L I E) RA FLY 
 OF THE 
 U N I VERS ITY 
 or ILLINOIS 
 
 252.6 
 
 H35S 
 1838 
 v.l 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2014 
 
 https://archive.org/details/sermonsonlessons01hebe 
 
SERMONS 
 
 ON 
 
 THE LESSONS, THE GOSPEL, OR THE EPISTLE 
 
 FOR 
 
 EVERY SUNDAY IN THE YEAR, 
 
 AND FOR 
 
 WEEK-DAY FESTIVALS: 
 
 PREACHED IN THE PARISH CHURCH OP HODNET^ 
 
 SALOP : 
 
 BY THE LATE 
 
 REGINALD HEBER, M A. 
 
 RECTOR OF HODNET ; 
 AND, AFTERWARDS, LORD BISHOP OF CALCUTTA. 
 
 IN TWO VOLUMES. 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 THIRD EDITION. 
 
 LONDON: 
 JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, 
 
 MDCCCXXXVIII. 
 
London : 
 
 Printed by A. Spottiswoode, 
 New-Street-Square. 
 
I Pi?" 
 
 ADVERTISEMENT 
 
 TO 
 
 THE THIRD EDITION. 
 
 In this edition, the Sermons on certain 
 Saints' days and festivals are incorporated in 
 the series, according to the order in which 
 the same occur in the calendar of the Church ; 
 instead of being printed, as before, in a third 
 and separate volume. 
 
 Four Sermons *^on the Government of 
 the Heart,'' which had been found among 
 the papers of my lamented friend, and which 
 had been subjoined accordingly to that third 
 volume, are now withdrawn ; it having since 
 been ascertained, that they are, in great 
 measure at least, not his own works, though 
 adapted by him for the use of his own 
 people. Their appearance inadvertently under 
 his name, in the first instance, is one of the 
 A 2 
 
ii 
 
 ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 evils incident to the posthumous publication 
 of his papers ; since by him, certainly, they 
 never would have been so sent forth. It is 
 some satisfaction, under these circumstances, 
 to be able to add, that the withdrawal of the 
 four Sermons in question does not impair 
 the order, or affect the completeness, of the 
 general collection ; as they formed a distinct 
 set by themselves, and had no reference to 
 the lessons or services of any particular days. 
 
 R. H.L 
 
 London^ \st Noveraber, 1837. 
 
PREFACE 
 
 TO 
 
 THE FIRST EDITION. 
 
 The following Sermons have been committed to 
 me, with a view to their publication. 
 
 In executing this task, I discharge a duty, 
 alike to the living, and to the dead ; to The 
 Church of GOD, and to the memory of a friend. 
 I believe, that, while they will add a new interest 
 and lustre to the name of Reginald Heber, and 
 will awaken a fresh regret for his loss, they will, 
 not less assuredly, extend to distant places, and to 
 distant years, the edification and improvement, 
 which, at the time, they were designed, and cal- 
 culated, to convey to the circle of his little flock 
 in his own parish. 
 
 ROBERT HARRY INGLIS. 
 
 London^ Jan. 25. 1837. 
 
 A 3 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 OF 
 
 THE FIRST VOLUME. 
 
 SERMON 1. 
 
 FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 
 
 [From the Gospel for the Day.] 
 St. Matthew, xxi. 13. 
 
 My house shall be called the house of prayer. 
 
 SERMON II. 
 
 SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 
 
 [From the Epistle for the Day.] 
 
 Romans, xv. 7. 
 
 Receive ye one another, as Christ also received us, to 
 the glory of God. - 
 
 SERMON III. 
 
 THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 
 
 [From the Epistle for the Day.] 
 1 CoR. iv. 5. 
 
 Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, 
 who both will bring to light the hidden things of 
 darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of 
 the hearts ; and then shall every man have praise 
 of God. - . . - - 
 
viii 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 SERMON IV. 
 
 FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 
 
 [From the Epistle for the Day.] 
 Phil. iv. 5. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The Lord is at hand. - - - 37 
 
 SERMON V. 
 
 CHRISTMAS DAY. 
 
 Hebrews, i. 1, 2. 
 God, who at sundry times, and in divers manners, 
 spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 
 hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son. 51 
 
 SERMON VI. 
 
 ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST'S DAY. 
 
 St. John, xxi. 22. 
 If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to 
 
 thee ? follow thou me. - - 64 
 
 SERMON VII. 
 
 CIRCUMCISION. 
 
 PsALM xxxii. 2. 
 Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not 
 
 iniquity. - - - - -78 
 
 SERMON VIII. 
 
 FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 Isaiah, xxxviii. 1. 
 Set thine house in order ; for thou shalt die, and not 
 live. - - - - 92 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 ix 
 
 SERMON IX. 
 
 FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY 
 
 [From the Gospel for the Day.] 
 St. Luke, ii. 52. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour 
 
 with God and man. - - - 112 
 
 SERMON X. 
 second sunday after epiphany. 
 St. John, xv. 5. 
 Without Me ye can do nothing. - - 124 
 
 SERMON XI. 
 
 CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 Acts, ix. 5. 
 
 And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom thou perse- 
 cutest. - - - 134 
 
 SERMON XIL 
 
 THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 
 
 [From the Epistle for the Day.] 
 
 Romans, xii. 19, 20, 21. 
 
 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give 
 place unto wrath ; for it is written. Vengeance is 
 mine ; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore, if 
 thine enemy hunger, feed him ; if he thirst, give 
 him drink : for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of 
 fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but 
 overcome evil with good. - - - 148 
 
X 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 SERMON XIII. 
 
 FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 
 
 St. Matthew, viii. 34. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus : 
 and when they saw Him, they besought Him that 
 He would depart out of their coasts. - - 160 
 
 SERMON XIV. 
 
 FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 
 
 Isaiah, lix. 20. 
 
 The Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them 
 
 that turn from transgression in Jacob. - - 171 
 
 SERMON XV. 
 
 SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
 
 St. Mark, xiv. 22, 23, 24. 
 
 Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave 
 to them, and said, *' Take, eat ; this is my body. " 
 And He took the cup, and when he had given 
 thanks, He gave it to them : and they all drank of 
 it. And He said unto them, " This is my blood of 
 the New Testament, which is shed for many." - 186 
 
 SERMON XVI. 
 
 SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
 
 St. Luke, viii. 15. 
 That on the good ground are they, which in an honest 
 and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and 
 bring forth fruit with patience. - - - 201 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 xi 
 
 SERMON XVII. 
 
 QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY, 
 PART I. 
 
 1 Cor. xiii. 2. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Though I have all faith, so that I could remove moun- 
 tains, and have not charity, I am nothing. - - 214 
 
 SERMON XVIII. 
 
 QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
 PART II. 
 
 1 CoR. xiii. 3. 
 
 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, 
 and though I give my body to be burned, and have 
 not charity, it profiteth me nothing. - _ 225 
 
 SERMON XIX. 
 
 FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 1 COR. XV. 22. 
 
 As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made 
 
 alive. - - - - - 238 
 
 SERMON XX. 
 
 second sunday in lent. 
 St. Matthew, xv. 28. 
 O woman, great is thy faith : be it unto thee even as 
 thou wilt. - - * - 251 
 
xii 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 SERMON XXI. 
 
 THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 St. Luke, xi. 27, 28. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 And it came to pass, as He spake these things, a 
 certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, 
 and said unto Him, Blessed is the womb that bare 
 Thee, and the paps which Thou hast sucked. But 
 He said. Yea, rather blessed are they that hear the 
 word of God, and keep it. - . . 262 
 
 SERMON XXIT. 
 
 FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 St. John, vi. 12. 
 
 Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be 
 lost. - ... 274 
 
 SERMON XXHI. 
 
 fifth SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 St. John, viii. 58. 
 Jesus said unto them, " Before Abraham was, I am." 288 
 
 SERMON XXIV. 
 
 SUNDAY BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 St. Luke, xxiv. 26. 
 
 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to 
 
 enter into His Glory ? - - - 301 
 
TON TENTS. 
 
 xiii 
 
 SERMON XXV. 
 
 GOOD FRIDAY. 
 
 St. Luke, xxiv. 26. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Ought not Christ to have .suffered these things, and to 
 
 enter into His Glory ? - - - 315 
 
 SERMON XXVL 
 
 K ASTER SUNDAY, 
 REVELATION, i. 17, 18. 
 
 He laid His right hand on me, saying unto me, Fear 
 :; I am the first and the last : lam He that 
 liveth, and was dead ; and, behold, I am alive for 
 evermore, Amen ; and have the keys of hell and of 
 death. - . . - - 329 
 
 SERMON XXVH. 
 
 FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 
 
 St. .Tohn, XX. U). 
 Peace be unto you, „ . - - 343 
 
 SERMON XXVIH, 
 
 SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 
 
 Numbers, xxiii. 10. 
 
 Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last 
 end be like his ! - - - - 354 
 
 VOL, 1, a 
 
xiv 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 SERMON XXIX. 
 
 THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 
 
 St. John, xvi. 22. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Ye now therefore have sorrow : but I will see you 
 again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no 
 man taketh from you. - - 367 
 
 SERMON XXX. 
 
 FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 
 
 St. James, i. 21. 
 
 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of 
 naughtiness, and receive with meekness the en- 
 grafted word, which is able to save your souls. - 384 
 
 SERMON XXXI. 
 
 FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 
 
 St. James, i. 26. 
 
 If any man among you seem to be religious and 
 bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, 
 this man's religion is vain. - - - 397 
 
 SERMON XXXII. 
 
 SUNDAY AFTER ASCENSION DAY. 
 PART I. 
 
 ] St. Peter, iv. 8. 
 Charity shall cover the multitude of sins. - - 413 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 XV- 
 
 SERMON XXXIIl. 
 
 SUNDAY AFTER ASCENSION DAY. 
 PART II. 
 
 1 St. Peter, iv. 8. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Charity shall cover the multitude of sins. - - 427 
 SERMON XXXIV. 
 
 WHITSUNDAY. 
 
 Romans, viii. 14. 
 
 As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the 
 
 sons of God. - - - - 443 
 
 SERMON XXXV. 
 
 TRINITY SUNDAY. 
 FIRST SERMON. 
 
 1 CoR. xiii. 12. 
 
 Now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to 
 face : now I know in part, but then shall I know 
 even as I am known, - _ - 454 
 
 SERMON XXXVI. 
 
 TRINITY SUNDAY. 
 SECOND SERMON. 
 
 St. John, iii. 1, 2. 
 
 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, 
 a ruler of the Jews : the same came to Jesus by 
 night. , „ „ - 465 
 
XVI CONTENTS. 
 
 SEIIMON XXXVII. 
 
 FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 St. Luke, xvi, 22. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The beggar died, and was carried by tlie angels into 
 
 Abraham's bosom. - - - 481 
 
SERMON 1. 
 
 FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 
 
 [From the Gospel for the Day.] 
 
 St. Matthew, xxi. IS. 
 
 My house shall he called the house of prayer. 
 
 The circumstances, which gave rise to these w^ords, 
 and which have been shortly related in the Gospel 
 of to-day, will be understood by you more clearly, 
 when I shall have explained what the practice wasj 
 which our Saviour there strongly condemns. 
 
 The Temple of Jerusalem being different from 
 our Christian churches, both in the multitudes 
 which it was to contain, and the kind of worship 
 which was practised there, was not, as we might 
 fancy, a small roofed buiidmg like that in whic 
 we are assembled, but a vast square court, of 
 three or four hundred feet every way, open over 
 head to the sky, but surrounded with pillared 
 walks and cloisters, and capable of containing 
 many thousand worshippers together with the^ 
 
 VOL. I, 3 
 
2 
 
 SERMON I. 
 
 offerings. At the west end of this court was the 
 sanctuary, or House of the Lord, a sort of chapel^ 
 into which tlie priests only were allowed to enter ; 
 and before this last, and in the midst of the court, 
 was a large stone altar for the burnt offerings. 
 
 The outer court, therefore, and the cloister 
 round it, were the places where the people stood 
 and prayed ; and common decency required that 
 this, as the scene of their solemn assembly, and 
 the spot wliere they were to offer up their petitions 
 to the Most High, should be kept with neatness 
 and propriety, and devoted to the service of God 
 alone. Of this propriety, however, the Jews both 
 are and always have been exceedingly regardless. 
 1 have been in one of their synagogues, where the 
 greater number of those who were present were 
 talking about their own concerns, and settling 
 their private bargains ; and many of their ancient 
 rabbins complain heavily, and almost in the words 
 of the Lord, of the impiety of those who made the 
 synagogue a house of merchandise. But in the 
 case of the Temple the offence was still greater, 
 from the peculiar holiness of that one mountain 
 which God had chosen to put His name there; 
 from the positive laws of the ancient Jews, which 
 forbad them so much as to enter it with their 
 shoes on their feet, or with staves in their hands, 
 or to carry any burthen or parcel through it ; and 
 
FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT, 
 
 3 
 
 from the particular abuses and extortions of those 
 persons who were thus turned out by our Saviour, 
 and whose practices were such as fully to justify 
 the severe name of " thieves." 
 
 The case was this : — Every grown up person in 
 the Jewish nation was obliged by the law to attend 
 at the time of Easter in the Temple, when, after 
 certain offerings, they were admitted to the great 
 yearly sacrifice. In like manner, at the birth of a 
 first-born son, and on certain other occasions, they 
 were obliged to offer, according to their circum- 
 stances, a calf, a lamb, or a pair of young pigeons, 
 as an offering of purification. Now as those Israel- 
 ites who came from a distance could not conve- 
 niently bring the proper offerings with them, the 
 officers of the Temple sold doves and lambs to such 
 as wanted them for this purpose, and had their 
 stalls within the cloisters, where, having the com- 
 mand of the market, and their customers being 
 anxious to finish those religious ceremonies for 
 which they came, they rated their commodities at 
 a very extravagant and oppressive price, often de- 
 manding a piece of gold for a single pigeon. 
 Hence, too, another great oppression arose ; for, 
 as the worshippers had not always sufficient money 
 to answer such demands, or required to have their 
 money changed, others were ready, who either 
 lent them money at interest, contrary to the law 
 B 2 
 
4 
 
 SERMON I. 
 
 of Moses, or required a heavy per centage on 
 every sum, how small soever, which they reduced 
 into a more convenient form. The noise, the 
 quarrelling, the confusion, to which such proceed- 
 ings gave rise, may be easily conceived ; and as 
 none vv^ere admitted into the Temple who did not 
 thus pay at the door, many of the poor were com- 
 pletely shut out from the house of God, which 
 was, of right, common to all. As many, however, 
 of the rich men and the magistrates derived a con- 
 siderable profit from the practice, no one had power 
 to alter that of which many complained : and St. 
 Jerome, perhaps with reason, considers it as one 
 of the most extraordinary miracles ever wrought by 
 our Saviour, and only to be accounted for by the Di- 
 vine terrors of His eye and His awful countenance, 
 that a single man like Him, without any worldly 
 authority or claim to respect, could, at once, 
 and without resistance, drive out such a multitude 
 of interested and insolent attendants and guards as 
 were concerned in this traffic. But, be this as it 
 may, whether the Divine power were visibly ex- 
 ercised on this occasion, or whether, as is more 
 naturally to be supposed, the number of that be- 
 lieving multitude who followed Jesus with their 
 loud hosannas, were not of itself sufficient to ac- 
 count for the awe which seized the profaners of 
 the Temple, there are other considerations, w^hich 
 
I'IRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 5 
 
 arise from tliis story, in themselves of more conse- 
 quence and more surely founded on Scripture : 
 and of these the first is, that Christ, by this act of 
 authority, laid open claim, and was understood, 
 by the Jews, to lay such claim, to the office of the 
 Messiah, and to the rank of the Son of God. The 
 very action itself was that of a master in his own 
 house; and it was typical of that which our Lord 
 himself was shortly after to accomplish ; namely, 
 the turning out of the Jewish priests and Levites 
 from the spiritual temple of God, as stewards who 
 had abused their trust, and w^ho were to give 
 place to other and more faithful guardians. 
 Further, however, the action of casting the of- 
 fending Levites out of the Temple was one which 
 the Jews, both by tradition and prophecy, were 
 led to expect that the Messiah should perform, as 
 the only person who had either the power, or the 
 lawful authority, to interfere in such a question. 
 The general tradition ran that the Messiah was to 
 restore the second Temple, which then stood, to 
 the same and even greater dignity than had been 
 enjoyed by the former ; and our Saviour's conduct 
 on this day had been accurately described four 
 hundred years before, by the prophet Malachi. 
 " The Lord, whom ye seek," are his words, " shall 
 suddenly come to his temple, even the Messenger 
 of the Covenant, whom ye delight in : behold. He 
 B 3 
 
SERMON I. 
 
 shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts. But who 
 may abide the day of His coming ? and who shall 
 stand when He appeareth ? for he is like a re- 
 finer's fire, and like fuller's soap : and He shall sit 
 as a refiner and purifier of silver ; and He shall 
 purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold 
 and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an 
 offering in righteousness." ^ 
 
 The same was He, of whom John the Baptist 
 spoke, whose fan was in His hand, wherewith 
 He was thoroughly to purge his threshing-floor 
 and of whose devouring zeal for the house of God, 
 David had long since testified. Therefore it was, 
 that the people, beholding these things, gave ho- 
 nour to Him as the son of David: therefore, were 
 the chief priests and rulers so grievously enraged, 
 when they witnessed that this despised Nazarene 
 had now begun to take unto himself His great 
 power, and to reign as it had been foretold of 
 Him : and this explains, why Jesus, when they 
 asked Him for His authority for such acts of 
 royalty, referred them to the testimony which John 
 had borne of Him, and which, unless they could 
 deny it to be of heavenly inspiration, of force com- 
 pelled them to acknowledge, that He, who came 
 after John, had been from age to age before him. 
 
 1 Malachi, iii. 1, 2, 3. 
 
FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 7 
 
 and was indeed the Son of God, the Kmg of 
 Israel. 
 
 These things they saw, but saw in vain ; miser- 
 able that they were, whose day of grace was set, 
 their opportunity of repentance gone by, and the 
 axe of justice already laid to the tree of their 
 strength ! May we, my brethren, take warning by 
 their faults and their fate ; and make such use of 
 the day of the Lord, that we may understand the 
 things which belong to our everlasting peace, be- 
 fore they are hid from our eyes ! 
 
 There are several other more minute and prac- 
 tical observations which arise from this part of 
 Scripture, and of which I shall now attempt to 
 give you the most important. First, when we be- 
 hold the reverence which Christ both himself paid, 
 and required to be paid by others, to that Temple 
 of the Jews, which was so soon to be destroyed, 
 can we help perceiving the inference, which natu- 
 rally follows, as to the duty of paying all just re- 
 spect to the houses of prayer in our own land, de- 
 dicated as they are to the service of a faith which 
 is never to pass away unto the end of the world ? 
 Let not him boast the name of Christ's follower, 
 who neglects the outward tokens of respect within 
 these sacred walls, even when prayers are not ce- 
 lebrating, or who devotes the place of the Lord's 
 name to profane and unworthy uses, even when the 
 B 4 
 
8 
 
 SERMON I. 
 
 altar is empty of its mysteries. But what shall be 
 said of those who, in the very hour of prayer, and 
 when two or three are gathered together in the 
 name of the Lord, and when, if they believe the 
 Gospel, the Lord himself is personally present 
 in the midst of them, will, before that awful pre- 
 sence, indulge in sleep, or irreverent postures of 
 the body, or idle talk, or wandering and wicked 
 thoughts ; (all thoughts must be wicked which have 
 no relation to the solemn business of the hour; — - 
 how much more those which are in themselves of- 
 fensive to God !) who come hither with their heads 
 and fancies full of secular cares, or the cares of the 
 week, or the lusts of the eye ; and fear not, or 
 care not, that the angel of death may seize on 
 them as he did on Eutychus^ in the tiiiie of their 
 slumbering, or that Christ himself may, perhaps, 
 return in an hour, of which they are not aware, to 
 cast out of His temple such as do offend, and all 
 who work iniquity, to that outer darkness where 
 shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth? Surely, 
 surely, he who reflects, that, in this house of so- 
 lemn assembly, he was received in his tender years 
 into the number of Christians, made here, if he 
 have not forfeited the privilege, a child of God ; 
 that here he is called on to receive the symbols ot 
 salvation and grace in the body and blood of our 
 1 Acts, XX. 9. 
 
FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 
 
 9 
 
 Redeemer; that on the words which he here 
 repeats or attends to, his eternal happiness or 
 misery must, according to the use which he makes 
 of them, depend; that the God of heaven and 
 earth is here to shower down on his head either a 
 blessing or a curse, in proportion as his prayers 
 are sincere, or are unholy ; surely, he who con- 
 siders these things, will be far from allowing his 
 thoughts to wander in the house of prayer ; but 
 will rather exclaim, with the patriarch Jacob, 
 Surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it 
 not ! How dreadful is this place ! This is none 
 other but the house of God, and this is the gate of 
 heaven." ^ 
 
 There is, however, one caution of still more 
 consequence than that which I have just stated. 
 If such honour be due, such purity and decency 
 to be observed, in regard of those houses of brick 
 and stone which are called after the name of the 
 Most High, what shall be the lot of those who 
 defile with lust and sin the living temple of the 
 Holy Ghost, — those bodies in which the Grace 
 of the Most High delighteth to dwell ; which are 
 sanctified by baptism; purchased by the Blood of 
 Christ; and exalted, above the angelical nature, 
 in Him who sometime came in the flesh with 
 great lowliness and infirmity, but hath now 
 1 Genesis, xxviii. 17. 
 B 5 
 
10 
 
 SERMON I, 
 
 ascended into Heaven, far above all principality 
 and dominion, and power, and hath put all things 
 under his feet ! May He give us grace, that 
 these earthly tabernacles, which he hath purified, 
 may be cleansed, indeed, from all sinful stain ; 
 and that we may rejoice with Him, in body and 
 soul, and with our elder brethren the angels, in 
 the day, when this corruptible must put on incor- 
 ruption ; and this mortal, immortality. 
 
SERMON 11. 
 
 SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT, 
 
 [From the Epistle for the Day.] 
 KOMANS, XV. 7. 
 
 Receive ye one another, as Christ also received us, to the glory 
 of God. 
 
 The meaning, which is borne by the word " re- 
 ceive" in the present passage, — in what manner, 
 and in what respects we are commanded to 
 " receive one another," — will be made more plain 
 by looking back to the first verse of the four- 
 teenth chapter, and to the general chain of rea- 
 soning, in which, through all the following verses, 
 the Apostle is engaged. He there instructs us 
 " to receive him that is weak in the faith, but 
 not to doubtful disputations : " and he then goes 
 on to reckon up the various unimportant points of 
 doctrine and practice, on which ignorant or buper- 
 stitious Christians were, even in those early times, 
 divided. Those differences, almost all, arose from 
 B 6 
 
12 
 
 SERMON II. 
 
 questions about the law of Moses, which one very 
 numerous party believed to be still in force; and 
 which the other side, as well as the Apostles them- 
 selves, were taught by the Holy Ghost to believe, 
 bad been done away by the sacrifice and death of 
 the Messiah. 
 
 Thus, the former, or Jewish party, accounted 
 it sinful to eat pork, or rabbits, or water-fowl, or 
 anything dressed with blood, or anything which 
 had not been killed by a Jew, or in any other 
 manner than that which the Jewish customs 
 appointed: and as in a heathen country it w^as 
 difficult to find any flesh-meat free from some one 
 or other of these objections ; these men chose 
 rather to live on herbs and roots only, than to 
 transgress the ordinances of Moses and the an- 
 cient rabbins. The latter, on the other hand, 
 knew that God, as he had declared by vision to St. 
 Peter, had made all things clean by the blood of 
 his Son ; and that whatever food was wholesome, 
 was also lawful to be eaten in moderation and 
 thankfulness. Again, the former were accustomed 
 to keep holy, not only the first day of the week, 
 or our Sunday, which from the beginning of the 
 Church had been always observed as a day of 
 public prayer and solemn assemblage ; but they, 
 moreover, observed the feasts of the new moon, 
 and of the tabernacles, and the passover, as ap- 
 
SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 
 
 13 
 
 pointed by Moses or the Jewish elders ; and, 
 above all, they were resolute to abstain from all 
 w^ork on the Jewish Sabbath, that is, from Friday 
 evening to Saturday evening. The opposite 
 party, far better instructed in the nature of Christ's 
 religion, well knew that these observances were 
 no longer binding on the conscience ; that the 
 law of ceremonies, of times, and days, had been 
 cancelled by Christ, and nailed, as useless, to his 
 cross ; that one day was not by nature more 
 holy than another ; and that the church of Christ 
 might fix on any day, which they thought fitting, 
 for the necessary work of worship and instruc- 
 tion. 
 
 To make peace between these parties is St. 
 Paul's endeavour, in his thirteenth and e be- 
 ginning of his fourteenth chapter ; and this 
 purpose he pursues by urging on them both the 
 consideration of the common object, which both 
 professed to have in view, — the glory, that is, of 
 God, and the advance of Christ's religion. The 
 Jewish Christian, who abstained from flesh-meat 
 and from work on the Saturday, did both, as he 
 believed, in compliance with God's will ; and with 
 the hope that by thus favouring the prejudices 
 of his countrymen, he should remove, in part, 
 their objections to the Gospel. The Gentile 
 Christian, for his part, was moved by a more en- 
 
14 
 
 SERMON ir. 
 
 lightened notion of God's glory and of the power 
 of the Gospel : he would not do away with the 
 liberty wherewith Christ had made him free, by 
 a return to the elementary forms of the elder 
 covenant ; and he feared, with reason, that the 
 heathen would never be converted to the faith of 
 Christ, if that faith were clogged with a burthen 
 of ceremonies and restrictions, which the Jews 
 themselves had been scarcely able to bear. 
 
 That one of these opposite parties was right, 
 and the other wrong, St. Paul does not deny ; 
 and that the latter was right, he had proved at large 
 in all the former chapters of this epistle. But 
 that they both meant well, and both, though by 
 different methods, pursued the same great object, 
 he urges on both, and more particularly on his 
 own, or the better instructed party, as a reason for 
 patience and forbearance, and, to use his own ex- 
 pression, " for receiving one another." He reminds 
 those, who were of the same opinion with himself, 
 that the superstitions of their antagonists, though it 
 might be weak, and might be wrong, was of infi- 
 nitely little importance, when compared with the 
 righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, 
 which should be the objects of a Christian's care. 
 He does more ; he entreats them to comply, where 
 compliance was innocent, withJthe prejudices of 
 their weaker brethren ; preferring rather to abate 
 
SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 
 
 15 
 
 some little of their own Christian liberty, than to run 
 the risk, either of leading by their example, those 
 brethren into practices against their private con- 
 science, or, of shocking their settled habits, and of 
 driving them from the CathoHc Church, or, it 
 might be, from the profession of Christianity. 
 " We, then," he continues, " that are strong, ought 
 to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to 
 please ourselves; let every one of us please his 
 neighbour, for his good to edification.'^ ^ 
 
 And this rule of conduct he confirms by the 
 example of Christ, whose zeal for the glory of 
 God, and the good of men's souls, caused him 
 patiently to endure the contradiction of sinners ; 
 and of whom it was, for our instruction, long be- 
 fore, foretold by David that he should do so. For 
 "whatsoever things were written aforetime," he 
 continues, " were written for our learning ; that 
 we, through patience and comfort of the Scrip- 
 tures, might have hope." And " the God of 
 patience and consolation grant you to be like- 
 minded one towards another ; according to Christ 
 Jesus, that ye may with one mind and one mouth 
 glorify God." 2 
 
 As if he had said, the main truth, which Scrip- 
 ture teaches us, is the necessity of mutual forbear- 
 ance ; nor can we have hope or comfort from the 
 1 Romans, xv. 1, 2. ^ Romans, xv. 4 — 6. 
 
16 
 
 SERMON II. 
 
 word of God, unless we also learn patience from 
 it. And may God, whose Holy Ghost gives both 
 patience and consolation, grant that ye may in 
 perfect charity join each other in His common 
 service and glory. " Wherefore," for to this point 
 whatever has been said conducts us, " wherefore," 
 he continues in the words of the text, " receive ye 
 one another, even as Christ also received us to the 
 glory of God." 
 
 This, then, is the rule with which St. Paul 
 winds up his argume.it ; and this, it is plain, 
 must be understood as a command to tolerate, or 
 put up with, as far as possible, our neighbour's re- 
 ligious errors; and, as an assurance, that not 
 every difference in doctrine, or in ceremony, is 
 sufficient to authorise Christians in separating 
 from each other; and that, where an opinion is 
 harmless, he, who follows it, is, whether right or 
 wrong, to be regarded as a brother in Christ; 
 and, inasmuch as he is weaker in the faith than 
 ourselves, should, in consideration of that very 
 weakness, be treated more tenderly. 
 
 The usefulness and timeliness of this advice, 
 when first delivered by St. Paul, you will have 
 already seen from the short account, which I have 
 given, of the disputes which prevailed among the 
 early Christians. And, indeed, no time can be 
 named in the history of the Christian church, 
 
SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 
 
 17 
 
 during which such a caution, as is here given, 
 would not have been extremely useful and season- 
 able; since by far the greater number of the 
 quarrels, which have arisen among the household 
 of faith, have arisen from differences of opinion as 
 to subjects as comparatively unimportant, in them- 
 selves, as the question whether a man were to dine 
 on pork or on herbs. It is lamentable to tell, 
 that many lives were formerly lost in a quarrel 
 whether Easter should be kept in the same week 
 with the Jewish passover ; or whether its yearly 
 return should be fixed by another rule : and that 
 among the principal causes which brought on the 
 great rebellion in this country, and the death of 
 King Charles the First on the scaffold, was the 
 offence taken by some serious and melancholy, but 
 narrow-minded persons, at the surplice which, by 
 ancient custom, is worn by our clergy during 
 Divine service. And, though I do not think that 
 religious bitterness of this kind, or to this extent, 
 is a prevailing fault of the present day; yet are 
 there so many who, for reasons full as trifling, or 
 for no reason at all, desert the communion of the 
 national church for other and smaller cono:reo:a- 
 tions; and the advice of St. Paul is applicable to 
 so many points of behaviour, which, if not uncha- 
 ritable in themselves, yet tend to the breach of 
 Christian charity, that our time will not be ill em- 
 
18 
 
 SERMON II. 
 
 ployed in explaining the several cases in which it 
 becomes us to remember this inspired counsel of 
 the Apostle. 
 
 In the first place, since the unity of love and 
 faith and worship among Christians, was, in the 
 opinion of St. Paul, of so great and exceeding 
 value, that he esteems, as of less consequence even 
 then, that Christian liberty from the Jewish law, 
 which it is the leading object of all his epistles to 
 enforce ; it is certain, that those Christian churches 
 are greatly blameable, which impose, or needlessly 
 retain, such terms of communion as are found by 
 experience to drive away men of tender con- 
 science from their worship ; and that those private 
 Christians are still more so, who, under the pre- 
 tence of a tender conscience, or without so good 
 an apology, withdraw themselves without just 
 cause, from the established church and the ma- 
 jority of their fellow Christians, to follow new 
 teachers and attend irregular places of worship. 
 For that the excuses which are commonly urged 
 for this conduct, are by no means sufficient to 
 justify it, will be apparent, if we recollect that the 
 far greater differences of St. Paul's time were not, 
 by him, accounted sufficient to justify separation. 
 The question then disputed was the continuance, 
 or the destruction, of the whole law of Moses. 
 The reasons, which are most frequently brought. 
 
SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 19 
 
 in the present day? for deserting the church in 
 favour of some smaller meeting-house, are that 
 the regular clergy, for the most part, write down 
 their sermons, that the prayers of the Church are 
 too long, or that better and more moving preachers 
 are to be found with the dissenters than with us. 
 Now the answer to all these objections, and to 
 every other objection which I have ever heard 
 against the establishment, is that which the words 
 of St. Paul supply, namely, that, whichever side 
 is right in questions so frivolous, it is better to 
 bear with a small error, than run the danger of a 
 grievous sin ; better to tolerate the harmless su- 
 perstition of those with whom we worship God, 
 than, by separating from them, to offend their con- 
 sciences, and to tear asunder the unity of Christ's 
 flock. 
 
 That this was the example which Christ him- 
 self, under like circumstances, has set us, we may 
 learn from every page of the Gospel. The church 
 of Israel and Judah, was, in His days, we know, 
 corrupted by many human inventions ; and the 
 morals and doctrine of the greater number of its 
 regular teachers must have been, in many points, 
 contemptible to the wisdom, and offensive to the 
 purity, of one so wise and so holy as our Lord. 
 Yet, because that church was established, it was 
 wonderful to observe the Saviour's regularity in 
 
20 
 
 SERMON II. 
 
 His attendance on its sacrifices and its ceremonies, 
 in its synagogues and its temple; how anxious 
 He, on many occasions, showed Himself to avoid 
 giving offence, and, even in ceremonial matters, 
 to fulfil that righteousness of which He needed 
 no supply; and how strongly he enjoins His 
 disciples to observe and obey the commandments 
 of those very scribes and pharisees whose errors 
 and whose evil lives He, elsewhere, reproves so 
 sharply. The mischief of acquiescing in estab- 
 lished error is often far less, than the mischief 
 which arises from attaching too great a value to 
 our own opinions ; and it follows that, even if 
 the causes of complaint against our Church were 
 well founded, which I do not think they are, yet, 
 inasmuch as they are not even pretended to be of 
 a kind which endangers the salvation of souls, 
 those, who separate from us on these accounts, 
 are lamentably negligent of the caution here given 
 by St. Paul. Very strange and terrible things 
 are written in the New Testament against the sin 
 of schism, or causeless separation from our fellow 
 Christians. And it becomes those who thus se- 
 parate, to have a better and more unavoidable 
 cause of separation to plead, than I have ever 
 heard advanced by those who separate from the 
 Church of England. 
 
 But as the meaning of the word " receive," as 
 
SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 21 
 
 we have seen already, is, in this place, to tolerate, 
 — to put up with — nay, in lawful points, as St. 
 Paul's example shows, to humour — the weakness 
 of our brethren; so is this command of a still 
 more extensive application than that which I have 
 mentioned, and relates not only to the terms of 
 communion with a Church, but to the behaviour 
 which the members of different communions are 
 required, in private life, and in the common in- 
 tercourse of the world, to observe towards each 
 other; and, more particularly still, to the respect 
 which we are bound to pay to the religious opi- 
 nions of all men, whether members of the same 
 church with us or no ; and whether those opinions 
 be, in our judgement, well founded or no, so long 
 as they are harmless in themselves, and sincerely 
 professed ; — and in every case where compliance 
 on our part will not produce a greater evil than 
 contradiction. But this, which is, perhaps, the 
 most practical part of my subject, would require 
 a greater length, than the present opportunity 
 will afford; and I shall, therefore, only urge on 
 your attention a few aweful considerations, which 
 cannot be too constantly present to our minds, 
 and which naturally arise from the subjects on 
 which I have been discoursing. 
 
 In the first place, since the most frequent source 
 of religious disputes is a too great attention t 
 
22 
 
 SERMON II. 
 
 trifles, (or to what are trifles in comparison to the 
 great concerns of a Christian ;) it is plain that the 
 likeliest way to prevent, or to cure them, is to 
 possess our own minds and the minds of those 
 over whom we have influence, with an overpower- 
 ing and exclusive sense of the mighty things 
 which Christ has done for us ; of the extent of 
 our hope, if we continue in His love, and of the 
 greatness of our danger, if we fall away from 
 it. He, who is, in good earnest, striving for a 
 kina'dom, will have little time to criticise the 
 uniform of his fellow soldiers : he, whose eyes and 
 ears and thoughts and heart are bent incessantly 
 on the goodness and glories of a Redeemer, will 
 have neither inclination nor leisure to find fault 
 with such frivolous differences as have given rise 
 to the greater part of Christian schisms. It is 
 remarkable, indeed, that few persecutors have, in 
 their own persons, been men of real holiness. 
 They have been, for the most part^ such as strove 
 to hide indulgence to their own faults, under a 
 mask of severity to those of other men ; ambitious 
 and carnal men, who have made religion a step- 
 ping stone to worldly wealth or power ; and who 
 have, themselves, neither believed nor cared for 
 those doctrines which they punished others for 
 refusing. So far from persecution being the fruit 
 of too much zeal in God's cause, it is, for the most 
 
SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 
 
 23 
 
 part, a sure mark of too little ; and he, who has 
 himself been really made to tremble, and to burn 
 with the Seraphim before the Eternal Throne, 
 can hardly either hate, or tyrannise over, his 
 brother. 
 
 But, secondly, since a false and frivolous zeal 
 is so apt to insinuate itself into the place of true 
 faith and love, let it be remembered always, that 
 the only mark, by which we can jvidge or dis- 
 tinguish them, is that charity to man, for the sake 
 of God, without which we may give our body to 
 be burned and our goods to the poor, and remove 
 mountains, and speak with the tongue of men and 
 angels, and yet be offering up a tasteless sacrifice 
 to God, and treasuring up for ourselves rejection 
 and punishment in that day when Christ shall 
 come to cast out the chaff from His threshing 
 floor. 
 
SERMON III. 
 
 THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 
 
 [From the Epistle for the Day.] 
 1 Cor. iv. 5. 
 
 Judge notJmig before the time, until the Lord come, who both 
 will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will 
 make manifest the counsels of the hearts; and then shall 
 every man have 'praise of God, 
 
 The original application of these words, as they 
 are found in that part of St. Paul's first Epistle 
 to the Corinthians, which has been this morning 
 read to you from the Communion-table, was to 
 the unjust and uncharitable reflections which had 
 been thrown out against the Apostle himself in 
 the course of those disputes which had agitated 
 the Corinthian Church ; and to appease and settle 
 which he sent them this first epistle. It is, there- 
 fore, that, while a few verses before, he allows the 
 great necessity and obligation which was laid on 
 the ministers of Christ, and upon himself among 
 the number, to a faithful discharge of their duty, 
 he goes on to tell them, that he, for one, will dis- 
 
THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 
 
 25 
 
 charge that duty by the rule of God's will alone, 
 without courting their praise, and without fearing 
 their blame. " It is required, " says he, " in 
 stewards (such as we are) that a man should be 
 found faithful ; " but of this faithfulness, he con- 
 tinues, it is of very little consequence what you or 
 I may think. " With me it is a very small thing 
 that I should be judged of you, or of man's judge- 
 ment, yea, I judge not mine own self." I am, 
 indeed, unconscious of having done any thing 
 which could deserve the censures which have been 
 brought against me; but it is not to mine own 
 heart that I would appeal, which may be corrupt 
 or mistaken ; but to that Judgement which no- 
 thing can escape, and before which I must one 
 day give an account of my whole behaviour. I 
 know nothing by myself," or, as the Greek words 
 would be more exactly rendered, " I know no- 
 thing against myself ' ; I am not conscious of any 
 negligence in my duties as an Apostle ; yet I am 
 not hereby justified, but he that judge th me is the 
 Lord. Therefore," he continues in the words of 
 my text, " Therefore, judge nothing before the 
 time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to 
 light the hidden things of darkness, and will make 
 manifest the counsels of the hearts; and then 
 shall every man have praise of God, 
 
 ^ Ov^ev yap efjafiro avvo i^a. 
 C 
 
26' SERMON lit. 
 
 In these words there are four things to whieh 
 I chiefly desire to call your attention, as of the 
 greatest practical consequence to the improve- 
 ment of yovir lives, and to your hopes of everlasting 
 happiness. 1st. The caution given against rash 
 and premature judgement, — " j^^dge nothing 
 before the time." 2nd. The time to which all 
 judgement of men, their motives, and characters 
 should, so far as possible, be deferred, - — " till the 
 Lord come." 3rd. The discovery, which will 
 then be made of all those particulars, — our igno- 
 rance of which, in the present life, must prevent 
 our forming a just opinion of men or things, — ^ 
 ^' till the Lord come, who both will bring to light 
 the hidden things of darkness, and will make ma- 
 nifest the counsels of the heart." 4th. What is 
 represented as the consequence of this general 
 and glorious light which will be thrown on all 
 our words and thoughts — namely, that not men 
 only shall acknowledge the integrity of the 
 righteous ; but that every man, that is, every 
 good man, shall receive an honour, compared to 
 which the loudest applause of men is less than 
 nothing — " Every man shall have praise of 
 God." 
 
 The first of these assertions, that, namely, we 
 are to judge nothing before the time of Christ's 
 coming in glory, is to be understood, I admit, in 
 
THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 27 
 
 a limited sense, and qualified with some excep- 
 tions. There are some respects in which every 
 man must judge for himself, and there are some 
 persons whose duty it is to judge, (and to con- 
 demn, if found faulty,) the actions of their fellow- 
 creatures. We are expressly commanded to 
 examine our own consciences; to "judge our- 
 selves that we be not judged of the Lord ^ ; " 
 while " they, who have the rule over us," are, in 
 like manner, authorised and directed to judge 
 righteously, to determine justly and without par- 
 tiality or prejudice, to be a terror to evil doers, 
 and a praise to them who do well, and, as the 
 ministers of God appointed for this purpose, not 
 to bear the sword in vain, nor allow the guilty 
 to pass unpunished. Nay, St. Paul himself, in 
 this very epistle, imputes it as a reproach to the 
 Corinthians, that there was not one wise man 
 among them who was able to judge his brethren - ; 
 and himself, though absent, yet by his apostolical 
 authority, pronounces in the fifth chapter a very 
 severe judgement against the person who " had 
 his father's wife." ^ It is plain, then, that nothing 
 which is said here, can be meant to forbid self- 
 examination, or judgement by a lawful authority^ 
 Nor can this caution be intended entirely to 
 take away that right of private judgement, which 
 ^ 1 Cor. xi. 31. 2 1 Cor. vi. 5. s ist verse, 
 c 2 
 
28 
 
 SERMON IIP, 
 
 every man is in the habit of exercising, on the 
 outward actions and behaviour of those with 
 whom he dwells: and that, for the following 
 reasons : — 
 
 In the first place, while men are men, to de- 
 prive them of this liberty would be impossible. 
 It is a necessary consequence of the faculties 
 wbiich God has given us : and which, in a great 
 measure, distinguish us from the brute creation ; 
 that we not only see, but compare, and com- 
 paring, judge men's actions with one another, 
 and with those notions of rif^ht and wrono: which 
 we have received both from nature and from 
 revelation* We cannot help seeing that men differ 
 greatly from each other. We cannot help judg- 
 ing that such men are right, and such others 
 wrong, in their respective lines of behaviour; 
 and therefore it was, that our Saviour himself 
 rebuked the Jews for not making a proper use of 
 their natural powers of distinguishing between 
 good and evil, when He said, " Why, even of 
 your own selves, do ye not judge the thing that 
 is right ? " And, secondly, this use of our 
 natural reason and observation, in judging the 
 conduct and character of men, is not only allowed, 
 but commanded. We are commanded in many, 
 very many, passages of Scripture, to shun the 
 company and conversation of the wicked. But 
 
THIRD SUNDAY IK ADVENT. 
 
 29 
 
 how are we to shun the wicked, unless we first 
 determine who is wicked, and who is not ? or how 
 are we to do this without judging them? So 
 plain it is that neither examination of ourselves, 
 nor the exercise of a lawful authority in the 
 judgment of offenders, nor the exercise of the 
 natural right of private opinion, can, within rea- 
 sonable limits, be held up to reprobation in Scrip- 
 ture. 
 
 What then, can be intended by the Apostle, 
 when he thus commands us to "judge nothing 
 before the time, till the Lord com-e ? " 
 
 I answer, in the first place, all rash and uncha- 
 ritable judgement is hereby condemned ; all cen- 
 sure, that is, of a man's conduct or principles, 
 which arises either from a hasty or an angry 
 view of them, or from a prejudice against his 
 person. We may lawfully think ill of a man, 
 because, under certain circumstances, it becomes 
 our duty to warn others against him. But w^e 
 cannot, without a great sin, do either the one or 
 the other of these, unless w^e are first well per- 
 suaded in our minds, (and persuaded on some pro- 
 bable grounds,) that the man is really such a 
 person as we represent him. We must not do, 
 what is too often done, first take a dislike on 
 trifling grounds ; and then feed that dislike in 
 our hearts, and justify it to ourselves and others 
 c 3 
 
30 
 
 SERMON III. 
 
 by aggravating our neighbour's failings, by im- 
 puting to him actions of which we do not know 
 that he is guilty, and motives of which we cannot 
 know any thing. If we feel any personal dislike 
 towards him, that very consciousness should act as 
 a warning to be more slow in our suspicions, more 
 cautious, more charitable in our expressions con- 
 cerning him. And, secondly, all unnecessary 
 judgement or censure is forbidden. It may be 
 impossible, as I have already observed, to avoid 
 thinking evil of our neighbour, if that neighbour's 
 ill conduct is so necessarily thrown in our way as 
 that we cannot avoid observing it. It may be not 
 only lawful but our duty to speak ill of our neigh- 
 bour, when our opinion is asked concerning him by 
 those who have a right to ask it; or when we are 
 called on in justice or in charity towards others to 
 warn them against his arts or his example. But 
 it is a plain transgression of the Apostle's counsel 
 when we covet and seek out for ourselves the 
 office of judge ; when we inquire into those faults 
 and follies which no ways concern us ; or, when 
 having, on whatever grounds, conceived an unfa- 
 vourable opinion of our neighbour, we blazon that 
 opinion abroad in all companies, and under cir- 
 cumstances where no consequence can follow but 
 mischief to him ; and to ourselves the gratification 
 of foolish vanity or fiendish malice. 
 
THIKD SUNDAY IN ADTENT. SI 
 
 So far, then, as we have yet seen, it may be said^ 
 that we are forbidden to judge, in the same waj" 
 and under the same limitations as we are forbidden 
 to kill. A private man may kill where it is neces- 
 sary for his own defence, or the defence of his 
 innocent friend ; a ruler or prince may kill, and 
 may find it his duty to kill, when he is called on 
 to do so by the laws of God, or of the nation 
 wherein he bears authority. And, in like manner, 
 a judge is, by the nature and name of his office, 
 called on to pass censure on such actions as come 
 before him in that capacity ; and a private person 
 must do so, when his own situation, or that of 
 his friends, requires it of him ; but all rash judge- 
 ment, all prejudice or malicious judgement, is for- 
 bidden ; no less than all rash, all malicious, and 
 all unnecessary shedding of the blood of our fellow- 
 creatures. 
 
 But there is yet another rule, which we should 
 observe, to make our judgement lawful or blame- 
 less. Our judgement of our neighbours should 
 not be positive. We should ever recollect that, 
 in spite of all appearances, we may be mistaken ; 
 and, recollecting this, we should always lean to 
 the favourable side. "It may be," we should 
 always think with ourselves, " it may be, he hath 
 not done or said it;" — "it may be, he hath not 
 meant it;" — "it may be, he was deceived:" — 
 c 4 
 
32 
 
 SERMON Iir, 
 
 " it may be, he hath repented;" — "it may be, if 
 we deal gently with him, he may yet repent and 
 be saved." And if we really desire our neigh- 
 bour's salvation, if we really love him as ourselves, 
 or are really desirous of doing to him as we would 
 be done by, we shall be well enough inclined, in 
 almost every case, to hope and believe such things 
 concerning him ; and not only to speak of him, 
 but to feel towards him charitably. 
 
 And to this habit of, so far as possible, suspend- 
 ing our unfavourable judgement of other men, 
 nothing can so much contribute as the constant 
 recollection of that aweful time, when the great 
 Judge of heaven and earth shall return in might 
 and majesty to take account of the souls which 
 His blood hath purchased. It would, even in this 
 world, be accounted an act of great presumption 
 and injustice to prejudge the case, and take for 
 granted the guilt of any man whose trial for life 
 and death was shortly to come on before the re- 
 gular and lawful magistrate. And this presump- 
 tion and injustice would appear still greater, if we 
 ourselves were likewise to take our trial at the 
 same time, and were actually in fear of the same 
 condemnation which we were so ready to call down 
 on the head of our neighbour. How much more 
 should this consideration weigh with us, who, 
 together with that neighbour, are shortly to stand 
 
THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 
 
 33 
 
 before the judgement seat of Christ, the searcher 
 of hearts, the Master and Lord of all, who hath 
 the keys of death and of hell ; and to whom men 
 may be well content to resign all censure of their 
 neighbours, seeing that Grod the Father Himself 
 judge th no man, but hath committed all judge- 
 ment unto the Son ! Surely, with these expect- 
 ations, we shall do well to profit by the counsel of 
 the Apostle, — to "judge nothing before the time, 
 — until the Lord come;" and by the warning of 
 that blessed Lord Himself, that " with what 
 judgement we judge, we shall ourselves be 
 judged," 
 
 And, further, we may be the more easily in- 
 clined to suspend in this manner our opinions, 
 when we compare the great darkness and uncer- 
 tainty of the best judgement which is in our power 
 to form, with that clearness of truth and certainty 
 with which the Judge of heaven and earth shall 
 one day determine on the conduct and character 
 of every man. Our judgements are built on ap- 
 pearances only, in themselves often deceitful ; our 
 judgements are liable to be warped, even against 
 our will and without our knowledge, by many, 
 very many circumstances of human passion and 
 infirmity, by our likings or dislikes, by the state of 
 our bodily health, by the bias of our education, 
 by our rank in life, by the good or bad humour 
 c 5 
 
SERMON III. 
 
 in which we happen to be at the time. We cannot 
 but be ignorant of the state of our neighbour's 
 soul, of the motives on which he has acted, of the 
 opportunities of grace which have been offered or 
 denied to him, of how far we ourselves might 
 have been able to withstand the like temptation 
 with that under which he has fallen. But none 
 of our infirmities, none of our difficulties, can beset 
 the sentence of that Almighty Wisdom, which 
 " will bring to light the hidden things of dark- 
 ness, and make manifest the counsels of the heart; " 
 — in that Day, when there " is nothing hid which 
 shall not be known;" and "when that which was 
 whispered in the ear shall be proclaimed publicly 
 to men and angels." And, sensible as we must 
 be of our present darkness, and looking forwards 
 as we do, to a light so great and glorious, is it too 
 much to wait a little while without judging, seeing 
 that we shall be shortly enabled to determine ex- 
 actly whatever now perplexes us? Or shall we 
 not, instead of finding fault with our brethren, be 
 diligent in so ruling our own hearts, our words 
 and actions, as that we may be conscious of nothing 
 of which we shall blush to give account, in the 
 great assembly of good men made perfect, and in 
 the presence of that God whom none but the pure 
 in heart can bear to look upon ? Or can we avoid 
 considering, — which is the last lesson which I 
 
THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 
 
 35 
 
 would desire to impress on your minds from these 
 words of St. Paul5 — of how little consequence is 
 the judgement or opinion of men, to those who 
 are hastening, as we all are, to that last great trial 
 of our lives and characters, when both shall be 
 pronounced either blessed or cursed, by an all- 
 seeing, all-wise, all -mighty Sovereign? 
 
 Is it not strange that men, calling themselves 
 Christians, should be distressed at every turn by 
 fears of what the world will say, — by anxiety to 
 be well thought of among their neighbours : — 
 that they should be so careful to hide their sins 
 and follies from mankind ; and yet never recollect 
 that the Day must come when all those sins and 
 follies, the recollection of which, even now, makes 
 their cheeks burn with shame, will be made known 
 to all men in their true colours ? Is it not stranire, 
 that a desire of the praise of men, or a fear of 
 their laughter, should keep us back from doing 
 that which our soul approves, and which we knov/ 
 would, one day, obtain for us the praise of that 
 Being, compared with whom ten thousand worlds 
 are less than nothing ? " Cease ye from man, 
 whose breath is in his nostrils, for wherein is he 
 to be accounted of? It is a very small thing that 
 we should be judged of man's judgement ; for He 
 that judgeth us is the Lord, who both will bring- 
 to light the hidden things of darkness, and make 
 c 6 
 
36 
 
 SERMON III. 
 
 manifest the counsels of the heart/' in that day 
 when "every man shall hare praise of God:" and 
 when they, whom the erring judgement of their 
 brethren has overlooked or blindly censured, shall 
 receive from the lips of Power that sentence which 
 IS the key of everlasting life, — " Well done, thou 
 good and faithful servant !" 
 
SERMON IV. 
 
 FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 
 
 [From the Epistle for the Day. ] 
 
 Phil. iv. 5. 
 
 The Lord is at hand. 
 
 Notwithstanding the shortness of that portion 
 of Scripture, which has been read as the Epistle 
 of this morning, it comprises in itself more com- 
 fortable truths, and more wholesome counsels, than 
 can be found, expressed with equal force and ele- 
 gance, in many far longer compositions. It gives 
 us a statement of that temper of mind, which the 
 contemplation of our Lord's return to judge the 
 world should produce and promote in the bosom 
 of every Christian ; — the holy joy, the indifference 
 to this world and to all which it offers, and the 
 perfect reliance on God which casts all our care 
 on Him, and in the hour of trouble flies to prayer 
 as to a sure and holy refuge. " Rejoice in the 
 Lord alway " let your moderation be known 
 unto all men; the Lord is at hand; be careful 
 
38 
 
 SERMON IV. 
 
 for nothing ; but, in every thing, by prayer and 
 supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests 
 be made known unto God." These are the rules 
 which the Apostle lays down for the govern- 
 ment of the Christian heart : and if we follow, 
 in our customary thoughts, and deeds, and words 
 of every day, these plain directions of the Holy 
 Ghost, blessed indeed is the promise made to us ; 
 if, knowing these truths, we act accordingly, 
 " the peace of God," we are told, shall cheer and 
 strengthen us in the troubles of our mortal life ; 
 and, with a power which none can imagine or 
 understand, " shall keep our hearts and minds" 
 from doubt and danger, through the merits of 
 Jesus Christ. 
 
 But the reason given by St. Paul for our hoping 
 for this great comfort of God's grace, and for our 
 own fulfilling these three several rules of daily 
 behaviour, is one and the same tremendous and 
 aweful truth, contained in the words which I have 
 more particularly chosen for my text, " The Lord 
 is at hand." Why else is the Christian twice com- 
 manded to rejoice in his faith, and in the prospect 
 of eternal happiness; but because the Lord is 
 about to return, by whose mercy that happiness 
 will be bestowed ? Why are we exhorted to be 
 moderate in all our desires and in all our earthlj- 
 feelings ; but because the fashion of this world is 
 
FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 
 
 39 
 
 so soon to pass away, and that while we speak, 
 the day of the Lord may be at hand ? Why are we 
 to be careful for nothing, but continue instant in 
 prayer ; except because the Lord our Saviour is 
 at hand to wipe away all tears from our eyes, and 
 because it is fit to watch and pray for His ex- 
 pected return? Why, lastly, have we reason to 
 hope for the grace and comfort of the Holy 
 Spirit, but through our faith in Him who sits at 
 the right hand of Eternal Majesty, and who has 
 promised His disciples to send us his Holy Spirit 
 to help our infirmities, till He shall himself return 
 again? 
 
 For all these, the reason is the same ; " the 
 Lord," says his Apostle, " the Lord is at hand ; " 
 and, since on this truth our actions and our hopes 
 in so great a degree depend, the time will not be 
 ill applied, which is given to examine and explain 
 the several manners in which we may interpret 
 the assurance given us in Scripture of the speedy 
 return of Christ to earth: since our English 
 Church, and almost every other society of 
 Christians in the world, have appointed in their 
 public service, a certain number of Sundays at 
 this time of the year, to prepare our minds, by 
 appropriate prayers, and by awakening passages 
 of Scripture, for the due celebration of the birth- 
 day of our Lord, for the recollection of His first 
 
40 
 
 SERMON IV. 
 
 coming to visit us in great humility, and for the 
 aweful reflection that the time may even now be 
 speedily approaching, when He shall return in 
 His glorious Majesty to judge both the quick and 
 the dead. 
 
 These Sundays are called by a Latin word, the 
 Advent, or Coming of Christ ; and you will ac- 
 cordingly observe, on looking back to the collects 
 of the present Sunday, and of the three which are 
 past, that it is to this object that our thoughts 
 and our prayers have been directed. The proper 
 lessons have all been chosen from the prophecies 
 of Isaiah, in which, in dark, but aweful language, 
 the dreadful Day of the Lord is foretold. In the 
 Epistles, or in the Gospels, or in both of them, 
 some hint is ever found adapted to the season, 
 and calling on us to forsake the works of darkness, 
 and to prepare ourselves, by true repentance and 
 by earnest supplication to God, that we, through 
 His grace, may be found in the number of those 
 happy saints, who, when the Son of Man shall 
 descend in a cloud with power and great glory, 
 shall burst forth into that majestic anthem of 
 hope and happiness, " Blessed is he, that cometh 
 in the name of the Lord ! " 
 
 I have thought it right to explain thus shortly 
 the meaning of the Advent Sundays, and the wise 
 intention of our Church in appointing them : and 
 
FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 41 
 
 I now return to the aweful subject of my present 
 sermon, viz. what we are to understand by the 
 different promises, made in Scripture, of the 
 speedy return of Jesus Christ to earth. Do not, 
 however, expect, my friends, that I shall venture 
 with audacious confidence to explain the signs of 
 the times of God's great victory ; that I shall wrest 
 the prophecies to private or political interpret- 
 ation ; or that I shall strive to rend the veil of a 
 dreadful futurity, and to count the seasons to that 
 day and hour of which no one knoweth but the 
 Father. Sufficient for us to meditate on those 
 aweful truths which are really revealed to us for 
 our use and learning ; to be the light to our paths, 
 and the guide to our actions ; and that we, through 
 patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have 
 hope. 
 
 And, of all these truths, there is none more 
 frequently insisted on by Christ, and by His 
 Apostles, than the one on which we are now dis- 
 coursing. The Prophets Ezekiel, Daniel, and 
 Isaiah often delight to speak of it ; but the pro- 
 mises in the Gospel ai'e clear and positive. "Here- 
 after,'' says Christ to Nathaniel, "hereafter ye 
 shall see Heaven open, and the angels of God 
 ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." ^ 
 " A little while," in another place we read His 
 
 ^ St.John, i. 5] 
 
42 
 
 SERMON IV. 
 
 words, " a little while, and ye shall not see me ; 
 and again, a little while, and ye shall see me." ^ 
 To the High Priest also, when he asked Him, 
 whether He were the Christ, the Son of the Bless- 
 ed, our Lord replies — as a proof that He was 
 so, — that those who now rejected Him should 
 behold Him hereafter, " sitting on the right hand 
 of power, and coming in the clouds of Heaven." ^ 
 
 It is useless to multiply examples in a point so 
 clear. I shall only add, that the angels foretold 
 to the Apostles that, in like manner as Christ had 
 ascended to Heaven, so He should at length re- 
 turn again ^; that in the Revelations, Christ, 
 then glorified, gave the same assurance to His 
 beloved disciple^ St. John; that all the Apostles 
 point to the same dreadful period ; and that the 
 most solemn ordinance of our religion, the Sa- 
 crament of The Lord's Supper, is said by St. 
 Paul to be a picture and representation of our 
 Saviour's sufferings ; to remind us of Him during 
 His absence, and " to show forth the Lord's 
 death till He come." 
 
 Of all these texts the application is plain and 
 easy : they all refer to the last Great Day, when 
 Christ shall return to judge the quick and the 
 dead ; when heaven and earth shall fly away 
 
 ^ St. John, xvi. 16- 
 ^ Acts, i. IL 
 
 2 St. Matt, xxxvi. 64. 
 4 Hev. i. 7. 
 
FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 43 
 
 before His face; when all the dead, small and 
 great, shall stand in the presence of the Lord, 
 and He shall place the good on His right hand, 
 and the wicked on His left. But all the texts 
 relating to this second coming are not so easy to 
 be explained as these are. There is a real diffi- 
 culty which many may have felt, (I have felt it 
 myself; and be assured, that the reasoning, by 
 which I was not satisfied, I would never offer to 
 you,) that, in many of these prophecies of Christ's 
 return to earth, an almost immediate return is 
 promised and foretold. " I come quickly," said 
 our Lord, already glorified, to the beloved author 
 of the Revelations.^ " If I will that he tarry till 
 I come, what is that to thee ? " ^ " There be 
 some of them that stand here, which shall not 
 taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of 
 God come with power." ^ This generation shall 
 not pass, till all these things be fulfilled."^ 
 
 Now, in all these expressions^ at first sight a 
 very considerable difficulty is involved. How can 
 Christ have performed His promise, ^^to come 
 quickly," when eighteen hundred years have 
 passed away since that promise was made ? How 
 did St. John tarry till His return, when St. John 
 is long since laid to sleep in the grave? How 
 
 1 Rev.iii. 11. 2 St. John, xxi. 22. 
 
 2 St. Mark, ix. 1. 4 gt. Matt. xxiv. 34. 
 
44 
 
 SERMON IV. 
 
 were his words fulfilled in the presence of that 
 particular generation, while the world still en- 
 dures ; though thirty generations, reckoned at 
 sixty years a piece, have since been turned into 
 dust ? This was, we find, from the second epistle 
 of St. Peter ^, an objection which, even in his 
 time, was made to the Gospel. Even then there 
 were scoffers who mocked at the promise of 
 Christ's coming ; and observed, that, since the 
 fathers fell asleep, all things continued in the 
 same course which they kept of old. And the 
 objection which was then, undoubtedly, prema- 
 ture, may seem to have obtained some strength at 
 the present day, by the number of years which 
 have gone by. But a careful consideration of the 
 texts of Scripture, in which these promises are 
 made, will enable the commonest and plainest 
 understanding to perceive what is really meant by 
 them, and to answer all objections made against 
 their authority. 
 
 First, it will be well to observe, that the pro- 
 mises which were made eighteen hundred years 
 ago,' — that persons, then alive, should not leave 
 the world before He returned to take vengeance 
 on His enemies, — might be very completely ful- 
 filled in another manner besides the end of the 
 world, and the last great Judgement. I have, on 
 ^ 2 St. Peter, iii. 4. 
 
FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 45 
 
 former occasions^ mentioned to you the manner in 
 which Jerusalem was destroyed, and the Temple 
 made a heap of ruins, not many years after our 
 Saviour was put to death ; and while many were, 
 doubtless, still alive, who had remembered Him 
 on earth, and had joined, perhaps, in the cry of 
 " Crucify Him. " On that occasion, we know 
 from history, that all those dreadful signs took 
 place, which our Saviour had foretold to His dis- 
 ciples. There were earthquakes in divers places ; 
 there were wonderful appearances in the sun, and 
 the moon, and the stars ; nation rose against na- 
 tion ; and the wickedness and misery of all man- 
 kind, and of the Jewish people in particular, 
 appeared to have reached its full. And such was 
 the vengeance which overtook the murderous Is- 
 raelites, that no less than two millions of men and 
 women died by the sword or by hunger (many 
 devouring their own children for want) : the re- 
 mainder were all sent into slavery; and their city 
 and temple were made a heap of undistinguished 
 ruins. Now, that this was the destruction, thus 
 foretold and thus accomplished, we may well be- 
 lieve, though Christ did not then Himself visibly 
 appear : for, though he was not there in bodily 
 presence, yet was He surely there in power. It 
 was His vengeance which trod the winepress of 
 anger alone ; it was His hand which darted the 
 
46 
 
 SERMON IV. 
 
 thunder, and which shook the world ; and which 
 destroyed those murderers, and burnt their city 
 with fire; and which, by thus fulfilling his pro- 
 phecy, and by breaking down the last remains of 
 the Jewish altar and of the second temple, estab- 
 lished the truth of His religion, and made it plain 
 to all the world that no other Messiah could be 
 expected besides Him. 
 
 Nor, in calling this act of Christ's power His 
 " coming^'' do we use improper or unusual lan- 
 ffuaM. Sudden death or PTievous afflictions are 
 called by us, without objection, the " visitation " 
 of God; and this great judgement which then 
 befel the Jews, by the anger, and according to 
 the promise, of Jesus, may well be called, above 
 all other afflictions which the world ever saw^, the 
 " coming " or visitation of Christ. 
 
 The promise, then, of a dreadful visitation in 
 power and vengeance, within a few years after 
 our Lord's crucifixion, was truly and terribly ful- 
 filled : and there will only remain to be considered 
 those general prophecies of a speedy return to 
 judgement, to which the scoffers in St. Peter's 
 time objected. Now, to this St. Peter himself 
 affords a sufficient answer : namely, that the 
 Eternal God and we short-lived creatures have 
 far different notions of tin-ie, and quickness, and 
 delay, A thousand years and a single day are 
 
FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 47 
 
 equally a speck and a mere moment, in com- 
 parison of that age which never has an end, and 
 of that eternal now of happiness or of misery, 
 which heaven or hell will offer. The end of the 
 world, and Christ's return to judgement, will 
 come quite soon enough for those who are then 
 to begin an eternity of happiness; and far too 
 soon for the miserable criminals whose never- 
 dying flame must then be kindled. 
 
 The day of Christ's return to judgement con- 
 tinues, then, a secret ; but, happen when it will, 
 the time must be short indeed in comparison of 
 the everlasting ages which are to follow. But to 
 us frail and miserable creatures^ tottering even 
 now on the brink of the grave, little, very little, 
 does it signify, so far as we ourselves are con- 
 cerned, how much sooner or later the end of the 
 world may come. We must ourselves be called 
 away from earth ; our happiness or misery must 
 be fixed ere many years, or days, or moments 
 pass over our heads; and if God this night re- 
 quires our souls, it signifies little to us how long 
 the generations of the world may afterwards con- 
 tinue. To all of us the Lord, indeed, is at hand. 
 To all of us judgement is coming quickly. Nor, 
 since the hour of that tremendous second coming 
 of our Lord is v/rapt in darkness, and is to be 
 looked for as a thief in the night," can we, if ^ve 
 
48 
 
 SERMON IV. 
 
 have any care for our own safety, or for the 
 earnest caution of our Saviour, desist for a single 
 moment to watch for its coming. Even now, the 
 sio-n of the Son of Man may be about to appear 
 in heaven ; even now, we maybe suddenly alarmed 
 by the sight of that mighty Angel, who shall " set 
 his right foot upon the sea, and his left on the 
 earth," and swear by Him that liveth for ever and 
 ever that there should be time no longer.^ Even 
 while I speak (it is a thought which cannot but 
 fill us all with terror) we may hear the last 
 trumpet sound; — and be called from this assem- 
 bly to the vast congregation of men and angels, 
 and the Glorious and Almighty Judge. And 
 when we compare, for a moment, the signs, which 
 that Judo-e has given us of His second coming, 
 with those marvels and sorrows and visitations 
 which are now passing in the world, could we 
 have a right to be astonished, if the world were 
 now, indeed, approaching to its end? When 
 God has so long knocked at the door of His 
 creation, can that creation find any excuse for 
 not being prepared to receive Him? Oh, may 
 our loins be girt about, and may our lights be 
 burning ; and let us not be found in sluggishness 
 or sin, when our Lord shall return to shake 
 terribly the earth ! 
 
 1 Rev. X. 2—6. 
 
FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 
 
 49 
 
 In conclusion, my friends, since all these things 
 are to be dissolved, what manner of men ought 
 we to be in holiness and pureness of living ? How 
 -careless of this world, which may not, perhaps, 
 last out a single evening longer ; how anxious to 
 redeem every moment of time, when the moments 
 may be, perhaps, so few ; how constantly should 
 we meditate on Christ, when He is, perhaps, even 
 now at hand ; and how earnest should we be in 
 prayer to Him for His almighty help, to keep us 
 in the hour of death, and in the Day of Judge- 
 ment ! Above all, we should ask ourselves in 
 every action of our lives, whetlier this, which we 
 are then going to do, is such an act as we should 
 desire to remember at that time when the dead, 
 small and great, shall stand before the presence of 
 God ! Is it an action which we shall call on tiie 
 rocks and the mountains to hide from the sight of 
 the Lamb ? or is it such an one as will not mis- 
 become those servants who shall rejoice, and lift 
 up their heads when their redemption draweth 
 nigh? 
 
 Come when it will, we must all stand before the 
 judgement-seat of Christ; and for His glorious 
 return all created things are in earnest expect- 
 ation of travail : for this the souls of the righte- 
 ous pray from their dwelling beneath the altar ^ ; 
 
 1 Rev. vi. 9, 10. 
 TOL. I. D 
 
50 
 
 SERMON IV. 
 
 for this the angels hope, and the Spirit and the 
 Universal Church say. Come ! Behold, He cometh 
 quickly, and His reward is with Him. The Lord 
 is at hand ! 
 
 To Him, with the Father and the Holy Ghost^^ 
 be all honour, praise, and glory ! 
 
SERMON V. 
 
 CHRISTMAS DAY. 
 
 Hebrews, i. 1, 2. 
 
 God, who at sundry tirnes, and m divers maimers, spake hi time 
 past unto the fathers hy the prophets, hath in these last days 
 spoken unto us hy His Son, 
 
 There is a consideration which may have, per- 
 haps, occurred to many of you, and which has 
 been often used as an excuse for unbelief by the 
 Jews, by the Heathens, and even by some who, 
 having been suckled at the breasts of Christianity, 
 have turned against that bountiful instructress, 
 the liberty and reasoning powers which derive 
 their strength from her. By such scoffers as these 
 it has^ been sometimes objected that it seems 
 strange, that if the coming of Christ were neces- 
 sary to the salvation of the world, His birth should 
 be delayed so long ; and when, at length, the day 
 of salvation came, that its benefits should be spread 
 D 2 
 
 ILLINOIS L^: ,. 
 
52 
 
 S'ERMON y. 
 
 SO partially. Why/' say they, was man created 
 in need of such help ? or why, when he needed 
 it. was not the succour as immediate, as the 
 necessity was urgent ? Why did not Christ bring 
 salvation into the world as soon as ever Adam had 
 fallen ? Why were four thousand long years of 
 sin and misery and ignorance allowed to cover the 
 race of mankind ? or why was a twilight of revela- 
 tion made to the Jews, and to the Jews only, 
 while the rich and renowned and learned countries 
 of Greece, and Persia, and Rome, were doomed 
 to sit in darkness, and to languish under their 
 Creator's displeasure ? That small and stubborn 
 nation of Israel, — why were they favoured above 
 all their fellow men ? and when the Sun of Right*- 
 eousness at length arose, when, after ages of 
 expectation, the promise of a Redeemer was 
 performed, why was the light confined to so small 
 a portion of the world, as that which now professes 
 Christianity ? Why were not truths, more precious 
 than the light of day, diffused like the daylight 
 universally ? Why has not Christianity dispelled 
 the darkness of the Indian nations, or pierced the 
 wild deserts of Africa and America? If the faith 
 be necessary, why is it offered to so few ? If it 
 may be dispensed with, why is it offered at all ? " 
 Such are the questions, which many unbelievers 
 liave brought against the faith of Christ. I will 
 
CHRISTMAS DAY. 
 
 53 
 
 examine them in order ; and it is my hope, — by 
 the help of His grace, and by the Holy Scriptures, 
 and by that reason v/hich He has dispensed to 
 mankind as a natural witness of His power, "the 
 candle," as Solomon calls it, " of the Lord," — • 
 by these helps, I trust to make it eviden t, that the 
 conduct of Providence, which they blindly condemn, 
 has been perfectly agreeable to the rules of human 
 justice, and is a degree of mercy beyond the utmost 
 point to which human love could attain. 
 
 When Adam had once transgressed the covenant 
 which entitled him to a happy and immortal life 
 in Paradise, on no principle, either of reason or 
 justice, could he claim from God a deliverance 
 from those evils which clung to his nature, and 
 which by his own fault he had incurred. But," 
 the objector will answer, "his fault itself might 
 have been prevented ; God might have made him 
 a more perfect beingo" And what then ? If God 
 had made him an angel, have not the angels also 
 fallen ? It is vain and idle to speculate on what 
 might have been : every state of existence must 
 have its temptations and its dangers. Mount as 
 high as fancy can dare, we must stop short of 
 perfection ; and, unless God had taken away the 
 freedom of choice, and had reduced men and 
 angels to the level of plants or of machines, his 
 rational creatures, being free in their will, and 
 D 3 
 
54 
 
 SERMON V. 
 
 imperfeet in their faculties, must have been hable 
 to error, to sin, and to suffering. 
 
 " Bat, granted that Adam might fall without 
 blame to the Divine mercy or justice," the un- 
 believer will reply, " it was cruelty on the part of 
 Providence to delay the remedy of his fall so long ; 
 Christ," says he, "ought to have been made man, 
 and, — as His death was quite as necessary to our 
 salvation as His birth, — to have been sacrificed, 
 immediately after Adam's transgression." What, 
 immediately, when none were in the world but 
 Adam and Eve, or perhaps their infant children? 
 For whose instruction would he then have lived 
 or suffered ? How, in the infancy of the world, 
 without some subsequent revelation, was the memory 
 of such important truths to be preserved? How 
 would those nations, — who, without the inspired 
 help of Moses, would have lost all traces of their 
 origin, or of their creation, — how would they 
 have been informed of the history of their redemp- 
 tion, or the ground-work of the faith which was 
 to save them ? Instead of this, the birth of Christ 
 was deferred by infinite wisdom to a period when 
 every thing favoured the introduction and per- 
 petuation of a new religion; a pedod of learning 
 and civilised manners, when a profound peace, the 
 longest and most general ever known, had left 
 more leisure for inquiry ; when one language, the 
 
CHRISTMAS DAY. 
 
 55 
 
 Greek, was understood in most countries; and 
 when one and the same form of governmeRt, the 
 same spirit of intercourse and curiosity, animated 
 and united the whole of the human race. Above 
 all, the attention of mankind had been raised by 
 the events foretold by the prophets; and their 
 faith was confirmed by finding these events accom- 
 plished in the person of their great Redeemer ; 
 who now, in the fulness of time, appeared in the 
 world, adorned and made ready as an altar, to 
 display the virtues, the power, and the sacrifice of 
 the Lamb of God who was to take away the sins 
 of mankind. 
 
 And, as to those generations, who are said by 
 this delay of the Messiah's coming to have been 
 given up to darkness and spiritual barrenness, 
 let it be remembered, that this darkness and 
 barrenness were the fruits, the bitter fruits, of 
 their own crimes and follies. With sufficient 
 reason to prove the existence of a God, with 
 sufficient tradition handed down from father to 
 son, to prove His unity, His goodness, and His 
 justice; with the blessings and beauties of crea- 
 tion to move their love, and, with the examples of 
 the fall and of the flood to excite their fears, if 
 still they could turn from the truth, and multiply 
 vanities to themselves, and load their consciences 
 with foul and fruitless superstitions ; was God, 
 D 4 
 
56 
 
 SERMON V. 
 
 in justice or even in mercy, to be expected to 
 interpose still further ? Whom had they to thank 
 but themselves, if, when they knew God, they 
 glorified Him not as God, but transformed their 
 glory into the image of corruptible man, and of 
 four-footed beasts, and of creeping things ? And 
 on whom but themselves could the accusation 
 rest, if God turned his face in anger away from 
 such abominations, and abandoned them to their 
 own perverted and corrupted hearts, their vile 
 abuses, and their detestable superstitions ? 
 
