits, are the soul's treasures worth our laying up. They make us like unto God — they prepare us to live with God. No wonder, therefore, that these were the riches after which SERMON XV. 277 St. Paul urged Timothy to follow. Yea, these were the riches after which Jesus Christ himself followed, " leaving us au example that we should tread in his steps." O look at the spirit and heha- viour of our adorable Lord. Look at him, the Son of the Most High God, born in a stable, cradled in a manger, a carpenter in his youth, a wanderer in his manhood, not having where to lay his head : yet where do we find in his spirit or language or conduct a trace of dissatisfaction or discontent? or where do we find the smallest hankering after the money or possessions of this fleeting world ? So little" treasure had he laid up on earth, he had to work a miracle to pay his tribute-money. And yet his were the riches of the universe. Himself made, and gave them all. But, as our Example, he took none for himself, nor therefore wished for any. The love of money was not in him. " Having food and raiment, he was therewith content ;" and 7Vould not be rich, even though, as a man, he was tempted by Satan with an offer of " the world and all its glory." But worldly wealth had no charms for him. His great soul was set on spiritual and heavenly treasures. He was rich indeed in all holy, gracious, wise, and charitable affections. Such dispositions were all he prized, were all he sought, were all he commended. He gave us a perfect pattern of 278 SERMON XV. a man living as a contented stranger and pilgrim on earth for awhile, but having his home, his trea- sure, his heart, in heaven. And he would have his followers of the same temper as himself. His sublime encouraging exhor- tation is, " Fear not, little flock, it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell that ye have, and give alms: provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth." So that he exhorted the poor to contentment, not to repining and covetousness ; and the rich to liberality, not to luxury or avarice. His object was to induce both to set their hearts on spiritual riches, and to raise them above anxiety or eagerness about little or much treasure here below. He reminded them of a promised kingdom and eternal life in the world to come; and sought, by engaging their aff"ections to those, to draw them off from corroding care about the present world. And the great Apostle had himself imbibed his Lord's spirit, and earnestly animated Timothy to follow after the same spirit. " Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto also thou art called." And he charged him to charge others to the same effect. For as he had said, "Having food and raiment, let us be therewith content," even if we seem comparatively poor; so SERMON XV, 279 he added, " Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy : that tliey do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, wilUng to communicate ; laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.''' You see, the laying hold on eternal life — the grasping the promise of that with believing hand, and keeping firm hold of it with tenacious faith — was the grand point of which the Apostle, like his Lord, never lost sight, and which he was so earnest to inculcate upon others, to inculcate upon us. Then let us seek to " set our affection on things above, and not on things on the earth." And here "let our conversation be witliout covetousness, and let us be content with such things as we have : for He hath said, I will never, no, never leave thee nor forsake thee." But forasmuch as we are not able of ourselves to have or to retain this heavenly-mindedness, let us pray to God, through the mediation of our Lord and Saviour and Advocate, for the gift of the Holy Ghost, to " put into our minds good desires," to "mortify our members which are upon the earth," and to " draw up our minds to high and heavenly things." Let us read and meditate on the Scrip- 280 SERMON XV. tures, on the future " riches in glory" which they offer to obedient believers, and on the steadiness with which patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and Jesus Christ himself, overlooked terrestrial wealth, and had their eye and heart set on the treasures of the world of spirits. By much dwelling on their blest examples, we shall catch somewhat of their spirit, and be animated to walk in their steps. And let us " watch and pray that we enter not into temp- tation," by running ourselves into needless difficulties, to the jn-oducing of discontent; or by entangling ourselves with unnecessary business, to the producing of carefulness and perhaps of covetousness. But let us endeavour to "walk circumspectly," and to "let our moderation be known unto all men." So shall we take the right steps to have peace above, and peace within, and to be in the perpetual enjoyment of that " godliness with contentment, which is great gain." SERMON XVI. Ephbs. vi. 5 — 9. " Servants^ he obedient to them that are your masters according to the Jlesh, with fear and tremblings in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ ; not with eye-service, as men-pleaders; but as the servants of Christ J doing the tuill of God from the heart ; with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening : knowing that your Master also is in heaven ; neither is there respect of persons with him." The religion of the Lord Jesus Christ is not a speculative, but a practical religion. Moreover, it is not a religion intended for one class only, but for all classes, of society. Nor is it so much designed to regulate their behaviour in extraordinary cases, as in the common intercourse of life. It comes 282 ' SERMON XVI. home every day to every person's business and bosom. It is a thoroughly useable and useful bless- ing, like every other bounty which " the only wise God" has bestowed upon us. When therefore we consider how large a portion of mankind are immediately connected with one another under the relation of master and servant, we are not surprised that the proper line of behaviour should be marked out to each of these parties in that blessed Gospel which is of a character so eminently practical. Accordingly, various admoni- tions and exhortations both to servants and masters are scattered throughout the book of God, especially throughout the Epistles of the New Testament, which Epistles contain the last and clearest revelation of the mind and will of that Great Being " with whom we have to do." These scattered instructions it is my purpose and wish to collect and set before you. My office is that of " a steward of the mysteries of God ;" and my desire is simply to dispense to both masters and servants among you the stores of whole- some truth which superior wisdom and opulence have provided in the Scriptures. May it please the Lord to give us " grace to speak and hear meekly his word, and to receive it with pure affection, and to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit." We will take the text as it stands, and make the discourse upon it a sort of expository lecture. SERMON XVI. 283 And this will lead me to speak, first to you who are servants ; and afterwards to you who are masters. I turn, first, to you, my friends in this congre- gation, who are in the situation of servants, whether of a higher or a lower order. I apprehend you form a large proportion of the persons here present before God on the Lord's day evening, and I feel some shame at never having particularly addressed you from the pulpit before, during my ministration of more than two years. Now therefore may the Lord enable me to " give you also your portion in due season," and speak that which shall be " good for the use of edifying." You servants form a very numerous, and a very conspicuous, and a very important class of the community. You are in every, or almost every house, and you affect the order and comfort of every family with which you are connected. Also, you constitute that class of society in which, perhaps, the largest proportion of truly pious and exemplary characters is to be found. I know that the contrary is often asserted, and the class of servants accused and disparaged ; but I think unjustly, all things considered. There is probably a greater proportion of pious characters among you, than among any other class of equal numbers. Your situation, when you are in tolerably well ordered families, is very favourable for your religions impression and growth in grace. You are 28'4 SERMON XVI. in that condition for which Agur prayed, when he said, " Give me neither poverty nor riches ; feed me with food convenient for me : lest I be full and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord; or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain" — that is, forswear myself, to obtain money by unprincipled peijury. In general, you have full, but not excessive employment; and are not preyed upon by the cares and anxieties of money-getting schemes which eat up the spiritual-mindeduess of so many of your employers. In general also, you are restrained — providentially and happily restrained, I would have you to think — from the idleness and dissipation of many of your superiors who have more wealth, and wrongly suppose they have more time, to spare than you have. Your situation naturally leads you to be very much "keepers at home," which is a great preservative and a great blessing. And since most of you have been favoured with a tolerable education ; had your understandings somewhat cultivated ; good books, especially the Holy Scriptures, put into your hands ; and frequent oppor- tunities allowed you of coming up to this house of the Lord, and of being, I hope, taught the truth as it is in Jesus ; putting all these things together, you are, as I said, favourably circumstanced for religious impression and growth in grace. And some of you, I know, an(J many of you, I trust, are impressed SERMON XVI. 285 with vital godliness, and are growing in knowledge, and piety, and holiness, after the example of your eminent fellow-servants in the early ages of the Christian Church. Judging from the Apostolic writings, it would appear that you were a very con- siderable body in the best and purest churches ; and St. Paul and St. Peter in particular seem to have had an eye of special attention and kindness to you, a fatherly anxiety for your comfort, and a tender solicitude that, having " received Christ Jesus the Lord," you might "walk worthy of him unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God." You are mentioned in their Epistles more frequently, I think, and more at length, than any other class of persons; as if the interests of Christianity, and the honour of the Lord Jesus Christ, were peculiarly committed in your deportment. And indeed there are few siglits more pleasing to Christ, more beautiful to the spiri- tual eye, or more affecting and winning to worldly observers, than the daily walk and conversation of pious, faithful, modest servants. Their exemplary conduct has arrested the attention and touched the heart of many a thoughtless master and mistress, who have first seen the lovely outlines of the lovely character of the Lord Jesus in the behaviour of His and their servants. Consider, then, my brethren, vou who are in service — consider in what a number 286 SERMON XVI. of families you serve — consider how many and what observant eyes are upon you in those families, and how influential your demeanour may be upon them — and say, Does not your heart burn within you with holy desire to " let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven ?" If so, hear how his holy Apostle St. Paul exhorts you to behave ; and while you hear, may the Holy Spirit open your hearts to attend to his godly admonitions, and give you grace and power to profit by them and practise them throughout your future life. Thus, then, saith the Lord — " Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ ; not with eye-service as men-pleasers ; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart ; with good-will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men : knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free." Let us consider a little more particularly the force of these several exhortations. " God is not the Author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints." God created and appointed the difierent ranks of society, and he will have them supported. Hence the religion of his dear Son Jesus Christ is not a levelling religion. It does SERMON XVI. 287 not tend to overthrow, but to establish, under new and most powerful sanctions, the different relations of life. " Christ's kingdom is not of tliis world," and does not interfere with the well-ordered regu- lations and laws of society. The Gospel of Jesus Christ takes the world as it finds it ordered under the moral government of his Holy Father, and only furnishes new principles to uphold that order. The relations of authority on the one side, and subjection on the other, between magistrates and subjects, between parents and children, between hus- bands and Avives, between masters and servants, are natural, that is, j^rovidential relations. The Gospel supposes these to exist by the awful appointment of "God only wise," and sets itself to confirm them by its peculiar and touching sanctions. Its general language is, " Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers ; for there is no power but of God : the powers that be are ordained of God." Con- sequently, its particular language in the case of servants is, " Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling," that is, with holy awe and heart- felt reverence. You may no more be disobedient to the lawful commands of your masters, than you may to the commands of God. In their lawful commands your masters are in the place of God to you : they derive their authority from God : God 288 SERMON XVI. speaks to you by them : and as you would be obe- dient to God, " with fear and trembling/' if he spoke to you by an audible voice from heaven, with the same awful reverence must you " be obedient to your masters according to the flesh," whatever lawful commands they lay upon you. In their voice you must accustom yourselves to hear the voice of the great God who made them your masters, and you must give them reverence as his earthly represen- tatives. So enjoins the holy Apostle in the text — " Servants, be obedient," not only unto your Master in heaven, but " to your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling." And so enjoins St. Peter also. For having said, " Honour all men ; love the brotlierhood ; fear God ; honour the king ;" he adds, " Servants^ be subject to your masters with all fear." And, on your part, this subjection must be abso- lute in all things lawful, notwithstanding unreason- ableness or harsh treatment on the part of your superiors. " Be subject to your masters," says the inspired Apostle, " with all fear ; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the fro ward. For this is thankworthy, if a man, for conscience toward God, endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For wliat glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently ? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is accept- SERMON XVI. 289 able with God. For even hereunto were ye called," namely, patiently to bear ill treatment notwithstand- ing good conduct — " because that Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps." Consider how good He was, in that He "took upon him the form of a servant;" and what good He did, in that He "went about doing good" to our froward race. " He was among them as one that served," always waiting upon his infe- riors, and doing them service ; and yet how bitterly he suffered "without any offence or fault of his." "He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities :" and yet how patiently "he gave his back to the smiters, and his cheeks to them that plucked off the hair; he hid not his face from shame and spitting." " When he was reviled, he reviled not again ; when he suffered, he threatened not ; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously." Herein the Redeemer of servants was also the godlike Pattern for their imitation. And they will often need to remember and copy his patient goodness. There are many hardships inflicted on you servants by inconsiderate and cruel masters and mistresses ; but faultiness in their government will not justify faultiness in your obedience. You must be subject for conscience sake, "in singleness of your heart (adds the text) as unto Christy' having a single eye to his example, u 290 SERMON XVI. to his command, and to his glory. You must endea- vour, that the world in general, and your harsb masters in particular, may see that " the love of Christ coustraineth you" to bear patiently for his sake that unjust treatment which you would not have borne patiently on any lower principle. Thus, if you be Christian servants, you must " be obedient with fear and trembling" to unchristian masters. But what if you have Christian masters ? must you " be obedient to them also with fear and trembling ? " " So hath the Lord commanded." When Christian servants consider their high spi- ritual calling as " the Lord's freemen," Satan may tempt them to forget their low natural calling as men's servants — he may tempt them to consider themselves not only on a spiritual level (which they are), but also on a natural level (which they are not) with their "masters according to the flesh." Some professing Christian servants, because kindly treated by their Christian masters with brotherly love, become presuming, disresj^ectful, and disobe- dient. This is altogether wrong : this is using " their" spiritual " liberty for an occasion to the flesh," instead of " by love serving'' their masters. Brethren, lest any of you, who are servants to Christian masters or mistresses, should so far forget yourselves, as to think that your spiritual equality gives you liberty to behave as though you were SERMON XVI. 291 their natural equals also, hear what St. Paul says iu 1 Tim. vi. 1, 2 — "Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters wortliy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed. And they that have helieving masters, let them not despise them, because they are brethren ; but rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the bene- fit. These things (says he to Timothy) teach and exhort." So then, my Christian brethren in service, the circumstance of your masters or mistresses being your brethren or sisters in Christ, and on a spiritual " equality with yourselves, is so far from relaxing, that it tightens the bonds of your obedience to them — which obedience, on your part, must still be " with fear and trembling," with respect to reverence — with diligence and heartiness, with respect to love — " in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ," with respect to your motive. And this leads me to remark, next, that you are exhorted to be obedient "not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart" — " with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men : knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free." The Lord Jesus wishes you to act from high u 2 292 SERMON XVI. and grateful and spiritual considerations. He would have you affectionately bear in mind that " you are not your own," but His ; "bought with a price," the price of his most precious blood, bought off from the service of the Devil, the world, and the flesh, bought to be his servants, and serve him in the different situations in which his providence has placed you. He would have you shew your gra- titude for his mercies by obeying those whom he has set over you, with the same fidelity and good- will, as though you were doing him personal service. Indeed he promises to consider all service done to masters, for his sake and according to his Father's revealed will, as so much service done to himself. He thus graciously puts you in possession of the true philosopher's stone, which was supposed to turn every thing which it touched into gold. He opens to you a way of turning your most common, and trivial, and, otherwise, mean occupations, into so many acts of honourable service to himself. It is the heart of the doer, rather than the thing done, which he respects; and if you go through your daily work with him in your thoughts, designing his glory, and wishful to express by good conduct your gratitude and love, then the least thing you so do is pleasing in his sight ; and you, in your humble sphere of life serve him with as much present acceptance, and with as sure and plentiful a reward SERMON XVI. 293 in reversion, as do those who serve him in higher spheres of life. To the servant who, having two talents, went and traded with the same and made them other two, was said, " Well done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord," just as much as it was said to him who had five talents, and made them other fiVe. The Lord Jesus, therefore, desiring that " you should plenteously bring forth the fruit of good works, and of him be plenteously rewarded," is earnest with you to cherish in your hearts those feelings of love and gratitude to himself, and of respect to the commandments of his Holy Father, which feelings alone can consecrate your actions, and make them spiritual services. He would have you rise superior to earthly con- siderations. He would not have you obeying your masters with "eye service as men-pleasers," true to their interests and fulfilling their commands just so long as their eye is upon you, and no longer ; and desiring their approbation, and nothing further ; but he would have you " obey them, not in their presence only, but, if possible, much more in their absence," because He Himself is 7iever absent, and he would have you obey your lawful masters with the same single-eyed, undeviating, thorough good- will and faithfiduess as if you were obeying Himself. Such is the spirit of his exhortations to you servants in the text. His exhortations to you in 294 SERMON XVI. other jjlaces are to the same effect. I will recite two of them, and so close this address to you. First then, ill Col. iii. 22, he thus speaks hy St. Paul — " Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh ; not with eye service, as men-pleasers, hut in singleness of heart, fearing God. And what- soever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men j knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance; for ye serve the Lord Christ : but he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong that he hath done : and there is no respect of persons." The only other passage I will quote is that rich and full one in Titus ii. 9 — "Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things ; not answering again; not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity ; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. For the grace of God that briugeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in tliis present world ; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak and exhort." SERMON XVI. 295 I would now turn, in the second place, to you, brethren, who are masters, and set before you the Apostolic exhortation — " And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening; knowing that your Master also is in heaven, neither is there respect of persons with him." The corres- ponding passage in Col. iv. 1 is, " Masters, give unto youi' servants tliat which is just and equal, knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven." You perceive, the exhortations to you masters are neither so numerous, nor so long, nor so particular, as to your servants ; because you are supposed to be better informed than they, and therefore to stand less in need of copious detail of instruction. Accord- ingly, you are furnished with general principles of behaviour towards your servants, and it is left upon your intelligent conscience to apply them in parti- cular cases, and to regulate your ordinary deport- ment with reference to them. Let us consider these general principles a little more at length. " Ye masters," says the Apostle, " do the same things unto them"- — that is, "give unto your ser- vants that which is just and equal." And what is just and equal ? Why, brethren, if your servants are enjoined to " obey you in all things with fear and trembling," it is "just and equal" that you should rule over them with tlie " meekness of wisdom." In all things lawful they arc enjoined 296 SERMON XVI. obedience to you as unto God. If therefore you are unto them in the place of God in point of awfulness and authority, you should he unto them in the place of God in point also of equity and goodness. If lie have clothed you in your servants' eyes with some portion of his terrors, you should seek to put on also a large adornment of his loveliness and grace. " The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works." " The Father of our Lord Jesus Clnist is the father of mercies, and the God of all grace.