 Enough of mercy for mankind, if the way to 
 salvation, however late, was opened ; free and 
 undeserved enough the Grace of God, at what- 
 ever time and with whatever limitations given. 
 But it must be observed that this objection of 
 the infidel is without sufficient foundation not 
 only in reason and justice, but in mere matter of 
 fact. The ancient ages of the world w^ere not 
 so entirely deserted by God as to be without 
 some knowledge of His name, some partici- 
 pation of the benefits of redemption. For the 
 same God, who in these last days hath spoken 
 unto us by His Son, did, in former times, besides 
 the dictates of natural religion, the evidence of 
 creation, and the ordinary blessings of rain and 
 sunshine and fertility — also, visit mankind by 
 the ministry of angels ; and at divers times, and 
 
CHRISTMAS D^Y. 
 
 57 
 
 in sundry manners, spake nnto our fathers by the 
 prophets. 
 
 We shall find, indeed, on an attentive con- 
 sideration of the Scriptures, that, wicked and 
 rebellious as the inhabitants of the earth have 
 been, impious to God, and unnatural and unkind 
 to each other, yet God has never ceased to love 
 them ; nor ever entirely withdrawn from them the 
 light of His countenance. His voice has still 
 been heard, calling mankind to repentance ; and, 
 in various manners, either by dreams or visions, 
 or by the ministry of angels, He has instructed 
 holy men in His will, and sent them forth to re- 
 form and enlighten their brethren. Such was 
 Enoch, the seventh from Adam ; such a preacher 
 of repentance was Noah ; and, in after times, 
 Abraham, and Melchisedech. Job was a prophet 
 dwelling in the farthest parts of Arabia : the 
 Sybils are believed to have been inspired women, 
 in these western parts of the world : Balaam, the 
 Assyrian, though a wicked man, was still a pro- 
 phet of the Lord ; and Moses was the first of a 
 long line of servants of God, who warned the 
 Israelites of sin, and foretold the time and manner 
 of the promised Messiah's coming. For we are 
 not to suppose, that all those wonderful displays 
 of power, — those miracles, those prophesies, the 
 peculiar interest, which the Almighty took in the 
 D 5 
 
58 
 
 SERMON V. 
 
 establishment and preservation of the common* 
 wealth of Israel, — were all intended for the 
 benefit of that small and stubborn nation only. 
 He wrought, as He Himself tells us, for His own 
 name's sake ; He made use of them as a means 
 of instructing, in His own good time, every nation 
 on the earth. For this it was He founded them 
 in miracles ; for this, He selected them from the 
 world, and revealed His name to them ; and 
 fenced them off from pollution, and from the con- 
 tagion of idolatry, by signs and wonders, by singular 
 and unsocial rites, and by His own immediate go- 
 vernment and superintendence. That the Jew 
 was more favoured, did not make the Gentile un- 
 reo'arded : the abundance of the Jew made not his 
 neighbours poor : far otherwise, he was a witness 
 of God's power, a register of His prophecies, and 
 a depositary of His gracious intention to redeem, 
 at some future period, the whole human race. 
 For this, he was preserved ; for this, instructed ; 
 and by these exclusive privileges, these extra- 
 ordinary laws, and these still more wonderful 
 exertions of Almighty favour, the flame of truth 
 was preserved on its Israelitish altars ; hidden, 
 indeed, but safe, unpolluted by earthly fire, and 
 nnextinguished by earthly violence ; till, at the 
 appointed moment, its rays burst forth in victori- 
 ous splendour, a light to lighten the Gentiles, as 
 well as the glory of God's people Israel. 
 
CHRISTMAS DAY. 
 
 59 
 
 For all the ceremonies of the Jews, their re- 
 ligious writings, their history and their govern- 
 ment, had a prophetic reference to the coming 
 of our Lord. The rock from which the water 
 flowed, the brazen serpent, the ceremony of 
 sacrifice, their religious hymns, the declarations 
 of their holy men, were all vain and unintelligible, 
 except as they related to Him. Till He came, 
 they were involved in mystery ; till the real High 
 Priest appeared, the ornaments of the Tabernacle 
 appeared arbitrary marks ; and the words of the 
 prophets only obscure poetry. He it was, who 
 explained the meaning of the whole ; who removed 
 the veil from the face of Moses : who showed 
 Himself the heir, by fulfilling the conditions of 
 the testament : by proving that the law was only 
 His forerunner ; and that " in the volume of the 
 book it was written of Himy ^ 
 
 And while this former establishment of the 
 Jews was thus the surest mark and confirmation, 
 that Jesus was the destined Messiah; so, in all 
 those points where the light of reason or that of 
 Moses fell short, it was He who supplied their 
 deficiency. He brought to light eternal life; 
 He freed mankind from vain fears, and from 
 troublesome ceremonies : and taught us to place 
 our hope in a patient continuance in well-doing, 
 
 1 Psalm xl. 7. 
 D 6 
 
60 
 
 SERMON V. 
 
 sanctified by an earnest faith. He did more (t( 
 cut off all objection of the infidel) — by His om 
 oblation of Himself once offered. He atoned for 
 all the repeated sins and involuntary failings of 
 mankind; by His merits. He embraced all past 
 and future generations; and from Abel to the 
 Maccabees, and from the first martyr, Stephen, 
 ^o the Christian who died but yesterday, the just 
 have lived, and shall live, by Him. 
 
 If it be objected, which is the last argument 
 of the unbehever, that the revelation is imper- 
 fect; that many nations of the world are ignorant 
 of it; I answer, that, in the ordinary progress of 
 nature, the means are given to man, and he him- 
 self is to use them. The seed, the iron, and the 
 bodily strength, are, indeed, the gifts of Provi- 
 dence; but we are to employ them ourselves; 
 we are ourselves to turn up the ground ; to con- 
 struct the tools, and to sow the grain ; and it is 
 only by our well-directed labour that the blessing 
 of a harvest is bestowed. And thus it is with 
 religion : planted on the earth by God, it is by 
 human exertions it is to be diffused. We are 
 commanded to contribute our endeavours, every 
 man in his station, to convert the heathen ; and, 
 if we are slothful or indifferent, on us, and on us 
 only, be the blame; and not on that God who 
 hath sent us forth into the world to preach the 
 Gospel to every creature. 
 
CHRISTMAS DAY. 
 
 61 
 
 But here, again, if the case be fah^y examined, 
 the statement of the unbeliever is unfounded; 
 the progress of Christianity has been more rapid 
 and more triumphant, than any religion could 
 have attained without Divine protection. When 
 we consider its Divine Founder as, on this day, 
 cradled in a manger, and housed in the common 
 stable of an inn ; when we reflect on His humble 
 rank — on His want of means or followers, and 
 on the poverty and simplicity of those twelve 
 poor fishermen, by whom He was to convert the 
 world — when we consider this poor and w^ak 
 beginning, are we not filled with wonder and 
 reverence on knowing and feeling that we our- 
 selves are Christians ; that at a distance of three 
 thousand miles from the place of Christ's birth, 
 and of eighteen hundred years after that birth 
 had taken place, we have still heard the tidings, 
 and preserved the memory, of salvation ? When 
 all Europe and America, all the civilization and 
 power and wisdom of the world are Christian, 
 can we doubt, because the corrupt and ignorant 
 nations of Asia, or savages elsewhere, have either 
 not yet heard, or having heard, have rejected, 
 the Word of Life? or do we despair that even 
 on these the light may shortly shine; and that 
 God, by whom all prophecies have been brought 
 to pass, may fulfil this also; and hasten, per- 
 
62 
 
 SERMON V. 
 
 haps, the blessed time when the knowledge of 
 the Lord shall cover the earth, as the waters 
 cover the sea ? 
 
 Having thus vindicated the time and manner 
 of the revelation made by Christ at His coming, 
 I must conclude by entreating you to consider 
 how important those truths are; and how deep 
 they ought to sink into our hearts. If, as ap- 
 pears, the attention of mankind, from the first 
 beginning of the world, were directed to the 
 Messiah ; if prophets foretold Him ; and holy 
 men, in every age, desired to see His day; hov/ 
 thankful ought we to be, that God has been 
 made manifest to us ! and how careful to keep the 
 sayings of so wise and wonderful a counsellor ! 
 Other ages of the world received their laws by 
 prophets or by angels. Christians have for a 
 master the Most Mighty God, the Everlasting 
 Father, the Prince of Peace. If every word, 
 which was spoken by angels, failed not, how much 
 less shall we escape, if we neglect so great sal- 
 vation ; which, at the first, began to be spoken by 
 the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them 
 that heard Him ; God also bearing them witness, 
 both with signs and wonders, and gifts of the 
 Holy Ghost?" ^ Hear Him, ye poor, for He will 
 make you more than rich. Hear His voice, ye 
 ^ Hebrews, ii. 3, 4. 
 
CHRISTMAS DAY, 
 
 63 
 
 rich, for He was made poor for your sakes. And 
 if ye will hear His voice, hear Him to-day ! while 
 yet He calls you by His ministers, by His Holy 
 Word, by His blessed body and blood, and by 
 the yearly celebration of His coming in great 
 humility to the world. And, at His second 
 coming, in might and majesty and terror, may 
 w^e stand accepted in His sight, through His 
 power who alone can save, God the Almighty 
 Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit! 
 
SERMON VL 
 
 ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST'S DAY. 
 
 St. John, xxi. 22. 
 
 If I will, that he tarry till I come^ what is that to thee? follow 
 thou me. 
 
 On one of the numerous occasions, recorded in 
 Scripture, of conversations wliich the Disciples 
 of Christ enjoyed during forty days with their 
 Master after His resurrection, the words of my 
 text were, as you have this day heard, addressed 
 by our Lord to Peter. 
 
 To him, indeed, in consideration of the deep 
 repentance and sorrow which involved him in 
 consequence of his denial of Christ, our Lord 
 was, after death, graciously pleased to give a 
 more than common encouragement; and to 
 address, more particularly to him than to the 
 rest of the Apostles, his words of comfort and 
 exhortation. 
 
 He now, after encouraging him to a diligent 
 performance of his duties as an Apostle, had 
 
ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST's DAY. 65 
 
 prepared him for a speedy release from the cares 
 of this world, and foretells, that his death would 
 be violent and painful. St. Peter was, in fact, not 
 many years after, crucified in a cruel and unusual 
 manner, with his head downwards. 
 
 While our Lord was foretelling this painful 
 death of one of His dearest earthly friends and 
 most constant attendants, it happened, w^e are 
 told, that St. John, the disciple who was, of all 
 others, the most attached to our Saviour, and 
 whom, for his mild and amiable qualities, the 
 Son of God loved most tenderly, was standing 
 near to Peter. With him, there is reason to 
 believe, he maintained a warm and intimate 
 friendship. So much, at least, is certain, that 
 during the latter part of the history of our Lord, 
 the names of these two disciples are almost 
 always mentioned together. 
 
 When St. Peter, for instance, is desirous, at 
 the Last Supper, to learn the history of him 
 who was to betray his Master, it is to St. John 
 only he applies to ask the question. When he 
 follows Christ to the judgement of Caiaphas, St. 
 John, alone of all the disciples, follows close 
 behind him; and, by his acquaintance with the 
 High Priest, being, probably, a richer man than 
 Peter, he introduces him into the house and into 
 the Hall of Council. When the joyful news of 
 
66 
 
 SERMON VI. 
 
 Christ's resurrection is brought by the holy 
 women to the amazed Apostles, it is John and 
 Peter who run together to examine the tomb. 
 When Peter returns to his employment as a 
 fisherman on the Lake of Tiberias, John, too, 
 accompanies him : and when Peter had received 
 the prophecy of his own unjust and painful 
 death, though resigned to his own fate, he still 
 is anxious for his friend; and eagerly demands 
 of our Saviour, what will be the end of John : — 
 " what shall this man do?" 
 
 The answer of our Lord is remarkable, and 
 has given rise to many questions in the Church ; 
 He replies, as it were reproving Peter for his 
 curiosity, If I will, that he tarry till I come, 
 what is that to thee ? Follow thou me." 
 
 The early Christians, so early indeed as St. 
 John's own time, supposed that these words 
 contained a promise that the beloved disciple 
 should never die, till the return of Jesus Christ 
 to the world. And so firmly was this opinion 
 rooted, that, long after the decease of John and 
 his burial at Ephesus, the elders watched his 
 tomb with a religious care; and were tempted, 
 as we are told, to believe him only in a trance 
 for a season. 
 
 St. John himself in his Gospel alludes to, and 
 contradicts, this fruitless expectation. He says 
 
ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST's DAY. 67 
 
 (and he was surely the best judge) that he never 
 understood Christ as promising so extravagant 
 and, to a good man, so unfortunate a privilege. 
 For, surely, to a man like St. John, such a linger- 
 ing and protracted existence could never be 
 called a blessing; to one who could expect on 
 earth nothing but tribulation and torture, it was, 
 certainly, better to depart and to be with Christ. 
 It v/as, surely, far better to leave a world of 
 labour, of sin, and of sorrow ; and to enjoy that 
 rest which the Spirit revealed to him in his 
 banishment at Patmos, in the presence of his 
 Friend, his Master, and his God. 
 
 St. John, then, it is certain, never expected, 
 from the words of Jesus, that he was to remain 
 on earth, till the period of the Day of Judge- 
 ment. But most have thought, that Christ by 
 these words intended only to convey to John, 
 that his life should be prolonged till he should 
 see with his own eyes the vengeance of God; 
 till all the judgements, which our Saviour had 
 foretold, should be brought upon the people of 
 the Jews. For, though Christ did not return in 
 person, yet did He certainly return in power; 
 yet was it certainly His Providence which took 
 so dreadful a revenge on that rebellious nation, 
 and which destroyed those murderers and burnt 
 their city with fire. And therefore is it, that. 
 
68 
 
 SERMON VI. 
 
 when He had been relating all the miseries 
 which were to come on Jerusalem, He saith. 
 This generation shall not pass away, till all 
 these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall 
 pass away; but my words shall not pass away." 
 And in another place, " There be some standing 
 here," He saith, " that shall not taste of death, 
 till they see the kingdom of God come with 
 power." 
 
 For sure it is, that many persons were living 
 then, who survived when the anger of God began 
 to be poured out upon Jerusalem. St. John, in 
 particular, who was then but young, and lived to 
 an exceeding great age, survived these troubles : 
 and by relating these prophecies to the Christians 
 in the country, persuaded those in Judea to flee 
 unto the mountains ; and, by this hasty departure, 
 to save themselves from the judgement which was 
 about to overwhelm the land. And who could 
 doubt, when such destruction came to pass as the 
 world had never known before, — when all circum- 
 stances joined together to produce misfortune and 
 punishment to the Jews, — when their cities were 
 overthrown by earthquakes ; their fields, wasted 
 by famine, and their flocks, by pestilence, — when 
 nation rose against nation, and kingdom against 
 kingdom, and their fears and terrors served only 
 to make them more desperate and cruel, — when 
 
ST. JOHN THE EVANGELISt's DAY. 69 
 
 the sun was darkened, and the moon gave no 
 longer her kindly light, — when crimes unheard- 
 of-before became common and familiar to man, 
 • — when the eye of the tender and delicate woman 
 was evil against her first-born ; and mothers, for 
 very famine, devouired their children's flesh ; — 
 when, lastly, their walls, their city, and their 
 temple, were all laid a heap of ruins, — who can 
 doubt that the hand of God was in judgements 
 like these ; and that the King of heaven and earth 
 was returned again to destroy His enemies, who 
 would not that He should reign over them ? He 
 it was, and no one else, of whom it was foretold 
 in Isaiah the prophet, that He should tread the 
 winepress alone, and stain His garment with the 
 blood of the people.^ On earth He had looked, 
 but there was none to help ; and He marvelled, 
 but there was none to uphold ; therefore, when 
 the day of vengeance was in His heart, and the 
 year of His redeemed was come. His own arm 
 brought salvation, and His fury it upheld Him. 
 Then it was that He trod down the people in His 
 anger, and made them drunk in His fury, and 
 brought down their strength to the ground. 
 
 True it is. He did not visibly appear ; His right 
 hand was not openly displayed in vengeance ; but 
 
 ^ Isaiah J Ixiii. 3. 
 
70 
 
 SERMON VI. 
 
 who can doubt that this was the Lord's doing, 
 and that all these judgements were from Him ? 
 
 When the heaven is covered with clouds and 
 blackness of storm ; when the earth trembles, and 
 lightnings rush abroad ; when hail stones and 
 thunder and consuming flame bow down and affright 
 the hearts of men, who then can doubt that these 
 are all His ministers ? Who then can doubt, that 
 the darkness and clouds are beneath His feet, and 
 tliat it is the God of glory who thundereth ; the 
 Lord, who is upon many waters ? 
 
 And when, in like manner. He sends out war 
 and cruelty upon the world ; when He rouses up 
 nation against nation ; and binds the wickedness, 
 the malice, and the folly of mankind to the exe- 
 cution of His own wise and secret counsels, who 
 then can doubt that the storm and the battle are 
 alike His messengers ; that it is He who killeth, 
 and He who saveth from death ? 
 
 It might be, then, in full conformity with our 
 own observation of the ways of Providence, and 
 in the usual course of the fulfilment of the ancient 
 prophecies of God, that nothing more was meant 
 by these remarkable words, than a promise that St. 
 John should live to see the day when Christ should, 
 in this world, take His revenge of His adversaries : 
 — and that St. John should thereby be convinced 
 of the truth of those many prophecies, of which 
 
ST. JOHN THE EVANGELISt's DAY. 71 
 
 he had been a near and surviving witness. This 
 prophecy, if such (as I believe to be the case) were 
 its meaning, was therefore fully and exactly ful- 
 filled. St. John did live till Christ returned in 
 clouds and terror to destroy the city of His 
 murderers. 
 
 But, besides the promise which may seem to be 
 here made to John, it is plain', that the words of 
 Christ include a reproof to Peter's curiosity : and 
 I am anxious to explain this to you, as it contains 
 a practical lesson of the greatest importance to 
 the government of our hearts and our conduct of 
 every day. " However I may purpose to dispose 
 of John," saith our Lord, " whatever may be my 
 intentions respecting the manner in which he is to 
 glorify God, what is that to thee ? Follow thou 
 Me. Thy own salvation is enough to engage thy 
 whole attention ; it is enough for thee to repent of 
 thine own faults ; to master, by my help, thine 
 own evil passions ; to perform the duties, which 
 my orders have laid on thee; and to advance 
 patiently to thy rest in the Lord, through the 
 many and severe temptations of the world, the 
 flesh, and the devil." 
 
 Are there none, who hear me, to whom this 
 caution may be well applied ? Are there none, 
 who are more curious to examine into the conduct 
 of others, than careful to keep their own in order ? 
 
72 
 
 SERMON VI. 
 
 Are there none, whose anxiety is wholly bent to 
 pry out every action of their neighbour, forgetting 
 that they have their own lives to goveruj and to 
 render an account of to God? Let such be 
 warned, in time, to give attention to their own 
 immediate danger ; lest, while they gaze on the 
 conduct, or the fate of others, they may too late 
 hear the reproof, " What is that to thee ? follow 
 thou Me.'* And, let me ask, are their motives 
 for such a conduct so reasonable — are they so 
 innocent, or so amiable, — as those which prompted 
 St. Peter's question ? He asked, not only from 
 curiosity but from attachment ; and, as St. John 
 and he had in their lives been lovely, it was 
 natural to inquire, whether in their deaths they 
 nmst be divided. Yet Christ reproved his curiosity, 
 and told him to confine his attention to the course 
 which he must himself pursue. How much more 
 then will they merit a rebuke, who are anxious to 
 discover their neighbour's faults ; who neglect 
 their own sins, while they aggravate those of 
 others ; and find comfort, perhaps, in their own 
 neglect of duty, by supposing that their neighbour 
 is more neglectful than they are themselves ! 
 
 Believe me, my friends, it will be a very scanty 
 comfort at the day of judgement, that we ourselves 
 are not so wicked as those around us. When our 
 portion is assigned to the lake that burneth with 
 
ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST's DAY. 73 
 
 fire, it will be small alleviation to know that others 
 are more rebellious, or more wretched, than our- 
 selves. When we ourselves are guilty, the guilt 
 or the innocence of others can in nowise affect our 
 sentence ; and we can no more hope to be saved 
 by the sins of our neighbours, than we need fear 
 to be punished for their virtues ; to us, both alike 
 are nothing. " What is that to tliee ? " are the 
 words of Christ to every man in the world — 
 " Follow thou Me." 
 
 Are, then, the actions of others of no consequence 
 at all to us ? Are we to proceed on our own path, 
 without regarding in the least what becomes of 
 them ? Are we not to advise, to entreat, to direct, 
 to influence, to employ all our talents to turn the 
 hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the 
 just? Undoubtedly, this is our duty; undoubt- 
 edly, this is that love which worketh by charity; 
 that anxiety for the salvation of others which leads 
 us to tell them of those faults which we lament to 
 witness; to open their eyes by good counsel to 
 those things which belong to their peace. " Let 
 the righteous smite me," saith the Prophet David, 
 " it shall be a kindness, and let him reprove me, 
 it shall be an excellent oil which shall not break 
 my head." ^ Far different is that idle and vicious 
 curiosity, which searches with malignant zeal into 
 
 1 Psalm cxli. 5. 
 VOL. I, E 
 
74 
 
 SERMON VI. 
 
 the faults, the folHes, and the miseries of other 
 men ; and neglects its own salvation, while it exults 
 in the failings of its fellow-servants in Christ. 
 
 It would be well, however, if the fault stopt 
 here ; so prone is the nature of man to evil, that 
 we are seldom contented without publishing to 
 others the faults or misfortunes which we have dis- 
 covered. It is thus, that an idle curiosity which 
 would seem, at first, a very little fault, if any fault 
 at all, will lead the way to slander, to hatred, and 
 to lying ; as surely as the brook (however small 
 its beginning, however distant its source) will find 
 its way at length to the mighty waters of the 
 ocean. 
 
 I know but one way of correcting, at its birth, 
 a vice so odious and so dangerous. It is, by accus- 
 toming ourselves to consider mankind as our fellow 
 servants — our brethren engaged in the same 
 voyage with ourselves. If this be rightly con- 
 sidered ; if we view them as those for whom Christ 
 died ; and with whom we hope, through His merits, 
 to pass a blessed eternity : — if we think on this, 
 surely, far from prying into their faults or secrets, 
 we shall bear all things, hope all things, and pray 
 every night and morning for the blessing of the 
 Almighty on their efforts as well as on our own. 
 
 And these considerations are still more power- 
 fully seconded, if we constantly recollect those 
 
ST. JOHN THE EVANGELISt's DAY. 75 
 
 aweful words of Christ ; — " What is that to thee ? 
 follow thou Me." It is not only to the apostle 
 Peter ; it is not only to a few saints and holy men 
 of ancient times that a call like this is directed. 
 We all are ordered to follow Christ; we are to 
 follow Him in the steps which He has trod before ; 
 — in that love, that meekness, that hope and 
 faith, of which He affords us an example ; we are 
 to pass with Him through the temptations and the 
 dangers of our painful pilgrimage ; and to walk 
 with Him through the valley of the shadow of death, 
 before we can attain the borders of everlasting 
 life. 
 
 And are not these sufficient occupations ? Is 
 not a journey like this sufficient to engage our un- 
 divided cares and attention? Have we time to 
 spare to attend to the concerns of other men, or 
 to stand idle ourselves, while we behold the progress 
 of our neighbours? Alas, my friends, it was 
 doubtless the voice of everlasting wisdom which 
 answered to the curiosity of Peter, " What hast 
 thou to do with the progress or destiny of another ? 
 Follow thou Me.'' For whether we will or no, in 
 one respect we must follow Him. We may not, 
 perhaps, be treading the paths which He has or- 
 dained; and the final termination of our journey 
 may be, perhaps, very different : but there is one 
 stage where we must all meet — there is one 
 E 2 
 
76 
 
 SERMON VI. 
 
 dismal voyage which must be made by all : and 
 when our earthly pilgrimage is drawing to an end, 
 when our day of life is sinking, and the long black 
 shadows of approaching death grow every moment 
 nearer and darker, we shall wish, perhaps, too 
 late, that our cares had been given to our own 
 salvation ; our attention directed to the examina- 
 tion of our own hearts and condition ! 
 
 For yourselves, my brethren, I intreat you to 
 defer no longer an examination so necessary to 
 your present hopes, and to your future safety. 
 Amuse yourselves no longer by observing the con- 
 duct of others; but search your own hearts, whether 
 they be at peace with God or no. Dream not 
 that you will be pardoned, because others are 
 greater sinners than yourselves; nor judge your 
 neighbours, lest you yourselves be judged of the 
 Lord. 
 
 For this examination of our hearts, there is no 
 time more proper than the stillness of the lonely 
 and silent night ; no place more proper than that 
 accustomed bed, w^here we every night go through 
 a temporary death; and every morning enjoy a 
 foretaste of resurrection. Can we dare to commit 
 ourselves so entirely to God's hands, before we 
 know whether we are at peace with him, and with 
 mankind ? Can we dare, without preparation, to 
 entrust ourselves to a sleep, which may perhaps. 
 
ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST's DAY. 77 
 
 be our last ? Consider this, ye that forget God ; 
 nor ever close your eyes without a prayer to Him 
 through the merits of Jesus Christ. Thus, whether 
 at midnight, or at cock-crowing, you are called to 
 follow Him, He may find you prepared for your 
 journey; and may conduct you to eternal joy; 
 that joy which we hope for, through His merits 
 and mediation, who liveth and reigneth with the 
 Father and the Holy Spirit, one God world without 
 end. Amen ! 
 
SERMON VIL 
 
 CIRCUMCISION. 
 
 Psalm xxxii. 2. 
 
 Blessed is the riicai tinto ivhom the Lord imputeth not iniquity^ 
 
 These words are taken from a very touching de- 
 scription given by David of the happiness enjoyed 
 by God's elect, and of the means by which that 
 happiness is attainable. They are applied, (as 
 you have heard in the Epistle of this morning's 
 service/,) by St, Paul, to the controversy between 
 himself and those Jews who placed their hopes of 
 salvation in the Law of Moses : but we shall be 
 the better able to judge of the force of such an 
 application, and may derive also the knowledge of 
 several other, and very important practical truths^^ 
 by examining these words, not as they stand by 
 themselves amid the powerful reasoning of the 
 apostle, but as a connected part of that divine poem 
 to which they, in the first instance, belong. — 
 The thirty-second Psalm, then, may be regarded 
 
 1 Romans, iv. 8 — 14. 
 
CIRCUMCISION. 
 
 79 
 
 as a short conversation between a penitent sinner 
 and his God ; in the first seven verses of which, 
 the transgressor sets forth the extent of his hopes, 
 and the manner in which he has sought and ob- 
 tained the object of his desire. In the concluding 
 four, w^e have, from the Ahnighty Himself, a 
 gracious promise of help, and a solemn admonition 
 to obedience in the time to come. 
 
 The prophet, accordingly, begins the Psalm 
 with a description of the blessedness of the truly 
 penitent. " Blessed is he whose transgression is 
 forgiven; and whose sin is covered. Blessed is 
 the man to whom the Lord imputeth not ini- 
 quity ; and in whose spirit there is no guile." 
 He next goes on to paint the difference of his own 
 condition, while unrepented sin was yet har- 
 boured in his heart, and his soul was not yet at 
 peace with Him to whom every thought is 
 known. " When I kept silence, my bones 
 waxed old through my roaring all the day long. 
 For, day and night, thy hand was heavy upon 
 me : my moisture is turned into the drought of 
 summer." Then follows the wise and successful 
 method which he adopted to escape from this state 
 of agony; and the blessed effects which, in due 
 time, followed, and which will always follow to 
 every one who tries the experiment as David did, 
 and seeks God in an acceptable time. I ac- 
 E 4 
 
80 
 
 SERMON VII. 
 
 knowledged my sin unto thee ; and mine iniquity 
 have I not hid. I said, I will confess my trans- 
 gressions unto the Lord ; and thou forgavest 
 the iniquity of my sin. For this," he continues, 
 " shall every one, that is godly, pray unto thee, 
 in a time when thou mayest be found ; surely in 
 the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh 
 unto him. — Thou art my hiding place ; thou 
 shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt 
 compass me about with songs of deliverance," 
 To this the Lord himself replies, in the following 
 verses, by a promise of future grace and help> 
 and by a warning to future obedience. " I will 
 instruct thee," are His words, "and teach thee 
 the way which thou shalt go : I will guide thee 
 with mine eye." But, " Be ye not as the horse, 
 nor as the mule, v/hich have no understanding ; 
 whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, 
 lest they come near unto thee." For, " Many 
 sorrows shall be to the wicked : but he that trust- 
 eth in the Lord, mert^y shall compass him about* 
 Be glad, therefore, and rejoice in the Lord, all ye 
 righteous ; and shout for joy, all ye that are up- 
 right in heart ! " 
 
 In this divine poem there are very many 
 circumstances and expressions well worthy a 
 Christian's notice ; and any one of which would, 
 separately taken^ afford an ample scope for our 
 
CIRCUMCISION. 
 
 81 
 
 Sunday's meditation. Three, however, there are, 
 more important and more obvious than all the 
 rest; and those are, first, that the utmost and 
 strongest title which David supposes any man to 
 be able to plead to blessedness either here or here- 
 after, — is the character of a pardoned sinner. — 
 Secondly, that to obtain this pardon no method is 
 so effectual as a full and free confession of our 
 faults, and a deep humiliation before God. — 
 Thirdly, that, notwithstanding the greatness of the 
 pardon thus given, and the deliverance thus ob- 
 tained, neither the one, nor the other can free us 
 from the strictest obligation to a holy life in time 
 to come : and that, to produce this holiness, as 
 God will give His grace and heavenly guidance, 
 so is attention and a rational subjection of our- 
 selves most righteously expected from us ; that 
 we obey the Almighty, not grudgingly and by 
 force as an obstinate mule obeys his rider ; but 
 that we submit ourselves with cheerfulness to His 
 wise and gracious pleasure, rejoicing in the Lord, 
 whose mercy compasseth us round. 
 
 These aweful truths it shall be my endeavour 
 to explain : and, first, I will elucidate what I have 
 noticed to you ; — namely, that the strongest 
 claim to blessedness which it is possible for any 
 man to advance, the strongest reason which any 
 man can have for calling himself blessed, and the 
 E 5 
 
82 
 
 SERMON VII. 
 
 Strongest plea which he can urge for obtaming a 
 blessing from God, is the character of a pardoned 
 sinner. 
 
 And this will appear very strongly, both from 
 the natural meaning of the two first verses of the 
 Psahuj and from the meaning, in which we know 
 from this morning's Epistle these verses were ap- 
 plied by St. Paul. " Blessed is he whose trans- 
 gression is forgiven ; whose sin is covered. Blessed 
 is the man unto wham the Lord imputeth not 
 iniquity ! The prophet David does not say, — 
 blessed is the man who never transgressed at all : 
 blessed is the man who needs no forgiveness ; who 
 has no sins to cover : blessed is the man with 
 whose conduct God has no fault to find. On the 
 contrarj^, it is plain that the person, whom he thus 
 pronounces blessed, is the very opposite to inno- 
 cent or righteous. — For, it is said, his transgres- 
 sion is forgiven and his sin covered. — But these 
 very words imply that he must have some trans- 
 gression which God was to pardon ; some sin 
 which God was to conceal ; and hence, I think 
 the very important conclusion will naturally fol- 
 jow, that this is all the claim to blessedness 
 which even the best of us can offer. For in de- 
 scribing a case of blessiedness, and in extolling the 
 happy condition of those whom God favoured, it is 
 possible, nay it is almost certain, that David 
 
CIRCUMCISION. 
 
 would produce the strongest case of happiness and 
 favour : and that, if there had been such a thing 
 as innocence, or righteousness, or acceptable obe- 
 dience among the human race, he would have in- 
 stanced the unconquered saint, and not the 
 pardoned sinner, as the peculiar object of God's 
 love, and the triumphant and pre-eminent instance 
 of mortal happiness. — We may, therefore, con- 
 clude, that there is no man who can plead a 
 perfect sinless integrity before his Maker; and 
 that the same dreadful Judge who " chargeth even 
 his angels with folly," cannot possibly be thought 
 to regard even the best and wisest among men in 
 any milder light than as sinful and undone 
 creatures, whom His mercy only can save from 
 that destruction of which they have incurred the 
 danger. 
 
 This was unquestionably the manner in which 
 St. Paul understood the passage, when he quoted 
 it against the Jews, as a proof that man could not 
 look for salvation through the merit of any works 
 which he had done ; — and this is the sense in 
 which our hearts, if we examine them properly, 
 will, in spite of themselves, acknowledge the 
 truth of the assertion. For who is there among 
 us, however honourable his life may have been 
 before men, and however anxious he may be to 
 stand upright in the judgement of his Maker, — 
 E 6 
 
84 
 
 SERMON VU. 
 
 who can flatter himself, after a moment's serious 
 descent into himself, that his hands and heart are 
 elean ; and that neither in thought^ nor word, nor 
 deed, he has oflPended his Maker's majesty ? — 
 ^' They are all gone out of the way, they are alto- 
 gether become abominable; — there is none that 
 doeth good, no not one ! " 
 
 Secondly, No way can be conceived so likely 
 or so certain to obtain the mercy of God on 
 this our destitute condition, as a deep and painful 
 sense, and a mournful and humble expression, of 
 our sins and unworthiness before Him. Our 
 reason itself would teach us that this method is 
 the most likely to conciliate Him ; since there is 
 none whereby we are ourselves so soon, or so easily 
 induced to pardon those who have offended us. 
 If the criminal wraps himself up in obstinate 
 denial of the charge, or in sullen disregard of its 
 consequences, we are never inclined, and it is not 
 reasonable that we should be inclined, to show 
 any favour towards him. An apology is a part, 
 and very often the most essential and necessary 
 part, of the amends which we expect from a recon- 
 ciled enemy ; — and we have without this, neither 
 satisfaction for injuries received, nor pledge for 
 future security. Our reputation in the world, 
 which every open violation of our rights has a ten- 
 dency to diminish, can only be restored in its 
 
CIRCUMCISION. 
 
 85 
 
 former state, by the submission and acknowledge- 
 ment of him who has invaded them ; and without 
 such submission on his part we can have no secu- 
 rity that he will not renew his injury with the 
 first occasion which offers. — Well, theuj may God 
 demand confession of sin at our hands as a neces- 
 sary condition of pardon ; — and wisely did David 
 act, when, by this means, he sought and found 
 forgiveness. " When he kept silence, his bones 
 waxed old, through his roaring all the day long : " 
 the sense of his danger was intolerable to him : he 
 knew not which way to turn to hide himself from 
 the wrath of God ; he took at length the better 
 part of throwing himself altogether on God's 
 mercy : " I acknowledge my sin unto thee ; and 
 mine iniquities have I not hid : I said, I will con- 
 fess my transgressions unto the Lord : " — and, 
 mark w^hat follows : — " Thou, Lord, forgavest 
 the iniquity of my sin ! " 
 
 It may be observed, however, first, that this 
 confession which is thus available with God to 
 obtain forgiveness, must be express, and under 
 certain cases, public. By its being express, I 
 mean that it should be something more than a 
 general and formal avowal of the corruption of 
 our nature, of our human unworthiness, and of 
 those imperfections which clog and detract from 
 our best and purest services. We may talk thus ; 
 
86 
 
 SERMON VII. 
 
 and many persons do thus express themselves, 
 without being a single step the nearer to any true 
 humility. No man really thinks the worse, or 
 more lowlily of himself for those general in- 
 firmities, with regard to which all men are on a 
 level, any more than he despises himself for the 
 want of wings, or for not being twenty feet high : 
 — and thus a man may generally own, that he is 
 sinful ; while in his heart, he fully believes him- 
 self to be less sinful than all his neighbours ; and 
 even takes to himself very considerable merit in 
 the sight of God, for those actions whereby he 
 has, in part, emancipated himself from this na- 
 tural depravity. But it is by a meditation on the 
 particular instances of our guilt; by a reckoning 
 up of each single action, [in which, contrary to 
 our conscience, and in spite of God's grace, and 
 having full power by His help to follow the way 
 of holiness, — we have wilfully sinned against our 
 Maker and Redeemer,] that we are truly humbled 
 in our own eyes, and seriously disposed to cry for 
 mercy and grace to our offended God. The sin- 
 fulness, of which we profess to complain, is made 
 up of many sinful actions ; we cannot either feel 
 it, or confess it, properly, without reckoning up 
 these several actions before God; and the more 
 pain we feel in this examination the more reason 
 we have to suppose it effectual. 
 
CIRCUMCISION. 
 
 87 
 
 Our confession of sins, then, must be particu- 
 lar; but it must in certain cases be public also. 
 Thus, when we have injured our neighbour, every 
 principle of reason and religion compels us, if we 
 hope for God's pardon, to seek first by due sub- 
 mission, the pardon of him whom we have 
 wronged ; and when we have openly transgressed 
 the Laws of God, it is equally reasonable that 
 our sorrow should be as notorious as our sin, I 
 do not mean that we are necessarily to confess 
 ourselves to a Priest, though I consider it as far 
 from unreasonable to seek counsel in many cases 
 which might be named ; and to open our hearts 
 to those who have the care of our souls. Far 
 less do I consider public penance as necessary? — 
 though its revival, as I conceive, in the more 
 flagrant instances of guilt, is now only not de- 
 sirable because the temper of the times forbids it. 
 But to undeceive those, if such there are, whom 
 our example or influence has led into sin ; to 
 humble ourselves before those, if such there are, 
 whose piety we have ridiculed, or discounte- 
 nanced ; to exhibit, as we may do, in every cir- 
 cumstance of manner and habit, the change which 
 has taken place in our opinions ; and to take up, 
 with a ready mind, whatever of illwill or con- 
 tempt, is apt to be thrown on those who suddenly 
 and at once desert their pursuits and intimacies, 
 
88 
 
 SERMON VII. 
 
 and seek to glorify God by the open avowal of 
 their new principles, as it is a tacit but very in- 
 telligible confession of our former folly and wick- 
 edness, so it is the duty of every penitent, and 
 the best proof that his penitence is sincere. 
 There are those who have attempted to correct 
 their lives in secret ; and, in their closet, to live 
 to God alone, while in public they were contented 
 to wear the livery of the world ; to converse with 
 the same persons, and in the same manner, as 
 before their conversion to holiness ; and to shrink 
 from the suspicion of being, in truth, more godly 
 than they were formerly. Those, who have tried 
 this experiment, will have found, I am well con- 
 vinced, that this half repentance was no more 
 than enough to make this world joyless, without 
 giving them the hopes of a better in its room; 
 that religion concealed, like the stolen fox of the 
 Spartan, would gnaw its way through to light, to 
 the destruction of its wretched possessor ; that 
 motives unconfessed would lead them into con- 
 tinual inconsistency and apparent w eakness ; and 
 that, like David, " while they held their peace, 
 their bones consumed away by their secret com- 
 plaining." If, however, we really and sincerely 
 reckon in our daily prayers, — by name and se- 
 parately, every transgression of which we have 
 been guilty, since our last confession to God, — it 
 
CIRCUMCISION. 
 
 89 
 
 will be a task of such agony^ that we shall be very 
 unwilling to persist in adding to the number of 
 those sores the cure of which is so painful : and 
 an outward amendment, as well as an inward 
 contrition, will be an almost unavoidable con- 
 sequence of acknowledging our sins to the Most 
 High. 
 
 And this repentance and amendment, we 
 should be careful not to forget, both as it is the 
 third great lesson which may be learn3d from the 
 32nd Psalm; and as it is the natural end, to 
 which confession of our sins should lead ; and 
 without which the most humble confession can be 
 no more than an offence to our Maker. To own 
 our transgressions, without a sincere purpose of 
 amendment, is little else, however qualified by 
 hypocritical grief, than a sturdy defiance of God's 
 WTath. It is to say, in effect, " We know, O 
 " Lord, our behaviour is offensive to Thee : but 
 " bear it, as thou mayest ; we will not and cannot 
 " alter it. We know we are rebels to Thy will ; 
 " but rebels we like to be. We know that our 
 " feet are treading the road to Hell ; but we will 
 " not turn back, however mercifully Thou mayest 
 " call us." And therefore we cannot wonder that 
 the Almighty, even in the act of pronouncing 
 David's pardon, accompanies His mercy with a 
 caution against a future relapse into brutish care- 
 
90 
 
 SERMON VII. 
 
 lessness ; and that he requh^es, as the only con- 
 vincing proof of the sincerity of his confession, 
 that he should be like " the horse and the mule " 
 no longer. 
 
 The duties, then, of God's servants, as ex- 
 pressed in the present Psalm, will resolve them- 
 selves into these three, — humility, confession, 
 conversion. The first, we learn from that natural 
 weakness, which, far from meriting reward, can 
 only escape the severest punishment by liaving its 
 sins put away by God : the second, by the exam* 
 pie of David, who thus, in the extremity of his 
 distress, obtained peace and hope and pardon: 
 the third, by the merciful warning of God Him- 
 self, that His forgiveness is only extended to those 
 who by improvement of the grace vouchsafed to 
 them, proceed thenceforward in the paths of ho- 
 liness. 
 
 One truth, however, yet remains unexpressed 
 in this beautiful poem — a truth it is indeed, 
 which was to the prophet himself in repentance 
 imperfectly known, and was manifested afar off 
 through the veil of mystery and sacrifice. TVe 
 know what David only desired to behold more 
 thoroughly — that our sins are blotted out, and 
 our confession received, and our repentance in- 
 spired, and forwarded ; and everlastingly re- 
 warded, hereafter, — through His merits and 
 
CIRCUMCISION. 
 
 91 
 
 sacrifice and grace alone. Who for our sake as- 
 sumed the flesh of sinful man, and the seed and 
 lineage of David ; — who, in His own body bore 
 those sins which must else have sunk us in per- 
 dition ; whose sufferings conciliated for us that 
 mercy which had else been closed against man- 
 kind ; — and whose Holy Ghost both teaches us 
 our duty, and enables our weakness to fulfil the 
 task, which would be without such aid impossible ! 
 
SERMON VIII. 
 
 FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 Isaiah, xxxviii. 1. 
 
 Set thine house in order ; for thou shalt die, and not live. 
 
 These words were a message sent from God to 
 king Hezekiah in his sickness: and they contain 
 a warning, which, whether in sickness or in 
 health, is, in a certain sense, apphcable to us all. 
 It becomes us all to bear in mind the common 
 sentence of mortality, w^hich, for Adam's sin, the 
 Almighty has passed on His creatures; and to 
 maintain, at all times, such order in our spiritual 
 and worldly affairs, as that death, whenever he 
 knocks at our door, may find us not unprepared 
 to obey his summons. 
 
 But if it be the universal interest and duty of 
 men, even the youngest and most strong, to 
 prepare their minds for death, and to set all 
 things in order lest that day should take them 
 unawares ; yet are they, more especially and more 
 perceptibly, called to turn their thoughts to the 
 
FIRST SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS. 93 
 
 subject, who are visited, even now, by the fore- 
 runners and harbingers of death ; whose strength 
 is brought low, and their beauty minished by 
 accident or by disease ; and whose painful limbs, 
 and burning hands, and dim eye, and aching 
 head, and sleepless nights, already warn them, as 
 with a voice of thunder, to prepare themselves; 
 to set their houses and their hearts in order; and 
 while they yet have time, and while their Judge 
 yet standeth before the door, to seek, by earnest 
 prayer and by repentance unfeigned and speedy, 
 either a reprieve of their sentence, or that favour 
 of the Lord by which their sentence will be made 
 the source of blessedness. 
 
 And the truth is, that, — some few cases ex 
 cepted, in which the hardness of men's nature ha 
 led them to a desperate defiance of God's terrors, 
 or their ignorance and levity has caused in them 
 a childish and fatal neglect of His threats and 
 warnings, — with some few such exceptions, — the 
 minds of men are, of themselves, sufficiently dis- 
 posed to turn, in their pain and apparent peril, 
 to that God who hath smitten, and who only can 
 make them whole; and to betake themselves to 
 religion as a last ground of hope when all earthly 
 comforts fail them. And thus it is, that in the 
 afflictions which God sends us, His great mercy 
 is made visible : and thus it is, that " whom the 
 
94 
 
 SERMON VIII. 
 
 Lord lovethj He correcteth ; even as a father, the 
 son in whom he delighteth." ^ Many there have 
 been who have trod the paths of folly and of sin, 
 till some gracious sickness, like a good but severe 
 schoolmaster, has called back the truants from 
 their perilous wanderings; and has instructed 
 them in their best and most lasting interests; 
 and has by this timely warning taught them the 
 worthlessness of those guilty pleasures, and of 
 those fleshly or worldly hopes, which have flat- 
 tered only to destroy them. Many there have 
 been, and some whom I myself have known and 
 know, who have acknowledged with thankful 
 tears, that it has been " good for them that 
 they have been afflicted:" and that the loss of 
 limbs, of health, and even of friends, has been 
 a cheap and blessed payment for the knowledge 
 of their own hearts, and the hopes and comforts 
 of religion. 
 
 But, the misfortune is, that, partly from igno- 
 rance and former inattention to serious things, 
 partly from disturbance of mind, and from allow- 
 ing the immediate sufferings of the body, and 
 the immediate apprehension of death to engross 
 the attentions, rather than those considerations 
 of God's mercy and justice and wisdom and 
 power, and those truths of the Gospel, which, 
 1 Proverbs, iii. 12. 
 
FIUST SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS. 95 
 
 whether in health or sickness, are the great and 
 only sources of spiritual instruction and con- 
 solation, very few, when thus called on, know 
 how to set about the work, which they are then 
 ready to allow to be most urgent and most 
 necessary. Even they, whose former faith and 
 former conduct have been such, as on the whole 
 to give no cause for peculiar terrors, are often so 
 confused in their recollections, so stunned by 
 the suddenness of the warning, and so agitated 
 by the various regrets, and hopes, and doubts, 
 and confidence, and sense of former guilt, and 
 trust of present acceptance, and knowledge of 
 their own vileness, and reliance on the Redeemer's 
 mercy, and all mixed up with the sense of bodily 
 pain, and with the love of those worldly objects 
 which have been most dear to them, and from 
 which they must now depart — to meet, perhaps, 
 no more — that even Religion itself is not able, as 
 they apply it, to tranquillise them ; or to instruct 
 them in making such an use of their present 
 condition as may be most likely, if they live, to 
 make their lives, thenceforth, more pure and 
 holy ; or, if they die, to rob death of his sting, 
 and turn the king of terrors into a messenger 
 of peace and of rest and of immortality. I am 
 anxious, therefore, to employ the present oppor- 
 tunity in giving to those, who are yet in health, 
 
96 
 
 SERMON VIII'. 
 
 such hints for their behaviour under sickness, as 
 may turn the severest dispensations of God, as 
 God intends they should be turned, into means 
 of improvement and of blessing. I am anxious 
 to teach those who may be visited with the solemn 
 warnings of mortality, in what manner they may 
 best set themselves and their affairs in order ; how 
 they may best trim their lamps when the bride- 
 groom cometh ; and may take their leave of the 
 present life, and may enter on the life to come, in 
 the temper, and with the hopes and the humility, 
 of a Christian. 
 
 The first act of the mind on being attacked by 
 sickness, or on receiving any other warning of 
 our mortal and most frail condition, should be 
 always an act of recollection ; a solemn, that is, a 
 sober, meditation on the power and wisdom and 
 goodness of the Most High; in whose hands 
 alone we are ; who can kill, and make alive ; fi^om 
 whose will this accident or distemper has, most 
 certainly, proceeded ; and who may even now, 
 according to our behaviour under it, convert it 
 either to our happiness or to our destruction. 
 The effect of these considerations will be, not (as 
 one ignorant of the human heart might fancy) to 
 increase our terrors and uneasiness ; but, by 
 drawing off our attention from those bodily pains 
 and dangers, which surround us, to tliat All- 
 
FIRST SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS. 97 
 
 perfect Being by whom they are inflicted, and in 
 whose absolute disposal we are, — to enable us to 
 repress the impatience of pain and alarm, and to 
 awe us into a kind of tranquillity. Where 
 struggling is vain, patience becomes a more easy 
 lesson : and that " God wills it, — and who can 
 stand against His will?" — is a consideration, 
 which will lead us, both to submit with more 
 temper and mildness to whatever means are pre- 
 scribed for our recovery ; and also to wait their 
 event with less qilerulous eagerness, than if we 
 bounded our thoughts by the pangs which we en- 
 dure, or by the earthly succours whereby we hope 
 to escape or lessen them. There is something 
 soothing, as well as sublime, in the contemplation 
 of greatness and power. We feel it when we gaze 
 on the great works of nature. He whose heart expa- 
 tiates in the prospect of the ocean, or of the starry 
 heaven, is for a time insensible to his own resent- 
 ments or misfortunes ; and is identified, as it were, 
 with the glorious and tranquil scene before him. 
 One of the principal joys of Heaven, we are told, is 
 the delight of gazing upon God ; and, even in this 
 state of mortal darkness and misery, if we can, for a 
 time, so forsake the thoughts of earthly things, as 
 in faith and fancy to behold Him ; to call up to 
 our mind whatever images of greatness and power 
 and perfection the Scripture has, however darkly 
 
 VOL. I. F 
 
98 
 
 SERMON VIII, 
 
 revealed to us concerning Him ; our heart v^ill 
 be filled, as by necessity, with love and admiration 
 for an object so glorious ; and our resignation to 
 His decree will become a matter, not only of ne- 
 cessity, but, in some respects, of choice. 
 
 Nor is this all ; for when we turn our thoughts 
 from the infinite power and majesty of God, to his 
 infinite goodness and mercy; when we recollect 
 that this Almighty Being has humbled himself to 
 behold and to pity the meanest and the most un- 
 grateful of his creatures; that 'for the sins of the 
 world, yea, for our sins. He hath not spared to 
 deliver his own Son ; when we behold that blessed 
 Son, Himself a portion of His substance. His 
 Word, and the brightness of His glory, brought 
 down by His love for man, from that dazzling 
 height, to the form of a mortal, and to the shame 
 of a malefactor, — our ransom then from hi& 
 Father's justice, and now at his Father's right 
 hand, our advocate and mediator; when, lastly, we 
 behold the Spirit of God, peculiarly called the 
 Spirit of grace, and love, and comfort, pervading 
 all space, and shedding his influence through all 
 creation ; when we acknowledge that the mercy of 
 God has been so richly displayed in all his deal- 
 ings with all his works ; it is impossible, I con- 
 ceive, for even the most undone sinner to despair 
 entirely, or to repress a hope, that from the Infi- 
 
FIRST SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS. 99 
 
 iiite of Love, some rays, however faint, may fall 
 upon his darkness. Nor, in thus hoping, would 
 even such a sinner err. The very hope itself, if 
 he had power to entertain it, as it could only pro- 
 ceed from grace, would be a proof that he was not 
 quite abandoned. His love for God thus revived 
 would be, in truth, nothing else than the faint 
 reflections of that love which God bore for him ; 
 and whose light, though our sins, like clouds, 
 have long intercepted it, need only shine on the 
 soul to bring forth fruits of holiness. 
 
 And this may show the unreasonableness of their 
 conduct, who, in the beginning of sickness, and 
 when the warnings of death are more distant and 
 uncertain, drive away all serious thoughts from the 
 soul, through a fear of injuring the body, and 
 are afraid of meditating on even the possibility of 
 soon standing before God, lest such a meditation 
 should hasten the event to which it calls their at- 
 tention. Even if this were necessarily the case, 
 the risk is so far less in dying soon, than in dying 
 unprepared, that the former danger should be 
 cheerfully encountered, rather than incur the pos- 
 sibility of the latter. Yet, in truth, the cases of 
 sickness are very few, in which, at the beginning 
 of a disorder, religious considerations, such as I 
 have now instanced, can do our bodily health any 
 harm. On the contrary, that awe and tranquillity 
 F 2 
 
100 
 
 SERMON Vlir, 
 
 of soul, which are induced by them, may, in many 
 cases, be of real advantage; while it is, at all 
 events, better to perform these most necessary 
 duties in the beginning of a disorder, than to defer 
 them to a time when our state is visibly perilous ; 
 and when the urgent necessity of such thoughts, 
 and the little time w^hich we have for them, may 
 well be expected to press too strongly on the 
 nerves, and to lessen by that pressure our natural 
 chances of recovery. But to return from this di- 
 gression. 
 
 When our minds are thus sobered, and in some 
 measure composed, by a due consideration of our 
 total dependence on God, — of His almighty 
 power, and of His infinite mercy, — it must be 
 next, and it will be very naturally our care, to 
 consider what means are yet within our reach to 
 interest that power and mercy in our favour; 
 how, even in the storms of this life, we may cling 
 to the rock of our safety, and, in the valley of the 
 shadow of death, be comforted and supported by 
 the staff' of our Heavenly Shepherd. And this 
 may best be accomplished by repentance; to 
 which an examination of our past lives is, in the 
 first place, absolutely necessary. In our conduct 
 of this inquiry, it is well, however, to attend to 
 the following cautions. 
 
 First, it is highly probable, nay it is almost 
 
must SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS. 101 
 
 ^oertain under such circumstances, that the review 
 of our past behaviour will be, even to the best of 
 us, extremely painful and humiliating, as well as 
 alarming; and we shall be tempted to escape 
 from the bitter recollection of our sins, by turning 
 to those actions of our lives which wear a better 
 appearance ; and by attempting to strike such a 
 balance between our evil and our good deeds, as 
 may enable us to look forwards with less terror to 
 the account which we have soon to render. But 
 this must be at all events avoided. The very at- 
 tempt to do so, the attempt to reason with our 
 Judge, and to prepare beforehand the plea which 
 we shall offer to him, will, of itself, extremely 
 agitate the soul and the bodily frame, and render 
 both the one and the other less fit for death, and 
 less likely to escape death. And, above all, the 
 attempt to plead our own good deeds in extenu- 
 ation of our sins, must be extremely offensive to 
 God, who has repeatedly refused in Scripture 
 to admit any human merit, or any other call 
 on his favour than our utter misery, and the 
 merits and mediation of our Saviour. By fling- 
 ing ourselves entirely on His mercy, we shall 
 place our confidence where it will not be thrown 
 away : we shall escape much present misery, and 
 the alarm to which any reliance on our own efforts 
 will expose us ; and we shall escape that indig- 
 F 3 
 
102 
 
 SERMON VIII. 
 
 nation which the Lord of life and death must feel 
 against an insolvent debtor who should presume 
 to reckon up his little services, and to bring 
 forward his pitiful efforts as claims against Him to 
 whom his all was due. And on this account I 
 would advise the sick man to abstain entirely from 
 all thought or recollection of what he may suppose 
 the praiseworthy parts of his character. It can do 
 him no good to recollect them ; since God knows 
 them already, and needs not to be put in mind^ 
 And it mayy nay must do him harm ; inasmuch as 
 it will take off his attention from a work for which 
 his time is bat too short, and will lead him, per- 
 haps, to seek for comfort in things which cannot 
 profit, instead of in that boundless mercy of God 
 through His Son, in whose name alone there is 
 salvation. 
 
 2dly. While the sick penitent thus abstains from 
 all mention or notice of his own virtues, he will 
 do well not to be too particular, or dwell too long 
 in his recapitulation of such of his sins as are gone 
 by and not to be remedied. For these, regret, 
 however natural, is useless, and, beyond a certain 
 degree, injurious. A deep sense of his own un- 
 worthiness and sinfulness; a thorough conviction 
 that he has no hope but in God's free mercy, — 
 this is necessary ; and for this a very general re- 
 collection of our lives will be sufficient. But to 
 
FIRST SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, 103 
 
 indulge in the horrid details of an ill-spent life ; 
 to paint, in exaggerated colours, the circumstances 
 of each transgression is not only a loss of time, 
 and distressing ourselves in vain, but it is a very 
 frequent snare of our enemy to plunge us into 
 utter desperation and abandonment of ourselves, 
 and of all those means of escape and salvation 
 which the merciful grace of the Holy Ghost may, 
 even yet, extend to us. Nor is this the worst. 
 It is not impossible that, with such recollections, 
 a guilty pleasure may revive in our soul; that 
 our fancy may return, with more regret than 
 horror, to the scenes of our former enjoyment; 
 and that, while we suppose ourselves to be mourn- 
 ing for sin, we are, in truth, only concerned that 
 we must now give it up for ever. 
 
 3dly. However, while the sick man withdraws 
 his attention from all those evil works which are 
 gone by and not to be remedied, he should be 
 more anxious to recollect those others, if any there 
 are, for which he has it in his power to make re- 
 paration. If he has been, in any part of his life, 
 an open blasphemer of God, and an unbeliever in 
 the Scripture, it behoves him to lose no time in 
 humbly and openly acknowledging his error, and 
 in cautioning his fellow-creatures against the like 
 dangerous delusion ! If, by his bad example or 
 wicked persuasions, he has led others into sin, let 
 F 4 
 
SERMON Vlir. 
 
 liim now, as he values their souls or his own, so far 
 as he possibly can, undo the mischief which he has 
 occasioned. If he has injured, by word or deed, 
 any of his neighbours, let him, while life is yet al- 
 lowed to him, make the best amends in his power, 
 and, on no account, neglect, what is in the power 
 of every man, a free confession and an humble 
 petition for their forgiveness. If he is in posses- 
 session of any property dishonestly obtained, 
 whether by himself or by others, let him make haste 
 to give up the accursed thing, either to the right- 
 ful owners, or, if they cannot be found, to the 
 poor ; lest a curse, like that of Naboth's vineyard, 
 cleave to him and his posterity, and lest the goodsr, 
 which he will not restore, be as garments of fire 
 to his soul in the day of God's vengeance. If he 
 is conscious of bearing ill-will to any man, let him 
 wipe out from his heart all remembrance of in- 
 juries received, and renounce all intentions of 
 future revenge ; and express, openly, to those 
 around him, his forgiveness of all his enemies, 
 even as he hopes that God, for Christ's sake, will 
 extend to him forgiveness. If, lastly, which is, in 
 itself, a crime as well a& a great misfortune, he 
 has hitherto left his worldly affairs unsettled, let 
 him not be influenced by any foolish fear of 
 alarming his family, or of appearing alarmed him- 
 self, from immediately making such a disposition 
 
FIRST SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS. 105 
 
 of his property as he shall, in his conscience, 
 think most righteous and best, and such an one as 
 he may not fear to give an account of, in the hour 
 of judgement. 
 
 And for these employments he will be the better 
 qualified, if, in the 4th place, he makes up his 
 mind to renounce the world entirely, and all 
 restless hope of life and recovery, resigning all 
 his prospects entirely into the hand of God, who 
 is best acquainted with our wants, and with the 
 wants of those whom we are about to leave 
 behind ; and who is infinitely able to protect and 
 provide for us and them. Do we fear for the 
 dismal consequences which our death will pro- 
 duce on the fortunes of those whom we love ? 
 Let us remember that, whether we die or live 
 their happiness must depend on God's blessing 
 and protection ; and that this protection and 
 blessing may be extended to them alike in the 
 one case as in the other. If we cast our care 
 on God, we may be sure that He will care for 
 us ; and that He, who feedeth the young ravens, 
 who call on Him, will not fail to raise up friends 
 to the widow and the fatherless. Lastly, that 
 our meditations may become holy and comfort- 
 able ; and our repentance sincere and effectual ; 
 and our restitution humble and public ; and our 
 charity pure and edifying; and our justice with- 
 F 5 
 
106 
 
 SERMON VIII. 
 
 out taint ; and our resignation without reserve ; 
 our every day, our every night, our every hour 
 and minute, so long as our senses continue, and 
 so much as we can spare from the exercise of 
 those duties which I have noticed, should be given 
 up to public or private prayer. Prayer should 
 waken the sick man in the morning; should lull 
 him to rest at night; should watch by his mid- 
 night pillow ; should soothe his bodily pain ; 
 should welcome his bodily amendment; should 
 sanctify his physic ; should relish his food ; should 
 give fervour to his last advice, and power to his 
 last blessing. When he cannot read himself, his 
 friends should read to him ; when their voices 
 fail, or they harass him, his thoughts should follow 
 the same employment ; not asking for life, or, at 
 most, only asking for it as an inferior consider- 
 ation ; not asking for bodily ease, or, if his pains 
 constrain him, adding to each petition the clause 
 of Thy will be done ; " but asking for faith, for 
 patience, for hope, for pardon, for a share in the 
 mercies of Christ ; — content to lose all, to leave 
 all, to suffer all, so that the one thing needful be 
 secured to him by his Heavenly Guardian, and 
 his soul preserved from the snare of the fowler. 
 
 For the guidance and furtherance of such his 
 devotions, I need hardly add the propriety of 
 sending for the minister of the church to which 
 
. FIRST SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS. 107 
 
 he belongs, and of publicly acknowledging his 
 faith and Christian hope, by partaking in the 
 Christian sacraments. I have only to regret, that 
 this is too often delayed to the last ; and that re- 
 lations and friends are unwilling, for so long a 
 time, to have recourse to our labours. They are 
 afraid, it seems, of alarming and agitating the 
 patient ; but that alarm and agitation, which may 
 well be great when the arrival of the priest and the 
 sacrament is considered as the forerunner of death, 
 would be entirely, or in a great measure, pre- 
 vented by sending for him in the beginning of an 
 illness. But, however that may be, it is a very 
 bad sign when this measure is postponed; and 
 many are the friends and relatives who have 
 mourned, with most bitter tears, their own back- 
 wardness in preparing their sick brethren for the 
 grave, when those brethren have slipped out of 
 their hands, untaught, unwarned, unconfessed, un- 
 eomforted ! 
 
 Having thus spoken of the duties incumbent on 
 the sick and the dying, it yet remains, that I give 
 a few cautions against the sins to which they are 
 most exposed. And those sins are evil and trifling 
 thoughts, unthankfulness, impatience, peevishness, 
 and hypocrisy. To the two first of these men are 
 often strangely liable on any remission of present 
 pain, or on any appearance of approaching amend- 
 F 6 
 
lOS 
 
 SERMON Vlir. 
 
 meat ; insomuch that we shall often have reason 
 to wonder at ourselves — how strangely our love of 
 forbidden or unreasonable indulgences will revive ; 
 how apt we are to act over in our thoughts what 
 we have professed to give up for ever ; and how 
 apt to lose sight, in our renewed worldly hopes, of 
 that Heavenly Being to whom we owe every 
 thing. And there is no other cure for these in- 
 firmities than an immediate return to prayer and 
 divine meditation, driving out the present tempter 
 by the recollection of our late peril and suffer- 
 ings, and the probability there always must be 
 that our present relief is a respite only, not a total 
 remission of God's sentence. The same medi- 
 tations on God, and his power and goodness, will 
 also help us to keep from murmuring and ill 
 temper; more especially, if w^e reflect on the 
 sufferings which our Saviour Christ endured for 
 us, and on the reasonableness that we, who are 
 sinners, should the rather bear our burden pa- 
 tiently. 
 
 Hypocrisy may seem a strange vice to impute 
 to a sick or dying person. It is far more common, 
 however, than an inattentive observer would 
 suppose ; and is shown either in seeking com- 
 passion and kindness by counterfeiting the appear- 
 ance of greater suffering than really belongs to our 
 eases, or in the affectation of more faith, more 
 
FIRST SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS. 109 
 
 Christian resignation, more Christian humility and 
 self-abasement, and a conscience more void of 
 offence, than either our own hearts or God will 
 sanction. The first of these differs so little from 
 positive fraud, and springs so plainly from a too 
 great attention to bodily comfort, and too little 
 regard for the soul, that no more need be said than 
 that its proper cure is by a seasonable meditation 
 on that eternity to which we are tending, and in 
 comparison with which the temporary objects, 
 which we seek to gain by this disingenuous ar- 
 tifice, are utterly beneath our notice. The latter 
 requires some little explanation, inasmuch as it 
 may seem strange and uncharitable to impute such 
 conduct to a dying man, or to suppose that any 
 one will wear a mask at a moment when he is so 
 soon to appear in the presence of Him by whom 
 the inmost heart is known. It is certain, however, 
 that the desire of worldly praise will sometimes 
 linger so late, and cling so closely about the af- 
 fections of man, that there are some persons who 
 will continue to act a part till their voice and 
 senses fail them, and even in the moment of death 
 make up their minds to depart with a lie on the 
 conscience. I do not only mean those instances of 
 dreadful and deadly self-deceit (if I may use the 
 expression), spiritual suicide, in which men have 
 denied to the last some crime of which they were 
 
110 
 
 SERMON VIII. 
 
 undoubtedly guilty, and expressed a lively hope of 
 salvation which (their conscience must have told 
 them) their falsehood rendered impossible; but I 
 must own, when I have witnessed the triumphant 
 expressions of confidence which have proceeded 
 from those, of whose principles I have not been 
 able to form an opinion by any means so favour- 
 able, I have been sometimes led to apprehend, 
 that men have, even in death, adopted language to 
 which their hearts were not responsive. Some 
 instances of this conduct may, perhaps, have been 
 occasioned by those well-meant details which we 
 often meet with, of the edifying and triumphant 
 deaths of eminent Christians ; which, as tests and 
 marks of a happy end, are copied even by those 
 whom silence and prayer would become far better 
 than exultation. Others, I apprehend, have pro- 
 ceeded from the popular doctrine of assurance, 
 which has led men to suppose that, as the con- 
 fidence of salvation is needful in order to be 
 saved, so it was well and necessary to lash and 
 encourage themselves into this absolute confidence 
 by those outward expressions which can be proper 
 to that confidence alone. But, be this as it may, 
 it is by no means the duty of our order to court 
 popularity by encouraging any species of de- 
 ception ; and, surely, by far the greater number 
 of those who go before the judgement-seat of God, 
 
FIRST SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS. Ill 
 
 may be content to go thither in humble hope, 
 and as trembling, but not forsaken ; instead of as- 
 suming the lofty language of an apostle on the eve 
 of martyrdom, and hailing, in the midst of their 
 secret alarms, those glories which, as yet, are hid 
 from them. 
 
 But, while we are thus reckoning up the duties 
 which a sick man has to perform, and the tempta- 
 tions to which he is liable, let the difficulty of the 
 first, and the number and greatness of the latter, 
 be an argument with us to leave as little as pos- 
 sible to be done in that state of weakness and 
 alarm ; and while our limbs are whole, and our 
 understandings clear, to set about the work of our 
 salvation. " Defer not,'' said the son of Sirach, 
 " defer not until death to be justified. Humble 
 thyself before thou be sick; and in the time of 
 sins, show repentance. Before judgement, exa- 
 mine thyself; and in the day of visitation thou 
 shalt find mercy." ^ 
 
 1 Ecclesiasticus, xviii. 20, 21, 22. 
 
SERMON IX. 
 
 FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 
 
 [From the Gospel for the Day.] 
 
 St. Luke, ii. 52, 
 
 Jesus increased in ivisdom and stature^ and in favour with 
 God and man. 
 
 The history, which has been read to you in the 
 Gospel of to-day, is one of the few circumstances, 
 which the holy Evangelists have preserved, con- 
 cerning the humble and peaceable childhood of 
 our Saviour. Short as it is, however, it is full 
 of valuable instruction both to young and old. 
 There are, indeed, few, if any passages of Scrip- 
 ture, of which this may not be said; but those 
 instructions are always the most impressive, which 
 arise unexpectedly from the circumstances which 
 happen to others; and which teach us not so 
 much by doctrine, as by example. Such an one 
 is the present history. 
 
 When Jesus was twelve years old. His parents, 
 according to their yearly custom, went up to 
 
FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 113 
 
 Jerusalem to keep the Passover. This great 
 feast, which answers to our Easter, was solemnly 
 observed by every Jew; and could, by the law 
 of God, be kept in that place only which He 
 had chosen to put His name there. It was the 
 same, indeed, with all the other sacrifices: even 
 those, which, in the early times of the world, 
 had been offered up to God on high places, were, 
 on account of idolatry, forbidden by the Prophets ; 
 and were only now allowed in the temple of 
 Jerusalem, where they were presented to God 
 by the Priests and Levites, on the great altar 
 of burnt sacrifice; or, if their number was too 
 great, on the stone platform of the inner court 
 of the temple. 
 
 It was, therefore, necessary for the Jews, on 
 many occasions, such as the birth of an eldest 
 son; a year of jubilee, or a solemn vow^ to God; 
 to attend in this great temple; which was the 
 Cathedral, and Mother Church of all their nation ; 
 and to which the synagogues, and smaller places 
 of worship, were only Chapels of Ease. 
 
 But, besides these particular occasions, there 
 was, every year, as I have mentioned, the solemn 
 time of Passover or unleavened bread: when 
 every grown person was obliged (whatever the 
 distance might be) to attend in the temple, and 
 renew, in the presence of God, and all their 
 
114 
 
 SERMON IX. 
 
 nation, this solemn Sacrament, in remembrance 
 of their great delivery from the house of bondage, 
 and from the destroying angel of God : who, 
 while he slew the children of the Egyptians, 
 passed over the houses of the Israelites, without 
 harming them or theirs. On this day, then, the 
 whole multitude, to the number sometimes of 
 200,000 soul s, were collected together in the 
 courts and neighbourhood of the temple ; divided 
 into families or small societies, each of whom 
 killed on the occasion a goat or a lamb. After 
 solemn prayer, the blood of these creatures was 
 offered up ; and burnt before the temple, by the 
 High Priest, attended by all the Levites, in white 
 garments, with great pomp, and with the sound 
 of trumpets. 
 
 The multitude then withdrew from the temple; 
 each family or society carrying with them their 
 lamb, which they eat in private, with bitter herbs 
 and unleavened bread; as is described in the 
 12th chapter of Exodus, and in the account which 
 the Evangelists have given of the Last Supper of 
 our Lord. 
 
 To this feast, then, without regarding the long 
 journey (70 miles) between Nazareth and Jeru- 
 salem, Joseph and Mary, and the child Jesus, 
 came. 
 
 Our Saviour was then too young to be obliged 
 
FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 
 
 115 
 
 to attend ; but it is likely, that, being poor, they 
 had nobody with whom they could safely leave 
 him ; and it is still more likely, that the Son of 
 God, young as He was, already placed His chief 
 joy in Mount Zion; that He was already glad 
 (like his forefather David) when they said, " Let 
 us go the house of the Lord and was anxious, 
 already, to be engaged in His Heavenly Father's 
 business. 
 
 I need not repeat to you, what happened there ; 
 Joseph's and His mother's sorrow on losing Him ; 
 their anxious search ; or how they found him, in 
 the temple, — a child disputing with doctors and 
 grey-bearded men: and astonishing all with His 
 wisdom and answers. I need not repeat how He 
 asked His parents why they sought him, since 
 they might have been assured, that he was well 
 employed? How he went down to Nazareth; 
 and, far from being vain of the praise bestowed 
 on Him l)y the Doctors of the Law, was subject 
 and duciful to His poor earthly parents ; or how 
 (which concludes the account of His childhood) 
 He grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour 
 with God and man. These are points which 
 require no explanation ; and I shall pass on, 
 immediately, to set before you the moral use and 
 improvement which a Christian ought to make of 
 these facts in the history of his Redeemer. 
 
116 
 
 SERMON IX. 
 
 When we behold the frequent sorrows to which 
 the Blessed Virgin was subject, we may be moved 
 to wonder and apprehension, by observing the 
 severe discipline, the frequent trials of faith and 
 patience, to which God is accustomed to expose 
 his greatest Saints, and those whom He loves 
 most dearly. 
 
 When Mary was told by an angel that she was 
 highly favoured, and blessed among women, in 
 giving birth to the Saviour of the world, she 
 little thought, perhaps, how hardly she was to 
 purchase this honour ; or how bitter sorrows (as 
 old Simeon prophesied in the temple) were, like 
 a sword, to pierce her heart. She little thought, 
 that, instead of beholding the triumphs and 
 sharing the glory of the Divine and excellent 
 Saviour, she was to watch His agony, and to 
 stand weeping and childless at the foot of His 
 cross. And even now, in His very childhood, 
 this good son, — who was her's only, who had 
 only her on earth, and who was her happiness 
 and honour; whose every word and action she 
 pondered in her heart, — how severe a grief did 
 He cost her ! How would she mourn the danger 
 of such tender years in the midst of so great a 
 multitude ! How would she repent her own 
 carelessness in losing Him : and, above all, that 
 by this negligence of hers, the Hope of Israel 
 
FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 117 
 
 and of the World was thrown away ! Three 
 days she sought Him sorrowing: and who are 
 we that we should murmur ? When the Virgin 
 Mary sorrowed, who are we that we should 
 escape ? 
 
 Nay rather, (and this, my friends, is a fear 
 which often occurs to my mind,) how much cause 
 have the rich, and prosperous, and healthy, and 
 all those who are unacquainted with grief; how 
 much cause have they to tremble, lest this pros- 
 perity should make them forget God; how much 
 cause have they to pray for His grace, to which 
 nothing is impossible ; and which alone can give 
 them hopes of entering into the Kingdom of 
 Heaven. 
 
 There is, however, a spiritual affliction, nearly 
 resembling that of the Blessed Virgin, to which 
 rich and poor are alike often exposed. She had 
 lost her Saviour ; and who is there amongst us, 
 who has not sometimes felt an emptiness of heart, 
 a want of the grace and comforts of religion, and 
 a feeling, as if God had withdrawn Himself from 
 our souls? There is no greater fear than this, 
 that our sins have provoked His Spirit, and that 
 His face is hid from us for ever ; and this fear, or 
 something like it, will attack even the best of 
 men, when they feel their conscience (as it some- 
 times will be) unusually dead ; their aflFections 
 
118 
 
 SERMON IX. 
 
 unusually cold or indifferent; and their prayers 
 unusually feeble. On the bed of sickness, when 
 the body and mind are alike weak, this fear is, 
 more than ever, common : but wherever it exists, 
 the sufferer ought to remember the conclusion of 
 the Blessed Virgin's story^ that the Christ, whom 
 she had lost, was found by her in the temple. No 
 help can be had from the world ; no comfort from 
 kinsfolk or acquaintance : but the wounded con- 
 science will find a sure relief in the Church of 
 God, and in the services of religion. Those, 
 who, notwithstanding the gloomy thoughts which 
 I have mentioned, will persevere in prayer ; — 
 who will seek the Lord diligently in His Scrip- 
 tures, His temple, and His Sacraments ; — will 
 not be left without a comforter : they may be 
 allowed to seek Him sorrowing; but, let them 
 persevere, and the grace of God Himself will 
 speak to their heart, as with the voice of His 
 beloved Son, " I will never leave thee, or forsake 
 thee." " Blessed are they that mourn ; for they 
 shall be comforted ! " " Blessed are they, that 
 hunger and thirst after righteousness ; for they 
 shall be filled." ' 
 
 There is another caution, too, which naturally 
 rises from this Gospel, and which, to minds of 
 this sort, may be very necessary. They are apt 
 1 St. Matthew, v. 4. 6. 
 
FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 119 
 
 to think it a matter of indifference, where or 
 how they seek for rehgious comfort or instruc- 
 tion ; and too many artful advisers are always to 
 be met with, who attempt to ensnare them from 
 the Church, as established by law, and handed 
 down from the Apostles themselves ; they at- 
 tempt, I say, to ensnare them from the Church 
 into the chapels and meeting-houses of other 
 religions. 
 
 But Christ, let every believer consider, Christ 
 was not found in the high places, or other irre- 
 gular houses of worship. Great as he was, and 
 superior to all temples made with hands. He was 
 not above respecting the Scribes who sat in 
 Moses's seat ; or observing all lawful commands 
 and ceremonies, — even those which, not God 
 only, but even the government and rulers of His 
 country had established. He, though he brought 
 a more glorious religion to light, was not neglect- 
 ful of the religion of His country ; and shall we 
 desert ours for new inventions? Shall we seek 
 Christ among those who (by whatever name they 
 call themselves,) have committed the great sin of 
 causeless separation from the congregation of their 
 fellow Christians; who have forsaken His Sacra- 
 ments, and His lawful ministers; and who too 
 often preach, I fear, doctrines ruinous to the 
 truth, or to that godliness which is in Christ? 
 
120 
 
 SERMON IX. 
 
 Be warned in time, my friends, when you are 
 tempted, in future, to forsake this holy place, and 
 such plain and honest counsel as I can give, for 
 new altars and new teachers. When you are told 
 " that there can be no harm in hearing God's 
 word, wherever and by whomsoever preached ; " 
 be warned in time, that such are the usual acts of 
 those false teachers described by Saint Paul, 
 
 which creep into houses, and lead captive silly 
 women laden with sins ^ : " teachers who, as Saint 
 Peter tells us, " are presumptuous, self-willed, not 
 ashamed to speak evil of dignities." ^ And be 
 warned, I say again, as the Church was warned 
 by Saint Paul himself^ against those who, having 
 itching ears, after their own lusts, shall heap to 
 themselves teachers, and who, as St. Jude assures 
 us, are to perish in the gainsaying of Corah. 
 As long as the Scriptures are here read and 
 preached, and as long as the Sacraments are here 
 administered, this is the gate of the Lord; the 
 righteous shall enter into it. 
 
 The last, and most important lesson to be 
 drawn from this Gospel is the advantage of early 
 piety. " Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, 
 and in favour with God and man." That we 
 ought to train up a child in the way in which we 
 would have him to go, is a truth so generally 
 
 2 Timothy, iii. 6. ^ 2 St. Peter ii. 10. 3 2 Tim. iv. 3 
 
FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 121 
 
 known, that it has passed into a proverb ; and as 
 far as the business of this world is concerned, it is 
 a rule generally attended to. We hire out our 
 sons to trades, as soon as they are fit for them ; 
 we are anxious that, as early as possible, they 
 should have habits of industry, and know how to 
 earn their living ; but we are much more careless 
 for the inheritance which endureth for ever, — 
 the knowledge of God which is to procure for 
 them the favour of God and man. They are but 
 children, it will be said ; but what was Jesus, 
 when at the age of twelve years. His lips were 
 learned in the Scripture, and His delight was in 
 the house of God ? Believe me, my young 
 friends, for to you I now address myself, that 
 same Christ, who took young children in His 
 arms and blessed them; who said, that, of such 
 as these the Kingdom of Heaven was full. He is 
 not inattentive to all that you say or think ; but 
 every good and every evil word which you utter 
 is open before His eyes, and noticed in His book. 
 Imitate Him, then, and grow like Him in favour 
 with God and man. 
 
 And let children, and grown men, and men of 
 every age, be warned, that, in the work of amend- 
 ment of life, they have no time to lose. It is not the 
 work of a day, to imitate the holiness of Christ, but 
 may w^ell take up all our thoughts, our pains, and 
 
 VOL. I. G 
 
122 
 
 SERMON IX. 
 
 our lives. And, short as this life must always be, 
 — even in the midst of it, we are in death. When 
 we have thought, that we had many years before 
 us, that we might take our ease, eat, drink, and be 
 merry, how dismal is the surprise to the careless 
 soul, if God should, this night, require it of our 
 hands ! And what reason have we for thinking, 
 even if God should spare us to old age, that we 
 should have more power to repent then than now? 
 Is it easier to pull up a tree when young ; or when 
 its root is deep, and its timber strong ? How many 
 wretched people do we see, who have put off, from 
 time to time, the care of their souls ; who are now 
 grown old in sin ; who have waked, indeed, to 
 their danger ; but only to know, that their day of 
 gruce is over, — to gaze a little while with terror 
 on the flames of hell which await them, and then 
 to sink for ever. Be warned in time, ye that live 
 carelessly : and flee for your lives, while your safety 
 is yet possible ; and repent you, while the power 
 of the Lord is present to heal and to forgive. 
 
 And lastly, learn, that, if you would resemble 
 Christ in early piety, you must imitate Him in 
 the means which He took, of acquiring grace, and 
 knowledge : you must, like Him, be obedient to 
 your parents ; like Him, be diligent in reading or 
 learning the Scriptures : and, like Him, place your 
 delight in the temple of the Lord. 
 
FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 123 
 
 These are the means of grace and power : this 
 is the armour of God ; which will enable ns in 
 youth to lay a good foundation of faith and con- 
 science ; which will make us dear, alike to God 
 and to man : and will carry us through the dan- 
 gers of youth, of manhood, and of old age, to the 
 happy home where we shall rest from our labours^ 
 
 n 2 
 
SERMON X. 
 
 SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 
 
 S'T. John, xv. 5. 
 
 Without Me ye can do nothing. 
 
 These words were addressed by our Lord to His 
 Apostles as a reason for their patient continuance 
 in His Church, and in the profession of a faith in 
 Him, which He had represented under the simili- 
 tude of a vine and its branches. "As the branch 
 cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the 
 vine ; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. I 
 am the vine, ye are the branches : he that abideth 
 in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much 
 fruit ; for without Me ye can do nothing." As if 
 He had said, " Without that continual grace and 
 spiritual assistance of the Holy Ghost, which I 
 shall give to my faithful disciples, (as constantly, 
 though as invisibly, as the tree yields sap to the 
 nourishment of the branch which 'grows on it,) 
 ye cannot bring forth the fruits of holiness and 
 everlasting life ; ye cannot make yourselves good ; 
 
SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 125 
 
 ye cannot convert, and change yourselves ; ye 
 cannot, by your own strength, continue in a course 
 of faith and Christian obedience." 
 
 It is the truth and certainty of this declaration 
 which it will be my business in the present sermon 
 to establish; and this may be best effected, by ex- 
 plaining, first, the necessity which we are under of 
 receiving some such help from God, in order to enabl e 
 us to serve and please Him : secondly, by bringing 
 forward the testimony of many parts of Scripture to 
 the reality of this gracious and needful assistance: 
 and, thirdly, — which may take away those objec- 
 tions which the pride and wisdom of the world 
 have urged against the doctrine in question ; — to 
 explain the manner in which, from our own expe- 
 rience and from the word of God, we may conceive 
 such assistance to influence our hearts and under- 
 standing. 
 
 And, first, the necessity of such a help as this 
 may be plainly perceived by all who consider the 
 weakness and corruption of man's nature, the 
 power of evil habits, the inconstancy of human re^ 
 solution, and the malice and activity of those spi- 
 ritual enemies who tempt us to sin and ruin. That 
 the nature of man is in itself inclined to evil, is a 
 truth, which the wisest and best of the heathen 
 themselves have had sufficient light to acknowledge 
 and deplore ; and many of them had still retained 
 G 3 
 
126 
 
 SERMON X* 
 
 some faint memory of that unhappy tranggressioii 
 of our earliest parents ; by which sin entered into 
 the worlds and death by sin ; and whence corrup- 
 tion and weakness are derived to the whole race 
 and posterity of Adam ; inasmuch as whatsoever 
 is born of the flesh is flesh, and liable to corrup- 
 tion. 
 
 Nor, indeed, can we fail to perceive, by our own 
 observation of what passes within us, that we are 
 at all times more ready to sin than to do good ; 
 that, in the common language of the world, the 
 notions of self-denial and pain are always joined 
 to those of active goodness ; and that while we talk 
 of conquering sin, we confess, by that very expres- 
 sion, that we are naturally sinfuL Accordingly, 
 when Scripture speaks of our natural state, and of 
 the manner in which Christ has redeemed us from 
 it, it represents our condition not only as miser- 
 able but helpless. " When we were yet without 
 strength," saith St. Paul, ^^in due time Christ 
 died for the ungodly."^ When mankind were 
 utterly unable to recover themselves from that 
 state of misery and sin, "in the fulness of time"^ 
 — at the time, that is, which God saw to be most 
 convenient — He sent His Son into the world to 
 die for sinners ; and, by that Spirit which raised 
 Him from the dead, to enable us to mortify our 
 1 Romans, v» 6. - Oalatians, iv. 4. 
 
SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 127 
 
 lusts, and to rise to newness of life. So that our 
 natural weakness is of itself sufficient to render 
 this grace of the Most High peculiarly necessary 
 to every man. 
 
 But this is not the whole ; since, besides this 
 natural weakness, there is a weakness of our own 
 acquiring, which, without God's help, must render 
 our attempts to please Him as useless as to run a 
 race in chains. We have all of us, by indulging 
 our evil nature, formed habits of sin ; we are ac- 
 customed to do evil ; and custom, by the language 
 of the world itself, is allowed to be a second nature, 
 which must make repentance as impossible, as for 
 the blackamoor to change his skin, or the leopard 
 to wash away his spots. 
 
 And, thirdly, we must add, to these impediments, 
 the inconstancy and fickleness of man's resolution. 
 Suppose that, upon hearing the terrible threaten- 
 ings of God's word against sin, a sinner should, of 
 himself, entertain a purpose to break off his wicked 
 courses, yet do we not perceive, by our own sad 
 experience, how soon such good resolutions pass 
 away, when the feelings which produced them are 
 gone by ? When we are not tempted, we are bold 
 and hopeful : but when dangers arise, or when the 
 objects of our desire are present, how soon do our 
 good purposes become like the morning cloud, and 
 as the early dew which passeth away ! So we needs 
 G 4 
 
128 
 
 SERMON X. 
 
 must confess with the prophet Jeremiah^, O 
 Lord, I know that the way of man is not in him- 
 self; it is not in man that walketh to direct his 
 steps!" 
 
 And, besides this weakness of our nature, this 
 strength of habit and inconstancy of resolution, we 
 have a powerful enemy in the Devil ; who is very 
 malicious and active to promote our ruin by keep- 
 ing us still in this slavery. We are not only weak 
 within, but strongly assaulted outwardly; we 
 wrestle not only with flesh and blood, but with 
 principalities and powers, and spiritual wickednesses. 
 The powers of hell are joined for our destruction ; 
 and we have, therefore, need of an extraordinary 
 strength and assistance to enable us to contend 
 with such powerful adversaries. And our comfort 
 is that God offers His grace to us ; and that, as 
 God Himself made answer to Paul, He is sufficient 
 for all our wants and dangers. Greater is He 
 that is in us, than he that is in the world : the 
 Spirit of God is infinitely stronger than even he 
 who goeth about like "a roaring lion, seeking^ 
 w^hom he may devour." ^- 
 
 For it is to this grace and help of God, that the 
 Scripture constantly ascribes our regeneration, and 
 sanctification, and perseverance in holiness. We 
 are said to be born again of the Spirit ; to be 
 i Jeremiah, x. 23. - 1 St. Peteivv. 8^. 
 
SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 1-29 
 
 sanctified by the renewing of the Holy Ghost ; to 
 be led by the Spirit of God, through the Spirit to 
 mortify the deeds of the flesh ; to do all things 
 through Christ strengthening us ; and to be kept, 
 by the power of God, through faith, unto salvation. 
 All which most plainly expresses that help of 
 Christ, whereby we become good ; and are enabled 
 to do any thing that is good ; and are preserved in 
 a good course. As the Scripture everywhere attri- 
 butes sin to our own corrupt hearts, and to the malice 
 and instigation of the Devil ; so does it constantly 
 ascribe all the good, which we do, to the help of 
 God's Holy Spirit : or, which is the same thing, 
 to the grace of Christ. For the Spirit of God is 
 called the Spirit of Christ; and often Christ 
 Himself. " If any man," saith St. Paul, have 
 not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His ; and if 
 Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin." ^ 
 It is proved, then, both from reason, and from 
 Scripture ; that, except by God's grace, we can 
 bring forth no fruit of holiness ; and that "without 
 Christ we can do nothing." 
 
 And, if we are asked, in the third place, after 
 what manner the Spirit of God and of His Christ 
 produces this blessed effect on our souls ;^ — we reply, 
 that it is by diverting our attention to such out- 
 ward objects, or means of knowledge, as may enable 
 ^ Romans, viii. 9, 10. 
 G 5 
 
130 
 
 SERMON X. 
 
 lis to see the things which belong to our peace, and 
 to be sensible of our real interests ; and by recal- 
 ling to our memory such of our own good resolu- 
 tions, or such awakening passages of Scripture, as 
 may best keep us in those good purposes which 
 the same Holy Spirit has, at first, assisted us to 
 form. Accordingly, the grace of the Holy Ghost 
 is called in Scripture a light whereby we are 
 enabled to see the things which belong to our 
 peace, and the dangers which we ought to avoid : 
 and which grace, without of itself giving us any 
 knowledge, is yet the only means whereby we are 
 enabled to learn for ourselves, or to bear in mind 
 what we have already learned in the written word of 
 God. It is thus a guide, a comforter, a supporter j 
 and a remembrancer; and without it we may 
 vainly read the Scripture ; vainly attend on public 
 worship ; our hearts will be empty of the power of 
 godliness, and the form will profit us nothing. 
 
 But, on the other hand, this grace and assist- 
 ance does not exclude, but plainly supposes, the 
 concurrence of our own endeavours. It strength- 
 ens us, and enables us to work ; but it does not work 
 for us while we continue idle. So that, though 
 we are not sufficient of ourselves for any thing 
 that is good, yet, being promised this merciful 
 support, we both may, and must endeavour to work 
 together with God ; lest, by our own want of dili- 
 
SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 131 
 
 gence, we should receive His grace in vain. 
 " Work out your own salvation are the words of 
 St. Paul, " for it is God that worketh in you both 
 to will and to do of His own good pleasure." 
 
 I shall conclude my discourse on this subject 
 with a few practical observations on those truths 
 whereof I have endeavoured to convince you. 
 
 First, it is plain that, as this gift of grace pro- 
 ceeds from God for Christ's sake, and is, therefore, 
 called the grace of Christ ; so it is plain that a 
 sincere faith in Christ, whereby we abide in Him 
 and He in us, is the means by which we derive it 
 to our souls. I do not mean that the converting 
 and sanctifying grace of God may not be given to 
 others besides Christians ; were it otherwise, no 
 man could become a Christian, or be converted at 
 all, since it is God who calleth us, as well as God 
 who keeps us in our calling ; but this I mean, 
 that, unless we, who are thus called, abide by faith 
 in Christ's mystical body, we can, as that blessed 
 Redeemer Himself assures us, '^do nothing," 
 
 But, secondly, this faith must be expressed, and 
 shown forth by those means which God Himself 
 appoints, — by prayer, by the use of the Sacra- 
 ments, and by that, which is in itself, in God's 
 eyes, a continual and most availing prayer, a 
 hearty and faithful endeavour after holiness. God 
 gives no favours except to those who seek them 
 G 6 
 
13-2 
 
 SERMON X. 
 
 earnestly; we must ask, before it is given to us; 
 we must knock, before it will be opened ; we must 
 strive to enter in at the narrow gate, or we shall 
 never be enabled to enter that Piaradise which is 
 beyond it. And to these exertions we are the 
 more encouraged by our Father's assurance, that, 
 if made in the manner which He directs, they shall 
 not be made in vain ; that His grace is indeed suf- 
 ficient for us ; and that, however weak and power-* 
 less our own nature may be, we are enabled to do all 
 things through Christ that strengtheneth us. 
 
 Thirdly, let us take heed, that we resist not the 
 Spirit of God, and receive his grace in vain. And 
 this we do, if at any time, when, God having 
 clearly shown us our duty, we shrink from its 
 performance ; — when we wilfully shut our eyes 
 to the light which His Holy Spirit has kindled in 
 our souls, and when we disregard those blessed 
 whispers, whereby He reminds us, that such or 
 such conduct we ought to pursue : and that such 
 or such actions are contrary to the commandments 
 of Scripture ; — My Spirit," said God, " shall 
 not always strive with man — and they, who 
 quench these blessed motions in their hearts, 
 may reasonably fear, that the guidance, which 
 they thus despise, will be for ever taken away; 
 and that they will be abandoned to their natux'al 
 ^ Genesis, vi. 3. 
 
SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 133 
 
 blindness and wickedness ; — a habitation of 
 devils, and a cage of all unclean and hateful 
 thoughts. 
 
 Lastly, we should thankfully acknowledge and 
 ascribe all the good which we do, — little, as God 
 knows, that is, even in the best of us, — and all 
 that is righteous within us, to Him alone, from 
 whose free mercy we thus receive the power of 
 rendering Him, what He is graciously pleased to 
 consider, — acceptable service : and we should 
 learn to say with St. Paul, " not I, but the grace 
 of God which is with me ^ ; — and with David, 
 " not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to thine 
 own name be glory, for thy loving kindness, and 
 thy truth's sake." - 
 
 And may He, by whom we are called and 
 sanctified, having already begun a good work in 
 our souls, conduct the same to a blessed con- 
 clusion ; and, finally, lead us to that eternal 
 crown of glory, which His mercies, not our merits, 
 shall bestow, through His blessed Son, Jesus 
 Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 ^ 1 Cor. XV. 10. 2 Psalm, cxv. 1. 
 
SERMON XL 
 
 CONVERSION OF ST, PAUL. 
 
 Acts, ix. 5. 
 
 And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. 
 
 The conversion of St. Paul has been regarded by 
 many wise and learned men as one of the strongest 
 proofs which the Christian religion can offer of its 
 proceeding from the Almighty. No stronger 
 proof of the kind, indeed, can possibly be required 
 by man, since the testimony which He thenceforth 
 gave of the change that had taken place within 
 himself, and the circumstances which had produced 
 it, was the testimony of one who, not only, had no 
 interest in telling a lie in favour of the Christian 
 religion, but had every possible worldly interest 
 to lead him the contrary way. It was the testi- 
 mony of one who, from his situation in life, and 
 from his former education, was unlikely to fall into 
 any mistake in favour of Christianity : and it was 
 
CONVERSION OF ST, PAUL. 
 
 135 
 
 a testimony which related to facts on which no 
 man could possibly be mistaken. 
 
 There have been few men, if any, since the 
 world began, certainly no man whose birth was 
 so humble, and his nation so obscure, of whose 
 preaching, life, and general history we have so 
 many and so satisfactory accounts as we have of 
 St. Paul. We have a journal of some of the most 
 interesting years of his life, written by one of his 
 disciples. We have his own letters to the dif- 
 ferent communities who acknowledged his spiritual 
 authority ; letters filled with allusions to his own 
 history, to his private circumstances, and to his daily 
 habits ; we have, lastly, passages concerning him 
 in the wTitings of the Jews and Jewish Christians, 
 from which we may fairly expect to learn some- 
 thing of his character and situation, and to form 
 a judgement as to the degree of credit which may 
 be given to the miraculous part of his story, that 
 part, I mean, whichr rests on his own authority and 
 that of St. Luke, and which relates to the call from 
 Heaven, which, according to their account, deter- 
 mined him to embrace Christianity. 
 
 Now all these accounts are, in essential points, 
 agreeable to each other. St. Luke, in the Acts 
 of the Apostles, informs us that Saul or Paul, 
 before his conversion, was a young man of fierce 
 
136 
 
 SERMON X2. 
 
 and fiery zeal, who consented to the death of 
 Stephen, the first martyr of Christ ; that he had, 
 afterwards, proceeded to use a considerable de- 
 gree of authority and influence, of which he 
 plainly seems to have been possessed, in per- 
 secuting the Christians with unrelenting cruelty ; 
 and that, in pursuit of this unholy purpose, he 
 was sent to Damascus by the High Priest and 
 Elders, who would not have employed a person 
 of doubtful character on such an errand, with 
 letters and authority to the Jewish synagogues of 
 that city. 
 
 St. Paul himself, in various parts of his 
 epistles, further teaches us that he was brought 
 up in the strictest sect of the Jewish faith, and 
 under the most celebrated teacher of their law ; 
 and there are many passages which prove him to 
 have been also acquainted with the best writers of 
 Heathen antiquity, and to have had a degree of 
 general learning by no means common in that age 
 and country. The same facts of his having studied 
 under Gamaliel, and having held a high repu- 
 tation among the rigid Jews before his conversion, 
 are allowed both by those Jews who rejected 
 Christ entirely, and by those who, though they 
 believed in Him, retained the law of Moses, and 
 who held St. Paul in little less detestation, than 
 
CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL, 
 
 1S7 
 
 the downright Jews did^ on account of the liberty, 
 which he preached to the Gentiles, from the yoke 
 of the circumcision. 
 
 It is agreed, then^ on all hands, by St. Paul's 
 enemies as well as by his friends, that he was in 
 his youth a zealous persecutor of the Christians; 
 and that he afterwards became the warmest sup- 
 porter of their cause. But the question is what 
 could be the cause of this alteration. The man- 
 ner, in which he himself answers the question, is 
 one which decidedly proves the truth of Chris- 
 tianity. He was converted in the bitterest pur- 
 pose of his wrath against the truth, by a miracle ; 
 by a miracle of the most extraordinary kind ; by 
 a series of miracles, beginning with a light and 
 a voice from Heaven, continued by a miraculous 
 blindness and by as miraculous a cure, and con- 
 cluding with such a succession of visions and 
 revelations, and such a power communicated to 
 himself of speaking with tongues and of working 
 miracles, as since the world began no other mortal 
 man has been possessed of. 
 
 Now^, if all these wonderful occurrences really 
 took place, there can be little doubt, or, to speak 
 more properly, there can be no doubt at all^ 
 of the truth of that religion which they were 
 intended to enforce, and of which St. Paul was 
 the faithful preacher. If they did not take place^ 
 
138 
 
 SERMON XI. 
 
 we must suppose one of three things ; either that 
 St. Paul was deceived by the craft and artifices 
 of the Christians; or that he deluded himself by 
 the enthusiasm of an ardent mind, and by the 
 strength of superstitious fancy ; or lastly, that he 
 wished to deceive other men, and to lay claim to 
 an inspiration and intercourse with the Deity, 
 which lie never really experienced. Let these 
 notions be duly examined ; and I am convinced, 
 that we shall find any of them harder to believe, 
 than the most extraordinary of all those circum- 
 stances. 
 
 Is it, in the first place, supposed that St. Paul 
 was deceived by the false miracles and artful 
 delusions of the Christians ? The facts, which he 
 relates, are such as no human art could produce 
 or imitate. How were the Christians to counter- 
 feit a voice from Heaven, and a light above the 
 brightness of noon-day, which should induce a 
 company of travellers to fall to the ground as in 
 the visible presence of the Almighty ? How were 
 the Christians to afflict a man with blindness 
 which should come on suddenly, and pass away 
 as suddenly again, when one of their number 
 laid his hands on the patient? How were the 
 Christians to persuade Paul not only that they 
 had visions and spake with tongues, and healed 
 the sick, and brought the dead to life again, but 
 
CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL. J 39 
 
 that he himself, after his conversion, obtained 
 such powers, and exercised them in the presence 
 of hundreds? And were they to practise all 
 this deceit on a man of good education, a man, 
 as we see by his works, of considerable learning, 
 of great strength of mind, of a philosophical and 
 reasoning disposition ; and by the whole course 
 of his former habits and studies, most violently 
 {prejudiced against them? Is this likely? Is it 
 possible ? 
 
 " But St. Paul deceived himself, and fell a 
 " victim to his own enthusiasm ; he fancied the 
 " voice from Heaven ; he fancied himself blind 
 " for a season ; he fancied that he had visions 
 " and revelations." — Let us consider how far 
 this is possible. He had, first, no previous incli- 
 nation to think well of the Christian cause ; no 
 ardent desire that it might be true, which could 
 lead his mind to fancy that miraculous confirma- 
 tion of its truth which he wished to receive. The 
 vision did not happen to one who was a Christian 
 already ; but to one who was the bitterest enemy 
 of the Christian name. The glory of God met 
 the persecutor on his way ; — it tamed him ; it 
 turned him from a servant of Satan into the soldiei' 
 of the crucified Christ; and was this enthusiasm? 
 But, further, if a false impression had been made 
 on his fancy ; if he had only thought that he heard 
 
140 
 
 SERMON XI. 
 
 God's voice, and saw His glory, this tliought would 
 have been confined to himself alone. But the 
 travellers, who journeyed with him, likewise heard 
 the voice. Ananias, a stranger to him, and resi- 
 dent in Damascus, had a vision about the same 
 time to declare his conversion ; many hundred 
 people afterwards witnessed the exercise of those 
 miraculous powers, which Paul, according to this 
 supposition, fancied himself to have received from 
 Heaven. This surely must be something more 
 than fancy or enthusiasm ! 
 
 If it be asked on what authority we believe that 
 this was the case, and that the facts really hap- 
 pened, which I have just brought forwards ; — I 
 answer, on the authority of St. Paul himself, on 
 his own writings, of which the genuhieness has 
 never been doubted by friend or foe during the 
 more than 1700 years that they have been regu- 
 larly read in the Christian churches ; on the 
 authority of Paul's companion St. Luke, who WTOte 
 under his direction, and who was, therefore, in all 
 ages considered as speaking his words and expres- 
 sing his opinions. If Paul, then, spoke the truth, 
 that religion must be true, which he taught to our 
 forefathers ; and whether he were likely to have 
 spoken false is what now remains to be examined. 
 
 In making up our minds as to the truth or 
 falsehood of any man's testimony, the first question 
 
CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 141 
 
 which will naturally occur^ is^ — whether he have 
 any interest in deceiving us. Is any wealth, any 
 power, any renown, or any worldly object 
 whatever to be acquired by the deception which 
 he is supposed to practise ? And if we find that 
 the part, which he thus supported, offered no 
 probability, no possibility, of private advantage, 
 we naturally conclude that he has told us the 
 truth, because he had no reason, no visible motive, 
 for telling us a falsehood. Apply this rule to the 
 case of St. Paul; and judge for yourselves, what 
 advantage he could gain by inventing a miracle 
 for the interest of the Christian religion. He felt 
 no original good will to the cause ; he was on the 
 contrary, one of its bitterest enemies. And what 
 did he gain, what was he likely to gain, by changing 
 his prospects of comfort and renown and popularity 
 among his own countrymen, and among those with 
 whom he had been brought up, and with whom he 
 had hitherto acted, for the doubtful success, the 
 certain toil, and danger, and necessity of a preacher 
 of the new religion? We know, from his own 
 account of his succeeding life, that it was passed 
 in want and peril and continued journeyings ; we 
 know from history, that he, at last, laid down his 
 life in the same cause which he now embraced ; 
 we know, that, when he changed sides from the 
 Jews to the Christians, he would reasonably have 
 
142 
 
 SERMON XI, 
 
 expected, among the latter, no better worldly for- 
 tune than he found : — and can we suppose that 
 any man would have been guilty of an imposture, 
 by which he was to ruin himself, if an imposture 
 it were, both in this world, and in the world to 
 come ? And this a man of talent ; and this a man 
 of learning ; and this a man of high reputation, 
 and whose whole worldly credit and consistency 
 were committed on the other side of the contro- 
 versy ? It cannot be ; St. Paul must have spoken 
 the truth, — he must have met the glory of God, 
 on his way to Damascus ; he must have heard the 
 Lord Jesus speaking to him from the cloud and 
 the fire ; those other marvellous events must have 
 happened, to which he himself ascribes his conver- 
 sion ; and if these things be true, then must the 
 Christian religion be true also ! 
 
 It would here be easy to enlarge on the apparent 
 goodness and warmth of St. Paul's heart, as 
 proved to us by many slight and incidental ex- 
 pressions in his history and writings ; - — on his 
 disintere^edness, which led him to refuse even the 
 usual maintenance, which the Christians gave to 
 their ministers, content to labour with his hands 
 for his support, rather than to become burthensome 
 to the churches, in that time of distress and general 
 calamity ; I might urge the excellence and purity 
 of the doctrine which he has delivered to us, and 
 
CONVERSION OV ST. PAUL. 143 
 
 ask of you, whether the author of such writings 
 can be reasonably suspected of so black and un- 
 profitable an imposture? But I feel that it is 
 needless; and that I am justified in laying down, 
 as proved on the clearest evidence of which the 
 case is capable, that St. Paul really had those 
 revelations of the Divine Will, to which he laid 
 claim ; and, therefore, that the religion, which he 
 taught, proceeded from God only. It yet remains 
 that I should call your attention to some practical 
 truths which the yearly return of this festival 
 should convey to your minds ; and by the constant 
 recollection of which you may best hope, through 
 the mercy and grace of our Saviour, to follow, at 
 humble distance, the example of St. Paul on earth ; 
 and to enter, at length, with him into that king- 
 dom, which has been purchased for us by the 
 blood of his Lord and ours ! 
 
 In the first place, the history of St. Paul's con- 
 version can hardly be noticed, even by the least 
 attentive hearer or reader, without very solemn 
 reflections on the freedom and riches of God's 
 grace, which could turn so quickly and so com- 
 pletely the persecutor into an apostle, and bend 
 his hard heart and stubborn will to do and suffer 
 all things for a cause to which he had so long done 
 all the injury in his power. But while we thus 
 wonder at the secrets of the Divine Mercy, and 
 
144 
 
 "SERMON XI. 
 
 acknowledge the absolute necessity of God's 
 Spirit to turn man from the error of his ways, 
 and to open his eyes that he may see the things 
 belonging to his peace, shall we do not wisely to 
 ask ourselves if we have never felt the same Spirit 
 by which Paul was sanctified, working with like 
 blessedness, though not in a manner equally mira- 
 culous, to amend our hearts, and save our souls from 
 the destroyer. Have we felt no rising sense of 
 guilt, no strange perception of the happiness which 
 God's people inherit, — no inward wish that we 
 might partake with them in the blessings which 
 Christ's blood bestows, no weak and struggling 
 inclination to amend our ways, and to give our- 
 selves up to His service ? O ! as you would have 
 mercy shown to your souls in the day of wrath, 
 harden not your hearts, nor stop your ears against 
 these gracious feelings ! They are the voice of 
 the same God who spake to Paul in his w^ay to 
 Damascus : and he, who despiseth that voice, des- 
 piseth the Lord who died for him. 
 
 Secondly, we find, from the circumstances of 
 this history, in what manner it was that St. Paul 
 improved the grace first communicated to him. 
 He continued for three days in fasting and in 
 prayer : prayer, no doubt, for further light and 
 knowledge of his duty ; for pardon of his past and 
 grievous sins; and for the guidance and support, 
 
CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL. 1:4;^ 
 
 in time to come, of that God whose saints he had 
 persecuted. And he did not pray in vain. A 
 holy man, Ananias, was sent to him by a heavenly 
 vision to restore his bodily sight; to instruct his 
 perplexed mind ; and, by the waters of baptism, 
 to admit him into the fellowship of saints, in this 
 valley of our pilgrimage. Let us, in like manner, 
 so soon as we are convinced of our sin, betake our- 
 selves earnestly to prayer for help and guidance ; 
 — let us seek the company of holy men ; let us 
 attend the ordinances of religion, and be sure that 
 this course of duty, persevered in, will as certainly 
 bring comfort and strength to the meanest of God's 
 children, as it did to that chosen vessel whose his-" 
 tory has this day been read to you. 
 
 Thirdly, we may learn — from the conversion o. 
 St. Paul, and from the manner in which Ananias 
 addressed him — an useful lesson as to our conduct 
 with those who differ from us in opinion, as well 
 as with those, who of malice hate and persecute us. 
 Who would have thought that Saul, the accomplice 
 in Stephen's murder ; the hater of Christ's name^ 
 and the bitterest pursuer of His scattered flock, 
 could have ever become the patient, humble 
 preacher of righteousness, the servant of servants 
 to those who loved the testimony of Jesus ; or who 
 could nave expected that he, who came to Damas- 
 cus to seek the life of the very Ananias whom 
 
 VOL. I. H 
 
146 
 
 SERMON XI. 
 
 God sent to him, should, by that very Ananias, 
 be saluted under the affectionate name of "brother !" 
 This should teach us not to despair of the final 
 condition even of those who are the greatest 
 enemies to God. Their day of grace may not yet 
 be come ; but come it will ; and it may be, that 
 that they, who last enter Christ's vineyard, shall 
 be the first in their labours there. It should teach 
 us, moreover, so to treat our worst enemies as 
 those with whom we may be one day friends, — 
 and, like good Ananias, to lose not a moment in 
 giving the name of brother, and the right hand of 
 fellowship, to a repentant sinner, or a reconciled 
 adversary. 
 
 Lastly, when we recollect the zeal and activity 
 displayed by St. Paul in Christ's service, from the 
 moment of his conversion to the time of his being 
 set free by martyrdom from this world of sin and 
 sorrow, let us consider, that we are all of us, in like 
 manner, called by Christ's Spirit, and redeemed 
 by His blood ; that we may be purified to Him a 
 peculiar people, zealous of good works, and to do 
 the will of His Heavenly Father ; let us remember 
 that our pardoned sins, our nature renewed, our 
 means of present grace, and our hope of future 
 glory, make up for us a debt of gratitude as great 
 as that, under which St. Paul himself lay ; and 
 that the only effectual way, by which this gratitude 
 
CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL. 147 
 
 can be expressed, is by giving ourselves up to 
 God's service, and by offering to Him as a holy 
 and reasonable sacrifice, every wish of our hearts, 
 every labour of our lives, our selves, our souls, and 
 our bodies ! 
 
 !I 2 
 
SERMON XII. 
 
 THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 
 
 [From the Epistle for the^Day.] 
 
 Romans, xii. 19, 20, 21. 
 
 Dearly beloved^ avenge not yourselves, but rather give place 
 unto ivrath ; for it is written, Vengeance is mine ; I will repay, 
 saiiJi the Lord, Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him ; 
 if he thirst, give him drink : for i7i so doing thou slialt heap 
 coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but over-' 
 come evil with good. 
 
 In these verses, which form a portion of the Epis- 
 tle which has been read to you this morning from 
 the altar, St. Paul explains in few words the con- 
 duct which a Christian should pursue towards his 
 enemies. For, though the life which a Christian 
 ought to lead is, of all others, one would imagine, 
 the least exposed to the malice of mankind,— 
 though it is an essential part of his duty to live, as 
 far as is possible, peaceably with all men, — yet 
 still, this condition of entire peace, this unoffending 
 and unoffended life, (though much more possibl 
 
THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 149 
 
 than the proud or violent will imagine) is, in a 
 great degree, unattainable. 
 
 So long as there are wicked men, there will be 
 violence ; so long as there are proud men, there 
 will be insult ; and so long as mankind are tempted 
 to dislike those characters which differ from their 
 own, the Christian will be often peculiarly exposed 
 to hatred, or to injury. When thus situated, our 
 duty, we are told, is not to avenge ourselves, but 
 rather to give place to the wrath of others ; not to 
 endeavour to ruin our enemy ; but, if he hunger, 
 to feed him j if he thirst, to give him drink ; we 
 are, lastly, not to yield to the temptations to vio- 
 lence or malice, temptations which his wicked con- 
 duct throws in our way ; we are not to meet him 
 with his own weapons, and render him evil for evil ; 
 but we are to overcome evil by good. 
 
 " What ?" will be the reply, " when our cheek 
 yet burns with the blow, and our memory is smart- 
 ing with the sense of injury; when our neighbour 
 has transgressed all the laws of God and man to- 
 wards us, are we to shew him that moderation and 
 mercy which we do not receive ? Are our hands 
 to be tied by religion, while his are at full liberty? 
 And are we to give place to wrath, to yield at once 
 the point, and encourage him to new attacks by 
 the dastardly manner in which we endure his 
 present violence ? What security would there be 
 H 3 
 
150 
 
 SERMON XII. 
 
 then remaining, for our property or our persons ; 
 and to what end are we to be mocked by these gifts 
 of strength, or courage, or power, which we are 
 forbidden, even in self-defence, to employ ? " 
 
 In answer to these objections, we may remark, 
 first, that to repel or resist an injury is not forbid- 
 den. Self-defence is a very different thing from 
 revenge. I may, by any means in my power, pre- 
 vent a man from stabbing me; though it would be 
 wicked and malicious if, after receiving the stab, 
 I followed him to return it. The latter action 
 cannot plead necessity ; I do myself no good, and 
 obtain no cure for my own wound, except that 
 wicked pleasure which arises from, what is called 
 by wicked men, the sweetness of revenge. The 
 former has self-preservation for its object ; is not 
 only necessary, but even laudable ; and is not, — 
 however some texts may seem to bear that inter- 
 pretation, — is not forbidden in Scripture. Those 
 strong expressions of not resisting evil, of turning 
 one cheek when the other is smitten, are either 
 merely figurative, and mean no more than an 
 eagerness to avoid dispute, and to submit even, 
 for the sake of peace, to trifling injuries; or else 
 are confined exclusively to the disciples of Christ 
 during his lifetime, and to those seventy in parti- 
 cular, whom he sent before His face as sheep 
 among wolves, without shoes or scrip or sword. 
 For that this restriction was confined to this single 
 
THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 151 
 
 single occasion, we may learn from His words, 
 when He was about to leave the world : it would 
 have been vain and useless to allow them to wear 
 a sword, which they were forbidden to draw ; or 
 a purse, which it was unlawful to defend : and we 
 may be sure, that, when he allowed them these. 
 He allowed them also, by every honest means, to 
 guard themselves and all which they possessed. 
 
 Neither public war, therefore, nor private self- 
 defence, are condemned : but both the one and the 
 other become criminal, when pursued beyond the 
 limits of self-preservation ; and a Christian wall 
 consider them both, as snares and temptations, 
 which it is expedient to avoid, even by surrender- 
 ing, in a small degree, his just and lawful claims. 
 
 Revenge, however, or malice, or the feeling 
 which we express by the name of spite, is always 
 positively forbidden : and, if any thing were neces- 
 sary to make so harmful a quality more conspicu- 
 ously hateful, it would be the argument which the 
 apostle subjoins, that God has reserved to Himself 
 the punishment of all offences ; that He is sole 
 judge and monarch of the universe ; and that 
 all the violence which we commit, and all 
 the injuries which we receive, will be, sooner or 
 later, punished or redressed by Him. " Ven- 
 geance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord." And 
 shall we dare to snatch the thunderbolt from His 
 H 4 
 
152 
 
 SERMON XII. 
 
 Rand; or the sceptre from those rulers of the 
 world, whom He hath made His deputies ? When 
 an appeal to law is absolutely necessary for the 
 preservation of society, or for the maintenance of 
 private property. Heaven forbid I should con- 
 demn it : the powers that be are the ordinances 
 of God ; and public wars are, on the same ground, 
 justifiable. But any other means of doing justice, 
 as it is called, to ourselves, is an implied refusal 
 to commit the cause to God, and to His righteous 
 judgement seat. 
 
 We think that we are injured — let us be patient; 
 we have God for our avenger ; and let us be sure 
 that he, who has committed the injury, is the 
 object of God's displeasure, and must await that 
 dreadful day when He will render to every man 
 according to his works. And is not this man a 
 much greater object of pity, than you ! The little 
 injury — which he has inflicted on you, — is it 
 equal, is it to be at all compared to the dreadful 
 consequences which it will bring on himself? 
 Are you not satisfied with the vengeance which 
 God will pronounce ? or do you wish, in impotent 
 
 alice, to wreak your anger on him in this world, 
 and add some little to the sorrows which must 
 hereafter be his portion ? If so, go, satisfy your 
 hatred : but be sure, that such atrocious malice 
 can never be endured by a just and merciful 
 
THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 153 
 
 Creator ; and that, when He dooms the aggressor 
 to eternal torment, the avenger must accompany 
 him. 
 
 " But the crime, of which you complain, the 
 injuries which you have received, are not so heinous, 
 as to merit so dreadful a sentence ; you only w^ant 
 to wreak your anger on him in this world ; and 
 neither wish nor expect that he should receive any 
 punishment in the world to come." Indeed ! — 
 has God forgiven him, and cannot you ? Are your 
 eyes so pure and holy that they cannot endure 
 even those sins which are beneath the anger of 
 the Almighty ? Woe to man if he receive the 
 same measure from God as he has given to his 
 neighbour — woe, unutterable woe to the revenge- 
 ful person, if God tries him by his own balance, 
 and accounts with him for every little debt with 
 the same severity which he has shewn to his fellow 
 servant ! "But your passions," you will answer, 
 " are not in your own power ; you cannot help 
 being angry." Before you say, you cannot^ be very 
 sure that you have really made the experiment; 
 but, however, at least restrain your fury ; at least 
 " be angry and sin not : let not the sun go down 
 upon your wrath." ^ Imitate in this those little 
 children who are called in Scripture the heirs of 
 the kingdom of Heaven. How uncommon is a 
 1 Ephesians, iv. 26. 
 H 5 
 
154 
 
 SERMON XII. 
 
 spiteful or malicious child ; and what an odious 
 prodigy do all men esteem it. Children may be 
 quick to anger ; but they are also forgiving of 
 injury : and the storms, which arise in their little 
 minds, are the lightning of a mom^ent, and pass 
 away. But man, wiser and greater as he esteems 
 himself than they, man smothers his anger; he 
 hides it as a snake in his bosom ; and warms and 
 cherishes it there ; content to be himself undone, 
 so he may contrive to sting his enemy. Oh, by 
 all your hope of comfort here, or of happiness 
 hereafter, reject from your bosom this plague^ 
 which will daily gather those stings ^nd goads, 
 which from small beginnings, lead the way to 
 more hideous disorders ; and, from a hasty word 
 or look, lay the dark foundation of a mischief 
 which destroys, ere long, the comfort of neigh- 
 bourhoods, the peace of families, and the eternal 
 happiness of souls. 
 
 But, secondly, it is not only our duty to do our 
 enemies no harm, we must go still farther ; and, 
 if they need our assistance, we must be ready to 
 do them good. " If thine enemy hunger, feed 
 him ; if he thirst, give him drink." 
 
 And, strange as it may seem, this is the wisest 
 as well as the most Christian course which we can 
 pursue. In the first place, by these acts of kind- 
 ness, we make our own task easier of combating 
 
THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 155 
 
 our resentment ; and extinguishing every spark of 
 malice in our hearts. If we accustom ourselves to 
 view our enemies as objects of pity ; if we practise 
 kindness to them ; and even force our inclinations 
 to do them service, we shall find, ere long, the 
 glow of returning good will; and shall feel all 
 those malignant passions fading, which were the 
 curse and torment of the heart which nourished 
 them. 
 
 Again, in point of safety, this is the best and 
 surest course. If we are apprehensive of future 
 injuries from our enemy, what method can be 
 devised so likely to change his heart, and indispose 
 him to mischief, as this lovely return of good for 
 evil, this display of our real character, and these 
 disinterested good deeds, which gently reprove his 
 enmity, and teach him to wish for our esteem ? 
 
 But, lastly, if it fail to conciliate him, if it do 
 not make him our friend, there is one, at least, a 
 strong and mighty friend, a powerful and formid- 
 able defender ; whose assistance and support we 
 gain. God is on the side of the merciful ; God is 
 our shield and buckler; of whom shall we be afraid? 
 There is no stronger weapon than this; though 
 we heaped coals of fire on his head ; though we 
 afflicted him with the severest misery ; and exter- 
 minated with fire and sword himself, his wife, his 
 little ones, all who might lament or revenge him ; 
 H 6 
 
156 
 
 SERMON XII. 
 
 yet should not we be so secure, as when by mercy 
 and forgiveness we interest Omnipotence on our 
 side; and obtain that protection and favour, to 
 which not only the powers of nature, but the vio- 
 lence of malice is subject, — which stilleth the 
 noise of the waves, and the madness of the people. 
 
 It is true, besides, that there is nothing to a 
 proud and irritable temper so painful, as to owe an 
 obligation to an enemy ; and this is another mean- 
 ing, which may be affixed to the expression coals 
 of fire." When your food and drink are thus dis- 
 tributed to one who has injured you; it is no 
 pleasant meal, no welcome beverage which he 
 swallows ; every act of kindness, every cup of cold 
 water which he receives from you, strikes daggers 
 to his heart ; and afflicts him with those torments 
 af remorse, those coals of fire, which are hardly to 
 be exceeded by any of the earthly judgements of 
 God. And, though to give pain should certainly 
 be no part of our motive for an outward act of 
 kindness, which would be a cruelty most refined, 
 and a hypocrisy most detestable, yet, though we 
 do not rejoice at the pain, which he feels, we may 
 hope, at least, that this pain will be salutary ; and 
 that, if we are unable by our kindness to conciliate 
 his love, we may, at least, by the remorse and 
 shame and confusion, which he must feel, oblige 
 him to alter his conduct. And this is what may 
 
THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 157 
 
 be called " overcoming evil with good/' which is 
 the last part of the apostle's direction. For we 
 must consider, that, as all the injuries and acts of 
 violence, which we receive, are temptations and 
 means employed by the Devil to warp our souls 
 from righteousness, and to make us everlastingly 
 miserable, if we yield to those temptations, if we 
 encourage the evil passions of our hearts, and 
 instead of referring vengeance to God, become 
 judges and executioners in our own cause, we may 
 perhaps, if we succeed, occasion some slight worldly 
 damage to the man whom we hate ; but we are 
 serving, in the meanwhile, the interests, and for- 
 warding the horrible projects, of the great Enemy 
 of ourselves and of all mankind, that Evil spirit in 
 whose hands our enemies are only tools, and who 
 rejoices alike in their destruction and in our own. 
 How we may conceive him exulting over the wreck 
 which he has occasioned ; when, by one single act 
 of violence, two souls are lost, the man who com- 
 mitted the injury and he who revenged it ! And 
 is it not madness, as well as wickedness, thus to 
 yield ourselves to certain de&truction, for the bare 
 chance of making our neighbour a little uncom- 
 fortable ? Who, in the hope of scorching his ad- 
 versary, would set fire to himself or his household ? 
 And is not their folly equal, who, to gratify the 
 glow of a revengeful spirit, throw away the privi- 
 
158 
 
 SERMON XII. 
 
 leges of a Christian ; and, by refusing to forgive 
 those who trespass against them, lose all reasonable 
 hope of having their own trespasses forgiven ? 
 
 For, we must not deceive ourselves, unless we 
 from our heart, forgive other men their trespasses, 
 our Heavenly Father will never forgive us ours. 
 Every crime of which we are guilty, every failing 
 in thought or word or deed, is treasured in the 
 mind of God against the day of wrath; and of 
 that day who may abide the coming ? " Agree 
 with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in 
 the way with him ; lest at any time the adversary 
 deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver 
 thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison : 
 — Verily, I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means 
 come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost 
 farthing," ^ 
 
 Every prayer which the resentful man offers, is 
 an insult to his Maker ; nor dare we offer our gifts 
 on the altar, before we are reconciled with our 
 brother. How, indeed, can we otherwise approach 
 the table of the merciful Jesus, or hope for favour 
 and acceptance at JJis hands, or from His precious 
 blood ; whose errand to the world was peace and 
 good will; who "when He was reviled, reviled not 
 again: when He suffered, he threatened not^:" 
 whose whole life was spent in acts of mercy to 
 1 St. MsL%t. V. 25, 26. 2 1 St. Peter, ii. 23. 
 
THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 159 
 
 those who hated Him : whose last words were a 
 prayer for His murderers : and who, in the agonies 
 of a bitter death, unpitied, afflicted, and reviled, 
 could think of their miseries more than of His 
 own, and say, " Father, forgive them ? " 
 
 That we may, at humble distance, imitate His 
 blessed disposition ; that we may, by His grace, 
 forgive and be forgiven — may He grant, who 
 liveth and reigneth for ever with the Father and 
 the Holy Ghost. 
 
SERMON XIII. 
 
 FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 
 
 St. Matthew, viii. 34. 
 
 And, behold, the whole citi/ came out to meet Jesus : and when 
 they saw Him, they besought Him that He would depart out 
 of their coasts. 
 
 You have heard, in the Gospel for this morning's 
 service, the occasion on which this request was 
 made. It was the language of the Gergesenes to 
 Christ, who had entered their land with the glad 
 tidings of salvation ; who came to heal their dis- 
 tresses, to relieve their sorrows, and to take upon 
 Himself their infirmities. He came, in His own 
 power, and in the power of His Father, to conquer 
 those evil spirits, whom God, to make the triumph 
 of His Son more glorious, had allowed at that 
 time to rage, with more than common violence, 
 against the minds and bodies of men. 
 
 Nor was it only their outward infirmities which 
 He was to alleviate ; He came to bear their trans- 
 
FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. l6l 
 
 gressions, as well as their sicknesses; — to heal 
 their hearts, as well as their afflicted and misera- 
 ble bodies. Such was the errand of our Lord ; 
 but those whom He came to help, — how did they 
 receive Him ? They, with one consent, entreated 
 Him to depart from their coasts. They shewed 
 Him some outward respect, it is true ; they could 
 not deny a power, of which he had that moment 
 given a proof so manifest ; but this admiration of 
 theirs, this outward reverence, is all which the 
 Son of God can obtain. They entreat, not that 
 He would continue there to complete the work 
 which he had so nobly begun ; they do not exult 
 in His presence, and rejoice in the glad shining 
 of the day-star of Almighty Power and Mercy : 
 the appearance of the Son of God was as visible 
 to them, as His vision was to Daniel on the banks 
 of Hiddekel ; and the beams of Mercy itself were 
 too dazzling for their fleshly eyes. They besought 
 Him to depart out of their coasts. 
 
 I am desirous of explaining to you the reason 
 of this strange request, — the strangest, one would 
 think, that a rational being could conceive, or 
 utter. Which of you, let me ask, would act in 
 this manner ? If a messenger from Heaven should 
 arrive in your house, should heal your family of 
 their sickness, and inform you of the means of 
 becoming happy to all eternity, would not you 
 
162 
 
 SERMON XIII. 
 
 cling with eagerness to so gracious a guide ; and 
 like Jacob, suffer Him not to depart, before you 
 had obtained a blessing? Yet are these mis- 
 guided Gergesenes uneasy at the presence of 
 Christ, and entreat His departure as the greatest 
 and only favour which they could ask ! Did 
 they doubt, that He was really sent from God; 
 or was the name of Jesus unknown to them? 
 But His fame had spread through all the neigh- 
 bouring country : — in Nazareth, in Capernaum, 
 in Jerusalem, were thousands to be met with, who 
 had heard His doctrine, and been healed by 
 Him of their infirmities; and in the cottage of 
 the fisherman, and in the palace of the tetrarch, 
 the Prophet of Galilee was known, and won- 
 dered at. 
 
 But it was not blind and distant report, it was 
 not the accounts of other men, or other cities, 
 which were to confirm their faith ; the mariners 
 were there, the companions of our Saviour's 
 voyage, who could relate that they had seen, 
 some hours before, the stormy wind and tempest 
 yield obedience to His voice, and the wave, which 
 hung threatening over their vessel, sink back at 
 His bidding, on the bosom of the sea. Nay, more 
 than all, their own townsmen, who had seen the 
 cure of the possessed of devils, and the wonderful 
 calamity inflicted on the herd of swine, — the per- 
 
FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 163 
 
 son too, whom He had delivered from the torture 
 of the evil spirits, him whom they so long had 
 witnessed the inhabitant of ruinous sepulchres, a 
 wretched and untameable madman, — this man 
 also they saw, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, 
 and in his right mind. 
 
 Nor, indeed, do the men of Gadara (as their 
 city was sometimes called) — nor do they appear 
 to have entertained any doubt, that Jesus was 
 the Son of God, or that He had really the power 
 and the will to heal their diseases, and Himself to 
 bear their infirmities. Of this, as I have already 
 mentioned, they had proof before their eyes; 
 and they shew their conviction, by the humble 
 respect which they pay Him, and by their earnest 
 entreaties to induce Him to depart. Why, then, so 
 strange a request ? Why so unreasonable an impa- 
 tience to rid themselves of a visitor who had the 
 power, as well as the will, to serve and deliver them? 
 
 Was it humility, or consciousness of guilt, that 
 induced it, as being afraid of Christ, or feeling 
 themselves unworthy to receive Him into their 
 city ? They must have known, for it was Christ's 
 constant and public declaration, that it was His 
 business and errand to call sinners to repentance. 
 The account given in Scripture, and what little 
 knowledge of these people is obtained from other 
 books, may, perhaps, enable us to assign a reason. 
 
164 
 
 SERMON XIII. 
 
 It was this very repentance, of which they were 
 afraid. 
 
 The inhabitants of the remoter parts of Galilee 
 had, from a very early period of the Jewish history, 
 been remarkable for the badness of their character, 
 for the impurity of their conduct, and for their 
 frequent disregard of all those laws which Almighty 
 wisdom had thought fit to impose on the children 
 of Israel. They were negligent in their attend- 
 ance on the Temple of Jerusalem ; and pleaded, 
 perhaps, as an excuse, their distant situation, and 
 the difficulties which opposed their journey. The 
 same reason, by dividing them from the other 
 Jews, had tempted them to mix with the heathen 
 tribes who surrounded their city; to take the 
 heathen women in marriage ; and to comply with 
 many of those foul and idolatrous customs, which 
 the law of God so repeatedly prohibits. The 
 heathen tribes, too, who had been planted there 
 by the armies of Assyria, — though they had paid 
 a formal reverence to the renowned and mighty 
 God of Israel, were tainted still with all their 
 ancient vices, and gave their faith to most of 
 their ancient superstitions. " The way of the sea 
 beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations," is 
 described in Isaiah as "a people that walked in 
 darkness^ and in the present history we have 
 an example, in the circumstance of their feeding 
 1 Isaiah, ix, 1, 2. 
 
FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 165 
 
 large herds of swine, we have an example, I say, 
 from this very circumstance, how much they dis- 
 regarded the law of Moses ; and set, as it were, at 
 open defiance the command which God had given 
 to their fathers. 
 
 I need not tell you, that, for some wise reason 
 doubtless, this animal was forbidden to the Jewish 
 nation. It is one of those many commands, 
 which ended at the death of Christ, and which 
 concerned the Jewish people only; but still, 
 till Christ was really offered up, till the burden of 
 the law was, by His death, removed, — to feed an 
 animal thus declared unclean was, in Israel, a 
 daring contempt of the revealed will of the Al- 
 mighty ; and was justly punished by our Lord, in 
 the destruction of such unlawful property. 
 
 This, as I apprehend, was the principal reason 
 which induced Him to afflict the swine with this 
 strange and unusual disorder; and to suffer the 
 evil spirits, disappointed in their enmity to man, 
 to waste their fury in the destruction of other ani- 
 mals. There was, indeed, another reason. The 
 conversation of our Lord with the devils, their 
 answer and request, the permission granted them, 
 and the immediate transfer of the madness from 
 the human sufferer to the herd, were so many 
 proofs that the disease was really inflicted by evil 
 spirits; and that these powerful and malicious 
 
166 
 
 SERMON XIII. 
 
 beings were subject to the absolute command of 
 their great enemy and conqueror. It proved too, 
 beyond the smallest possibility of denial, that other 
 causes, besides a weakness of nerves, or strength 
 of fancy, gave efficacy to the words of our Lord ; 
 and enabled Him to perform such wonderful and 
 unexampled cures. Here, as well as in the miracle 
 of the withered fig-tree, no man could pretend, 
 that fancy had the smallest influence ; no faith on 
 one side, or art on the other, could forward a 
 miracle, which had brutes,^or plants, for its sub- 
 ject; and an event so immediately following the 
 command, we can never suppose to be produced 
 by the mere coincidence of accident. 
 
 The men of Gadara had, then, ample reason to 
 humble themselves, in the presence of so powerful 
 a stranger as Jesus ; — to exult in the arrival of so 
 merciful a physician, by whom all their infirmities 
 both might, and would, be relieved. Instead of 
 thus rejoicing, they assembled round Him, indeed ; 
 but it was only to entreat Him to depart. They 
 grudged their swine too much, to rejoice in the re- 
 covery of their unfortunate townsman ; and had 
 rather continue in their infirmities, than run the risk 
 of losing their unlawful wealth. Many of those, who 
 were thus anxious with our Lord to leave them, 
 were labouring, no doubt, under diseases, which 
 He only could relieve, — misfortunes, which He 
 
FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 167 
 
 only could comfort. And to all. He bore the 
 joyful tidings of life and immortality; to all. 
 He was the great power of God to salvation^ and 
 the only gate to hope in this life and to happiness 
 in the life to come. All this they knew, or might 
 have known ; they were sensible, perhaps, of their 
 own necessities ; and of the arm of God which 
 then was present to heal them : but they would 
 not purchase relief at the expence of their herds 
 of swine. They knew that such herds were for- 
 bidden by the law of Moses ; they knew that they 
 incurred thereby, sooner or later, the inevitable 
 curse of God ; yet would not these considerations, 
 nor the punishment itself which their breach 
 of the law had just received, yet would not all 
 these subdue their obstinate covetousness, or 
 induce them to receive with gratitude or humility 
 the great Physician of their souls. 
 
 And thus it too often happens with the hearts 
 and consciences of men. It is not only the people 
 of Gadara by whom Christ's merciful offers are 
 thus declined and slighted. All of us have some 
 favourite vice ; all of us have some unlawful habit 
 or possession ; which our hearts are tempted to 
 prefer to Christ. We know, for instance, since 
 every page of Scripture bears an ample testimony, 
 that, without repentance, no man can receive the 
 mercies of God, through Jesus Christ. Yet is re- 
 
168 
 
 SERMON XIII. 
 
 pentance a work of so much labour ; yet there are 
 sins so dear, which we are called on to renounce ; 
 that we cannot bear, at so high a rate, to purchase 
 even our eternal salvation. 
 
 The more dangerous, indeed, a vicious habit is 
 become, — the more certain the indignation of God, 
 the stronger hold it too often acquires on our hearts; 
 and the offence becomes, in the strong language of 
 our Lord himself, as precious as a right eye or a 
 right hand. Then it is that we feel ourselves un- 
 happy in the consideration of any religious subject ; 
 we are miserable, when we reflect on the danger 
 of our condition ; when we know the necessity 
 of sacrifices, which we are unwilling to make ; till, 
 at length, we close our eyes wilfully on our danger ; 
 and drive, by every means in our power, all holy 
 thoughts from our minds. Thus, to preserve some 
 foul indulgence, some earthly wealth or privilege, 
 as contemptible in the balance as a herd of swine 
 against the salvation of a city ; we slight the offers 
 of mercy ; resist the Holy Spirit of the Lord ; and, 
 like these besotted Gergesenes, oblige Him to 
 depart from us. To a man of this sort, the men- 
 tion of religious truths is torment and horror ; he 
 feels the thoughts of his Redeemer as the greatest 
 misery which he knows ; and exclaims, with the 
 evil spirits, " What have we to do with Thee ? ar^ 
 Thou come to torment us, before the time ? 
 
FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 169 
 
 Such is the wretched state of those whose hearts 
 are hardened in iniquity. If there be any here 
 whose conscience is afflicted with pangs like these, 
 let me beseech him to seize with joy the first 
 movement of repentance, and to bursts by the 
 help of God, tlie yoke of a slavery so dreadful, a 
 slavery v/hose wages are death. The covetous 
 man, whose ill gotten wealth is weighing down 
 his soul to the nethermost hell ; the drunkard who 
 is wasting his health, his substance, and his soul 
 together ; the fornicator, against whom the sure 
 judgements of God are preparing; everyone — 
 who is in the daily practice of any sin whatever, 
 let him learn, that faith availeth not v/ithout 
 repentance; and that repentance is shewn by 
 ceasing to do evil, and by learning to do well. 
 These darling sins which he is so unwilling to 
 give up — are they really to be compared with 
 the joys of Heaven; or really to be set in the 
 balance against the fire which burneth for ever ? 
 And resign them he must of necessity; — willing- 
 ly, or not, he must relinquish them all ; and the 
 time will come, (how soon is only known to God) 
 when all these indulgences, which he could not 
 bear to lose, will serve only to make his sufferings 
 more grievous. A few days, a few hours, per- 
 haps a few moments of pleasure, — this is the 
 mighty price, for which we barter our souls ; these 
 
 VOL. le I 
 
170 
 
 SERMON XIII. 
 
 are the treasures of this world, to preserve which 
 we resist the mercies of the Lord, and conjure 
 our Redeemer to depart from us ! 
 
 May he dispose your hearts to better thoughts : 
 and may we all so seek for our salvation by dili- 
 gent prayer, and by steady resolutions of amend- 
 ment, that He may return in mercy to our souls ; 
 and, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, make, 
 as he hath promised. His abode there for ever ! 
 
SERMON XIV. 
 
 FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 
 
 Isaiah, lix. 20. 
 
 The Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn 
 from transgression in Jacob, 
 
 Isaiah, the son of Amos, has been distinguished 
 from all the other writers of the Old Testament 
 by the name of the Evangelical Prophet : and it 
 is certain, that, in no part of Scripture, not even 
 in the Psalms of David themselves, is the coming 
 of Christ so often and so clearly foretold ; and His 
 person and character, so plainly and fully repre- 
 sented. It has been, therefore, the opinion of 
 very good and learned men, that no way can be 
 thought of — so likely to convert the Heathen to 
 Christianity, — as to put into their hands some 
 of the most remarkable passages of Isaiah, toge- 
 ther with the Gospel of St. Matthew, in which 
 the fulfilment of these striking prophecies is re- 
 lated; informing them, at the same time, that, 
 between the death of Isaiah, and the birth of the 
 Lord Jesus, was a distance of time amounting to^ 
 I 2 
 
172 
 
 SERMON XIV. 
 
 at least, seven hundred years ; and leaving them 
 to judge, whether a religion, which v^as confirmed 
 by such prophecies and wonders, could have pro- 
 ceeded from any but God. 
 
 And it is, I suppose, on account of this remark- 
 able connexion betv/een the principal chapters in 
 Isaiah, and the leading facts of our Saviour's his- 
 tory, that our Church has appointed the proper 
 lessons, for all Sundays from Advent to Septua- 
 gesima, to be taken from this book ; in order that, 
 at the time of year when we are more particularly 
 called on to meditate, with solemn thankfulness, 
 on Christ's coming into the world, we may be 
 the better enabled to understand the occasion of 
 that coming ; and to value the benefits which we 
 receive from it ; by learning how great things 
 had been spoken of it by holy men in ancient 
 times ; and of what nature and description those 
 blessings were, which, so many hundred years 
 before, had been promised to the w^orld through 
 the holy Child Jesus. 
 
 Accordingly, when we read, or hear read to 
 us, in any of the lessons for these Sundays^ such 
 passages as those in the 1st, 2d, 5th, and 24th 
 chapters of this prophecy, in Vvhich the Jews are 
 described — as fallen from grace, as given over, 
 with few exceptions, to a mad and cursed idola- 
 try, as oppressors, bloodthirsty, and deceitful, — 
 
FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 173 
 
 we should remember, that the picture here drawn 
 of them is as faithful a picture of the Gentiles, 
 also ; who, no less, or even more, than the Jews, 
 are concluded by Scripture to be under sin, and 
 as owing all the light and knowledge of their 
 duty, which they have since received — - all the 
 increased power to perform that duty, which has 
 been since bestowed on them — all the gracious 
 acceptance and favour, with which their imper- 
 fect services are received, and their repented sins, 
 forgiven — to that glorious Saviour alone, whose 
 coming into the world is, at this season, celebrated 
 by the Church. 
 
 When, in the 25th, 26th, 30th, 37th, and 38th 
 chapters, we read of the grievous judgements, 
 which befell the mightiest nations of the world, 
 — the kings of Egypt, and of Assyria, — we are 
 naturally led to measure the vanity of mortal 
 pride and power, — when compared with that 
 kingdom of the Son of God, which is to rule all 
 people, and endure for all ages, — and to feel and 
 know, that there is no salvation in the arm of 
 flesh; nor strength in the councils of earthly 
 wisdom. 
 
 Those chapters, which, like the 44th and 46th, 
 set forth the vanity of idols, and the desperate 
 folly of those, who, when they had hewn out the 
 stock of a tree into form, fell down before the 
 I 3 
 
174 
 
 SERMON XIV. 
 
 work of their hands and worshipped it, saying, 
 " Be thou my God, and dehver me ! " — these 
 chapters, I say, should teach us the great blessed- 
 ness of that Gospel -light, by which our fathers, 
 and we ourselves, have been led, from such vani- 
 ties, to know God, as He is ; and to worship Him 
 with an acceptable sacrifice. And, lastly, the 
 more clear and express prophecies of Christ's 
 birth, doctrine, and kingdom, which we find in 
 the 32d, 51st, 53d, 55th, and 56th chapters, 
 should increase and confirm our faith, by proving 
 to us, on whom we have believed; and should 
 convince us, how hopeless our case must be, if we 
 neglect so great salvation ; which the greatest 
 prophets of ancient times could only behold afar 
 off ; and which, — though now laid open to the 
 knowledge and thankfulness of babes, — the very 
 angels of God are said to have desired to look into. 
 
 But, while the different chapters, and different 
 passages, of Isaiah, are thus rich in various in- 
 struction; and thus, in so many different ways, 
 set forth the mercy, might, and majesty of our 
 Redeemer j there is one particular doctrine, which 
 may, in some degree, be learned from them all ; 
 but which is, with a more remarkable clearness, 
 set forth in the chapter, which has been this 
 morning read to you : the doctrine, I mean, tliat 
 Christ was sent for the salvation of those, who 
 
FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 175 
 
 are, by nature and by habit, undone and miser- 
 able sinners ; but that these objects of His mercy 
 are only admitted to it, on the condition, that, by 
 His grace and with His help, they forsake and 
 turn away from their transgressions. 
 
 The first of these assertions, namely, that our 
 Lord was sent for the salvation of those, who are, 
 by nature and by habit, undone and miserable 
 sinners, might be gathered from the words them- 
 selves which I have chosen as the text of my 
 sermon. " The Redeemer," it will be remarked, 
 is to come to " those that turn from transgression." 
 But men must, first, have transgressed, before 
 they can turn away from transgression ; they must 
 have sinned, before they can repent of their sins. 
 — The same truth is, however, still more clearly 
 declared in the former part of the chapter ; 
 where we have a plain and most dismal picture of 
 the sins, which had made an impassable line of 
 separation between mankind and their Maker; 
 and of the blinded and unhappy condition^ to 
 which these sins had reduced the world. Ac- 
 cordingly, in the first and second verses, we find 
 the prophet declaring that the reason for which 
 God had forsaken His people was, not that His 
 own power was less than it had been of old ; but 
 that their offences had led Him to hide His face 
 from them in displeasure. " Behold, the Lord's 
 I 4 
 
176 
 
 SERMON XIV. 
 
 hand is not shortened that it cannot save ; neither 
 His ear heavy, that it cannot hear; but your 
 iniquities have separated between you and your 
 God ; and your sins have hid His face from you." 
 " For your hands/' he continues, " are defiled 
 with blood ; and your fingers, with iniquity i your 
 hps have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered 
 perverseness. None calleth for justice, nor any 
 pleadeth for truth ; they trust in vanity, and speak 
 lies ; they conceive mischief, and bring forth 
 iniquity." Their feet run to 'evil : and they 
 make haste to shed innocent blood ; their thoughts 
 are thoughts of iniquity ; wasting and destruction 
 are in their paths. The way of peace they know 
 not; and there is no judgement in their goings ; 
 liiey have made them crooked paths ; whosoever 
 goeth therein shall not know peace." Nor can it 
 be said, that this hateful character of sin and 
 shame belongs to the Jews ; or to the Jews of that 
 particular generation only ; to whom Isaiah's pro- 
 pliecy was delivered. In the first chapter of St. 
 Paul's epistle to the Romans, we find a description 
 as bloody and violent, and far more disgusting 
 and loathsome, given of the Gentile world ; who, 
 having known God, and refused to glorify Him 
 agreeably to his Divine nature, were given up by 
 God unto vile affections," " to do these things 
 whicli were not convenient ; being filled with all 
 
FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 177 
 
 unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covet- 
 ousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, de- 
 bate, deceit, malignity, whisperers, backbiters, 
 haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, in- 
 ventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 
 without understanding, covenant breakers, without 
 natural affection, implacable, unmerciful, who 
 knowing the judgement of God, that they, which 
 commit such things, are worthy of death', not 
 only do the same, but have pleasure in them that 
 do them." 
 
 It is true, that this character of the Gentiles is 
 given by their great apostle as a statement made, 
 not by himself, but by a Jewish accuser ; but it is 
 not the less certain, that he admits, in the whole 
 argument wliich follovvs, the general truth of the 
 charges brought against them ; and that he labours 
 throughout, not to prove the Gentiles innocent ; 
 but to shew, from the very passage of Isaiah, 
 which I read to you, and from other passages of 
 the Psalms and Prophets, that the Jews them- 
 selves were equally gone astray from goodness ; 
 and that the Scripture hath concluded both 
 Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin." ^ 
 
 The fact is, that, if we read the national his- 
 tory, or study the national manners, either of the 
 Gentiles, or Jews, of ancient times ; or if we at- 
 
 ^ Kom. iii. 9. 
 I 5 
 
178 
 
 SERMON XIV. 
 
 tend to the accounts which are given of thos^ 
 great and wealthy heathen nations, to whom, at 
 the present day, the light of the gospel has not 
 extended, I certainly do not say that we shall find 
 all men equally wicked and abominable ; or that 
 we shall find the same man given over, at the 
 same time, to every one of these abominable sins 
 which have been noticed; but this I will say, that 
 we shall find few men, very few indeed, even to- 
 lerably free from some one or other of them ; and 
 that experience will confirm the doctrine, that the 
 world, in its fallen state, lieth in iniquity : and that 
 its general conduct will answer to its general cha- 
 racter of cruel, unjust, deceitful, and unclean. 
 
 In Christian countries, indeed, (and this I say 
 with great thankfulness to that God Incarnate 
 who hath made His name and will and power so 
 gloriously and brightly known to us,) in Christian 
 countries, it is most true that vice has been driven, 
 by the light of the Gospel, into greater obscurity ; 
 that good examples are less uncommon and more 
 powerful ; and that, as the grace of God has been 
 more richly given, so its fruits have been fairer 
 and more abundant ; and have exerted a power 
 of opinion and decency over many, even of those 
 whose hearts have been never thoroughly under 
 the influence of Christian principles. Thus, 
 mankind, in general, are wiser and better in Eng- 
 12 
 
FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 179 
 
 land at this day; than they appear to have been 
 among the old Romans, or Jews; or than they 
 now are among the idolaters of India. The more 
 detestable and outrageous vices are not so often, 
 and not so boldly practised with us as with them ; 
 and it cannot be said, that the popular feeling of 
 our country takes pleasure in those who do such 
 things. 
 
 But, with all this improvement, and, as I have 
 already said, I thankfully allow it to be a very 
 great one ; with all this improvement, enough, and 
 more than enough, of wickedness, enough of secret, 
 enough of daring and open and fashionable, 
 wickedness remains among us, to take from us all 
 occasion of boasting; and to justify, to their 
 fullest extent, the charges brought by the Apostle 
 against unregenerate man ; and to shew plainly, 
 that, even in Christian countries, and among those 
 who call themselves Christians, there are many 
 having " a form of godliness, but denying the 
 power ;" — many, who have " fallen away from 
 their first love" and grace received ; many who are 
 
 still in the bond of iniquity, and gall of wicked- 
 ness ;" that all are but too worldly, too carnal, too 
 careless of God and good things; that all have 
 abundant reason to humble themselves iDefore 
 Him, as miserable sinners ; as having " erred, 
 and strayed from His ways like lost sheep;" as 
 I 6 
 
180 
 
 SERMON XIV. 
 
 having " left undone those things, which we ought 
 to have done, and done those things which we 
 ought not to have done." If, indeed, we doubt 
 the sinfuhiess of mankind in general, w^e have 
 only to look at our neighbours ; if we doubt their 
 sinfulness, we have only to examine, fairly and 
 freely, our own hearts and behaviour; nor can 
 we fail to come to the same conclusion with the 
 Prophet Isaiah, in the chapter which I am now 
 endeavouring to explain to you, that "judgement 
 is far from us, neither doth justice overtake us 
 that we may " look for judgement, but there is 
 jione ; for salvation^ but it is far from us and 
 that we can hope for no preserver, nor "inter- 
 cessor, but the arm of the Lord, and His righteous- 
 ness only,'' 
 
 It is thus, that Scripture always leads us to a 
 consideration of the comforts and hopes of the 
 Gospel; by first laying before us the darkness 
 and crimes, the fears and dangers of our natural 
 condition ; and by proving, that, in ourselves, we 
 have neither strength, nor life, nor hope ; but 
 only in the free mercies of God, through his Son, 
 Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. 
 
 My brethren, this is a truth of the most im- 
 portant and practical nature. It is a truth, which, 
 if duly and carefully kept in mind, will shew 
 forth its consequences in all, vvhich we do, or say, 
 
FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 181 
 
 or think ; which will make us humble towards 
 God ; meek and merciful towards mankind ; and 
 will, above all, fill our hearts with unbounded 
 love and thankfulness towai'ds that blessed Lord, 
 wliose mercy and merits have opened to us an 
 escape from Hell, and an entrance into Paradise. 
 A knowledge of our own fallen condition by 
 nature, and a recollection of the many sins and 
 infirmities, which still cleave to, and defile, the 
 very best of us, will effectually keep us from in- 
 dulging in vain thoughts of our own goodness, 
 our own holiness, our own proficiency in grace 
 and faith, and in the favour of the Almighty. 
 The offender, who is kneeling before his Judge 
 for pardon, has little time, has little heart or in- 
 clination, to run over the bead-roll of his own 
 fancied merits ; or to demand reward, where he 
 feels his need of forgiveness. God, I thank 
 thee, that I am not as other men are !" — may 
 flow very naturally from the lips of one who 
 knows not his own condition; but, believe me, 
 there is no one who diligently searches into his 
 own works, his own words, his own thoughts 
 and inmost sentiments, who will not feel himself 
 not only inclined, but compelled to smite his 
 breast, and to say " God be merciful to me a 
 sinner ! " 
 
 Nor will the effect produced by this knowledge 
 
182 
 
 SERMON XIV. 
 
 and conviction be confined to our dealings with 
 God alone. When we learn to regard the whole 
 race of men as companions with ourselves in one 
 great and common danger, as embarked in the 
 same storm-beaten vessel, shipwrecked on the 
 same troublous sea, floating on the same crazy 
 raft with us, we shall feel for them that kind of 
 tenderness, which, in generous and manly tem- 
 pers, arises towards those who drink with us the 
 cup of bitterness. The comparatively good or 
 virtuous we shall love the more, as the best hopes 
 of the common cause ; who, by their prayers, 
 their endeavours, and their example, draw down 
 a blessing and protection on all around them, — 
 as the elect, for whose sake the days of misery 
 may be shortened, which would else overwhelm 
 all alike in one utter ruin. 
 
 Those, who are worse than ourselves, for it is 
 impossible but we must sometimes be led to make 
 this comparison, we shall regard with sorrow and 
 pity, as beings still more unfortunate and plunged 
 in still greater danger than we are ; we shall fear 
 to judge or to speak harshly of them, as ''know- 
 ing that we ourselves are also in the same con- 
 demnation^;" and our love will be the more 
 kindled, — in proportion to the gratitude which 
 we feel for our own better prospects, — to extend, 
 
 1 St. Luke, xxiii. 40. 
 
FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 183 
 
 if possible, the same chance, the same hope, the 
 same blessed opportunity of escape to some of 
 those who are struggling around us in the waves 
 of ruin. 
 