^'' " Be ye therefore gracious, as your Father which is in heaven is gracious." Be considerate for the weakness and infirmities of your servants, and rule them not with a rod of iron. It was witli sucli a rod that Pharaoh, the type of Satan, ruled over the enslaved Israelites, and awed their broken spirits. " All his service wherein he made them serve was with rigour." Such tyranny is odious in the eyes of the Lord, being altogether contrary to his benevolent and beneficent sway. Hence, in Levit. xxv. 39, he says to Israel, " If thy brother be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee ; tliou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant, but as an hired servant : for they are my servants, which I brought forth out of the land of Egypt : they shall not be sold as bondmen. Thou shalt not rule over them with rigour, but thou shalt fear thy God.*' If, then, a redeemed Jew might not rule SERMON XVI. 297 with rigour over his redeemed brother- Jew, much less may a redeemed Christian rule with rigour over his redeemed fellow-Christian. You, therefore, my brethren, who are masters and mistresses, I beseech you by the tenderness of God, and " by the meekness and gentleness of Christ," rule over your servants with kindliness and Christian love. "Be pitiful, be courteous;" be con- siderate for their comfort ; be attentive to their wants — ^be patient toward their failings ; be merciful to their faults. "He shall have judgment without mercy that hath shewed no mercy." Be not ye therefore hard-hearted, unreasonable, and severe in your exac- tions, or your censures. Christian servants are the Lord's freemen : you may not treat them like slaves. Therefore be moderate in your orders and require- ments, and scrupulously punctual in giving them a full reward for their labour at the proper time. For thus saith the Lord, in Deut. xxiv. 14, "Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of the strangers that are within thy gates ; at his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it : for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it : lest he cry against thee unto the liOrd, and it be sin unto thee." Such conduct was sin to incon- siderate or unjust masters in St. James's time ; for he says, " Behold, the hire of the labourers who 298 SERMON XVI. have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth : and the cries of them whicli have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth." And he says in Mai. iii. 5, "He will come near to you to judgment, and will be a swift witness against those that oppress the hireling in his wages." "Wherefore, masters," says St. Paul, "give unto your servants that which is just and equal." You observe also he says, " forbearing threat- ening," or, as the emphatic original is, " letting go the menace,''' the common, the harsh, the bnital, and brutalizhig menace, which mistaken man is so reluc- tant to let go, fancying he cannot command without it, though it is suitable only from a tyrant to a slave — from a Nebuchadnezzar to a herd of servile idolaters. The violent threat, the sharp, reproachful, abusive address of any kind, is utterly unbecoming the master of a house, unless he would resemble Nabal, of whom it is said, in 1 Sam. xxv. 1 7, that "he was such a son of Belial, that a man could not speak to him." And severity of language is by no means necessary to the maintenance of authority. Look at the behaviour of the blessed Jesus among his disciples. Where do we find him menacing them ? and yet, though he " forbore threatening," he had them in easy, indeed, yet perfect and pro- found subjection. SERMON XVI. 299 And now, masters, he is your Master in heaven, and say whether "his yoke on you is not easy, and his burden light." If so, let your yoke and burden be the same upon your servants. " Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ." Be not imperious, passionate, or unreasonable ; but rule for Christ, and like him. And oh bear solemnly in remembrance, that the relation between master and servant can be, at longest, hut for a little while. We are all fast hastening to a state wherein the relations of this lower world will be for ever at an end. You who are Christian masters and Christian servants are brethren in spirit even now, and ere long you will be brethren altogether before the throne of your common " Master, even Christ." Now therefore " be all of you subject one to another, and be clothed with humility." What your rank may be in this preparatory world of trial, it matters not, with respect to eternity. Your rank here will not in the least affect your rank hereafter. The orders of society in this nether world are occasional and pass, and serve for the trial of our spirit in passing. Our place in the bright world above will not be determined by the place we held in this, but by the laborious faithfulness to Christ with which we fulfilled the duties of it. Hence the meanest servant on earth, who was, in his assigned station, a servant of Christ, may be seated by him in a distinguished 300 SERMON XVI. place in heaven : for " He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and make them inherit the throne of glory." Be it your care, therefore, ye Christian masters and servants, so to associate in this world, as that you may help one another on to an eternal association in the world to come. Have Christ your common master steadily in your eye: move forward toward him, each in your proper line ; and you will at last meet in him, as your common centre ; " where there will be neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free : but Christ will be all, and in all." SERMON XVII. Matt. v. 7- Blessed are the merciful ; for they shall obtain mercy." There can be no doubt that selfish, unkind, malignant feelings are natural to the human breast, through the fault and corruption of our nature. " We are hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." This is evident from the Scriptures, from observation, and from experience. It is evident from the Scriptures — from scripture history, and from scripture statements — both of which '' were written for our learning," by the unprejudiced unerring hand of God, who knows us better than we know ourselves. How immediately did human bitterness shew itself after the Fall ! How affecting, that of the first man that was ever born it should be written, " Cain rose up against 302 SERMON XVII. Abel his brother and slew him !" Here was the root of bitterness: and soon did it spring up, and trouble the whole earth: for cruelty it was, which drew down the wrath of God on the world before the Flood. " God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me ; for the earth is filled with violence through them ; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth." But, in the new world, '' the imagination of man's heart was still evil from his youth;" and we find the Scriptures still com- plaining of his natural unkindness. David prays against the ungodly as "unrighteous and cruel men ;" and says, " they breathe out cruelty," and that " the earth is full of darkness and cruel habi- tations." Solomon declares that even "the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel." And so feelingly convinced was his royal father of the natural cruelty of the human breast, that when he was in his " great strait," he said, " Let me now fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercies are great ; and let me not fall into the hand of man." He durst not trust his fellow-creatures. Such is the language of the Old Testament about our native malignity : and the language of the New is not less humiliating. " Ye are evil," said our Lord. And again he said, "From within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, murders." When St. Paul describes the Gentile world, in the 1st of Romans, his awful SERMON XVII. 303 climax is, " Thej are implacable, unmerciful." When he turns to the Jew, he speaks of "his hardness." When he sets forth the universal state of fallen man, as man, he says, " Their throat is an open sepulchre ; with their tongues they have used deceit ; the poison of asps is under their lips : whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness : their feet are swift to shed blood : destruction and misery are in their ways : and the way of peace have they not Ijnown : there is no fear of God before their eyes." And lest we should flatter ourselves that this is a description of certain notorious sinners, not of our- selves, he immediately adds, " Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law" — for what purpose, brethren ? " that every mouth may be stopped, and that all the world may become guilty before God." If therefore we attempt to deny our natural bitterness of disposition, we only betray our want of self- knowledge or ingenuousness, and contradict the Scriptures, and those holy men who, when they were enlightened and converted, made full acknow- ledgment of their former vicious state — " we ourselves also" (says St. Paul to Titus) were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another." 304 SERMON XVII. We have heard, then, the Scripture account of our natural selfishness and unkmdness of disposition. And is not the account corroborated by our own observation and experience? What says observa- iion ? Look at the development of un mercifulness in a child, a boy, a youth, a man. See how he will first torture an insect, or ill treat an animal ; and afterwards oppress his companions and fellow- men, according to his opportunities and ability ! Is not the earth filled with violence now ? Can you go into any lane of any street of any town of any country, where " the wicked cease from trou- bling" — where you shall not " hear the voice of the oppressor, nor the deep sighing of the poor?" Would not the Christian eye and ear and heart be everywhere pained with sights and sounds proclaim- ing man's unmercifulness to his fellows ? And what is our experience of " the devices and desires of our own hearts?" Who is not conscious of native selfishness, hardness, unkindness, cruelty ? Who have not felt their natural propensity to be unmerciful in their thoughts, remarks, and behavi- our, to those connected with them ? " Do ye think that the Scripture saith in vain. The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy ?" and lusteth to consequent bitterness and wrong ? Our Lord Jesus Christ, therefore, knowing our SERMON XVII. 305 proneness to be unkind, and studying to draw us to a better spirit, says in the text, " Blessed are the mei'dfuV — blessed are those who break the ice of their native selfishness, and melt in holy pity over those who are in trouble — blessed are those who subdue their passion, lay aside their wrath, and exercise clemency, forbearance, and generosity — blessed are those who take no unkind advantage of the destitute and friendless ; who do not " go beyond nor defraud their brother in any matter ;" who are not severe in their exactions, stern in their looks, harsh in their language, merciless in their punishments ; but who behave with compassion to the afflicted, with gentleness to the provoking, with mildness to the blameable, and with mercy to the fallen — " blessed are these merciful persons," says the Lord Jesus, " the Word of God," " God manifest in the flesh." And oh ! how iveighty is his benediction on the merciful, when you consider how it is supported and exemplified in the character of God, and of his dear Son, "in whom dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." If there be one aspect more than another under which " the blessed and only Potentate" commends himself to our contemplation, it is under the aspect of a merciful God. This was the very first of his titles when he would pro- claim himself before Moses. " The Lord passed by, X 306 SERMON XVII. and proclaimed the name of the Lord, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful." The song of songs in his temple was, '* For his mercy endureth for ever." His inspired penmen seem even to labour for words wherehy to set forth this particular attribute. " I knew," said Jonah, " that thou art a merciful God." Lot says, " Thou hast magnified thy mercy." David speaks of God's " great mercy" — a " mercy great unto the heavens" — yea, " great above the heavens." He speaks again of " the multitude of God's mercies" — of his "tender mercies." He speaks of his being " plenteous in mercy." Nehemiah cele- brates God's "manifold mercies." And, strong as is this language of the Old Testament, St. Paul's is stronger still. He speaks of God as "rich in mercy ;" and to sum up all in one insurpassable word, he calls him " the Father of mercies." Such is the character of our God — tlie character under which he is specially proposed for our imi- tation by Christ himself — " Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father which is in heaven is merciful." " Blessed are the merciful," because they are like the merciful God. " He displays his Almighty power most chiefly in shewing mercy and pity." It is for tyrannical man to " boast that he can do mischief : whereas the goodness of God endureth yet daily." His mercies " are new every morn- ing;." " His tender mercies are over all his works." SERMON XVII. 307 " He is kind to the unthankful and the evil :" and as to pious characters, " Like as a father pitieth his own children, even so is the Lord merciful unto them that fear him." What a dehtor to his mercy is every one here present ! " By him have we been holden up ever since we were born. He it was who took us out of our mother's womb." " The God of our mercies" " has prevented us with the blessings of goodness" all our life through. How has he pitied our weakness, and helped our infirmities ! How has he consoled us in trouble, and relieved us in distress ! How has he guarded us in danger, and saved us from ten thousand snares, many of which we have since seen, and seen that we should have been miserably entangle.d in them, but for our heavenly Father's preserving care ! Again, how has he borne with our provo- cations, and multiplied pardons to us ! And how has he chastised us less than we deserved, and "in wrath remembered mercy ! " But, above all, how can we be thankful enough for " the bowels of mercy of our God, whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sat in darkness, and in the shadow of death ; to guide our feet into the way of peace !" See how " the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward us men appeared !" He, so far from being selfish, " spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for X 2 308 SERMON XVII. US all." So far from seeking the hurt of his fallen creatures, " he set his heart on us to deliver us, and laboured" how to be " a just God and yet our Saviour." So far from taking advantage of our sinful, impenitent, helpless state, he " shut us all up in unbelief" — why? that he might take ven- geance ? nay, but " that he might have mercy upon all." So far from taking pleasure in revenge, and exulting to see his rebellious subjects perish, " God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him might not perish, but have everlasting life : for God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved." Look at Jesus agonizing in the garden, and dying for our sins on the shameful and accursed tree ; and say whether " our song" to the Lord should not "be of mercy" as well as "judgment" — mercy to us, judgment to our Substitute. " He was wounded for our transgressions ; he was bruised for our iniquities ; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, that by his stripes we might be healed. All we like sheep have gone astray ; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord laid on Christ the iniquity of us all." " He suffered, the just for us the unjust, that he might bring us to God." " Herein," then, " was love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son SERMON XVII. 309 to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another." If we have met with so rich mercy at the hands of our heavenly Father, who are we, that we should be unmerciful to om* brethren ? " Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father which is in heaven is merciful." "Blessed are the merciful." These were the words of One who well knew his Father's mercy, and was himself the messenger, medium, preacher, and pattern of it. For, would we contemplate the mercy of God in the clearest manner, we should view it shining forth in the Lord Jesus, " the brightness of his Father's glory, and the express image of his per- son." If we interpret mercy to mean compassion, who was ever like Jesus Christ, '* who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the Devil ? " Look at him in public — " when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with com- passion toward them." Look at him in private — *' when he came near to the gate of Nain, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow : and when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her." He wept over his friends, over " Martha and her sister and Lazarus : behold how he loved them." He wept also over his enemies, over " the bloody city," over his thirsting murderers — " when he was come nigh, 310 SERMON XVII. he beheld the city and wept over it." If mercy, then, he interpreted to mean compassion, who was ever so compassionate as the Lord Jesus? Or, if mercy mean forbearance under injuries, forgiveness of trespasses, pardoning love, sparing mercy, oh, how merciful was Christ in these respects ! Look at "the Lord of glory" rejected by the Samaritan village, with a rudeness that roused the anger of his apostles James and John, who would have called down fire from heaven on the insolent villagers. "But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. The Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And he went to another village." What a pattern of forbearing mercy ! Look at him again reviled, mocked, spit upon, smitten on the cheek, crowned with thorns, and crucified. "When he was reviled, he reviled not again ; when he suffered, he threatened not." " He loved his enemies, blessed them that cursed him, and prayed for them that despitefuUy used him and persecuted him." "Father," (he said) ''for- give them : they know not what they do." And when he was risen from the dead, and all power was given him in heaven and in earth, like Joseph, he bore no malice, nor hatred in his heart: he retaUated no injuries on his faulty brethren. He was particular in first sending to Simon Peter, SERMON XVII. 311 aud afterwards appearing to him, to assure his peni- tent Apostle of his pardoning mercy. And " when he ascended up on high, he gave gifts unto men, yea, even to his enemies.