 If, again, we have any cause of complaint 
 against any man, we shall recollect how necessary 
 is forbearance, on the part of those who need it 
 so greatly as we do ; and we shall be the more 
 inclined to have pity on our fellow servants, even 
 as we desire the Lord to have pity on ourselves. 
 And, lastly, since (though we hope to be saved, 
 not by our own merits, but by the free mercies of 
 Christ,) we know, that the return, which He ex- 
 pects for that mercy, consists in a hearty endea- 
 vour to do His service, and a sincere submission 
 of ourselves, our souls, and bodies, to His wise 
 disposal, and in order to His glory; we shall, 
 through love for His goodness, and thankfulness 
 for our promised deliverance, be the more anxious 
 to please Him in will, and word, and deed, — as 
 a friend for whom we can never do enough to 
 shew our gratitude, — and as a master, by whom 
 our weak but hearty endeavours will be, beyond 
 all hope and bounds, rewarded. 
 
 It is thus, indeed, that we find the neverfailing 
 connexion between faith which worketh by love, 
 and good works which are the fruits of love ; and 
 that we reconcile with each other the assurances, 
 
184 
 
 SERMON XIV. 
 
 on the one hand, of pardon for sinners ; and, on 
 the other, of the necessity of righteousness. To 
 the unconverted, pardon for past sins is freely 
 offered. Christ came not to call the righteous 
 but sinners ^ but, the call once made and ac- 
 cepted, every one that nameth the name of the 
 Lord must depart from iniquity; for He came 
 to call sinners to repentance. Let not him des- 
 pair who is sensible of the evil and danger of sin ; 
 v/ho feels his iniquities, as a sore burthen to him; 
 who looks for salvation, and mourns like a dove 
 to behold it far from him. For such, the Re- 
 deemer is come to Zion. For such, in their 
 ^rreatest distress, when they had no intercessor, 
 the Lord Himself brought help v/ith His holy 
 arm ; and v/ashed them with His own precious 
 blood ; and hid their nakedness in the robes of 
 His own everlasting righteousness. Such the 
 Lord hath called ; such, even as many as hear me. 
 He calleth even now, by me, to " turn to Christ, 
 and He will have mercy ; and to our God, and 
 He will abundantly pardon ! " 
 
 But let not him, whoever he may be, who 
 continuetli obstinate in wickedness; who will 
 not desire, or will not endeavour to forsake those 
 sins, which, as he well knows, are most displeas- 
 ing to the Almighty; let not him fancy, tliat he 
 
 ^ St. Luke, V. 32. 
 
FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 
 
 185 
 
 can thus go on from folly to folly, froPxi fault to 
 faulty unrepenting, unheeding, unchanged ; and 
 plead, at length, when the hour of tribulation is 
 arrived, that the blood of Christ was shed for 
 him. The Redeemer is come unto Zion ; but He 
 is only come for the benefit of those who turn 
 away from transgression. God forbid that we 
 should fancy the mercies of Christ to be in- 
 tended as a w^arrant to us to continue in wicked- 
 ness ! God forbid that we siiould regard them as 
 a thing to be so far trifled with; or as a blessing 
 to be secured on any other terms than those 
 which He Himself has told us ! Let us ratlier 
 seek His grace, and miglity help ; not only as the 
 means of escaping from Hell, but from those sins 
 which certainly lead us to Hell ; those sins, by 
 which God is grieved and m?ai offended ; and 
 the sinner himself rendered miserable; those 
 sins which we must forsake, before w^e enter into 
 Heaven ; since, if v/e could carry them thither, 
 even Heaven itself Vvoiikl cease to be a place of 
 happiness. 
 
SERMON XV. 
 
 SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
 
 St. Mark, xiv. 22, 23, 24. 
 
 Jesus took bready and blessed^ and brake it, and gave to them^ 
 and said, ' Take, eat : this is my body,^ And He tooh the eup, 
 and when he had given thanks ^ He gave it to them : and they 
 all drank of it. And He said unto theniy ' This is my blood 
 of the New Testament, which is shed for many.' 
 
 Though in the various opportunities, which I 
 have had of administering in this Church the 
 public Sacrament of the Holy Communion, I 
 have much reason to be satisfied with the num- 
 bers, and the seriousness of those who attended, 
 I still have thought it good, by examining a 
 portion of the lesson appointed for this morning's 
 service, to confirm the faith of you all in this 
 Christian and necessary practice; as well as to 
 explain to such as have been prevented from 
 attendance by scruples or fears, or (a much worse 
 and more common reason) by indifference to all 
 religion — I am anxious, I say, to explain to all 
 such, how idle their scruples are ; their indif- 
 
SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
 
 187 
 
 ference, how criminal ; and how vainly the title 
 of Christian is boasted by any who do not attend 
 frequently and faithfully the Communion of the 
 Body and Blood of Christ. 
 
 I shall, then, first consider the necessity of this 
 ordinance for the salvation of all mankind ; and 
 prove that no man, who wilfully absents himself, 
 can at all lay claim to any share in the merits and 
 advantages of Christ on the Cross. I shall next 
 state a few of the immediate advantages and 
 blessings which are promised to the faithful com- 
 municant. Lastly, in order to explain to every 
 man the dangers, as well as the blessings, which 
 surround a Christian, I shall shew the nature of 
 the curse denounced against the unworthy re- 
 ceiver ; and the means by which this curse may 
 be avoided, and we may, by the grace of Jesus 
 Christ, become worthy and blessed partakers of 
 His Body and Blood. 
 
 To impress on your minds, then, the necessity 
 of attendance on the Lord's table, it is proper to 
 consider, first, that Christ's death was a sacrifice 
 for all the sins of all mankind ; that God had, in 
 all points, in this our passover, conformed to the 
 passover, or sacrifice for sin among the Jews ; or, 
 to speak more properly, that all sacrifice for sin, 
 in shedding the blood of lambs or the like, had 
 been, from the beginning, instituted by God, in 
 
188 
 
 SERMON XV, 
 
 order to set forth by signs and figures, that true 
 Lamb, who, from the fall of Adam, was destined 
 to perish for the sins of mankind. These sacri- 
 fices were, in themselves, nothing. The blood of 
 lambs and goats had no natural povv^er to please 
 the Almighty; or to remove His anger against 
 sin ; for God had no need of the flesh of bulls or 
 the blood of goats ; if He were hungry, He would 
 not have recourse to our aid, " for all the beasts 
 of the forest are His, and so are the cattle upon 
 a thousand hills." ^ They could then be only 
 useful, as containing the shadow of good things to 
 come ; as referred by faith to that all sufficient 
 sacrifice, which they darkly and imperfectly served 
 to represent. 
 
 In this light, however, they were useful, both 
 to these times, and to our own; to both times 
 they were pledges of the covenant which God 
 made to send His Son to redeem mankind ; and 
 they served also to teach the world, that all men, 
 as sinners, were deserving of the pains of death. 
 
 For the custom at a sacrifice was this. When 
 the lamb, or other animal, was offered up, all the 
 congregation, or priests in their name, laid their 
 hands on its head, and confessed, that they them- 
 selves deserved, in like manner, to die for their 
 sins ; but that they prayed to God to accept of 
 
 1 Psalm 1. 10. 
 
SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
 
 189 
 
 the death of that creature, instead of theirs. Nor 
 was this all ; for, in most ancient sacrifices, and 
 particularly in the yearly celebration of the 
 Jewish Passover, the lamb was eaten by those 
 who stood by ; as if they became thereby partakers 
 of all the spiritual benefits of its death. 
 
 Such were the ancient sacrifices ; but the time 
 was now come for the real passover of the Lord ; 
 the fulness of time, when all that debt of nature, 
 which the sin of Adam had brought upon the 
 world, was to be paid in the single person of 
 Christ ; whose flesh and blood w^ere to be offered 
 up to God in redemption for the lives of all men. 
 I say of all men ; for, owing to this blood, all men 
 are restored to life ; some will, indeed, be raised 
 again only to give a dreadful account of the 
 opportunities of salvation which they have neg- 
 lected; but, either for hell, or for Heaven, all 
 men must be raised again. There is, indeed, a 
 second death, which is eternal torment ; but the 
 earthly death, the destroyer of the earthly body, 
 is conquered and trampled under foot by Christ, 
 who has set all men free from the fear of the grave, 
 and opened to all, who heartily strive by His help 
 to enter, the gates of everlasting joy. 
 
 And now, on the evening before this last and 
 bloody passover was offered up by Christ, we 
 behold Him, as described in the lesson of to-day. 
 
190 
 
 SERMON XV. 
 
 surrounded by His few remaining friends, feeling 
 already in Himself the pangs of approaching 
 death, and of parting with those whom he loved 
 most tenderly ; and who only, of all the world, 
 continued to love Him. At this moment, when 
 His soul was exceedhig sorrowful even unto death, 
 He gives His followers one last commandment, 
 one dying legacy ; — the commandment was to 
 love one another ; the legacy, His own body and 
 blood. 
 
 For, now, to fulfil that promise, which He had 
 made to the Jews, — a promise, in its literal sense, 
 impossible, that He would give them His flesh to 
 eat, — to impress also on His disciples' under- 
 standing, how really and perfectly He was offered 
 a Sacrifice for sin ; He complies, in every part, 
 with all the Sacrificial forms ; and invites all 
 mankind, for whom this Sacrifice was made, to 
 partake in the banquet of His Flesh and Blood 
 thus offered up for them. 
 
 As such a banquet was, however, impossible, 
 He substitutes the figures of bread and wine ; by 
 these He pictures His sufferings ; by these He 
 represents His frame broken, and His blood 
 poured out ; and commands us to consider, as 
 His own Flesh and Blood, the substances which 
 He thus employed to give to our senses some 
 impression of His own bloody and violent death. 
 
SECTUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
 
 191 
 
 — It is a point I would wish to be clear upon ; 
 the bread and wine remained unaltered in their 
 substance ; they were still bread and wine ; but 
 they were, by Christ's own appointment, the 
 picture, or image of His body and blood ; He has 
 left them as His representatives with us ; and He 
 assures us, that, when we partake of these ele- 
 ments from the hand of His ministers, we are as 
 truly, by that meal, partakers of the benefits of 
 His death, as the Jews were preserved from the 
 destroying angel by eating of the sacrificed lamb. 
 
 We see, then, how absolutely necessary for our 
 soul's health is the receiving this bread and wine. 
 For, as in the ancient Jewish Passover, none could 
 claim the privilege of a member of the chosen 
 nation of the Lord, — none escape, except by this 
 ceremony, the sword of the destroying angel ; — 
 and the soul, saith God, that eateth not, shall be 
 cut off from his people, — ^ so when Christ com- 
 mands, that all believers should, under the figure 
 of bread and wine, partake in like manner of His 
 body and blood. He surely means, that this great 
 passover should be kept, in some respects, like all 
 which had preceded it : that, as the Jews had 
 theirs as a bond of union among their nation, a 
 pledge of the sure mercies of God, and a dis- 
 tinctive mark of the continuance of His people in 
 their faith — circumcision being the mark of theii 
 
192 
 
 SERMON XV. 
 
 entrance into it, — He surely meant, that we, in 
 like m:xnner, should hold — as the rallying point 
 of our warfare, the badge and test of our profes- 
 sion, — this single ceremony wdiich He has thought 
 proper to enjoin. He certainly intended, that, 
 as our abiding in the religion was, at least, as 
 necessary as oar entrance into it, this outward 
 token should be given by every believer : and 
 that our communion should be, to our soul's 
 health, as indispensable as our baptism. 
 
 For, unless a mark of distinction between 
 Christians and infidels be general to all Christians, 
 it is no distinction at all. If all Christians were 
 not baptized, baptism would not distinguish them. 
 If, then, the Sapper be intended as such a dis- 
 tinction, we are no more to omit it, than v/e are 
 allov/ed to omit the ceremony of baptism. And 
 v/hy, unless the Christian passover of bread and 
 w^ine v/ere to be as necessary to this people, as 
 the Jewish Passover v/as to tliem, why does Christ 
 enjoin it ? ¥/hy does he describe it to these His 
 friends, as the mark of their profession, and the 
 representation of His sacrifice ? Believe me, my 
 friends, Eternal Wisdom orders nothing vainly ; 
 the Word of God could never so trifle with men 
 as to ordain them a mere useless ceremony ; never 
 w^ould He have dignified these substances with 
 the name of His Body and Blood, unless He had 
 
SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 193 
 
 determined, through them, — and, after baptism, 
 through them only, — to distinguish His people 
 from this evil world ; and to distribute to each 
 those spiritual helps, which enable him to walk 
 worthy of his calling, and make him entitled to 
 every benefit purchased by his Redeemer's suffer- 
 ings. Unless, then, we can discover some other 
 road to salvation, through Christ, than that which 
 He Himself has pointed out; unless we flatter 
 ourselves, that to discover this is in our power ; — 
 an institution so positive, a command delivered 
 without exception, can afford no excuse for neg- 
 lect. We must partake of the Sacrament, if we 
 wish to partake the blessings of our profession ; 
 unless we wish to incur the danger of slighting 
 the (Treat salvation of the Lord, and estrano:inor 
 ourselves from all the benefits of His Blood. 
 
 " But," there may be some who will ask, " if 
 this Christian passover be so really necessary to 
 all, what is the condition of those who have no 
 opportunity of communicating? What, for in- 
 stance, is the condition of children ?" The same, 
 I answer, as the children of the Jev/s, who could 
 not be partakers of the passover ; and yet were 
 preserved in that dreadful night of Egyptian 
 suffering, by the faith of their parents, and by 
 their own early dedication to God. For children 
 we provide by baptism ; under the solemn pro- 
 
 VOL. I. K 
 
194 
 
 SERr;ION XV. 
 
 nise, lliat, at a fitting age, tliey shall do all wliicli 
 this covenant lays on them. And the child 
 thus dedicated to God, we are told by Isaiah^ 
 shall die, if it die, as acceptable to God, for His 
 Son's sake, as if it had lived throiic:h a whole 
 liundred years of obedience. 
 
 Besides, where no opportunities are afforded, 
 no service, v/e may be sure, is expected. Our 
 Fatlier is no Egyptian' tyrant, who doubles our 
 task while he diminishes our means of performing 
 it ; to make bricks v/ithout straw, is a comm.and 
 more worthy of Pharaoh than of the merciful 
 and gracious God. V/e may feel persuaded, for 
 in this the Scripture is express, that no man v/ili 
 be ever punished for offences v/hich he could not 
 avoid. But this indularence to infants and to 
 heathens, to the ignorant and to the impotent, 
 can never extend to a v/ilful disregard of the 
 ordinances of God, in those v/ho know His com- 
 mandments, and are able of themselves to pex^- 
 form them. 
 
 And what is, after all, this terrible ceremony, 
 the celebration of which we must enforce with 
 so many arguments, so many entreaties, so many 
 denunciations of the anger and judgements of 
 God? What is this sacrifice, from which the 
 soul of man so shrinks in hcrror ? If seme kind 
 
 ^ Isaiahj Ixv. 20. 
 
SEPTUAGESI^IA SUNDAY. 
 
 195 
 
 friend upon his death-bed, — some illustrious pub- 
 lic benefactor, — had entreated his friends, or liis 
 countrymen, to meet occasionally in solemn cele- 
 bration of his memory ; who, that was realiy 
 m-ateful for the benefits which he had received, 
 would refuse so small a request, and made at such 
 an impressive m.oment? But where immense 
 rewards are offered to the faithful attendant ; 
 v/here all the blessings, which heaven and earth 
 can furnish, are promised to the sincere commu- 
 nicant ; where v/e thus become partakers of the 
 innocency of Christ, and joint heirs with Him of 
 all that His Father has promised; v/here v/e 
 receive, in this v/orld, increase of hope, confirma- 
 tion of faith, and the strengthening comforts of 
 the Holy Spirit, and in tlie w^orld to come, life 
 everlasting; v/hat can hinder us, what w^orldly 
 motive can restrain us, like the ungrateful guests 
 in the parable, from the Supper of the Son of 
 God ? 
 
 I should, no doubt, be answered, that there 
 are dangers, as well as blessings, in receiving the 
 Communion ; and that no man can be too cautious 
 hov/ he ventures to that table, v/hen he considers 
 the dreadful denunciation of vengeance, — that he, 
 who eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and 
 drinketh damnation to himself. But what is 
 this threat supposed to mean ? It can never be 
 K 2 
 
196 
 
 SERMON XV. 
 
 thought to imply, that to partake unworthily of 
 this communion is like blasphemy against the 
 Holy Ghost, a sin unpardonable, and never to be 
 repented of. Far from our minds be an idea so 
 horrible ! Like all other sins, it inherits, no 
 doubt, the anger and judgements of God; — judge- 
 ments, as we learn from St. Paul, both in this 
 world and in that to come^ : but, like any other 
 sin, an instance of this sort may, by God's grace, 
 and by our subsequent repentance, be, no doubt, 
 wiped clean from our souls. — Far, however, from 
 denying the greatness of the danger, I acknow- 
 ledge it to be a sin of the deepest dye; and 
 shall endeavour, by pointing out those crimes 
 which have draw^n down these curses of God, to 
 enable you to shun them, lest ye also may be 
 punished with the presumptuous and impenitent 
 Christians. 
 
 It is, in the first place, very plain that all inde- 
 cent or disrespectful communicants are guilty of 
 despising the Supper of the Lord, and the Sacri- 
 fice of His blessed Body and Blood. Such were 
 the Corinthians of old, who, not content with 
 bread, brought their own separate dishes into the 
 church, and were made drunken with the Holy 
 Wine. Such crimes as these, thank God, are now 
 no longer heard of among Christians. But, 
 
 ^ 1 Cor. xii. 
 
SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
 
 197 
 
 secondly, those who take it as a matter of form, 
 without any particular meaning, who receive it 
 merely to qualify themselves for an office, or, out 
 of pure hypocrisy, to deceive the world into a 
 belief of their holiness, those are, no doubt, un« 
 worthy receivers of the Sacrament. Those, too, 
 who are not in charity with all mankind, who do 
 not from their hearts forgive all those who have 
 injured them, and do not their best to make 
 amends to all whom they have injured, those 
 cannot safely approach the Table of the Lord. 
 Those, last of all, who continue still impenitent, 
 who have no intention to forsake their former 
 sins, and no real desire, by Christ's help, to repent 
 and amend, those, also, commit a mockery of 
 God, and disgust Him with an outward form, 
 while their hearts are far from Him. For how 
 can God forgive those, who are themselves un- 
 forgiving ? How can He clear from guilt those 
 against whom the tears of the injured are crying 
 out for justice? How grant a free and total 
 pardon to a race of incorrigible rebels, who 
 come, at times, to make a formal submission, and 
 relapse again, when forgiven, into all their former 
 excesses. 
 
 This is, indeed, a truth so generally admitted., 
 that I am much mistaken if this avowed necessity 
 of repentance is not the real reason of the back- 
 K 3 
 
198 
 
 SERMON XY. 
 
 wardness of men to repair to this Holy Table, 
 They know the terms of their salvation ; and with 
 these terms they will not comply : it is not the 
 fear of the curse denounced against unworthy 
 receivers ; but the fear of reformation itself vv^hich 
 deters tliem. 
 
 To such as these a very diiFerent language must 
 be used ; they must be warned of the immediate 
 danger of their situation ; and that, whether they 
 communicate or no, there is, in either case, no 
 peace to the wicked. They who are not penitent, 
 must in no wise approach that Holy Table. They 
 v/ho are not penitent ! Merciful God, how dare 
 they remain a single day in a state of such in- 
 tolerable peril? Hov/ in the hourly danger of 
 death and eternal torture, with the sword of God 
 for ever hanging over their heads, how can they 
 sleep or live ? They may shun the Altar ; they 
 may shun the communion of the faithful; — but 
 can they shun the grave ? Can they shun the 
 judgement which is to follow, the fire which 
 burneth for ever ? Far be it from me and all my 
 hearers to flatter ourselves with the hopes of a 
 little longer enjoyment, a little longer respite 
 from amendment, before we repair to the Altar of 
 God, and confirm our salvation by a long and 
 steady repentance. Every one of these hours^ 
 which pass us unseen ; — these minutes which glide 
 
SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
 
 199 
 
 away uncounted; — every one is adding some- 
 thing to the load of guilt, some increase to our 
 long debt of repentance. It is on tlie bed of 
 sickness and of death that these hours and minutes 
 appear in all iheir value. Go to the dying man, 
 ask him v/hat would he give for one of those days 
 v/hich he has wasted in idleness ; — one of those, 
 opportunities of communion, which have passed 
 him without a thought. Those opportunities will 
 alas ! return no m.ore ; the account of those days 
 will soon be closed for ever in judgement. 
 
 Turn, then, to the Lord, while He may yet be 
 found ; seek Him diligently, before His face is 
 hid for ever. Those darling sins, w^hich you must 
 at last relinquish, — abandon them now, while 
 your repentance may be as yet accepted. Is 
 repentance difficult ? then pray for God's assist- 
 ance. Is your heart slow to prayer ? strive pa- 
 tiently ; and His Spirit will, v/ith its unutterable 
 groaning, intercede ! And above all, while these 
 impressions are yet alive in your souls, delay not 
 to seal them with the Sacrament of the Lord's 
 Supper. This will confirm every pious thought ; 
 this will strengthen every holy resolution; our 
 hopes, our comforts, w^ill hence be doubly aug- 
 mented ; and, in the strength of this Bread and 
 this Cup, v/e may walk, like the prophet Elijah 
 after his miraculous repast, through the long wil- 
 K 4 
 
200 
 
 SERMON XV. 
 
 derness of this dangerous world, to Horeb the 
 mount of God. And may God strengthen us in 
 this our journey, and receive us, at length to His 
 eternal kingdom, for the sake of Him, who hath 
 given His body and His blood for our sakes, and 
 hath left, to our great and endless comfort, these 
 holy Sacraments. 
 
SERMON XVI. 
 
 SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
 
 St. Luke, viii. 15. 
 
 That on the good ground are they, which in an honest and 
 good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring 
 forth fruit with patience. 
 
 Not many serious Christians can be found to 
 whom it has not been, at some time or other, a 
 subject of sorrow and surprise to behold the diffe- 
 rent manner in which different persons are affected 
 by the same opportunities of knowledge, the same 
 outward calls to repentance and faith and holi- 
 ness. We may see two men attending the same 
 place of worship; hearing the same preacher; 
 widi the same examples before their eyes ; and 
 the same blessed promise of God's grace afforded 
 to both of them; whose lives are, nevertheless, 
 and whose ends will be, as different from each 
 other, as light from darkness, — good from evil, — 
 Heaven from hell : and it is with the preaching of 
 the Gospel, during every generation of mankind. 
 
202 
 
 SERMON XVi* 
 
 as it was with the judgements of God wliicli 
 befell the Jewish nation as foretold by our Sa- 
 viour, — of those who dwell and work together, no 
 two have the same good or evil fortune : and of 
 those who are in the same bed, and of those v/ho 
 grind in the mill together, still one is taken, and 
 the other is left behind. 
 
 Reflections of this kind should seem to have 
 arisen in the soul of our blessed Saviour, when, 
 beholding the multitudes who came forth to hear 
 His doctrine, He spake to them the parable of 
 the Sower. He likens, there, the world to a large 
 field of different soils, some worse, some better 
 suited to receive and multiply the seed which 
 was scattered over it ; through all of which alike, 
 whether good or bad, the husbandman was to 
 pass in his daily labour, A footpath crosses one 
 part of the field ; and the corn which fell there, 
 is trodden under foot of men, and picked up by 
 the fowls of the air. Another part is a stoney 
 and gravelly soil ; whose warmth soon sends up 
 the crop, but v/hose dryness makes it poor and 
 nnfruitfuL Another part is richer ground, but 
 foul and choked with thorns and weeds, which 
 grew up with, and soon overtopped the corn ; — • 
 and choked the hope of harvest. But, mingled 
 with all these barren plots, are many others of 
 good and fertile mould, whose plentiful increase 
 
SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
 
 203 
 
 abundantly makes up for the other disappoint- 
 ments of the husbandman. 
 
 This parable our Lord explained to his disci- 
 ples — to signify that strange and aweful difier- 
 ence, which I have already noticed, between the 
 lives of different Christians, and the degrees of 
 attention which they severally pay to God's 
 v» ord, and of improvement which they severally 
 draw from it. " Those by the way side are they 
 that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketli 
 away the w^ord out of their hearts, lest tliey 
 should believe and be saved. They on the rock 
 are they w^hich, when they hear, receive the word 
 with joy ; and these have no root, which for a 
 v/hile believe, and in time of temptation fall 
 away. And that which fell among thorns are 
 they, which, w^hen they have heard, go forth, and 
 are choked with cares and riches and pleasures 
 of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. But 
 that on the good ground are they, which, in an 
 honest and good heart, having heard the w^ord, 
 keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience." 
 
 Having thus explained the parable, the Son of 
 God concludes with the following w^ords, expres- 
 sive at once of His love for mankind, and of His 
 gracious desire to convert and save them, and of - 
 the aweful danger, to which those persons exposed 
 themselves, who were neglectful of such oppor- 
 
 K 6 
 
204 
 
 SERMON XVI. 
 
 tunities and means of grace, as the mercy of 
 Heaven afforded them : — " No man, when he 
 hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, 
 or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a 
 candlestick, that they, which enter in, may see the 
 light For nothing is secret, that shall not be 
 made manifest; neither any thing hid, that 
 shall not be known and come abroad. Take 
 heed, therefore, how ye hear ; for whosoever 
 hath, to him shall be given ; and whosoever hath 
 not, from him shall be taken away even that 
 which he seemeth to have." As if He had said ; 
 ■ — " The intention of my parables is not, as some 
 men may fancy, to keep the world in darkness ; 
 they are obscure, indeed, to those who will not 
 enter in ; who will not become members of my 
 Church ; and who will not seek for instruction 
 where it may be found, by knocking at my door 
 in prayer, and entreating farther light from My 
 Spirit to understand the mysteries of my king- 
 dom. But to those, who truly and heartily de- 
 sire to know My will, that will and that truth 
 shall never remain unknown ; nor is there any 
 secret in my dealings with mankind, which shall 
 not, hereafter, be rendered plain to the angels of 
 God, and to the souls of just men made perfect." 
 Take heed then how ye hear; for whosoever 
 hath; — whosoever, that is, shall be found here- 
 
SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
 
 205 
 
 after to have profited duly by the measure of 
 grace and of light afforded to him, — " to him 
 shall be given he shall receive more abundant 
 knowledge and holiness from the sanctifying 
 Spu^it of God ; while whosoever hath not, shall 
 be stripped, at length, of all his outward shew of 
 godliness and wisdom; and shall be exposed to 
 the inhabitants of either world in his natural 
 blindness and misery : — " From him shall be 
 taken away even that which he seemeth to 
 have," 
 
 As it is, therefore, the declared intention of 
 Christ, that we should draw from all His words 
 everlasting comfort and advantage ; and as so 
 grievous a penalty is threatened against those 
 who refuse them due attention, I shall proceed 
 to explain, as simply as I can, the particular 
 dangers which He may seem to have described to 
 us, in the parable of the sower and his field, and 
 the means whereby those dangers may best be 
 avoided or conquered. 
 
 The first kind of men, to whom the Gospel of 
 Christ is preached in vain, are they, from whose 
 hearts, while they hear the word, the devil takes 
 away the knowledge and feeling of those truths 
 which might else have moved their souls to faith 
 and repentance, and might have brought forth, 
 in their conduct, the fruits of holiness and life 
 
206 
 
 SERMON XYh 
 
 without end. This is what Satan is ready to 
 attempt with all men ; and he is generally most 
 successful with those whom our Lord compares to 
 the public and beaten path ; who pass their lives 
 entirely in the world ; w^hose hearts are hardened 
 with that sort of experience which a continued 
 round of company and conversation produces; 
 and where, consequently, the furrows of a good 
 education, even where such has been afforded 
 them, are beaten into a smooth and level surface 
 which is easy to pass over ; but into which nothing 
 sinks; and on which the gracious dews of 
 Heaven descend in vain. When such as these 
 attend the house of God, it is the object of the 
 devil to keep them from attending seriously to 
 what is passing there, by filling their heads with 
 unseasonable recollections of the world and worldly 
 things, by drawing off their eyes and their 
 thoughts to any object, how trifling soever, rather 
 than to the will of God and their own eternal hap- 
 piness. You will see the eyes of men like these 
 wandering round the building of the church, or 
 the faces of the congregation, seldom resting in 
 one place, and never, even for a moment, marked 
 with that seriousness which becomes a penitent 
 sinner in the peculiar presence of his Saviour and 
 his God. They whisper to their neighbours ; 
 they turn over the pages of their books ; or, if 
 
SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY, 207 
 
 they seem composed and thoughtful, their thoughts, 
 it is to be feared, are all engaged with those 
 trifles, or that business, in which only they are 
 accustomed to seek for happiness. When the 
 service is over, ask them what they have heard ; 
 and they will not be able to give a reasonable 
 answer. " Satan has taken the v/ord out of their 
 hearts, lest they should believe and be saved ! " 
 To men like these it may be of use, perhaps, to 
 consider, that whatever worldly or wicked or 
 foolish thoughts arise in their minds thus unseason- 
 ably, are, in truth, no less certainly visitations of 
 the evil spirit, than if they could behold his wings 
 waving over their heads, and his talons snatching 
 from their souls those truths, on the knowledge 
 of which their eternal salvation may, perhaps, de- 
 pend. The danger of their situation may, per- 
 haps, compose their minds to that calm fixedness, 
 that fear of God and reverence of His word, 
 which the Tempter must ever assult in vain : 
 and the thought of Heaven, or Hell, may be 
 employed to scare oft the spoilers from their 
 prey. 
 
 A second sort of men, and their condition is 
 little less hopeless than that of those who never 
 attend to the word at all, are those who feel 
 keenly, but not deeply, the goodness and justice 
 of God, and the truth and aweful conseqvience of 
 
208 
 
 SERMON XVI. 
 
 what they hear ; — who receive the word with 
 joy, but whose hearts have not sufBcient steadiness 
 to continue in their good resolutions. " They 
 for a while believe ; and in a time of temptation 
 fall away." 
 
 The manner, in which this infirmity of pur- 
 pose shews itself, can require no explanation: 
 the only means whereby we can remedy it, are, 
 first, a watchfulness to avoid temptation ; secondly, 
 a constant habit of prayer to God to deliver us 
 from it ; and thirdly, since our danger arises from 
 being affected too much with present objects, it 
 is wise, when new fears or hopes arise, and we 
 are tempted to forget those more reasonable 
 hopes and fears, which we have felt on former 
 occasions, to recollect, that what we once acknow- 
 ledged to be true is, at present, no less true than 
 it was before: that, when we first resolved to 
 become religious, we knew, as well as we do at 
 present, that temptations and difficulties must 
 arise ; and that a wavering and inconstant beha- 
 viour is no less scorned by men, than it is threat- 
 ened with the severest displeasure of God. " If 
 any man draw back," saith the Apostle, " my soul 
 shall have no pleasure in him." ^ "Whosoever," 
 saith God the Son, " is ashamed of Me and of 
 my words, of him shall the Son of Man be 
 
 1 Heb. X. 38. 
 
SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
 
 209 
 
 ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory 
 and in His Father's and of the holy angels!'* 
 
 There is another description of persons who 
 receive the word ; and whose hearts are of a 
 richer and a deeper soil, than those of whom I 
 have just been speaking; but that soil is not kept 
 clean. The seed is sown ; and it takes good root ; 
 and it springs up in due season ; but tares also, 
 and w^eeds and thistles, spring together with it, 
 and overtop it, and render it unfruitful. The 
 cares, or the riches, or the pleasures, of this life 
 take up too much of their time and affections ; and 
 to them, their religious principles are sacrificed. 
 
 Now the mistake of these men consists in fan- 
 cying that religion, and the world, and its sinful 
 and immoderate pursuits, and pleasures, may agree 
 very well together. They are perfectly aware 
 that religion is the one thing most needful ; that 
 it is, like corn, by far the most valuable thing in 
 their field ; but they will not be persuaded, that, 
 like corn, religion must be well weeded of every 
 thing, which is contrary to its nature, and inter- 
 feres with its growth and ripening. Such a sin, 
 they will tell us, such an evil passion, such an 
 unlawful pleasure, is too trifling to do any great 
 harm ; such an one is too agreeable to be easily 
 parted with. Such another has been so long in- 
 
 ^ St. Luke, ix. 26. 
 
210 
 
 SERMON XVI. 
 
 clulged, or spreads so widely, that it will cost 
 infinite pain and trouble, to destroy it. 
 
 Now, nsy friends, reflect a moment witii your- 
 selves ; if, of the v/eeds and thorns vviiich spring 
 up amid your young corn, you were to spare 
 some, because there were not many of the kind ; 
 others, because their purple flowers Yveve pleasing 
 to the eye ; others, because they v/ere so nume- 
 rous, and so deeply rooted, that to root them out 
 completely would require much labour ; Vvhat 
 would, in such a case, become of your year's pro- 
 vision ? Yie cannot, if we would, disguise it from 
 ourselves ! Vv^here a Vv^eed grovvs, a blade of corn 
 cannot : if our relio:ion does not teach us to over- 
 come the cares, and riches, and pleasures of the 
 world ; those cares, and riches, and pleasures will 
 soon overcome our religion : and the very best 
 natural disposition may be as completely spoiled 
 by neglected bad habits, and by evil affections 
 indulged in, as the finest soil, unweeded, may be 
 rendered good for nothing but thorns and thistles. 
 
 " What, then, are they, the good ground, whose 
 furrows repay, many-fold, the seed and the labour 
 bestowed on them ? Which are those honest and 
 good hearts, which receive the word, and keep it, 
 and bring forth fruit with patience?" They, 
 who, in the first place, resist the wiles of Satan ; 
 and attend to what they hear. They who, se- 
 
SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
 
 211 
 
 condly, are careful, by prayer and by serious 
 tlioughts, to enrich their hearts with godly v/isdom 
 and resolution ; and who pluck up, as they spring, 
 v/hatever immoderate or sinful passions would 
 overtop, or entangle, their course. These are the 
 good ground, whose fruit is holiness; and their 
 harvest, life v/ithout end ; — in that day, when 
 the v>Teds, and tares, and thistles of this v/orld, 
 shall be burnt in fire unquencheible ! 
 
 Let us, then, as being surrounded with so many 
 and so great dangers, take heed how v/e hear : 
 and work out our own salvation with all diligence, 
 with fear and trembling: — and let us, on the 
 other hand, not despair; inasmuch as each of 
 these several dangers, v/hich I have reckoned up, 
 is capable of its proper remedy. 
 
 Tiie footpath may be stopped, while the seed 
 is growing : and cannot we, for one day, at least, 
 in seven, allow some time, from the conversation 
 of the v/orld, to serious thought and to prayer to 
 God, that His word may not be preached to us 
 in vain ? The birds may, with a little trouble, be 
 chased av^ay; and if, with hearty resolution, we 
 resist the Devil, God's v/ord has taught us, that 
 he will, in like manner, flee from us. The stony 
 and shallow soil may be enriched, and deepened, 
 by mixing it with better mould ; and the irresolute 
 Christian, who delights in the company of pious 
 
212 
 
 SERMON :^tVI. 
 
 men and in good books, will find his heart grow 
 daily stronger, and better fitted to bear fruit to 
 ripeness. The thorns and thistles may, one by 
 one, be completely cleared away ; and he, who, at 
 first, would not spare any single sin, will purify, 
 at length, his heart, even as the heart of Jesus 
 Christ was pure ! But however good our natural 
 ground may be, and whatever be the pains which 
 we bestow on it, that fertility and those pains will 
 signify nothing, if the blessing of God be wanting. 
 Our field may be sown, and fenced, and manured, 
 and weeded : but no corn will rise, or ripen, unless 
 the dews of Heaven descend in kindly rain ; and 
 unless the glorious sunshine warms the stalk and 
 tender ear. Let us then, above all things, pray 
 to God, that the grace of His Holy Spirit may 
 soften our hearts, and render them fruitful ; and 
 that He, who came into the world to call sinners 
 to repentance, would enable us, by His blessing, 
 to work that holiness, of which He was Himself 
 the great example. 
 
 It is a custom, which the common feeling of 
 Christians has rendered sacred, not to enter, or 
 depart from, this Holy Place ; nor to assemble for 
 the purpose of hearing the word of God ; — with- 
 out first, in a whispered prayer, entreating His 
 good blessing that we may not pray, or hear, in 
 vain. I will not ask, how many there are among 
 
SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
 
 213 
 
 you, with whom this custom has passed into an 
 idle form. I will not ask, how many cover their 
 faces, and say nothing ; but this I will say, that 
 more and worthier honour would be paid to God's 
 house ; and more souls, by far than now escape, 
 would be snatched from sin and everlasting 
 misery ; if, when you thus give outward tokens of 
 your reverence, you would beg the help of your 
 Almighty Father in some words like these, " O 
 God, without Thee I am not able to please Thee ; 
 but may Thy spirit, this day, both teach me the 
 things which belong to my peace^ and preserve 
 them in my faith and recollection ; so that the 
 seed, which Thou sowest, may prosper in my 
 heart, till that day when Thy blessed Son shall 
 return to reap His harvest !" 
 
SERMON XVII. 
 
 QUIKQUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 1 Cor. xiii. 2. 
 
 Though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, 
 and have not cliarity,! am nothing. 
 
 To understand the meaning of tlie present te::!, 
 as well as of the whole chapter, a very instructive 
 and important one, v/hich has been read to you in 
 the Epistle of to-day, the following observations 
 will not be v/ithout their use. 
 
 The societies, or Churches, for their meaning 
 is the same, which the apostle founded in different 
 countries, under the government of bishops, and 
 the preaching and administration of elders, — 
 were exposed, from the nature of things, to very 
 great and opposite errors. Some of them were, 
 at first, chiefly composed of Jews, who were proud 
 of the ancient privileges of their nation ; and un- 
 v/illingly believed that circumcision and sacrifices 
 were no longer necessary to salvation. Others 
 had been heathens and idolaters, accustomed to 
 
QUIXQUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 215 
 
 very irregular and sinful liabitSj wliieli it was dif- 
 ficult for them to unlearn, and wlio were unabie 
 to distinguish between pardon for sins committed, 
 and a licence for committing them. The clergy 
 too, and the people, being, alike, new converts, 
 were alike in want of instruction and direction ; 
 not only as to the doctrines of Christianity, but 
 as to the common ceremonies of a Church, the 
 posture of prayer, and the manner of receiving 
 the Sacrament. Nor was this all; — it pleased 
 the Almighty, for tlie sake of spreading more 
 efFectually tlie glad tidings of Christ, to give to 
 many of the preachers certain miraculous powers, 
 such as healing the sick, casting out devils, speak- 
 ing with unknown tongues, and foretelHng things 
 to Cvome. Powers of this sort, it may be well 
 supposed, would draw great attention and re- 
 verence to those who possessed them; and the 
 natural effect v/hicli such praise of men is apt to 
 produce, was produced in many of the nevv-made 
 ministers of the Gospel. They grew vain of their 
 own consequence, and fancied themselves better 
 Christians than those, who could not do the same 
 Vvonders which they performed : while, on the 
 other hand, tliose, who were outshone by them in 
 prophesying or miracle, seem to have sometimes 
 murmured at their ovvn deficiencies, and to have 
 felt a silly envy of tliose gifts which God hacl 
 
216 
 
 SERMON XVII. 
 
 bestowed on their brethren. Besides, as these 
 gifts of the Spirit were not all of one sort, — as of 
 twelve ministers, for example, in one great town, 
 two might be prophets, one an interpreter of 
 tongues, one able to cast out devils, and the re- 
 mainder without any so conspicuous or particular 
 mark of the Divine favour, we may easily suppose, 
 not only that those, who were not thus gifted, 
 would envy such as were; but that the gifted 
 persons would feel a silly emulation against each 
 other; and each maintain that his own powers 
 were the most wonderful. The caster-out of 
 devils boasted a faith which could also remove 
 mountains ; the speaker in strange languages re- 
 minded his hearers of this convincing proof of 
 the presence of the Holy Ghost ; and the prophet 
 urged the excellency and value of a knowledge of 
 future events ; and that it was God himself who 
 spake by his tongue. 
 
 With the Jewish converts, indeed, who were 
 more accustomed to witness such wonders, less of 
 this was likely to happen : but among the Gentile 
 Church it was, probably, a very prevailing and 
 dangerous evil. Among those of Corinth and 
 Achaia, it certainly was so ; — to such an extent, 
 as to call forth the exhortation of St, Paul, in the 
 12th chapter of the present epistle. In the 
 former chapters, he had reproved tlie Christians 
 
QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 217 
 
 of that wealthy and debauched coviiitrVj for the 
 many points in which they conformed to their 
 former heathen associates; — in eating meat of- 
 fered to idols; in irregular and incestuous mar- 
 riages; in their indecent manner of public wor- 
 ship ; and in their shameful gluttony and drunken- 
 ness at the Holy Sacrament. He then goes on to 
 allude to the circumstances, which I have just 
 mentioned, namely, to the envying and emulation, 
 which the power of working miracles, and of 
 speaking with tongues had occasioned among 
 them. He reminds them, that all these things 
 were instituted for the common good ; — that 
 some had one ministry ; some, another ; yet their 
 Lord and Master was the same : that however 
 variously the gifts of the Spirit were divided, 
 yet was it the same Spirit which was given to 
 every believer ; and that he, who had grace given 
 him to believe and to confess that Jesus was the 
 Son of God, was as good a Christian, and, so far 
 as he himself was concerned, as real a temple of 
 the Holy Ghost, as he who could confess the same 
 truth in all the languages of Babel. The people, 
 he continues, were not to think themselves over- 
 looked, because they were not appointed preachers; 
 the preachers w^ere not to grudge that they were 
 not all prophets and workers of miracles ; but all 
 were to use the grace given thern, for the good of 
 VOL. I, I, 
 
218 
 
 SERMON XVII. 
 
 the whole body, not for their private advancement, 
 and for the gratification of selfish vanity : — re- 
 membering, that, as being limbs of the same body, 
 none should encroach on the office of his neigh- 
 bour, or think himself independant ; but that all 
 in their station should do their best for the so- 
 ciety, as feet, and hands, and eyes, and tongues 
 are exercised in their several capacities for the 
 maintenance of the body to which they all belong, 
 and in the welfare of which they all alike are 
 sharers. If all were preachers or prophets, who 
 would there be to hear? If all worked miracles, 
 a miracle would cease to be miraculous. " But," 
 continues the apostle, for here he foresaw no ob- 
 jection, covet earnestly the best gifts." 
 
 The objection to his arguments would be this, 
 " How," might the Christians say, " is there then 
 no difference in the dignity and usefulness of these 
 several powers of glorifying God, and of bringing 
 the knowledge of Salvation to mankind? Is the 
 simple believer as profitable to the Church, as he 
 who prophesies? or can the weak Christian, who 
 doubts and trembles, give that help to his brethren 
 which the strong faith of the worker of miracles 
 can ? Surely then, they would say, we may, if 
 not for our own sakes, yet for the sake of God's 
 Church, be anxious to excel, and be eager after 
 the power of edifying others." 
 
QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
 
 219 
 
 This would have been the CorinthiaRs' answer ; 
 and this Paul foresees and replies to, in this per- 
 mission, " covet earnestly the best gifts." It is, 
 as if he had said, " You do very right, I allow, to 
 be zealous for your own improvement, and it is 
 but natural to wish to excel ; but in the way you 
 now desire to distinguish yourselves, the ground 
 is occupied already. You cannot all be apostles, 
 or preachers, or workers of miracles; — but there 
 is one way, in which you may all exert yourselves 
 to the common advantage of men, and to the 
 glory of God; — a far more excellent way, than 
 any which we have yet mentioned. We cannot 
 all work miracles ; but we may all love one 
 another, even as Christ has loved us." 
 
 This is the train of argument which leads the 
 apostle to that beautiful praise of charity which 
 vv^e read in the present chapter ; in which he first 
 shews, that, without a real love for God and man, 
 no spiritual grace, or outward action, can save us 
 from being ourselves cast away. Secondly, he 
 lays down a few of the most conspicuous marks, 
 by which true charity may be known ; and lastly, 
 proves that, neither the power of prophecy, or 
 that of working miracles, or any other power, can 
 compare, either in duration, or in dignity, with 
 those feelings which are to constitute our chief 
 L 2 
 
220 
 
 SERMON XVII. 
 
 enjoyment in that Heaven, to which they shew 
 the way ; — in that state, where neither prophecy, 
 nor miracle, will be any more required ; where all 
 distinctions of rank, or of knowledge, or of power, 
 will be equalized; and where the God of love and 
 charity will be all in all. 
 
 Whatever my faith or knowledge may be, saith 
 St. Paul, and however I use them to the conver- 
 sion of others, though I preach the Gospel with 
 the tongue of men and angels, yet if my preaching 
 do not flow from a desire to do good, from a love 
 of my brethren, I am like sounding brass, or a 
 tinkling cymbal. The sweet or lofty sounds, 
 which such musical instruments utter, may move 
 the passions of those who hear them ; — but the 
 drum, or the cymbal, remains itself unaffected. 
 The brass hears not the music, which so deeply 
 affects the multitude ; and, though the soldier may 
 glow with patriotic ardour, the trumpet, which 
 rouses him, partakes not in his valour. And thus 
 it is with him who, while he preaches to others, is 
 himself a castaway. He may speak, and speak 
 well and satisfactorily — of faith, and righteous- 
 ness, and a judgement to come; but if he only 
 speaks to shew his own talents, if his sermon is 
 not prompted by a desire to bring salvation to his 
 hearers, if, in short, he preaches from any other 
 
QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
 
 221 
 
 motive than charity, his hearers may, indeed, be 
 warned by his means ; but, for himself, he surely 
 cannot be profited. 
 
 There have been some prophets and apostles of 
 God who have been wicked men : and this natu- 
 rally brings us to the second division of the first 
 part of the apostle's argument, where he assures 
 us, that neither knowledge nor faith can save us; 
 unless that knowledge and faith produce their 
 natural fruits, and shew themselves in fervent 
 love. " If I have all faith," said he, " so that I 
 could remove mountains, and have not charity, I 
 am nothing." 
 
 On this text a very needless difficulty has been 
 raised, respecting the nature of the faith meant ; 
 as if in fear that any thing derogatory should be 
 implied against that which is the fountain head 
 of our salvation. And a distinction has been 
 made between saving faith, and that which cannot 
 save ; as if they were separate principles, or as 
 if a spurious principle, or any principle but the 
 true, could give the power of working miracles. 
 Tlie fact is, that faith is confessedly nothing- 
 more than a simple act of the mind agreeing to 
 the truth of certain things revealed. A stedfast 
 faith is the constant recollection of those truths ; 
 and an earnest faith is a more perfect and abso- 
 lute assurance of them. These are all the dis- 
 L 3 
 
222 
 
 SERMON XVII. 
 
 tinctions, of which faith itself is capable ; those 
 feelings which ought to spring from faith, such 
 as hope, charity, obedience, are the fruits, indeed ; 
 but not the tree : and, as the tree may exist 
 without its fruit, so faith may, and often unhappily 
 does exist in a state of spiritual barrenness ; nay, 
 sometimes, the fruits, which it brings forth, are 
 such, as, indeed, edify our neighbours ; but — as 
 to our own salvation — are powerless altogether. 
 It is in this sense, that the apostle says, " If I had 
 all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and 
 have not charity, I am nothing.'* The next sen- 
 tence which follows is, if possible, still more 
 extraordinary. " Though I bestow all my goods 
 to feed the poor, and though I give my body to 
 be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me 
 nothing." 
 
 We have seen, already, two of the most com- 
 mon boasts of the Corinthian zealots, tlie speak- 
 ing with tongues, and the working of miracles, 
 declared to be useless without charity ; and there- 
 fore it follows, that they may be found without it. 
 Many, too, we may be sure would also boast of 
 the sacrifices which they had made ; of the for- 
 tunes, which they had given to the common funds 
 of the saints ; and of the perils, which they en- 
 countered by the confession of Christianity. These 
 too, St. Paul assures us, both almsdeeds, and 
 
QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 2*23 
 
 sufferings, and martyrdom, are useless to our 
 salvation, if our heart be all the while a stranger 
 to the flame of charity. 
 
 But here a very serious difficulty arises ; what 
 is charity, if this be not ? What stronger symp- 
 toms of love for God, and man, can there be than 
 such bounty in the relief of man ; such courage 
 and constancy in the service of God ? Who, 
 that did not love the poor, would give his fortune 
 for their nourishment ? Who, that did not love 
 God, would be burnt alive in His cause ? A little 
 attention, however, to the character of men, will 
 remove the objection; and open to our view a 
 strange and melancholy prospect of the incon- 
 sistencies of the human heart. 
 
 As this, however, would take up more time, 
 than we can spare at present ; and as there re- 
 mains much more in the present chapter which 
 will require explanation, I will defer its consider- 
 ation till the evening : when I shall hope, by 
 God's help, to give you sufficient directions to 
 distinguish between all pompous pretensions to 
 charity, and that true and godlike love which is 
 not confined to particular situations ; and does 
 not depend on the extent of the talents committed 
 to our charge ; which may be as truly felt, and as 
 effectually exercised, by the widow who gives her 
 mite ; or by the still poorer sufferer who can only 
 L 4 
 
224 
 
 SERMON XVII. 
 
 contribute liis prayers ; as by the wealthiest and 
 most powerful of the servants of God on earth. 
 
 In the mean time, a very important lesson may 
 be drawn, even from the unfinished argument 
 which has now been offered to you. It is, that a 
 man's outward actions derive all their value from 
 the motives which give them birth; from the 
 feelings of faith, of hope, and of love, which 
 prompt the apostle, in his missions ; the saint, in 
 his miracles ; the rich, in their almsgiving ; and 
 the martyr, in his sufferings. All these outward 
 actions have only a relative value : and, if we 
 wish either to imitate their splendour, or to par- 
 take of their blessings, we must first begin by 
 purifying our hearts by repentance, and strength- 
 ening our resolution by prayer. These are the 
 corner stones of the Temple of the Holy Ghost, 
 and where these do not exist. He will never dwell. 
 May they increase and abound more and more 
 in your hearts; and in his, who now addresses 
 you ! 
 
SERMON XVIII. 
 
 QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
 PART II. 
 
 1 Cor. xiii. 3. 
 
 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and 
 though I give my body to be burned, and have not cha- 
 rity, it projiteth me nothing. 
 
 In fulfilment of my promise, I now return to the 
 consideration of charity, or love, — for the meaning 
 of both is one, — under the several lights, by 
 which St, Paul enforces it on our thoughts and 
 practice. I have already explained to you, how 
 it was his intention to shew its pre-eminence, not 
 only over all other virtues, but over all the gifts 
 of the Holy Ghost, even when those gifts were 
 miraculous. None of those powers, he tells us, 
 for the possession of which the Corinthians were 
 so anxious, and in which they so much boasted 
 themselves ; — neither the faculty of speaking 
 with unknown tongues, a gift with which some 
 of the early Christians were favoured, and whicli 
 was considered as a special mark of the favour of 
 L 5 
 
226 
 
 SERMON XVIII. 
 
 the Most High, — nor the power, by faith, of 
 working miracles the most extraordinary, were of 
 any value to the salvation of their possessor, unless 
 they were sanctified, and rendered acceptable^ by 
 the united love of God and man^ 
 
 Assertions, these, of themselves not a little 
 appalling, since we can hardly conceive a wicked 
 man so favoured by the Almighty as to be pos- 
 sessed of miraculous powers. Yet if we consider 
 that such marvellous gifts were intrusted to the 
 preachers of Christianity, not for their own bene- 
 fit, but for the conversion of others ; that God 
 has, in every age of the world, been often pleased 
 to make use of wicked or worldly men as the 
 preachers of His truth, and the instruments of 
 His glory ; and that, among those first selected 
 by Christ, and endued by Him with the same 
 miraculous powers as the rest, we discover the 
 name of Judas, we must acknowledge, that the 
 faith, even of an apostle, may exist without neces- 
 sarily producing the fruits of love in our hearts ; 
 and that even an apostle may preach the word, 
 and raise the dead, and cast out devils, and yet, 
 while he is the means of salvation to others, be, 
 all the while, himself a castaway. It may, in- 
 deed, very greatly lessen our apparent inferiority 
 to the early ages of the Church, when we observe, 
 from the conduct of these Corinthians, that the 
 12 
 
QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 227 
 
 power of working miracles did not necessarily 
 exempt its possessors from the common failings of 
 mortality : and that, sometimes, the jealousy and 
 emulation, which such powers produced, were, in 
 themselves, the occasion of falling, 
 
 St. Paul, then, in the former verses of the pre- 
 sent chapter, had been correcting the Corinthians, 
 for laying so much stress on the miraculous gifts 
 which v^ere only the means of spreading Chris- 
 tianity, — to the neglect of that spirit of brotherly 
 love, which is, in truth, Christianity itself. He 
 now proceeds to two other sources of invidious 
 comparison among each other, namely, the extent 
 of their sufferings in the cause of Christ, and of 
 their contributions to their poorer brethren. 
 Many of the Corinthians had, doubtless, even 
 then, been persecuted for the Gospel ; many, too, 
 had given up a great part, or perhaps the whole 
 of their possessions, to the common funds of the 
 Gospel ; and their merits, as well as the super- 
 natural gifts, which we have just mentioned, were 
 made, as it should seem, a subject of loud and 
 angry emulation. 
 
 To check such unchristian tempers, the apostle 
 declares, that neither sacrifices of money, nor of 
 life itself, neither mercy the most unbounded to 
 the poor, nor martyrdom the most painful, in the 
 cause of Christ, could at all avail to save a soul ; 
 L 6 
 
228 
 
 SERMON XVIII. 
 
 unless it were warmed and consecrated by a real 
 and fervent Christianity. Here, however, a ma- 
 terial difficulty will arise. We cannot conceive 
 any stronger or more convincing proof of that 
 love, from which all our actions derive their 
 value in the sight of God, than is afforded in the 
 instances here given. Of the martyrs, indeed, 
 though their love should seem established by the 
 severest trial, — " greater love hath no man than 
 this, that a man should lay down his life for his 
 friend — yet, we find but in too many instances, 
 even of those who have given this greatest proof 
 of their devotion to God, that some have been 
 grievously wanting in a Christian love towards 
 their brethren. Many have died in God's cause, 
 w^hose lives have been strangely inconsistent with 
 their confession ; and some, who have themselves 
 undergone martyrdom, had themselves been guilty 
 of inflicting it on others. 
 
 But the instance of giving all our goods to the 
 poor, and being, at the same time, deficient in 
 charity, will not admit of so easy an explanation. 
 It is not, in the present instance, that lazy and 
 selfish bounty which flings its scanty alms to the 
 beggar in the street, not to relieve his want, but 
 to be rid of his importunity. It is not that cold 
 and customary contribution, which is exacted 
 from us by fashion ; or by the usual habits of our 
 
QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 229 
 
 rank and station. These might well be consi- 
 dered, as proceeding from sources very far in- 
 ferior to the principle of Christian love. But the 
 case here mentioned is one of great and uncom- 
 mon bounty, great and very seldom equalled 
 self-denial in the cause of humanity ; — self-denial 
 indeed, such as we must seek for, in the early 
 times of Christianity only. And if this be not 
 charity, what can be said to deserve the name ? 
 What better proof can be desired of inward bene- 
 volence, than that outward symptom, to which, 
 by the common experience of mankind, the name 
 itself of Charity is appropriated ? Such would be 
 the natural reflections of men ; nor is it the sen- 
 tence of men only, which will decide on the 
 purity of our inward feelings, by the excellence 
 of our outward and visible actions. So surely is 
 the tree made known by its fruits, that God Him- 
 self, the Searcher of hearts, decides by the same 
 infallible rule ; and the reasong given by Him, for 
 the acceptance of any one into His Kingdom are, 
 that he has clothed the naked, fed the hungry, 
 received the stranger, visited the sick and the 
 prisoner. I have given this objection in its 
 strongest colours ; because it really is a very 
 strong one, and because I consider it as very 
 unwise and very unnecessary to shrink from the 
 force of any objection which may be made to a 
 
230 
 
 SERMON XVIII. 
 
 text in Scripture. The explanation, however, 
 will be found in the inconsistency, not of the 
 Sacred Writings, but of the human nature which 
 they describe ; and its difiiculty will be easily 
 removed, if we consider, that the magnificent 
 acts of bounty, of which the Corinthians were 
 vain, were of the nature of public donations. They 
 were collections for the use of the poor Christians 
 in Judaea, at that time suffering by famine ; which 
 were made, as appears by the different epistles of 
 St. Paul, in all the Churches of Greece and Asia, 
 but in which the Corinthians, as being a very 
 wealthy and a very liberal community, appear to 
 have taken the lead. 
 
 Now, it may be allowed as a fact, which is 
 established not only by our common experience, 
 but by the words of God Himself, that a steady 
 and persevering devotion of our thoughts, our 
 time, and our property, to the relief of the poor, 
 must either find a man really charitable, or will, 
 by degrees, make him so. But with such splen- 
 did and conspicuous acts of bounty, as those 
 which I have mentioned, the case is somewhat 
 different. 
 
 Such is the weakness of man, and so much 
 greater is his unwillingness to persevere, than to 
 begin, in well doing, that consistency is, I fear, 
 the most rare, as it certainly is, the most valuable, 
 
QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY, 231 
 
 of our mental habits. Singular as it may seem, 
 it is not at rare and splendid sacrifices that human 
 resolution stumbles. In them we have the ap- 
 plause, or, at least, the wonder of the world, to 
 support us : and the knowledge, that the effort 
 will be a short one, gives us, of itself, a greater 
 courage to attempt it, and a greater energy to 
 succeed in it. We all of us may have felt that, 
 in collecting our strength for a single leap or a 
 single blow, we not only felt a spirit, which car- 
 ried us further ; but a real power of doing more, 
 than we should have had, if we looked forward 
 to repeating the same act frequently. Nor, in 
 the common intercourse of life, are the cases said 
 to be rare, when persons who are covetous and 
 mean in the little actions of every day, are not 
 incapable of very splendid bounty on particular 
 occasions ; and when such occasions are likely to 
 occur but seldom : — who subscribe liberally to 
 public institutions, whilst they harden their hearts 
 against the beggar at their door, or the widow 
 in their neighbourhood; and who would find it 
 easier to give up at once, and to the management 
 of others, a far greater sum, than that which they 
 bestow on the poor, now that they have the 
 trouble, and the self denial, of themselves distri- 
 buting it. To pour out their talent, at once, and 
 in one full stream of bounty, is a trial in which 
 
232 
 
 SERMON XVIII. 
 
 they would not be found wanting ; but it goes 
 to their very soul to part with it drop by drop. 
 
 And as it is evident that such men as these 
 can lay no claim to the character of being steadily 
 and consistently charitable, so it is also evident 
 that it might be very possible to give in this 
 manner, large sums to the poor, without ever 
 kindling in our own hearts that lively interest 
 in their wants and distresses, that power of re- 
 joicing in their joy, and of grieving with their 
 grief, which can only arise from long continued 
 familiarity with their sufferings, their hopes, and 
 their fears. I do not mean to undervalue public 
 charities, God forbid ! far less is it my intention 
 to discourage their provident mercy, who lay up, 
 at the beginning of every year, a certain propor- 
 tion of their income to be separated, and hallowed, 
 to the use of the poor. But I do mean to say, 
 that unless we give up some share of our time, 
 as well as of our riches, to the service of our 
 brethren; unless we are ourselves the stewards 
 and dispensers of our own alms, we cannot pro- 
 duce, in an equal degree, those feelings of the 
 heart, from which alone all almsgiving derives its 
 value in the sight of God. 
 
 Nor is this all, while we are employed every 
 day in doing good, however small the individual 
 actions may be, yet habits of mildness and affec- 
 
QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
 
 233 
 
 tion will be produced, not only to the objects 
 of our benevolence, but to all the world besides. 
 This course of little attentions has a natural 
 tendency to soften the heart; to tame its preju- 
 dices, and passions; and to teach us to fling 
 away, like the good Samaritan, all remembrance 
 of party, or bigotry; and to imitate, in the wide 
 circle of our affections, the mercies of our great 
 Creator. It is otherwise with him, who only 
 subscribes liberally to institutions managed by 
 others. The effect which such acts of munifi- 
 cence produce on the mind, is love for ourselves, 
 rather than sympathy for other men ; and it is 
 very possible that, notwithstanding such occa- 
 sional displays of bounty, our passions may remain 
 unchastened, our tempers may be unsoftened, 
 and that the general course of our lives may be 
 austere and haughty and unforgiving. — This has 
 been remarkably proved in many famous zealots 
 among the friars of the Romish Church, who 
 have exhibited a strange and lamentable contrast 
 of unbounded liberality and contempt of wealth, 
 on the one hand, with a fierce and bloody resent- 
 ment, on the other, against all who differed from 
 them in opinion. Many of those wicked perse- 
 cutors, whose cruelties are related in the large 
 book, which is kept at the east end of this church, 
 had given up ample fortunes, and reduced them- 
 
234 
 
 SERMON XVIII. 
 
 selves to a voluntary poverty, for some religious 
 or charitable purpose ; and yet these very men, 
 who gave their goods to feed the poor, did not 
 hesitate to kill and burn and torture, in the most 
 cruel manner, their more faithful and enlightened 
 brethren. 
 
 Of the same spirit with these, and, perhaps, 
 only differing in their want of power, were the 
 almsgiving zealots of Corinth. They, too, might 
 boast the sacrifices which they made for the poor ; 
 but they too were uncharitable in their opinions, 
 wrathful in their language, and turning the 
 graces of God, and their own good deeds, into 
 occasions of envy, of wrath, and of pride. — It 
 appears, then, that, though a habit of mercy 
 long continued and steadily persevered in, be 
 indeed inseparable from real charity, yet there 
 may be singular and remarkable instances of 
 bounty, in which the heart of the giver is very 
 little concerned ; and by which his general habits 
 of thinking and acting are not at all affected. 
 Not that such instances are not in themselves 
 commendable ; — not that they are not in many 
 cases necessary symptoms of charity; in which 
 he, who is deficient, can hardly, with truth, lay 
 claim to any real love for mankind. Nor must 
 it be for a moment fancied, that we are not called 
 upon, by every tie which binds a follower of 
 
QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
 
 235 
 
 Christ, to do all the good in our power to all men, 
 and under all circumstances whatever. We must 
 no more neglect public charities under pretence 
 of private ones, than excuse ourselves from 
 private acts of mercy, by the blaze and dazzle of 
 an occasional public subscription. But we must 
 remember, for it is a point in which our salvation 
 is concerned, we must, I says remember, that it 
 is our general good habits, not our single good 
 action, which must approve us faithful in the 
 sight of God ; and that neither public almsgiving, 
 nor almsgiving itself, is the whole, though it be in 
 truth the most considerable part, of the grace of 
 charity. 
 
 But charity, continues the apostle, specifying, 
 at the same time, other and equally necessary 
 marks of brotherly love, charity is not alone shewn 
 in our bounties, though without such bounty there 
 can be no true charity. We must not flatter 
 ourselves, by alms-deeds alone to fulfil this obli- 
 gation, if we neglect the other graces of tem- 
 per, and of behaviour, which a real love produces. 
 To suffer long, to be kinds to envy not, not to 
 vaunt ourselves, not to be proud, not to behave 
 unseemly, not to be easily provoked, to think no 
 evil, not to rejoice in the faults of an enemy, but 
 to rejoice in his virtues, to bear, to believe, to 
 hope, and to endure whatever may promote the 
 
236 
 
 SERMON XVIII. 
 
 happiness, or the salvation, of a fellow creature ; — 
 these are no less necessary marks of charity : and 
 wherever these are not found, no real love, we 
 may be sure, can dwell. To enlarge on these at 
 present, the time would hardly serve ; but I 
 cannot dismiss you without again recalling to 
 your memory, what was laid down in the early 
 part of my discourse, — that the surest, and 
 indeed the only, way to produce in our heart both 
 these, and every other lovely sentiment, is by 
 active and persevering and condescending acts of 
 mercy ; by seizing on every opportunity of doing 
 all the good in our power ; and by giving up our 
 time and attention, our comfort, and counsel, as 
 well as our money, to the relief and assistance of 
 the poor. 
 
 Nor is this the only lesson, which I would wish 
 to imprint on your minds. Who is there who, 
 on reading the present chapter, can avoid reflect- 
 ing on the great importance of consistency in our 
 conduct both towards God and man ? If the 
 martyr, who gave his body to be burned, were not 
 accepted unless to his faith in God, he united for- 
 giveness and affection to mankind ; if the Corin- 
 thian, who gave all he had to the poor, w^re not 
 accounted charitable, when his zeal was embittered 
 by bigotry, or his heart clouded with pride ; how 
 unreasonable is it to expect that Heaven, (which 
 
QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
 
 237 
 
 is only promised to the perfect,) by any favour- 
 able balance of our good against our evil qualities, 
 or by the practice of part of our duty, while we 
 neglect the remainder of it ? 
 
 I will go yet further — how necessary is it, im- 
 perfect as our best services both are and ever must 
 be, how necessary is it, I say, to place our confi- 
 dence of safety and our hopes of Heaven, not on 
 our own belief, our own knowledge, or our own 
 practice, but on the merits and mercies alone of 
 our Lord Jesus Christ ! 
 
SERMON XIX. 
 
 FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 1 Cor. XV. 22. 
 
 As in Adam all die^ even so in Christ shall all be made 
 alive. 
 
 Our Holy Church, to make us sensible of the 
 natural wants of man, and of the benefits which 
 he receives through Christ; and by these con- 
 siderations to predispose our hearts to that sorrow 
 for sin, which should distinguish Lent, and that 
 thankfulness for mercy and salvation, with which 
 Easter ought to be celebrated, — for these reasons, 
 as I apprehend, — begins at this time of year her 
 course of lessons taken from the Scriptures. You 
 heard very lately read to you the creation of the 
 human race and their miserable fall; and are 
 prepared by the obscure prophecy of the seed of a 
 woman, w^ho should bruise the serpent's head, to 
 expect, that you are speedily to celebrate the 
 hard battle and glorious triumph of Jesus the Son 
 of Mary, who is also in the Scripture distin- 
 
FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 239 
 
 guished by the name of the second Adam.^ In 
 these words of the Apostle we have, in a very short 
 compass, the general principles of the Christian 
 religion; which may be said to depend, almost 
 entirely, on original sin and imputed righteous- 
 ness; — for, as Adam was to all mankind, the 
 author of a mortal life on earth, so was Jesus 
 Christ the author of resurrection from the dead, 
 and of life eternal, in the world to come. 
 
 As, in order to feel and know the value of our 
 cure, it is necessary to comprehend the extent of 
 our former disease, I shall treat to-day of Adam's 
 history, and endeavour to show you, how justly 
 and how mercifully God has dealt with him and 
 his descendants ; and what cause we have for thank- 
 fulness and holy fear, lest we should be found 
 ungrateful despisers of the great salvation which 
 has been offered to us. 
 
 It was, in the first place, very necessary and 
 very worthy of the wisdom of God, that all man- 
 kind should proceed from one common parent ; 
 that, springing from one blood, and having in 
 common the same hope and interest, they might 
 consider each other in the light, and with the 
 affection, of brethren. It is no objection to say, 
 that the wickedness of mankind has, in part, ren- 
 dered this object vain ; — it is still greatly answered 
 
 ^ Verse 45. 
 
240 
 
 SERMON XIX, 
 
 by that voice of nature which can never be en- 
 tirely extinguished ; and, without which, society 
 would itself be a den of lions. We know, by very 
 instinct, the force of a common descent; and we 
 know, that the cruelties practised against the unfor- 
 tunate negroes, were increased, and attempted to 
 be justified, under the false and impious notion 
 that they were of another and inferior race of 
 men. Against such doctrines as these, in the very 
 first act of creation, God expressly guarded. 
 
 With equal wisdom was Adam first formed as 
 a witness to the creation of Eve; and a part of his 
 own body was chosen for this purpose, both to 
 prove to her the power of that God who could 
 make all things from nothing ; and that he might 
 know and feel her kindred nature ; and that she 
 was of the same materials with himself. And to 
 increase this feeling of affection, he was made, we 
 find, to experience the want of a companion ; and 
 kept for some time in loneliness ; that he might 
 know how necessary they were to each other ; and 
 might cherish and love more tenderly the help- 
 mate, which he had so much desired. 
 
 And, though the simplicity of this early history 
 of tlie woi'ld, the rude and helpless state in which 
 its first inhabitants appear, has been made by some 
 an objection to its probability; yet, if fairly 
 examined, we shall find it most worthy of the 
 8 
 
FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 241 
 
 wisdom of God, and of His love for the human 
 race. It would have been as easy for Him to have 
 filled the world, at once, with a civilized and 
 learned population ; and to have given them, from 
 their very creation, all the arts and sciences, which 
 bring comfort to the present state of society. But 
 the whole regular course of His dispensations 
 would have thus been overturned, which ordained 
 that man should acquire power and experience 
 together ; and that, under the guidance of Provi- 
 dence, every improvement should be effected by 
 the development of his own energies. Supposing 
 that a child possessed, at first, the strength, and 
 growth, and inclinations of a man ; what else 
 could be expected, than, that without experience 
 to direct those powers, he should turn them to the 
 destruction of others and of himself? Such would 
 have been the situation of mankind, if thrown at 
 once, without the experience arising from gradual 
 improvement, into the powers and temptations of 
 civilized society. But now they were as infants 
 in God's hand : their language was gradually 
 taught by Him ; by Him their hands were in- 
 structed ; and, till they should be able to use their 
 knowledge, or to struggle with difficulty, they 
 were laid, in ignorance and plenty, on the warm 
 lap of Paradise. 
 
 VOL. L M 
 
242 
 
 SERMON XIX, 
 
 It is for this reason God takes them from the 
 common chances and dangers incident to their 
 state ; and places them in one favoured garden, 
 adorned, we are told, with all delightful plants, 
 and all that were desirable for food : where, with 
 little labour, and no care or sorrow, they pass 
 their happy days, conversing with God continually, 
 and walking evermore in the light of His counte- 
 nance. And that no fear or sickness might 
 approach this happy spot, the tree of Life was 
 planted in the midst; a tree to which God had 
 given the power of healing all diseases, and of 
 preserving life ; or which, to speak more properly, 
 was the Sacrament and outward sign of the spi- 
 ritual grace, which preserved the man from sick- 
 ness and from death. 
 
 For this preservation from death, I must here 
 observe, was merely the effect of the free grace of 
 the Almighty ; which preserved, by a never ceasing 
 miracle, the bodily powers of man from decaying, 
 and from weakness, and hoary hair, and trembling ; 
 and which hindered death from attacking his 
 frame, and weighing it down to the dust. For 
 man was not naturally immortal ; nor was his body 
 stronger than oak, or iron, or marble ; all of 
 which decay, and crumble into dust, by time. 
 And though our souls do not necessarily perish 
 
FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 243 
 
 with the body ; yet is that soul supported in life 
 and existence, by the free and uncontrolled mercy 
 of God alone. 
 
 Immortality, then, — above all, a happy immor- 
 tality — was to Adam the free and undeserved gift 
 of God : and God might justly lay what commands 
 on him He judged necessary ; since all which he 
 could do was far inferior, — was a mere nothing, — 
 in comparison with the benefits which he had 
 received from his Maker, What then were the 
 commands, what the covenant and conditions, on 
 which God promised to man eternal life and eter- 
 nal happiness ? The condition was simply one ; 
 so easy, too, that nothing could be devised more 
 lenient or merciful. In the garden, and close by 
 the tree of Life, was one goodly tree ; and, as God 
 himself told them, of rare and wonderful virtues ; 
 which^ however, was never to be tasted, touched, 
 or handled ; on pain of losing all that the Almighty 
 had given, and all that He promised, of being 
 shut out for ever from that happy garden, and of 
 toiling on the earth a painful and laborious life, 
 till, like the ox or the ass, they went down, with- 
 out hope, or comfort, to the grave. AU this was 
 entirely consistent with Ahiiighty wisdom and 
 goodness : for no means so fit could be found, for 
 keeping in check the evil desires of the heart, as 
 one single trial always before their ey^s ; wljich 
 M 2 
 
244 
 
 SERMON XIX. 
 
 might practise them every day in obedience to 
 their Maker, and in denying themselves, and 
 their unruly wishes. All other temptations were 
 removed; but this one easy trial was purposely 
 left in the way. It served always to remind them, 
 that the garden was not their's, but God's ; that 
 it was His mercy, which allowed them to be there 
 at all ; and that He might exclude them from all 
 the trees, as well as from the one. And by prac« 
 tising them in daily self-denial and obedience, it 
 served to weaken all fleshly lusts ; to wean them 
 from those wants, and wishes, which cling to the 
 body; and to make them more fit, in God's good 
 time, to be removed by Him to Heaven ; and to 
 pass there an eternity of praise and glory, with 
 their elder brethren, the angels. 
 
 For most learned men are of opinion that this 
 may be, without rashness, conjectured to be the 
 end for which God had mercifully destined man ; 
 — to fill up, in Heaven, the room of those mi- 
 serable angels, who, with Satan at their head, had 
 been driven from the seats of happiness. And, 
 for this reason, they observe, was the Devil so 
 envious of man ; and sought, under the disguise 
 of a serpent, to mar the work of the Creator ; and 
 to provoke Him to destroy the creature whom He 
 was about to raise from dust to glory. 
 
 Man, according to this opinion, was placed on 
 
FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 245 
 
 earth to be educated for Heaven; to be fitted 
 here, by light and easy trials of his faith and 
 obedience, for that blessed company of faithful 
 and obedient spirits, who see the face of God, 
 and rejoice to yield Him honour and worship. 
 Human folly, however, or, to speak more truly, 
 human disobedience and want of faith, deprived 
 him of this glorious hope. For we may observe, 
 it was his faith in God, which the Devil sought 
 first — to undermine. " Ye shall not surely die," 
 were his words to the woman. He wished to 
 persuade her, that God had told a falsehood ; and 
 had, from selfish motives, desired to keep know- 
 ledge to Himself alone. Thus did our first pa- 
 rents, by hearkening to him, express their willing- 
 ness to believe any one sooner than God ! What 
 madness was this, and what wickedness ! Not to 
 remain content with what God had given ; but to 
 grasp at the whole ; to desire to be Gods ; to be 
 equal with their Maker ; and to snatch from Him 
 that power which He had used towards them so 
 kindly. 
 
 It was gluttony ; for the tree was good to look 
 upon ; and they thought, on the testimony of the 
 Devil, that it was good for food. It was pride ; 
 — rfor they would no longer be subjects; but 
 longed to be equal with their Maker. It was 
 robbery and sacrilege ; for the tree was not theirs, 
 M 3 
 
246 
 
 SERMON XIX. 
 
 but God's ; the only portion of the world which 
 He had reserved, and sanctified for Himself. All 
 else, besides this one thing, He had given to them : 
 and this one tree they envied Him. What a 
 number of commandments here are broken ; how 
 many vicious principles set at work in the soul, by 
 the slight temptation of an apple ! Well might 
 they tremble, and hide themselves, when their 
 eyes were opened ; when they awoke to the know- 
 ledge of God's wrath ; when they found them- 
 selves naked mortal creatures, — stripped of that 
 righteousness with which God had clothed them 
 as with a garment, that Holy Spirit which was 
 now departed for ever ! 
 
 For what help was there, if their death were a 
 little while deferred? — yet were they to leave this 
 Paradise, to lose all grace and comfort of the Al- 
 mighty, and to feed on the fruits of hard and 
 bitter labour ; till hoary hairs, or disease, or those 
 calamities, which sin was about to bring on the 
 world, should weigh them down to the dust from 
 which they sprung. What was now that high 
 prerogative of rule over the animals, that force 
 and wisdom which were able to tame the strongest; 
 what that rational soul, the last remains of God's 
 image, and that knowledge, that fatal knowledge, 
 which they bought so dearly, — without the bless- 
 ing and protection of God? What, but so many 
 
FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 247 
 
 means of sinning more grievously, and of making 
 themselves and their neighbours more splendidly 
 unhappy, than the brutes which perish? It has 
 been well said by the ancients, that man without 
 the fear of God, as he is the most crafty and 
 powerful, so is he the most dangerous and cruel 
 of all wild beasts. 
 
 And, to all this sin and wickedness, add all the 
 miseries to which our nature is liable ; and take 
 away the hope of a better life, and a directing 
 Providence ; and you will conceive the wretched 
 state to which Adam had reduced mankind. Ter- 
 rible triumph of death and Satan : — bitter ravage 
 among the noblest works of God ! How has one 
 moment defeated all the merciful intentions of 
 Heaven, and humbled millions of glorious im- 
 mortal creatures, to a situation worse and more 
 miserable than that of their servants, the beasts of 
 the field ! Who shall stand in the gap, or stay 
 the anger of an offended God ? What sacrifice 
 for sin shall satisfy the debt, which human nature 
 has incurred ; and deliver those from death whom 
 the aweful word of God had sentenced ? To men 
 this had been impossible ; but all things are pos- 
 sible with God and with His Son. Though the 
 word had gone forth ; and by that word we needs 
 must die; yet was the Son of God enabled to 
 preserve our souls from destruction ; and raise in 
 M 4 
 
248 
 
 SERMON XIX. 
 
 time our bodies again from the grave ; when all, 
 who follow His steps on earth, and trust in His 
 name for entrance into Heaven, shall live and 
 reign with Him to all eternity. 
 
 This second covenant is called the covenant of 
 grace ; in which word, however some may use it, 
 there is no mysterious meaning ; it only signifies 
 a free gift, or what we express by the name of fa- 
 vour^ which we indeed receive most largely by the 
 merits and mediation of our Blessed Saviour. 
 For, besides, that it was an act of free grace to a 
 fallen world, the privileges, enjoyed by us, are far 
 greater than even those of Paradise. By the first 
 a single transgression incurred the pain of death ; 
 — " do this," was its language, " be obedient and 
 live for ever; but be wary, — for a single breach 
 of duty, a single offence, has death for its punish- 
 ment; death without hope, or remission." But 
 Jesus Christ, on the other hand, assures the pe- 
 nitent of forgiveness ; and to enable us to keep 
 His righteous and easy laws. He gives us His 
 Holy Spirit, His example, and His prayers, inter- 
 ceding for our pardon at the throne of the Father. 
 
 When such are the privileges of the Gospel, 
 how, as St. Paul observes, how shall we escape, if 
 we neglect so great salvation ? God forbid, that 
 I should conceal, that there are terrors, as well as 
 comforts, in the resurrection thus purchased by 
 
FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 249 
 
 the blood of Christ. If the single act of disobe- 
 dience were punished by certain death; what 
 must be their punishment, for whom Christ's 
 blood is shed in vain ; who despise His example, 
 and His doctrines; and flatter themselves, that, 
 by an outward reverence, or no reverence at all, 
 so they do but sometimes think highly of His 
 merits and sacrifice, they shall accompany Him 
 into the most Holy place of God? For such, 
 there is appointed a place of darkness, of weep- 
 ing, and of gnashing of teeth. Though all are 
 raised, good and bad, and the victory of our 
 Lord is complete ; though he receives the king- 
 dom over death and hell, yet are those His enemies 
 — who would not, that He should reign over 
 them, who would not obey Him, or follow His 
 laws, yet are they — condemned to a second and 
 more grievous death. 
 
 Think what we will, believe what we may, 
 nothing unclean or impenitent can enter into the 
 kingdom of God. " Without," saith the Spirit, 
 " without, are dogs, and sorcerers, and whore- 
 mongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and what- 
 soever loveth, or maketh, a lie."^ 
 
 Judge, then, yourselves, brethren, that ye be 
 not judged of the Lord, Repent you truly of 
 your sins past ; and call on Christ for pardon and 
 
 1 Rev. xxii. 15. 
 M 5 
 
•250 
 
 SERMON XIX. 
 
 for grace to amend your lives. For rememberj 
 without a sincere amendment, His pardon cannot 
 be pleaded. The gifts of God must not be used 
 in idleness. The garden itself of Eden was to be 
 tilled ; and though our salvation, through Christ, 
 is a free and unbought favour, those only, who 
 sow in righteousness, can expect to reap in mercy* 
 
SERMON XX. 
 
 SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 St. Matthew, xv. 28. 
 
 O woman, great is thy faith : he it unto thee even as 
 thou wilt. 
 
 In reading or hearing the history, from whence 
 these words are taken, and which the Churcli 
 has chosen for this morning's Gospel, it is pro- 
 bable, and indeed only natural, that many of you 
 should be surprised, not only at the deep faith 
 and interesting humility of this poor Canaanitish 
 woman; but, also, at the unusual and remark- 
 able sternness assumed on this occasion by our 
 Lord; His outward indifference to her distress 
 and cries ; and, above all, the sharp and scornful 
 answers, which He returned to her humble en- 
 treaties. These difficulties I will now endeavour 
 to explain. 
 
 First, then, we may be sure that Christ was, 
 from the first, desirous to relieve her ; we know, 
 for we know how much He loved mankind, that 
 M 6 
 
252 
 
 SERMON XX. 
 
 He could not be indifferent to the tears of any 
 one of those millions, whom He was born to heal 
 and instruct ; and whom He died in torture to 
 redeem. We may be sure, that this seeming 
 coldness w^as intended to produce some advan- 
 tage to His petitioner herself, or to His hearers : 
 and that He, who was Wisdom and Love, had 
 none of His actions insignificant or uninstructive. 
 More particularly, we may be convinced, that 
 those parts of His history, which the Holy Spirit 
 has thought fit to reveal in Scripture, contain in 
 themselves some meaning of consequence, some 
 valuable lesson, which may confirm or improve 
 the faith and practice of every Christian. 
 
 And we may find, in the answer of our Lord 
 Himself, some guide to this hidden meaning ; 
 when He says, " I am not sent, save to the lost 
 sheep of the House of Israel." That the Jew^s 
 might have not even the smallest shadow of 
 occasion of murmuring against Providence, or 
 of envy against the Gentiles, the offer of the 
 Gospel was first made to them. The seventy 
 disciples were commanded to preach to their 
 own countrymen only ; and, except in the casual 
 instance of the woman of Samaria, our Lord 
 confined His doctrine, and in a great measure 
 His miracles, to the Jews only. Not, however, 
 that the benefits of the Gospel were to stop with 
 12 
 
SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 253 
 
 them ; — not that the day-spring from on high 
 was to shine on Jerusalem only; but that the 
 ministers of the circumcision, the holy nation, 
 whom God had chosen to put His name among 
 them, were to be the teachers of this new faith 
 to all the world, and the countrymen, and the 
 earthly friends, of the long expected Saviour. 
 
 It was, therefore, for the sake of all the worldj 
 that the Jews were first to be grounded in the 
 faith; and that they, to whose care the ancient 
 prophecies were given, should first bear witness 
 to their fulfilment. Accordingly, though the 
 chief men of the nation rejected Christ; yet the 
 apostles and first teachers of Christianity were 
 all chosen from among the Jews ; and were sent 
 out as most properly qualified to teach to every 
 nation the whole system of that religion, of the 
 course of which, from the beginning of the world, 
 their forefathers had pi'eserved the testimony ; 
 and the complete fulfilment of which they them- 
 selves had seen, and heard, and handled, in the 
 birth, the preaching, the death, and resurrection 
 of the Messiah, 
 
 The Jews, however, — even those who believed 
 in Christ as the apostles did, — were very slow in 
 receiving, or understanding, this sort of privi- 
 lege; and were too apt, for many years, even 
 after Christ's death, and after St. Paul's preaching. 
 
254 
 
 SERMON XX. 
 
 to consider all nations, but their own, as unclean 
 and unholy. We know with what unwillingness 
 they were weaned from the law of Moses ; that 
 even St. Peter required a particular revelation of 
 the Divine will, to induce him to baptize the 
 Roman Cornelius: and that this same great 
 apostle was afterwards led to dissemble, and 
 withdraw himself, for a ^ time, from the commu- 
 nion of the Gentile Christians ; and it was, I 
 apprehend, in consideration of this weakness of 
 His Jewish disciples, that our Lord conceals, at 
 first. His gracious intentions in favour of the 
 Canaanitish woman. He lends Himself, we find, 
 to their prejudices ; He draws out, by neglect 
 and harsh answers, her tears and her sufferings; 
 till the disciples themselves were moved; and 
 He allows even a disciple to plead for her in 
 vain ; till the display of this poor heathen's humi- 
 lity was complete and triumphant ; and till every 
 Jew around was forced to confess that, heathen 
 as she was, her faith might shame that of many 
 an Israelite. 
 
 These Canaanites, it must be observed, w^ere 
 descendants of that wicked nation, which God 
 had, some thousand years before, given up to 
 destruction; with whom the tribes of Israel 
 were ^to have no league, no peace, no communi- 
 cation or connexion in marriage or friendship ; 
 
SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT. 255 
 
 who were to be rooted out before their face, or 
 were to remain, — such of them as did remain, — 
 as thorns in the side, and snares in the path, of 
 the chosen people, to prove by temptation their 
 faith in the promises of God, and their steadi- 
 ness in the true religion. Of this remnant of 
 idolaters, this accursed nation as they were gene- 
 rally called, was the wolfnan who now addressed 
 our Lord. And though, by her addressing him 
 as " Lord, thou Son of David," it should seem, 
 that she had better notions of religion, than most 
 of the Gentiles ; yet, if Jesus had at once con- 
 sented to work a miracle, in behalf of one, whose 
 nation was held accursed in the law of Moses, it 
 is probable, that, both the Jewish nation, and His 
 own disciples, would have accused Him of in- 
 consistent conduct, and of a disregard to the 
 privileges and blessings bestowed by the Al- 
 mighty on the house of Jacob. He, therefore, 
 knowing the heart, replies in the language which 
 they themselves would have used: "I am not 
 sent, but to the lost sheep of the House of 
 Israel." 
 
 It is probable, that, in this distinction paid to 
 their nation, all His hearers agreed ; and praised, 
 in their own proud heart, the wisdom, which 
 divided the chosen people from those who were 
 common and unclean. Even when the hard 
 
256 
 
 SERMON XX. 
 
 hearts of the Israehtes were a httle softened by 
 the woman's persevering entreaties, how cold, 
 how haughty is their intercession in her favour ! 
 — It is not, " Lord, thou seest her sorrows ; shut 
 not Thine ears to her prayer : " but it is for 
 their own sake, not for hers, they ask a miracle ; 
 it is not to comfort the mourner they are anxious ; 
 but to relieve themselves from her troublesome 
 importunity : ~ ^' Send her away ; for she crieth 
 after us." — But our Saviour would not yet send 
 her away. He designed to instruct His disciples, 
 as w^ell as to relieve His petitioner; and per- 
 ceiving, from their manner of asking His mercy, 
 that their hearts were still full of prejudice; He 
 lends Himself yet a httle to their way of thinking, 
 and replies with a seeming unkindness, even 
 beyond their own : — "It is not meet to take the 
 children's bread, and to give it to the dogs." 
 Alas ! is this the promised Saviour, this the 
 wisest and most merciful of all beings? Can He 
 behold, without compassion, a miserable woman, 
 broken-hearted with the sufferings of a beloved 
 child, embracing His knees, and imploring, with 
 strong crying and tears, the help of Him who 
 only was able to save ; and is her prayer to be 
 not only denied, but insulted ? — Such, we may 
 be sure, were the thoughts of the Israelites who 
 stood by ; and such too were the thoughts which 
 
SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 257 
 
 our Saviour, by this seeming cruelty to the 
 miserable object before them, intended to excite 
 in their minds. For the pain, which they felt 
 from witnessing her sufferings, must have made 
 them confess and feel, what our Saviour had 
 often taught them ; that, whatever the difference 
 of language, or laws, or religion, whoever wanted 
 their help was their neighbour. But when they 
 heard her wise, her humble, her heroic answer, 
 when, not caring for the scorn cast on her nation, 
 she still pursues the recovery of her daughter's 
 reason; still bends before Him, who chastened 
 her ; and in whom she yet trusted, that He 
 would deliver her ; and when she stoops so low 
 as to beg for crumbs from the table of infinite 
 mercy, there is no doubt, that every one was led 
 to feel, that she had well earned a miracle ; and 
 to cry out with our Lord, " O woman, great is thy 
 faith ! be it unto thee, even as thou wilt ! " 
 
 The first lesson, then, which our Lord thus 
 practically taught to His disciples, was the same 
 as that contained in the parable of the Good 
 Samaritan, the lesson of universal good-will. And, 
 secondly, it taught them, that if they themselves 
 had pitied this woman's sufferings, if they them- 
 selves had interceded with their master in behalf 
 of a Canaanite afflicted with a devil, then with 
 how ill a grace could they oppose the preaching 
 
258 
 
 SERMON XX. 
 
 of the Gospel to the Heathen, and thus discover- 
 ing to whole nations, suffering under Satan's 
 power, those divine truths, which would give them 
 strength to shake off his intolerable burthen ; to 
 break his bonds asunder ; and cast away his cords 
 from them. And, in the present instance, the 
 triumphant faith of a heathen was a full and cer- 
 tain proof that among those condemned and 
 ignorant nations, there were some who were not 
 unworthy vessels to receive the grace of God ; 
 some, who from the north and the south, and 
 from countries the most savage and the most 
 remote, should come at the last day, and sit down, 
 in the Kingdom of God, with Abraham, with 
 Isaac, and with Jacob. 
 
 Another instruction to be drawn from this 
 affecting history, and which concerned, not only 
 the apostles, and their countrymen, in that day, 
 but us, and all the world, is what is best expressed 
 in the words of Scripture, " that men ought 
 always to pray, and not to faint." ^ We must not 
 grow slack in our prayers, because we are not 
 immediately heard; nor imagine, that God has 
 abandoned us, because, for some wise reason, He 
 bear long with our entreaties. We see in this 
 history, as well as in the parable of the door, the 
 sleeping friend, and the unjust judge, — we see, 
 
 1 St. Luke, xviii. J . 
 
SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 259 
 
 how those, whom He had determined to deliver, 
 He still allows to ask ; and to ask, for some time, 
 in vain : He still repels their entreaties with out- 
 ward coldness ; and seems, at times, to hide His 
 face, even from those whom He loves most tenderly. 
 But, we also find, that these trials of their faith 
 and patience are not mere idle or capricious ex- 
 periments, — how far that patience, and that faith, 
 will extend. This He knows already ; and need 
 not be informed of further : for He knows the 
 hearts of men ; and it is not, my friends, be very 
 well persuaded, it is not out of curiosity He tries 
 them ; but out of kindness. If this Canaanite had 
 received, at first, a gracious answer, an aweful 
 lesson would have been lost to the disciples ; and 
 the woman herself would have wanted that reward, 
 which her patience, thus exercised, might claim ; 
 that renown, which has spread her story through 
 every nation, where this Gospel is preached ; and 
 that praise, which her faith received from the lips 
 of her Almighty Redeemer. 
 
 And so it is, and for such reasons, that God 
 afflicts and tries the faith of Christians ; for not 
 only are faith and goodness strengthened and im- 
 proved by frequent combats with sin, or with 
 difficulty ; not only are we all made more perfect 
 by such exercises ; even as the soldier, experienced 
 in war, is superior to an unpractised recruit ; but 
 
260 
 
 SERMON XX. 
 
 our faith and virtue, thus displayed, are an exam- 
 ple and instruction to other men ; and the trials 
 by which we are strengthened, are patterns of 
 improvement to our neighbours. 
 
 Whatever blessings, then, you implore from the 
 Throne of mercy, or from whatever evils you de- 
 sire to be delivered, remember to pray, as earnestly, 
 and as patiently, and as humbly, as this poor 
 Canaanite. Though God should seem to hide 
 his face, yet, be not daunted ; yet faint not under 
 sorrow ; but as Christ himself did, — in your 
 agony, pray more earnestly. Though He suffer 
 you long to entreat in vain, remember still, that 
 he is faithful, who hath promised — that " he, that 
 shall endure unto the end, the same shall be 
 saved." ^ And, above all, remember, that, if you 
 stop, you are undone ! Your prayers are not yet 
 granted; but, if you cease to pray, they never 
 will be granted. If the Canaanitish woman had 
 gone away in despair at the first or second refusal, 
 what would have become of her daughter ? And 
 are the favours, for which a Christian ought to 
 ask, so light and trifling, as not to be worth a 
 little perseverance, a little patient abiding in 
 prayer ? Is not heaven, at least, worth our re- 
 peated entreaty ? or shall we not ask, as long, and 
 as patiently, as this poor heathen did, — to be 
 
 1 St. Matt. xxiv. 13. 
 
SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 261 
 
 freed ourselves, our children, and families, from 
 the power and punishment of devils ? Oh, by all 
 your hopes and fears, be not so soon weary of the 
 means of Salvation afforded you ! Abandon not 
 rashly that everlasting chain of prayer, which 
 joins the soul to its Maker ; that meditation of 
 Divine things, by which, as by Jacob's visionary 
 ladder, our spirits even now climb up to God ; 
 and by which, ere long, we may, by the grace of 
 Jesus Christ, enter into the presence of our Lord ; 
 and hear from the lips of wisdom, that praise, to 
 which all earthly fame is folly, — " Great is thy 
 faith ! be it unto thee, even as thou wilt ! " 
 
SERMON XXI. 
 
 THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 St. Luke, xi. 27, 28. 
 
 And it came to pass, as He spake these things, a certain 
 woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said 
 unto Him, Blessed is the womb that hare Thee, and the 
 paps which Thou hast sucked. But He said, Yea, rather, 
 blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it. 
 
 It was an honest and natural feeling of the 
 woman mentioned in this history, which led her, 
 (while wondering at the gracious words which 
 came from the mouth of Christ, and experiencing 
 within herself, their power to make her wise unto 
 salvation) which led her, I say, to consider the 
 distinguished honour and happiness of that Holy 
 Virgin, who had brought so perfect and pure a 
 Being into the world ; who had held, in her arms 
 and to her motherly breast, the hope and restorer 
 of a lost creation; who had watched the early 
 wisdom and the lisped prayer of Him, who, for 
 our sake, became a child ; and whom the King of 
 Glory was, in His earthly nature, not ashamed to 
 
 8 
 
THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 263 
 
 reverence by the name of mother. Blessed, in- 
 deed, among women, and, above all women, 
 highly favoured, was Mary the daughter of David ; 
 in whose womb the Son of God did not abhor to 
 make His habitation bodily, — whose Seed was 
 ordained to triumph over death and hell, and to 
 bruise for evermore the head of that infernal 
 serpent by whom the first created woman had 
 been deceived. Blessed and highly favoured, the 
 angel declared her to be ; when he brought to 
 her the salutation of God Most High : blessed has 
 she since been worthily called among all gene- 
 rations of the faithful ; and blessed in the fruit of 
 her womb are all the nations of mankind, who, 
 with her, and like her, have been taught to build 
 their hopes of salvation on the merits of her 
 Saviour, and ours. 
 
 It was a deep sense of that honour and blessed- 
 ness, which led the Roman Catholics into a great 
 and dangerous error ; insomuch that they are 
 accustomed to offer prayers, and burn frankin- 
 cense, to the Virgin Mary, and before her image ; 
 to call on her to be their mediator with Christ, 
 even as Christ is their mediator with God the 
 Father ; to address her, as " queen of Heaven 
 as " star of the sea and with many other titles 
 taken from the old idolatiy of the heathen ; and 
 even in some of their addresses, to speak of her 
 
264 
 
 SERMON XXI. 
 
 as the creatress of the world, and to implore her 
 to shew herself a mother by commanding her Son 
 in their behalf. 
 
 Of the manner, in which this strange and 
 grievous superstition crept into the world, it is 
 needless, at present, to inform you. It is enough 
 to observe, that all such prayers and such extrava- 
 gant praises are nothing less than idolatry, and 
 most offensive both to God and his Son : that 
 highly as the Virgin Mary was honoured among 
 women, she was a woman still; and, in some 
 respects, a weak and sinful one ; that her Son and 
 Saviour is recorded in the Gospel to have had, 
 twice, occasion to reprove her; once, at the mar- 
 riage feast in Cana, for her unreasonable forward- 
 ness in urging Him to perform a miracle ; and 
 again, when, together with His brethren, she 
 sought to lay hands on Him as a lunatic. It may 
 be added, that, in no recorded expression of 
 Christ's, not even when, at the time of His own 
 crucifixion. He was recommending His mother to 
 the care and duty of St. John, has He ever so 
 much as hinted, that her prayers were of more 
 value in His sight, than the prayers of any other 
 believer ; and that He has, in two instances, taken 
 care to guard against such an error on the part 
 of His followers, first, when He declared, that who- 
 soever heard and obeyed His preaching was no 
 
THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 265 
 
 less dear to Him than Ilis mother, sister, and 
 brother ; and, secondly, when, as you have heard 
 in the text, without denying the fact of His 
 mother's blessedness. He places on a still higher 
 level of happiness and favour, those Christians, 
 whoever they might be, who received His words 
 with an attentive mind; and shewed forth their 
 faith in their behaviour. " Blessed," said a cer- 
 tain woman in the company, " Blessed is the womb 
 that bare Thee and the paps which Thou hast 
 sucked !" " Yea, rather, blessed," was our Lord's 
 reply, — "Yea, rather, blessed are they, that hear 
 the word of God, and keep it !" 
 
 The first and leading truth, then, which may 
 be learned from the words, which have been read 
 to you, is the nature and degree of that reverence, 
 which a Christian should pay to the memory of 
 our Saviour's mother ; and the dangerous error of 
 those, who either regard her as more than woman ; 
 or who believing her to be a woman, yet pay her 
 such a worship as no woman may — as no created 
 being ought to- — receive from Christians. And, 
 secondly, for as much as our Lord does not deny 
 the truth of that, which had been said, namely, 
 that His Mother was, indeed, most happy and 
 glorious in the fruit of her womb ; and in having 
 given suck to the desire of nations ; we may be 
 led to consider the honour and happiness, (far 
 
 VOL. I. N 
 
266 
 
 SERMON XXI. 
 
 less, indeed, than belonged to the Virgin Mary, 
 yet great in themselves, and worthy of all desire 
 and thankfulness,) which are enjoyed, under all 
 circumstances, by the parents of good and vir- 
 tuous children. I do not, only, mean that it is 
 from such, as these only, that they are secure of 
 receiving consistent and affectionate regard, and 
 duty, and comfort ; that from the good principles 
 inculcated in their families, and from good prin- 
 ciples only, they are to look for obedience and 
 thankfulness in youth, and maintenance, when 
 they themselves are, from age and weakness, in 
 their turn, become dependant on the kindness 
 and care of those whose childish years they had 
 laboured to support and educate : — I do not mean 
 to dwell on the happiness of being beloved by 
 those, to whom we have given life; nursed by 
 those, whose weakness we have borne with ; fed 
 by those whom we have toiled to feed ; and com- 
 forted, in the hour of death, by the tenderness 
 and prayers of those, whom our instructions and 
 examples have trained in the way of godliness. 
 Nor will I shock you with those bitter sorrows, 
 which must wring a parent's heart, when they, 
 from whom they naturally look for love, are un- 
 kind, unthankful, or undutiful. I will not paint 
 to you the dismal and desolate condition of those, 
 who are, in their old age or sickness, deserted, or 
 
 8 
 
THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT, 267 
 
 despised, by the fruits of their own bowels ; though 
 I must again remind you, that, without a religious 
 principle, mere natural aflPection is by far too 
 weak and uncertain a foundation, to build on it 
 our hopes of receiving from our families the love 
 and duty, which they owe us. But, setting this 
 aside, it is a truth, of which nature and reason 
 make us sensible, that a wise child is, as it were, 
 a crown to his parents ; and that there is scarcely 
 any greater happiness to be on earth enjoyed, or 
 expected, thn that of hearing from our neigh- 
 bours the praises, the deserved praises, of those, 
 to whom we have given life ; and whose virtues 
 are, therefore, in a certain sense^ our own. " Let 
 the name of Morni be forgotten among the 
 people," was the saying of a warrior of antient 
 times, when his favourite son had received for his 
 bravery the applause of his king and country, 
 " Let the name of Morni be forgotten, — let it be 
 only said of me, — behold the father of Gaul !" 
 He was content, that his own exploits should be 
 spoken of no more ; so that those of his son might 
 be held in honour ; and that he himself should 
 be distinguished, as the father of so great virtues. 
 And, doubtless, there are few parents, who receive 
 so much, or so pure pleasure, from commenda- 
 tions bestowed on themselves; as from those, 
 which are given to a wise, or brave, or honest, 
 N 2 
 
268 
 
 SERMON XXL 
 
 or industrious son; or to a modest, and dutiful 
 daughter. 
 
 And hence a very useful and necessary lesson 
 may be learned, both by parents, and by their 
 children ; inasmuch as the former may be taught 
 betimes to bestow such an education on their 
 little ones, and to shew them such examples, as 
 are likely by God's grace, to make them grow up 
 a comfort to their family : while the latter may be 
 led seriously to consider, how great distress and 
 misery of mind their wildness and follies occasion 
 to those who have given them life ; and whom, if 
 they desire that their own days should be long, 
 they are bound to love and honour. My young 
 friends, — for, in what I am now saying, it is you, 
 who are most concerned, — my young friends, I 
 need not, I trust I need not, ask you, whether you 
 love your father and your mother; whether you 
 really desire to be a comfort and blessing to their 
 old age ; and to make them some amends for the 
 pain, the toil, the anxiety, and self-denial, which 
 your birth and bringing up^ have cost them ? Re- 
 member, then, that it is by your soberness, your 
 diligence, your chastity, and godliness, that your 
 parents are most honoured before men and angels ; 
 that every unworthy act of yours goes to the 
 heart of those who gave you birth : and that Hell 
 will be more bitter to them ; and the happiness 
 
THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 269 
 
 of Heaven itself, imperfect; if they find you with 
 them in Hell, or are without you in Heaven. Be 
 such, then, as they desire you to be ; — yea rather 
 be such as you ought to be ; and as God commands 
 and enables you to become; and your parents 
 shall bless your name in the life which now is ; 
 and rejoice over you in the Day of Judgement. 
 
 Nor is it only to parents and their children 
 that the instruction of my text is valuable. They, 
 who have lost their parents ; and they, to whom 
 the blessing is denied — of seeing their children 
 grow up in godliness, and, like the Son of God, 
 in wisdom as well as in stature, — these too may 
 learn the bountiful loving kindness, which hath 
 laid up for those, who serve Him truly, a better 
 name than sons or daughters ; when He has pro- 
 mised to be Himself a brother and a son to those 
 who do the will of His Heavenly Father ; and has 
 declared, that not even His own mother was so 
 blessed in the fruit of her womb, as those humble 
 believers shall one day be in Him, who have, in 
 this life, heard and kept the words of His Gospel. 
 
 Our nature itself, and our natural experience, 
 have taught us, how great is the happiness of a 
 mother when her pains are over ; and " she remem- 
 bereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is 
 born into the world." ^ We have only to look 
 
 i St. John, xvi. 21. 
 N 3 
 
270 
 
 SERMON XXI. 
 
 around to learn the delight and interest, with 
 which the same mother watches the growth of her 
 child ; partakes its sports ; and witnesses its im- 
 provement. I have already shortly touched on the 
 happiness, which the virtues, and success, and 
 honour, of a son bestow on his parents. And I 
 need not say, that, in all these particulars, the lot 
 of Mary the mother of Jesus, was more blessed 
 than all women who have brought forth from the 
 v/omb. Yet greater and purer and more intense 
 and more perfect than this, the happiness of 
 Heaven shall be : and the humblest and poorest 
 Christian shall have more joy and comfort there, 
 than this, the greatest joy, of which, in the present 
 life, our human nature is capable. I have heard 
 it made the subject of complaint by some, that 
 w^e can have no idea of Heaven; and that the 
 prospect of its enjoyment has the less hold on our 
 minds, because we cannot picture to ourselves 
 wherein that enjoyment consists. But to such as 
 these it may be answered, that, though we cannot 
 exactly say, wherein it consists ; yet Christ Him- 
 self has taught us what it exceeds ; and to a mother 
 who has shed tears of love and happiness over her 
 infant, it will be sufficient praise of Heaven, to 
 know that its blessedness is far greater than the 
 greatest which she has felt on such an occasion. 
 Blessed, yea blessed is she, even in this world of 
 
THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 271 
 
 sin and danger, who rejoiceth over the fruit which 
 God has given her ; blessed still more, above all 
 the daughters of Eve, was Mary the mother of 
 the Lord Jesus, — but blessed, beyond even the 
 blessedness of Mary in this life, shall be those, 
 whom, in the life to come, the Lord of Glory shall 
 invite to enter into His joy ! 
 
 Lastly, I cannot conclude my consideration of 
 the present text, without calling your serious at- 
 tention to the terms, on which this wonderful pro- 
 mise is made by Christ ; and to the description of 
 persons who are interested in it. " Blessed," said 
 our Lord, " are they, who hear the word of God 
 and keep it." " To hear the word of any one," ia 
 an expression common in Scripture — for be- 
 coming his disciple or scholar ; for learning and 
 receiving with a faithful and attentive mind, the 
 doctrine which he teaches, and the command- 
 ments which he lays down. And to keep the word 
 thus heard, and to receive it, means both to bear 
 it in mind, during our after life, and to use it as a 
 rule of behaviour ; to remember and to obey it. 
 It follows, therefore, that the persons, whose 
 blessedness is thus magnified, must both have 
 believed in the Lord, (since otherwise their hear- 
 ing would be but vain,) and have obeyed His com- 
 mandment; since to remember without obeying 
 could only have increased their damnation. And 
 N 4 
 
272 
 
 SERMON XXI. 
 
 here, as in every part of scripture, the perfect 
 union may be seen between faith and good works ; 
 inasmuch as without both of them, we can have 
 no reason to look for the blessedness held out in 
 the Gospel. The truth is, the one is a necessary 
 reason and motive for the other ; but it is for the 
 sake of that other that so much stress is laid on it 
 in the Scriptures. Faith is the foundation ; good 
 works, the building: the house cannot be laid 
 without its foundation ; but a foundation, without 
 a house built on it, will be a miserable shelter 
 indeed from the storm of God's wrath, and the 
 thunders of the day of judgement. 
 
 We have learned, then, from the text, which I 
 have laid before you, first, the due degree of 
 honour, to which the Virgin Mary is entitled from 
 Christians. Secondly, the obligation, which lies 
 on parents, to bring up their children in the fear 
 of the Lord ; and on children, so to live as to be 
 a comfort and honour to their parents. Thirdly, 
 I have given you some light to judge of the 
 blessedness of Heaven as prepared for the children 
 of God. And fourthly, which is, of all others, 
 the most important lesson, that it is by hearing 
 and doing the will of Christ, by attendance on 
 the preaching of His Gospel, by the study of His 
 Scriptures, and by the diligent practice of all 
 which we find written there, that, only we can 
 
THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT. 273 
 
 hope to share in that general and most merciful 
 pardon of sins, and admission into life eternal, 
 which the blood of Christ has bought for us ; and 
 for which the sanctifying power of the Holy 
 Ghost is busied in our hearts to prepare us. And 
 what yet remains but an earnest desire after these 
 glories held out to our view, a stedfast resolution 
 to seek after them by the appointed paths of duty 
 and service, and by daily and nightly prayer to 
 God, so to guide our hearts and hands as that we 
 may not be found among those who have heard 
 His word in vain; but of their number, who, 
 having brought forth fruit with patience, He Him- 
 self, in the day of His power, will condescend to 
 call most blessed ! 
 
 N 5 
 
SERMON XXII. 
 
 FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 St. John, vL 12. 
 
 Gather up the fragments that remain^ that nothing be lost* 
 
 The miracle, which is recorded in the Gospel of 
 to-day, in itself requires no explanation or com- 
 mentary. It is evident to the common sense of 
 you all, that no power, but the power of God, 
 could have multiplied five loaves and two fishes 
 into a sufficient meal for five thousand hungry 
 people : and it is equally plain, that no art, or 
 juggling, of men, or of evil spirits, could have 
 imposed on the eyes, and feelings, of so many 
 witnesses. No enthusiasm, or power of fancy, 
 could have made them believe that their hunger 
 had been satisfied by a comfortable repast, when 
 their wants and sufferings would cry out so loudly 
 to the contrary : and supposing that our Lord 
 and His apostles had been prepared beforehand 
 with a stock of provisions, a supposition which 
 their well known poverty renders quite impossible. 
 
FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT. 275 
 
 it would be still more absurd to imagine, that so 
 great a store could be carried in a basket by a 
 single little boy. We must, then, be sure, ad- 
 mitting the authenticity of the Gospel history, of 
 which 1 have, I hope, on former occasions, con- 
 vinced you, we must be sure, that the miracle was 
 real ; that it was far above all power of men, or of 
 evil spirits, or any power, but of His, who had, of 
 old time, created the world ; and now, by a similar 
 display of divinity, provided flesh in the wilder- 
 ness for His people. 
 
 But, though the miracle itself requires no com- 
 mentary, yet are there many practical truths to 
 be derived from it, which are well worth the se- 
 rious consideration of us all ; and which 1 will, 
 therefore, shortly mention, leaving to the private 
 meditations of each of you, the improvement and 
 application of the hints afforded in this place. 
 For without such private meditation of the Scrip- 
 tures, which are read and explained to you in 
 church, — without some attempts to recollect and 
 set in order in your memory the doctrines preached 
 by us, these doctrines, I fear, can hardly be ex- 
 pected to profit you, either in this world, or in 
 the world to come. The real way to turn to good 
 account the lessons afforded us in the Bible, or 
 from the pulpit, is to think them over again in 
 private ; — to ask ourselves, first, how we should 
 N 6 
 
276 
 
 SERMON XXII. 
 
 have acted under the circumstances of Christ's 
 followers ; and, then, to consider seriously if there 
 be not, in truth, more points of likeness between 
 their situation and ours, than a common observer 
 would, at first, suppose. 
 
 Thus, my friends, to make the present case our 
 own ; — the Galileans, whose miraculous relief has 
 been this day read to you, had followed Christ 
 into a wilderness, to hear the words of the Gospel ; 
 by so doing they had given a great and striking 
 instance of their regard for Him, and of their 
 confidence in Him ; and there is none here, I 
 apprehend, who will not readily say in his heart, 
 that, had he been then alive, he would have 
 gladly imitated their example, Alas, my friends, 
 w^hile we compare our daily conduct with theirs, 
 on that occasion, what reason have we for con- 
 cluding thus favourably of what our conduct 
 would then have been ? These men had borne 
 the heat of the sun, and the labour and risk of the 
 journey : — divers of them came from far; they 
 had followed Christ into a barren place, for His 
 sake, and for the Gospel's ; and it was morally 
 impossible, that any of them could know, or guess 
 the means, by which He intended to relieve them: 
 since, from the time of Moses, had it not been 
 known, that so great a multitude had been 
 nourished in those burning and barren sands, so 
 12 
 
FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT. 277 
 
 barren that the fact of there being grass in the 
 desert is mentioned as a remarkable circumstance. 
 What reUef they were to expect; what hope of 
 being preserved from starving; they could not 
 know : but this they knew and felt, that they were 
 busy in the care of their souls ; and in the per- 
 formance of their duty: they knew, that God 
 was with them ; and the Messiah at their head : 
 that where He was, there was mighty deliverance ; 
 and that the power of God, while it instructed 
 their souls, would never let their bodies perish. 
 And so confident were they in this holy hope, so 
 patient during the long discourse of Christ, that 
 we see them abiding resolutely in that one barren 
 spot, till, if they attempted to return home, the 
 greater part of them must have fainted and fallen 
 down to perish by the way, a food for the wolf, 
 the jackal, and the hyaena. And can we, dare we 
 — without blushing — compare our own slackness 
 with such resolute devotion as theirs ? How often 
 has a little press of business either shortened our 
 private prayers ; or induced us to forget them en- 
 tirely : how many acts of piety or goodness, how 
 many beginnings and blossoms of repentance, 
 have we laid aside for a future season, for fear of 
 some inconvenience, not the twentieth part so 
 formidable as that which these men encountered 
 to hear a single sermon of the Messiah ? Many 
 
278 
 
 SERMON XXir. 
 
 of them, it appears, came from far, — so far that 
 they would have been exhausted in endeavouring 
 to return, empty ; yet how often is the distance of 
 a single mile urged as an excuse for neglecting 
 our public prayers to this same Saviour whom we 
 profess to honour, and for turning our backs on 
 the Sacrament of His body and blood. How 
 often are business, and the cares of a family, 
 urged as an excuse for living in a total disregard 
 of all religious duties : yet do we suppose — of 
 these five thousand persons, there were not many, 
 who had also wives and children dependant on 
 them for support; many, whose trade or labour 
 must have stood still, while they were attending 
 on the wanderings of our Saviour ? O my friends, 
 while such is our conduct in the usual affairs of 
 life, I greatly fear that, in more urgent trials, 
 neither our faith, nor our courage would have been 
 very conspicuous. We, who seek so slight ex- 
 cuses to absolve us from our duty now, would 
 then no doubt have found out many reasons for 
 staying at home with the great body of our na- 
 tion ; laughing perhaps at the easy simplicity of 
 the poor enthusiasts, who followed their Lord 
 into the wilderness. 
 
 " But, circumstances," it will be said, " are 
 widely different ; now there is no Christ on earth, 
 whose doctrine we should hear ; — and there are 
 
FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 •279 
 
 no hopes of miracles to feed us. Now the thne is 
 past, in which Christians were to have neither 
 purse nor scrip; and in which the morrow was 
 to take care for the things belonging to itself; now 
 we are arrived in days, when we are not only 
 allowed, but commanded, to be careful, to labour, 
 and to provide for ourselves and families ; where 
 he, that careth not for his own, is said, in Scrip- 
 ture, to be worse than an infidel ; and when he, 
 who will not work, is, by the same authority, 
 threatened with having nothing to eat.'' Now, 
 this is all exactly true : but it is also true, that the 
 duties, which a Christian is now called upon to 
 attend, need, in no single instance, interfere with 
 the regular cares, and maintenance, of a family. 
 We are not now required, or called upon, to run 
 into deserts ; or to give up our lawful callings : 
 but we are required, while we labour for the 
 meat which perisheth, not to forget that bread, 
 which Cometh down from Heaven. But if our 
 pride, or our covetousness, require a greater 
 share of the good things of this world, than we 
 can lawfully obtain ; or if our idleness on the 
 six days, in which a man should work, obliges us 
 to break the Sabbath ; it can be no excuse for 
 one sin, that it had its beginning in another. 
 
 In one respect, however, every Christian is 
 placed in a parallel situation with the band of 
 
280 
 
 SERMON XXII. 
 
 believers in the wilderness. To each, and all of 
 us, the word of our calling is addressed, which 
 bids us forsake the world, and the multitude of 
 them, which do evil; and to tread, with Christ 
 for our leader, the rugged and desolate paths of 
 repentance. We are to brave, with Him, the 
 scorn and laughter of the sinful remainder of 
 mankind ; and, where the pursuits and pleasures 
 of the world interfere with the high calling, 
 which is set before us, we are to account the 
 world but dross; so that we maj^ save our own 
 souls. And we, like these hearers of Christ in 
 the desert, may, while we follow His commands, 
 and do not, from vain glory, or from idle super- 
 stition, court to ourselves unnecessary difficulties ; 
 — we too, may hope, while we seek after the 
 bread, which came down from Heaven, that the 
 goodness of Him, who knoweth our necessities, 
 will supply us with a sufficient portion of the food 
 which perisheth. While we are anxious for our 
 souls, God has Himself promised, that our frail 
 bodies shall not be forgotten. He, it is true, no 
 longer visibly multiplies our loaves ; or feeds us, 
 from His own Hands, with the bread of blessing : 
 but the secret springs of Providence are still at 
 His disposal ; and, by ways which we cannot see, 
 and sources, which, if we saw, we could not un- 
 derstand ; He still has not forgotten to give to 
 
FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT. 281 
 
 the fowls their food; and to feed the young ra- 
 vens, which call upon Him. " Seek ye first/' 
 saith Christ, " the kingdom of God and His righte- 
 ousness ; and all these things shall be added unto 
 you." 
 
 A trust in God, then, and a devotion to His 
 service, is the first and most important considera- 
 tion, which arises from the miracle of the loaves 
 and fishes. Nor, my friends, can this lesson be 
 considered as otherwise than applicable to the 
 circumstances of life, in which, by far the greater 
 number of those, who hear me, have been placed 
 by the wisdom of Providence. To most of you, 
 the world is, indeed, a desert place ; and, with 
 all the blessings (and God forbid, I should be 
 insensible to them) which as fathers, as husbands, 
 as freemen, as Englishmen, and, far above all, as 
 Christians, you enjoy, you may be said, without 
 any unreasonable murmuring, to inherit in this 
 life, your full proportion of toil for the day, and 
 of anxiety for the morrow. The times have 
 been in the memory of us all ; when the father, 
 looking on his wife and children, has asked his 
 heart, with a more than fatherly anxiety ; — 
 whence may we get bread that these may eat ? " 
 and w^hen the earth, even according to the letter, 
 has been to us all a land of barrenness. — And, 
 though the blessing of the Almighty has crowned 
 
282 
 
 SERMON XXII. 
 
 the past year with His goodness ; and, though 
 those evil days of famine have been now far re- 
 moved from our doors ; yet is there, in the world, 
 sufficient distress of nations, with perplexity, — to 
 make the hearts of the boldest among our number 
 fail for fear ; if it were not, that we place our 
 trust in the Lord, in whose hands are Heaven 
 and earth. 
 
 But there is, also a second lesson, of great im- 
 portance, which may be learnt, from the history 
 of the loaves and fishes. When our Saviour bade 
 His disciples give up to the hunger of the mul- 
 titude their own scanty stock of provisions, — 
 a stock so scanty, that, as I have observed before, 
 the wildest dreams of an enthusiast could never 
 fancy such a supply equal to the wants of so 
 many, do we find them hesitating, or drawing 
 back, or refusing to contribute the little in their 
 power, because they could do no more ? No — 
 when Christ repeats His commands, obedient to 
 His will, and relying on His power, they boldly 
 and generously go on distributing ; confident, 
 that He, who gave the command, would also give 
 the power to perform it. 
 
 Even so should Christians exert themselves, 
 for the relief of the poor. It is a common ex- 
 cuse of the selfish and uncharitable, that the 
 little, which it is in their power to do, bears so 
 
FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT. 283 
 
 small a proportion to the extent of the mischiefj 
 that it is not worth while attempting to do any 
 thing. Now, not to mention, that the com- 
 mands to do good, and to distribute, are given 
 to every man, according to his ability; and that 
 every man is individually answerable to God, for 
 neglecting His orders ; — without any reference 
 to what is done, or not done, by others ; not to 
 mention, that they are many small exertions, 
 which produce a great effect; many threads, 
 which make a cable ; many grains of sand, which 
 build up a mountain, — let us apply this reason- 
 ing to any transaction of common life ; and see 
 how it would he received. In a manufactory, 
 where many hundred labourers are employed, 
 would it be any excuse for one of them being 
 idle, that, among so many, his work would hardly 
 be missed ? what wages would such an one re- 
 ceive from his employers ? 
 
 But, in truth, if we do our best in our station ; 
 and commit, in humble faith, the issue of the 
 whole to God ; we may be sure, that our exertions, 
 however small, — our alms, however scanty, — 
 (provided we can do no more,) will not be thrown 
 away. I have myself been sometimes astonished, 
 when I have seen, or read, of the mighty good, 
 which has arisen from small beginnings, accom- 
 
284 
 
 SERMON XXII. 
 
 panied by the blessing and favour of the Most 
 High. But in giving our alms, we cannot tell or 
 calculate, — for no one knows, but God, — how 
 much good even a widow's mite may do. A 
 single warm and comfortable meal given to a poor 
 neighbour, in a time of distress, may, by its con- 
 sequences, be the means of saving a family. It 
 may seem strange ; but what if this man were, 
 even then, almost worn out with want and 
 toil, and if such timely nourishment have pre- 
 vented his falling sick, and preserved him in a 
 capacity to labour ; — are not then his own and 
 his family's lives sustained by it ? or what, if such 
 a small relief came at a moment, when his heart 
 was growing hard with distress; and when he 
 was tempted to take to bad courses, for support ; 
 
 — may not a soul have been saved for ever, by 
 our means ? Oh, it will be a glorious sight, here- 
 after, when the books of Providence are laid 
 open before our eyes ; — to see by what secret 
 springs, what humble exertions, what meek and 
 modest charities, the happiness of families, the 
 support of nations, the great machine of the 
 world itself, have been regulated and influenced : 
 
 — to witness how God's Providence may have 
 given power and energy to the feeble alms of a 
 widow; or to the silent prayers of those, who had 
 
FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT. 285 
 
 prayers only to bestow ^ or how a cup of cold 
 water given in the name of Christ, shall, in no- 
 wise, lose its reward ! 
 
 Further, we find, in the history of this miracle^ 
 diat the loaves, which were given to the multi- 
 tude, were so increased by the blessing of Christ, 
 that the remainder by far exceeded the original 
 stock. And none can have persevered in a steady 
 course of charity themselves ; none can have wit- 
 nessed it, in others ; without observing, that the 
 favour of Providence does, for the most part, 
 even in the ordinary course of the world, so bless 
 and increase the means of those, who are really 
 charitable, that, as their zeal to do good enlarges, 
 their power enlarges also. We know from the 
 Scripture, how the widow's barrel of meal never 
 wasted, so long as she shared it with Elijah : and 
 I have read, in the life of a very great and good 
 man, written by himself, that, though he had 
 been often in debt and distress before, yet, since 
 he had set aside a certain share of his fortune for 
 the poor, he had never known want ; but though 
 his expences increased every year, he had been 
 able every year to increase his charity. I will not 
 say, that God always thus increases our power 
 of doing good, in proportion to our will : but 
 there is one way, in which almost every master of 
 
286 
 
 SERMON XXII. 
 
 a family may, under God's blessing, extend his 
 means of doing good for himself ; and that is by 
 the diligent practice of another duty enforced by 
 the history of this miracle. I mean by an accurate 
 attention to lessen his own unnecessary expences, 
 and to prevent all excess or wastefulness in his 
 family. We find, in the conclusion of the history, 
 that even Christ Himself, who had just, with a 
 word, created these provisions, and who had 
 power to command even the stones that they 
 should be made bread ; yet did not He think it 
 beneath Him to be anxious for the fragments, 
 which remained from the miraculous meal, in 
 order that nothing might be lost. And can we 
 dare, — we, miserable dependants on His bounty, 
 — can we dare to waste His good creatures, in 
 careless extravagance, or in swinish gluttony ? 
 Or can we forget, that we then provoke Him to 
 take away from us those blessings which we use 
 so carelessly ? 
 
 Oh, let us be wise in time; let us consider 
 what are our best interests, both in time, and in 
 eternity : — and let us, by prudent management 
 in our households, and by avoiding all temptation 
 to luxury, and unnecessary expenditure, so in- 
 crease our means of doing good to our fellow- 
 creatures, that, the blessing of God attending our 
 
FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT. 287 
 
 charitable endeavours, we may hope at the last 
 great Day to hear those condescending words of 
 our Saviour, " Inasmuch as ye have done it unto 
 one of the least of these my brethren, ye have 
 done it unto Me." 1 
 
 1 St. Matthew, xxv. 40. 
 
SERMON XXIIL 
 
 FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 St. John, viii. 58. 
 Jesus said unto them, " Before Abraham was, I amJ' 
 
 These words are introduced by our Saviour, in 
 the course of that eloquent expostulation with 
 the Jews, which has been read to you in this 
 morning's Gospel ; in which, having assured them, 
 that whosoever should keep His saying should 
 never taste of death, He replies to their objection 
 [that Abraham and the prophets, the best and 
 greatest men of ancient times, had all, in their 
 turns, paid the debt of nature ; and that by this 
 promise of immortality to His followers. He made 
 Himself greater than either Abraham, or Moses,] 
 — He replies, I say, to this objection — by ad- 
 mitting the full force of the principle, on which 
 it was founded ; and by laying claim, in positive 
 terms, to a superiority over both Moses, and 
 Abraham, far greater than that, to which even 
 their cavil had accused him of pretending. 
 
riFTH SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 289 
 
 He first begins with a preface very proper to 
 so unusual a claim, as that which He was about 
 to make ; — a denial of all vain glory, which might 
 have led Him to assume a higher character among 
 men, than that, which His Eternal Father sanc- 
 tioned. " If I honour myself," are His words, 
 
 my honour is nothing. It is my Father, that 
 honoureth me ; of whom ye say, that He is your 
 God. Yet ye have not known Him ; but I know 
 Him ; and if I should say, I know Him not, — I 
 should be a liar like unto you : but I know Him, 
 and keep His sayings." Then follows the claim, 
 which He makes, of superiority to the great 
 ancestor of the Jews : — Your father Abraham 
 rejoiced to see My day ; and he saw it, and was 
 glad." 
 
 In these words. He compares, as it should 
 seem, the hardness and coldness of heart, with 
 which the Jews received Him ; — with that glow 
 of rapturous devotion, which Abraham felt towards 
 Him : and hence, two important truths will fol- 
 low ; — important both to the faith, and to the 
 practical devotions, of a Christian : — First, that 
 Abraham believed in Christ, and hoped in Him 
 as the future Saviour of Abraham himself, and of 
 all mankind ; — that Seed, in whom all the nations 
 of the earth were to be blessed : — and secondly, 
 that Christ Himself had been seen bv Abraham, 
 
 VOL. le O 
 
290 
 
 SERMON XXIII. 
 
 and had, therefore, as Son of God, and Second 
 Person in the Most Glorious Trinity, existed for 
 ages before the time, when He took the form of 
 man, and was conceived by His Virgin Mother. 
 
 The first of these assertions is proved by the 
 rejoicing of Abraham in Christ's day. For why 
 should he rejoice in the expectation of an event, 
 from which no benefit was to be derived to him- 
 self, or to so many millions of his posterity ? And 
 what benefit could he look to, but that he himself, 
 and his posterity, were to be saved ? that they 
 should escape the wrath of God, should be raised 
 from the dead, and made partakers of the King- 
 dom of Heaven, by that Being, in the hope of 
 whose coming to accomplish these glorious pur- 
 poses, he, therefore, with good reason, might 
 rejoice with exceeding joy? If Christ, by the 
 merits of His blood, were not to make atonement 
 for the sins of the world, and of Abraham among 
 the rest, of what advantage to Abraham was His 
 coming ? — of what advantage to those holy pro- 
 phets, who, since the world began, spake of His 
 coming ; and who fell asleep, as we read in Scrip- 
 ture, in the hope of the promises ? 
 
 There are some pretended Christians, (Unita- 
 rians they call themselves,) who maintain, that 
 Christ was nothing more than a man ; that He 
 only came to preach a purer doctrine, than had, 
 
 8 
 
FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 291 
 
 before His time, been revealed to the world ; and 
 that His blood had no more power to wash away 
 the sins of the world, than the blood of any other 
 good man, or than that of the bulls and the goats, 
 which were offered on the Jewish altars. 
 
 But if this, their comfortless doctrine, were true, 
 what reason had Abraham, — I again demand, 
 what reason had Abraham — for rejoicing? If a 
 new and more perfect revelation were all which 
 Christ was to bring with Him, — that would indeed 
 be a benefit to those, who followed ; but, surely, 
 none to those generations, who were already dead 
 in their ignorance. If God had told Abraham, — 
 " you yourself are blind ; and your children, and 
 children's children, after you, for two thousand 
 years to come, shall continue in blindness: — but 
 a Man shall then, at length, arise; — descended 
 from your loins — who shall give sight to many 
 among your offspring ; and to many more among 
 those nations, who noways belong to you:" — had 
 this been the promise of God to Abraham, and to 
 his seed, (and between this supposition, and that 
 of the Unitarians, no difference will be found in 
 kind, though the degree of the blindness, and the 
 value of the promised cure, be doubtless very dif- 
 ferent,) might not the patriarch have reasonably 
 replied, " Wherein am I the better for this pro- 
 mised restorer of sight to the world ? To myself, 
 o 2 
 
292 
 
 SERMON XXIII. 
 
 and to the greater part of my descendants, to 
 Sarah, to Isaac, to Ishmael, — those persons for 
 whose welfare I am most solicitous, — these reve- 
 lations, however valuable they may hereafter be, 
 are nothing. Our eyes are not to be opened : we 
 are to receive no light, as to the will of God;— no 
 additional certainty as to the resurrection of the 
 dead : and it is a small comfort, surely, or cause 
 for thankfulness, to be told, that, many ages after 
 us, there will be some more fortunate, more 
 blessed, than ourselves." 
 
 But, if the father of the faithful were told, as 
 it, doubtless, was revealed to him, that the sentence 
 of death, which had been passed on the world, in 
 consequence of Adam's sin, and of the sins of all 
 Adam's progeny, should be removed, by a merci- 
 ful God, for the sake of certain great exertions, 
 and powerful intercession, to be made by His Son, 
 in the latter ages of the world ; — that, for the 
 sake of this Blessed Son, the sins of ignorance 
 should be forgiven, and every repented trans- 
 gression, of whatever kind, overlooked and for- 
 gotten; — and that, in these benefits to be then 
 proclaimed to the world, all mankind should, from 
 Adam downwards, be partakers ; — we may reason- 
 ably understand the gratitude of Abraham, and 
 the overflow of his honest triumph, when told that 
 this mighty deliverer was, according to the flesh. 
 
FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 293 
 
 to descend from his own family, and from his own 
 loins. Above all, when he was informed, that this 
 marvellous Redeemer was to be God Himself, 
 made manifest in the flesh; — that the same glo- 
 rious Being, who had spoken with him in his 
 dreams, and in his waking visions, should enter 
 into the womb of one of his descendants ; and 
 become, by the mother's side, and in his human 
 nature, the Son, and Seed, of Abraham, — how 
 greatly must he have wondered at the goodness, 
 and lowliness, of his great Redeemer ; and at the 
 honour, which his race, above all others, was to 
 receive, before men, and angels. 
 
 That it was, then. Redemption, in which the 
 promise to Abraham consisted; and which that 
 father of the faithful rejoiced to anticipate ; is 
 apparent from the very greatness of his joy. " He 
 rejoiced," saith Christ, "to see My day." But 
 this is not all : for Christ, the Son of God, the 
 Second Person in the Trinity, actually appeared 
 to him. " He saw it, and was glad." And, here 
 again, the words of Scripture bear a positive argu- 
 ment, (and, unless the father of lies had blinded 
 their hearts, an argument not to be controverted,) 
 against the same pretended Christians; whom I 
 have already cited. For if Christ, as they main- 
 tain, were a mere man, and like other men ; and 
 if, consequently, He had first received the gift of 
 o 3 
 
294 
 
 SERMON XXIII. 
 
 life and being, when He was enclosed in the womb 
 of an earthly female ; what Christ was that, who 
 spake, as we have heard, to the Jews in the temple ? 
 who declared, that Abraham had seen Him ? that 
 he had rejoiced to see His day ? For that these 
 two expressions were understood by the Jews, as 
 bearing the same meaning, — that to see Christ, 
 and to see His day, was regarded as one and the 
 same thing — is plain from the answer, which they 
 made to Him. " Thou," say they, " Thou art not 
 yet fifty years old ; and hast Thou seen Abraham ?" 
 And, as it is plain, how they understood this 
 speech ; so, it is no less so, how our blessed Saviour 
 meant that they should understand it : — since He 
 still more clearly explains himself in the following 
 verse, where He says, " Before Abraham was, — 
 I Am.'' 
 
 In these words, it is evident, that He not only 
 asserts His own pre-existence to Abraham; — not 
 only does He declare to those, who have ears to 
 hear, that He was the Christ, the Word of God, 
 the Messenger of the Covenant, who was before 
 all things ; — but He lays claim, in unequivocal 
 Ian2:ua2:e, to the dreadful and incommunicable 
 name of God, of Jehovah : — He describes Himself, 
 not only as one, who had existed before Abraham ; 
 who might have, at some time, begun to exist ; 
 and might, since, have ceased to do so ; but He 
 
FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT, 
 
 295 
 
 uses an expression, which, if it have any meaning 
 at all, can only refer to eternal duration. ^' Before 
 Abraham was, I Am!" As if He had said, "I 
 have never begun to exist ; with Me is neither 
 past nor future ; a thousand years to come are 
 but, in My sight, as yesterday, — a thousand years, 
 that are gone by, are the same with to-day or to- 
 morrow. Time, and its courses, apply not to Him, 
 who is unchangeable : with Me, is an everlasting 
 now : — and the years, and ages, of man are nothing, 
 in respect of Me." Can this consist with a finite, 
 a created being? Let those, if any such there 
 are, who still hesitate respecting the meaning of 
 Christ, and the manner, in which the Jews under- 
 stood that meaning; — let those, I say, recollect 
 the name, by which the Almighty had, in the time 
 of Moses, revealed Himself to the children of 
 Israel; — and the manner, in which the infidel 
 Jews received this declaration of our Saviour. 
 When Moses asked, in whose name he should bear 
 the message of the Eternal to His people : " I Am 
 THAT I Am," said Jehovah : and again, thus 
 shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, ' I Am ' 
 hath sent me unto you."^ " Before Abraham was, 
 I Am" was the parallel expression of Christ: and 
 that the Jews understood the declaration, as we 
 should understand it, is evident from what fol- 
 
 1 Exodus, iii. 14. 
 o 4 
 
296 SERMON xxnr. 
 
 lows; — that "they took up stones to stone Him/' 
 for this supposed blasphemy : and because, as we 
 are assured in another place, they considered Him, 
 in this declaration, as making Himself equal with 
 God. But, supposing them mistaken, why did not 
 Christ, the preacher of truth, observing their mis- 
 take, correct it ? Why did He not assure them, 
 that, by declaring that Abraham had seen His 
 day, He meant merely, that Abraham had only 
 heard of it, as a thing likely to happen ? — that 
 when He declared, — to use His own words, — 
 " before Abraham was, I Am," He only signified, 
 that, before Abraham was born, God had contem- 
 plated, in His infinite foresight, the birth of Jesus 
 (and why of Jesus, in that case, — more than that 
 of Pilate, or of Iscariot ?) 
 
 If this were His only meaning; why not explain 
 Himself to His countrymen ? why suffer them to 
 be led astray, — with so natural an error, — by His 
 silence, and by the miracle v/hich followed ? For, 
 when they took up stones, — to cast at him; and 
 when — (as in the passage, which concludes the 
 Gospel, which you have heard to-day, and which 
 immediately follows my text,) we find, that "He 
 hid Himself" from them, we may understand it 
 as the Greek word,* which is there used, signifies, 
 
 1 'EicpvGrjy Kal l^rjXOev sk tgv ispov^ duXOdov ^la [.dcrov avrCjv" 
 Kcd Traprjyev ovT(og» 
 
FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 297 
 
 according to the most learned men, " that He 
 made use of one of the most usual actions of a 
 supernatural being — viz. that He vanished, or 
 disappeared, from their eyes." 
 
 And that this is the true meaning, is clear from 
 the circumstances of the story ; and from the place, 
 in which those circumstances occurred. For, where 
 was our Lord, at the time of this conversation ? 
 In the temple, a vast square court like a market 
 place ; crowded with people, who were anxious to 
 put Him to death ; and surrounded with a lofty 
 stone wall and chambers wherein the priests only, 
 the enemies of Jesus, were allowed to enter. Whi- 
 ther, under such circumstances, could a supposed 
 blasphemer flee ? and how could he conceal him- 
 self from the rage of the bigotted crowd, but by 
 making, as He had done of old when He descended 
 on Sinai, — "darkness His secret place: His pa- 
 vilion round about Him were dark waters, and 
 thick clouds of the skies." ^ 
 
 And, if we examine further into the circum- 
 stances of Abraham's history, as connected with 
 this declaration of Christ's, that Abraham had seen 
 Him ; we shall find, indeed, no mention of Christ, 
 in the account given of Abraham in the book of 
 Genesis : but we shall find very frequent mention 
 of the Lord Jehovah, who is also called God, with 
 
 1 Psalm xviii. 11. 
 o 5 
 
298 
 
 SERMON XXIII. 
 
 whom Abraham conversed; and whom he, on 
 many occasions, saw. Now we know, that, if 
 Scripture be true, and consistent with itself, " No 
 man hath seen God at any time ; — the only be- 
 gotten Son, who is of the Father, He hath de- 
 clared Him.'' ^ And to reconcile these accounts, 
 no way, which I know, has succeeded, but the 
 Catholic faith of the ever blessed Trinity ; — and 
 the persuasion, that, though God, the Father, be 
 invisible, and inaccessible by fleshly eye ; yet has 
 the Son, not only as God's representative, but as 
 God Himself, bearing the name of Jehovah Eter- 
 nal and Almighty, appeared as the Messenger of 
 the Covenant, between the Father and His saints ; 
 as the Teacher of Adam, the Friend of Abraham, 
 the Lawgiver of Moses, the Lord of David, and 
 the lowly Master and Instructor of the twelve 
 poor fishermen of Galilee. — He, by whose 
 agency, the Father made the worlds ; — " who, 
 being in the form of God, thought it not robbery 
 to be equal with God," ^ He has been content to 
 take upon Himself the form of a servant ; and to 
 humble Himself even unto death, the death of the 
 cross, for us miserable sinners. 
 
 On the whole, then, we may conclude from the 
 foregoing passages of Scripture, first, that there 
 is none other salvation appointed for man, save 
 
 1 St. John, i. 18. 2 Philip, ii. 6. 
 
FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 299 
 
 only the name of our Lord Jesus Christ : — and 
 that Abraham, and the holy men of ancient time, 
 hoped for eternal life, through the merits of a 
 future Messiah ; even as we look back to the me- 
 ritorious sacrifice of a Saviour already come. 
 
 Secondly, that the Divine Person who is ge- 
 nerally called God in Scripture, — with whom 
 Abraham conversed ; and who, accompanied by 
 two angels, humbled Himself to eat, under the 
 shade of his tent ; the same, with whom Moses 
 met in the bush ; and with whom that great pro- 
 phet spake face to face, — that this was was not 
 God the Father, but the Second Person of the 
 Trinity, the same Word of God, who was after- 
 wards made flesh, and dwelt among us : and that, 
 therefore, as the New Testament is nothing more 
 than the history of Christ in the fleshy so the Old 
 Testament is a collection of His discoveries of 
 Himself to man, before He vouchsafed to take on 
 Himself our human nature. 
 
 Thirdly, that all prayer and praise is due, to 
 Him, in consideration, at once, of His exalted 
 nature. His mighty power, and His infinite good- 
 ness : and that we cannot desire a better assurance 
 of Salvation, than the support of Omnipotence 
 itself; and that, on the other hand, we cannot 
 escape a most deserved punishment, if we seek, 
 like those wretched religionists whom I have al- 
 0 6 
 
300 
 
 SERMON XXIII. 
 
 ready mentioned, to lessen the merits of Christ's 
 sacrifice; and, rejecting so great salvation, to look 
 for safety in our own inventions, and in the broken 
 reed of personal merit. 
 
 Fourthly, we should recollect, that this blessed 
 Son of God came into the world ; not only as the 
 object of our faith, and of our devotion ; but, as 
 the model also of our practice ; — that He will 
 not admit, from us, a lip worship, which is unac- 
 companied with the homage of our heart and lives ; 
 and, if we believe, that God came down to dwell 
 among men ; — that He took on Himself the form 
 of a servant, and was obedient to the most dis- 
 graceful end of a malefactor ; we should learn 
 hence, to imitate Him, in a real humility and low- 
 liness of temper ; in a carelessness, so far as we 
 are ourselves concerned, of all worldly rank and 
 fortune, and in a perfect submission to the will of 
 Him, the All-Good, the Almighty, the Sovereign, 
 and Benefactor and Father of all. 
 
SERMON XXIV. 
 
 SUNDAY BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 St. Luke, xxiv. 26. 
 
 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter 
 into His Glory ? 
 
 The occasion, on which these words were spoken, 
 was as follows : — Two of our Lord's disciples, who 
 had been witnesses of His miracles, His virtues, 
 and His cruel death, were walking sadly together, 
 and communing of the things, which they had 
 heard and seen. Jesus of Nazareth, their Master 
 and Instructor, was known to them by long 
 friendship, by love, and by reverence. They had 
 seen His goings out, and comings in ; that all 
 His actions were blameless ; and that His heart 
 breatlied only purity and mercy. Of His doc- 
 trine, they knew, that never man spake as He 
 did; of His power, that all things, in earth, and 
 in Heaven, were subject to His tone of authority; 
 that He was a Prophet mighty in word and in 
 deed. They had seen obstinate diseases cured by 
 
302 
 
 SERMON XXIV. 
 
 Him with a breath : they had seen His word turn 
 five small loaves into a meal for five thousand 
 people : they had seen the wind and storm obey 
 His commands ; and had beheld His way in the 
 sea, and His path in the deep waters. — Nor was 
 it lifeless nature only, which thus acknowledged 
 His Divinity. The rebellious angels, the first 
 seducers and enemies of men, crouched down and 
 trembled at the feet of Jesus ; whom they hailed, 
 with terror and astonishment, as the Son of God 
 most high. In this character, too, He was ac- 
 knowledged by His Father Almighty Himself; 
 who, by a voice from Heaven, and by the visible 
 descent of the Holy Ghost, had declared Himself 
 well pleased in His beloved Son. 
 
 With such circumstances as these to raise His 
 character, they had hoped that Jesus was He, who 
 should have redeemed Israel : — that He should 
 have saved His people from their enemies ; and 
 have sate on the throne of His father David, (from 
 whom He was, by His Mother's side, descended,) 
 — the King of Jerusalem, and of all the world. 
 For the Jews, — partly induced by their pride, which 
 made them wish to see all nations at their feet ; 
 partly by those passages in the prophets, which 
 describe Christ's second coming in power and 
 majesty to judge mankind, — had quite overlooked 
 those other prophecies, which said that the Mes- 
 
SUNDAY BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 303 
 
 siah, before he should triumph, should be a Man 
 of sorrow, and acquainted with grief, ^ They had 
 no idea that their Christ was to suffer on the 
 cross ; but had hoped that He would be a military 
 Messiah, — to make all the nations of the world — 
 slaves to the Jewish people. But this Jesus, of 
 whom such mighty expectations were formed, was 
 a poor young man, a wanderer on the earth, with- 
 out a home to lay His head. — His greatest tri- 
 umph was, once, the riding on an ass ; His richest 
 attendants, a few poor simple women ; and the 
 names of madman, of sorcerer, and blasphemer, 
 were all the titles, which He received from His 
 country. 
 
 Such was the mournful life of Him, whose birth 
 was proclaimed by angels ; feared by tyrants ; 
 and honoured by the wise men of the farthest 
 east; but when His sorrowing disciples, in their 
 Sabbath evening's walk to Emmaus, reflected on 
 the dreadful manner, in which that life was 
 brought to an end ; when they remembered all 
 those circumstances of horror and cruelty, which 
 you have heard read to-day ; when they thought 
 on the agony and bloody sweat, the scourging, the 
 bitter and cruel mocking, the crown of thorns, 
 the torments and the lingei'ing death of Him, 
 from whom such great things were hoped ; they 
 1 Isaiah, liii. 3. 
 
304 
 
 SERMON XXIV* 
 
 might well be lost, in wonder, and in sorrow, 
 that such glorious prospects should be marred by 
 the sin and folly of mankind. It was, indeed, 
 this crucified God, which was to the Jews a 
 stumbling block ; — the main objection, which the 
 pride of their nation could not surmount ; and, in 
 itself, it is so wonderful, that we well believe it 
 surpassed the comprehension of those ignorant, 
 thouo;h well -mean i no-, Galileans. 
 
 As they were thus conversing, a Stranger joined 
 them. Their eyes were holden, that they should 
 not know Him ; but it was no other than Jesus 
 Himself, whom they lamented, — now risen from 
 the dead. He rebukes them, for their slowness of 
 belief; and He reminds them, that the ancient 
 prophets had all said, that Christ ought to suffer 
 such things ; and then, and not till then, to enter 
 into His glory. Then, beginning with Moses, 
 and the prophets. He expounded, unto them, the 
 things which were written concerning Himself 
 What were those words which made their hearts 
 to burn within them, we are not told; but, as the 
 Scriptures, to which He referred, are in tlie hands 
 of us all, and read in our churches every Sabbath 
 day, it is our own fault, (and a fault which we 
 cannot expect will be excused,) if we are ignorant 
 of these truths, on which our hopes of eternal 
 salvation are founded. And at present it is pecu- 
 
SUNDAY BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 305 
 
 liarly fitting to prepare our minds for duly ob- 
 serving that day, on which the Son of God laid 
 down His hfe for our sakes ; so that we may know 
 and feel how great things God hath done for us, 
 and may experience proportional gratitude and 
 love to Him who hath loved us so truly and so 
 well. 
 
 We may learn, then, from Moses and the pro- 
 phets, that it was necessary for Christ to suffer 
 such things, and to enter into His glory. It was, 
 indeed, according to his own words, the very 
 cause for which He came into the world. Even 
 when His human nature was sinking under that 
 load of God's vengeance, which we should else 
 have suffered ; when with bitter and strong cry- 
 ing, He called on God who was able to deliver 
 Him; when His soul was troubled; and He 
 almost shrunk from His approaching torments ; 
 — even then, though His infirmities almost 
 forced the prayer of — Father, save me from 
 this hour ; " — yet His Divine courage immedi- 
 ately corrects the weakness ; and he remembers, 
 " that for this cause came I to this hour."^ 
 When the zeal of Peter ^ draws a sword in His 
 defence. He answers, that, if He but asked His 
 Father, He would send many thousand angels 
 to His rescue ; but how then would the Scripture 
 
 1 St. John, xii. 27. ^ St. John, xvxii. 10, 
 
306 
 
 SERMON XXIV. 
 
 be fulfilled that thus it must be.^ — I will endea- 
 vour to explain the testimony thus borne by 
 Moses and the prophets, and indeed by our 
 own reason and conscience, to Jesus Christ the 
 crucified. 
 
 Now, what we learn from the Scriptures, on 
 this subject, consists chiefly of three truths: 
 first, that a Messiah, was necessary ; — that it 
 was necessary that a Holy Redeemer should 
 rescue men from sin and death : next, that this 
 Redeemer was to do the will of God in suffering, 
 though guiltless, a painful death, as a sacrifice 
 for all mankind : lastly it follows, that all these 
 things were accomplished in Christ ; and in none 
 but Him. 
 
 The account, which Moses has given us, of 
 the creation, and the fall of Adam and Eve, is 
 very short ; but sufficiently long for our useful 
 instruction. It tells us, that, when the first man 
 and woman were created out of the dust of the 
 earth ; — and liable, no doubt, as we are now, to 
 all the frailties, and decay, and death, which 
 befall other creatures, — God, out of His free 
 mercy placed them in a pleasant garden ; where 
 angelic guards defended them from danger; and 
 where the fruit of a certain tree, called the tree 
 of life, had a miraculous power to save them 
 
 1 St. Matthew, xxvi. 53, 
 
SUNDAY BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 307 
 
 from death and sickness. Deceived, however, 
 by the malice of the Devil, under the form of a 
 serpent, they broke the only command, which 
 God had laid on them ; and were sent back 
 from Paradise to till the ground, whence they 
 were taken ; and to be liable again to all the 
 temptations, to all the wants, afflictions, diseases, 
 and death, natural to their earthly bodies. 
 
 And, in this punishment, the goodness of God 
 was apparent; as well as His justice. It is vain, 
 and wicked, to imagine, that the offence of eating 
 an apple was too slight to merit so dreadful a sen- 
 tence. Where God had given them freely all the 
 trees in the garden, all the delights and comforts 
 of the world, and all on one single condition, — 
 namely, that they should refrain from one single 
 tree, out of so many, — was that a little fault, 
 which disobeyed so easy a commandment? Or 
 was that a too grievous punishment, which sent 
 them back to their original condition ; and de- 
 prived them of blessings, which they were no 
 longer able to enjoy ? For when man, weak as 
 he was, had once assumed the privilege of judg- 
 ing and thinking for himself ; when he had once 
 begun his disobedience to his King and Creator ; 
 what would the tree of life have caused, — but an 
 increased number of years and crimes : till the 
 harvest of his iniquity was full ; and his punish- 
 
308 
 
 SERMON XXir. 
 
 ment, for being delayed, would have fallen so 
 much the heavier ? 
 
 Yet still, even in the moment of executing 
 His righteous sentence, God, even then, thought 
 on mercy ; and comforted the unfortunate and 
 guilty pair, — with the promise, that the power 
 of that wicked spirit, who thus had ruined them, 
 should be subdued at length, and overpowered 
 by the Seed of the woman. — The general im- 
 pression of hope and comfort, derived from these 
 merciful words, has spread through the whole 
 world ; and has never been entirely lost, even 
 among the most ignorant heathens. In all the 
 fables of the Greeks and Romans, the truth is 
 still dimly shadowed — of the fall of man, and of 
 the promised restoration of his race to happiness, 
 by the means of a God, who was to come down 
 to earth. But among the Jews, through a long 
 succession of holy prophets, this hope was ex- 
 plained and perpetuated. Enoch, the seventh 
 from Adam, prophesied, as we are told by St. Jude, 
 that the Lord should come with thousands of His 
 saints.^ To Abraham was it promised by God — - 
 that in his seed should all the nations of the 
 earth be blessed. Jacob foretells on his death-bed 
 the coming of Shiloh ^, (a Hebrew word signifying 
 a person sent from Heaven ;) and saith expressly, 
 ^ Verse 14. - Genesis, xlix, 10, 
 
SUNDAY BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 809 
 
 that, in Him, the sceptre of Judah should end ; 
 and to Him should the gathering of the nations 
 be. Moses too, himself, in the book of Deutero- 
 nomy, foretells the rising of another great prophet 
 like unto himself ; and even the wicked Balaam 
 declares, by God's command, that there should 
 arise a Star out of Jacob.^ — The time would fail 
 me if I were to run through all the testimonies, 
 which the holy prophets have borne to this 
 glorious hope : a hope, which was their joy in 
 prosperity ; and their comfort in labour^ in sorrow, 
 and in danger. When righteous Job was mourn- 
 ing at once under the tortures of his body, the 
 ruin of his fortune, and the unkind suspicions of 
 his friends ; — "I know," saith he, " that my 
 Redeemer liveth ; and shall stand at the latter day 
 on the earth !" " And they, of whom the world," 
 saith St. Paul, " was not worthy," Jeremiah, 
 Isaiah, Daniel, and their companions in suffering, 
 v/ho were stoned, sawn asunder, tempted, and 
 slain with the sword; who wandered about in 
 sheep skins, and goat skins ; being desolate, 
 afflicted, tormented ; all these had the same hope ; 
 and obtained a good report, through faith in the 
 promise that was made.^ — Scarcely can we read 
 a single psalm without finding mention of the 
 
 1 Numbers, xxiv. 17. ^ Hebrews, xi. 37 — 39. 
 
310 
 
 SERMON XXIV. 
 
 anointed of God ; against whom the kings of the 
 earth stood up, and the rulers took counsel, in 
 vain, — of the Lord, (''my Lord," David calls 
 Him, as being descended from his loins, according 
 to the flesh,) who was to sit on God's right hand, 
 till His enemies were made His footstool. Almost 
 all the hymns of David, indeed, bear allusion to 
 this subject ; and even when praying for himself, 
 or for Solomon, he never fails to recur to the 
 peculiar glory of his family, — the King whose 
 name was to endure for ever, whom all nations 
 should call blessed. 
 