^' " Unto yoic Jirst,^' said Peter to the Jews, who " with wicked hands had crucified and slain him," " unto ijoit first, God having raised up his Son Jesus, hath sent him blessing you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities." Even Paul, "who was a blas- phemer, a persecutor, and injurious," " obtaiued mercy,"" " that in him first" — in him '' the chief of sinners, as he reputed himself — " Jesus Christ might shew forth all long-suffering, for a pattern to them wlio should afterwards believe on him to life everlasting." Whether therefore we regard the character of God, or of Jesus " the image of the invisible God," we see it to be merciful. And since the perfection of man cannot but be in resemblance to his Maker, " Blessed are the merciful" — whether they be com- passionate and kind to those who are in trouble ; or mild and considerate to those who are in fault. But let us mark next, why our Lord pronounced them blessed — " Blessed are the merciful ; for they shall obtain mercy" — mercy from God, and mercy from their fellow-creatures. They shall obtain mercy from God. But shall they obtain mercy from God in consequence of their 312 SERMON XVII. first being merciful to their fellow-creatures? Oh no — none can be merciful in deed and in truth, till God has first been merciful to them. We are all unmerciful by nature, as we have already shown : and should the Lord wait for our becoming merciful, ere he shewed his mercy upon us, we should all perish. Therefore "he prevents," that is, antici- pates, "us with the blessings of goodness." He teaches us mercy by being merciful to us. He lets us "taste" "how sweet is his mercy" to ourselves, and then says, " Shouldest not thou also have com- passion on thy fellow-servant, even as I have had pity on thee ?" It was thus he dealt with St. Paul and the Ephesians. " God," says St. Paul to them in the 2d chapter, "God, who is rich in mercy, of his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and raised us up together, and hath made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ — that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace, in his kind- ness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved, through faith ; and that not of your- selves : it is the gift of God : not of works, lest any man should boast : for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God before ordained that we should walk in them." " I therefore the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you SERMON XVII. 313 that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with loug-sufFering, forhearing one another in love." " Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evil-sj^eaking be put away from you, with all malice ; and be ye kind one to another, tender- hearted, forgiving one another; even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." Yes, my brethren, it is a heartfelt experience of the mercy of God to ourselves which must lie at the foundation of our mercifulness to our fellow-creatures. We must be *' the elect of God, holy and beloved," before we can "put on bowels of mercies, kindness, humble- ness of mind, meekness, long-suffering." We must experience " the washing of regeneration and renew- ing of the Holy Ghost, shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour," before we, who ai*e by nature '^ living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another," can come to be " full of mercy and good fruits." It is not therefore our being merciful to one another which is the first procuring cause of GocTs being merciful to us. No — as he " will have mercy on whom he will have mercy, and as he will have compassion on whom he will have compassion," so a consequent merciful disposition in ourselves " is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy" — who, of his free 314 SERMON XVII. grace, pleases to " take awa^T' from his chosen ones " the heart of stone," and to " give them a heart of flesh." When therefore our Lord says, " Blessed are the merciful, for they shall oh tain mercy," we must consider his words as a declaration what sort of characters shall obtain mercy at his hands in the last day, and even here on earth. He does not mean to say that any natural men are merciful, and because of their mercifulness shall obtain mercy of the Lord as a reward ; for then their salvation would be " of works," and " they would have whereof to boast" in heaven, viz. that they came thither on account of their natural goodness of heart, and habitual mercifulness of disposition. But all boasting is excluded from heaven. Salvation is of free grace, of mere mercy, and not for mercifulness on our part. Even ivere we altogether merciful, still "when he have done all," our Lord bids us say, " We are unprofitable servants ; we have done that which it was our duty to do." But the truth is, we are unmerciful by nature, merciful only through grace : and our Lord in the text meant to say. Blessed are they whom God hath gifted with a merciful disposition ; " for they shall obtain mercy." Their having so excellent a frame of soul proves them to be " sons of God," " born again of the Spirit," "created in Christ Jesus unto" the same gracious SERMON XVII. 315 affections whicli showed forth themselves in him. Therefore " hlessed are they ;" for God has endowed them with such a disposition, that they may know that they belong to Christ, and shall find mercy at his hands in that day, " because as he is, so are they in this world." But further blessed are they, because, through grace, they are endowed with the very disposition to which the promises are made. The promises are made to the merciful : these persons, through grace, are merciful ; and therefore are " heirs of promise." Mercifulness is one of the Christian paths in which they walk, because it was " before ordained that" the heirs of mercy from God " should walk" in the paths of mercy to man. Blessed therefore are the merciful, because " they have the witness in themselves" that they shall obtain mercy. St. Paul was urgent with the Hebrews to abound in the fruits of mercy, in order to assure their hearts of their interest in "the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory." " Beloved (says he) we are persuaded things of you that accompany salvation" — or, in other words, we are persuaded that you will obtain mercy. But on what is our persuasion grounded? On our observing the kind and merciful disposition which you have been enabled to display — we are persuaded that God " who hath begun a good work in you," by giving you a 316 SERMON XVII. merciful heart, " will perform his good work unto the day of Jesus Christ," by contiuuing to you the same temper, and so fitting you for recipients of final mercy — " for (he proceeds) God is not unright- eous to forget your works and labour of love which ye have showed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence" in exercising a merciful disposition, " to the full assurance of hope unto the end." Blessed, then, are the merciful, in that " they have the witness in themselves''' that they shall obtain mercy. Once more, blessed are they, because they are enabled to bring forth those fruits of mercy which, being done through faith in Christ and by the inspiration of his Spirit, are pleasant to God and also rewardahle. Blessed are they who are so melted by the mercies they have received, that they are constrained by holy gratitude to be kind and merciful to all around them. Though their deeds of mercy are the effects of grace, " the fruits of the Spirit," still they are blessed in those deeds : and though they should " give only a cup of cold water" to a needy brother, '' because he belonged to Christ, verily," they are assured by Christ, " they shall in no wise lose their reward." " The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus (says St. Paul) ; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of SERMON XVIT. 317 my chain : but, when he was in Rome, he sought me out veiy diligently and found me. The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Ijord in that day." And no doubt, blessed is Onesiphorus, for he shall obtain mercy, and be rewarded at the judgment-day according to his works. Thus, the merciful shall through mercy obtain mercy in the last day of the merciful Lord, whose they are, and whom they served, and whom they resembled. But they shall also obtain mercy of their fellow- creatures. Mercifulness " has promise of" meeting with mercy from men in '^ the life that now is, as well as" with mercy from God in " that which is to come." For so our Lord has said, who " knew what was in man," and was perfectly aware what would be the consequences of certain modes of behaviour. He has assured us, that what mercy we would that men should shew to us, the way to procure it is to shew even the same to them. Accordingly, in Luke vi. 36, he thus speaks, "Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is mer- ciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged : condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned : forgive, and ye shall be forgiven : give, and it shall be given unto you ; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosoms. For with the same measure 318 SERMON XVTI. that ye mete withal, it shall he measured to you again." In conclusion, therefore, hrethren, examine your- selves whether you are merciful. Reflect what has heen your disposition and general way oi hehaviour to persons and creatures about you. Solomon says, " a good man is merciful even to his beast ;" because a good man has in him the Spirit of the Lord, "who is good to all, and whose tender mercies are over all his works." Consider, then, whether your past life goes to prove, that you have in you the merciful disposition of your merciful God. Because, if you can be cruel even to your beast, much more if you can be severe, unkind, pitiless, merciless, to any of your fellow-creatures, " you have neither part nor lot" in the blessing of Jesus pronounced in the text. Beware, therefore, how you become oppressors of those under your power, or '' with force and cruelty rule over" your dependants. Beware, ye rich and ye overseers, how ye " answer roughly" to "the j)Oor when he crieth, to the needy, and them who have none to help." Beware, ye masters and mistresses, how you " deal hardly" with your servants, your workmen, or your appren- tices. Beware, ye parents, how you "provoke to wrath" the children of your own bodies. Yea, let us all beware how we indulge unmerciful tlioughts, SERMON XVII. 319 express unmerciful judgments, and do in any wise unmerciful deeds to any of our ueiglibours. " Have we not all one Father? hath not one God created us ? how then should we deal unmercifully any man against his hrother?" O how terrible is that sen- tence in St. James — " He shall have judgment without mercy that hath shewed no mercy." What must become of our never-dying soul, should "judg- ment without mercy" proceed against it ? Hear how David prays, " Enter not into judgment" at all " with thy servant, O Lord ; for in thy sight shall no man living be justified." How^ would he, then, have deprecated "judgment without mercy?" He does deprecate it. " If thou. Lord," he says, " shouldest be extreme to mark what is done amiss, O Lord, who may abide it ? But there is mercy with thee." Much more, then, should there be mercy with us. Forgiven ten thousand talents, shall we " take our brother by the throat" for one hundred pence ? Not unless we would incur the sentence, " O thou wicked servant." Let all there- fore strive and pray against that severity of dis- position, remarks, and conduct, which is so offensive to our heavenly Father, because so contrary to his own amiableness and benignity toward ourselves, and so utterly unbecoming our situation as entire dependants upon his rich and free mercy for all that we are, have, or hope for. On the contrary. 320 SERMON XVII. let us " walk in love, as Christ also loved us, and gave himself for us, an offering, and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour." " By this," he says, " shall all men know that we are his dis- ciples, if we have love one toward another." Our knowledge of his goodness should make us merciful. " Beholding" in the Scriptures, " as in a glass," his tender-heartedness, " we should be changed into the same image." We should learn to be merciful sons of " the Father of mercies." Nearness should produce similarity. " Behold," said Benhadad's ser- vants, " we have heard that the kings of Israel are merciful kings." Even Ahah had caught some kindliness from the God of Israel. When therefore we are privileged to contemplate, in all their glory, " the kindness and love of God our Saviour," much more should we "learn mercy," "keep mercy," and "love mercy" — especially when we have these two exceeding great and precious promises, " With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful ;" and " Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." SERMON XVIII. Rom. vi. 21, 22. " What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But noiv being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.'' The service of siu is really painful, and the service of God is really blissful. Both these assertions can be thoroughly and variously proved to be true ; but, perhaps, there is no way of proving them, so con- vincing, as an appeal to the experience of those who have tried each service in turn. Such persons must be more competent to speak than those who have known only one service, whether the service of God, or the service of sin. Those who have liappily known the service of God only, can have but an imperfect notion of the sorrows endured by Y 322 SERMON XVIII. the slaves of sin : and the homehorn slaves of sin can have still less idea of the pleasures enjoyed by the servants of God. But when persons " were the servants of sin, hut have obeyed from the heart the form of doctrine delivered unto them," then, having known both the way of sin, and the way of holiness, and formed a judgment of each, not in their dark, but in their enlightened state, such persons are best able to give a testimony deserving of our attention. Now the Roman Christians to whom St. Paul wrote were witnesses of this description. They had for some time lived to sin, and then they had lived to God. They had tried the satisfactoriness of each method of living in succession, and the Apostle confidently appeals to their experience, whether the service of sin would bear a comparison with the service of God. " What fruit had ye then in those thhigs whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life." These words naturally lead us to consider two things— First, What fruit persons have, while they are slaves to sin; and Secondly, What fruit they have, if they are made free from sin, and become servants to God. SERMON XVIII. 323 These consiclerations will prepare the way lor an application of the subject ; which may God bless to our use, for liis dear Son's sake. We have to consider, First, What fruit persons have, while tliey are slaves to sin. This is certainly the Jirst inquiry suggested by the text. "What fruit had ye then P'' When? This must be gathered from the preceding verse. " When ye were the servants (or, as the original is, the slaves) of sin, ye were free from righteous- ness. What fruit had ye then,? that is, at the time wh3n ye were the slaves of sin. So our first proper inquiry certainly is. What fruit persons have, while they are slaves to sin. " Fruit" means advantage, profit, pleasure, enjoy- ment : and the question is, Whetlier any satisfaction, and if any, what sorts and degrees of it accrue to those who are living in sin. Now that some satisfaction accrues to them, cannot be disputed, either from Scripture, or from fact. The Scripture speaks of those who " enjoy the pleasures of sin :" and that persons do enjoy them is manifest both from observation and expe- rience. Who is there here that has not enjoyed them ? We cannot deny our own feelings, and we have felt sin to be pleasurable. There is no one here who has not felt sin to be pleasurable. For there is no one here who has not sinned, and Y 2 324 SERMON XVIII. sinned repeatedly : and it was the pleasurableness of sin that constituted its temptation, both at first, and afterwards, and, in fact, constitutes its tempta- tion now. Why did we indulge in any particular sin for the first time, but because we thought it would prove pleasant ? And it did prove pleasant. If not, why did we indulge in it again, and . again, and again ? Even if we have suffered for indulging in a particular sin, why have we continued to indulge in it, perhaps up to the present time, but because the pleasure of it is still greater to us than the pain ? We do not indulge in any sin under the notion of its being painful, but under the notion of its being pleasant. JNobody ever committed a sin, tempted to do so by the pain of it. No — it is the pleasures of sin, enticing, enjoyed, and continuing to be enjoyed, that did at first, do now, and always will, make it a temptation to our fallen nature. Hience, I say, it cannot be disputed that some satis- faction accrues to persons who are living in sin : what sorts and degrees of it, we have now further to inquire. " What fruit had ye then ? ' inquires the Apostle. There are many sorts of pleasurable sin. "Adul- tery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulation, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like," are so many sorts of SERMON XVIII. 325 sill, all pleasurable to the body of sin, or to the fleshly mind, or else they would not be committed. Most of them are pleasurable to most persons at most times ; and each of them is pleasurable to some person at some time. All the sins that are in the world have their seasons of attractiveness and seduc- tiveness, or they would not be in the world at all. But certain sorts of sin are particularly enjoyed by certain persons at certain times. Those sorts, which any of us are conscious of our having particularly enjoyed, have been " the fruit" which we have had. They have been the tastes which have gratified our natural palate — the delicacies on which our " flesh" has fed with the greatest satisfaction. And now we have to inquire after the degree of that satisfaction. " What fruit ?" inquires the text ; that is, how good fruit, had ye ? What was the extent and amount of the gratification you had from sin ? Was it much, or was it little ? Was it long, or was it short ? Did it increase, or dimi- nish, every time of repetition ? And were your afterthoughts on it agreeable, -or otherwise ? We must reflect on these points each for our- selves ; and on them depends the determination of what degree of satisfaction we have had from sin. That we have all had a considerable degree of satisfaction from it is probable, but some of us more than others. Scripture speaks both of men and 326 SERMON XVIII. women who ''live in pleasure." Many of yon have prohably " lived in pleasure" hitherto, and are living in it now : and I should only seem and be absurd, if I went about to prove to you, that living in plea- sure means living in pain. You cannot be argued out of your own experience ; and, I doubt not, you have experienced very considerable pleasure in the ways of sin. You have had a real and perhaps exquisite satisfaction, of a certain kind, in gratifying " the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life ;" it would be vain either for you or me to pretend that you have not. You are conscious that, as it is said in Job, " wickedness has been sweet in your mouth, and you have hid it under your tongue : you have spared it, and not forsaken it, but kept it still within your mouth." And so, if the Apostle come to you with the inquiry, " What fruit have you had in the ways of sin ?" you are prepared to answer. You have had some — you have had a considerable deal — you have had many sorts of " pleasures of sin" — and very much you enjoyed them in various degrees. And yet his question, "What fruit had ye?" implies that you have had none. When he put this question to the Roman Christians, he put it triumphantly, under the certainty they would reply, they had had none. And St. Paul was not liable to be mistaken : and yet human experience is much the SERMON XVIII. 327 same in all ages. How, then, should the Roman Christians have had no fruit in the ways of sin, and you have had much ? Is sin different in its nature now from what it was then ? or are you different in your nature now from what the Roman Christians were in their nature then ? Neither. The nature of sin and the nature of man remain equally unchanged. And the explanation of your having enjoyed sin, while the Roman Christians are supposed by the Apostle to have had " no fruit" of it, is this — he attached a particular meaning to the word "fruit." He meant lasting advantage, as distinguished from transient pleasure — and with regard to pleasure, he meant spiritual as distin- guished from fleshly pleasure — in short, he meant " fruit" as distinguished from blossom, as distin- guished from flowers. " All Jlesh is as grass, and all the goodliness of man as the Jlorver of grass : and the gi'ass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away." It was in this light that the Apostle looked upon 'Uhe pleasures of sin;" that, though they might be fair and gay and fascinating for a little while, yet soon "their blossom went up as dust," and there was no fruit, nothing substantial, nothing permanent, nothing remaining for the person to feed upon, so as to be nourished unto life eternal. It was only "fruit unto life eternal" which 8t. Paul would allow himself to consider and call " fruit." 398 SERMON XVIII. The pleasures of sin, which were merely pleasures, aud produced nothing lastingly advantageous, he always considered and called " unfruitful." For example ; he says to the Ephesians, " Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness." But, on the contrary, effects pleasing, profitable, spiritual, and lastingly beneficial, are, in the Scrip- tures, continually pronounced fruit. For example, in Isaiah iii. 10, it is said, " Say ye to the r-igliteous, that it shall be well with him ; for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. But woe unto the wicked ! it shall be ill with him ; for the reward of his hands shall be given him." Accordingly, in the New Testament we read, in Gal. v., of "the works of the flesh," but of " the fruit of the Spirit." And agahi, in Ephesians v., " The fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth." So in the text, when the Apostle inquires, " What fruit had ye from sin ?" he means to deny, in the strongest manner, that they had had any from that quarter. He allows of nothing as fruit, but what comes from the opposite quarter, " Ye have your fruit unto holiness.'"' Bearing in mind, then, that by " fruit" the Apostle meant, in the text, effects, not merely pleas- ing to the natural man, but pleasing to the spiritual man, and not pleasing only, but permanently bene- ficial, you will have no difficulty in seeing why he SERMON XVIII. 329 asks so confidently from persons who had been living in sin, "What fruit had ye in those things?" He knew they had had none. He knew that the pleasures of sin were, in the first place, pleasing only to the natural, not to the spiritual man ; and that they were, in the second place, " but for a season," and not abiding : on which accounts they were but fading fleshly flowers, not lasting spiritual fruit. And if St. Paul could appeal to the Roman Christians, whether they had had, in this sense, any fruit of sin, I may appeal with the same con- fidence to any of you, my brethren, who are converted Christians now. "What fruit had yoiC of those sins in which you lived in your unconverted state ? That you may have had from them much pleasure of a certain kind, I have already allowed to be highly probable. But it was mere worldly or carnal plea- sure. It was the gratification of those " desires" in you " of the flesh or of the mind," by which you are allied either to the brute creation, on the one hand, or to Satan, on the other. You may " have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton," as so many animals ; or you may have indulged yourselves in sins of the mind, such as ambition, pride, vanity, envy, anger, deceit, covet- ousness, and other evil thoughts. But suj^posing you to have gratified your evil tempers, to have 330 SERMON XVIII. fulfilled your worldly desires, and to have had the consummation of your carnal wishes, have you had any fruit from them, that is, any advantage to your spiritual, your highest, your everlasting interests ? You know you have not, but quite the contrary. You know that your indulgence of " fleshly lusts warred against your soul f and that the more you cherished improper imaginations, and gratified cor- rupt propensities, the more they indisposed you to piety and goodness, and " hardened your heart from God's fear." You know how they made you restrain prayer, shun your Maker, despise your Saviour, grieve the Spirit, and inflict wounds on your conscience which pain you to this hour. You know what mischief they did your body ; and, which is worse, you know what mischief they did your mind. You are suffering now some of the enfeeb- ling tainting consequences of early immoralities and mental sins. " You mourn at the last." " You are all ashamed of pleasures that could not profit you," and of which there remains nothing now but the mischievous effects, or the humiliating remem- brance. You perceive, however agreeable such things were to your natural man, they were empty of all good to your immortal spirit. When you look forwards to eternity, and consider what the things are that belong to your peace there ; and then look backwards to the things you pursued with satisfaction SERMON XVIII. 331 iu your unrenewed state ; you see with trembling they were not the things whicli would have " brought you peace at the last." You perceive they were at best but flowers to garnish your putrefying flesh, not fruit, on which your soul could have been sustained for ever and ever. We have seen, then, in the first place, what fruit, or rather what mockery and absence of fruit, persons have, while they are slaves to sin. Let us now consider, in the second place, what real fruit they have, when they are " made free from sin, and become the servants of God." " They have their fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life." But here we must explain a little. What is meant by " being made free from sin ?" Are there any persons free from sin ? Certainly not, in one sense ; and yet they are free, in another. There are no persons free from the commission of some kind or degree of sin ; for St. John says, " If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." Indeed one would think that humiliating experience of his corruption was quite enough to make the most advanced Christian cry daily, " God be merciful to me a sinner." Yet, in another sense, there are persons " free from sin 3" said to be so, because they are free from the con- demnation and dominion, from the guilt diwd. power ^L 332 SERMON XVIII. of it. Such persons are " made free from sin," made so bj the Sou of God, their Redeemer aud Liberator, " their righteousuess and sanctification ;" and " when the Son makes them free, they are free indeed." Their freedom from sin is not ima- ginary, but real -, not theoretic, but practical ; not superficial, but radical ; freedom in the spirit, though not in the flesh ; partial for awhile, but total at last ; aud then not temporary, but eternal. Tliey are made free, when they " are washed, sanctified, justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." By nature all persons are born in sin, and yield themselves voluntarily as " servants to sin," and are " free from righte- ousness." But sovereign mercy interposes in behalf of some, and gives them a new heart and a right spirit. Their eyes are opened to see, and their heart to deplore, their guilt and thraldom. " They groan, being burdened" with a sense of sin and helpless- ness. This is the first work of the Spirit in them. He then " leads them to Christ, that they may be justified by faith," and out of His fulness "receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteous- ness." And it is a fact, that all who mourn for sin, and, " weary and heavy laden" with it, go to the Redeemer, and fall penitently at the foot of his cross, and pray for a removal of the wrath of God which they feel abiding on them, as a burdensome SERMON XVIII. 333 stone, are relieved in due time. They are blessed with real pardon, conscious peace, and effectual gi-ace. "The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses them from all" condemning " sin," and his Spirit " cleanses them from all" domineeiiug " unrighteousness." They may sin, alas ! they will sin, after this ; " for there is no man that liveth and sinneth not :" but they will not persist and continue in sin. They will repent of the evil into which they are beguiled, and they will seek and obtain gi-ace to forsake and amend it. And then " there is no condemnation to those who are thus in Christ Jesus ;" and habi- tually " they walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." So doing, they are the description of per- sons meant in the text, as " made free from sin ;" and they prove that they are so, by " becoming servants to God." A change has taken place at once in their state, their disposition, and their con- duct. They were servants to sin ; they are servants to God : they did yield themselves of choice to sin ; they now yield themselves of choice to God : they did live in habits of evil ; they now live in habits of good. When they were " after the flesh," they were known and read of all men as " minding the things of the flesh 3" and now that " they are after the Spirit," they are known and read of all men as " minding the things of the Spirit." My brethren, are any of you persons of this 334 SERMON XVIIL description P Have you reason to think, from your altered disposition and behaviour, that the Son of God has " made you free from sin ?" When I say altered disposition and behaviour, I refer to those of you who are conscious of having been, at a former period of your Hfe, the servants of sin. And if you once "served divers lusts and pleasures," and now do not, Christ must have "broken their yoke from off your neck," and you must be conscious of your liberation. You cannot have had your chains snap- ped, you cannot have come out of the house of bondage, and be breathing the air of Christian freedom, and " walking at liberty, seeking God's commandments," without being aware of the happy change in your circumstances. There may be some present, who, through God's preventing and further- ing grace, never were the conscious servants of sin, nor at any period of their lives habitually yielded themselves up to " fulfil the desires of the flesh and of the mind," but "feared the Lord from their youth." Such favoured persons cannot, of course, remember " being made free from sin," because its power over them was broken by the Spirit of God before they were sensible of its oppression. They, therefore, must examine themselves, not so much as to a change, but as to an improvement, an ame- lioration, having taken place in their disposition and behaviour. And if, in point of fact, now, whatever SERMON XVIII. 335 they were formerly, now the disposition and behaviour of any of you are Christian, that is a sufficient evidence of your being " made free from sin ;" and you are the description of characters whom the Apostle addressed in the text. Consider, then, now that you are made free from sin, and become servants to God, what real and lasting fruit you have and will have from this your renewed heart and conduct. The Apostle says, "You have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life." Now if holiness be produced in you, this is indeed something worthy of the name of fruit. Holiness is a produce worthy of the pains God has taken with you, and of the pains you have taken with yourselves. When holiness is the result, your Creator does not regret having planted you, nor the Sun of righteousness having shone upon you, nor the Spirit having showered upon you the dew of his gi'ace : nor do you regret having yielded yourselves to divine cultivation^ and striven that Christ might " see in you of the travail of his soul, and be satisfied." The production of holiness in you is the very end of all God's care, and all your labour. You were chosen that you might be holy, called that you might be saints, redeemed that you might be zealous of good works ; and if you are so, well ; there is joy in heaven, and there is joy in you. God is gratified, and you are satisfied ; 336 SERMON XVIII. for " a good man shall be satisfied from himself." You were planted that you might be trees of righteousness ; and if you are " filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ," this is " to the glory and praise of God," and not less to your own comfort. Holiness and righteousness are fruit which will nourish you to immortality, and be the fruit of the tree of life in the midst of the Paradise of God, on which the redeemed of the Lord will feed for ever. "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life." For ever will the King of glory take pleasure in such fruit in his garden above, and say to " the nations of them that are saved," "Eat, O friends," " eat of the fruit of your own ways." You had it to holiness on earth, and you shall have it to happiness in heaven. In other words, and to drop all figurative lan- guage, the consequences of being made free from sin, and becoming servants to God, are pleasing, beneficial, and lasting ; and so are compared to excellent fruit, beautiful to the eye, refreshing for present use, and, being fully ripe, capable of being " laid up in store, as a good foundation against the time to come." The effects of divine grace in man are holiness and righteousness ; and these beautify, and benefit, and save their possessors. We often read of "the beauty of holiness;" and as for the SERMON XVIIl. 337 comfort aud advaiitage of it, they are such as words caiiDot express. How lioly was St. Paul ! and how attractive is his character ! how exuherant was his happiuess, aud how great is his reward ! But there was " uone holy as the Lord," the Lord incarnate, " the holy child Jesus ;" and see the beauties and the benefits of holiness in him. " He was fairer than the children of men : full of grace were his lips ; and God has blessed him for ever." " He loved righteousness, and hated iniquity ; therefore God, even his God, anointed him with the oil of gladness above his fellows." If then we would exhibit in our deportment "whatsoever things are lovely and of good report ;" and if we would enjoy in our experience whatsoever feelings are happy and satisfactory ; let us tread in the steps of our Saviour's holy life. The more free we are from sin, the more free we shall be from sorrow; and the more " holy we are in all manner of conversation," the more happy we shall be in all manner of percep- tions. Holiness is our highest interest here, and certainly as regards hereafter. It is "profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." May these considerations prevail with all of us to follow after holiness with greater earnestness and perseverance ! Surely they should prevail with you to do so. Christian brethren, as many of you as z 338 SERMON XVIII. have tasted both the wormwood of sin, and the fruit of holiness. However luscious and tempting the vine of Sodom may appear to the ignorant and inexpe- rienced, you know, for you have tried, that " its grapes are grapes of gall, and that its clusters are bitter." You have proved the consequences of indulging " the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life ;" and you have found them to be disastrous. You are certain that " the pleasures of sin" are but " for a season," and that *' the end of these things is death." And not only so, but norv God has shown you a more excellent way. You have travelled " the way of righteous- ness ;" and know that it " is life, and that in the pathway thereof there is no death." You have also tried the fruit along this "highway of holiness," and found that it is good. You are ascertained that piety, and purity, and probity are the only things that will bring a man peace now, and espe- cially that will "bring him peace at the last." Therefore cultivate these graces. Mind not the labour and the self-denial. " Deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, looking for that blessed hope" of one day appearing with Christ in glory. "Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure." He is the unspotted Lamb of God in the bosom of the Father. We must be SERMON XVIII. 339 like liim to be gathered into the same bosom. No holiness, no happiness, here or hereafter. Remem- ber this. Christian brethren, and act accordingly. And if those who have tried the ways of sin have found them hard and grievous, let this deter you from wandering into them, as many of you as feel yourselves tempted to do so, though you have been mercifully restrained hitherto by grace, by a religious education, by good friends, and by good habits. What so tempting has the service of sin to offer you, that you should wish to enter it ? Ask those who have tried it already, whether they found it a good service. This is only Avhat you would do in ordinary life : it is no more than a dictate of common prudence. What servant is there here, proposing to enter on a new place, who is not intent to ask what sort of a place his or her prede- cessor found it ? Ask then your predecessors in the service of sin, what sort of a place they found theirs. St. Paul has asked them for you already in the text — " What fruit had ye of those things" on which you were employed in that service ? and the answer is. None, or worse than none — such "whereof we are now ashamed ;" and " the end of those tilings" would have been " death" to us, if sove- reign mercy had not " saved us from our destruc- tions." And will any here presume on that mercy saving them from their destructions, if, with their Z 2 340 SERMON XVIII. eyes open, they go into the service of the destroyer ? God forbid. " It is written, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." Hear this, my brethren, you who are yet servants to God : and hear it espe- cially, you, my young friends, who have been " brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." Hear it, and fear. *' When Ephraim spake trembling, he exalted himself in Israel ; but when he offended in Baal, he died." Lastly, let me 7varn those of you who may be offending now, whether through heedlessness or presumption. So " the word of the Lord comes to me, saying. Son of man, I have made thee a watch- man unto the house of Israel : therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked. Thou shalt surely die ; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity ; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity ; but thou hast delivered thy soul." For the deliverance of my own soul, therefore, to say nothing of the deliverance of your's, I am constrained to warn those of you, who know in your conscience that you are living in habits of sin. Break them off, or the end of them will be SERMON XVIII. 341 death, eternal death. Are they dear to you as a right arm ? Break them off. " It is better for you to enter into life with one arm, than having two arms to be cast into hell fire, where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." Can you not break them off ? Have you no heart, no power to do so? Then go to Jesus Christ in faith and prayer. Believe that he is able to break them off. Entreat him to make you willing they should be broken off; yea, determined that by his grace they shall be. And "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength." Then go stand in spirit by the cross of Jesus. Look upwards, and say, " O Lord, I am oppressed ; undertake for me. Thou art my helper and redeemer ; make no long tarrying, O my God." SERMON XIX. Gen. vi. 9. "Noah walked with God." A short but most descriptive character of a good man. We will consider, first, what the description implies ; and, secondly, what the character suggests to us. We shall thus, by the Divine blessing, derive from our text both instruction and stimulus. First, Noah is described to have " walked with God" — what does the description imply ? It implies these three things : faith — friendship — fidelity. Noah's walking with God implies, first, that he was a man of faitli. He certainly did not walk with God by sight. " God was in heaven, and he on earth." But then Noah's faith was to him instead of sight. He believed in the I^ord God of whom his fathers had told him : for he SERMON XIX. 343 was not the first of his family who had lived by faith. Of his great grandfather Enoch it is left on record, that " Enoch walked with God, and was not, for God took him." " He was translated, that he should not see death. But before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God." And would we know wherein he pleased God, the Apostle tells us it was by his faith, " without which it is impossible to please God." Now Noah was born not long after Enoch's translation, and must have heard by tradition of all the way in which his pious forefather had walked with God — " whose faith therefore he followed," " having found grace in the eyes of the Lord." Noah, then, was not one of those who live " without God in the world." Wherever he was, whatever he did, he realized the presence of his Maker. " He set the Lord always before him," and walked " as seeing Him who is invisible." But, secondly, Noah's walking with God implies somewliat more than faith, it implies fj-iendship. For, asks the prophet Amos, " Can two walk together except they be agreed ? " No — they will separate. Communion of persons proceeds from union of hearts. Therefore, in that Noah walked with God, it follows that " they two were of one accord, of one mind" — in a word, that Noah was, what Abraham was, " the friend of God." But 344 SERMON XIX. how did he become so ? He was not born the friend, but the enemy of God. For he was a son of fallen Adam ; and therefore " behold, he was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did his mother con- ceive him." And, being "born of the flesh, he was flesh;" and "in the flesh could not please God." Nor could God please him ; for " the car- nal mind is enmity against God." By nature, then, Noah walked contrary to God ; that he walked fvitk Him, was through grace. " He found grace in the eyes of the Lord." He experienced " the new birth unto righteousness." That Spirit of the Lord, which, in the same chapter, we find striving with his fellow- men in vain, had striven eff'ectually with Noah, and "given him a new heart and a new spirit." He had been " inclined" to seek God — had had " the love of God shed abroad in his lieart by the Holy Ghost given unto him" — and had " made a cove- nant with God by sacrifice." After the Flood we find him " building an altar unto the Lord, and ofi'ering on it burnt-off'erings of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl :" " and," the Scripture adds, " the Lord smelled a sweet savour." No doubt Noah had offered the like offerings before the Flood, and with like acceptance : and " the sweet savour which the Lord smelled" was not that of burning beasts, but that of a crucified Son, who was the true sacrifice with which God was well- SERMOxN XIX. 345 pleased, the clean Lamb slain, in his councils, from the foundation of the world. So says St. Paul plainly, " Christ loved us, and gave himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God, for a sweet- smelling savour :" and " for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first covenant," and in the first patriarchs. Now if, by faith in a Saviour that " once, in the end of the world," should be crucified for sins, " Abel ofiered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, and obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts," we must needs suppose Noah to have obtained like witness by like means. No doubt, therefore, by the illuminating power of the Holy Ghost, Noah " lifted up his eyes, and saw afar off" his great descendant crucified on Calvary for the sin of the world. No doubt "he saw and believed ;" and offered his own clean offerings in typical expres- sion of his faith. He was, therefore, "justified by faith, and had peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also he had access by faith into this grace wherein he stood," and wherein he " walked with God in Christ" as his reconciled Father and Friend. He and God were now "agreed," and he could approach his Maker with reverent familiarity. The iniquity which once sepa- rated between him and his God was done away by the blood of Christ; and the enmity of his car- 346 SERMON XIX. nal mind being removed by the Holy Ghost, in him " perfect love cast out fear." A guilty con- science no longer made him hide himself, like Adam, from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. He walked forth to meet his God on blood-besprinkled ground, and having on that robe of Christ's righteousness wherein he knew he should find favour with God. He could thus walk with God in white. He could say, " O God, thou art my God." He could appropriate God — he could speak unto the Lord — he could hold with him a communion of spirit — he could feel toward him the confidence of a friend — he could consult him in difficulties — rely on him in dangers — enjoy him for the present — and trust him for the future. Thus Noah's walking with God implied faith, in the first place, and friendship in the second : but thirdly it implied also fidelity. To walk with God is to accompany Him whither- soever he goes. Now God's ways are difiicult and trying to flesh and blood. " Thy way, O God, is holy," and therefore hard to sinful man. The way of God is opposite to our own way, and opposite to the way of the world. Hence, to walk with God, a person must walk contrary to his natural appe- tites, and contrary to the current of the world, which requires great fidelity to God. Not unfrequently SERMON XIX. 347 also " God moves in a mysterious way" — " his way is in the sea, and his paths in the great waters, and his footsteps are not known." In such cases again it requires great fideHty to God even to follow him, much more to walk with him, side hy side, with undaunted confidence. Yet "Noah walked with God," in the highway of holiness. He eschewed his own wickedness, and kept himself from his iniquity. He mortified his own worldly and carnal appetites, and, through grace, kept under his hody and brought it into subjection. And he walked with his God, not only against the current of his own natural propensities, but against the current of the world. It required in him a fidelity to God almost inconceivable to persevere, as he did, in the good and the right way, when all the world was against him. He had to walk with God when every individual around, except seven persons, was walking contrary to God, and therefore contrary to himself. How difficult was it for him to stem the torrent of an ungodly world. Yet he " was a just man, and perfect (or upright) in his generations." He was "a just man," when *'the earth was filled with violence." He was an " upright man," when "all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth." He was, by mouth and by example, " a preacher of righteousness to a world of the ungodly." He was a man of approved fidelity to his God in the 348 SERMON XIX. midst of a faithless generation. And he not only walked with God against the world, when his path was plain, but he continued to walk with him through untried and mysterious paths. When God forsook the world, he forsook it with him. When God entered into the ark, Noah entered with him. When God went out of the ark, Noah went out with him. His principle and his practice was, " to hold him fast by God," "to put his trust in the Lord God," and to feel satisfied in his Maker's company. When Noali, then, is described in the text as having " walked with God," we have seen what the description implies : it implies three things : his faith — his friendship — and his fidelity towards God. We come now, in the second place, to consider what his character suggests to us. It suggests to us to labour after the faith he possessed, the privilege he enjoyed, and the practice he exhibited. It suggests to us, first, to labour after the faith he possessed. Faith is the gift of God. No man has it by nature. All men have it not by grace. Whoever have it, it is a faculty imparted to your soul, by the Creator Spirit. " The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of them," whether in nature or grace. And as he who has no ear cannot discern sounds, and as he who has no eye cannot estimate SERMON XIX. 349 prospects, so he who has no faith can neither discern nor estimate things spiritual and eternal. It requires, in the Scripture expression, "the eyes of our understanding to be enlightened" before