 All the allusions of David are, however, far 
 surpassed in clearness by the prophet Isaiah. 
 Isaiah saith, in his 7th chapter, " A virgin shall 
 conceive and bear a Son; and shall call His name 
 Immanuel which in English signifies " God 
 among us menP " To us " (he says, again, in 
 his 9th chapter,) '' to us a Child is born ; to us a 
 Son is given ; and the government shall be on 
 His shoulders ; and His name shall be called 
 Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the 
 Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." This 
 same Person, we are told in another place, was 
 to take away the vail of ignorance, which was cast 
 upon the heart.^ He was to swallow up death in 
 
 12 Cor. iii. 16. 
 
SUNDAY BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 311 
 
 victory ; to wipe away tears from all faces ; and to 
 take away the rebuke (or accusation) of His people 
 from off all the earth.^ 
 
 The same Divine Person is foretold by Jere- 
 miah, as the Righteous Branch, the Lord our 
 Righteousness^: and by Ezekiel, under His 
 family name of David, as the prince and shepherd 
 of Israel ^ : and by Daniel, the time of His coming 
 is expressly stated to be seventy weeks, — a com- 
 mon way among the Jews of describing 490 years, 
 — being seventy times seven years, from the going 
 forth of the Persian commandment to restore and 
 build Jerusalem. This prophecy, which the Jews, 
 even now, cannot deny, though their hearts are 
 slow to believe it, points out the exact year in 
 which Christ was to suffer : and declares that 62 
 weeks, or 434 years after the time of Nehemiah, 
 Messiah the Prince, was to be cut oflt*, but not for 
 Himself.^ 
 
 And this, naturally, leads us to the second 
 part of the subject, namely, that this Mighty 
 Conqueror and Saviour was to be made perfect 
 by suffering : And that, before He entered into 
 His glory, it was necessary that He should be 
 despised, rejected, and tormented. — This I shall 
 defer till next Friday; beseeching you, in the 
 
 I Isaiah, xxv. 8. 2 Jer. xxiii. 5, 6. 
 
 3 Ezek. xxxiv. 23, 24. 4 Daniel, ix. 25, 26. 
 
312 
 
 SERMON XXIV. 
 
 meantime, to reflect seriously on the truths which 
 you have heard this day. 
 
 Remember, that all mankind were naturally 
 unable to satisfy the justice of God ; that the 
 favour, which He had shewn to Adam, was lost 
 for ever by Adam's disobedience ; and that it was 
 in the power of no man to redeem his brother, 
 or to give unto God a ransom for him. 
 
 Remember, that, in this danger and distress of 
 the world, God had, in every age, spoken comfort 
 to mankind; promising them a wonderful De- 
 liverer, who should cleanse them from their sins ; 
 redeem them from death and misery ; teach them 
 to serve and to please God ; and give them that 
 peace, which the world cannot give, — peace with 
 themselves, and with their Maker. Remember, 
 lastly, that we are all partakers in these precious 
 benefits ; that, on us, the ends of the world are 
 come; to us, the mysteries of Providence are 
 revealed ; we have heard those truths, which pro- 
 phets and kings have, in vain, longed earnestly to 
 hear ; and have understood those secret things of 
 God, which the angels desired in vain to look 
 into. We are not now instructed, by dark say- 
 ings, or by mysterious ceremonies ; but have the 
 true word of Life, " which lighteth every man 
 that Cometh into the world." ^ Our Priest and 
 
 1 St. John, i. 9. 
 
 4 
 
SUNDAY BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 313 
 
 Leader is not, as Moses was, a mere man, like 
 ourselves; but sitteth at the right hand of His 
 Father, hearing our prayers, guiding our actions, 
 comforting us in sorrow, and asking pardon for 
 our sins at the throne of mercy and of righteous- 
 ness. 
 
 The present week is particularly proper for 
 such thoughts as these ; and our Church has 
 appointed, for every day in it, short passages of 
 Scripture ; which may be read, and considered, 
 attentively, with great profit and comfort. In the 
 portions of Scripture appointed for the Epistles of 
 Monday and Tuesday, you will learn the majesty of 
 Christ's Person ; and how glorious and honourable 
 He is in the sight of God. When you read these 
 things, commune with your own hearts ; and con- 
 sider, with yourselves, how can you escape if you 
 neglect so great a salvation, such wonderful and 
 exceeding mercy. The men of Nineveh repented 
 at the preaching of Jonah ; — the queen of the 
 South came from far to hear the wisdom of Solo- 
 mon ; — Ahab himself was changed for awhile, 
 and put on sackcloth, when Elijah rebuked him : 
 And shall not we repent, when God Himself hath 
 come down from Heaven to visit us ; — shall not 
 we be converted, whom the living voice of Christ 
 calls every day to amendment ? Oh, while you 
 yet feel the motions of His Spirit ; while the door 
 
 VOL. I. p 
 
314 
 
 SERMON XXI\% 
 
 is yet open to salvation ; — arise, and go to your 
 Father, that Father Almighty, who is the God, 
 tlie friend, and the comforter, of all, who, with 
 hearty repentance, turn unto Him. To Him, in 
 Three persons. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, be 
 praise, honour, and glory, now, and for ever ! 
 
SERMON XXV. 
 
 GOOD FRIDAY. 
 
 St. Luke, xxiv. 26. 
 
 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things^ and to enter 
 into His glory f 
 
 In my sermon for last Sunday, I endeavoured 
 to explain to you the necessity of a Redeemer; 
 and that, in all ages of the world, such a per-r 
 son, as our Saviour, had been expected and fore*- 
 told. — In every age, it was promised, by God, 
 through the prophets, that a Messiah should come 
 — to deliver mankind from the bondage of sin, 
 and death, and misery. I now proceed to state 
 the means, whereby this great victory was to be 
 obtained; namely, that He was to conquer by 
 suffering: that, by being Himself rejected of men, 
 He was to make men acceptable to God ; that, by 
 dying Himself, He was to deliver us from the 
 curse of death. 
 
 This is a mystery so wonderful, that, till it 
 really happened, no created being, either in hea- 
 p 2 
 
316 
 
 SERMON XXV. 
 
 veil, or in earth, understood it perfectly. The 
 angels of God themselves desired in vain to 
 look into it. It is, however, now laid open to 
 the meditations and the faith of men ; and it 
 is a miracle of love, of justice, and of wisdom ; 
 which nothing can excel, or equal. But, though 
 the ways of God are not as our ways, though 
 His thoughts are far above our thoughts, yet 
 has He given to all mankind such light and 
 instruction, as, if we use our reason, in duly 
 and humbly examining these sacred means 
 of learning, which He has given us, we may 
 discover plainly the mercy and the righte- 
 ousness of God, through the clouds and dark- 
 ness which surround Him, and are under His 
 xeet. 
 
 I call, then, upon you, who are delivered 
 from darkness and from death ; whose eyes are 
 saved from tears, and whose feet from falling, — 
 to listen, while I unfold, relying on the help of 
 God, and on the testimony of His Holy Scrip- 
 tures, the gracious means, whereby, from chil- 
 dren of wrath and disobedience, we are made 
 the adopted sons of the Almighty, and joint- 
 heirs, with Christ, of life and happiness without 
 end. 
 
 In my last discourse, I explained to you, how, 
 by the sentence of God, Adam and Eve lost 
 
 8 _ 
 
GOOD FRIDAY* SIX 
 
 their place in Paradise ; and became liable to all 
 the infirmities, which human nature must neces- 
 sarily contract and endure. I must here again 
 remind you, that immortality, thus lost, it was 
 impossible for man to acquire anew. What was 
 at first a free gift, could never be merited, or 
 earned, by any services, which we, that is man- 
 kind, could be able to perform. For what, after 
 all, are the best of our services ? do all that is re- 
 quired, — we are still unprofitable ; what need 
 has God of our prayers — what advantage is it to 
 Him, that we are grave, or sober, or orderly? 
 These restraints He lays on us, for our own ad- 
 vantage ; these rules He gives us, as a necessary 
 discipline to improve us in this world; and to fit 
 us for that immortality, which His mercy, and His 
 mercy only, has promised us hereafter, as a gra- 
 cious recompense for our humble endeavours. I 
 say His mercy only ; because as far as His justice 
 is concerned, the most perfect services of man could 
 never claim so high a recompense. A single day 
 of sun-shine, and of health ; a few hours' enjoy- 
 ment of the fresh air, of the light, and of the 
 other noble appearances of nature, a single 
 moment's conception of the ways and wisdom 
 of our Creator, would be more and greater 
 blessings than our greatest labours could repay. 
 But this is not all. Not only are we unable 
 p 3 
 
318 
 
 SERMON XXY. 
 
 — of ourselves — to deserve immortality ; but 
 our constant practices and actions have been 
 deserving of many deaths. Our sins — the per- 
 sonal sins of every man — have, from the begin- 
 ning of the world, cried out for vengeance on our 
 heads ; and God has more than once repented 
 Him, that He had made man to dwell upon the 
 earth. I speak not here of those natural imper- 
 fections, which cling to our substance ; and defile 
 in some sort our most anxious services : I speak 
 not of that weakness of the flesh, which we are 
 destined still to strive against; which clogs and 
 encumbers the most willing spirit; (this is a con- 
 sequence of the laws of our creation, — the laws 
 of that merciful and wise God, who made man 
 weak, in order that he might be humble :) — but 
 I speak of those wilful transgressions, those sins 
 against grace and knowledge, which, in every 
 age, have made the earth loath her inhabitants. 
 
 When there were as yet only three men in the 
 world, one of them became a murderer. And 
 when their multitude was somewhat increased ; 
 though as yet the memory of their creation, and 
 of their fall, was fresh ; — though the punishment 
 of Cain was before their eyes, and the fiery sword 
 still waved in their sight, over the guarded fron- 
 tier of Paradise ; even then did violence abound 
 in the earth, till the flood came at lengthj and 
 
GOOD FRIDAY. 
 
 319 
 
 swallowed them all. Of those eight personsj too, 
 who, on that occasion, survived by God's particu- 
 lar favour, one was an unnatural scoffer of his 
 aged parent. And the descendants of all, in a 
 short time, forsook the simple and reasonable wor- 
 ship, with which God was pleased : and, thougli 
 they knew God by the light of reason, yet they 
 glorified him not as God, but became the wor- 
 shippers of creeping things, and of stocks and 
 stones ; and leaving God, abandoned themselves 
 to vile affections, and to vices, which it is a horror 
 to name. 
 
 But why should I trace any further a picture 
 so hideous ? We all of us, if we examine our 
 own hearts, — we all of us know, how often we 
 have gone astray from the laws of God; how 
 often we have grieved the Holy Spirit with our 
 hardness of heart ; and have defied, to the very 
 face, alike His justice, and His mercy. Such 
 sins, and provocations as these, God's wisdom 
 would ^not. His justice could not, pass over 
 unpunished : it is not here a dispute, in which 
 man only is concerned; we are not the only 
 subjects, who acknowledge and tremble under 
 God's authority. The earth is but as one little 
 city in the mighty empire of the universe ; many 
 other worlds, and many millions of spiritual crea- 
 tures, equally bless His goodness ; and partake 
 p 4 
 
320 SERMON XXV. 
 
 His care, and Fatherly protection, in equal 
 measure with ourselves. As an example, then, to 
 thisa and possibly to every other world, it was 
 necessary that God should lay on sin some great 
 and dreadful mark of His displeasure. And 
 what claim had we to favour, in sight of that 
 impartial justice, which spared not the angels that 
 sinned ? 
 
 But, where punishment was thus necessary, 
 could we obtain none to suffer for us, none who, 
 by his perfect love, might take on Himself the 
 destruction which threatened the world ? Among 
 men, (I may add, among created beings,) such a 
 Redeemer would be sought in vain. The angels 
 themselves are imperfect in the sight of God, 
 — and a sacrifice, which was to produce effects 
 so great, must needs be perfect in every thing. 
 Therefore did the Se^^ond Person in the Trinity, 
 the Everlasting Word, by whose agency all things 
 were created, who would not that men should 
 perish ; — therefore did His exceeding love endure 
 for us the wrath of God His Father; and did 
 veil His Almighty power under the weakness, 
 the poverty, and the sufferings of the man Jesus. 
 By this one exertion of love tovv^ards us, of obedi- 
 ence towards God, and of patient suffering of 
 that penance, which would else have crushed the 
 world, the justice of God w^as satisfied ; and His 
 
GOOD FRIDAY. 
 
 321 
 
 wrath was changed into mercy. And as the 
 sacrifice of Christ for mankhid was determined 
 of God in the beginning, so did He, in various 
 manners, and at various times, reveal so much of 
 His intention as might comfort those early ages 
 of the world, and might afford a confirmation to 
 the faith of those who should come after. 
 
 First of all, by the institution of sacrifice, 
 where the blood of an innocent creature was 
 shed for the sins of men. He signified to all how 
 great was His abhorrence of sin ; since he did in 
 no case forgive it, except it were washed out in 
 blood. And so necessary was blood-shedding to 
 the nature of a sacrifice, that, when Cain, from 
 pride, or from negligence, or, as some think, from 
 want of faith in the appointed Redeemer, refused 
 to comply with this rule ; when, instead of the 
 lamb, which God required, he offered up the 
 fruits of the earth, — his sacrifice, we know, was 
 rejected with particular marks of displeasure. 
 These bloody sacrifices, indeed, as St. Paul well 
 observes, had no possible value, except as images 
 and representations of the intended death of 
 Christ. The blood of bulls and of goats had no 
 value in itself: but it had a value so far as it 
 referred to Christ; and, like a Sacrament, made 
 the penitents of those ages partakers of His 
 great sacrifice and atonement. It would take 
 p 5 
 
322 
 
 SERMON XXV. 
 
 up too much time to run through the long list 
 of ceremonies and actions, which were designed 
 by God as types, that is, as similitudes, or repre- 
 sentations, of the death of our Saviour. Almost 
 every ceremony of the Jewish religion had, in 
 some sort or other, such a relation to Him. The 
 Law, in almost every part, was a shadow of good 
 things to come. 
 
 But it is not only in the language of allegory, 
 or of signs and ceremonies, that the future suffer- 
 ing Messiah was revealed. The prophets describe 
 Him always as a Man of sorrows and acquainted 
 with grief. One of the earliest of them, from 
 whom Christ himself was, according to the flesh, 
 descended, — David, describes, as if he were an eye 
 witness, the sufferings, which you have heard this 
 day. He describes the scornful words of his ene- 
 mies, and the painful manner of his death. " They 
 shoot out the lip," saith he, speaking in the person 
 of Christ ; " They shake the head, saying, he 
 trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him ; 
 let Him deliver him, seeing He delighteth in 
 Him." ^ " The assembly of the wicked," saith he 
 again, "have enclosed me, they pierced my hands 
 and my feet." ^ In this description the smallest 
 circumstances are not forgotten ; the gall, and the 
 vinegar ; the parting His garments, and the casting 
 
 1 Psalm xxii. 7,8. Verse IC. 
 
GOOD FRIDAY. 
 
 323 
 
 lots ; are all mentioned with an exactness, wliicli, 
 I repeat it, more resembles an eye witness than a 
 prophet. 
 
 In the 53d chapter of Isaiah, we also see the 
 Messiah described as despised and rejected of men. 
 " We did esteem Him," saith he, " smitten of 
 God; despised and afflicted; He w^as stricken; 
 He bare stripes ; He was wounded, and bruised ; 
 He was taken from prison and from judgement; 
 He was numbered among the transgressors ; He 
 poured out His soul unto death ; He was cut out 
 of the land of the living." 
 
 I do not repeat these passages in the exact 
 order in which they follow each other; there are 
 many other points, which are described with equal 
 accuracy ; but these are, perhaps, the most striking. 
 And all these sulFerings are declared to be ap- 
 pointed, and inflicted, by Divine Providence, for 
 our sake, and in our stead, and for an atonement 
 for our sins. "His soul," saith Isaiah, '^was 
 made an offering for sin ; He was wounded for our 
 transgressions ; He was bruised for our iniquities ; 
 the chastisement of our peace was upon Him ; and 
 with His stripes we are healed. Surely He hath 
 borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows ; for the 
 transgression of my people He was stricken ; and 
 the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all." 
 
 These suflFerings, likewise. He was to bear with 
 p 6 
 
3-24 
 
 SERMON XXV. 
 
 patience and meekness : " He is brought as a 
 lamb to the slaughter ; and as a sheep before her 
 shearers is dumb ; so he openeth not His mouth." 
 Last of all, He was to die praying for His mur- 
 derers : — He was to make " intercession for the 
 transgressors." 
 
 And to prevent all possibility of objection, that 
 any person, but the Messiah, is here spoken of, 
 there are other parts of the same prophecy, which 
 connect — with a bond impossible to be broken — 
 these striking pictures of sorrow and pain with 
 those lofty and majestic titles of power and divinity, 
 Vy'hich I repeated last Sunday. " By His know- 
 ledge," it is said, " shall my righteous servant 
 justify many." — " I will divide Him a portion with 
 the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the 
 strong; because He hath poured out His soul 
 imto death." 
 
 After proofs like these, it is scarcely necessary 
 to repeat the prochecy of Zacharias, who told the 
 Jews, that the King of Sion should come, meek 
 and lowly riding on an ass ^ : or those words of 
 Daniel, where, — of the Messiah, or Anointed of 
 God, for this is the meaning of the word, — it is 
 foretold, that He should be cut off; but not for 
 Himself.^ And of these prophecies be it remem- 
 bered, the latest was written 400 years before 
 
 1 Zach. ix. 9. 2 Dan. ix. 26. 
 
GOOD FRIDAY. 
 
 325 
 
 Christ really came : so that the plain mention of 
 His person and character could only proceed from 
 the Spirit of God. The evidences, then, of Christi- 
 anity, will stand nearly thus. The history and 
 experience of all the nations of the world show 
 that a Redeemer was necessary, both as a Teacher 
 from God, and as a sacrifice for sin. Many holy 
 men have given such marks, such particular 
 descriptions of the Messiah who was to come ; — 
 have painted so exactly His person, His conduct, 
 His power, and doctrines, His poverty, and His 
 painful death, that no doubt could exist, or any 
 room, one should think, for mistake. And 400 
 years after these prophecies, Jesus Christ is born, 
 who fulfils all that was written of the Messiah ; 
 and suffers, like Him, a painful and unjust death. 
 Who can doubt any longer, on surveying this array 
 of witnesses ? who can hesitate to answer in his 
 heart. Verily, this is the Son of God. Verily, it 
 behoved Christ to suffer such things ; and, after 
 that, to enter into His glory ! 
 
 And now, my friends, it is my duty to entreat 
 you to consider, if these things be so, what man- 
 ner of men ought we to be in holiness of life. 
 Remember, that all these sufferings, which you 
 have heard to-day, — all the boundless love, which 
 Christ has shown us, all His grace, and the pardon 
 itself, which He has offered us freely, — will do 
 
326 
 
 SERMON XXV. 
 
 nothing more than increase our guilt and punish- 
 ment, unless we use them properly ; and strive to 
 show our love to Christ by walking according to 
 His laws. As long as our deeds are evil, as long 
 as our hearts are impenitent, it is impossible that 
 the Cross of Christ can save us. How can it save 
 us, if we will not accept the offer ? How can it 
 save us, if we neglect the means prescribed ; and, 
 by our evil deeds, put the Lord Jesus, and the 
 whole society of Christians, to open and continual 
 shame ? 
 
 And is there one among you, who has attended 
 to those different parts of Christ's sufferings, — 
 which have been read during this week, — who 
 does not burn with shame, when he reflects, how 
 he himself has slighted such mercy ? Consider 
 and see, if there were any sorrows like unto His 
 sorrows wherewith the Lord afflicted Him. Behold 
 Him, after a night of cries, and tears, and vmutter- 
 able groaning, — a night of agony, and bloody 
 sweat; — behold Him betrayed by one friend, 
 denied by a second, and deserted by all ; dragged 
 from one judgement seat to another, scourged, 
 beaten ; and insulted, for the space of half a day ; 
 then fainting with loss of blood, and hunger, and 
 weariness under the load of that Cross, on which 
 He was Himself to suffer ! But this was not all : — 
 it was not enough that He should hang for many 
 
GOOD FRIDAY. 
 
 327 
 
 hours together hy His bleeding hands and feet ; — 
 that His hunger, and feverish thirst, should be 
 mocked by those cruel tender mercies of the 
 wicked, the gall and the vinegar. This vv^as not 
 all ; — His soul within Him was troubled ; His 
 Father hid His face from Him ; He was alone to 
 bear all the miseries of His condition ; and to cry 
 out in the bitterness of distress, — "My God, my 
 God, why hast thou forsaken me 
 
 And it was for your sake He suffered ; every 
 groan was for you ; every drop of blood was shed 
 for your salvation. Bitter tears, indeed, must you 
 have wept ; bitter pangs awaited you, if those 
 precious drops had not fallen. And can you, dare 
 you, slight such great salvation ? Dare you pro- 
 voke to anger such unbounded love, or render 
 vain and fruitless the agonies of your Redeemer ? 
 Beware in time, how you allow the days of grace 
 to pass over ; beware, that you do not exceed the 
 bounds of mercy. 
 
 There are those who are now lamenting bit- 
 terly those moments which they passed on earth ; — 
 to whom the Cross of Christ is only an increase 
 of torment ; and to whom the merciful Redeemer 
 is become a severe and terrible Judge. Far other 
 may He appear to you, and to me ! Oh let that 
 boundless love move your heart to goodness. Let 
 
328 
 
 SERMON XXV. 
 
 those agonies plead with you to flee from the sins 
 which caused them. And may God^ for His dear 
 Son's sake, give you will and power, and grant 
 you faith and knowledge, and peace, in this world, 
 and in the world to come ! 
 
SERMON XXVI. 
 
 EASTER SUNDAY. 
 
 Revelation, i. 17, 18. 
 
 He laid His right hand on me^ saying unto me, Fear not ; 
 I am the first and the last : I am He that liveth, and 
 was dead ; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; 
 and have the keys of hell and of death, 
 
 John, the beloved disciple, had been, after 
 various torments and sufferings, banished by the 
 cruel Emperor Domitian to the small and desolate 
 island of Patmos. While thus persecuted for the 
 word of God, and for the testimony of the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, he was visited on the Lord's day by 
 a dreadful and majestic vision. He beheld, in all 
 the glory of the eternal God, one like unto the 
 Son of Man ; — like Him whom he had seen poor 
 and lowly ; — the Son of Man, who had been 
 betrayed into the hands of sinners ; whose wan- 
 derings he had followed ; whose sufferings he had 
 seen ; and who had loved him, above all his com- 
 panions ; the same, of whose humiliation and 
 death you have heard ; who gave His back to the 
 
330 
 
 SERMON XXVI. 
 
 smiters, and His cheek to them that plucked off 
 the hair ; whose life was accounted madness : 
 and His end, without honour. But He was now 
 arrayed in long and kingly robes ; His girdle was 
 of gold ; His eyes, as the fire ; His feet, as bright 
 as burning brass ; His voice, as the sound of many 
 waters; seven stars were in His right hand; a 
 flaming sword went out befoi^e Him; and His 
 countenance Avas as the Sun shining in His 
 strength. " Fear not," He said, as His ancient 
 follower sunk in lifeless terror at His feet, " I am 
 the first and the last : I am He that liveth and 
 was dead ; and behold, I am alive for evermore, 
 Amen ; and have the keys of hell, and of death." 
 
 In this declaration of our Lord, now glorified, 
 and raised above principalities and powers and 
 archangels, we have clearly laid down both His 
 nature and eternity ; — that He is the first and 
 the last : — His death and resurrection ; — that 
 He liveth and was dead : — and, lastly. His glo- 
 rious and triumphant condition; that He is alive 
 for evermore, and hath the keys of hell, and of 
 death ; — that is, that by Him only we can hope 
 to escape either of these calamities. 
 
 Not that these truths were now first discovered 
 to this beloved Apostle ; who had often heard 
 similar declarations from the mouth of Christ 
 Himself ; both while He abode among men, and 
 
EASTER SUNDAY. 
 
 331 
 
 while, for forty days after His resurrection. He 
 shewed Himself, and ate, and drank, with His 
 disciples. But all these truths were now con- 
 firmed to him : and he received the conviction, 
 that the same lowly Prophet, with whom he had 
 conversed on earth, was the identical Word of 
 God who now appeared arrayed in all the terrors 
 and majesty of His Father's Godhead. And, 
 indeed, long before the union of God and man 
 in the person of our Saviour, the Second Person 
 in the Trinity had appeared to Daniel, in almost 
 the same form, which now presents itself to John ; 
 and, in all probability, the transfiguration of our 
 Saviour on the Mount, and the glorious apparition, 
 which cheered the last moments of the Martyr 
 Stephen, were not unlike the appearance, before 
 which the beloved disciple fell as dead. 
 
 But to those, who profess to believe in Christy 
 and in every word which He has spoken, it is 
 unnecessary to add further proof of His Divinity. 
 — His resurrection, too, is confirmed by so many 
 witnesses, — witnesses who had known Him well, 
 and could not be mistaken ; who had no interest 
 to serve, and could not, therefore, intend to 
 deceive ; that we cannot, if we admit any evidence 
 at all, reasonably doubt their truth. He was seen 
 in every possible situation ; sometimes by many, 
 sometimes by few witnesses : His voice. His man- 
 
332 
 
 SERMON XXVI. 
 
 ner, they had all an opportunity of observing ; 
 and even when He again visits the earth — thus 
 arrayed in Majesty, and after he had ascended into 
 Heaven, — St. John still recollects His features, 
 and knows that this was the Son of Man. 
 
 I shall confine myself, therefore, to the obser- 
 vation of the latter part of our Lord's assertion, 
 which respects His present power and authority ; 
 and the manner, in which we are to regard Him, 
 as the author of immortality and salvation : He 
 has the keys of Hell and of death. This autho- 
 rity over the two great enemies of mankind, who 
 had, from the time of Adam, held the world in 
 captivity, was first shewn in His own resurrection : 
 for well may we trust His promises, who has per- 
 formed every thing, with respect to His own 
 person ; well may we hope, that He in whom our 
 nature was clothed with Divinity, who hath 
 ascended up on high, and led captivity captive, — 
 has also received those gifts for the sake of us men. 
 We may well and reasonably hope, when we read 
 of the glories, which He at present enjoys, that 
 the time will also come, according to His repeated 
 promise; when the righteous, also, shall shine 
 forth as the sun, in the kingdom of their Father. 
 
 And, indeed, whatever probability a future life 
 may obtain from reason, though the resurrection 
 of our body agrees entirely with the general ex-* 
 
EASTER SUNDAY. 
 
 333 
 
 perience of nature, and with all the little know- 
 ledge which we have of ourselves and of our 
 Creator, yet the main authority, which we have 
 for our hope, is derived from the resurrection of 
 Christ. — It is true, that the immortality of the 
 soul has been the universal belief of nations ; and 
 that the resurrection of the body, though much 
 more difficult for unassisted human wisdom to 
 comprehend, has nothing in it, which can cause 
 wonder or hardness of belief, in those, who have 
 watched the progress of the silkworm from a cater- 
 pillar to a butterfly ; who have seen the corn, 
 committed to the ground, spring up again in a 
 more glorious form ; and the scattered seeds of a 
 single plant produce again a perfect flower. When 
 these things fall under our common observation, 
 we cannot think it incredible, that God should 
 raise the dead : — we see He does so daily ; and 
 is the resurrection of a human body more im- 
 possible to God, than the reproduction of a plant, 
 or of an insect ? Or can it be more difficult to 
 restore, than to have, at first, created out of 
 nothing. " Thou fool," said St. Paul, when he 
 bade the unbeliever give his attention to the works 
 of nature, " thou fool, that, which thou sowest, is 
 not quickened, except it die."^ And however 
 little, as I observed before, a bodily resurrection 
 
 1 1 Cor. XV. 36. 
 
334 
 
 SERMON XXVI. 
 
 was known to the heathen, yet in the cares of 
 burial, in reverence paid to the dead, and in that 
 fear of spirits, from which no nation has been free, 
 we perceive how strongly the voice of nature 
 whispers in our ear the suspicion of a future state, 
 and some wonderful purpose, for which the souls 
 of men are preserved, even when their means of 
 feeling, or of acting, are, according to our ideas, 
 dissolved. 
 
 But still, the idea, which heathen nations en- 
 tertained of the future life after death, is, in many 
 points, inactive, and unsatisfactory. They allowed 
 to their dead, indeed, a few short-lived pleasures ; 
 rather a vision of happiness than its reality ; till, 
 after a certain revolution of time, they were again 
 to be united to other bodies; and to undergo 
 again all the difficulties, and the faults, which had 
 afflicted their former residence on earth. In no 
 religion, but the true, do we find it promised, 
 that the body shall receive its recompense, as w^ell 
 as the soul : — that the faith and obedience of a 
 good man's life shall not be rewarded by merely 
 melting into the air ; or by that contemplation 
 and spiritual employment, which a mere spirit 
 might enjoy: but that a life of active happiness 
 and active obedience shall be prolonged to all 
 eternity ; that the body, which has suffered, 
 together with the soul, in this life, shall, together 
 
EASTER SUNDAY. 
 
 335 
 
 with the soul, triumph in the hfe to come ; and 
 that, weak and feeble as it now is, it shall not 
 perish, but be improved, when this corruption 
 shall put on incorruption ; and this mortal, im- 
 mortality. 
 
 This glorious and comfortable doctrine of a 
 future life, such as I have now described, and as 
 we find it delivered in the Epistles of St. Paul, 
 and in the Book of the Revelation, w^as not only 
 unknown to the Heathen ; but, before the time of 
 Christ, is, I think, no where positively revealed 
 even to the chosen people of God. But, though 
 in the books of Moses, the promises of reward are 
 mostly confined to this life ; — that they should 
 continue long in the land that was given them ; 
 — that they should see their children's children, 
 and the like ; — though such were the only re- 
 wards promised by the Jewish covenant, yet, in 
 expectation of a Messiah, we find in different 
 prophets very strong assurances of a future resur- 
 rection. " Though worms," says Job, one of the 
 most ancient of the prophets, "though worms 
 destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see 
 God." ^ In Isaiah, it is written, when he comforts 
 the Israelites in their captivity, " thy dead men 
 shall live, together with my dead body shall they 
 arise ; awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust : for 
 1 Job, xix. 26. 
 
336 
 
 SERMON XXVI. 
 
 thy dew is as the dew of herbs ; and the earth 
 shall cast out her dead." ^ Many years after- 
 wards, when the destruction, which Isaiah had 
 foretold, had fallen so heavily on the Jews, that 
 they thought it scarcely in the power of God to 
 restore them, — God, in order to cure Ezekiel of 
 his distrust, convinces him by a still greater 
 miracle. He gives him, as a sign, the restoration 
 of those from whom breath and life and moisture 
 had departed. " O, ye dry bones," saith he, 
 "hear the word of the Lord, — thus saith the 
 Lord God unto these bones ; behold I will cause 
 breath to enter into you, and ye shall live." ^ And 
 Daniel, who, of all men, had the clearest revela- 
 tions both when and how the Redeemer should 
 come, — he too exults in this his greatest triumph ; 
 and prophesies that " many of them, that sleep in 
 the dust, shall awake; some, to everlasting life; 
 and some, to shame, and everlasting contempt.'^^ 
 And, unless some such promise had been made to 
 the holy prophets, and to those other worthy men, 
 who looked for the salvation of Israel, we cannot 
 readily conceive what reward they looked for ; 
 or what advantage they derived from the future 
 coming of the Messiah. If Abraham, if Isaac, 
 and if Jacob, after a life of labour and wandering, 
 
 1 Isaiah, xxvi. 19. 2 Ezekiel, xxxvii. 4, 5. 
 
 3 Daniel, xii. 2. 
 
EASTER SUNDAY. 
 
 337 
 
 had descended to the silent tomb, never to be 
 roused again ; and never to hope, that their long 
 sleep would be broken by the morning beams of 
 righteousness ; it was little profit to them, that " in 
 their stead all the nations of the earth should be 
 blessed." Abraham could not then have seen the 
 day of Christ, or when he saw it, have been glad. 
 Little reason had Daniel to rejoice in the mul- 
 titude of his revelations, if he were to die a 
 captive in a foreign land, without hope of witness- 
 ing the future glories of Sion. Far different, 
 however, was that comfort which he received, 
 when he was promised to share in all the mercies 
 that were foretold to him : when God said. 
 Go thou thy way till the end be : for thou 
 shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the 
 days." ' 
 
 Still, however, this life without end, this im- 
 mortality of body and soul, was never promised 
 even to these great and good men, but as the free 
 gift of God, through the merits of our Saviour, 
 Jesus Christ. Job, whom I have mentioned, 
 hoped for future life, only because he knew that 
 his Redeemer lived : nor is there any promise of 
 eternal happiness, in Scripture, on any other 
 grounds, than His merits and mercy. I trust, in- 
 deed, you have not so far forgotten my discourses 
 
 1 Daniel, xii. 13. 
 VOL, I. Q 
 
338 
 
 SERMON XXVI. 
 
 of last Sunday and Friday, as to imagine that any 
 services of men could deserve so high a reward. 
 The first covenant, which was made with Adam, 
 was, so far as we know, nothing more than enjoy- 
 ment of earthly happiness, so long as he continued 
 obedient : and, in the law of Moses, no rewards 
 were openly proposed, but peace, and plenty, and 
 length of days. The enjoyment of years without 
 end, and happiness without a possibility of falling, 
 is purchased for us, only by the merits and the 
 obedience of Christ. 
 
 And, by a due consideration of these truths, 
 we not only understand the infinite value of 
 Christ's sacrifice, but also the illustrious effects 
 which it has produced in our favour. For to shew 
 that His resurrection was for our advantage, as 
 well as for His own glory ; — to shew that He then 
 received the power and the office of Captain of 
 the salvation and resurrection of all mankind, — 
 He displayed it in raising, even before the regular 
 time, many bodies of the Saints v/ho slept; who 
 appeared, by His order, to many in the city of 
 Jerusalem. Well, indeed, might it be expected, 
 that He who, when in human shape, and clothed, 
 in part, with the imperfections of mortality, had 
 called the widow's son from his bier, and Lazarus 
 from his grave where he had four days lain, — it 
 might well be supposed, that, in the very moment 
 
EASTER SUNDAY. 
 
 339 
 
 of His own triumphant resurrection. He should 
 call up others, as the first fruits of His victory ; 
 and should enter into the kingdom of God, as the 
 first born of many brethren. 
 
 It appears, then, that the resurrection of Christ 
 is of advantage to us: first, as confirming the 
 truth of all His doctrine, and as proving that He 
 had both power and will to reward all those who 
 had followed Him, and should follow Him, in 
 faith, and, as far as human infirmity will admit, in 
 love, and in obedience. Secondly, that we Chris- 
 tians have, as our particular leader and governor, 
 One, who knows how to pity our infirmities ; One 
 who, having been Himself a man, will aid us 
 against those passions, with which He Himself 
 once struggled ; and will dry up those tears, which 
 He Himself has shed. But, in the third place, 
 these advantages, great as they are, are tran- 
 scended by the spiritual privileges thus obtained ; 
 — repentance, and the gift of of the Holy Ghost. 
 It is this, which makes the Christian covenant 
 more perfect and more merciful, than any v/hich 
 went before it. If Adam, for instance, had re- 
 mained in Paradise, yet his continuance would not 
 have made us strong ; and with the same risk of 
 falling, we could only have expected, if we fell, 
 death without opportunity of repentance, death of 
 Q 2 
 
340 
 
 SERMON XXVI. 
 
 body and soul. Now, if we sin^ — and who is 
 there that sinneth not ? — the door of repentance 
 stands open ; and the Holy Spirit is ever urgent 
 with us, to guide and to strengthen us in our re- 
 turn to happiness. And if such be the difference 
 of the assistance afforded us, how much greater is 
 the excellence of our reward ! For mere animal 
 life, for mere worldly prosperity, we have the hap- 
 piness of angels held out to us ; and every thing 
 which Almighty power and love can bestow. 
 
 And are not these enjoyments worth striving 
 for ? is not this a salvation, which may well call 
 forth all our strongest efforts, though the gate 
 may be narrow, and the w^ay steep and uneven ? 
 What do we behold, what do we hear, which can 
 draw us aside from so glorious a journey, or per- 
 suade us to desert our Heavenly Guide, who is 
 leading us forward to happiness and victory ? Can 
 this world of which we all complain, though we all 
 of us love it too well, can it furnish any pleasures, 
 any hopes, which can equal those which God has 
 revealed and promised — those unutterable glories, 
 v/hich were seen by St. Paul, and by St. John ? 
 And, on the other side, can a little foolish laughter, 
 or the bad examples of weak and wicked men, — 
 for these trials, and trials like these, are the prin- 
 cipal which we have to encounter, — can they be 
 
EASTER SUNDAY. 
 
 341 
 
 more dreadful, than the curse declared upon im- 
 penitent sinners, — the lake, which burneth witli 
 brimstone and with fire? 
 
 For, do not forget, there are threatenings in the 
 Gospel, as well as promises ! Do not suppose, as 
 some false teachers would tell you, that, because 
 Christ has done so much, nothing remains for us 
 to do ; — that, because He is victorious, our war- 
 fare is brought to an end. — The greater the pri- 
 vileges, which His blood has purchased, so much 
 the more are we called upon to defend the goodly 
 heritage which we have received through Him ; 
 and to carry into effect, by His help, that work, 
 which He hath begun in us. If we hope to dwell 
 hereafter with the angels of God, let us keep our 
 thoughts and hearts as pure as those of blessed 
 spirits. — If we hope, that our bodies shall, one 
 day, be summoned from the dust, let us sanctify 
 them now to the service of God, as temples of the 
 Holy Ghost: and, above all, where our treasure 
 is, there let our heart be also. Let us really fix 
 our desires on those Heavens, whither our Saviour 
 Christ is gone before ; — let us think on them ; — 
 let us pray for them ; and do our best to become 
 dead to sin, that we may rise again to happiness ! 
 
 If such be our endeavour ; — if such be our 
 meditation and our hope ; we have an inheritance 
 in the Heavens, which faileth not ; of which no 
 Q 3 
 
842 
 
 SERMON XXVI. 
 
 violence of devil or man can hinder us : we have 
 a friend, and protector, from whom, if we do not 
 ourselves depart from Him, no power, or spirit 
 can separate us. In His strength, let us proceed 
 on our journey, through the storms and troubles 
 and dangers of the world. However they may 
 rage and swell, though the mountains shake at the 
 tempests, our rock will not be moved : — we have 
 one friend, who will never forsake us ; one refuge, 
 where we may rest in peace, and stand in our lot 
 at the end of the days. That same is He, who 
 liveth and was dead; who is ahve for evermore; 
 and hath the keys of hell and of death. 
 
SERMON XXVIL 
 
 FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 
 
 St. John, xx. 19. 
 Peace be unto you. 
 
 With this merciful salutation, did our Lord, on 
 the first Sunday after His resurrection, address 
 the first congregation assembled in His name. — 
 A litde flock it was, and surrounded by many 
 hungry wolves, in a world where all men were its 
 enemies ; yet He, who knew all things, and in 
 whose hand all things were, foretold to them, 
 peace and dominion and security; the gates of 
 Hell, He had formerly said, should not prevail 
 against His Church ; and now, in their greatest 
 danger. He is at hand, to make good His promise. 
 "At evening," saith the Scripture, "being the 
 first day of the week, when the doors were shut, 
 where the disciples were assembled for fear of the 
 Jews, came Jesus, and stood in the midst, and 
 saith unto them, Peace be unto you. Then were 
 the disciples glad when they saw the Lord." 
 Q 4 
 
344 
 
 SERMON XXVn. 
 
 I have already, an former occasions, explained 
 and enforced the indubitable nature of that proof, 
 which these frequent appearances of Christ, after 
 His death, afford of the reality of His resurrec- 
 tion; and of the firmness of that faith, which is 
 built on so sure a foundation ; and against which 
 the gates of Hell, we have God's word for it, shall 
 never finally prevail. But there are three further 
 purposes, which the gracious visit, and gracious 
 words, of our Saviour may, on the present occa- 
 sion, appear intended to serve ; and which, at 
 least, may afford very useful lessons to every 
 Christian who considers them attentively. I mean, 
 first, the sanction thus afforded to the universal 
 custom of keeping Sunday, on the first day of the 
 week, as a Christian Sabbath, and a day of devout 
 thanksgiving to the Lord Jesus ; who, as on this 
 day, rose from that grave, whither He had de- 
 scended for our sins. " On the first day of the 
 week, when the disciples were assembled together, 
 came Jesus and stood in the midst of them." 
 
 We have here the first observance of the Lord's 
 day, by the Apostles, on the Sunday immediately 
 following that of His resurrection ; and that this 
 their meeting on that day was neither by chance, 
 nor without the gracious approbation of their de- 
 parted Lord, is plain from two considerations. 
 First, that Christians, from that time forward. 
 
FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 345 
 
 never ceased, or neglected, to have their solemn 
 assemblies on the first day of the week; which 
 thenceforth bore the appropriate name of the 
 Lord's day. Secondly, that Christ not only ho- 
 noured this their first meeting with His visible 
 presence ; but that He returned also on the next 
 following Sunday ; " after eight days again His 
 disciples were within; — then came Jesus; and 
 stood in the midst ; and said, Peace be unto you 
 and, again, afterwards, and in the only further re- 
 velation of His will, which He has made to man- 
 kind, it was on the Lord's day, that He thought 
 fit to display His glory to His beloved apostle, in 
 his banishment of Patmos. 
 
 We have, then, sufficient grounds for concluding, 
 not only that the keeping holy the Lord's day is, 
 next to the Sacraments, the most ancient, uni- 
 versal, and sacred ordinance which the Christian 
 Church enjoins; not only that it is a sacrifice of 
 praise and thanksgiving — of all others — the 
 most appropriate to the mercies which we have 
 received ; but that we have the implied sanction 
 of the Son of God Himself, for the reverent ob- 
 servance of a day, on which, almost exclusively. 
 He has, since His resurrection, thought fit to re- 
 veal his glories to mankind. And those, who are 
 cold, or careless, in their celebration of this 
 weekly festival ; those, whom a little cloud, a little 
 Q 5 
 
346 
 
 SERMON XXVII. 
 
 dust, a trifling degree of weariness will keep, on 
 this day, from the service of their Lord and their 
 God, may blush, when they compare these petty 
 hindrances with the dreadful dangers which could 
 not prevent the apostles and early christians from 
 meeting on this day to shew forth the death, and to 
 celebrate the resurrection of the Mighty Redeemer. 
 
 And, secondly^ our reverence for the Lord's 
 day, and our anxiety to join in the public prayers 
 and praises, which the Church of Christ, on this 
 day, offers up to His name, may be greatly in- 
 creased, by considering the promise which our 
 public, yet more than our private, devotions, have 
 received from Christ, of favour and protection, 
 " If two of you," saith our Saviour, shall agree 
 on earth, as touching any thing that they shall 
 ask in my name, it shall be done for them." ^ And 
 in another place, He uses those celebrated words, 
 of the truth of which the event recorded in this 
 day's Gospel is a sufficient pledge : — " Where 
 two or three are gathered together in my name, 
 there am I in the midst of them." ^ — This pro- 
 mise was, as you have heard, visibly performed 
 on the first Lord's day, which was celebrated; 
 and is doubtless still, though not visibly, yet ef- 
 fectually, true of every Christian congregation : 
 and on every returning Sunday, the Lord Jesus 
 
 1 St. Matthew, xviii. 19. 2 St. Matthew, xviii. 20. 
 
FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 347 
 
 Christ is, in an especial manner, present to heal 
 our griefs, and to hear our supplications : and, 
 however plain the building, and however poor 
 the flock, the Church, no less than the Temple, 
 hath its resident Divinity ; and the Lord is 
 among them as in the Holy place of Sinai. If 
 such be the case, — and if we believe the pro- 
 mises of God made to us in Scripture^ no doubt 
 of its truth can be entertained, — how necessary 
 must it seem to keep our foot, when we come to 
 the House of the Lord ; — to watch over every 
 thought ; and to govern every motion of the 
 body; as well knowing in whose presence we 
 are. Are we filled with awe in thinking of the 
 Day of Judgement ; and of the appearance of 
 Christ, when He shall come to reward all men 
 according to their works ? — and do we forget 
 that, here, also. He is present in the midst of us ; 
 His eye observing our actions, and reading every 
 thought of the heart? If we do not believe this, 
 how are we Christians ? If we do believe it, 
 can we refrain from crying out, with the patri- 
 arch Jacob, on an occasion not very different, 
 ^' Surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it 
 not; how dreadful is this place ! This is none 
 other but the house of God : and this is the gate 
 of Heaven," \ 
 
 1 Genesis, xxviii. 16, 17. 
 Q 6 
 
348 
 
 SERMON XXVII. 
 
 The manner, thirdly, of our Lord's salutation, 
 though it were at that time, and still continues, 
 the usual form of expressing friendship, or 
 civility among the eastern nations, yet, when 
 it is compared with the avowed object of His 
 coming into the world, may well deserve our 
 serious attention ; and may instruct us, perhaps, 
 both in what place, and in what manner, we 
 may best hope to obtain a blessing similar to 
 that, which He thus bestowed on His dis- 
 ciples, — that peace which the world cannot 
 give. 
 
 In all former ages, and by every prophet who 
 foretold the Messiah's coming, had His reign been 
 spoken of as a period of uninterrupted peace. 
 In those days, saith Isaiah, they shall beat their 
 swords into plough- shares, and their spears into 
 pruning-hooks ; nation shall not rise against 
 nation ; neither shall they learn war any more. 
 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb ; and 
 the calf, and the young lion and the fatling 
 together ; and a little child shall lead them : 
 they shall not hurt nor destroy, in all My Holy 
 Mountain, saith the Lord. When Christ was 
 born into the world, the angels sang peace and 
 good will to mankind ; and the title of " Prince 
 of Peace " was that, which best appeared to 
 suit His benevolent errand. Nor can any doubt 
 
FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 349 
 
 be entertained, that, so soon as the knowledge 
 of those virtues, which the Gospel enjoins, shall 
 really be universal among mankind ; — and that 
 this blessed day must come, when the earth shall 
 be filled with the glory of the Lord, the sure 
 word of prophecy hath declared — there can be 
 no doubt, I say, that, when all men, not only in 
 name, but in very truth and sincerity, are Chris- 
 tians, — war and fighting, which as St James 
 assures us, spring only from unchristian lusts \ 
 must cease from that time forward; since con- 
 quest and oflFensive war will be no more thought 
 of; and since defensive war will be, therefore, 
 unnecessary. The conqueror and the tyrant will 
 cease to exist ; and the brave defenders of their 
 country will therefore have no occasion to con- 
 tinue their honourable exertions ; but, to the 
 strife of blood, a nev/ and nobler contest my suc- 
 ceed ; — which, among the nations, can do most 
 worthy honour to God and His Son ; — which 
 can outstrip the rest in the splendour of its charit- 
 able and religious institutions, and in the Christian 
 education of the poor. 
 
 But though the Church of Christ will be thus 
 blessed and glorious in its rest and its destined 
 triumph, it was not to be supposed, that such 
 happiness was to be procured by any means but 
 1 St. James, iv. 1. 
 
350 
 
 SERMON XXVII. 
 
 by a long and patient endurance, for His sake, 
 of oppression and offence and cruelty. The 
 Church triumphant is destined to repose in 
 peace; but the Church militant must first be 
 tossed in the storm : and the very character of 
 Christ's pure and peaceable religion would, as 
 being utterly opposed to the spirit of the world, 
 produce, of course, by that diversity, disturbance 
 and difference among mankind. " Think ye," 
 said Christ, " that I am come to send peace on 
 earth. I tell you nay, but rather division." And 
 accordingly, as if compelled by this necessity, 
 in the last hour of His life, and at the time when 
 that guardian care was about to be withdrawn 
 from His disciples, which had hitherto preserved 
 those defenceless sheep, unharmed amid the 
 wolves. He not only permits, but commands. His 
 disciples to provide themselves, for their own 
 defence, with the necessary instruments of death. 
 A total absence of war and bloodshed, is not, 
 then, to be expected in a state of human society, 
 so imperfect as the world still offers to us; 
 and as the promise of Christ to His disciples, 
 and of the angels to the shepherds, was imme- 
 diate and without any exception of place or time, 
 it is plain that another kind of peace and tran- 
 quillity is signified in both places ; distinct from, 
 and independent of, all chances and changes of 
 8 
 
FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 351 
 
 this mortal life ; and the seat of which is, conse- 
 quently., in the mind : — that peace, I mean, 
 which subsists between a man's heart and himself: 
 
 — that peace which is declared by a Merciful 
 God to a repentant and pardoned creature. For, 
 if we consider the power, which the being thus at 
 peace in ourselves confers on the human heart, 
 
 — to bear not only with patience, but with 
 cheerfulness, the bitterest draught of sorrow, 
 and the wildest storms of adversity; if we 
 reflect, on the other hand, what little power is 
 possessed by outward circumstances of repose 
 and tranquillity, to give quiet to the distracted 
 soul ; it cannot be doubted, that, where there is 
 peace with God, that man cannot be utterly un- 
 happy ; as on the other hand, where God is our 
 enemy, where we know that we have offended 
 Him, and do not yet know that our pardon is 
 granted through Jesus Christ, we must be utterly 
 wretched, whatever be the seeming smiles of the 
 world or our outward fortune. The spirit of 
 a man is strength against adversity; but a 
 wounded spirit who can bear? And that this 
 peace it is, which our Saviour promised to His 
 followers, is further plain from the very words 
 in which He makes His promise. " Peace I 
 leave with you, my peace I give unto you ; not 
 
352 
 
 SERMON XXVII. 
 
 as the world giveth, give I unto you," ^ And 
 where this peace was to be found, and in what 
 manner obtained, may be learnt from the his- 
 tory which has been read in the Gospel of this 
 morning. 
 
 The apostles, when Christ thus came to give 
 them peace, were assembled in the house of 
 prayer, and on the Lord's day. Is there any, 
 who hath not yet been reconciled to God 
 through Christ; any, who is, at this hour, in a 
 state of war with his Maker ? let him come 
 hither; and the great Mediator of earth and 
 Heaven will open unto him the new covenant 
 of mercy and forgiveness. Is there any who 
 has once tasted the good gifts of God ; but whose 
 heart is weak ; and, with much doubt and sorrow, 
 looks back on his ancient sins, and on his present 
 hardness of unbelief? any who mourns within 
 himself, that he can neither love God so well, 
 nor believe in Him so truly, nor obey Him so 
 perfectly, as he would gladly do ? — Let him 
 come hither who is thus heavy laden : and the 
 meek and merciful Jesus will wipe away his 
 tears ; will make light the yoke, which now 
 weighs him to the dust ; and will enable him to 
 find rest for his soul. Is there any, who has 
 
 1 St. John, xiv. 27. 
 
FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 353 
 
 mourned under the weight of human calamities ; 
 whose heart, like the heart of Peter, has failed 
 witliin him for fear, as he has beheld the bois- 
 terous winds and waves of mortal life ; and 
 whose faith has been perplexed, while he has 
 contemplated the violence and pride of success- 
 ful villainy ; let him come hither to the sanc- 
 tuary of God, to learn the end of wicked 
 men: let him seek refuge in the secret place 
 of Christ's tabernacle, from the rebuke of the 
 tyrant. Is there any, lastly, whose spirits have 
 risen in honest triumph in beholding the mercy 
 and justice of the Most High displayed in the 
 destruction of sinners, and in the probable resto- 
 ration of outward peace to the world, which we 
 have for twenty years contended for \ and prayed 
 for and hoped for vainly, let him mix his thanks- 
 giving for this wonderful diliverance with a 
 godly fear, lest if we shew ourselves unworthy 
 of the mercy thus bestowed, a worse thing may 
 come unto us. Let him remember that, godli- 
 ness is the strength of a nation, whether in peace 
 or in war ; and that, let the kings of the earth 
 take what counsel they may, " there is no peace^ 
 saith my God^ to the wicked !" 
 
 1 Written in 18H, 
 
SERMON XXVIIL 
 
 SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 
 
 Numbers, xxiii. 10. 
 
 Let me die the death of the righteous^ and let my last end 
 he like his ! 
 
 In the history of the prophet Balaam, whose words 
 these are, and whose intercourse with Balak, king 
 of Moab, is the subject of the first Lesson for this 
 morning's service, there are many points so sin- 
 gular in themselves, and so instructive in their 
 consequences, as to make it a very useful task to 
 explain their difficulties, and to enquire into their 
 force and meaning. 
 
 Amongst the various tribes who dwelt in that 
 wide range of mountainous country, east of Jordan, 
 and north of the great wilderness, a country now 
 abandoned to drought and barrenness, but abound- 
 ing, in ancient times, with flocks and pasturage, 
 and with wealthy and warlike inhabitants, there 
 were two very distinguished nations ; Moab, de- 
 scended from the horrible connection of Lot with 
 
SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 355 
 
 his daughter ; and Midian, sprung from the loins 
 of Abraham by his second wife, Keturah. 
 
 It should appear from several passages in Scrip- 
 ture, — as when Moab and Midian are mentioned 
 indifferently, sometimes one, and sometimes the 
 other ; and where Midianitish women are expressly 
 called the daughters of Moab, — that, in the time 
 of Moses, these two tribes composed in fact a 
 single nation : — that they were united, at least, 
 in the closest bands of alliance and kindred ; and 
 that a number of little kings among them obeyed 
 the superior authority of that Balak, the Moabite, 
 of whom I have already spoken. These nations 
 were, as we have seen, of the same stock with 
 Israel itself : their language was no doubt the 
 same ; and, though they had wickedly and foolishly 
 corrupted the true religion of their fathers, by the 
 worship of an idol, called Baal Peor, yet there is 
 every reason to suppose^ both from this history, 
 and from the other parts of Scripture, where they 
 are mentioned, that they still retained the belief 
 of the one great God, the God of Abraham, of 
 Isaac and of Jacob. 
 
 It was to Jethro, the high priest of Midian, and 
 doubtless a priest of the true God, that Moses 
 fled, after he had killed the Egyptian; and in 
 whom he found not only a protector but a father- 
 in-law : and through the whole of the present his- 
 
336 
 
 SERMON XXVIII. 
 
 tory, we find, I think, undoubted proof, that, 
 whatever might be the peculiar supei^stitions of 
 Moab, — and such there doubtless were, — yet that 
 Balak, no less than Balaam, had a perfect know- 
 ledo-e of the name of Jehovah. Notwithstandinoj 
 all these reasons for good will and confidence 
 between the nations of Israel and Moab, we find 
 tlie latter exceedingly disturbed at the approach 
 of so vast a multitude ; and expressing their appre- 
 hension, that this great company would "lick up 
 all that were round about tliem, as the ox licketh 
 up the grass of the field." ^ Yet for fears like 
 these they had not in truth the smallest reason. 
 It was not against them, the Israelites were going 
 forth to war : it was not their land, which was 
 promised to Jacob for a possession : — it was Ca- 
 naan, and Canaan only, whose wicked inhabitants 
 were condemned by God to destruction : and 
 Edom, and Amnion, and Moab were to be con- 
 sidered by His people, as kindred ; and their land, 
 and their people to be secured from every trespass 
 or violation. — "Ye are to pass," said God, "through 
 the coast of your brethren, the children of Esau 
 which dwell in Seir ; and they shall be afraid of 
 you : — take ye good heed unto yourselves, there- 
 fore, meddle not with them; for I will not give 
 you of their land, no, not so much as a foot-breadth ; 
 J Numbers, xxii. 1. 
 
SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 357 
 
 for I have given Mount Seir unto Esau, for a 
 possession." ^ They were to pay for all the refresh- 
 ments which they procured. ^^Ye shall buy meat 
 of them for money, that ye may eat ; and water of 
 them for money, that ye may drink.'' ^ And to 
 the Moabites the same treatment was expressly 
 ordered. " Distress not the Moabites, neither 
 contend with them in battle : for I will not give 
 thee of their land, for a possession." ^ But, not- 
 withstanding this avowed intention of God, not- 
 withstanding the peaceable demeanour of the 
 Israelites, and the long circuit which they had 
 made from Ar to Arnon, — in order to avoid all 
 unnecessary trespassing on their lands, the sus- 
 picions and malice of Moab remained unabated. 
 The Israelites had power, they saw, to injure 
 them ; and, where there was power, their wicked 
 hearts made them conclude, that the will would 
 not be wanting. — And thus it has always been, in 
 the progress of the Church of God, and of God's 
 religion through the world ; that worldly men 
 have beheld its advances with an evil and sus- 
 picious eye. They will not believe, that the hopes 
 of a Christian are exclusively directed to his hea- 
 venly Canaan ; and that, with such an heritage in 
 view, he cannot, if he would, descend to envy the 
 children of Moab their rocks and wildernesses. — 
 1 Deut. ii. 4, 5. ^ Verse 6. s Verse 9. 
 
358 
 
 SERMON XXVIII. 
 
 In every scheme for the advantage of Christianity, 
 diey suspect some worldly projects, some danger 
 to themselves, or to their power : and violent and 
 ambitious men have, accordingly, in every age of 
 the world, stood up against the Lord and His 
 Anointed. — How wisely, or how successfully, the 
 story of Balaam may shew. 
 
 The manner, in which the malice of the Moab- 
 ites was shewn, is the wildest and most singular 
 which can be imagined; — though, in the ancient 
 times of the world, and among the heathen nations 
 of the east, as well as in Greece and Rome, by no 
 means an uncommon one. They send the elders 
 of their united nations to invite Balaam, a pro- 
 phet, or reputed prophet, of the Lord, — to come 
 and curse the objects of their jealousy ; in the 
 hope, that God might be moved by prayers, or 
 by sacrifices, or, as should appear, froni what 
 follows, by certain idle ceremonies of magic, to 
 give up to destruction the race whom He had as 
 yet so wonderfully favoured. 
 
 Tliis Balaam has been generally, but very ab- 
 surdly, supposed to have lived on the banks of the 
 Euphrates, at a great distance from Moab ; an 
 idea plainly inconsistent with Scripture, which 
 implies that the distance from his home to the 
 mountains of Moab was at most a short day's 
 journey. More probably, he was the high priest 
 
SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 359 
 
 of Midian, and the successor to that good Jethro, 
 the father-in-law of Moses. To him, therefore, 
 the messengers of Balak came ; to whom, on con- 
 sulting God, he returns an honest answer ; namely, 
 that the Lord had blessed Israel ; and that he 
 could not, and would not, go with them, to curse 
 Israel. Afterwards, however, on a more distin- 
 guished embassy being sent, and mighty offers 
 made to induce him to compliance, he has the 
 insolence, as if he were not satisfied with the 
 known will of God, already on a former instance 
 declared ; — he has the insolence to desire the 
 princes of Moab to stay in his house, in the hope 
 that he might reconcile his duty with his interest, 
 and might prevail on God to relax the rigour of 
 His denial. — What madness does this appear ! 
 Could a prophet venture to weary God with 
 prayers, to grant him that which He had already 
 forbidden ? or did he suppose, that the Lord of 
 spirits could be wheedled, like a child, out of His 
 declared will ; or moved, by such weak indulgence 
 to the worldly interest of his priest ? But mark 
 the event. — God, who not unfrequently punishes 
 the wicked by granting their own unholy desires, 
 no longer opposes the journey, on which the heart 
 of Balaam was bent ; though, by a dreadful vision 
 on the road, and by the wonderful miracle of the 
 ass speaking with a human voice, He warns him, 
 
860 
 
 SERMON XXVIII. 
 
 that the errand was unholy ;— and lays the strict- 
 est charge on his tongue, not to speak otherwise 
 than God should dictate. 
 
 Thus cautioned, the prophet proceeds on his 
 journey. It might be supposed, that he durst not 
 disobey a command so awefully given ; and that 
 he must, at every moment, recollect the drawn 
 sword of the Angel, which had so lately terrified 
 him. And, indeed, we do not find, that his 
 answers to Balak were otherwise, than a prophet 
 of the Lord might reasonably be expected to utter. 
 Nor, when led from place to place, and from 
 sacrifice to sacrifice, by the restless anxiety of 
 Balak, does he vary in the least from the truth 
 which was delivered to him. He still continues 
 to declare the glory of the tents of Israel ; — and 
 at length, in a holy rapture which none but a true 
 prophet could have felt, he goes on to the latter 
 days of the Messiah, the Star, which was to come 
 out of Jacob, and the Sceptre, out of Israel. 
 
 So pure was the faith, and so perfect the know- 
 ledge, of Balaam ; and so truly did the spirit of 
 God descend upon him. But melancholy, indeed, 
 the task will be to examine the rest of his history. 
 As yet, except in the single instance of his impor- 
 tuning God, the second time, for permission to go 
 with the Moabitish Elders, we have seen but little 
 to blame in his conduct; — his answers were true 
 
SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 361 
 
 and honest; and if the multiplication of the altars, 
 and the repetition of the sacrifices, may be sup- 
 posed to shew a wicked desire to wrest a curse 
 from God ; yet much of this may be attributed to 
 the presence, and authority, of Balak, the chief 
 of his people. But, no sooner was he returned 
 home, than we find this same prophet lending him- 
 self to all the evil passions of his countrymen ; 
 attempting to seduce, and render accursed, the 
 people, whom he himself had publicly blessed; 
 and giving an advice to his master, which, for 
 subtlety and malice, the devil himself could hardly 
 have surpassed. 
 
 He too, like Balak, was jealous of the power of 
 Israel ; he too was sensible, that they had really 
 the protection of God ; and that, while thus de- 
 fended, all attempts against them would be vain. 
 The question was, then, how to estrange them 
 from the service, and consequently, from the love, 
 of Jehovah. " Send harlots into their camp," 
 was this wicked prophet's advice ; draw their 
 youth, first into fornication ; and then, into idol- 
 atry : and so shall the blessing of God be turned 
 into a curse; and the pillar of the Cloud, which 
 now protects their camp, be changed into a con- 
 suming fire to destroy their nation in a moment. 
 This devilish advice was taken ; and had nearly 
 succeeded. The Israelites readily fell into th^ 
 
 VOL. I. R 
 
362 
 
 SERMON XXVIII. 
 
 snare. From such connections, their natural con- 
 sequence followed; they were enticed to burn 
 incense to Baal-Peor, the idol, whom these harlots 
 reverenced. A plague was sent by the Lord into 
 the army of Israel : and if the resolute piety of 
 Phineas, the grandson of Aaron, had not put a 
 stop to the wickedness of the people, the hopes of 
 Balak would, indeed, have been accomplished.^ 
 
 As it w^as, the snares of Balaam fell upon him- 
 self and his nation; the Israelites, who were be- 
 fore instructed to pass the Moabites and Midianites 
 in peace, now fought against, and almost destroyed, 
 them ; and besides, Balak himself, who, since he is 
 not mentioned, probably perished in battle, five 
 petty kings, besides an innumerable multitude of 
 men and women, all perhaps, except those who 
 fled to the mountains, were involved in a common 
 slaughter. 
 
 It appears, then, that these wicked men drew 
 down upon themselves a storm, which had, else, 
 had another object: but leaving them to their 
 fate, it will be more important to us to consider 
 the character and conduct of Balaam. — First, We 
 may observe, that this man, whose heart was so far 
 from being true to God, who was full of covetous- 
 ness and malice and ambition, yet even he was a 
 prophet of the Lord ; even he was honoured with 
 1 Numbers, xxv. 
 
SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 363 
 
 visions and miracles, and had a right and ardent 
 faith in the Messiah. So true it is, that something 
 more than a faith in Christ, and a knowledge of 
 our duty, is necessary to salvation ; since they 
 cannot of themselves preserve us from falling into 
 the most horrible wickedness ; and so true is that 
 saying of our Lord, that there were many, who 
 had eten cast out devils, and done marvellous 
 works in His name, whom yet, at the day of judge- 
 ment. He would deny that He knew. — Secondly, 
 however, it may be noticed, that wicked as Balaam 
 was, still, there is no doubt, that the Spirit of God 
 was upon him, as a priest, and a prophet ; and that 
 his curse, or blessing, so long as he spake in con- 
 formity to the will of God, would undoubtedly be 
 brought to pass. — Hence w^e may learn, that the 
 ministers of God's word, lawfully appointed, how- 
 ever careless or unworthy their lives may be as 
 men, are yet^still ministers and priests of God ; 
 and that the sacraments and prayers which they 
 as such offer up, are as pow^erful to call down 
 blessing, as if their conduct were, in all respects, 
 conformable ; and that therefore, while the prayers 
 and ceremonies are such as God has appointed, Ave 
 may rest in faith, that His blessing will not be 
 wanting ; and that it does not become us to for- 
 sake the Church, because the practice of some of 
 its members is careless or' improper. — Thirdly, it 
 R 2 
 
364 
 
 SERMON XXVIII. 
 
 is well worth the attention of us all, to reflect on 
 the strange inconsistencies of Balaam's conduct, 
 who dared not curse the tribes of Israel himself ; 
 and yet dared venture to seduce them, and to 
 render them, as far as he could, liable to the 
 curses of God. He knew that they were the fa- 
 vourites of Heaven ; that their way was right ; 
 and at his latter end, he wished to resemble them ; 
 yet, far from imitating them in his life, he sought, 
 by every means in his power, to turn them frotn 
 the good course, which they were then, according 
 to his own acknowledgment, pursuing. 
 
 This may seem like madness ; and madness, 
 St.Peter, in his second Epistle, calls it : but it is a 
 madness not altogether uncommon in the world. 
 
 Have we not known many men who, in their 
 cooler or more serious moments, when sick, or 
 s^ber, or in low spirits, would readily acknow- 
 ledge the necessity of a religious life ; who would 
 wish, with a sigh, that they were as good men as 
 such, or such, among their neighbours ; desiring, in 
 short, with Balaam, that they might die the death 
 of the righteous ; who yet were not only living a 
 life of all others most contrary to such a death, — 
 but were actually anxious, by idle jests, by flattery, 
 by abuse, by guilty merriment, to draw their more 
 prudent neighbours from what, they then chose to 
 call, their unnecessary strictness ? 
 8 
 
SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 365 
 
 And are not these men acting in some degree 
 like Balaam? — And what friendship is their's, 
 who would seek, in such wanton folly, to suppress 
 those virtues, the example of which was a silent 
 reproach to their own lives ; and to draw their 
 neighbour into the sins, of which themselves have 
 felt the bitter fruit; and to quench the spirit of 
 God, in the heart of their friend ? 
 
 O ye, whom good education, and virtuous 
 habits, and, above all, the prevailing grace of God, 
 have preserved as yet untainted with habitual sin, 
 ye Israelites of this world, whose road is to the 
 heavenly Canaan, if tempters, such as Balaam, 
 assail your onward course, and strive to lure you 
 from the paths of righteousness ; — and tempters, 
 such as he, may be found, alas, too often in every 
 society of life, in every school, in every street, in 
 every tavern ; — remember, that, even the wicked 
 themselves being judges, there lives not a man, 
 who would not fain die the death of the righteous ; 
 who would not desire, when old age, and sickness, 
 and fear, and sorrow come upon him, to have his 
 latter end like the latter end of those, to whom 
 the death-bed is the gate of Heaven; around 
 whose painful bed, the whispers of angels are 
 heard ; and whose eye, when closed in death for a 
 moment, is opened on the glories of the other 
 world. 
 
 R 3 
 
366 
 
 SERMON XXVIII. 
 
 And remember, that this peaceful death of the 
 righteous man can only be obtained, or hoped for, 
 by those, who have lived the life of the righteous ; 
 that every guilty compliance with the humours of 
 the world, every sinful indulgence of our own pas- 
 sions, is laying up cares and fears for the hour of 
 darkness — and that the remembrance of illspent 
 time will strew our sick bed with thorns ; — and 
 rack our sinking spirits with despair ! 
 
SERMON XXIX. 
 
 THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER, 
 
 St. John, xvi. 22. 
 
 Ye now therefore have sorroiv : but I will see you again^ 
 and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man takeih 
 from you. 
 
 These words of our Saviour, and that whole dis- 
 course, which is appointed for this morning's 
 Gospel, if we consider them in the meaning, 
 which they bore, when spoken by Him, and in 
 their relation to His immediate followers, are clear 
 in themselves, and have long since received their 
 clear accomplishment. He spoke them, on the 
 eve of His crucifixion, — to support the apostles 
 under that approaching trial ; and they contain, in 
 few words, the history of those events, which 
 were about to take place in the few succeeding 
 days. " A little while, and ye shall not see me ; 
 and, again a little while, and ye shall see me ; — 
 and because I go to the Father." As if He had 
 said : — " The time is now approaching, when I 
 shall be hid from your eyes in the grave. But 
 R 4 
 
368 
 
 SERMON XXIX. 
 
 that separation shall not be long ; for, after three 
 days, you shall see me again, after my resurrec- 
 tion; yet will also this second abode with you 
 continue but a little while ; because I must after- 
 wards ascend to the right hand of my Father, 
 which is in Heaven. — Ye now therefore, have 
 sorrow ; but I will see you again ; and your heart 
 shall rejoice; and your joy no man taketh from 
 you : inasmuch as the knowledge of my victory 
 over sin and death will be to you a source of ex- 
 ultation and gratitude, which no violence of the 
 world can remove, no severity of worldly sufferings 
 obscure." 
 
 Such, then, is the plain and primary meaning 
 of the words, which have been read to you from 
 the altar. But this, I apprehend, is not the only 
 sense, in which the words of our Saviour may be 
 profitably employed ; nor, which it is the leading 
 object of our Church to express, in appointing the 
 present Gospel to be, at this season, yearly read 
 to you. 
 
 There is another absence of our Blessed Lord, 
 for which more, far more, are mourners, than those 
 who wept around His cross, and prepared the 
 spices for His sepulchre : and there is another 
 return, to which all Christians as yet look forwards, 
 as to the marriage-supper of the Lamb, and the 
 concluding establishment of His kingdom. 
 
THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 369 
 
 Though the Bridegroom be in Heaven, and 
 exalted at the right hand of God, we still have 
 cause to fast and weep for our loss in His being 
 taken from us; and, till He return in glory to 
 deliver His people from their earthly bondage, 
 His people, themselves, must groan, together with 
 the whole creation which travaileth even now as a 
 mother in her pangs ; till the day shall arise, of 
 her deliverance from that burden of vanity to 
 which she was made unwillingly subject.^ Ac- 
 cordingly, in the sorrows, which our Saviour's 
 little flock endured, during His three days absence 
 in the grave, we have a lively representation of 
 that uneasiness and anxiety, to which the universal 
 Church is, in this world exposed, while expecting 
 the second coming of our Lord. His short ab- 
 sence on that occasion may be compared to the 
 absence ( an absence also short, when compared to 
 eternity) which has taken place between His glo- 
 rious ascent to Heaven, and His infinitely more 
 glorious return to renew and restore all things. 
 The triumphs of His resurrection are but a type 
 of that last Day, when all enemies to His truth, 
 and when all the sorrows, by which good men are 
 here afflicted, shall be put under His victorious 
 feet : and lastly, if " the disciples were glad when 
 they saw the Lord," after His resurrection, though 
 
 1 Romans, viii. 20. 22. 
 R 5 
 
370 
 
 SERMON XXIX. 
 
 but for a little while ; and when they were so soon 
 again to lose Him, how much greater will be their 
 joy, and the joy of all those, who love the name 
 of Jesus, when they shall receive Him again, to 
 part no more ; and shall enter with Him into the 
 fulness of that joy, which neither men, nor angels, 
 nor their own infirmities, shall thenceforth destroy, 
 or diminish. 
 
 According to this application of our Lord's 
 discourse, I shall consider, therefore, in what re- 
 spects the present state of Christ's flock, and the 
 persons, of whom that flock is composed, can be 
 regarded as a state of trouble ; and secondly, the 
 nature of that succeeding joy, to which they are 
 encouraged to look forward, in that Day, when 
 the Son of God, having accomplished the num- 
 ber of His elect, shall again leave the right 
 hand of His Father, and hasten His everlasting 
 kingdom. 
 
 That the world is a scene of trouble and dis- 
 appointment — is a saying, of which the common 
 complaint of men has, in every age of its con- 
 tinuance, acknowledged the dismal truth. All 
 generations have, in succession, made the trial ; 
 and all have, in succession, found, by sad expe- 
 rience, that the pursuits, and cares, and pleasures, 
 of the world were, when weighed in the balance, 
 vanity. Even those, which promise most fair 
 
THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER, 371 
 
 to make men happy, are found in the end un- 
 able to satisfy the expectations of an immortal 
 soul, — and he, who ran through the round of 
 worldly knowledge, ambition, and enjoyment, was 
 obliged in the end to rise up from the feast of life, 
 wearied, but not satisfied ; and as empty of all 
 real good, as when he first sat down to it. But 
 it is not by the disappointment only of our un- 
 reasonable expectations, — it is not by the mere 
 deficiency of positive happiness, that the world 
 afflicts its inhabitants. Its enjoyments may be 
 unreal ; but it has real pains in store. There 
 are sorrows, which too sensibly convince us of 
 their existence ; and no man can be found, if he 
 had kept a register of his life, and of the feelings, 
 which, at different times, had affected him, who 
 would not perceive in that list some days of 
 bitter misery written down ; which, if the choice 
 were in his power, no consideration could prevail 
 on him to live over again. These things are so 
 notorious, so common to the greatest and best 
 of the sons of men, that the minds of many of 
 the wisest of our race have been, for a moment, 
 perplexed and staggered by them. When Solo- 
 mon " returned and considered all the oppres- 
 sions, that are done under the sun ; and beheld 
 the tears of such as were oppressed, and they 
 had no comforter ; and on the side of their op- 
 R 6 
 
372 
 
 SERMON XXIX. 
 
 pressors, there was power ; but they had no 
 comforter " — when he beheld these things — 
 " I praised," saith he, " the dead which are 
 ah'eady dead, more than the living which are 
 yet alive. Yea better is he, than both they, which 
 hath not yet been, who hath not seen the evil 
 work, which is done under the sun."^ 
 
 It is true, that, by Christians, to whose eyes the 
 veil of Providence is withdrawn, and to whom the 
 Maker of the world hath explained His reasons 
 for constituting the world as we behold it, — 
 by Christians, the calamities, which befal us in 
 this life, are justly considered, as a preparation 
 for future blessings ; as a gracious, though bitter 
 remedy for the bad passions, and propensities, of 
 our nature ; and as means, in His hand, who made 
 the Captain of our Salvation perfect through suf- 
 fering, of bringing, by His Spirit, after His ex- 
 ample, many sons to glory. 
 
 But however seasonable afflictions may be in 
 themselves, they are painful, nevertheless, to 
 persons lying under them. — Many considerations 
 there, doubtless, are, which may induce a Chris- 
 tian to bear his chastisement with patience; but 
 none can hinder chastisement from being at the 
 present not joyous, but grievous."^ " Like the 
 woman, alluded to in the present chapter, we 
 1 Eccles. iv. 1, 2, 3. ^ Heb. xii. 1 1. 
 
THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 373 
 
 may find reason to entertain our travail with 
 bravery ; to forget, nay even to bless it, for the 
 good fruit we find from it. But the pain is still 
 pain ; and the sense of it is sharp, for the time ; 
 and the throes must be over, before they can be for- 
 gotten — for joy that a man is born into the world."^ 
 
 It is true, indeed, that, in ordinary cases at 
 least, the Christian is no more exposed to worldly 
 affliction, than the world of his unbelieving or 
 ungodly neighbours. There are many worldly 
 evils, to which he is less liable than they; he es- 
 capes the consequences of extravagance, of pride, 
 of violent passion, and of intemperance : and so 
 many of the miseries of men proceed exclusively 
 from their vices, that, with a reference to these 
 cii'cumstances, we find it written in St. Paul's 
 first epistle to Timothy, that " godliness is pro- 
 fitable unto all things, having promise of the life 
 that now is, and of that which is to come," ^ It 
 may be thought, then, that the flock of Christ on 
 earth have no ground for any peculiar sorrow ; 
 and that it cannot be said, with truth, that, during 
 His absence, they weep and lament, while the 
 world rejoices. 
 
 To this, it might, in the case of the apostles 
 and the early Christians, be sufficient to make 
 the reply, that they were exposed, for conscience' 
 1 Stanhope. 2 1 Tim. iv. 8. 
 
374 
 
 SERMON XXIX. 
 
 sake, and for the sake of the Gospel, to many and 
 grievous persecutions ; that, in the words of 
 St, Paul, they were made, as it were, the " olF- 
 scouring of all things ^ ; " and sent out to struggle 
 with the peculiar and bitterest malice of earthly 
 power, and hellish craft, and tyranny. And 
 though I am not one of those, who believe that 
 the prophecy, — by which Christ threatens His 
 disciples in general with the scorn and violence 
 of men, — is to be necessarily fulfilled in the 
 case of every particular Christian ; and though 
 the quiet, which we now enjoy, is such as should 
 call forth our liveliest gratitude, no less than the 
 deepest humiliation when we consider how ill we 
 bear those little trials, to which we are exposed ; 
 yet will in many instances such trials of our faith 
 arise, which, however slight in comparison with 
 those which the apostles encountered, are quite 
 enough to make men seriously unhappy ; and by 
 far too much for human weakness to bear, if it 
 were not supported by the Spirit of God, The 
 Comforter. The Christian may still be exposed 
 to the ill will of tliose, of whom his example is a 
 silent reproof; he may be followed by the ridi- 
 cule of fools : and imputations of hypocrisy and 
 of fanaticism, may be laid to his charge, which 
 his earthly feelings may be very ill able to endure, 
 1 1 Cor. iv, 13. 
 
THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 375 
 
 with patience ; his interest, and his duty, will 
 sometimes be found at variance; and, in all these 
 cases, he will have frequent cause to sigh for that 
 glorious termination of the toils and travails of 
 the Church, which the return of his Master is to 
 bring with it. 
 
 If we suppose, however, that these common 
 storms pass over his head without harming it ; 
 if we suppose a Providence so favourable, as to 
 shelter him from all occasions of outward dis- 
 quiet; if we suppose him to pass through life 
 unblamed, uninsulted, or unknown; and to be 
 followed to the grave by the tears of that world, 
 which was not worthy of him ; — yet can he 
 behold that world, its sins, its miseries, without 
 often feeling a very grievous sorrow for the 
 crimes and distresses of his erring brethren ? 
 Can he hear without concern that holy name 
 blasphemed, whereby he is called ? Can he see 
 without affliction God's image debased, in his 
 fellow creatures, by sin, by shame, by misery ? 
 Can he forbear to mourn for those with whom 
 he sojourneth, when he beholdeth them walking 
 in a vain shadow, and disquieting themselves in 
 vain ; labouring for the meat which perisheth ; 
 and, in order to fulfil the madness of their lust, 
 neglecting that better heritage, where only true 
 jcfys are to be found ? Like the fabled seer of 
 
376 
 
 SERMON XXIX. 
 
 northern superstition, he foreknows the miserable 
 end of those, who now are mad, and thoughtless ; 
 and he reads the characters of death, and judge- 
 ment, written on the forehead of beauty, and on 
 the cup of merriment: and he mourns over 
 those, who only mock at him as one whose 
 " life is madness, and his end accounted without 
 honour." ^ Nor is it only for other men, their 
 sins, their wretchedness, and their danger, that 
 the Christian has cause to mourn. His own 
 lusts distract, his own relapses, terrify him. His 
 entrance into a state of grace, if it be late in life, 
 is only to be achieved by tears and struggles, 
 and agonies, of which the natural birth-pang is 
 but a feeble image : and they, whose early prin- 
 ciples, and pious bringing up, have spared them 
 this bitterness of renovation, have enough, never- 
 theless, of labour and sorrow ; — in the repression, 
 as they arise, of evil passions, and in the rooting 
 out of those weeds, which will, from time to 
 time, spring up in the best cultivated heart. 
 The reformation, and care, of our souls is uni- 
 formly described, in Scripture, under figures ex- 
 pressive of suffering. We are to crucify the 
 flesh with its affections and lusts ; we are to 
 pluck out, or cut off, the eye, or hand, which 
 off*ends us. And can there be a crucifixion, 
 1 Wisd. V. 4, 
 
THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 377 
 
 without torment ? Can a right-hand be cut off, 
 without pain ? Can an eye be plucked out, and 
 the patient never feel it ? No, so long as there 
 are injuries and infirmities, without; and lust and 
 fraihy, within ; so long, in a greater or less de- 
 gree, will the Christian's journey through life be 
 a pilgrimage of tears ; and, in a peculiar manner 
 which the world cannot appreciate, the beloved of 
 the Lord will have sorrow ! 
 
 But, praised be God ! that sorrow is not to 
 last always ; the Christian, as he hath his private 
 suffering, hath also hope, in which no other is 
 allowed to share ; and, as the heart of the good 
 man " knoweth his own bitterness, so likewise 
 the stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy." 
 Such is that knowledge of the goodness of God, 
 even to His weakest and most sinful creatures, 
 which consoles the saint even in the midst of 
 those most gloomy thoughts, which the prospect 
 of other men's sins engenders : and such is that 
 joy, which is promised, in the close of this day's 
 Gospel: — wherein our Saviour saith, I will 
 see you again; and your heart shall rejoice; 
 and your joy no man taketh from you." In 
 order, then, that this heavenly hope of future 
 joy may produce its due effect on your hearts, 
 and on your lives ; I shall now shortly mention 
 those circumstances, in the deliverance which 
 
378 
 
 SERMON XXIX. 
 
 shall be wrought by Christ's second coming, 
 which, even in our present state of ignorance 
 and weakness, we are able to understand, and to 
 value. 
 
 First, then, the second coming of our Lord, 
 and the final establishment of His kingdom, will 
 for ever do away all natural evil from the world; 
 and will place His followers in a still happier 
 and more glorious condition, than that which 
 they would have held, had Adam and his chil- 
 dren kept their innocency. Those diseases and 
 infirmities which vex the body ; those storms and 
 accidents which interrupt the due course of the 
 seasons; the poisonous serpent, and the ravenous 
 beast, shall be no more ; the thorn, and the thistle, 
 shall be rooted out once more from the garden of 
 God; want shall be no more; nor care, nor 
 anxiety ; the voice of mourning shall be heard no 
 more ; and God shall wipe away every tear from 
 every eye. This earth, which sin hath defiled ; 
 and which on its seared and blasted forehead 
 bears, so deeply written, the marks of God's 
 wrath, and of a fallen and ruined nature, — this 
 earth, being dissolved first, and purified by fire, 
 shall become a fitting residence for angels and 
 their King; — and we, who love that King's 
 name, and wait for His appearance, being trans- 
 formed by His power into the likeness of angels, 
 
THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 379 
 
 shall live with Him in peace, and happiness, and 
 glory, of which the brightness of our present days 
 is but a feeble image. What wonder, then, that 
 the apostle, who looked forward to such a termina- 
 tion of his warfare, should faint with expectation, 
 earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with 
 immortality ; — when the earth itself, and this 
 unanimated nature, which surrounds us, is de- 
 scribed by him as travailing in hope of such a 
 deliverance. 
 
 Secondly, the kingdom of our Lord is uni- 
 formly described in Scripture, as an eternal rest 
 from labour. The curse, which the sin of Adam 
 brouglit on his posterity, will be then removed 
 from all. One shall not toil for his fellow ; the 
 distinction of rich and poor will be, for ever, 
 brought to an end ; — and all, in equal happi- 
 ness, and in equal love of one another, and of 
 their common Saviour, shall join in His praise ; 
 as they drink of the rivers of His pleasures, and 
 eat of the fruit of that tree of life, from which 
 the fiery sword shall then be withdrawn for 
 ever. " Verily, there remaineth a rest for the 
 people of God. " — a better rest than Paradise 
 itself can supply ; since even those blessed 
 souls, who rest beneath God's altar, were heard 
 by St. John to complain of the delay of that 
 bodily resurrection, when their fulness of joy 
 
380 
 
 SERMON XXIX. 
 
 shall come. " Blessed are the dead which die 
 in the Lord from henceforth; Yea, saith The 
 Spirit, that they may rest from their labours ; 
 and their works do follow them ^ f but more 
 blessed still, when they, and we, which remain, 
 shall be caught up by Angels, " to meet the 
 Lord in the air ^ and when " there shall be a 
 voice of much people in Heaven, saying Alle- 
 luia, Salvation, and glory, and honour, and 
 power, unto the Lord our God. — Let us be 
 glad, and rejoice, and give honour to Him ; for 
 the marriage of the Lamb is come ; and His wife 
 hath made herself ready." ^ 
 
 Thirdly, the happiness of the Messiah's king- 
 dom will, in a more particular manner, consist in 
 a perfect freedom from sin. There " the wicked 
 shall cease from troubling."^ We shall have 
 nothing to fear from the enticements, the bad 
 example, the ridicule, the deceit, or the violence, 
 of those who love not God ; and, what is of still 
 greater consequence, we shall be in no danger from 
 ourselves, and from our own corrupt inclinations. 
 The tempter will be bound in chains of everlasting 
 darkness ; the struggle between the flesh and the 
 Spirit will be brought to a happy end, by the 
 flesh itself being sanctified, and cleansed, from all 
 
 1 Rev. xiv. 13. 2 i Thess. iv. 17. 
 
 3 Rev. xix. 1. 7. 4 Job,iii. 17, 
 
THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 381 
 
 wicked affections. In innocence, no less than in 
 power, and in beauty, we shall become like the 
 angels of God ; and all self reproach, and all that 
 agony, which arises from the fear of future trans- 
 gression, shall be banished from our hearts. What 
 other blessings it may be the will of God to 
 bestow hereafter on His servants, we cannot tell : 
 and we know, in Scripture, that they are such, as, 
 from their greatness, exceed our present faculties 
 to understand, or to receive. The glory, which 
 then shall clothe us, would now, if we could 
 behold it, strike us blind ; the blessings, which 
 will then be scattered on us, would now over- 
 whelm us, in an agony of joy ; and our ears 
 cannot as yet receive that unutterable Song, in 
 which the chosen of Christ shall join. But what- 
 ever is bestowed on us will be rendered of still 
 greater value by the recollection that it \^ for ever. 
 We cannot be happy here, because our happiness 
 is only for a time ; and because the danger of 
 future loss must mingle with our purest enjoy- 
 ment. But in Heaven is no more fear ; we shall 
 rejoice; and our joy neither men nor angels can 
 deprive us of ; our safety will be as firm, as the 
 throne of God itself ; and our lot will be cast for 
 ever with the lot of His own Beloved Son ; 
 " where He is, we shall be also." " The Taber- 
 nacle of God shall be with men ; and He will 
 
382 
 
 SERMON XXIX:. 
 
 dwell with them : — and God shall wipe away all 
 tears from their eyes ; and there shall be no more 
 death ; neither sorrow, nor crying ; neither shall 
 there be any more pain : — and there shall be no 
 more curse ; for the throne of God, and the 
 Lamb, shall be in it ; and His servants shall serve 
 Him ; and they shall see His face ; and His name 
 shall be in their foreheads ; and there shall be no 
 night there ; and they need no candle, neither 
 light of the sun ; for the Lord God giveth them 
 light ; and they shall reign for ever and ever." ^ 
 
 Such will be the Kingdom of God : for the 
 coming of which, we daily and nightly pray, in 
 those words, which God Himself hath taught us. 
 Let those, who long for their share in such a 
 glorious heritage, remember, that it is through 
 unfeigned sorrow for their former sins ; through 
 an earnest and lifelong struggle to amend their 
 lives ; and through a faith in Christ, which 
 despiseth the light afflictions, and the poor entice- 
 ments, of the present evil world ; that they can 
 obtain the crown, which God's mercy offers to 
 their acceptance. Oh, as ye desire, that the day 
 of the Lord shall not be to you a day of blackness 
 and mourning, — think, often and earnestly, on 
 the glorious prospect held out to you in Scrip- 
 ture ; and pray to the Lord of the marriage feast, 
 1 Rev. xxi. 3, 4. xxii. 3, 4, 5. 
 
THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 383 
 
 that ye may be found at His coming, clothed in 
 your wedding garments. " Blessed are they, that 
 do His commandment ; that they may have right 
 to the tree of life ; and may enter in, through the 
 gates, into the city. For without, are dogs, and 
 sorcerers, and whoremongers, and adulterers, and 
 murderers, and idolaters ; and whatsoever loveth 
 and maketh a lie. — He, which testifieth these 
 things, saith, Surely I come quickly, — Amen ; — 
 even so come. Lord Jesus ! " ^ 
 
 1 Rev. xxii. 14, 15,20. 
 
SERMON XXX. 
 
 FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 
 
 St. James, i. 21. 
 
 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfiuity of 
 naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted 
 word, which is able to save your souls. 
 
 In the verses, which go before my text, and 
 which, together with that text, have been read 
 to you as the Epistle for this morning's service, 
 St. James had been estabhshing the fact of our 
 total depen dance on God ; the perfect freedom of 
 His grace, in the work of redemption ; and the 
 holiness of heart and life, which it was the object 
 of that grace to produce in us. He then lays 
 down, as a necessary consequence of these doc- 
 trines, certain practical rules for forwarding in 
 ourselves the work of God's Spirit ; for the avoid- 
 ing of every thing, whereby its course might be 
 grieved, or hindered ; and for working out our 
 own salvation, by the diligent use of those means, 
 which the Almighty has, in His mercy, afforded 
 to us. 
 
FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 385 
 
 " Every good gift," he begins by assuring us, — 
 " every good gift, and every perfect gift is from 
 above; and cometh down from the father of 
 lights ; with w^hom is no variableness, neither 
 shadow of turning." These expressions are, by 
 the greater part of learned men, supposed to be 
 intended as an answer to some strange and 
 grievous errors, which, in the time of St. James, 
 were very common, among both Jews and Hea- 
 then. As if a man's good or evil fortune in the 
 world, and even the general character of his 
 passions, temper, and disposition, were owing to 
 certain effects of the stars ; which shone, at his 
 birth, or at those times, when he undertook what- 
 ever business he was engaged in. And it is in 
 opposition to this foolish doctrine, that St. James 
 begins by ascribing every good and every perfect 
 gift whatever, not to these creatures of God, which 
 His hand has formed, and which shine but by 
 His decree, — but to God Himself, the Father of 
 these and of every other light; who does not, 
 like these stars, move from one side of Heaven to 
 the other ; sometimes eclipsed, sometimes setting, 
 sometimes rising: — but "with whom is no varia- 
 bleness, or shadow of turning;" and on whose 
 perfect love, unchangeable will, and Almighty and 
 everlasting power we can, therefore, depend with 
 entire and thankful confidence. " Of His own 
 
 VOL. I. s 
 
886 
 
 SERMON XXX. 
 
 will/' St. James continues, this great and good 
 God begat us with the word of truth, that we 
 should be a kind of first fruits of His creatures." 
 Here it is to be first observed, that, as the act of 
 becoming a Christian by baptism and by the Holy 
 Ghost, is, in Scripture, uniformly described as 
 being born again ; so the act, whereby God, 
 through His grace, awakens our minds to a sense 
 of our natural misery and corruption, and of His 
 glorious promises in Jesus Christ, — to repentance, 
 to faith, to conversion, is, in like manner, often 
 compared to natural production : and the Al- 
 mighty is said to have begotten those anew, 
 whom He thus calls, from the darkness and slavery 
 of a sinful world, to the blessed light and liberty 
 of His children. Thus, we find in the first chap- 
 ter of St. John's Gospel, the members of the 
 Christian Church described as " the sons of God 
 " which were born not of blood, nor of the will 
 of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." 
 And St. Paul speaks of those, whom he had him- 
 self brought to Christianity, even as if they had 
 been his own children ; and calls Onesimus " his 
 Son, whom he had begotten," that is converted, 
 " in his bonds." ^ And we may thus easily under- 
 stand, how it is that v/e are said to be " begotten 
 of God by the Word of truth ;" — that is, that we 
 1 Philemon, 10. 
 
FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 387 
 
 have heard the Gospel, which He hath sent to 
 us, and have not quenched in our heart that Spirit, 
 whose power makes the outward preaching of the 
 Gospel efficacious to our conversion. 
 
 But, further, it is said, that God has thus be- 
 gotten, and renewed us, in order " that we might 
 be a kind of first fruits of His creatures." Now 
 there are three senses, in which these words may be 
 understood ; and all of which it is highly probable, 
 that St. James intended to convey : the first of 
 which applies in an especial manner, to the case 
 of those early Christians, whom he was, in the 
 first instance, addressing ; while the two last are 
 important to all believers alike, in whatever age 
 of the world their pilgrimage may be appointed. 
 
 The first fruits of the Jewish Temple, to which 
 the children of God are here compared, were the 
 earliest ripe ears of corn, the first grapes, and 
 first olives, which their land every year produced; 
 and which were brought to the altar, with grate- 
 ful songs, and with sound of trumpets, and of 
 stringed instruments, in token, that the fruits of 
 the earth were, all of them, Jehovah's bounty to 
 man •, and that it was on Him alone that their 
 hope of harvest depended. As being, first, then, 
 in point of time, amid the harvest of faith and 
 holiness, the first returns of that good seed, which 
 the Lord had sown in the field of His heritage, 
 s 2 
 
388 
 
 SERMON XXX. 
 
 tlie early Christians of St. James's days might well 
 be called the first fruits of religion. 
 
 But, in another sense, all Christians are so ; 
 since, as the first fruits were received with thank- 
 fulness, as being the promises and forerunners of 
 the general harvest, so, inasmuch as the last and 
 universal resurrection of the dead, whether to 
 honour or dishonour, is often spoken of in Scrip- 
 ture as the great harvest of Christ, when the wheat 
 and tares shall be alike gathered, though to ends 
 extremely different ; so is the change of heart, of 
 hopes, of nature, which takes place, through the 
 operation of God's Spirit, in all Christians, who 
 are worthy of the name, not only a lively figure, 
 and representation ; but, in some degree, an 
 earnest assurance of this future and still greater 
 change ; so that the resurrection from dead works 
 to a life of grace, may be very fitly called the first 
 fruits of the resurrection to life eternal. 
 
 Nor is this all ; there is yet another sense, in 
 which the genuine Christian is called, by the 
 word of God, to be " a kind of first fruits of His 
 creatures." The natural first fruits of the Israel- 
 itish harvest were, as we have seen, accounted 
 holy to the Lord. They were offered on His altar 
 they were consumed in His service ; and in the 
 relief of the poor, the widow, and the fatherless ; 
 and they, therefore, were thus, likewise, a most fit 
 
FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 389 
 
 representation of that Church, or society of faith- 
 ful people whom God had called from an evil 
 world to be His in duty and affection, in will, in 
 word, and in deed ; that, by their bodies, and by 
 their souls, and by all which they possess, they 
 might contribute to His glory, and to the hap- 
 piness of their fellow creatures. 
 
 It is thus, then, that St. James declares our 
 absolute dependance on God, as the Giver of all 
 good things ; and the manner in w^hich, and the 
 end to which He has sanctified us to Himself, 
 through the Gospel of His Son. He now, with that 
 remarkable attention to the duties of Christians, 
 which is the peculiar distinction of his epistle, 
 proceeds to instruct us in those virtues ; which 
 are the natural and necessary consequences of a 
 serious attention to the truths, which he had just 
 delivered. " Wherefore," he continues, " my 
 beloved brethren ! let every man be swift to hear ; 
 slow to speak ; slow to wrath ; for the wrath of 
 man worketh not the righteousness of God. 
 Wherefore, lay apart all filthiness, and superfluity 
 of naughtiness ; and receive with meekness the 
 engrafted w^ord which is able to save your souls." 
 
 As if he had said, " I have told you, that your 
 good gifts, whether spiritual or worldly, are all 
 bestowed on you ; not by your own exertions, far 
 less by any fancied influence of the stars ; but by 
 s 3 
 
390 
 
 SERMON XXX. 
 
 that great and unchangeable God, who is the 
 Maker of those heavenly lights; and on whom 
 they, as well as you, depend. I have told you, 
 that it was of His own will, of His own free grace, 
 that He has called you to the state of Christian 
 salvation ; to a regenerate life ; and to the hope, 
 after death, of everlasting happiness ; and that He 
 lias thus called you to be, in your resurrection 
 from sin here, types and tokens of the great resur- 
 rection hereafter ; that, in the mean time, you may 
 be offered at His altar, and cheerfully given up to 
 His service." 
 
 And, from all these truths, what are the lessons 
 which follow ? Surely, that you should listen with 
 eagerness to the sound of that Gospel, which is 
 your charter and title deed to everlasting life; 
 and which teaches you, how best to perform those 
 duties, w^hich, in your regenerate state, are required 
 of you. That, in order to learn the better, 3^ou 
 should not be forward to teach others; or to dis- 
 pute with your brethren on the doctrines of your 
 faith, or the terms of your Salvation. He, who is 
 not " slow to speak," will have little time for 
 hearing : he, w^ho is given to dispute with others, 
 will be in a very unfit state of mind to learn his 
 own duty. The wi^ath of man worketh not the 
 righteousness of God ; and the Christian, who is 
 chiefly anxious to prove his brother in the wrong, 
 
FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 391 
 
 will seldom, very seldom, be in a fit temper of 
 mind to profit by the Gospel of the meek and 
 lowly Jesus. Wlierefore, lay aside all filthiness 
 and superfluity of naughtiness cast away from 
 you w^hatever ministers to fleshly lusts, or to the 
 pride of worldly power or wisdom: — strip your- 
 selves of yourselves ; think less of your own merits, 
 your own wisdom, your own peculiar opinions ; 
 and receive with meek and teachable hearts, a?5 
 men who seek for light in darkness, and enquire 
 after knowledge with a real and painful sense of 
 ignorance; — receive, I say, that word of faith, 
 vv^hich the Holy Ghost will then engraft into your 
 natures ; and which, if you will but allov/ it its 
 free course, and will follow humbly and diligently 
 where it leads, is able, through the mercies of 
 Christ, to save your souls, from death eternal. 
 
 This, as I conceive, is the true and instructive 
 meaning of the present difficult passage : and from 
 hence the following general truths may seem to 
 follow. First, that it is of God's free grace, that 
 we are called, either to the knowledge of the 
 Gospel, or to an effectual and lively faith in its 
 truths. This we learn, when he tells us, that 
 every good gift is from the Father of lights ; and 
 that He has of His own will begotten us with the 
 word of truth. 
 
 Secondly, that, nevertheless, this free grace is 
 s 4 
 
392 
 
 SERMON XXX. 
 
 not irresistible ; that it may be rendered vain by 
 our inattention, our self conceit, our disputations^ 
 and noisy controversy. Yea more ; that in order 
 to make it effectual, there is much, on our side, to 
 be done ; and that we must bring with us teach- 
 able minds and gentle tempers ; in order that 
 grace may find a proper soil to work on. Unless 
 this were so, there would be no meaning in the 
 caution, which follows, that every man should be 
 swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath ; since, 
 if grace were irresistible, all these would be the 
 natural and necessary effects of grace; and by no 
 means in our power either to neglect, or to culti- 
 vate. That would be a strange mockery, if a man 
 were to cast us from a high tower ; and then bid 
 us take care, to fall to the bottom : yet there is no 
 difference between such a conduct, and that which 
 the Calvinists ascribe to God, when they say, 
 that — He first gives us grace, which effectually 
 moves us to work His will ; and then commands 
 us to do, what we are doing, and cannot help 
 doing already. The truth is, and it is abundantly 
 clear, as I conceive, at once from reason, and from 
 Scripture, that the spiritual gifts of God may be 
 fitly compared to the blessings, which He gives to 
 the natural world; — the rain, which causes the 
 green blade to spring; the sun, which mellows 
 the soil, and ripens the fruitful ear. Like the 
 
FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 393 
 
 rain^ and the sunshine, they are the free bounty 
 of the Most High ; and, like them, they are the 
 great and effectual causes of the grass, whicli 
 giveth food to the cattle ; and the corn, which 
 strengtheneth the heart of man. But, like the 
 sunshine and the rain, they still leave much for 
 the industry of man to do ; and, as the sunshine, 
 and the rain, will not give us bread ; unless we 
 plough the land, and root out the weeds, and 
 fence the field, and reap the corn, and stack, and 
 thresh, and grind it ; so the grace, which God 
 offers to us, can only increase our guilt and our 
 damnation ; unless we cultivate our hearts, and 
 weed out our evil thoughts, and shut out, so far as 
 possible, all occasions of evil, and apply, by dili- 
 gent exertion, our good principles to the purposes 
 for which they were intended. 
 
 Thirdly, it is worth our while to notice, that it 
 is by a diligence in learning our duty, that, in the 
 first instance, St. James supposes, that we are to 
 avail ourselves of God's gracious offers of salvation ; 
 and that here, as elsewhere. He strongly dis- 
 courages all religious gossip ; and, still more, all 
 angry and disputatious tempers. " Let every man 
 be swift to hear ; slow to speak ; slow to wrath." 
 Now, here, I need hardly remind you of the mis- 
 chief, which has been done to real Christianity, 
 by men setting up as its teachers, not only without 
 s 5 
 
394 
 
 SERMON XXX. 
 
 being called to that office by those rulers of the 
 Church, whom Christ has appointed ; but, still 
 more, when they have not had the time to qualify 
 themselves to speak on those mysteries, to do 
 justice to which the studies, and prayers, of many 
 years are not more than sufficient. But, it is in 
 the real spirit of love to such persons as these, 
 and it is in the solemn discharge of that duty, to 
 which these words of St. James compel me, that I 
 would entreat them to be very sure, that they 
 understand the Gospel, before they pretend to 
 preach it, or dispute about it ; and, in the words 
 of the same apostle^ not to be " many masters : 
 knowing, that " such as rashly take that office on 
 themselves shall receive the greater damna- 
 tion" — shall be judged, that is, more severely for 
 their faults, or failings, in proportion as they have 
 professed to be lights to others ; and have at- 
 tempted, by wrathful censures, or by fierce dis- 
 putations, to establish what they have, perhaps, 
 mistakingly believed to be the "righteousness of 
 God." 
 
 Fourthly, they may be still more led to religious 
 prudence, in this particular, by attending to what 
 St. James goes on to assure them, — namely, that 
 this over forv/ardness and angry zeal in the service 
 of God, is, in truth, very closely connected with 
 sensual and worldly passions ; that it, for the most 
 
 8 
 
FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 
 
 395 
 
 part, has its spring in them ; and is a token of 
 iheir prevalence in the unseen and deceitful heart 
 of man, who is thus blinded as to his true con- 
 dition. This is plain by the connection of my 
 text with the verse, which goes before it; in 
 which, after having cautioned his disciples against 
 the errors, which I have noticed, he, lastly, goes 
 on to teach them, how best to avoid those errors, 
 namely, by cutting out of the heart itself, that 
 carnal and worldly temper, which leads men to 
 think highly of themselves, and of their owji 
 qualifications : — " Wherefore, laying apart all fil- 
 thiness and superfluity of naughtiness, receive 
 with meekness the engrafted word." 
 
 It is, indeed, most certain, that, where the heart 
 is meek, the conversation will never be positive, 
 overbearing, or censorious ; — that, where the sin- 
 ner is really convinced of his own necessities and 
 ignorance, he will be always better pleased to 
 learn from others, than himself to undertake the 
 office of teacher: — that, where he feels his own 
 weakness, his own sinfulness, his own total de- 
 pendance on the mercies of the Most High, he will 
 have little time, or inclination, to find fault with 
 others ; or to cherish in his breast that vv^rath, 
 which worketh not the righteousness of God. 
 
 Be humble then, my brethren ; be teachable ; 
 be doubtful of yourselves; and judge favourably 
 s 6 
 
396 
 
 SERMON XXX. 
 
 of each other ; and, that you may do all this more 
 effectually, prepare your hearts, by prayer, and by 
 repentance, and by a deep and unaffected lowliness, 
 to receive that degree of Heavenly light, which 
 God may be pleased to pour on you ! Nor doubt, 
 that the light so sought after, the truth so studied, 
 the word so meekly received and so diligently 
 engrafted in your hearts and memories, will be 
 found able to save your souls. It is God's word ; — 
 it will not return unto Him empty of its per- 
 formance ; but it shall ^' take root downwards, 
 and bear fruit upwards f and be, to those that 
 believe. His great power unto Salvation ! 
 
 Which that we may all seek, according to His 
 word : and all find, as His word hath promised ; 
 may He grant to our prayers, for the sake, and 
 through the merits, of His dear Son, Jesus Christ, 
 our Lord ! 
 
SERMON XXXI. 
 
 FIFTH SUNDAY AFTElt EASTER. 
 
 St. Ja3ies, i. 26. 
 
 If any man among you seem to he religious and bridleth 
 not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this mans 
 religion is vain. 
 
 There is hardly any single moral or Christian 
 duty, which is so often, or so earnestly enforced in 
 Scripture, as that government of the tongue, 
 which, in these w^ords, and in the third chapter of 
 the same epistle, the apostle James is recommend- 
 ing. Yet, among all the passages, where this 
 virtue, or its opposite vice, is spoken of, I can call 
 none to mind, so strong, or so remarkable, as the 
 passage, which I have chosen as the subject of my 
 present sermon, (and which you have this morning 
 heard from the Altar) — as taken in connection 
 with what the same apostle afterwards subjoins : — 
 " If any man offend not in word, the same is a 
 perfect man ; and able also to bridle the whole 
 body,"^ David has, indeed, very often and very 
 1 St. James, iii. ^. 
 
398 
 
 SERMON XXXI. 
 
 forcibly described the dreadful anger of the Most 
 High against the different sins of slander, lying, 
 reproachful and boasting language, profaneness, 
 blasphemy, and perjury. Our Saviour has pointed 
 out the grievous and aweful judgement, by which 
 every idle word, which men speak, is to be tried ^ ; 
 and has declared, that " by his w^ords, shall every 
 man be justified, or condemned."^ But the as- 
 surance of St. James is, in some respects, stronger 
 still ; inasmuch as he seems to place the whole 
 difficulty of religion, and the principal, if not the 
 only, test of a Christian's character, in the dis- 
 ciplining and taming of this unruly mem.ber. 
 Unless the tongue be bridled, — he declares, on 
 the one hand, — all other pretences to godliness, 
 how great soever, go for nothing ; and if the 
 tongue be kept in proper bounds, no further proof 
 is required, on the other hand, that its owner is a 
 perfect Christian. " If any man among you seem 
 to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but 
 deceive th his own heart, that man's religion is 
 vain." And " if any man offend not in word, the 
 same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the 
 w^iole body." 
 
 These strong and startling expressions are 
 strangely at variance with the small degree of 
 consequence, which the greater part of professed 
 1 St. Matthew, xii. 36. 2 Verse 37. 
 
FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 
 
 399 
 
 believers attach to their own idle words ; or to the 
 idle words of others ; inasmuch as the sins of the 
 tongue very often abound with those, whose ge- 
 neral lives are, by no means, marked with extra- 
 ordinary impiety. Some sins there are, indeed, 
 of this description, such as slander, uncharitable 
 censure, and speaking against dignities, to which 
 persons, in other respects, of the strictest outw^ard 
 conduct, and the highest religious pretensions, 
 have been remarkably and fatally prone ; whom 
 yet it would be a want of charity to suspect of 
 being hypocrites ; or to deny that their religion, 
 though inconsistent and imperfect, w^as yet, so far 
 as it went, sincere. In order, therefore, to shew 
 with hov/ good reason St. James has laid this un- 
 usual stress on a single virtuous habit ; and that I 
 may thus more effectually call your attention to 
 the great and aweful necessity of ruling your com- 
 munication in all meekness, truth, and soberness, 
 I will endeavour to explain to you, in what man- 
 ner, and on what accounts, the government of the 
 tongue is made a test of genuine Christianity : and 
 that " He that offendeth not in his word," is de- 
 scribed as a perfect man." 
 
 There are four different lights, in which St. 
 James may be supposed to have viewed the go- 
 vernment of the tongue ; when he represented the 
 man, who bridled its wilfulness, as "perfect." 
 
400 
 
 SERMON XXXr. 
 
 First — he may have considered hinij as perfect, 
 in comparison willi other men : inasmuch as what- 
 ever other faults a man may be guilty of, yet, if 
 he be free from some one offence, of which his 
 neighbours are guilty, and which is in our opinion, 
 more grievous than all the rest, his other and 
 lesser faults are overlooked ; and become hardly 
 worth speaking of, in consideration of his freedom 
 from the greater enormity. Thus, if we supposed 
 a village to exist, where all but one man were 
 robbers and murderers ; while that one had always 
 been strictly honest and merciful ; we should be 
 apt to call that man a perfect character, when 
 compared with his fraudulent and bloody neigh- 
 bours : though we might discover on enquiry, that 
 he seldom went to Church, and that he was some- 
 times idle, or drunken. In like manner, if it be 
 true, that the sins of the tongue are of all others, 
 the most common in the Christian world ; and if 
 it be also true, that more misery is thus caused to 
 mankind, more disgrace to religion, more offence 
 to the great Judge and Sovereign of men and of 
 angels, than by any other vice, which can be 
 named ; we can well understand, how St. James, 
 possessed with a sense of those evils, might hardly 
 stay to notice the less frequent, less prevailing, less 
 widely injurious offences, which arose from a dif- 
 ferent source : and might call that man compara- 
 
FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 401 
 
 tively perfect, (whatever sprinkling of vice, and 
 of human infirmity, his character might in other 
 respects display,) by whom the temptations of the 
 tongue were mastered. And that the sins of the 
 tongue, both from their consequences, and from 
 their frequency, do really answer this description^ 
 a very little consideration may serve to make you 
 sensible. As the tongue is the most pow^erful 
 engine, to the happiness of mankind, and to the 
 glory of the Creator, which God has given to 
 man ; so is it also the most formidable in w orks of 
 mischief, and impiety. With our words, it is that 
 we bless God ; and shew forth the praises of His 
 wisdom, and power : but it is with our words, on 
 the other hand, that we blaspheme and defy Him. 
 With our w^ords, we may indeed defend the cause 
 of the innocent and poor; but it is by our words, 
 also, that we oppress and slander them; and make 
 the worse appear the better cause. With our 
 words, we may give advice to the weak ; comfort 
 to the afflicted ; reproof to the sinner ; encourage- 
 ment to the righteous man ; but, with our w^ords, 
 we may also lead the blind ast ray : and revile and 
 insult the broken hearted ; we may flatter the 
 sinner, in the folly of his ways; and misrepresent, 
 and perplex the righteous; we may "call evil, 
 good; and good, evil" — and when we measure 
 the vast flood of private and public misery, and 
 
402 
 
 SERMON XXXI. 
 
 of guilt, to which this single fountain gives rise ; 
 when we hear of sinners hardened by false advice ; 
 innocent persons ruined by false vows and pre- 
 tences ; hearts broken by slanderous reports ; 
 tempers made fierce and brutish by unkind lan- 
 guage ; and God provoked by daily curses, and 
 blasphemy ; we shall not be surprised, that Job 
 speaks of the "scourge of the tongue," — in the 
 same breath, with the greatest evils, which can be- 
 fall human nature — "the famine," "the sword," 
 and " the destruction" or " pestilence:" ' nor that 
 David describes an evil tongue as full of the 
 poison of asps ;" as " cutting like a sharp sword;" 
 as sending " forth the arms of the wicked, even 
 bitter words:"" — that St. James holds it out as 
 " an unruly evil ; full of deadly poison ; a fire, a 
 world of iniquity ; defiling the whole body ; and 
 setting on fire the course of nature ; and itself set 
 on fire by hell :" or that he should call that man 
 perfect who " offendeth not in his words." ^ 
 
 But secondly, — such a person as is here de- 
 scribed, if such there be, — may be called perfect, 
 for another reason, namely, from the exceeding 
 difficulty which there is in keeping our mouth free 
 from transgression. He, who has mastered the 
 greater difficulty, may well be presumed capable 
 
 1 Job, V. 19—22. ^ Psalm Hi. 3 ; Ixiv. 3 
 
 3 St, James, iii. 6 — 10. 
 
FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 
 
 403 
 
 of contending with the less : he, who has slain 
 Goliath, will not be afraid of a meaner champion ; 
 a fishpool will hardly drown him, who has swum 
 through the overflowing waves of Jordan ; and 
 thus, if to govern the tongue be one of the hardest 
 tasks which is laid on a Christian ; it may well be 
 said, that, if any man " offend not in word, the 
 same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle his 
 whole body." But we shall on enquiry into our- 
 selves, very soon discover, that there is really no 
 one point, in which we all of us offend so often, as 
 this ; nor any, with which so many of our besetting 
 and daily temptations are connected. Thus the 
 violent man is at every moment of his life, and 
 on every cross accident w^hich befalls him, almost 
 irresistibly tempted to vent his rage, either in 
 blasphemy against God, or in abuse of his fellow 
 creatures. — The easy and good tempered man, 
 who fears ill will, and dislikes giving pain to any 
 one, is led by this temper, however lovely in itself, 
 to favour and flatter the faults and follies of those, 
 with whom he dwells ; to make promises, which he 
 cannot perform; and to join in conversation, 
 which he ought to have reproved by an expressive 
 silence. The envious and malicious person is led 
 into slander and talebearing, by a desire to do 
 harm : the idle and thoughtless person, out of a 
 mere love of gossip, and the pride of secret in- 
 
404 
 
 SERMON XXXI. 
 
 formation. — The man of business is tempted to 
 lie, by the hope of profit : — the man of pleasure, 
 out of pure vanity. Some men fall into oaths, or 
 indecent talk, out of an ostentation of spirit and 
 liveliness : others, from mere dullness, and in 
 order by such means to be able to bear that part 
 in conversation, of which they are, in other re- 
 spects, incapable. And, thus surrounded by 
 temptations to blasphemy, evil speaking, flattery, 
 slander, tattling, lying, filthiness and indecent 
 jesting, can we wonder, that so many fall into 
 condemnation, through the sins of the tongue? 
 or can we deny, that St. James may have rightly 
 concluded, that he, who can keep this unruly 
 member under controul, is much rather able to 
 bridle all the other corruptions, to wli'ch his 
 bodily nature is heir. Surely, " if any man 
 offend not in w^ord, the same is a perfect man ; 
 and able also to bridle the whole body 
 
 Thirdly — This high character may have been 
 given by St. James to him, who is uniformly 
 discreet in his conversation ; because such self 
 government is, perhaps, the strongest outward 
 proof, which can be given, of an inward sound- 
 ness of principle ; of a constant sense of the 
 dreadful presence of the unseen God ; and a con- 
 stant recollection of the laws of Jesus Christ, and 
 of the blessed rew^ards and the dreadful punish- 
 
FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 405 
 
 ments, which, in another world, are to follow our 
 good or evil behaviour in this. " Out of the 
 abundance of the heart," saith our Lord, " the 
 mouth speaketh ; a good man, out of the good 
 treasure of his heart, bringeth forth good things ; 
 and an evil man, out of the evil treasure, bringeth 
 forth evil things." ^ Speech is the child of 
 Thought; which, after its birth, may be expected 
 in its features to be like its parent. When we 
 meet a stranger, we commonly require no more 
 than an hour's unrestrained conversation with 
 him, to ground a judgement on his w^orth, or 
 his ability. Nay, often before a man has spoken 
 ten words, his character is caught ; and we pass 
 a formal sentence on it. It is true, there may 
 be cases in which a hypocrite, for a certain tim.e, 
 and to obtain some particular end, will talk in a 
 manner, to which his heart is a stranger. But 
 it seldom happens, that he can do so for long 
 together: and it almost always will be found, 
 that, in the midst of his pretended piety, some 
 inconsistency will appear, which proves that all 
 is not right within him. But where, on the 
 other hand, the conversation is lying — flattering 
 — abusive — slanderous, indecent, or blasphe- 
 mous, it is but vain to flatter ourselves, that the 
 heart within is honest, or pure, or merciful, or 
 St. Luke, vi. 45. 
 
406 
 
 SERMON XXXI. 
 
 holy. A man who really fears deceit, will not 
 with his lips deceive us; a man, who is really in 
 charity with his neighbour, will not wound his 
 feelings, or take away his good name. A man, 
 who really is pure in heart, will not speak such 
 things, as make innocence ashamed; and dis- 
 grace the name of religion. If it be urged, that 
 men, whose hearts are generally good, do some- 
 times fall into these sins of the tongue; the 
 answer is, their hearts, whatever they may 
 usually be, are not good at the time : they are, 
 for the moment, corrupt, and possessed by 
 Satan. Nor can we desire a stronger proof — 
 than this liability, even in good men, so to 
 corrupt themselves — to shew the justice of the 
 sentence, passed by St. James, — that, "if any 
 man seem to be religious, and bridle not his 
 tongue, that man's religion is vain — and " if 
 any man olfend not in w^ord, that same is a per- 
 fect man." 
 
 But there is yet a fourth, and a still more 
 remarkable reason, why St. James may have 
 affixed so high a praise on the government of 
 the tongue : — and that is, because not only the 
 daily and consistent practice of this virtue is a 
 sure proof and outward token, that our hearts are 
 inwardly right before God ; but it is also cer- 
 tain, that, though, from former evil conversation, 
 
FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 407 
 
 our hearts may be, at present, very diiterent from 
 that which we should desire them to be in the 
 hour of death and in the day of judgement; yet 
 will a careful and resolute and patient govern- 
 ment of our words do more, under God's grace, 
 than any other means, which can be pointed 
 out, to correct and purify our thoughts, and to 
 take away from Avithin us those fires of lust, or 
 pride, or malice, or impiety, which now defile and 
 consume us. 
 
 There is hardly any inward thought, which 
 will not, like smothered flame, burn out of itself, 
 unless we give it vent by our words, or by our 
 actions. — I will suppose a man to have some feel- 
 ing in his heart, whether of covetousness, or of 
 pride, or of lust, or of malice, which he knows 
 to be offensive to God, and which he desires, but 
 is not able, to get rid of. Let this man determine 
 steadily to keep this wicked feeling to himself; 
 — let him determine not so much, as in a single 
 word, to give it vent: and mark what will 
 follow. 
 
 In the first place, this will lead him to keep 
 a careful watch not only over his lips; but over 
 every thought, which passes in his heart: lest 
 at any time these inward enemies should break 
 forth in his conversation, when he least expects 
 them. Not only his lips, but his fancy will be 
 
408 
 
 SERMON XXXI. 
 
 watched ; and he will be obliged to regulate 
 the last, lest he should expose himself in the 
 former. 
 
 But secondly, if he have any conscience re- 
 maining, (which I all along suppose him to 
 have, — since I suppose him to rule his lips, 
 from a desire to please God) supposing his 
 conscience not to be seared with a red hot iron, 
 the difference, which he will find between his 
 thoughts and expressions, cannot fail to be so 
 shocking to himself ; and the burden of always 
 wearing a mask will be so painful ; that he will 
 be naturally led to use his best endeavours, and 
 to apply earnestly for the help of the Holy 
 Ghost, — for which no man ever applies in vain, 
 — to purify his heart, also, as well as his lips ; 
 and to take from it that inward foulness, to 
 which he dares not lend an outward passage. 
 Thus, by the mere beginning of ordering a man's 
 conversation aright, we have already advanced no 
 little way towards the general amendment of his 
 character. 
 
 Thirdly, the man, whose language is always 
 meek, charitable, pure, and pious, will, out of 
 mere consistency and a sense of pure shame, be 
 obliged to keep himself from all actions unsuitable 
 to such discourse. The world itself would drive 
 him out of society, as an odious hypocrite, if, 
 
FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 
 
 409 
 
 after speaking like a saintj he immediately went 
 to act as the worst of sinners ; if, after declaring 
 in words his sense of the deep wickedness of 
 adultery, he went forth to lay snares for his 
 neighbour's wife; if, after professing his perfect 
 forgiveness of his enemy, he sought immediately 
 to ruin him : if, after refusing to join in the in- 
 decent conversation of drunkards, he was found 
 doing that, which the gravity of his conversation 
 condemned in other men. And, trust me ! it is 
 no small advantage to any man, thus to have 
 pledged himself on the side of God and goodness ; 
 so tliat his worldly sense of consistency may be 
 joined with his fear of the invisible Judge of the 
 world ; to drive him from open transgression. 
 
 But, fourthly, such is the mutual dependance 
 of our thoughts on our outward conduct, as well 
 as of our outward conduct on our thoughts, — 
 that it almost always happens, that a man really 
 becomes that character inwardly, which he long 
 and steadily frames his speech and actions to 
 resemble. — Mocking is catching, in a good as 
 well as in a bad sense ; and he, whose talk is 
 always pure, and godly^ and charitable, will 
 find, by degrees, his heart becoming pure, and 
 godly, and charitable also. Our thoughts are 
 in fact fed by our conversation; we meditate, 
 almost necessarily, most on that, which is most 
 
 VOL. I. T 
 
410 
 
 SERMON XXXI. 
 
 in our mouths and ears; and though there may 
 be some lamentable instances to the contrary? it 
 is generally to be expected, that he, who is 
 resolute never to say anything unworthy of a 
 Christian, will by degrees begin to have few 
 thoughts, which a Christian might not confess 
 without blushing. The reason why this is not 
 the case with hypocrites, is that the hypocrite is 
 not sufficiently consistent; nor sufficiently per- 
 severing in his imitation of holiness. He only 
 acts the part of a pious man in public ; and 
 where he lias some point to gain. Where he 
 lias no w orldly end in view, his conversation is as 
 worldly, as uncharitable, as indecent, as those 
 whom he affects to condemn, or pity. Nor is 
 this all; in one respect the hypocrite is so far 
 from governing his tongue, that the greater part 
 of his life is spent in lying and flattery. If 
 without relaxing the gravity of his communica- 
 tion, he paid an equal attention to its honesty, 
 he indeed would be no longer a hypocrite : but 
 he would soon become, what he desires to be 
 thought, " A perfect man, able also to bridle the 
 whole body." 
 
 I have novv^ shewn the different reasons, why 
 vSt. James bestows this high commendation on 
 the government of the tongue ; that, namely, 
 the mischiefs are so great, which arise from its 
 
FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 411 
 
 abuse, and the difficulty so great of keeping it 
 within proper bounds, that, where the tongue is 
 duly kept in order, we may generally and reason- 
 ably suppose the heart to be pure and holy ; and 
 that no better way can be found of making our 
 hearts such as God requires, than by a diligent 
 care to be, in our daily conversation, such men 
 as He approves of. And from these truths the 
 consequences will follow : — that, if you fear to 
 blaspheme your Maker, to injure your neighbour, 
 or to defile and destroy your own immortal souls, 
 you ought to be watchful over every word, which 
 you speak ; for by your words more mischief may 
 be done, than either your head, or your hand, 
 can, by any other means accomplish. If you are 
 sensible of your own weakness under temptation, 
 and that, when sin besets you, you are but too 
 prone to fall ; be watchful over your tongues : 
 for it is here that you are in the most constant 
 danger. If you desire to receive from the Judge 
 of all men the praise of His faithful servants ; be 
 watchful over every idle word, which comes from 
 your mouths : for by thy words, thou shalt be 
 justified; and by thy words, thou shalt be 
 condemned." If, lastly, you mourn over your 
 own inward corruption, and are but too painfully 
 sensible, that the thoughts of your heart are 
 vanity and wickedness ; be the more careful to 
 
412 
 
 SERMON XXXI. 
 
 set a guard over the door of your lips ; and to 
 frame your discourse in such a manner as God 
 shall approve : knowing, that the man will, by de- 
 grees, become such, as his"communication has long 
 continued to be. — And that all these endeavours 
 may prosper to your eternal salvation, forget not, 
 day and night, to pour out your earnest prayer ; 
 — that the words of your mouth, and the medi- 
 tation of your heart, may be always acceptable 
 in His sight, who is your God, your Strength^ 
 and your Redeemer." 
 
SERMON XXXII. 
 
 SUNDAY AFTER ASCENSION DAY. 
 PART I. 
 
 1 St. Peter, iv. 8, 
 
 Charity shall cover the multitude of sins. 
 
 Among the many excellent things, which are 
 spoken of charity, in Scripture, the present assur- 
 ance is, in several respects, the most remarkable. 
 — It is remarkable for the disputes, to Avhich it 
 has given rise ; and for the very different mean- 
 ings, which have been affixed to it : and, as there 
 are few texts which, when rightly understood, are 
 more abundant in instruction, and in comfort, to 
 the humble Christian ; so there is none, of which 
 the ignorant and sensual have so frequently taken 
 hold, — • in wresting the Scriptures to their own 
 destruction. To some, it has been made a direct 
 encouragement to sin; as pointing out — what 
 they supposed to be — an easy way of delivering 
 themselves from punishment. — By others, it has 
 been perverted into a deadly source of pride, and 
 T 3 
 
414 
 
 SERMON XXXII. 
 
 of confidence in their own good deeds, — not only 
 for pardon, but for recompense, — To many, it 
 has, I fear, been fatal ; as withdrawing their atten- 
 tion and trust from the single expiation and 
 atonement, which is appointed for man, in the 
 blood, the merits, and the intercession, of Jesus 
 Christ, our Lord* How these mistakes arose, and 
 how they may be best avoided, will appear in the 
 course of my present sermon ; in which I purpose, 
 with God's help, — to explain the real meaning 
 of the words before us, and the practical conse- 
 quences, which we are, as Christians, bound to 
 draw from them. 
 
 There are two ways, in which the words of 
 St. Peter have been understood by different in- 
 terpreters : and the grounds of their dispute are 
 reducible to the questions : — " Whose faults are 
 they which our charity is said to conceal, — and 
 from whom are they thus hidden ? Are they the 
 faults of other men, or our own ? Are they hidden 
 from our own recollection, and from the notice of 
 the world ? or are they covered from the wrath, 
 and the fearful sentence, of The Almighty 
 These are the questions, which naturally arise 
 from the consideration of the text, which has been 
 read to you : and to these, the following answers 
 have been given by the defenders of the one, and 
 of the other, interpretationo 
 
SUNDAY AFTER ASCENSION DAY. 415 
 
 They, who suppose that the faults here intended, 
 are the faults of other men, understand St. Peter 
 to be doing no more, in his present words, than 
 exhorting the members of the Christian church 
 to a charitable forbearance and tenderness, one 
 towards another ; by which every man may, un- 
 doubtedly be, in a certain sense, asserted to hide 
 the faults of his neighbour, both from his own 
 observation, and from the observation of the 
 world : — inasmuch as the charitable and kind- 
 hearted man is in himself disposed to " think no 
 evil and to shut his eyes, so far as is possible, 
 to the faults and follies of his brethren : and is 
 still more anxious, even when he himself cannot 
 avoid observing them, to conceal them (by all fair 
 constructions and decent apologies, or, at all 
 events, by a kind and friendly silence) from the 
 observation, and reprobation, of the world. And 
 to prove that the expression of " covering sins " is 
 very capable of this explanation, they bring for- 
 ward the words of Solomon; (Prov. x. 12) to 
 which they suppose the present passage to be an 
 allusion ; — and in which it is observed that — - 
 ^' Hatred stirreth up strifes ; but Love covereth 
 all sins." 
 
 There is yet another way, in which a charitable 
 man, they tell us, may be said to cover the sin of 
 his neighbour : and that is, by obtaining forgive- 
 T 4 
 
416 
 
 SERMON XXXII. 
 
 ness for it through his loving and charitable 
 prayers in his behalf ; and by leading him to a 
 true repentance of it, through his gentle dealing, 
 his patient teaching, and endurance ; and by that 
 tender care for his brother's soul, which is one of 
 the most necessary parts of charity : and by which 
 " he, who turneth a sinner from the evil of his 
 ways," is said by St. James, in the last verse of 
 his Epistle, to " hide a multitude of sins.'' — Not, 
 say they, that the sins of the teacher himself were 
 necessarily thus numerous; but that the trans- 
 gressions of " the soul which he has saved from 
 death" are hidden, by this conversion, from 
 Almighty Vengeance. 
 
 And thus, beyond a doubt, a very useful lesson 
 is conveyed ; and a duty, recommended to the 
 practice of the Church ; which it well became the 
 Apostle to recommend ; and the Church, in every 
 age, to practise. But this explanation, it may be 
 thought, neither suits the tenour of St. Peter's 
 argument, nor the aweful circumstances under 
 which his counsel is brought forwards. — He had 
 begun by telling us, that the " end of all things " 
 was drawing near. In consequence of this alarm- 
 ing prospect, he had exhorted us, " therefore " to 
 be ^' sober, and watch unto prayer." Then, for 
 the same cause, he urges, with yet greater earnest- 
 ness ; " above all things, have fervent charity 
 
SUNDAY AFTER ASCENSION DAY. 417 
 
 among yourselves — as an additional motive to 
 the practice of which, and still, as it may seem, 
 with an eye to the approaching terrors of Christ's 
 coming to judge the world, he assures us, that this 
 
 charity shall cover the multitude of sins." — 
 Surely something more is here intended, than the 
 assurance of that, which nobody ever questioned ; 
 namely, that a kind and charitable man overlooks, 
 and conceals, as far as possible, the faults of his 
 guilty neighbour. 
 
 Whether an allusion is, in these words, designed 
 to the words of Solomon already mentioned, is a 
 point, which must always be doubtful. But even, 
 if we should grant that this was the case, it v/ould 
 by no means follow, that the words, as they stand 
 in St. Peter's Epistle, are to be understood, in 
 exactly the same sense, as that which they bear 
 in the 10 th chapter of Proverbs : since nothing is 
 more common, than the accommodation, in the 
 New Testament, of passages taken from the Old, 
 — to a sense very different from their former 
 meaning ; and generally more exalted, more spi- 
 ritual, and more mysterious. 
 
 Nor can we fail to observe, that the other way, 
 in which the charitable man is supposed to cover 
 his neighbour's faults, by converting him, that 
 is, from the error of his ways, can scarcely be the 
 thing here intended; inasmuch as the charity 
 here mentioned, as that, by which a multitude 
 
418 
 
 SERMON XXXII. 
 
 of sins may be covered, is not said to be exerted 
 by the good, towards the wicked ; by the Christians, 
 towards the Heathen; but by the Christians, — 
 those who are already converted, — towards each 
 other, " Above all things, have fervent charity 
 among yourselves; for charity shall cover the 
 multitude of sins." 
 
 It is true, indeed, that, as Christians may, and 
 do sin, notwithstanding their conversion ; so charity 
 may be fully exerted among ourselves, in exhort- 
 ing each other to holiness ; in reproving each 
 other's sins ; and, by our zeal and our prayers, 
 pleading for each other at the throne of grace ; 
 but still, if this had been the apostle's meaning, it 
 is almost impossible to suppose, that he would not 
 have explained himself further ; or that he would 
 not have at once exhorted us to labour, by these 
 charitable offices, for the salvation of our brethren. 
 It should seem, then, that there are great diffi- 
 culties, in supposing, that, by the sins, which are 
 to be covered by our charity, the sins of other 
 people are, in this place, intended : and it is 
 possible, that this opinion would never have been 
 resorted to, by the learned men, who maintain it ; 
 if it had not been for the grievous abuses, of 
 which I shall speak presently, to which the other 
 interpretation has been exposed, and which made 
 them fly too hastily from the plain and obvious 
 sense of Scripture, — in order to avoid that mis- 
 
SUNDAY AFTER ASCENSION DAY. 419 
 
 application, for which, not the truth itself, but the 
 sins of those, by whom that truth is perverted, 
 may be justly considered as answerable. 
 
 The second way of explaining the present pas- 
 sage of Scripture is their's, w^ho suppose, that the 
 sins here intended are not the sins of others, but 
 of the charitable person himself : and who under- 
 stand the doctrine thus conveyed, — as teaching 
 us, (what we are taught in many other places, by 
 all the writers of the New Testament,) that true 
 love and charity towards the brethren is an offer- 
 ing so acceptable in the sight of God, that, where 
 this is found, our sins will, undoubtedly, be, 
 through Christ's merits pardoned : and, wliere 
 this is not found, the pardon, which Christ has 
 bought by His blood, can by no means be ex- 
 pected to extend to us. — It need not, nay, it 
 must not be fancied, that either this, or any other 
 action, or habit, can have a positive value in God's 
 sight ; as that, v/hich, of itself, can cover sins ; or 
 purchase pardon for them. — This is the conse- 
 quence of Christ's blood, and of His merits only. 
 But still, our love for the brethren, and our 
 kindness to them, when founded in love to God : 
 and when expressive of our love to Him, and of 
 our faith in His Son's mediation ; — both may be, 
 and undoubtedly are, the principal means by 
 which we are enjoined to seek, — and by wliich 
 T 6 
 
420 
 
 SERMON XXXII. 
 
 only we can hope to receive or obtain, — the salva- 
 tion, which Christ has procured for those, and 
 those only, who apply for it in the appointed 
 manner. 
 
 I will endeavour to explain myself. — Supposing 
 an insolvent debtor receives, from some generous 
 benefactor, the promise of a sum of money — 
 sufficient to supply all his wants ; — which he is 
 directed to apply for, in a certain street, and on 
 a certain day ; it might be said, indeed, in one 
 particular sense, that the debtor could not have 
 paid his debts, without walking to such a street, 
 and enquiring in such a house ; and that, there- 
 fore, it was by this walk, that the debts were dis- 
 charged ; but no one would, if he were asked who 
 paid the debts, answer — the debtor himself paid 
 them — since the means of payment were fur- 
 nished by another person ; and since the action, 
 which the debtor was enjoined to perform, in 
 order to obtain those means, — the walking, 
 namely, to such a street, and to such a house, — 
 had, in itself, no power whatever to discharge a 
 single penny ; any further, than as it was received 
 by the free goodness of his friend, as expressive 
 of his wants, and of his thankfulness. By the 
 strict application of this case to ourselves, and to 
 our hopes of salvation, we may find, first, — that, 
 though Christ's merits, and sufferings only, re- 
 
SUNDAY AFTER ASCENSION DAY. 42 1 
 
 deem us from death and hell ; yet, in order to 
 profit by those heavenly merits, certain appointed 
 actions, and habits, of our own are necessary : 
 and that, therefore, it may be said of us, that we 
 are, in a certain sense, saved by our faith, by our 
 hope, and, as in the present instance, by our 
 charity ; inasmuch as these are the means whereby 
 we lay hold on the promise ; and plead with God 
 the payment of our debt, in the person of the 
 Lord Jesus. — But it is not by these alone, nor 
 by any merit, or power, which these have, in 
 themselves, that we are saved from death, and 
 misery ; since the advantages given to us by Christ 
 are such, as no possible exertions of our own could 
 have any chance of obtaining : and since, in fact, 
 there is no more necessary connection between 
 our faith, our hope, and our charity, — and the 
 pardon and happiness, which God, for His Son's 
 sake, bestows on us ; than there is between knock- 
 ing at a door, and receiving a purse of money. 
 
 Charity, then, may cover sins, in the same 
 manner, as that, in which faith covers, or obtains 
 a pardon for them ; not that our imperfect and 
 unsteady love, or faith, can claim, of themselves, 
 either reward, or pardon, from our judge : but 
 because these are the means, by which that blessed 
 judge has taught us to seek for the pardon, and 
 
422 
 
 SERMON XXXII. 
 
 the reward ; wliich his own sufferings have brought 
 for us: — and which his own merits have claimed^ 
 on our behalf, from his Father. 
 
 And that charity has this power, as an appointed 
 means of salvation ; nay, that it is the means by 
 which, above all others, and even more than faith 
 itself, our salvation is to be sought for, is plain, 
 from many positive assurances of Scripture ; in 
 which our love for others is spoken of, not only 
 as a condition, without which we must not hope 
 for pardon; but as a pledge, whereby we may 
 assure ourselves, when we really feel it in our 
 hearts, that our iniquities are forgiven ; and our 
 sins, covered. Thus the love of one another, 
 which is nothing else than another word for cha- 
 rity, is said by St. Paul "to fulfil the Law^;'' 
 that is, to free us from the punishment, which a 
 transgression of the law brings down upon us. — 
 The same love is repeatedly said, by St. John, to 
 be a sure and certain mark, that he, who feels it, 
 is in a state of grace and favour with God ; and 
 that he is an heir of everlasting life. — Thus, — ■ 
 He, that loveth his brother^ abide th in the 
 light." - — " If we love one another God dwelleth 
 in us." ^ — " We know, that we have passed from 
 
 » Romans, xiii. 8. ^ I St. John, ii. 10. 
 
 3 1 St. John, iv. 12. 
 
SUNDAY AFTER ASCENSION DAY. 423 
 
 death unto life, because we love tlie brethren." ^— 
 ^' Every one, that loveth, is born of God." ^ 
 
 Nor are these expressions, forcible as they are, 
 the strongest which may be found, to the same 
 effect, in Scripture. Forgiveness of our enemies, 
 which is a known and necessary part of charity^ is 
 particularized by our Saviour, in His comment on 
 the prayer, which He taught us ; as availing, 
 through His mercies, to obtain forgiveness of our 
 sins from God. " If ye forgive men their trespasses, 
 your heavenly Father will also forgive you."^ 
 And in that blessed and heaven-taught prayer, 
 we are encouraged actually to plead that our im- 
 perfect and feeble love, as an argument for mercy 
 from the bountiful Father of all men ; — when we 
 cry out, in the words of His son : — " Forgive us 
 our trespasses, as we forgive them, that trespass 
 against us." 
 
 Charity, then, or love towards our neighbour, 
 as expressive of our love towards God, and as an 
 appointed means of applying for His promised 
 mercies, may be said with sufficient accuracy to 
 cover ^ or liide^ our sins from God's wrath : inasmuch 
 as He is by this means induced to overlook, and 
 to pardon them. Nor can a more blessed and 
 comfortable doctrine be conceived, — to all those 
 
 1 1 St. John, iii. 14. 2 1 St. John, iv. 7. 
 
 3 St. Matthew, vi. 14. 
 
424 
 
 SERMON XXXII. 
 
 who, while they hunger and thirst after righteous- 
 ness, are weighed down by the sense of their 
 manifold imperfections, — than the assurance, that 
 the love, which they feel within themselves, is an 
 argument of God's presence with them : that His 
 strength will be made perfect in their utter weak- 
 ness ; that, however they may fall short of that 
 glorious pattern, whom they strive to imitate ; — 
 yet, if they love the brethren, they may be 
 assured — by that, token — that they have passed 
 from death unto life; and that where fervent 
 charity abounds, — though many faults, and fail- 
 ings, may cling to the soul, and defile it; — yet 
 shall those faults be covered from the eyes of Him, 
 w^ho forgives all things to those, that love Him 
 much ; and who receives, and requires, at our 
 hands no other testimony of our love to Himself, 
 than tliat we shev/ kindness to these His little 
 ones. — Well are they, who feel, within their hearts, 
 this holy flame ; which shall shine forth, at last, 
 into perfect brightness, and everlasting glory. — 
 Well is it with him^ who shews forth, by his charity 
 to his brethren, the faith which worketh by love ; 
 and that power of God, of which the strength and 
 blessedness is displayed, in this world, by the 
 softening of his heart, and by the conquest of his 
 unruly passions; — and will be displayed, in the 
 world to come by the crown of glory given to 
 
SUNDAY AFTER ASCENSION DAY. 425 
 
 him. — But, let him beware of self-deceit. — There 
 are many counterfeits of these gracious feelings ; 
 and many have made shipwreck of their souls, by 
 not rightly understanding the whole meaning of 
 the word, charity: — and by neglecting to form 
 the habit of brotherly affection in their hearts, by 
 the only process, through which the genuine habit 
 can be formed there, — namely, a love of God, 
 which springs, as from a root, from faith in Jesus 
 Christ; and which brings forth, as its natural 
 fruit, the principle, and the consequent actions, of 
 love for all God's children. 
 
 These cautions, however, will require a longer 
 time to set them forth, at the length which their 
 exceeding importance requires ; and I must defer 
 them to another occasion. Let it be sufficient, in 
 the mean time, to warn you, that, nothing, which 
 does not spring from faith in Jesus Christ, can be 
 accepted, as charity before God : that, where pride 
 enters in, no genuine love of God, or of man, can 
 be found : that as charity is a grace which comes 
 from God, it must be sought of Him, like all his 
 other gifts, by fervent prayer, and by a diligent 
 use of the sacraments : and that to whatever degree 
 of warmth or activity our benevolence is carried, 
 we must refer it all to the Giver of every good 
 and perfect gift ; who maketh men to be of one 
 
426 
 
 SERMON XXXII. 
 
 mind in a house ; and hatli appointed His creatures 
 to be mutually helpful one to another, even as 
 Christ His Son helped all ; when all things were, 
 without Him, helpless. 
 
SERMON XXXIir. 
 
 SUNDAY AFTER ASCENSION DAY. 
 PART II. 
 
 1 St. Peter, iv. 8. 
 
 Charity shall cover the multitude of sins. 
 
 In my last sermon, on these words of Scripture, I 
 endeavoured to explain the manner, in which the 
 grace of charity is said to cover sin; — namely, 
 that our love for our neighbour, as expressive oi 
 our love towards God, and as an appointed means 
 of applying for His mercies promised in Jesus 
 Christ, may be said, with truth, to hide our sins 
 from God's wrath : inasmuch as He is, by this 
 means, induced to overlook and pardon them. — 
 Not that this love, however manifested, can itself 
 merit any thing from God ; but that God accepts 
 it from us, as a token of our acceptance of that 
 covenant of grace, through which alone our pardon 
 is obtained and sealed in Heaven. And as, where 
 charity is wanting, this pardon will not be given ; 
 so, where true charity is found, we are sure, it will 
 
428 
 
 SERMON XXXIII. 
 
 not bo withheld ; but that the single fact of our 
 love for our fellow creatures is, of itself, a sign, 
 that we are in a state of grace with the Almighty. 
 
 Hereby," saith St. John, " hereby we know, 
 that we have passed from death unto life, because 
 we love the brethren." ^ 
 
 But, though by thus insisting on the plain and 
 literal meaning of the text, I set forth, in the 
 strongest manner, the inestimable value of that 
 charity which covereth sin ; I do not conceal from 
 you tlie danger of mistaking the nature of real 
 charity, and the dreadful consequences, to which 
 sucli a mistake may lead. I now, in pursuance of 
 my promise, shall proceed to shew the nature of 
 these mistakes, and the causes from which they 
 spring. And this may be done, most effectually, 
 by shewing, first, wherein true charity consists; 
 as it is plainly set forth in Holy Scripture. 
 
 Charity, then, is nothing else than a Latin word 
 which means love, or fondness : and the habit of 
 charity or love, as applied to all God's creatures, 
 and above all, to our fellow Christians, must con- 
 sist of two parts, an inward good will to them ; 
 and such outward actions, as are suitable to this 
 inward feeling, and expressive of it. Both these 
 are necessary parts of charity ; and unless both 
 are found together, our charity can by no means 
 1 St, John, iii, 14, 
 
SUNDAY AFTER ASCENSION DAY. 
 
 429 
 
 deserve the name. If faith, without works, be 
 dead ; love, without works, must, beyond a doubt, 
 be equally so : and^ however we might pretend to 
 love our neighbours in our hearts, to wish them 
 well, and to desire their happiness ; yet no one 
 would be so simple as to think us charitable, on 
 this account alone : nor would any body believe, 
 that we had any such feeling in our hearts ; unless 
 our actions, and outward behaviour, afforded some 
 proof, that it was there. Nor is it man only, who 
 is thus accustomed to judge concerning us. The 
 Searcher of hearts has Himself declared, that the 
 judgement thus formed is true, when He has 
 taught us, that, if a man see his brother want, and 
 do not relieve him, the love of God cannot dwell 
 within him. 
 
 But though neither God, nor our neighbour, is 
 deceived by such a pretence ; own own souls is 
 unhappily, too often thus imposed upon. We are 
 apt to lay great stress on our general good will, 
 our harmlessness, our kind words, our charitable 
 wishes; while we, in reality, take no trouble, and 
 go to as little expence as possible, for the advan- 
 tage of those, towards whom we profess to feel so 
 tenderly. And is this enough to cover the mul- 
 titude of sins ? Is this a claim to Heaven ? Does 
 not, on the contrary, this very tenderness of ours, 
 supposing it real, condemn, (our ownselves being 
 
430 
 
 SERMON XXXI II, 
 
 judges,) our own idleness, or neglect, or covetous- 
 ness ; since it is clear, that we feel not the extent 
 of the distress, which we take no steps to relieve : 
 and that our hati'ed to trouble, or our love of 
 money, are so strong, as to overpower in our 
 hearts a naturally affectionate temper. We hate 
 the man, in the parable, who passed by on the 
 other side ; when he saw afar off* the wounded and 
 naked passenger : we hate him worse, who came, 
 and looked on him ; who felt the extent of his 
 pitiable condition ; who saw his wounds, his tears, 
 and wretchedness ; and who then went on, and 
 left him. But what should we say, if this man 
 had been the sufferer's friend, or brother ? What, 
 if he really were sorry for his misfortune, and 
 loved him ; and yet forsook him ? Should we not 
 then cry out still more loudly, against that hateful 
 idleness, or covetousness, w^hich could lead him to 
 prefer his ease, or his money, to the life of him, 
 who was most dear to him ? And is not, in like 
 manner, our neglect, of such as want our help, 
 rendered more criminal, in exact proportion to 
 the natural gentleness of our nature, and to the 
 degree, in which we are affected by the considera- 
 tion of their distress, or danger ? Let all such as 
 boast of their own tenderness in acts of mercy and 
 kindness, remember, that it is not by what men 
 have felt^ but by what they have done^ for their 
 
SUNDAY AFTER ASCENSION DAY. 431 
 
 brethren, that our Lord, at His second coming, 
 will pronounce them blessed, or cursed ! 
 
 But what is to become of those who have no 
 means or opportunity, to shew forth their inward 
 feeling ? I answer, none can be found, who are 
 thus completely debarred from means, or oppor- 
 tunity. They, who cannot give money, food, or 
 physic, to a suffering neighbour, may yet give 
 them their attendance in sickness, their comfort 
 in distress, their advice under temptation, their 
 prayers in all calamity. They, who cannot re- 
 lieve all who apply, may still do their best to 
 discover the real sufferers : they, who have them- 
 selves nothing to give, may recommend such to 
 the bounty of others : and God only knows how 
 much of that good which is done in the world, is 
 done by those who have, to all appearance, least 
 in their power. 
 
 Our charity, then, must be shewn in our 
 actions ; as well as felt, in our hearts. 
 
 But, secondly, it is not enough that we are 
 outwardly bountiful, and useful ; unless these 
 actions proceed from a right principle. There 
 are too many, who suppose, that, when the out- 
 ward action is good, it is unnecessary to examine 
 further : and that he, who does good to others, is 
 certainly charitable, be his motives what they may. 
 Now, as a general rule in judging of other men. 
 
432 
 
 SERMON XXXIII. 
 
 this method is, to a certain extent, a proper one ; 
 or, to speak more correctly, as we cannot know 
 the secret motives of our neighbour, we are bound, 
 in love for him, to hope, that his good deeds pro- 
 ceed from the right principle. But, as applied to 
 ourselves, or wherever the motive can be known, 
 this way of judging is, plainly, always insufficient; 
 and as plainly, often untrue ; because there are 
 many actions, of which the character entirely 
 differs, according to circumstances, and to the 
 reason, for which they are done. Thus, to pay 
 money for the use of the poor, is, beyond all 
 doubt, an action which is, in many cases ex- 
 tremely charitable : but to pay money for the 
 same purpose, when compelled by a parish rate, 
 is very necessary, and very proper ; but we none 
 of us pretend to call it charity. It must, in fact, 
 to make it charitable, be done with a good will ; 
 it must be our own free act ; and it must proceed 
 from love to the sufferers, and from a desire to do 
 them good. Again, to nurse the sick, and com- 
 fort the dying, is most kind and charitable : but 
 to do this, in expectation of a legacy, is no cha- 
 rity at all ; inasmuch as our attentions are, in such 
 a case, not given, but sold. In like manner if a 
 man give alms to a beggar, not from pity, but 
 because the beggar cries after him, and he is 
 ^nxious to get rid of his importunity ; if he put 
 
SUNDAY AFTER ASCENSION DAY. 433 
 
 down his name to a subscription, not from a 
 desire to do good, but because he is ashamed to 
 give less than others, or in order to magnify his 
 own riches, or goodness, it is plain, that, though 
 the poor may be benefited by his money, his own 
 sins are not covered ; and he can lay no claim 
 whatever to the inward grace of charity. 
 
 And this will explain, how St. Paul, when reckon- 
 ing up almost all the outward actions of bounty, 
 and of self-denial, by which charity is usually 
 shewn, declares, at the same time, that " without 
 charity, these profit us nothing because, though 
 charity which, as we have seen, is nothing else 
 than love, must necessarily bring forth these 
 fruits, — yet these fruits or something like them, 
 may grow on another stem. And nothing could 
 have greater power to lower our own opinion of 
 ourselves, than a careful examination of what were 
 our real desires, and intentions, in those actions, 
 which pass with the world for good works ; and a 
 consideration, how few of tiiese can really be said 
 to arise from faith in Christ, or from real affection 
 for our fellow creatures. We should thus find 
 our claim of merit reduced at once to something 
 less than nothingness ; and that many of our 
 fairest actions have need, not of reward, but of 
 pardon. 
 
 Thirdly, however, our charity must be also con- 
 
 VOL. le u 
 
434 
 
 SERMON XXXin. 
 
 sistent and uniform ; there are many, who are 
 content to shew their charity in one way only, and 
 no more ; who are willing to give money to the 
 poor, but will not give up any time, or attention, 
 to their distress ; who are kind to the bodies, but 
 not to the souls of those around them ; or who 
 care not what pain they may inflict, or what mis- 
 chief they may occasion by their pride, their pro- 
 fligacy, their violent passions, or their bad exam- 
 ples; provided they are not miserly, or hard in 
 their bargains, or to their debtors. There are 
 others^ on the contrary, who are unwilling to give 
 their money; and who yet suppose, that they 
 acquit themselves of this important duty, by kind 
 words; by civil behaviour; by readiness to do 
 such little services, as require time or attention 
 only ; and by being useful in every way, by which 
 their purse is not encroached on. Both these sorts 
 of men have evidently formed an imperfect notion 
 of that virtue, to the praise of which they lay 
 claim; and v/hich, as we have seen, is neither 
 more nor less than real love and tenderness to- 
 wards our fellow creatures. We should not say, 
 that this father loved his child ; that husband, his 
 wife ; that neighbour, his friend ; who, though he 
 might not refuse them food, when they were 
 hungry, made their lives bitter in every other 
 respect, by bad language, by pride, or by cruelty: 
 
SUNDAY AFTER ASCENSION DAY. 435 
 
 and we should still less allow, that he was excused 
 from feeding and helping them when necessary, 
 for the sake of a few fair words, and occasional 
 civilities. In like manner^ unless we shew our 
 love towards our neighbour, both in word, and in 
 deed, to the best of our ability, we cannot be said 
 to love our neighbour, as ourselves; — nor to 
 possess, in any tolerable degree, that charity, which 
 covers a multitude of sins. 
 