we can have right views of things invisible to our natural faculties. To see "the things of the Spirit," we want the spiritual faculty of faith. " The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him ; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual discerneth all things," by his spiritual faculty of faith, which is to him the eye of his soul. With this eye he looks into the world of spirits, and sees God and Christ and the things of the Spirit so certainly and clearly, that tliey affect him deeply and habitually. They are no longer imaginary and uninfluential beings and things, but are apprehended in somewhat of their just reality and importance. Thus faith is to the soul, like a telescope to the eye -, opening, in a manner, a new world, and causing the observer to be variously affected with sights which, because not seen, had not affected him before. Now Noah had this faculty of faith, by which he saw God, brought, as it were, close to him. To believing Noah God was an ever-present God, and the prospects of eternity lay continually outstretched 350 SERMON XIX. before him : so that he " saw the King in his beauty, and beheld the land that was very far off." Thus his faculty of faith was to him " the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Now this, brethren, is the faculty we should labour to possess — I do not say to acquire, because it is not to be acquired, but obtained as a gift. A habit is acquired — a faculty is given. A man may acquire a habit of seeing correctly, but he cannot acquire a habit of seeing. If he have not the faculty of sight given him by the Lord, if he be blind — he may roll and strain his eye-balls, but in vain — he is dark, and all his efforts will not make him see. But if the Lord give him the faculty of sight, then, afterwards, through exercise, he may learn to see correctly. And thus it is in things spiritual as well as natural. By nature we fallen sinners have no faculty of seeing God and spiritual things. We are born blind : and thus all of us, whether higli or low, rich or poor, learned or unlearned, are upon a par, as to our spiritual inability. Our sharp-sightedness for this world avails nothing to open before us the world to come. A philosopher and a fool are equally unable to see God, and equally unable to acquire the faculty of seeing him. This faculty is a gift, for which we all are alike dependant on the mere mercy and SERMON XIX. 351 free grace of God in Clirist. This consideration humbles our pride of intellect, and brings us to our knees. It shews us that our help and hope are not in ourselves, but in the Lord. " Our faith stands not in the wisdom of man, but in the power of God :" and our proper posture is that of prayer ; and our proper petition, " Lord, open our eyes that we may see." If the Apostles prayed, "Lord, increase our faith," it shows who must be the author as well as finisher of our faith. Let us labour, then, my brethren, after the possession of this precious faculty of faith. The God who gave it Noah still lives to give it us. " Ask," he has said, " and ye shall have — seek and ye shall find." Let us ask, therefore, and seek for this blessed faculty of " seeing Him who is invi- sible," and of setting him before us in a clear and affecting manner. This must be the preliminary measure to our " walking with God." Our faith must set him beside us, before we can begin to walk with him. And as our faith must realize the presence of God before we can begin to walk with him, so the continuance of our walk with him will depend on the habitual exercise of our faith. " We must set the Lord always before us," if we would habitually have " him at our right hand." If we feel after him, we shall always find him, not far from every 352 SERMON XIX. one of us. In him we live and move and have our being; but he will be felt after by faith and prayer and pains, before he will be found, and apprehended as present. And this leads me to observe, secondly, that we should labour not only after the possession of Noah's faith, but also after the enjoyment of Noah's privilege. He walked with God as with a friend. To him the divine presence was welcome and joyous. It is not so to all. The felt presence of God is unpleasant to wicked men, and dreadful to wicked spirits, who see him and tremble; who have him always before them as a consuming fire, always at their right hand as an avenging God. The presence of God can never be joyous, till he be apprehended as a friend. Hence, brethren, our need of believing the record that " He is in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them." Our consciousness of guilt is that which indisposes us to realize the presence of our God. We can never "draw nigh unto him with a true heart, in full assurance of faith," much less can we "walk with him," unless we rest on his Gospel promises in Christ Jesus. Let us labour, therefore, to rest on them. " This js a faithful saying, and worthy of us all to be received, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." " And, having made peace through SERMON XIX. 353 tlie blood of his cross, it pleases the Father by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things on earth, or things in heaven : and us, that have been sometime alienated and enemies to him in our minds by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present us holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight, if we continue in the faith gi'ounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel which we have heard." These words assure us, that if we continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel, preaching peace to us through a crucified Saviour, we are reconciled to God through the death of his Son, whose blood expiated our sins, and for whose sake God himself accounts and presents us holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his own sight. Christ, then, is that new and living way by whom we may have access with confidence to our heavenly Father, and on whom, so long as we walk with God, we may certify ourselves we are accepted in his sight ; and w^e should therefore look upon him as truly our Friend, and unbosom ourselves to him as such. Allowed, as believers are, the privilege of fellowship with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, we should humbly use it. It would not have been allowed us, had it not been intended we should A A 354 S E E M O N XIX. use it. Therefore we are not presumptuous, but giving glory to God by our faith, if we aspire to the enjoyment of Noah's privilege of " walking with God." What is it we aspire to in heaven ? Is it not the privilege of walking with God for ever? If, then, we can hope for Him as a friend through eternity, is it too much to repose on Him as a friend in time ? Our confidence is not in ourselves, but in his dear Son. We shall not displease the Father, while we please the Son : and we shall please the Son, if we venture boldly on his merits into his Father's presence. Where can be our high sense of our Redeemer's worthiness, if we think him not worthy enough to recommend us to his Father's favour and friendship ? O let us consider well ivhat a Mediator we have, and tlien surely we shall think no privilege too great to be bestowed on us for his sake. He has assured us, that " as many as receive him, to them gives he privilege to become the sous of God, even to them that believe on his Name." If, therefore, any of us have received grace to believe on his Name, let us further believe our privilege of adoption as sons, and let us endeavour to walk with our heavenly Father in a filial spirit. We sliall thus emulate the faith and friendship of approved Noah. And, thirdly, let us emulate his fidelity — let us labour after the practice which he exhibited. " He was a just man, and upright in his generations :" it SERMON XIX. 365 was thus " he walked with God," the only way in which He can continue to be walked witli. For " all his ways are judgment : a God of truth, and without iniquity, just and right is He." And "just and right" must those be who would walk with him in his ways. " The righteous Lord loveth right- eousness ; his countenance will behold the thing that is just," and none other. Hence he early said to Abram, " I am the Almighty God ; walk before me, and be thou perfect." Our Saviour's exhortation is the same — " Be ye therefore perfect, as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." The children and friends of God are expected to bear the same moral character as God. Called into the honour and advantage of his society, they are expected to " walk worthy of the vocation wherewith they are called." Indeed they are called into his society, that they may see how He walks, and be at the same time instructed and incited to copy his example. Accord- ingly our Lord Jesus Christ, who was " God manifest in the flesh," had disciples around him, wliom he called his friends, whom he admitted to the privilege of walking with him whithersoever he went, and to whom his exhortation was, " Learn of me." He said, " I have given you an example." Since the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, full of grace and tnith, we men have much clearer ideas in what way we are to walk with God. We can ' A A 2 356 SERMON XIX. now meditate on the character of Jesus, " the Son of man," and see how he walked with his Holy Father. Also we can meditate on the character of his Apostles, and see how they walked with our incar- nate God. Thus we can be both instructed and incited to be followers of them, even as they also were of Christ, and even as Christ also was of God. We perceive Jesus to have been " holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners :" and we perceive his true discii)les to have been, in tlieir degree, of the same character. Hence St. Paul says to his Phi- lippians, " Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. For many walk of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ ; whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things. But our conversation is in heaven." Paul walked with God in heart and spirit, while he walked up and down in this lower world in the diligent dis- charge of his appointed business. There is a way of walking with God in every thing. When he is realized and loved as a present Father in Christ, and when we go forth in his strength and for his sake and in dutiful obedience to his will, to our worldly work, we are with God, and God with us, in every thing which we so do. None was more busy than SERMON XIX. 357 the Lord Jesus ', yet he did always those things which pleased his Father. St. Paul was full of occupation ; yet whether he was tent-making, or preaching the Gospel, he ^vas still walking with God. We cannot. Christian brethren, go out of the world to walk with God, while we are in the flesh : but tliough we walk in the flesh, if we walk not after the flesh, but in the spirit, we walk with God. We may w^alk with God while we are in the body — Noah was in the body — Enoch was in the body. Our being in the body therefore is no fatal hindrance to our w alk- ing with God. Only we must keep under our body and bring it into subjection. We must abstain from sinful lusts, which war against the soul. We must endeavour to use this world, as not abusing it, and walk above it, while we are in it. We must have an upward look. We must live under Hagar's impression, *' Thou, God, seest me ;" and we must so act as that he may not abhor our company. We may have a great idea whether we walk with God, by considering whether our behaviour in all respects is such, as that he may be supposed content to walk with us. It is not our littleness and degraded condi- tion that will make our merciful Lord decline our company. Those with whom he will not walk are those who live in allowed sin. We should consider, therefore, whether, in our daily walk through life, we so speak and act, in public and in private, in our 358 SERMON XIX. worldly business aud in our devotional exercises, as that we should not be ashamed, if, the doors being shut, and we thinking ourselves unobserved, Jesus came suddenly and stood in the midst. We should consider whether our habitual behaviour is such that, if he came upon us at any moment, he could still say, " Peace be unto you," and approve our conduct. Our conduct cannot be right, if we know we are indulging in practices which would make us ashamed before him at his coming. But if we " have a good conscience" — if, at least, " herein we exercise ourselves to have always a conscience void of offence, towards God and towards men" — then we can think with comfort of the Lord's presence. Then we walk in the light, aud there- fore in Him, and with Him, who " is light, and in whom is no darkness at all." Our past sins, being repented of and forsaken, and our daily sins being daily mourned for and watched against, they do not separate between us and our God : " the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all such sins," and our fellowship with the Father con- tinues notwithstanding them. Such is the grace given us in Christ Jesus, through whom we have access by one Spirit unto the Father, and, like Noah, walk with God. Let us hold fast this faith, rejoice in this privilege, and walk wortliy of it in our practice. Let us not grieve the Holy Spirit of SERMON XIX. 359 God, nor wilfully do auytliing to alienate the Lord from our company. Rather let us consider what an unspeakable honour and blessing it is to be admitted into the society of God, and to have fellow- ship and friendship with " the blessed and only Potentate." Well may we forsake the world, in order to be joined unto the Lord. Well may we renounce Belial to win Christ. Well may we deny ourselves, that we may not be denied Divine society. We cannot be losers, whatever we give up for the Lord's sake. Whatever we resign, we shall have manifold more in this present life, and in the world to come life everlasting. This flesh that we deny will go to corruption — that world we forsake w411 be consumed by fire — that Satan we renounce will be cast into hell : but the Lord will live for ever — the God whose society we choose will bless us with that society, wlien the fashion of this world is passed away. Even here no harm can happen unto us, while we have God at our side. From the instance of Noah we are taught by St. Peter that the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations. Noah was safe in the ark, when the world that would not walk with God was buried in the Flood. A greater than that deluge is coming upon our world — a deluge of fire. But if we here walk with God in faith, friend- ship, and fidelity, we shall be secure in Him, when 360 SERMON XIX. "other refuge there is none." When we wake from our long sleep, and hear the heavens passing away with a great noise, and find our world in flames ; when sinners, who refused to walk with God, are left to perish in devouring fire, and doomed unpitied to everlasting burnings ; then we shall be caught up, together with all saints, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we be ever with the Lord. Wherefore, Christians, comfort and encourage one another with these words ; and endeavour, through grace, so to pass through things temporal, that you finally lose not the things eternal. Endea- vour so to walk with God by faith yet a little while, that you may walk with him by sight for ever and ever, where there will be no more danger of your falling from him, or losing for a moment that unut- terable bliss with which you will be ushered into his heavenly presence. SERMON XX. PREACHED ON ADVENT SUNDAY. Isaiah xlii. 1 — 4. "Behold my servant, ivhom I uphold ; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth ; I have put my Spirit upon him : he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to he heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking jlax shall he not quench : he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgrnent in the earth : and the isles shall wait for his law." Preserved, as we are, by Divine mercy, to another Advent Sunday, and met to remember the coming of our Lord, his Holy Father seems as if He stood with him in the midst of us this morning, and introduced him to our adoring notice in the language of the text — ^^ Behold my servant, whom I uphold; 362 SERMON XX. mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth." This language applies to our Saviour's first, not to his second coming. It applies to the period when he " came to visit us in great humility." This is evident, both from St. Matthew's having in fact so applied the passage, and also from the very terms made use of by the Father in the introduction of his Son, " Behold mi/ servant.'' Christ, as to his native dignity, was not tlie servant, but " the Fellow, of the Lord of hosts." " Being in the form of God, he thought it not robbery to be equal with God," and indeed ever was, is, and will be, equal with him, as to his Godhead. If therefore he is introduced to us as "the servant" of God, we must remember that he was such only as touching his manhood — and even that, " not by constraint, but willingly ;" not because necessity was laid upon him, but because, for us men and for our salvation, he voluntarily emptied himself of his glory, and, by assuming our nature, " took upon him the form of a servant." Our race had abandoned the service of our Creator. Though we "were created for his pleasure," we had not done his pleasure. When He " looked down from heaven upon us children of men, to see if there were any of us that did understand, and seek after God, he perceived that we were all gone out of the way, that we were altogether become abominable, that there was none that did good, no. SERMON XX. 363 not one." Aiul, as an apostate and rebellious race. He would have destroyed us, had not Christ, as a servant, stood before Him in the gap, to turn away his wrath from us. " He said, Father, lo, I come to do tby will," and to do it iu a human body which thou shalt prepare for me. Such was the covenant he made with his willing Father from the beginning of our world, and in the fulness of time he made it good. Animated by a love for us "strong as death," he left his Father's bosom, laid aside his Majesty, came down from heaven to this fallen earth, did not abhor the Virgin's womb, but was born of her, a man, "in the likeness of sinful flesh," but " without sin," and yet " for sin." He came with no sin of his own, that he might take our sins upon him, and be an atoning Lamb in our stead, " without blemish and without spot." According to the law, the Paschal Lamb was to be narrowly observed three or four days before it was offered up, that it might be known to be an immaculate victim. And so the Lamb of God walked in Jewry, as he said, " to-day, and to-mor- row, and the day following," before he fell a sacri- fice at Jerusalem. In other words, he was daily with the Jews for three or four years before he sufflered ; all which time he voluntarily subjected himself to their severest scrutiny, and yet could triumphantly appeal to them at last, " Which of 364 SERMON XX. you convinceth me of sin?" No; the wonderful, the blessed, the saving truth is, " In him was no sin." " He came down from heaven to do his Father's will," and he did it, actively and passively, till with his latest breath on the cross he could exclaim, " It is finished." " Father, I have glori- fied thee on earth -, I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do." Here, then, was an instance of perfect service done to God — an instance of one who " did always those things which pleased him." And recollect, my brethren, it was a solitary instance. Among all the millions of the human race not one was ever a faithful servant of God, except " the man Christ Jesus." When therefore his Father introduced him to our attention, well might he say, " Behold my servant, whom I uphold ; mine elect, in whom my soul deliyhtethJ" Great indeed must have been the joy with which the Father beheld his Son " fulfil all righteousness." Did ever any of you, who are parents, send out a son into this world of sin and danger, and look after him with anxious eyes, to see how he would bear temptations, and cope with difficulties, and establish a character for " whatsoever things are lovely, and of good report ?" and when you saw him " quit himself like a man," and answer your expectations, and fulfil your warmest hopes, did your bosom swell with exultation, and your coun- SERMON XX. 365 tenance beam with delight ? Then you can under- stand a little of the exquisite satisfaction with which the Father of all beheld " his holy child Jesus" " do all things without murmurings or disputings, blame- less and harmless, the Son of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and pei\'erse nation, among whom he shone as a light in the world" — shone indeed not merely as a light in the world, but as "the light q/Mhe world" — shone as "the Sun of righteousness." Well might the Father take delight in his very " soul" in thus seeing his Son "fulfil all the good pleasure of his will;" and well might he " upholcV him in such a course of splendid and gratifying obedience ! What parent among you would not uphold your son in like circumstances, and furnish him with every proper help to prosecute his course to a successful termination ? Such help did God furnish to his Son Jesus. Accordingly he adds in the text, " I have put my Spirit upon him." And, as Christ had a work of immeasurable difficulty to perform, " the Father gave not the Spirit by measure unto him." And yet so fairly was the support which Christ received adjusted to the degrees of trial in which he was placed, that *' he was in all points really tempted, like as we are," only that he was " without sin." Whatever of temptation, and sorrow, and danger, and suffering, sinless but real manhood could undergo, that Clu'ist 366 SERMON XX. underwent, otherwise his Father would not have " known the proof of him" as a servant ; nor would the Paradise, lost by the fall of the first Adam, have been regained by the last Adam's upright " obedience unto death, even the death of the cross." There can be no doubt that "the man Christ Jesus" was thoroughly tried, by men, by Satan, and by God himself. Whatever was the Divine assistance rendered to him, it was not such as superseded the necessity of his making the most strenuous exertions of which human nature is capable. The spiritual support he received was not such as interfered with the perfect fairness of his trial as a man ; and therefore when, after trial, he was found sinless, human nature was restored in his person to its primitive holiness, and consequently to the favour of God. This fact, and the clear knowledge of it, are infinitely valuable to us ; because now we know that Christ is a new root of holiness to our human race, and from him we can derive that sanctification, and acceptance with God, which we lost in Adam. Since our Saviour has " magnified the Law, and made it honourable" by his obedience to it, and since by his death he has "^ redeemed us from the curse" of it, he has opened a way, not for our freedom in sin, but for our freedom from it. We may now " be washed, sanctified, and justified, in SERMON XX. 367 the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." If we heartily receive Christ as " the Lord our righteousness," God finds us in him, and " makes us to he accepted in the beloved." The services of Christ in the days of his flesh are made available for our benefit, and through him we "receive" from our reconciled Father "abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteousness." Thus ''judgment is brought forth to us Gentiles^ By "judgment" is here meant vindication of our cause, deliverance of us from oppression, and resto- ration of us to original privileges and happiness. We should recollect that, when the prophet Isaiah lived, our Gentile forefathers were living in gross idolatry and sin, not even in the nominal church, but, as St. Paul says, " aliens from the common- wealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world." They were, in the strictest and most awful sense, "oppressed of the Devil;" and the Jews thought they would remain so. Even Christian Jews, and at the fountain of ligbt too, Jerusalem, could scarcely credit St. Peter, after his visit to Cornelius, that " God to the Gentiles also had granted repentance unto life." And yet such a favour to our heathen race s/ioidd not have been incredible to our Jewish brethren. It was dis- tinctly prophesied and promised in the text 368 SERMON XX. before us, " My servant shall bring forth judg- ment to the Gentiles.'' And now, brethren, we have lived to prove the truth of the prophecy, and I hope some of us to experience the fulfilment of the promise. That Christ, who sits at the right hand of God, has wonderfully vindicated our cause as a nation. What an astonishing change for the better between our painted and savage forefathers, and evangelized England ! Could the valleys and hills around us speak, how would they burst forth into praises of that Gospel which has made us so to differ from our idolatrous and barbarous and bloody ancestors ! There are yet preserved in our city remnants of the very altars on which " they sacrificed to devils, and not to God ;" and even our eye teaches our heart to thank and bless that Saviour who " has brought forth judgment," that is, deliverance, for us. But, brethren, it will avail us little to be nation- ally, if we are not personally, benefited by Christ. We should therefore most seriously consider whether we, as individuals, have derived from our Redeemer that pardon and peace and piety and probity, which he became a servant that he might have the pleasure of bestowing on all penitent believers. Have we truly repented, and do we unfeignedly believe his holy Gospel ? These are solemn questions, and we should reiterate them to ourselves, till we have " the SERMON XX. 369 answer of a good conscience towards God." " Tims saitli the Lord of hosts. Consider your ways." How many are ruined everlastingly for want of considera- tion—for want of paying attention to the modest, unobtrusive solicitations of " pure and undefiled religion !" And yet, my brethren, the solicitations of Christ that we should attend to him will never he otherwise than modest and unobtrusive. Mark what was prophesied of him in the text, (" and the Scrip- tui-e cannot be broken,") " He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street." And if you mark further how this prophecy is applied to him by St. Matthew, in chapter xii. 17, you will see it is in connection with the Saviour's quiet and retiring character. " Great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all; but charged them that they should not make him known : that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet. Behold my servant, whom I have chosen ; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased ; I will put my Spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets." Our Lord was a man of peace ; " apt to teach," but with " a still small voice." His object was not to frighten, nor to dazzle, but to " persuade men." And as its Founder was, so is his religion, and so should be its ministers. " The wisdom from above B B 370 SERMON XX. is first pure, then peaceable, gentle." " Its doctrine drops as the rain ; its speech distils as the dew ; as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as showers upon the grass." So, brethren, you are not to expect impression, conversion, edification, to come to you in some noisy and overbearing manner. The influences of Divine grace are still and quiet ; and you must be still and quiet, if you would have them reach you. If you will not attend to gentle remon- strance and admonition, you will not be shocked into religion by some voice from heaven, or some Lazarus from the dead. You must hear Moses and the prophets, Jesus and the Apostles ; and you must hear them when they quietly solicit your attention, whether in your closet or your church. All the good you can obtain at all, you can obtain in a quiet way. Solomon's temple, though " exceeding magnifical, of fame and of glory in all countries," was built in a noiseless manner. " Neither hammer, nor ax, nor any tool of iron, was heard in the house, while it was in building." So must you, if you are lively stones, be quietly fitted into your respective places in Christ's spiritual house, his Church. Therefore attend to the suggestions of your con- science ; attend to the leadings of the Spirit ; attend to the Scripture, when you read it, or hear it read ; and attend to sound religious instruction from the pulpit, though it be '♦iipv loud, nor impassioned. SERMON XX. 371 nor exciting. If you want excitement, you want what you would not have found from the lips of Paul or Jesus. " They did not strive, nor cry, nor lift up :" hut " they still taught the people wisdom ;" and above all they still " comforted the mourners.^' It is to this trait, in our Lord especially, that the Father next calls our attention. " A bruised reef/ shall he not break.'' "A bruised reed" seems to mean any timid and wounded spirit, particularly a Christian spirit. I say, a timid spirit, because a reed is soon " shaken by the wind ;" and accordingly St. Paul was afraid that some of his Thessalonians would be " soon shaken in mind and troubled." And a reed is a plant of that delicate nature, it cannot bear much shaking without being bruised, nor much bruising without being broken. Now Jesus Christ is not the person to break that which he finds bruised. And he finds many bruised — some by temporal, and others by spiritual trouble. And how tender was he to such " in the days of his flesh !" The widow of Nain was a bruised reed. She was in bitterness, almost broken in heart, for her only son. " And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her. Weep not." And he raised her son, and " delivered him to his mother." The woman that was a sinner was another reed, bruised by spiritual trouble. Simon B B 2 372 SERMON XX. the Pharisee would soon have broken her, had she fallen into his hands. But she " fell into the hands of the Lord, and his mercies are great." He said unto her, " Thy faith hath saved thee : go in peace." Once more, his Apostles were bruised reeds, when he had told them he was going from them, and " sorrow had filled their hearts." With what care did he comfort them, saying, " Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you ; not as the world giveth, give I unto you : let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." We perceive the same tenderness breathing throughout his language on the mount of benedictions. "Blessed are the poor in spirit ; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn ; for they shall be comforted." And what numbers, not only of old, but of modern days, have been sensible of tlie gentleness of Christ towards them, and how his gentleness has made them great. Had he been severe or hasty with them, they feel they should have " perished in their trouble," they should have sunk under their load. But they met with Him, who says, " I will not chide for ever, neither will I be alway wrath ; for the spirit should fail before me ; and the souls which I have made. For his iniquity I smote him. I hid me, and was Avroth ; and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart. SERMON XX. 373 But now I have seen his" penitent " ways, and will heal him : I will restore comforts to him, and to liis mourners." Recollect, then, my brethren, if you are, or become, bruised reeds, that you are not bruised by One who wishes to break you. He bruises you, or rather lets you be bruised, that you may come mournfully to him, and throw yourselves heartily on his mercy ; and then his hands will soon make you whole. In trouble therefore visit this Lord, and pour out a prayer when his chastening is upon you : and you will surely find he will " forgive and comfort you, lest perhaps you should be swallowed up of overmuch son'ow." But to proceed with the text, As Christ will not break the bruised reed, so neither will he quench the smoking flax. " Smoking flax" is interpreted two ways, fii'st of heginncrs, and secondly of backsliders in religion. First, of beginners in religion. As smoke goes before flame, so, though " the beginning" of some Christians "is small, their latter end does greatly increase." Certainly it is true, that Christ was not a discourager of any who had a spark of piety. On the contrary, he approved and commended what was good in any one, and sought to make it better. We remember how he "loved" that young ruler, who had " some good thing" in him, though he 374 SERMON XX. could not then attain to the perfection of selling all that he had, and giving to the poor, and following Christ. And how patiently did he hear with the ignorances and errors of his disciples ! How was he " gentle among them, even as a nurse cherisheth her children ! So, heing affectionately desirous of them," he gave them "line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little," "as they were ahle to hear it;" till he matured their piety and knowledge, established their character, and reared them into perfect men. And to how many of later days has he shown the same kindness, suffering long with their manners, bearing with their much evil, and cherishing the small beginnings of good wliich his Spirit had planted in them, till he has eventually fostered them into a flame, and they have become "burning and shining lights," to the praise of the glory of his grace. If then, my brethren, any of you have any inclination to go to Christ, though you are "yet a great way off," be assured "he sees you" with complacency ; and if you will actually " arise and go" to him, he will meet you. He will "prevent you with the blessings of goodness," and " do for you more than you ask or think." But, secondly, "smoking flax" is perhaps more correctly interpreted of backsliders in religion. The rendering in the margin is, ''Dimly burning SERMON XX. 375 flax" — flax that had once been a bright and blazing torch, but had died away till it was well nigh extinct. Such is the case with those who, " having known God, or rather been known of God," have " lost their first love," and declined in their religion ; and, from "shining as lights in the world," have " their lamps" almost " put out in obscure darkness." Are any here conscious of being in this dete- riorated condition, and are you afraid you have sinned against the Holy Ghost, "sinned the sin unto death," and that there is no hope for you ? But nay, brethren there is some hope for you, though I admit your case is dangerous. But there is hope for you, " hope in Christ," or you " were of all men most miserable." What says the text of the disposition of Him from whom you have declined? It says, "The dimly burning flax he will not quench'' That you burn, however dimly, at least that you smoke, though your flame be extinct, is certain, from your feeling concern about your state. You are not quite dead, or you would have no feeling. The fire in you may be very low, may seem to be gone out, leaving nothing but cold ashes. But " stir up the gift of God which is in you." Did you never observe how wonderfully a low fire will kindle up with a little stirring ? God has given you that fact in nature, to assure you of what may occur in grace. So, if you are gone 376 SERMON XX. back in religion, declined in grace, *'be zealous, and repent, and do your first works ;" and the all- merciful Saviour will forgive you, and heal your backslidings, and give you more grace than to repeat them. But there is one more part of our Saviour's character set before us in the text for our contem- plation. "He shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth : and the isles shall wait for his law." When it says, " He shall bring forth judgment unto truth," judgment means the same as when it said before, " He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles ;" that is, vindication. He shall vin- dicate truth. He shall bring it forth from the errors with which it was obscured and oppressed, and shall make it triumphant. Accordingly St. Matthew's translation of the passage is, " He shall send forth judgment unto victory ;" that is, his judgment, or decision, given in any case, shall be victorious. It shall be so agreeable to right reason, the soundest principles, and the test of experience, that it shall be mighty upon earth, and finally prevail. And how wonderfully has this been the case with the judgments or decisions of our Lord ! and how still more wonderfully it is likely to be the case with them ! As Paley says, " A Galilean peasant changed the religion of the world" — and that not SERMON XX. 377 by any other force than the force of tnith. His decisions and precepts in the New Testament have, from the moment he uttered them till now, been felt as the truth. They have been acknowledged and deferred to as such by a succession of the purest and greatest minds on earth. They have been steadily gaining* new influence, and fresh victories ; and they are at this moment " going forth conquering and to conquer." They have nothing to fear from the acutest examination, the most contentious argument, and the sternest opposition. Amid the awakening of mind that has taken place, and the scepticism and infidelity that have arisen from detected error and exploded superstition. Christian truth is gradually advancing. The New Testament is not some " cunningly devised fable," which may possibly be some day discovered to have nothing in it, and be abandoned as false and foolish. No — when Jesus " opened his mouth, and taught," he knew he was establishing principles and precepts which should some time universally prevail. So, amid all the uproar around it, and against it, Christianity is as ** quiet from fear of evil," as was Noah in the ark amid the convulsions of the first world. When those dreadful but passing convulsions had subsided, Noah went forth, and peopled a second world. And so, whatever may be the convulsions caused by dis- cordant and conflicting opinions, now or hereafter. 378 SERMON XX. they shall all be silenced by-and-by, and Christianity shall " go forth of them all" to have the general sway. Its prevalency may seem questionahle to some, and slow to others. But "with the Lord a thousand years are as one day." And, as he knows " he shall not fail," so neither will he " be discouraged :" but calmly yet determinately and assuredly he " will set judgment in the earth" — not in one corner of the earth, like England, nor in one quarter of it, like Europe — but he will set it in the earth, in its length and breadth, to fill its whole continent ; and not that only, but " the isles shall wait for his law." Jesus is "the desire of all nations," "the hope of all the ends of the earth, and of them that remain in the broad sea." And so " let them show themselves joyful before the Lord the King. Let the sea make a noise, and all that therein is : the round world, and all that dwell therein. Let the floods clap their hands, and let the hills be joyful together before the Lord : for he Cometh to judge the earth. With righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity." My brethren, if we do not look forward with exultation to this final dominion of the Lord Jesus, it is because " our hearts are," in some way, " not right in his sight." In which case it behoves us to " repent of this our wickedness," and exhibit " the SERMON XX. 379 obedience of faith." We can have no repugnance to the prevalence of Christianity, hut for reasons which it were shameful to avow. If we were " what manner of persons we ought to be, in all holy conversation and godliness, we should be looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God," and the final triumph of good over evil. Instead, therefore, of shrinking from, or opposing, " the truth as it is in Jesus," let us " receive it in the love of it, that we may be saved." Let us seek to be sanctified by it, and have our evil tempers and inordinate passions reduced under its sway. And then, if Christ's kingdom of grace be within us, we shall some time be within his kingdom of glory ; and see him who, for our sakes, was once & servant, "have on his head many crowns;'' and, among others, those wherewith we shall crown him, when he " has made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign with him on the earth." SERMON XXI. PREACHED ON THE LAST SUNDAY IN THE YEAR. Heb. ix. 27, 28. "Arid as it is appoirited unto men once to die, but after this the judgment : so Christ was once offered to hear the sins of mani/ ; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." The closing year naturally reminds us of the close of all things here below to us, that is, of our closing hour, the hour of death. Day closes — the week closes — the year closes — and our life will close. As surely as we have begun to live — as surely as we continue to live — so surely we shall cease to live in this present scene of things. This is the first momentous point brought before us in the text — " It is appointed unto men once to die.'' SERMON XXI. 381 Let each lay tliis to heart — It is appointed unto me to die. I have heard of deatli — I have read of death — I have talked of death — I have thought of death — have I not seen death ? — well : it is appointed unto me to know by experience what that death is. Thousands of words have I spoken — thousands of looks have I given — thousands of breaths have I drawn : but I must speak my last word — I must give my last look — I must draw my last breath — and then I must die. This is what I have to undergo, whether I be "young- man or maiden, old man or child." I see all around me dead or dying. One vanishes from my view^another drops from my side — a third expires in my arms — and I too must "go the way of all the earth." It is appointed unto me to die. Is there no escape ? no alternative ? must I die ? Yes — it is aj)pointed unto me. Appointed ? by whom ? By One who is " strong in power" to see his appointment enforced — it is appointed unto me by God, "in whom I live and move and have my being" — by " the God in whose hand my breath is, and whose are all my ways." "I know, O Lord, that thou wilt bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living." It is thus, brethren, we should take to ourselves individually the declaration in the text. " We must needs die." We are sinful creatures, and " the 382 SERMON XXI. wages of sin is death." We are the offspring of Adam; and "in Adam all die." We partake of his nature — we partake of his sin — we partake of his sorrow — and we shall partake of his death. The time will come, when we must give up the ghost. What an event to have hefore us, with the certainty that it must occur ! Yes— we must resign this earth, on which we have so long walked to and fro. We must frequent no more our circles of pleasure, our walks of business, our haunts of sin, or our houses of prayer. We must have done with the only objects we ever saw; for *nhe things which are seen are temporal." *' We must behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world." We must part with every thing that is "of the earth earthy;" yea, even with this body of flesh and blood— part with it perhaps amid " strong crying and tears," agonies and groans— but part with it we must, and die. This is appointed unto us : a solemn appoint- ment, an awful, but inevitable, crisis, to which we must all come. And what adds unspeakably to its awfulness is, that we can come to it only once — '*It is appointed unto men once to die." To have to die once, is a momentous matter; but to have to die onhj once, is far more so ; because, once done, it is unalterable —done for ever. Many important things which we SERMON XXI. 383 have to do we can practise beforehand, so as to do them well at the critical moment. We can detect and correct the errors of our first attempts, so as in a great measure to secure final success. But there is no practising how to die. If we die amiss, there is no coming back to mend the error — no possibility of returning to earth, and learning to die better. When we once die, we "go the way whence we shall not return." How careful, then, should we be in our preparations to do that right, which, once done, we can neither undo nor amend ! and especially when the result of it is so unutterably important, of such everlasting conse- quence. A final failure in some things, though it may be vexatious and distressing, yet is not of so very great moment. The evil eflfects of it, though even overwhelming at first, gradually subside^ and the bitterness of disappointment becomes less and less galling. But a failure in death is of unspeak- able moment, because the miserable effects of it upon the soul and condition of the departed remain unabated, unmitigated, for ever and ever. For, says our text, in the second place, " after death is the judgment," what our Apostle, in the 6th chapter, calls, from its effects, "eternal judg- ment;" that is, a judgment passed upon our earthly conduct, which will issue either in our eternal happiness, or our eternal misery. " We must all 384 SERMON XXI. appear before the judgment-seat of Christ." This is repeatedly revealed to us iu Scripture, especially in Rev. xx. 11. St. John says, "I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it ; from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them. And T saw the dead, small and great, stand before God ; and the books were opened : and another book was opened, which is the book of life : and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it ; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them : and they were judged every man according to their works." This, brethren, is "the judgment after death" which invests our death with such unspeak- able importance. If there were going to be an end of us, when Ave depart out of this life j or if our behaviour here were going to have no lasting influ- ence on our future condition ; then death, though terrible to nature, would cease to be "the king of terrors." What makes him "the king of terrors" is, that he ushers us into the presence of "God the Judge of all," "to give account of ourselves to him." Death puts a final end to that history of us which is recorded in the judgment-books of God. Books of remembrance are written before God of all that we do, or say, or think, in this SERMON XXI. 385 probationary