 Nor, is this all ; — for as we are called on to 
 love our neighbour's soul, as well as, or to speak 
 more properly, to love his soul in a far greater 
 degree than, his perishing body; so are we bound 
 to use all the means in our power to instruct him, 
 in the knowledge, and to keep him in the practice, 
 of his duty : and we are still more bound to ab- 
 stain, in our own practice, from all such actions as 
 are likely to be of bad example to him, and to 
 lead him into sin, or sorrow. Even where an 
 action, which is innocent in our own case, has a 
 tendency to wound our brother's conscience; we 
 are bound by charity to abstain from it: in the 
 same manner, that St. Paul declared his readiness 
 to live on herbs only, rather than offend those 
 superstitious, though well meaning Jews, who 
 would not eat meat prepared by the Gentiles.^ 
 How much more, then, are we obliged, not only 
 
 1 1 Cor. X. 
 u 2 
 
436 
 
 SERMON XXXIII. 
 
 for our own sakes, but for the sake of those 
 around us, to keep ourselves pure from those open 
 sins, the infection of which causes mischief far 
 and wide ; and to tremble, lest the soul for which 
 Christ died, should perish, by imitating our oaths, 
 our extravagance, our uncleanness, our profane 
 and ungodly conversation. Vainly do we hope, 
 that our own sins shall be covered ; when we thus 
 make the sins of others to increase, and become 
 more perilous ! 
 
 Fourthly, our charity must not be partial to a 
 few ; and cold, to all the rest of the world. It is 
 to be love of mankind, — it is to be a desire and 
 resolution to serve all men, or any man, whom it 
 may be in our power to relieve ; and who may 
 need our assistance. And it must extend not 
 only to our friends, but to strangers ; not only to 
 strangers, but to enemies. There are those, who 
 are ready to ask, wliat is such or such a person to 
 me ? Why am I to do any thing for him ? Now, 
 this is not the question to be asked ; the question 
 is,- — is he a proper object of pity; and is it in 
 my power to assist him ? — If our hearts answer 
 yes ; then let us lose no time in fulfilling their 
 dictates ; though he be as much a stranger to us, 
 as the wounded Jew was to the good Samaritan ; 
 or though his whole life have been passed in un- 
 ceasing hatred towards us. " If thine enemy 
 
SUNDAY AFTER ASCENSION DAY. 437 
 
 hunger, feed him ; if he thirst, give him drink," ^ 
 — knowing that, while we also were enemies to 
 God, Christ died for us : and that the forgiveness, 
 which His blood has purchased for us, He has au- 
 thorized us to ask for in our daily prayers^ on the 
 condition only, that we at the same time, forgive 
 those who have trespassed against us. 
 
 Fifthly, our love — to be perfect — must extend 
 to our thoughts. Charity is not puffed up with a 
 high opinion of itself ; envieth not the prosperity 
 of others ; thinketh no evil concerning them ; 
 hopeth all things, and believeth all things, in their 
 favour. All tliese are necessary parts of love. 
 For we cannot love those persons whom we despise : 
 we cannot love those, whom we are grieved to see 
 prosperous : we cannot love those of whom we are 
 suspicious. We must learn, then, to think, as well 
 as to speak, respectfully of our neighbour ; to re- 
 joice, that he is happy, even when we do not par- 
 take in his good fortune ; or when he has got, 
 what we desire in vain ; to put a favourable con- 
 struction on his words, and actions ; and not only 
 to speak, but to judge, as favourably as possible, 
 concerning his heart, and principles. 
 
 Herca however, a distinction is to be made. 
 There is a false kind of charity too apt to pass 
 current with a careless world ; and which, under 
 1 Romans, xii. 20. 
 
 u 3 
 
438 
 
 SERMON XXXllI. 
 
 the name of judging favourably concerning our 
 neighbour's spiritual state, and hoping all things 
 in his favour, glosses over a total disregard of his 
 soul and character, and a cruel carelessness as to 
 all which he may do in this world, or may suffer 
 in the next. We see our neighbour ruining his 
 health by drunkenness ; his property, by extra- 
 vagance and pride ; his credit, by dishonesty, or 
 covetousness : and his soul, by any or all of these : 
 and if we tell him of his danger, if by a timely 
 warning we seek to snatch him from the misery 
 before him, how often are we accused of want of 
 charity in our judgement concerning him. Yet 
 who is, in this case, uncharitable ? Our brother 
 is dangerously sick ; he does not know his perils 
 and takes no means towards his recovery; and 
 who is uncharitable ? or who is the real friend ? 
 The man who bids him be at ease ; to go on as he 
 chooses ; and not to heed the consequences ? — or 
 the man, who takes on himself the unpleasant 
 office of adviser ; who calls on him to think be- 
 times of his own preservation from ruin : and who 
 points out to him the true, though painful, method 
 of recovering his health and happiness ? Be sure, 
 then, that, though charity may, in some degree, 
 gloss over our neighbour's faults, it cannot, if it 
 be real, blind us to his evident danger : and to 
 inform and admonish him is often, under such 
 
SUNDAY AFTER ASCENSION DAY. 439 
 
 circumstances, the greatest act of charity in our 
 power; as it is, ahnost always, the most painful to 
 ourselves, which we can be called on to practise. 
 
 I have now gone through the leading circum- 
 stances of life and behaviour, in which a genuine 
 charity will be found to display itself; and of 
 which, if we find on due inquiry, the traces in our 
 own hearts, and consciences, we may lay claim, in 
 humble hope, to those blessed privileges and ex- 
 pectations ; to which, as I have shewn, in my 
 former sermon, the lover of God and man is heir. 
 
 It now remains, that I should add some short 
 directions, as to the best manner of producing, by 
 God's help, this heavenly flame in our hearts; and 
 of preserving it against the many temptations, to 
 which, in a mortal state, it must be liable. 
 
 And here, in the first place, no means are so 
 powerful, to make us really benevolent towards 
 our fellow creatures, as a frequent contemplation 
 of the goodness and mercy of God, — as exhibited 
 towards all His creatures in their creation and 
 nourishment; and to men, more particularly, in 
 His inestimable love, through His Son Jesus 
 Christ, and in the means of grace, and in the 
 hopes of glory, which He has thus bestowed on 
 us. This will operate, in two ways, to make us 
 loving and charitable. In the first place, it is 
 almost impossible to contemplate, for any long 
 u 4 
 
440 
 
 SERMON XXXIII. 
 
 time together, a pattern of matchless goodness 
 and beauty, without both desiring and endea- 
 vouring, in some degree, to resemble it; — and 
 secondly, when we consider, that the only way in 
 our power of shewing our thankfulness to God, 
 and the only way in which God has commanded 
 us to shew it, is by acts of kindness and mercy to 
 our fellow creatures, it will be almost impossible 
 for us to cherish any harsh or unchristian feelings 
 towards those, whom our Great Benefactor has 
 valued so highly, and loved so tenderly. 
 
 Another practice, which is highly necessary 
 to guard us against want of charity, either in 
 thought, word, or deed, is, to examine, frequently, 
 our own hearts in private ; and to possess our souls 
 with a due consideration of our own manifold 
 offences against God, and against our neighbour; 
 and of the many circumstances, which lessen the 
 merit of those, which seem our best actions. We 
 shall thus be led, by an almost natural process, to 
 apply to the conduct of other men the same candid 
 and favourable judgement, which we desire, in our 
 own case, to be employed : and the very habit of 
 self-examination, which is naturally produced by 
 self-accusation, will make us more thoroughly 
 aware of the palliative circumstances which may 
 be urged for every human error. And thus will 
 our charity be guarded against those two greatest 
 
SUNDAY AFTER ASCENSION DAY. 441 
 
 temptations^ to which it is hable ; — a knowledge 
 of the wretchedness of men, and an experience of 
 their ingratitude. By keeping our attention fixed 
 on the ten thousand talents, which we owe to God, 
 we shall leave ourselves no time to be too mindful 
 of the trifling offences of our brethren against us ; 
 and as we shall be ready to do good, not hoping 
 for any earthly return, so we shall not be disap- 
 pointed, when no earthly return is made to us. 
 
 Thirdly, however, all these good feelings, and 
 good principles, will soon perish and fade away 
 within us ; unless we bring them, into constant 
 application, by acts of daily kindness; by ac- 
 quainting ourselves with the wants, and distresses, 
 of our neighbours; and, above all, by denying 
 ourselves some portion of our own comforts and 
 pleasures, for their sake, and in order to their 
 assistance. Not only, are services produced by 
 love; but love itself is yet more certainly pro- 
 duced by acts of kindness and attention. We are 
 always, for the time, well disposed towards those 
 whom we assist. Our interest becomes joined to 
 theirs ; and we rejoice in their happiness, because 
 it is, in some measure, our own work and con- 
 trivance. And, accordingly, the more we labour 
 in doing good, the more really kind will our 
 tempers become ; and we shall do good, with the 
 greater readiness. 
 
 u 5 
 
442 
 
 SERMON XXXIIl, 
 
 But, lastly, since the practice of charity, as we 
 have seen, contains within itself so wide a range 
 of duty and behaviour ; since it requires, to be 
 perfect, so entire a conquest of some of our 
 strongest natural passions, of our pride, our anger, 
 our idleness, our love of money, and our love of 
 pleasure, how necessary is it to begin, and to ac- 
 company, all these endeavours, with unfeigned 
 and earnest prayer to the Almighty author of all 
 good gifts, — that His grace may strengthen our 
 weakness, to those acts of self-denial which sur- 
 pass our powers ; and that He would pour into 
 our hearts, not only that faith which is the founda- 
 tion of all other virtues, but that love, which is 
 their ornament, and crown, — that blessed gift of 
 charity, without which whosoever liveth, is counted 
 dead before Him ! 
 
SERMON XXXIV. 
 
 WHITSUNDAY. 
 
 Romans, viii. 14. 
 
 As manij as are led by the Spi7nt of God, they are the sons 
 of God. 
 
 In the earlier days of Christ's kingdom upon 
 earth, and while the gifts of the Holy Ghost 
 were visible and miraculous, the descent of that 
 Almighty Spirit, under the likeness of a flame 
 of fire, upon the heads of the newly baptized, 
 together with the power of speaking in strange 
 tongues, which followed this sacred unction, 
 was a common and unanswerable argument, 
 both with Jews, and with Heathens, in proof 
 of the truth of our Christian religion ; and of 
 the acceptance, and admission, of the Gentiles 
 to the same peace and pardon, which our Saviour 
 had^ during His abode on earth, proclaimed to 
 the lost sheep of the House of Israel. 
 
 After baptism, the new convert was conducted 
 to some one of the apostles; or, during their 
 u 6 
 
444 
 
 SERMON XXXIV. 
 
 absence to some one of the bishops whom 
 they had appointed ; who laid his hands on his 
 head ; and having prayed, that he might receive 
 the Holy Ghost, the same likeness of cloven flames 
 of fire, which had, on the day of Pentecost, shed 
 its influence on the apostles, now fell on their 
 followers ; and the same power of speaking with 
 luiknown tongues was conferred on the most 
 ignorant among them. 
 
 These marvellous and blessed privileges were 
 intended, during their continuance among men, 
 to answer three specific ends; and when those 
 ends were answered, God, who never, without 
 a worthy cause, violates what He has appointed 
 as the course of nature, was pleased, by little 
 and little, to withdraw them from His Church, 
 They were first, both useful and necessary, — 
 to shew the truth of the Christian religion ; and 
 to prove, that the apostles, while they spake, to 
 the Jews, of the resurrection of their Crucified 
 Master, were not uttering the dreams of enthu- 
 «iam, or cunningly devised fables ; but the words 
 of truth and soberness, confirmed by God Him- 
 self. Thus, when the Apostles, first after the 
 death of Christ, and on the day of Pentecost, dis- 
 played in no fewer than seventeen languages, the 
 w^onders of God to the people, there were added 
 that same day to the Church as many as three 
 
WHITSUNDAY. 
 
 445 
 
 thousand souls ^ ; and in the town of Samaria, 
 afterwards, even their most obstinate opposer, 
 Simon, from beholding the miracles, which 
 they did, believed on their word ; and was 
 baptized,^ 
 
 But, secondly, these miraculous powers were 
 also a proof, contrary to the uncharitable pre- 
 tences of the Jews, that the Gentiles, who were 
 uncircumcised, and not subject to the law of 
 Moses, were, nevertheless, partakers in the par- 
 don, and the peace, which the blood of Christ 
 had purchased. Thus, in the case of Cornelius 
 and his family, in order to remove any scruples 
 which might still have remained on St. Peter's 
 mind, as to the admissibility of the Gentiles to 
 the Church, the Almighty was pleased to shed 
 forth His Spirit ; not, as it usually was dis- 
 pensed, after baptism ; but before water had yet 
 been brought: thereby to prove, by an unanswer- 
 able argument, that the outward token of re- 
 generation by water was not to be denied to 
 those, whom God himself had regenerated by 
 the baptism of the Holy Ghost and of fire. 
 And St. Peter, accordingly, urged on his Jewish 
 companions this miracle, as a proof of the ac- 
 ceptance of the Gentiles ; asking, " Can any man 
 forbid water, that these should not be baptized, 
 1 Acts, ii. 41. 2 Acts, viii. 13. 
 
446 
 
 SERMON XXXIV. 
 
 which have received the Holy Ghost, even as 
 we ourselves received it ? " ^ And St. Paul, in 
 his epistle to the Galatians, and when he is 
 reproving these last for their folly, in desiring to 
 be circumcised and to keep the law of Moses, 
 reminds them, how unnecessary such further cere- 
 monies must be to them, whose uncircumcised 
 faith had been already accepted by God; and 
 that acceptance, made manifest by the gift of the 
 Holy Ghost. 
 
 Thirdly, as the first Christians w^ere exposed 
 to many and peculiar temptations and dangers, 
 it was necessary, perhaps, to cheer and support 
 their fainting spirits, under the bloody trials, 
 which awaited them, by some more visible as- 
 surance of God's favour, some undoubted token 
 of His protection, which might teach them, that 
 God, in the midst of all their distresses, would 
 never leave them nor forsake them ; and that 
 He would not suffer them to be tempted, 
 above what they were able to bear ; but would, 
 with the temptation, also make a way for them 
 to escape. 
 
 It is in this last way, that, in the present 
 passage, St» Paul avails himself of the argument 
 drawn from the miraculous gifts of the Spirit. 
 To explain his purport, it will be necessary to 
 1 Acts, X. 47; xi. 15—17. 
 
WHITSUNDAY. 
 
 447 
 
 carry back your attention to the latter part of 
 the seventh chapter of the same epistle; in 
 which he was setting forth, in very beautiful and 
 powerful language, the weak and helpless condi- 
 tion of mankind by nature, and our inability to 
 subdue by any strength of our own, the passions 
 and propensities of our corrupt, and frail bodies. 
 He had there laid down a general principle, of 
 the truth of which, whatever increased experience 
 we obtain of human nature, will more and more 
 convince us ; that, though the reasonable soul 
 of man is not incapable of discerning the beauty 
 and advantage of holiness, — yet that, without 
 some further and more powerful help than reason, 
 the earthly tabernacle, with its natural lusts and 
 cravings, will always press down and overpower 
 the best struggles of the spirit, which it contains, 
 and imprisons : — the condition of which is so 
 much the more miserable; inasmuch as its 
 better understanding sees, and feels, the dan- 
 ger, which its feeble resolution gives it no 
 power of avoiding. There is another law in 
 our members, contrary to that law which is 
 in our minds : and those only, who have felt the 
 impossibility of getting rid of this body of 
 deaths to which we are fastened, can sufSci- 
 ently appreciate the greatness of the deliverance. 
 
448 
 
 SERMON XXXIV. 
 
 which has been wrought for us by Jesus Christ 
 our Lord. 
 
 But, by the death of Christ, not only have our 
 past offences obtained a pardon ; but our future 
 conduct has received a guide : our feeble resolu- 
 tions are strengthened, by spiritual help : and 
 these miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost, St. Paul 
 might say, which ye possess and witness, are an 
 evidence, that God has called you from the 
 world; and that your endeavours^ if you do 
 endeavour to walk worthy of such high calling, 
 will not be in vain. " We therefore," he pro- 
 ceeds, in the same strain of reasoning, " are no 
 longer debtors to the flesh," no longer under 
 bondage to it ; we can, and if we hope to be saved, 
 we must, exert the power which is given us, to 
 conquer and mortify the flesh. And both our 
 duty, and our ability to do so, are plain from the 
 circumstance, that our spiritual gifts prove us 
 to stand high in God's favour ; and to be re- 
 ceived as His adopted Sons, by which title we 
 call Him not Master, but Father. The Spirit, 
 which we feel in us, proves to our own con- 
 sciences, that God has adopted us as children ; 
 and if we are children, we have good reason 
 for hope and joy in the midst of our present 
 distresses and temptations, since the name of 
 
WHITSUNDAY. 
 
 449 
 
 children of God " in itself implies, that we 
 are heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ ; 
 with whom we now inherit the sufferings of this 
 world ; and with whom also, if we pass through 
 these sufferings, faithfully, we shall inherit eter- 
 nal and everlasting glory, 
 
 I have now given the meaning of the passage, 
 as it applied to the Christians, who were the 
 apostle's immediate hearers ; but lest it should 
 seem to any, that we ourselves, who have no 
 such miraculous gifts, as evidences of our calling, 
 are, therefore, unconcerned in the lesson, which 
 he addresses to us all, I shall now proceed to 
 examine, what grounds of assurance, or of com- 
 fort, the influence of the Spirit accords to 
 modern Christians; and what duties such as- 
 surance and consolation impose on those, who 
 possess them. 
 
 The best ground of comfort, and confidence, 
 which a man can feel, that he is God's son, and 
 abiding in His favour, is that he is led by the 
 Spirit of God. Nor is it difficult for any man to 
 discover, whether this be the case with himself 
 or no : since the works, which that good Spirit 
 produces, are manifest, says the Apostle, to all. 
 " The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, 
 long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meek- 
 
450 
 
 SERMON XXXIV. 
 
 ness, temperance." ^ If, therefore, a man find 
 these graces in his own heart and conduct, he 
 may be sure, that, as it surpasses his own un- 
 assisted strength to plant them there, they must 
 be planted by God: they must be the fruits of 
 His good Spirit : and that he, being led by the 
 Spirit, is the Son of God. And thus it is, that, 
 among modern Christians, the Spirit beareth 
 witness, with our spirit, that we are the sons of 
 God. For if the Spirit of God lead us, it will 
 produce such fruits in our behaviour, as that our 
 own natural conscience will, thereby, be satisfied 
 of the safety and blessedness of our situation; 
 and, as St. John observes, " Beloved, if our heart 
 condemn us not, then have we confidence with 
 God." — He, therefore, who, on an impartial 
 review of his own conduct, finds, that he is really, 
 in the general course of his life, seeking to do his 
 Heavenly Father's will, need have no anxiety 
 about his adoption, as God's son ; because the 
 very power of thus obeying God, is given by 
 God Himself, and is an evidence, that God ac- 
 cepts us. 
 
 And this comparison of our behaviour with 
 our principles, is the only ground of hope, which 
 a Christian can have : since this, and not any 
 1 Gal. V. 22, 
 
WHITSUNDAY. 
 
 451 
 
 secret assurance, independent of our actions^ is 
 the only comfort, which the apostle promises to 
 any man. Nor does even this assurance, take 
 notice, — nor does even this assurance extend to 
 that pitch of confidence in our own election, 
 which some men profess to enjoy ; as if, being 
 now under God's protection, and sanctified by 
 His Spirit, we were thereby assured, that this 
 Spirit would never be so far grieved with our 
 perverseness, as to withdraw its aid, and leave us 
 to perish. For all the gifts of God, it may be 
 observed, are conditional ; and joined with some 
 efforts of our own ; something there always is, 
 which we may do, or leave undone ; and on 
 doing which, or forbearing from it, our eternal 
 happiness, the continuance of God's assistance, 
 and our share in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, 
 depends. For no sooner had St. Paul declared, 
 that the Spirit itself bears witness with the con- 
 science of a real Christian that he is born of 
 God; and that he is an inheritor of the Kingdom 
 of Heaven, together witli Christ ; than he imme- 
 diately adds a caution against idle and unfruitful 
 faith, or against the supposition that every thing 
 is done for our salvation. " If so be," he says, 
 " that we suffer with Christ." — So then it was 
 possible, that even those to whom the Spirit bore 
 witness, that they were sons of God, might yet fall 
 
432 
 
 SERMON XXXIV. 
 
 away in a time of suffering and difficulty : they 
 might, for a while, believe; and yet, in time of 
 temptation, fall away. So that the caution will 
 still remain in force ; " let him that thinketh he 
 standeth, take heed, lest he fall." ^ And no man 
 can stand so surely in this w^orld, but that his own 
 carelessness, or want of faith, may, at any time, 
 overturn his hopes, and that assurance of mercy, 
 which was founded on the testimony of the Spirit 
 in his heart. What comfort is there, then, to 
 them who believe ; and who, knowing their own 
 weakness, look forward with doubt and dismay to 
 the temptations which beset their onward path 
 through life ? I answer, great and sufficient com- 
 fort there is ; — in the knowledge, that, weak as 
 they are in themselves, the strength, which is given 
 them by God, is more than sufficient for the work, 
 which is set before them ; and that if they do not 
 forsake Him, He will never cast them away. 
 
 And as this is their support and comfort; so, 
 on the other hand, is it a salutary caution to the 
 best and wisest, that, from that blessed eminence 
 they may, at any moment, fall : and that, conse- 
 quently, no care can be too great, to preserve 
 themselves from the sin of grieving the Holy 
 Spirit of God ; by whose presence in their hearts 
 they are sealed to the day of redemption. And 
 1 1 Cor. X. 12, 
 
WHITSUNDAY. 
 
 453 
 
 above all, whatever advances we may make in ho- 
 liness should be considered, not as reasons of 
 exultation, but of most humble gratitude to God, 
 from whose Holy Spirit alone, and not by our own 
 purity and strength they proceed; and whose 
 smile, when it is withdrawn from our endeavours, 
 because of our backslidings, will prove but too 
 soon, and most fatally, that the race will not be to 
 the swift, nor the victory to the strong. 
 
 Be diligent, therefore, in using those outward 
 means of grace, whereby God sanctifies His chil- 
 dren from the world : be studious to follow, where 
 the Spirit leads ; lest that blessed Spirit be with- 
 drawn : and be lovvly and humble before the 
 Most High ; since it is to such only, that an in- 
 crease, or continuance, of the Divine favour is 
 promised. 
 
SERMON XXXV. 
 
 TRINITY SUNDAY. 
 
 FIRST SERMON. 
 1 Cor. xiii. 12. 
 
 Now ive see through a glass darkly^ hut then face to face : 
 710W I know in part ^ hut then shall I know even as I am 
 known. 
 
 When any, after long blindness, have been re- 
 stored to sight by surgical skill, it has always been 
 thought advisable, and necessary, to prevent the 
 lifjht of the sun from strikinof too soon on the 
 newly opened sense; and to keep the patient 
 many days in a dark or shaded chamber, till, by 
 slow degrees, and a cautious disclosure, his eyes 
 have received sufficient strength to sustain without 
 danger the full brightness of noon. 
 
 Thus it is, that all the truths, which the Almighty 
 has thought fit to reveal to His creatures, have 
 been shrouded at first in mystery, or prophecy ; 
 and that He gradually inured our minds to won- 
 der and miracle, before we were admitted to the 
 
TRINITY SUNDAY. 
 
 455 
 
 knowledge of His more perfect will, and to the 
 noon-day brightness of His glory. 
 
 At first, among the first men and the patriarchs, 
 we discover the thin dawn and twilight of Reve- 
 lation ; the covenant taught by the mystery of the 
 woman's seed, and the serpent's head, and by the 
 visible sign of the rainbow ; or handed down, 
 from age to age, by tradition, by dreams, or by 
 the descent of angels. Then came the break of 
 day, but obscure still, and cloudy ; and Christ 
 appeared afar off, but reflected from the face of 
 Moses. And now, every generation, it grew lighter, 
 and more light ; as one prophet, after another, 
 announced the approaching Messiah ; till, bearing 
 the full brightness of the Godhead, bodily, with 
 healing on His wings, the Sun of Righteousness 
 arose. 
 
 Still, however, the whole of God's glory is not 
 yet disclosed ; and w^e see, says the Apostle, 
 " through a glass, darkly." We find even as yet, 
 though amply sufficient is revealed for our use, 
 that our curiosity is not yet equally gratified ; — 
 that, in all the truths and mysteries of our religion, 
 a part, but not the whole, is discovered. It is 
 only here and there that the clear heaven is shown 
 us, through the clouds and darkness which are 
 beneath the feet of God ; and the visions, indulged 
 us of His glorious nature, are no more than suffi- 
 
456 
 
 SERMON XXXV. 
 
 cient to strengthen our faith, and to raise and 
 exercise our hope. 
 
 It is my intention, in the present discourse^ to 
 set the doctrine of the Holy Trinity in this point 
 of view; to prove, that our not understanding 
 every secret of rehgion is no reason for our not 
 behoving it ; and to consider the temper of mind 
 with which we ought to contemplate the hidden 
 things of God, and of the world to come. — To 
 expect from the Almighty a perfect revelation of 
 Himself, and of every particular in His wonderful 
 nature, whether it really concerned our interest or 
 not; and to imaghie ourselves better judges, than 
 He, what share of revelation He is to give us ; or 
 how much, or how little, of the tree of knowledge 
 we maybe indulged in, were a very vain curiosity, 
 and a very criminal pride. 
 
 And as this principle of entire submission to 
 God, and of full confidence in His truth and wis- 
 dom, forbids us to attempt to be wise " beyond 
 what is written ;" or to seek from our vain fancy 
 to lay down rules for the Almighty ; and to pene- 
 trate into that Holy of Holies, whither none but 
 our High Priest, His only Son, is permitted to 
 enter ; so, on the other hand, the same trust in 
 God, which prevents our seeking to know mor^e^ 
 will not suffer us to believe less^ than what He has 
 thought proper to explain. For, as God is holy. 
 
TRINITY SUNDAY. 
 
 457 
 
 we may be sure, that He will not tell us what is 
 false; — and, as He is wise, that He will not com- 
 municate what is unnecessary. God knows too 
 well the little space which we have to live in this 
 world ; He knows too well the important business, 
 which ought to employ our thoughts and time, to 
 distract our attention with any useless revelation ; 
 or any which was not in itself important to the 
 improvement of our hearts and lives. If, therefore, 
 we can once establish, that any doctrine is ex- 
 pressly laid down in the Holy Scriptures, (admit- 
 ting, what all parties admit, that these Scriptures 
 are the word of God,) it will follow, that we must 
 receive it, not only without contradiction, but with 
 belief; not as a bare and unfruitful truth, but as 
 a holy, and wholesome, and necessary doctrine. 
 
 And, in this submission of our reason there is, 
 in truth, nothing unreasonable ; it is only the 
 conduct of a child, who, being himself ignorant, 
 trusts to the report of a parent or a friend ; and 
 if the things related should seem strange, he and 
 we have the same reason for thinking them true, 
 namely, our good opinion of the relator, and our 
 confidence that he would not deceive us. If, 
 indeed, he tells us something against our own 
 knowledge, something which we can feel or see to 
 be false, we may be led to doubt his information : 
 but even here, our belief, or disbelief, will be in 
 
 VOL. I. X 
 
458 
 
 SERMON XXXV. 
 
 exact proportion to our reliance on ourselves, or 
 on him. Even if our senses, our sight, and feeling 
 tell us differently; yet still they may be deceived: 
 and so often are they deceived, that this happens 
 every day : and every day we believe something 
 or other, against their testimony. Any one of 
 you, who was sailing in a ship away from the 
 land, would think, if you trusted your eyes only, 
 that the vessel was remaining fixed in one place, 
 and that it was the land, which was moving from 
 you. The same thing I have known happen to 
 children, going in a carriage, for the first time. 
 But, to speak of something, which we all have 
 known ; do not our eyes and feeling seem to bear 
 witness, that the earth stands still, and that the 
 sun and stars move round it ? Yet the contrary 
 to this is proved by learned men to be the case : 
 and it is, in fact, the sun, which remains fixed and 
 immoveable, and the earth, which turns round 
 before it, every day and night. So liable are our 
 senses, and that reason which is founded on our 
 senses, — ^so liable, I say, are these to be in error, 
 and so humbly ought our weakness and ignorance 
 to carry itself, before the revelations of Him, in 
 whose hand we and all things are; whose truth 
 cannot be doubted ; and whose wisdom cannot be 
 deceived. But, if this be the case with things 
 before our eyes, and under our feet, how much 
 
TRINITY SUNDAY. 
 
 459 
 
 more so with wonders, which we have no means 
 of examining, and which we only know from the 
 revelations of God ! The doctrine of the Trinity 
 we are told is impossible ; but how can we know 
 what is impossible, or what is unlikely, in Heaven, 
 or with the nature of God ? What means have we 
 of judging? We can touch, indeed, and taste, 
 and hear, and see, and smell : and from these, and 
 as far as these are concerned, we can judge and 
 reason. But, to apply such means of inquiry to 
 heavenly things, to measure by such powers the 
 wisdom, and might, and majesty of our Maker, or 
 to search by such helps into those spiritual natures, 
 which we only know by faith ; and to which no- 
 thing on earth, we are sure, can be compared, — is 
 applying our sense and reason to a use which it is 
 practically impossible they should answer: it is 
 measuring distance with a weather-glass, or heat 
 and cold with a carpenter's rule. 
 
 But why is the doctrine of the Trinity impos- 
 sible ? It will be answered : We cannot under- 
 stand it." It is most true, we cannot ; and how 
 many things are there, even upon earth, which 
 the greatest and most learned men have in vain 
 sought to understand : what wonder then, that in 
 the Heaven of Heavens, there should be some 
 secrets hid from all created beings ; some, which 
 neither man nor angel can penetrate ; but which 
 
460 
 
 SERMON XXXV. 
 
 man and angel are not the less called upon to 
 believe, and admire, and adore. 
 
 " But it is contrary to the analogy of reason 
 and experience." What do we mean by these 
 words ? Do they imply any thing more, than that 
 " we have never seen any thing in this world at all 
 resembling it?" And what is this more than to 
 say, that God has created nothing like Himself? 
 
 " But if the doctrine were necessary ; if it were 
 even true," some perhaps may say, God would 
 have revealed it more clearly." Are we then 
 thus to make terms with our Creator? Are we 
 to reject such doctrines, as He makes the means 
 of our salvation, because they are not worded 
 exactly as we would have them ? or because they 
 do not correspond to the ideas which we had pre^ 
 viously formed ? Surely, my friends, it is not for 
 us to make terms with the Almighty ; it is not for 
 us to answer to the Holy Ghost, as revealing His 
 truth in the Scriptures — " Either explain to us 
 " more, or we will believe none : — either tell us, 
 " with what bodies the dead arise, or we will not 
 receive the faith of any resurrection : — either 
 tell us, how the world was made out of nothing, 
 or we will not acknowledge that it ever had a 
 " beginning." — Such senseless blasphemies, which 
 need only be named to fill the soul with horror, 
 such blasphemies are really lurking under the 
 
TRINITY SUNDAY. 
 
 461 
 
 objections of those men, who require mathematical 
 proof for every mystery of religion ; and are 
 unwilling to trust even God Himself for more than 
 they themselves have seen ! 
 
 True it is, we see as yet through a glass darkly, 
 — but even at present, and on this most mysteri- 
 ous doctrine, sufficient, amply sufficient, is revealed 
 to guide our faith, our praises, and our prayers. 
 We are told in Scripture, that there is but one 
 God : and this God hath revealed to us further, 
 that, in His nature and substance, are three 
 distinct Persons, who have each their separate 
 office; — and each of whom claims alike our love 
 and reverence. Is not this sufficient, or how do 
 we know that our present faculties could possibly 
 receive further knowledge ? 
 
 Suppose with yourselves, that a man who had 
 been born and educated in a dark dungeon, were 
 to deny all existence of light ; because he had 
 never seen it; nor knew any thing to which it 
 might be compared. How vain, how idle, would 
 be the attempt to explain the nature of light, .to 
 such a person ! What notion could he have of 
 colours, to whom every thing alike was gloomy ; — 
 what of the fair varieties of this world ; its hills, 
 and valleys ; its mountains, seas, and rivers ; and 
 the high and glorious arch of Heaven; — he, who 
 liad grown old within the narrow range of four 
 X 8 
 
462 SERMON XXXV. 
 
 smooth walls ? If, when we spoke of such things 
 to him, he I'equired of us farther explanation^ 
 would not our answer be : — " I have other things 
 to speak with you, but you cannot bear them 
 now 1 — You cannot as yet understand me ; but if 
 these prison walls were away, you would be at 
 once convinced of my truth. On that truth, on 
 your good opinion of me, all these wonders must 
 at present rest : and the faith which you have, 
 that I would not deceive you, must be your evi- 
 dence of things unseen !" 
 
 Exactly such as this, my friends, is the con- 
 dition of mankind on earth ; and this, or nearly 
 this, is the spirit of the language of Scripture. In 
 discoveries, where sense is concerned, in exploring 
 the earth and air, — the plants, and inhabitants 
 of this globe, on which we dwell, — God leaves 
 us to our own curiosity ; and gives us, in no 
 small degree, the means, by our own exertions, 
 to acquire some knowledge. But beyond the 
 walls of this our prison, all is inconceivable and 
 unknown ; it is from Him only, that our informa- 
 tion is derived ; and it is, only as we hear, that 
 we dare venture to speak, or to think. 
 
 Yet one near and even nearer prospect he 
 always sets before us ; one moment, when all our 
 doubts shall be removed ; and when these things, 
 which we now see through a glass darkly, we 
 
TRINITY SUNDAY. 
 
 463 
 
 sliall be permitted to look upon, as it were, face 
 to face. 
 
 Dissolve this tabernacle : — rend but this fleshly 
 dungeon in twain : and all shall be clear, whicli 
 now perplexes us : — all shall be bright, whicli 
 now appears obscure: — and all, which we doubt 
 of now, shall be known, even as God knoweth 
 us. This is the gate of knowledge ; here our dis- 
 coveries begin ; and, the night of the grave once 
 past, we shall enter at once into a day which no 
 cloud shall obscure ; no evening, end. 
 
 In hope and expectation of this time, it is our 
 duty to possess our souls in patience ; not to 
 weary our spirits by an unholy curiosity ; or to 
 despise, and turn away from those consolations, 
 which our proud reason cannot comprehend ; but 
 humbly and sincerely to accept the means of 
 salvation offered to us, — to believe in God, and 
 to worship Him in the manner, which His Scrip- 
 tures teach, — and, by a constant endeavour to 
 serve and please Him, prepare ourselves for that 
 aweful moment, which is to open our eyes to the 
 secret things of God, and to enable us, with 
 Cherubim and Seraphim, to behold his glory ; 
 and to worship, with crowns, and palms, around 
 His footstool, — through the mercies of The Fa- 
 ther, the merits of The Son, and the blessed 
 assistance of The Comforter. 
 
 X 4 
 
464 
 
 SERMON XXXV. 
 
 Nor should we ever mention or think on such 
 holy mysteries, without an unusual seriousness of 
 mind ; figuring to ourselves the great dignity of 
 the Persons whom we contemplate ; and our own 
 infinite unwordiiness. And, lastly, and on this 
 point, my brethren, I entreat you, as you value 
 your souls, — if ever you find a doubt arising 
 in your minds on subjects such as these, (for, 
 even in the mind of the most serious believer, 
 Satan will sow such troublesome thoughts,) let 
 me entreat and advise you to betake yourself at 
 once to earnest prayer; entreating the aid of 
 God's Holy Spirit to show you His truth; and 
 to give you faith in His revealed will, hope in 
 His gracious promises, and charity to all such, as 
 differ from you in opinion : — beseeching God to 
 keep you from all bitterness against your weaker 
 brethren ; and that it may please Him to lead, in 
 His own good time, both them, and you, into all 
 peace ; forgiving to each of you the errors of his 
 faith and life, through the prevailing merits of 
 His only Son. 
 
SERMON XXXVI. 
 
 TRINITY SUNDAY. 
 
 SECOND SERMON. 
 
 St. John, iii. 1, 2. 
 
 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a 
 rider of the Jews : the satne came to Jesus by nigh t, 
 
 NicoDEMUs was a man of the highest rank 
 among the Jews, and a pharisee of great reputa- 
 tion for his learning and piety. We find him 
 described in the Gospel, as a ruler, or magistrate, 
 and a member of their high court of Sanhedrim, 
 or parliament ; and the ancient works of the Jews 
 are full of strange and improbable stories as to 
 his wealth, his magnificent liberality, and the 
 wonderful manner in which his prayers were sup- 
 posed to be heard by God. His substance was 
 calculated as sufficient to feed all Jerusalem for 
 seven years ; his daughter's marriage bed was, in 
 ostentation of wealth, built up with purses of 
 money ; his liberality was esteemed as unbounded; 
 and so great vv^as his reputation for piety, that his 
 X 5 
 
466 
 
 SERMON XXXVr. 
 
 prayers were, on more than one occasion, believed 
 by the Jews to have wrought miracles, and called 
 down rain from Heaven. These stories, indeed, 
 are strange and improbable ; nor do they rest on 
 any better authority than the traditions of the 
 Rabbins and the Pharisees ; but wild as they are, 
 they prove, at least, the high estimation in which 
 he was held; insomuch that the riches of Nicode- 
 mus, and the misfortunes of his family, became a 
 sort of proverb, to express the excess and the 
 uncertainty of worldly prosperity. 
 
 A grave and learned and wealthy and renowned 
 man, with so much to hazard from any change, 
 and so naturally disposed to favour the present 
 state of things, was not likely to be forward in 
 embracing a new religion, or one which was only 
 recommended by so poor and so young a teacher 
 as our Lord. Besides, as yet, not one of those 
 with whom Nicodemus v/as most accustomed to 
 associate ; none of those, whose good opinion he 
 chiefly valued ; none of the rulers of the Jews, 
 none of the rich, none of the learned, had ven- 
 tured openly to confess their suspicions, that this 
 strange Galilean, whom they persecuted, was, 
 after all, that Messiah which should come into 
 the world : and Nicodemus, it is possible, had 
 joined, as loudly as the rest of his brother magis- 
 trates, in discountenancing the new prophet, and 
 
TRINITY SUNDAY. 
 
 467 
 
 his forerunner John; and in deriding the poor 
 fishermen and silly women who believed in the 
 miracles which Jesus performed. 
 
 It is probable, nevertheless, that this ruler of 
 the Jews had been for some time uneasy in his 
 mind. It was impossible for a man so well 
 acquainted with the Law and the Prophets, not 
 to observe, that Jesus of Nazareth did all the 
 works, and displayed all the tokens, which Moses 
 and the Prophets had foretold of the Messiah : 
 and his rank and leisure gave him every oppor- 
 tunity of learning the particulars of our Lord's 
 miraculous birth, and of the circumstances by 
 which His early life was rendered remarkable. 
 He had, doubtless, heard from the Herod family 
 themselves, the visit of the wise men of the east ; 
 and the fears, which that visit excited. The star 
 must have been seen by all Judea ; and he him- 
 self, perhaps, for he was of advanced age, was one 
 of the doctors who had admired the understand- 
 ing, and the answers of the young Jesus, in the 
 Temple. At all events, the manner, in which 
 John the Baptist proclaimed Him the Lamb of 
 God, was known to all Judea and Galilee ; and 
 the wonderful works, which Jesus wrought, were 
 of a kind not to be concealed ; nor to be performed 
 by any man, unless the power and presence of 
 God v/ere with him. 
 
 X 6 
 
468 
 
 SERMON XXXVI. 
 
 We may suppose, perhaps, as these reflections 
 recurred with daily increasing strength to the 
 mind of Nicodemus, that the ruler's perplexity 
 would increase in proportion. " If Jesus be the 
 Christ, the Messiah, whom we expect, am I justi- 
 fied in delaying to fall down and worship Him ? 
 If Moses have commanded us to obey that Pro- 
 phet, whom God should raise up like unto Him ; 
 — am I excusable in delaying to own myself His 
 follower ? If this be the Lamb of God, who is to 
 take away the sins of His people, what can I hope 
 for, if I neglect so great a salvation ? " Such, we 
 may suppose, were the meditations of this man ; 
 but to obey the conviction thus implanted in his 
 soul, involved in itself the sacrifice of much reputa- 
 tion ; great danger to his rank, and esteem in 
 society ; and, when the temper of the times was 
 considered, the loss of his general property, and 
 perhaps of life itself. These are the seasons, when 
 riches and reputation are real snares to men : 
 when they must be abandoned, for the sake of 
 God ; or retained, against our consciences : and 
 there are few, who, when such a sacrifice is called 
 for, have had sufficient courage to cast off their 
 encumbrances ; and to enter naked into the king- 
 dom of life. Of these few, Nicodemus was not 
 one : he durst not own Christ publickly ; yet he 
 could not help believing on Him ; and after, it 
 
TRINITY SUNDAY. 
 
 469 
 
 may be, much inward struggle, between his fear 
 of the world, and his conviction of the truth, he 
 has recourse to the usual expedient of cowardice : 
 he comes, by night, to Jesus ; and professes him- 
 self His disciple privately. 
 
 In his manner of doing this, and in the con- 
 versation, which followed, w^e may perceive, I 
 think, much of that pride of rank and riches, 
 which was likely to possess the mind of a noble- 
 man ; much of that confidence in his own learning, 
 and in his own virtues, to which the Pharisees 
 were but too liable. And if we keep these points 
 in mind, during the whole of our Saviour's dis- 
 course, we shall be able, I think, to perceive His 
 intention — • to humble both these feelings in the 
 heart of his new disciple ; or, at least, by the 
 touchstone of humility, to prove, w^hether he were 
 sincere. 
 
 Nicodemus, perhaps, was of opinion, that, w hen 
 so mighty and so wise a man as he was, came to 
 Christ, and owned himself His disciple, the Pro- 
 phet would be willing to accept so eminent a con- 
 vert, on his own terms : that He would not insist 
 on his submitting to the usual and public ceremo- 
 nies of a profession of his faith ; but that, in 
 private, and without revealing his secret, Jesus 
 would gladly admit him to far more favour and 
 confidence, than those poor Galileans, who v/ere, 
 
470 
 
 SERMON XXXVL 
 
 as yet, His principal followers. Nor, had Jesus 
 been a deceiver, had He been a mere human 
 teacher of righteousness, would He have hesitated 
 at a step so evidently conducive to His interest ; 
 nor would then have, even, that haughty compli- 
 ment been improper, with which the ruler opened 
 his visit : " Rabbi, we know that Thou art a 
 teacher come from God, — for no man can do 
 these miracles that Thou doest^ except God be 
 with him." Flattering words these, from the 
 wealthy and the powerful : but on the Son of God 
 no such lip-righteousness could impose. Inter- 
 rupting him in his unfinished speech, He discovers 
 at once, the knowledge of what was passing in 
 the mind of His visitant ; and reminds him, that 
 he had not yet gone through those previous 
 pledges of sincerity and repentance, which alone 
 could admit men to familiarity with Christ. 
 " Verily, verily, I say unto thee," (observe the 
 earnestness of our Lord, while, reading His 
 visitant's soul, He detects the blended pride, and 
 cowardice, which struggled with his faith, and 
 made him only half a Christian,) "verily, verily, 
 I say unto thee. Except a man be born again, he 
 cannot see the kingdom of God." 
 
 The kingdom of God, as I have often told you, 
 is generally used in the New Testament, for the 
 Church or Kingdom of Christ upon earth : and. 
 
TRINITY SUNDAY. 
 
 471 
 
 to see the kingdom of God, means, to be admitted 
 into the privileges of a Christian ; to become a 
 child of God; a coheir of glory with Jesus Christ; 
 and a partaker of those helps, and comforts, and 
 graces of the Spirit, which, to those who seek them 
 truly; are the riches of our faith, our glory, our 
 consolation, our joy ! With this meaning of the 
 expression " Kingdom of God," Nicodemus, as a 
 learned Jew, was well acquainted ; and he must 
 have been no less so, with the phrase, " being 
 born again ;" which was a common expression 
 both among Jews and Gentiles, to signify that in- 
 ward and entire change of heart and habits; of 
 which baptism was the outward symbol, or pledge : 
 and which both Jews and Gentiles required from 
 those, who were candidates for admission into the 
 higher privileges and mysteries of their respective 
 forms of worship. 
 
 The heathens themselves had the custom of 
 sprinkling with water those, who gave themselves 
 up to the worship of any of their gods : and the 
 person, who submitted to this ceremony, was said 
 to be born again ; and to become the child of that 
 deity, to whom he consecrated his after life. The 
 Romans, when they set a slave at liberty, called 
 that ceremony the regeneration of that slave : " 
 and the same name was given by the Jews to that 
 
472 
 
 SERMON XXXVI. 
 
 baptism by which heathens, and idolaters, and 
 excommunicated persons, were admitted to the 
 profession of the laws of Moses. 
 
 Our Saviour's meaning, then, was (and Nico- 
 demus could not but understand it), to reprove 
 His visitant for thus confessing that faith privately 
 in which he ought rather to have gloried ; and to 
 remind him, that, if he sought to be a disciple of 
 the Messiah, he must first go to His Apostles^ and 
 be baptized. But this little suited the ruler's in- 
 clination. To make so public a profession of an 
 unpopular faith was discreditable ; and might be 
 dangerous : — for baptism, by a tradition of the 
 Jews, was always performed in the day-time, and 
 before witnesses. To humble himself, and receive 
 the pledge of adoption from a publican, like Mat- 
 thew, or from such mean Galileans as John, or 
 James, or Peter, was, to a ruler, shocking ; and, 
 in the eyes of a Pharisee, a doctor of the law, an 
 almost impious degradation. And to own himself 
 a sinner and impure, to profess that his whole 
 nature required a change, and to undergo that 
 ceremony, — which was the seal of confession, and 
 forgiveness, to repentant idolaters, and publicans, 
 and harlots, — appeared to this self-righteous man 
 a strange and unnecessary proposal. A great deal, 
 I think, of surprise and disappointed pride is per- 
 
TRINITY SUNDAY. 
 
 473 
 
 ceptible in his reply : " How can a man be born 
 again, when he is old ? Can he enter a second 
 time into his mother's womb, and be born ?" 
 
 He was not, he could not be, I have already 
 proved, he could not be ignorant of our Saviour's 
 meaning ; though he thus seeks to evade its ap- 
 plication : but he means to urge, in answer to this 
 command of Christ, his age, his high character, 
 his privileges as a native Israelite, and a descendant 
 of Abraham ; and endeavours to persuade Christ, 
 that a man of his age and consequence, and re- 
 spectability, could have no need of baptism, or of 
 that repentance, and change of life and habits, of 
 which baptism was a sign. " How can a man be 
 born again, when he is old ?" " Dost thou suppose 
 " that, at my age, a doctor of the laws, and a 
 " master in Israel, I want any change of this sort ? 
 " What tedious ceremonies, or probation, can I 
 " submit to ? Old as I am, how long wilt Thou 
 " keep me in the same dependance, and humility? 
 " which we expect of children, or of heathen con- 
 " verts ? What yet is wanting to a descendant of 
 " Abraham, like myself? Can I make myself any 
 " more a child of promise than I am already ? 
 " Can I enter a second time into my mother's 
 womb," from which former birth I became heir 
 of Israel; and countryman, perhaps, kinsman, of 
 the Messiah? "Verily, verily," our Lord again 
 
474 
 
 SERMON x:x:xvr. 
 
 replies, " I say unto thee. Except a man be born 
 of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into 
 the Kingdom of God." As if he had said^ "Alas ! 
 " old man, many things are necessary to make 
 " thee a child of God ; of which thou hast, as 
 " yet, but little notion. Not only is the outward 
 " sacrament of regeneration by water required; 
 
 but a great and inward spiritual change, (alto- 
 " gether distinct from those privileges, on which 
 " thou layest so great a stress, namely, of the 
 " birthright of a Jew, and thy descent from 
 " Abraham,) ' that which is born of the flesh is 
 " flesh.' From thy mother's womb, of which thou 
 " talkest, thou hast only derived a fleshly life ; 
 " those Jewish promises, which thou inheritest, 
 " and of which thou boastest thyself, are all of a 
 " worldly nature ; and flesh and blood cannot in- 
 
 herit the kingdom of God. ' That which is 
 " born of the Spirit is Spirit : ' and the birth of 
 " the Spirit can only introduce us to those spiritual 
 " privileges, in which the kingdom of God con- 
 
 sists. ' Marvel not, that I said unto thee. Ye 
 " must be again ;' nor dream, that, because thou 
 " art born a Jew, thou hast therefore by that na- 
 " tural birth an exclusive title to the kingdom. 
 " ^The wind bloweth where it listeth ; and thou 
 " hearest the sound thereof ; but canst not tell 
 " whence it cometh, nor whither it goeth : so, is 
 
TRINITY SUNDAY. 
 
 475 
 
 every one that is born of the Spirit/ " (As if 
 he had said. Canst thou command its free and 
 blessed breezes to visit the Jews alone?) " Yea, 
 " thou knowest not whence it cometh, nor whither 
 " it goeth : but thou hearest the sound thereof ; 
 " that sound which is gone forth into all lands ; 
 
 and as far as the ends of the earth. Can earthly 
 " wisdom find it, or can the works of man produce 
 
 it? No, it bloweth where it listeth ; and Jew 
 " and Gentile, Pharisee and Idolater, are born of 
 " the Spirit, they know not how, and purified by 
 " its invisible influence, only known by its effects, 
 
 and by the fruits which it generates.'^ 
 
 The surprise of Nicodemus was now no longer 
 feigned or peevish. That the privileges of the 
 blood of Abraham should be accounted for 
 nothing; and that the revelation of God's will 
 should spread, like the wind, from one corner of 
 heaven to the other, — these, to a Pharisee, were, 
 indeed, unexpected truths : and he replies in won- 
 der, " How can these things be?" Yet, in truth, 
 these very circumstances were all foretold by the 
 prophets, as proofs of the Messiah's coming; it 
 was foretold, that the gathering of the Gentiles 
 should be to Him; it was foretold, that His 
 coming was, like a refiner's fire, to renew the 
 hearts of His people ; and the ignorance, which 
 Nicodemus displayed, as to these signs of the 
 
476 
 
 SERMON XXXVI. 
 
 times, is a satisfactory proof how much the Pha- 
 risees had left off' the study of the Scriptures — 
 for the vanity of traditions, and for the useless 
 scruples of outward forms of devotion or reverence. 
 They pored over the commentaries of the scribes, 
 till they forgot Isaiah and Moses : they washed 
 their cups, and strained out their gnats, and made 
 broad their phylacteries, till the real glories, of 
 irvhich their ceremonies were but the shadows, were 
 hidden altogether from their eyes. Well, then, 
 might Christ exclaim against Nicodemus : — " Art 
 " thou a master in Israel, and art not yet familiar 
 " with the prophets? Much, indeed, hast thou to 
 " learn, and to unlearn, before thou canst be My 
 "disciple; and far art thou, (to whom the out- 
 " ward signs of Christ's coming are thus new and 
 " strange,) from being able yet to understand the 
 " mysteries of the kingdom of God." He then 
 goes on to declare His own divinity; and to com* 
 plain of the slowness of men's hearts — to receive 
 that vvhich was revealed to them, by Him, to 
 whom all things were known. " We speak that 
 " which we do know ; and testify that we have 
 " seen ; and ye receive not our witness. If I have 
 " told you earthly things, and ye believe not; how 
 " shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly 
 " things ? And no man hath ascended up into 
 heaven but He, that came down from heaven, 
 
TRINITY SUNDAY. 
 
 477 
 
 " even the Son of Man, which is in heaven. And 
 " as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness ; 
 " even so must the Son of Man be lifted up : that 
 " whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, 
 " but have eternal life." 
 
 There are in this passage many circumstances 
 worthy of remark, and of a nature highly appli- 
 cable, not only to the general faith of a Christian, 
 but to that particular mystery which we are as- 
 sembled this day to celebrate. First, it is plain, 
 that the reason, for which our Saviour claims to 
 be believed, in what He asserts, both as to things 
 earthly, and as to things heavenly, is that He 
 hath seen them ; that He speaks from His personal 
 knowledge. We testify that, which we have 
 seen." And though a mere human prophet might 
 have revelations of what passes in Heaven, or 
 among the departed souls in Paradise, yet no such 
 prophet could add what follows : " And no man 
 hath ascended into Heaven, but He that came 
 down from Heaven." He here claims to Himself, 
 not only that Heaven had been opened to Him ; 
 as it was afterwards opened to St. Paul : but that 
 it was His native country ; that he was no passing 
 guest there ; but that He originally came down 
 from Heaven ; that Heaven was His throne, and 
 the place of His abode. The Son of Man must 
 therefore be more than man. But what follows ? 
 
478 
 
 SERMON XXXVI. 
 
 " The Son of Man who is in Heaven." Who is 
 IN Heaven. When did our Lord say this, and to 
 whom? Was He not then present with Nico- 
 demns, in his chamber at Jerusalem ? How then 
 could He say, that He, the Son of Man, was, at 
 that very time in Heaven, unless He claimed to 
 Himself that privilege of Godhead, by which the 
 Second Person of the glorious Trinity is, in Hea- 
 ven, and in earth, and every where, at the same 
 moment ; and while the earthly body, which His 
 Spirit animated, w^as conversing with the sons of 
 men. His boundless Deity filled all space, beheld 
 all things, sustained all things, directed all things? 
 
 And to take away all pretence, that He was 
 here speaking of any but Himself, He goes on to 
 say, that the same Son of Man, who w^as at that 
 moment in Heaven, was He, who should soon be 
 lifted up. like the brazen serpent, in the wilderness 
 to the end, that whosoever believeth in Him should 
 not perish, but have eternal live. 
 
 In this discourse, then, of our Lord, He de- 
 clares, sufficiently to satisfy even the most unwil- 
 lino; hearer, that He existed before His descent 
 on earth ; that He existed in Heaven ; that His 
 existence filled both Heaven and earth at the 
 same moment ; that His crucifixion was a sacrifice 
 for sin, which should purchase life and forgive- 
 ness, to all who believe in Him. But there are 
 
TRINITY SUNDAY. 
 
 479 
 
 some practical, as well as doctrinal, truths, which 
 I wish to teach you from the story of Nicodemus ; 
 of which the first is, that when we see this wise 
 and powerful, and on the whole, perhaps, well- 
 meaning man, rejected as a convert by Christ, 
 because he did not dare to own his faith publickly ; 
 and because he thought himself too pure to need 
 baptism and repentance ; we may learn, that God 
 will not admit of such a service as, in fear of the 
 world, shrinks from the name of a Christian ; or 
 which comes to Him with a reliance on its own 
 merits or purity : — that Christ vv^ill, in Heaven, 
 and before His angels, be ashamed of them who 
 are ashamed of Him on earth ; and that they, 
 who seek salvation, must seek it by open repent- 
 ance, and in the character of humbled sinners^ 
 
 Next, it may be observed, that the best way to 
 endeavour after increase of grace, and clearer 
 views of God's plans and providence, than we 
 now possess, is to make the best use in our power 
 of our present lights. We are to receive with 
 lowliness what we already know ; and to submit 
 ourselves to earthly truths, before we can hope for 
 a knowledge of heavenly. And, lastly, vre may 
 learn from this example, the advantage of yielding 
 to our first impressions of piety ; and of doing 
 that at once, which our reason tells us must be 
 done before we die. Nicodemus, so long as our 
 
480 
 
 SERMON XXXVI. 
 
 Saviour lived, had not sufficient courage to join 
 His disciples ; and, when he had seen the fulfil- 
 ment of His last prophecy, and beheld the Son of 
 Man lifted up like the serpent of Moses ; this 
 proof of His divinity overcomes his doubts ; and 
 we behold Him coming boldly forward to cele- 
 brate His burial with a late, though sincere 
 repentance. How much must he have then 
 lamented his own slackness ! how much must have 
 hated himself for that cowardice, which was 
 ashamed of the Messiah, while he might have 
 gazed on His countenance, and listened to His 
 words ; — how greatly must he have feared lest 
 his day of grace was gone by for ever ! Oh may 
 we, while God is yet present with us, and before 
 the night cometh, when no man can work, make 
 haste to acknowledge the Son of God, for our 
 Lord and King ; lest " His wrath be kindled," 
 and we perish ! 
 
 To Him, who liveth, and reigneth with the 
 Father, and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and 
 for ever, be all praise, and glory, Amen. 
 
SERMON XXXVII. 
 
 FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 St. Luke, xvi. 22. 
 
 The beggar died, and was carried by the angels into 
 Abraham's bosom. 
 
 The practical nieaning of the aweful parable, 
 which you have heard this day, and what was 
 the particular crime, for which the rich man was 
 so severely punished, are not difficult to be under- 
 stood. Although many and very useful lessons 
 may be derived from their explanation ; I shall 
 not, at present, enter into any more than a short 
 consideration of them ; — but shall confine myself, 
 principally, to some curious and important ques- 
 tions, which the history itself suggests ; and the 
 effects which the answers to them ought to have 
 on our lives and conversations. 
 
 The first of these is, whether we have here 
 presented to us the history of two real men, 
 or no. 
 
 It is, I believe, a very common idea among the 
 general readers of Scripture, that our Saviour 
 
 VOL. I. Y 
 
482 
 
 SERMON XXXVII. 
 
 here gives us an account of what had happened 
 to two well-known persons, (well known, at least, 
 to all His hearers,) who had lived and died, in 
 Jerusalem, a little time before. And the Chris- 
 tians, who now live in that country, are so per- 
 suaded of this, that, among many other pretended 
 antiquities, they show to strangers a ruinous 
 building, which they call the house of this very 
 rich man. This, indeed, is quite impossible; be- 
 cause Jerusalem was entirely thrown down by the 
 Romans, and has undergone so many changes, 
 and misfortunes since, that even the Temple can 
 only be traced by its foundations, and by the 
 mountain on which it was built. Nor does there 
 seem to be very great weight in their opinion \ 
 who think that Lazarus, at least, must have been 
 a real person ; because he is mentioned by name: 
 still less in the opinion of those, who suppose that 
 this is the same Lazarus, the fiMend of Christ, whom 
 He raised from the dead. For that Lazarus, the 
 brother of Martha and Mary, so far from being 
 a beggar, was a man, to all appearance, in easy if 
 not in wealthy circumstances ; living in his own 
 house, in Bethany, and giving feasts and enter- 
 tainments, not only to our Saviour, but to His 
 twelve apostles, and to numbers of the Jews 
 besides. Nor does it appear possible, that this 
 1 Calvin, Hiirmonia. 
 
FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 483 
 
 conversation of our Lord with the Pharisees, 
 could have taken place during the three days 
 between the death of Lazarus and his resurrection. 
 But Lazarus, which is only the way in which 
 the common people among the Jews pronounced 
 Eleazar, signifies, " our help is in God ; " and 
 though the name is very usual among the Jews ; 
 and though there may, for aught we know, have 
 been a real beggar of that name, well known in 
 Jerusalem ; yet I am myself inclined to thinks 
 that our Saviour only used it to give force and 
 clearness to His language ; and to teach us, that, 
 even the poorest and most miserable, who believe 
 in Him, shall certainly have God for their helper. 
 We know, however, that the account given by 
 Christ cannot be understood according to the 
 very letter of His expressions ; since the bodies 
 of these two men, supposing that they were real 
 persons, must naturally have been rotting in the 
 grave; and " a spirit," saith Christ, ^'hatli not 
 flesh and bones " ^ — to dip its fingers in water, 
 or to have its tongue cooled. But, in truth, these 
 expressions of our Saviour, must be understood, as 
 all other parables are understood, as a comparison, 
 or similitude ; in which the persons described are 
 put as an outward covering to a concealed and 
 secondary meaning, 
 
 1 St. Luke, xxiv. 39. 
 Y 2 
 
484 
 
 SERMON XXXVII. 
 
 Thus, when Jotham relates the story of the 
 trees choosing a bramble for their king ^5 he does 
 not mean that such a thing could ever really hap- 
 pen : but that the Israelites were acting as foolishly 
 in making Abimelech their head; as the trees 
 would have done, had they elected a bramble. 
 Again, when Christ in his parables, tells us of a 
 marriage supper ; or of a vineyard ; or speaks of 
 Himself as the door to a sheepfold ; we know, 
 that we are to understand by the marriage supper, 
 the faith and hopes of a Christian ; by the vine- 
 yard, the Church and nation of the Jews ; and by 
 the door, that no one can enter into His kingdom, 
 except by Him, and by His merits only. If we 
 apply the same rule to the explanation of the 
 present parable, it will appear, I think, that 
 Christ, under the persons of the rich man and 
 Lazarus, describes the different situations and 
 prospects of the heathens, or Gentiles, and the 
 Jews. 
 
 The professor of the Jewish law was clothed in 
 purple and fine linen, was full of the ostentation 
 and outward show of good works, and fasting, 
 and ceremonies, in which the formal and super- 
 stitious Pharisees relied for salvation, on their 
 own merits. " He fared sumptuously every day 
 — he had the spiritual food of the law, and the 
 1 Judges, ix. 
 
FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 485 
 
 prophets, in abundance ; and (like the angel of 
 the Church of Laodicea, mentioned in the book 
 of Revelations) he said that he was rich, and in- 
 creased with goods, and had need of nothing ; and 
 knew not, that, in the eyes of God, he was 
 " wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, 
 and naked." ^ 
 
 To this pride and confidence in their own spi- 
 ritual privileges, which distinguished the Jewish 
 Pharisee, is strongly and beautifully opposed the 
 helpless outcast state of the Gentile world; who 
 had no merits of their own, or of their forefathers, 
 to plead ; no spiritual food ; no holy Scriptures ; 
 no prophets, to teach or comfort them : and who 
 desired to be fed even with the crumbs, (this very 
 expression had been used by the poor Canaanitish 
 wom.an, whose daughter was tormented with a 
 devil ^) with the very crumbs, or smallest part of 
 that abundance of spiritual knowledge, with which 
 God had blessed the Jews. He was laid at the 
 rich man's gate ; for the Gentiles were not allowed 
 to go beyond the gate of the Temple : but were, 
 in common language, considered as unclean, and 
 hardly fit company for the dogs of Israel. He 
 was covered with sores ; — that is, with the cor- 
 ruptions of unreclaimed nature ; and with those 
 
 1 Eev. iii. 17. 2 St. Mark, vii. 28. 
 
 Y 3 
 
486 
 
 SERMON XXXVII. 
 
 hideous sinsj which ignorance of God's law in- 
 creasedj and rendered almost incurable. 
 
 This may seem a sad and strange contrast : 
 but the picture is not overcharged — of the spi- 
 ritual blessings, with which the Jews were favoured ; 
 to whom was the law ; and from whom the pro- 
 phets came ; who had the first promise of the 
 kingdom ; and to whom the Gospel was first 
 offered ; — and of the helpless and abandoned 
 state of the heathen world ; who were given over 
 to a reprobate mind ; and were, as St. Paul, who 
 saw their w^ays, assures us, " filled with all un- 
 righteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetous- 
 ness, m.aliciousness." ^ 
 
 How then was this wretched man to be re- 
 lieved ? The dogs, by which, perhaps, is meant 
 the light of nature, and the mere animal know- 
 ledge of right and wrong, which the heathens 
 enjoyed, might lick his sores ; but could not 
 cure them : — but God was his help ; his »ame 
 is called Lazarus ; and that God, who came into 
 the world to save that which was lost, redeemed 
 him from the world and its miseries. " The beg- 
 gar died ; and was carried by the angels into 
 Abraham's bosom ; the rich man also died, and 
 was buried : and in hell, he lift up his eyes, being 
 1 Rom. i. 29, 
 
FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 487 
 
 in torments." Compare this description with what 
 our Lord had said before, that the Gentiles shall 
 " come from the east, and from the west ; and 
 " shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and 
 " Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven : but the 
 " children of the kingdom shall be cast out into 
 " outer darkness^ and you will not fail to ob- 
 serve, that the same thing is spoken of in both 
 places ; and that, here as well as there, the 
 rejection of the Jews and the calling of the Gen- 
 tiles is understood. 
 
 The discourse between the ghost of the rich 
 man and Abraham, which is, in itself, evidently 
 an allegory, may be best explained, when you are 
 informed, that the Jewish doctors taught, in 
 their Talmud, or commentary on the law, that no 
 Israelites, or circumcised persons, could perish : 
 since Abraham would, after death, snatch them 
 from hell ; and bear them in his bosom to Para- 
 dise. - This foolish hope is here reproved by 
 Christ ; who gives an instance, where a wicked 
 Jew calls on his father Abraham, in vain ; and 
 cannot get from him, so much as a single drop of 
 water, to cool his tongue in torment. But the 
 most aweful, and, perhaps, the most striking, part 
 of the whole parable, is the assurance of Abraham 
 at the end of it, that they, who would not hear 
 
 1 St. Matt. viii. 11, 12. 
 Y 4 
 
488 
 
 SERMON XXXVII. 
 
 Moses and the prophets, would not be persuaded, 
 though one rose from the dead. 
 
 How truly this was fulfilled in the Jews of that 
 generation, I hardly need tell you. They would 
 not hear, though both Moses and the prophets 
 spake of Christ : they were continually calling 
 out for signs and wonders, to convince them: 
 and yet, when the greatest of all wonders had 
 been repeatedly performed ; when the daughter 
 of Jairus had been raised from her death-bed ; 
 and the widow's son of Nain, from his coffin ; 
 when Lazarus, the namesake of the character in 
 this parable, had been called forth from the grave, 
 in which he had lain four days ; what effect had 
 all this on their minds ? They also took counsel 
 to put Lazarus to death, because that, by reason 
 of him, many of the Jews believed on Jesus.^ 
 Nay, when that blessed Lord Himself arose in 
 might and majesty from the grave, even then 
 could they harden their hearts against this last 
 and greatest wonder; and bribed the poor heathen 
 soldiers to tell a lie, which their own alarm dis- 
 claimed. Verily, they, who v/ould not hear Moses 
 and the prophets, were not persuaded, when one 
 rose from the dead ! 
 
 This, then, appears to me to be the hidden or 
 spiritual meaning which is contained in the Gospel 
 i St. John, xii. 10, 11. 
 
FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 489 
 
 for to-day : and it respects, as you perceive, the 
 dealings of God with the world, through His Son ; 
 the rejection of the Jews; and the calling of the 
 Gentiles to the true religion. But this, you will, 
 at once, perceive, is not the only instruction to be 
 derived from the present parable : for as every 
 part of the Scriptures, besides these hidden mean- 
 ings, has, in its very text and outward rind, 
 instruction for the every-day behaviour of each 
 particular man ; we shall be naturally led to 
 examine the history in a new light, and to apply 
 it, by God's grace, to our own hearts and con- 
 sciences. 
 
 The first and most aweful question, which will 
 occur, is. What was the crime, for which this rich 
 man was so severely punished ? Many have 
 thought, that he was one of the Sadducees; who 
 were mostly among the richer class ; and who dis- 
 believed a life after death. This may seem coun- 
 tenanced by his petition, that Lazarus might go 
 back to preach to his brethren. Others have 
 accused him of want of charity, and with great 
 appearance of reason ; since no charitable mar\ 
 could have suffered such an abject creature to be 
 at his door without relief : and if he had not him- 
 self seen him ; yet it may be observed, that the 
 servants and family of a good man are seldom 
 hard or cruel. But however this may be, — the 
 
490 
 
 SERMON XXXVII. 
 
 best and only certain reason, which we can give 
 for his damnation, (for it is the reason given by 
 Abraham himself,) is, that he set his heart and 
 hope upon this world ; — that his good things ^ — all 
 that he cared for — were earthly ; and the treasures 
 of Heaven were therefore closed against him. 
 But whatever were the particular crimes for which 
 this rich man was punished, the striking contrast, 
 here made between him and Lazarus, is a matter 
 of aweful warning to all who have the good things 
 of this world, and of comfort to those who are 
 destitute. Of how little value are costly garments 
 and sumptuous fare, which, in a very few years or 
 months, are to lose all their value ; or of those 
 treasures, which cannot buy for their wicked pos- 
 sessor a single drop of water to cool his fevered 
 tongue ! And how little does it signify, what 
 may be our condition for a very few years in this 
 world ; provided we are sure, by faith and repent- 
 ance, of a blessed eternity, in the world to come ? 
 Where is the king, or prince, upon the face of the 
 earth, who would not gladly exchange his own 
 health, and power, and pleasures, — for the sores, 
 and hunger, and helplessness of Lazarus, if these 
 sores and hunger were to obtain for him a deli- 
 verance from the tormenting flames, and a seat 
 by the side of Abraham ? Verily, there are many, 
 whose portion here is but of sorrow and ragged- 
 
FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 491 
 
 ness; at whose feet the rich and mighty of the 
 earth may be thankful to sit in the kingdom of 
 God! 
 
 There is another questionj and one of real diffi- 
 culty, which also arises from this parable; — and 
 it is, of what place is that, in which the souls, or 
 spirits, of these three men, Abraham, Lazarus, 
 and the rich sinner, are described as being ; and 
 what is the manner of their existence there ? It 
 cannot be said, that Abraham and Lazarus are in 
 Heaven ; for no one, but the Son of Man himself, 
 hath ever ascended there; — nor shall any ascend 
 there till the day of judgement is over; and our 
 souls and bodies are joined again, in the second 
 and immortal life. Nor can it be said, that the 
 rich man was in that same hell^ in which, after the 
 day of judgment, the bodies and souls of the 
 wicked will be thrown. For here, all the persons 
 mentioned are merely spirits, souls, or ghosts, 
 separated from the body ; and waiting alike, though 
 under very different hopes and feelings, for the 
 great Day, when men and angels shall appear 
 before the judgement-seat of Christ; and God shall 
 render unto every one, according to his work. 
 
 Now, to explain this point, which has perplexed 
 exceedingly many pious and learned men ; it is 
 necessary to tell you, that, in the ancient language 
 of the Scriptures, there are two very different 
 
492 
 
 SERMON XXXVII. 
 
 places mentioned under very different names ; the 
 one called Geliinnon, or Tophet, — the otlier Hades, 
 or Sheol. Both these are called Hell, in English ; 
 but, I think, improperly ; as Gehinnon is that 
 dreadful lake, burning with brimstone and fire, 
 into which both the souls and bodies of the wicked 
 will be thrown, after the general judgement and 
 resurrection of the Last Day, and after this world, 
 and all its elements, shall have melted away Vt^ith 
 fervent heat ; while Hades is described as a hollow 
 place below the earth, in which the souls of all 
 men shall abide, while separated from their bodies, 
 and while waiting for the Day of Judgement. Of 
 this place, then, and of its different regions, a 
 description is here given ; and though the w^ords 
 of Christ are certainly not to be understood in a 
 gross or bodily sense ; yet, as we may be sure, 
 that He would not, even in a parable, give us a 
 false idea of the other world, we may learn hence, 
 that, immediately after death, the soul of man 
 does not, as some have fancied, sleep till the Day 
 of Judgement; but that it is immediately carried, 
 either to a place of pain, or to a place of pleasure, 
 (sucli pain, and such pleasure, as spirits are capable 
 of feeling,) both which should appear to be situated 
 under the earth; and to be divided by a mighty 
 gulph from each other. In the one of these, 
 which is called Paradise, the spirits of the good 
 
FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 493 
 
 remain in joy and hope. Here it was that the 
 penitent thief, on the cross, was promised, that his 
 soul should pass, the very day of his death : thither 
 the soul of Christ himself descended ; while His 
 body remained in the sepulchre : and it is this 
 common abode of all departed souls, which we 
 mean, when we say, that He descended into hell ; 
 for that the blessed Lord went down into the 
 place of torment, it would be wild and wicked to 
 imagine. In the other of these wide regions, 
 which must be the place more properly called 
 Hell, all those abide, whose hope of mercy is past; 
 and to whom there remainethbut a fearful expec- 
 tation of judgement to come; and a lamentable 
 recollection of the time, which they have misspent 
 on earth. Of these regions,^ — this place of happi- 
 ness, and this dungeon of misery, — it hath not 
 pleased the Almighty to give us further knowledge : 
 and even these opinions, — though founded, as I 
 verily think, upon the plain word of God, — must 
 be received with caution, as they are uttered, God 
 knows, with doubt, humility, and fear. 
 
 It is not necessary for us to know the secret 
 things of the world to come: but it is most neces- 
 sary, that we always keep in mind, that there is a 
 v/orld to come; whose fashion passeth not away; 
 where rich, and poor, are on the same level ; and 
 where faith, and works, and alms, and prayers, 
 
494 
 
 SERMON XXXVII. 
 
 alone can give us entrance into Paradise, or deli- 
 verance from the jaws of Hell. We cannot think 
 of these things without being serious : it is impos- 
 sible for us to look even a little way into that 
 darkness, which follows the grave, without with- 
 drawing our thoughts from the toys and trifles of 
 this wwld; whose value is mouldering away so 
 soon, and whose noise and clamour will so soon 
 be swallowed up in silence. How do worldly 
 honours come to an end, when the spirit hath 
 unclothed itself of its fleshly robes, and goes in 
 naked apprehension to wait its concluding sen- 
 tence ! How do the friendships and loves of 
 sinners close; when those, v/ho loved each other 
 best on earth, have the great gulph between 
 them, or are doomed together to a dreadful com- 
 munion of fire ! 
 
 But how different are the feelings of the pious 
 and hopeful believer, in looking to the land of 
 souls. To him there shall arise up a light in the 
 darkness : to him shall hope and happiness open 
 the gates of Paradise, where he shall pass his 
 happy time, with the good and wise men, of every 
 age of the world, with his parents and his virtuous 
 friends, who are gone before ; in constant expec- 
 tation of the goodness of the Lord ; and of that 
 Day, when a nobler Paradise shall invite him to 
 its bowers; when his body, glorified and made 
 
FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 495 
 
 immortal, shall reclothe his soulj in perfect beauty ; 
 and when he shall be admitted to behold the 
 brightness of that God, from whose face the heavens 
 and earth shall flee away. 
 
 This is the promise made to us in Scripture : 
 a promise confirmed, not only by Moses, and the 
 prophets ; but by the very evidence which the 
 rich man desired that his brethren might receive ; — 
 the resurrection of a greater than Moses from the 
 dead ! Him let us hear ; let us believe Him ; and 
 in true repentance and in lively faith, let us hope 
 that He, who pardoned the crucified but repentant 
 robber, may open to us, by His merits,' the eternal 
 gates of Paradise ! 
 
 END OF THE FIRST VOLUME. 
 
LoNDOx : 
 iited by A, SroTTiswooDS, 
 New- Street- Square.