existence. Recording angels put down our procedures from our earliest cliildhood, glad to record good, obliged to record evil. Now some of us may, for many years, have been "treasuring up to ourselves wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to every man according to his deeds." If Ave had been suddenly cut off in our sins at the end of those years, we should have perished everlastingly. But, while we are in this life, under the means of grace, we may be brought to consider our ways — We may come to ourselves, and see our guilt and folly, and repent us truly of our past sins, and " cease to do evil, and learn to do well." And then, that may be accomplished in our case which God has promised by his prophet Ezekiel — " If the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and will keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, all his transgressions that he hath committed shall not be mentioned unto him." Through " repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ," though a person's " sins may have been as scarlet, they shall be white as snow ; though they may have been red like crimson, they shall be as wool." However black therefore and alarming may have been the long record in God's judgment-book against any of us for years of sin, it may be all blotted out c c 386 SERMON XXL M upon our true repentance towards God and sincere faith in Christ crucified, hecause to every such penitent believer he says, in Isaiah xUii. 25, "I, even I, am he that hlottetli out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins." And " the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin," and quite purges the book of God's remem- brance of any trace of record against his contrite believing people, the very day they turn unto him with all their hearts. " In that day their iniquity mio-ht be sought for" in the accusing book by Satan himself, "but it could not be found." Who can lay any thing to their charge, when " it is God that justifieth?" "Who is he," or what is it, "that shall condemn them, when it is Christ that died; yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the rio-ht hand of God, who also maketh intercession for them ?" " He is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." Now from all this it is evident how important the continuance of life is to sinners. Many are now in heaven, who would have been in hell, if they had been cut off out of this life only a few years earlier. But they were saved, God being "long-suffering to them-ward, not willing that they should perish, but that they should come to repen- tance." And it was "the goodness of God that SERMON XXI. 387 led theii^^o repentance." They did repent, and found mercy at his hands before they passed out of this life to eternal judgment ; which judgment will now be to them a day of acquittal and joy, instead of a day of condemnation and terror. For nothing will be found written against them ; but their names will appear in the Lamb's book of life, and " God will not be unrigliteous to forget their works and labour of love, which they showed toward his Name," after theii' conversion and regeneration. Their least cup of cold water given to a disciple, because he belonged to Christ, even it will appear written in the book, and will in no wise lose its reward. Whicli shows how important the continuance of life is to saints also. They have opportunity for " diligence in making their calling and election sure," by " exercising themselves unto godliness :" and they have opportunity also for being " willing to give, and glad to distribute," and so " laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life:" for "blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." They thus answer the ends of their new creation. They were " created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained, that his saints should walk in them." " Clnist's c c 2 388 SERMON XXI. owu self bare their sins in his own body on the tree, that they, being dead unto sins, might live unto righteousness," and " plenteously bringing forth," in his strength and through his Sou, "the fruit of good works, might of him be plenteously rewarded" in the judgment-day, " when the Son of man shall come in his glory, and reward every man according to his works." Now, my brethren, you are all either sinners or saints. Consider therefore this night how impor- tant to yon is life, and consequently how solemn a thing it will be for you to die, and undergo " eternal judgment" which will determine and fix your condition for ever. Let me appeal to those of you, first, whose conscience testifies against you that you are going on in known sin, impenitent, unpardoned, unre- newed. God has spared you to the closing Sunday of another year. He is " angry with you every day ;" but he has " suff'ered your manners" another twelve- month. And how many twelvemonths before the present? I would say to you, what Pharoah said to Jacob, " How old art thou ?" Doubtless too old to have spent so many years in sin, — ten, twenty, thirty, forty. " Forty years long was God grieved with Israel :" and then " their carcasses fell in the wilderness." To them " he sware, in his wrath, that SERMON XXI. 398 they should never enter into his rest." And are you tempting him to swear the same concerning you? What would have hecome of you, if you had died before now ? What would become of you, if you were to die to-night ? What will become of you, if you die in your sins at last ? And yet you may, perhaps, if you tempt God. " How long have you to live ?" You cannot tell. You may think, many years ; and yet there may be " but a step between you and death." We have had some awfully sudden deaths this year: people may be remarking the same of your's ere long — and then what will have become of your souls ? They Avill have gone to judgment, — to " eternal judgment ;" and to what issue of that judgment, ask your conscience. It will be " a fearful thing to have fallen into the hands of the living God," who has said that " the wicked shall go away into everlasting punisliment :" and " he is strong that executeth his word." " Knowing therefore the terrors of the Lord, we persuade you." We have often reasoned with you of " righteousness and temperance," but without effect — now we reason with you of "judgment to come." The thought of this once made Felix tremble. It may excite in you some salutary apprehensions, and shake you out of your careless- ness and security. Consider, brethren, it is not my 390 SERMON XXL voice, but God's, that says, *' It is appointed unto you once to die, and after that the judgment." Therefore " prepare to meet your God." And if you shrink from the thought of meeting him, all unprepared as you are, make preparation. This is the preparation day, and the judgment draws on. Therefore " think on your ways, and turn your feet unto his testimonies : make haste, and delay not the time to keep his commandments." Be thankful you are yet "in the land of the living." Lo these three years has God come by me seeking fruit on you and found none. Be thankful you are not cut down as cumberers of the ground. You would have been cut down, had God hated you. Take it as a token for good that you are alive here this day. Think of the tenderness of that heavenly Intercessor for you. "Let them alone," he has said, "this year also, till I shall dig about them and dung them." This is the cultivation he is bestowing on you now : and if you bear fruit, well ; if not, then let conscience say what you may expect. But do, brethren, bear fruit. You may, if you are willing. It is true, you are barren now. But He who " maketh the barren woman to keep house," can make the barren fig-tree to bear figs. " There is nothing too hard for the Lord." "Break off your sins by repentance." Believe the mercy of God ; and use vigorously " the blood of Christ, who SERMON XXI. 391 through the eternal Spirit oflFered himself witliout spot to God, to purge your conscience from dead works." " Give yourselves unto prayer." Pray for the Holy Spirit to " help your infirmities :" and use the other helps which common discretion and the word of God instruct you to use. " Stand in awe, and sin not : commune with your own hearts in your chamber, and be still," " Search the Scrip- tures ;" and, as they direct, shun bad company, and seek that which is good. " He tliat walketh with wise men shall become wise, but a companion of fools shall be destroyed." " See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess ; but be filled with the Spirit : speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord ; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God." " With many such words" I would fain exhort you to " save yourselves from this untoward gene- ration." But I must appeal to others, in the second place — to you, brethren, in wliom I have not now to 392 SERMON XXI. " lay the foundation of repentance from dead works, and faith toward God, of the doctrine of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment." Yet " T would not be negligent to put you always in remem- brance of these things, though ye know them, and he established in the present truth." The great difficulty is to get " the present truth" into our hearts, viz. that "shortly we must put off this our tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath sherved us." But who would think he had shewed it to us, considering what little influence it has upon our affections and conduct ? And yet he has shewed it to us. We not only know it, as a truth, that " it is appointed unto men once to die, and after that the judgment," but we embrace it, as our hope, that the " Christ, who was once offered to bear the sins of many, unto them that look for him shall appear the second time, without sin, unto salvation.'^ " Wherefore, beloved, seeing that we look for such things," how diligent ought we to be that we " may be found of him in peace, without sj)ot, and blame- less;" and hou- ought we also to account that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation ! He has spared us to the close of another year, in which, like the virgins of the parable, we have too much slumbered and slept. Had our Bridegroom come suddenly upon us, would he not have found us sleeping ? and might not our entrance to the mar- SERMON XXI. 393 riage have been endangered or disorderly ? But now once more, in mercy, Lis cry is heard, " Surely I come quickly." Let us " arise, therefore, and trim our lamps." " I^et our loins 'be girded about, and our lights burning, and ourselves like unto men that wait for our Lord, that when he cometh and knocketli we may open unto him immediately. Blessed will be those servants whom our Lord when he cometh shall find watching." And oh ! what a watching is this devolved on us by " the God of hope," viz. that we should " wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, who hath delivered us from the wrath to come!" Do we indeed believe this, that there is " wrath to come" — " indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, upon the Jew first, and also upon the Gentile ? and do we indeed believe, that there is now in heaven, at the right hand of God, that Jesus who has deli- vered us from this wrath to come, by having been " once offered to bear our sins ?" and do we indeed believe that he *' will appear the second time, without sin, unto our salvation?" O awful expectation! O blessed hope ! of " the glorious appearing of the gi'eat God and otw Saviour Jesus Christ." What are we more than others, tliat, when " he cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him, they also which pierced him, and all the kindreds of 394 SERMON XXI. the earth shall wail because of him," we should say, " Even so. Amen," longing for that which will inspire general dismay ! Have not we pierced him ? Do any walk the earth more truly guilty than our- selves ? any, who, if they " died the death," would be more constrained than ourselves to say, " We indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds?" How, then, can we, more than others,, hope to see Christ, and not " wail because of him," under conscience of guilt and anticipation of punish- ment ? Do we trust that " he hath washed us from our sins in his own blood?" and, as a proof of this, have we experienced " the washing of rege- neration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, shed on us abundantly through Him?" Are we no longer " conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewing of our minds?" Do we "abhor tl/at which is evil and cleave to that which is good ? " Are we " kindly affectioned one toward another with brotherly love ; in honour preferring one ano- ther ; not slothful in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord ; rejoicing in hope ; patient in tribulation ; continuing instant in prayer ; distri- buting to the necessity of saints ; given to hospi- tality ? Do we bless them which persecute us : do we bless and curse not ? Do we rejoice with them that do rejoice ; and weep with them that weep ? Are we of the same mind one toward SERMON XXI. 395 another : not minding high tilings, but condescend- ins: to men of low estate : not wise in ouv own conceits : recompensing to no man evil for evil : providing things honest in the sight of all men : as much as lieth in us living peaceably with all men — not avenging ourselves, but rather giving place unto wrath — not overcome of evil, but over- coming evil with good?" "If these things be in us and abound, they both make' and prove us " neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins." Christ gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify us unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." "The truth therefore as it is in Jesus is, that we put off the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts ; and that we be renewed in the spirit of our mind, and put on the new man, which after God is created in riofhteousness and true holiness." If therefore we are not putting off our old sins, surely we have forgotten that the blood of Christ was once offered to purge us from them. If we are not putting on the new man, surely we have forgotten that " without holiness no man shall see the Lord." And if, while we walk in this remiss and carnal manner, we " are 396 SERMON XXI. at ease," surely we are "blind and cannot see afar off." Were " the eyes of our understanding" truly " enlightened" — did we hut see all things clearly, look into futurity, and consider that Christ " shall appear the second time," we should not be so indif- ferent in what state he may find us. Do we reflect that, as he finds us, so we shall remain to eternity ? that then " he that is holy will be holy still, and he that is filthy will be filthy still ;" and that he who has been but half diligent, though he may be saved, will " scarcely be saved," and not have " an abundant entrance ministered unto him into his Lord's everlasting kingdom?" For then "every man shall receive his own reward, according to his own labour." And as " he that hath sowed to the flesh, shall of tlie flesh reap corruption, and as he that hath sowed to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting ;" so " he that hath sowed sparingly, shall reap also sparingly, and he that hath sowed bountifully, shall reap also bountifully." When this, therefore, is our seed-time for eternity, when every thing that we do now will tell upon our everlasting condition, it ill becomes us to mis- spend in sin, or trifle away in slothful inactivity, that time, that short time here, which, well spent, might add to our eternal weight of glory. That servant wlio had made his pound five pounds had authority given him over five cities ; whereas he SERMON XXI. 397 who SO improved opportunities as to make bis pound gain ten pounds, had authority given him over ten cities. When thus it shall be in the end of the world ; and when the end of the world to us, for all working purposes, will be the end of our present life ; and when that life is but " a span long ;" how ought every hour of it to be laid out to the best advantage ! And yet, if we review the many hours of tJiis closing year only, (to say nothing of years that are past,) how many of them have we squandered away in things for which we are, or ought to be, " now ashamed" — things that will be found to have brought us small interest for the talents we laid out upon them — things that are " wood, hay, stubble," which will be "burned" and we shall "suffer loss!" Whereas, if we had listened to the Apostle, and " taken heed what we built," we might now have had a similar edifice of " gold, silver, precious stones," built surely on " the sure foundation," and not fearing that " fire which shall try every man's work of what sort it is." " The time past of our life, therefore, may suffice us" to have done many things to so little profit. Henceforth, be it our anxious endeavour to " lose none of those things which we work, but to obtain a full reward." And, to this end, let us look unto Jesus in faith and love ; and pray to be cleansed bv his blood, 398 SERMON XXI. and animated and strengthened hy his Spirit. He must " work all our works in us," if we would have them good and acceptable unto God. " Works done without the grace of Christ, and the inspiration of his Spirit, are not pleasant to God, forasmuch as they spring not of faith in Jesus Christ : yea rather, for that they are not done as God hath willed and commanded them to be done, we doubt not but they have the nature of sin." Let us look therefore to our principles and motives, and pray and strive that they may be truly Christian. " Let Christ dwell in our hearts by faith." Let us cherish the thought of his presence, open our hearts to his Spirit, and desire, " in simplicity and godly since- rity," to " glorify him in our bodies and in our spirits which are his." Thus shall we be " filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God." Thus shall w^e be growing in conformity to the image of Christ, and so shall have the only scriptural ground of " boldness" with respect to his solemn day of judg- ment, " because as he is, so shall we be in this world." A heart full of loving trust toward him, a will stedfastly set to obey his commandments, and a godly, righteous, and sober life, are the only witness in ourselves to ourselves that we are born of him. We can have no other scriptural confidence that we shall "not be ashamed before him at his SERMON XXI. 399 coming." " He will appear, the second time, unto salvation' only " to them that look for him," to them that love and lon(^ for his appearing. None can do that, whose heart condemns them of living in a manner which they know, were he here, would meet with his disapprobation and rebuke. To "exer- cise ourselves herein, viz. to have always a conscience void of offence towards God and towards men," this is the way to " have hope towards God that there shall be a resurrection" and an " eternal judgment" " in the day when the Son of man is revealed." After this hope, therefore, let us labour in this way. Let us labour after " the full assurance of it unto the end ;" that when we have " died in the Lord," and slept our sleep " all the days of our appointed time" in the grave, we may peacefully awake on the morning of the resurrection, and, caught up together in the clouds to meet him in the air, may see his face with everlasting joy. SERMON XXII. 2 Cor. xii. 7 — 10- " A7id lest J should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there ivas given to me a thorn in the flesh, the 7nessenger of Satan to billet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice^ that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee : for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my in^rmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in 7ieces- sities, in jJcrsecutions, in disti'esses for Christ's sake : for when I am weak, then am I strotig." We are here presented with St. Paul's experience, and behaviour under it. Let us first consider them a little more distinctly ; and then, secondly, apply them for our instruction and encouragement. And SERMON xxir. 401 may the Lord enable us to be followers of Paul, even as he also was of Christ ; that with him we may in clue season, " through faith and patience, inherit the promises." Let us consider first St. Paul's experience, as recorded in the text, and his behaviour under it. Great sufferers require great encouragements and great support, that they may not faint under their trials. Therefore, as Christ had destined St. Paul for abundance of tribulations, so he fortified him with corresponding abundance of revelations. In the chapter before us we have an account of two remarkable events which befel the Apostle, and which his modesty appears to have concealed from the Christian world for fourteen years. Perhaps at the time mentioned in Acts xxii. 17, three years after his conversion, "when he was come again" out of Arabia " to Jerusalem, even while he prayed in the temple, he was in a trance:" and then " (whether in the body, or out of the body, he could not tell) he was caught up to the third heaven," to a personal interview (it should seem) with the Saviour, and to a sight of the glories of heaven. Afterwards " (whether in the body, or out of the body, he still could not tell) he was caught into Paradise." Our translation says, " Caught up into Paradise ;" but the word " up" is not in the original, which merely says he was "caught," or "hurried D D 402 SERMON XXII. away" into Paradise, the abode of departed spirits who are iu joy and felicity, yet not, in some sense (it shouhl seem), in heaven. Thus St. Paul saw both what was the immediate happiness of the spirits of the just, and what would be their final bliss, when, iu glorified soul and body, they should be with Clnist, around his throne. These revelations, then, of heaven and Paradise, were a peculiar favour conferred on the elect Apostle : and he was quite aware that they were so, and that he had been honoured by his Lord above the rest of liis Christian brethren. And now there was danger "lest, being lifted up with pride, he should fall into the condemnation of the Devil." Human nature w^as human nature even in St. Paul. " He was a man of like passions with ourselves :" and we all know how difficult it is for us to be raised above our neighbours in any flattering respect, without being puffed up. Hence, the Lord Jesus not only loved his Apostle well enough to shew him heaven and Paradise, but he also loved him too well to let him " be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations." He gave him, as a favour, he gave him " a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to bufl'et him, lest he should be exalted above measure," and so fall into Satan's snare. He made Satan keep out Satan. What this thorn in the flesh was, we are not SERMON XXII. 403 expressly told. It seems to have been a feebleness in bis natural powers : so that while bis " spirit was ready" for the accomplishment of great things, " bis flesh was weak." As to bis real inward endowments, he was the very chiefest Apostle ; yet when be came to conversation or preaching, be was full of infirmities, wbicli exposed him, in the most Immiliating manner, to the neglect and contemj^t of worldly-minded critical bearers. Perhaps bis bodily nerves bad been so affected by celestial glory, as to have injured his sight, and caused him a difficulty in expressing himself, sucb as seemed perpetually to threaten his acceptance and bis usefulness. That something of tbis kind, together with continual exposure to " suffer great things," was bis thorn in the flesh, is probable, botb from tbe strain of our text, and from a comparison with it of the three following passages. 2 Cor. x. 10. " His letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible." Hence, in 1 Cor. ii. 1, be reminds tbe Corinthians, " I, brethren, when I came to you, came not witb excellency of speech or of wisdom : but I was witb you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trem- bling." And, lastly, to the Galatians, be says, " Ye know bow tbat tbrougli infirmity of the flesli I preached tbe Gospel unto you at tbe first. And D D =^ 404 SERMON XXII. my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected, but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus." He commends the Galatians for their spiritual penetration ; that they had looked through those outward infirmities which made him undervalued by carnal critics, and had justly appreciated his rich inward spiritual endow- ments. On the whole, therefore, we may conclude, that natural infirmity was " the thorn in the flesh given to our Apostle." And he felt it to be a thorn — it rankled in his flesh — and not knowing, at first, that it was given him, as a gracious check to spiritual pride, it was " not joyous but grievous." Such was his e.vperience. Now mark his behaviour under it. Did he become a murmurer and complainer ? Did he repine at tlie Lord's appointment ? No. Was he then stupid and insensible, not seeing the rod, nor who had appointed it ? No. The Apostle's behaviour was equally removed from brutish insensibility and from effeminate complaint. He painfully felt his thorn, and knew that the Lord had allowed it, though he did not know that the Lord had given it to him. He therefore at once betook himself to the light way of getting it extracted, if, indeed, its extraction should be permitted. " For this thing," says he, "I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me." "And lie said unto me, My grace is sufficient for SERMON XXII. 405 thee : for my strength is made perfect in weakness." So merciful was the Lord Jesus, he answered the spirit instead of the letter of his Apostle's unadvised but honest prayer. The thorn remained, that Paul might not (/row proud — but adequate grace was given, that Paul might not be discouraged. So the presence of the thorn, with grace to bear it well, was a far kinder answer to prayer, than if thorn and grace had vanished together. The Apostle was sensible of this ; and now having learnt the usefulness of his thorn, he further learnt to rejoice in its presence ; because it brought the help of Christ more directly to his aid, and made his very weakness redound to his Saviour's honour, to promote wliose honour was the object dearest to his heart. '' Most gladly," therefore, he concludes, ''will I rather glory," than feel depressed, "in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure" in my thorn, and in all the obloquy, contempt, derision, or any other painful feeling to which it exposes me — yea, I take pleasure in all sorts of " infirmities, reproaches, necessities, persecutions, distresses, for Christ's sake : for when I am weak, then am I strong :" when Paul is feeble, then Christ is powerful : and when I can do nothing of myself, then " I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." You have heard St. Paul's experience, and have marked his behaviour under it. Now therefore, in 406 SERMON XXII. the second place, let us endeavour to apply them for our own instruction and encouragement. And here let us observe, first. That " men of the world" are not the only persons liable to be puffed up with pride. There is such a sin as spiritual pride; the more dangerous because spiritual, and therefore not so easily perceived, nor so soon suspected, in himself by a child of God. The Apostle says indeed, and a Christian may say to himself, " What hast thou which thou hast not received? Now if thou hast received it, Avhy dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it?" The Apostle clearly saw, and we can clearly see, the unreasonableness of boasting of any spiritual favours with which we may be honoured above others. We confess and feel we ought not to be vain of what is not our own, but God's. But though our reason and judgment are against spiritual pride, it is quite possible for our heart to be affected by it. You perceive St. Paul was in so great danger of being affected by it, that the Lord was compelled, in love, to give him that painful thorn in the flesh to preserve him humble. And if the great Apostle was liable to spiritual pride, which of us will presume ourselves secure from the same subtle sin ? We are not likely indeed to have St. Paul's revelations ; but then, neither, I fear, are we likely to have his natural and supernatural strength of mind to bear them properly. Little SERMON XXII. 407 superiorities may tempt little Christians to pride, as powerfully as great superiority tempted St. Paul. It is difficult even for a true Christian to find himself distinguished by the Lord, not merely from the profane world, but from his brother, " with gifts and graces eminently adorned," and with the pleasure of the Lord prospering in his hand, and not feel some improper elevation and self-complacency. If even in words he do not " boast himself a little," he is apt to draw secret comparisons in his own favour, and approach the Pharisaic sentiment, " God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are." Therefore, Christian brethren, we must ever be on our guard against the inroads of spiritual pride — against the temptation to "think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think," if we perceive our spiritual views clearer, our spiritual endowments richer, and our spiritual labours and success more abundant than those of our surrounding brethren. When Satan cannot prevent our growing in grace, his next object is to make us vain of our growth ; and when he cannot hinder us from being really eminent Christians, he would gladly lead us to take notice of our eminence, that so we may cease to be "poor in spirit," and lose the "kingdom of Heaven." But we may observe, secondly, from the text, that " we have not a High Priest who cannot be touched with a feeling of our infirmities." The Lord Jesus 408 SERMON XXII. himself, in the days of his flesh, was tempted to spiritual pride, when "the Devil set him upon the pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou he the Son of God, cast thyself down." But pride had no place in him, who, though the Son of God, was " meek and lowly in heart," and would net ahuse his elevation. Experience, however, having taught him the Tempter's power, he knows how to compassionate and guard his exposed people. "Behold, he that keepeth Israel neither slumhers uor sleeps. The Lord himself is our Keeper." Mark how he kept his Apostle. He perceived his spirit to he in danger " through theahundance of the revelations 3" and there- fore he " gave him a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to bufi"et him, lest he should be exalted above measure." How gracious is the Lord, who will not withhold from us spiritual endowments because liable to be abused ; but will give them, and give with them "a thorn in the flesh," that we may not abuse them ! There is no good thing which, if left to ourselves, we should not abuse. Hence our souls would be barren indeed, if the Lord vouchsafed to us only such communications of his grace as could not be abused. But he deals not so with his favoured servants. He fills them with knowledge and under- standing; but, since " knowledge pufi'eth up," along with it, he gives them mortification to keep them down. He lets their spirit soar, indeed, but he gives SERMON XXII. 409 tliem pain in the flesh to act as ballast, that they may not he carried away, and hurried into perdition. My Christian brethren, have any of us made some considerable attainments in spiritual knowledge and holy practice? And have we been zealously engaged in promoting the cause and kingdom of Christ ? Then I suppose we have had thorns that troubled us. We have met with circumstances that baffled our endeavours, that humbled us in our most promising attempts, and seemed to threaten our acceptance and usefulness altogether. Often when our hopes of success were highest, we have had grievous failures ; and have effected little or nothing, when we flattered ourselves we were about to do great things. Thus, when we were sanguine and confident, we have had mortification after mortifica- tion ; and our high-flown thoughts and schemes have met with some unexpected check which has spoiled all our carnal pleasures. " This was the Lord's doing." Our failure, our check, our mortification, was our " thorn in the flesh," our painful remem- brancer that we " are worms and no men," and that " our strength is perfect weakness." No doubt this has been the experience of many of us, and may yet remain to be our experience. We are slow to learn our own nothingness, and practically to bear in mind that " Christ is all." If we find ourselves strong, and exulting in our strength, the Lord Jesus, 410 SERMON XXII. who is jealous of his own honour, may deal with our aspiring capabilities as he dealt with Gideon's flourishing army — " The Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying. Mine own hand liath saved me." So from twenty-two thousand the Lord first reduced the people to ten thousand, and then he reduced the ten thousand to three hundred ; and with them he delivered Israel from enemies numerous as the sand on the sea-shore, that his people might know that not their own, but " his right hand and his arm had gotten them the victory." We shall even find, both from history and from our own experience, that the greatest spiritual successes are obtained under such humbling accompanying circumstances, and by saints with such sore thorns in their flesh, that " the excellency of the power has manifestly been of God, and not of man." But observe. Thirdly, How pain, or disappoint- ment, or any other thorn in the flesh, should operate upon us, if we be true Christians. It should lead us to Christ for relief, as it led St. Paul. " For this thing," says he, " / besought the Lord thrice that it might depart from me." " Afiliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground." Affliction and trouble of any SERMON XXII. 411 and of every sort, whether bodily, or mental, or spiritual, are not sent us by chance, but by Godj are not sent us at random, but with a special design, and to answer a purpose ; and that purpose is, to bring us to feel our own helplessness, and to " set our hope on God," saying, " Now, Lord, what is my hope ? Truly my hope is even in thee. Deliver me." Affliction and trouble are naturally undesirable and grievous, and both may and ought to be prayed against. They are '' given" as incite- ments to earnest prayer, leading us to deep and humble and spiritual communion with " the Father of our spirits." " God doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve" us children of men " for his own pleasure, but for our profit," and especially to cure us of our evil habit of "restraining prayer before Him." Prayer is necessary for the continuance of our spi- ritual life and health. Prayer is the appointed channel through which we are replenished with " the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost." Therefore it is, we are taught, encouraged, com- manded, to pray, to "pray without ceasing," in order that we may be " blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." Prayer, then, the spirit and habit of prayer, is what the Lord desires to preserve in us, and must preserve in us, by some means, or we should perish ever- 412 SERMON XXII. lastingly. Now if we would be " instant in prayer" during our seasons of ease and comfort and happi- ness, doubtless tlie Lord would not afflict us so much as he does. But he knows how little we frequent his mercy-seat when all goes smoothly with us : whereas " in our affliction we seek him early." Yes, brethren, the humbling fact is even so. When we are in peace and plenty, we " restrain prayer before God :" but " when he slays us, then we seek him ; we turn ourselves early and enquire after God. We then remember that God is our strength, and that the high God is our Redeemer." Hence he will put himself to the pain of paining us rather than lose us. He will slay our flesh, slay our families, slay our health, slay our peace, slay our hopes, slay every earthly comfort we have, as he did Job's, rather than let our souls be slain by Satan, and by our own hands, through our neglect of prayer. When therefore " we are afflicted, let us pray." Whatever be our " thorn in the flesh," and we each know best our own thorn, it is given us by Christ, to warn us that danger is nigh, and to bring us close to his " throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." And if our affliction continue, our prayer must continue also. Delay is not refusal. Paul knew that, and therefore he pressed his suit for help : " for this thing I besought the Lord thrice.** SERMON XXII. 413 That Lord himself had set him the example, when he kneeled down and prayed to his Father a first, second, and third time, " saying the same words :" and that Lord has "spoken us a parable to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint." When therefore our thorn rankles, let us renew our petition ; and let our pain give impor- tunity to our prayer. For this thing we may lawfully beseech the Lord thrice that it may depart from us. He holds back his answer to try our faith and patience : and what he sees not fit to grant to-day, he may see fit to grant to-morrow ; or if not to-morrow, on the third day. At all events he will see fit to grant it some day, if we persevere in our suit, and what we ask be really good for us. But we should observe, lastly, from the text, that we may be asking, and with great importunity, what, if granted, would not be for our yood, but for our hurt. Paul besought the Lord, even thrice, that his thorn might depart from him : and yet, in a certain sense, he "asked amiss" — asked, I mean, that which, if granted, w^ould have been to him " an occasion of falling." So then, my Christian brethren, whatever relief we pray for in our trouble, we should always pray for it with at least the mental proviso, that it would be good for us. Not that the Apostle was blameable in pressing his suit that the thorn might 414 SERMON XXII. depart from him. It was very grievous to St. Paul's flesh: " And nature may have leave to speak, And plead before its God, Lest the o'erburden'd heart should break, Beneath his heavy rod." Watts. Besides, his thorn was not apparently for the honour of Cln-ist : on the contrary, it seemed to interfere exceedingly w^itli his ministerial usefulness, and threatened almost to destroy it. Hence he judged its removal both naturally and spiritually desirable ; and accordingly, for the glory of Christ, and the good of perishing souls, who were waiting to hear from his mouth the tidings of salvation through a crucified Saviour, he implored for its removal. Since there- fore the Apostle pressed his suit rvith a view (a mistaken view, we grant, but yet the best view his judgment could take at the time)^ — with a view, I say, to the glory of Christ, and the good of souls, he was not blameable, but commendable, for pressing it so earnestly. Whatever, then, to the best of our judgment, will tend to honour Christ and benefit man, that we shall be justified in asking with all perseverance. Such, at least, seems the conclusion properly deducible in the notice taken of St. Paul's prayer. Had he, strictly speaking, "asked amiss," probably no notice would have been taken of his SERMON XXII. 415 prayer. But notice was taken of it — lie received a special answer about it from the Lord Jesus, who thereby showed that he approved of the spirit of his Apostle's prayer, though he refused to grant it according to the letter. Yea, he therefore refused to grant the letter of the petition, because he saw the letter to be contrary to the spirit of the petitioner. He knew his Apostle longed to promote his glory and the good of souls, and longed for the removal of his thorn, as conceiving it a hindrance to his good designs. Could St. Paul have been aware that his thorn was given him not as a hindrance, but as a furtherance, to his pious endeavours for the promo- tion of his Saviour's glory, he would never have asked for its removal. The Lord Jesus knew this, and therefore gave his faithful and beloved Apostle not what his words, but what his spirit prayed for — not what he literally asked, but what he would have asked, could he have seen as far as his God saw. My Christian brethren, you who are accustomed fervently to pray to Jesus, or to the Father through him, there is something to my mind peculiarly encouraging in the view here presented of our Saviour's attention to our prayers. " We," igno- rant sinners, oftentimes " caimot order our speech" aright "by reason of darkness," and "know not what we ask." But that compassionate Saviour, " who knows our necessities before we ask, and our 416 SERMON XXII. ignorance in asking," "helps our infirmities." If our spirit prays, and our heart inwardly longs for the promotion of his glory, then, whatever we ask, may we cheerfully rely upon his infinite grace and wisdom to give us, not the evil we may crave in words, but the good we crave in spirit. Thus he answered the prayers of Augustine's pious mother, as is beautifully recorded by her converted son. Augustine had hitherto lived at Carthage, a pro- fligate young man, indeed, but yet under his mother's eye, and within the sound of her admo- nitions and entreaties. But now he had resolved on going to Rome. The Lord was leading him thither, that he might hear Ambrose and be con- verted and live. His mother however naturally thought he was going only for the more unrestrained indulgence of his evil passions. "But," says he, " the true cause of my removal was at that time hidden both from me and my mother, w ho therefore bewailed my going away, and followed me to the sea-side. But I deceived her, though she held me close, with a view either to call me back, or to go with me. I pretended that I only meant to keep company with a friend till he set sail; and with difficulty persuaded her to remain that night in a place dedicated to the memory of Cyprian. Bat that night I departed privily ; and she continued weeping and praying. Thus did I deceive my SERMON XXII. 417 mother, and such a mother ! Yet was I preserved from the dangers of the sea, foul as I was in all the mire of sin ; and a time was coming, when thou, O Lord, wouklest wipe away my mother's tears with which she watered the earth, and even forgive this my base undutifulness. And what did slie beg of thee, my God, at that time, but that I might be hindered from sailing ? And Thou, in profound wisdom, 7'egarding the hinge of her desire, neglectedst the particidar object of her present prayers, that thou mightest gratify tlie general object of her devotions. The wind favoured us, and carried us out of sight of the shore, when in the morning she was distracted with grief, and filled thine ears with groans and complaints ; whilst Thou, in contempt of her violent agonies, hurriedst me along by my lusts to complete her desires, and punishedst her carnal desire with the just scourge of immoderate grief. She loved my presence with her, as is natural to mothers, though in her the affection was uncommonly strong ; and she knew not what joy thou wast preparing for her by my absence. She Knew not; therefore she wept and wailed." My brethren, there is not, I think, a more touching encouragement to unrestrained prayer than the fact exemplified in the text and in this nar- rative of Augustine's, viz. how that the Lord, in E E 418 SERMON XXII. " profound wisdom, regards the hinge of our desire; neglecting the particular object of our present prayers, that he may gi'atify the general object of our devotions." Wliat therefore, upon serious consideration, we think would promote our Lord's glory and the good of our own and our fellow-creatures' souls, for that let us ask with all simplicity and perseverance. And, on the other hand, if we have any " thorn in the flesh" which we honestly deem a hindrance to our usefuhiess, let us not hesitate equally to pray for the removal of it. The Saviour will regard the hinge of our desire, as he did in the case of St. Paul, and Augustine's mother ; and will give us, not perhaps the most literal^ but certainly the most favourable answer to our prayer. He will not " send us empty away." If he remove our thorn, that will be well. If he continue it, that will be well also ; yea, it will be " riches of grace" if he honour us to bear his cross, and endue us with strength to bear it in a proper spirit. Blessed was Mary " that believed :" but more blessed were the Philippians "to whom it was given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake, having the same conflict as they saw in Paul." Those are most iionoured who have most trials, and withal grace sufiicient to endure them well. They are most SERMON XXII. 419 confoiined to their Saviour's image as a patient sufferer, and therefore will be most conformed to his image as a glorified king. " If we suffer with him," says St. Paul, "we shall also reign with him." If therefore. Christian brethren, we have infirmi- ties of the flesh, best known to ourselves, and for the removal of which we have so long prayed with- out success, that we seem bound to conclude their removal is undesirable, "most gladly let us glory in our infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon us." " He that once overcame for us," says Leighton, " always overcomes in us. That he lets temptation and tribulation assault us, disproves not his love ; yea, it doth but give evidence of its firmness. He suffers others to lie soft, and sit warm, and pamper their flesh at leisure ; but he hath nobler business for his champions, his worthies, and most of all for the stoutest of them. He calls them forth to honourable services, to the hardest encounters. He sets them on, one to fight with sickness, another with poverty, another with re- proaches and persecutions, with prisons and irons, and with death itself. And all this while, loves he them less, or they him ? Oh, no. He looks on, and rejoices to see them do valiantly. It is the joy of his heart. No sight on earth so sweet to him. And it is all the while by his subduing, and 420 SERMON XXII. in his strength, that they hold out the conflict, and obtain the conquest." Well therefore might a chief standard-bearer in this army of suffering Christians say, " I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake : for when I am weak, then am I strong." "Let us go and do likewise." THE END. PRINTED BY GEOEGE WOOD, PARSONAGE LANE, BATH.