THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF ILLINOIS 
 LIBRARY 
 
CHEISTIAN WATCHFULNESS, 
 
 IN THE PROSPECT OF 
 SICKNESS, MOURNING, AND DEATH. 
 
 BY THB 
 
 REV. JOHN JAMES, D.D. 
 
 CANON OF PETERBOROUGH, 
 RECTOR OF PEAKIRK, NORTHANTS, 
 AND AUTHOR OF " A COMMENT ON THE COLLECTS." 
 
 NEW EDITION. 
 
 LONDON : 
 RIVINGTONS, WATERLOO PLACE. 
 [264] 1855. 
 
LONDON : 
 
 GILBERT AND RIVINGTON, PRINTERS, 
 
 ST. John's square. 
 
TO 
 
 THE MOST EEYEEEND 
 
 WILLIAM HOWLEY, D.D. 
 
 LOED AECHBISHOP OF CANTEEBrET, 
 THE FOLLOWING WORK 
 
 IS, BY PERMISSION, 
 INSCRIBED, WITH EVERY SENTIMENT OF RESPECT, 
 BY HIS grace's 
 FAITHFUL SERVANT IN CHRIST, 
 
 JOHN JAMES. 
 
 A 2 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. P-^CE 
 
 I. Address to the Reader 1 
 
 II. The Advantages of occasional Religious Retirement .... 3 
 
 III. Religious Retirement, an especially salutary duty in the 
 
 season of Prosperity 6 
 
 IV. Its Consolations in the Day of Adversity , . . • 10 
 
 V. The Season of Sickness — a fit season for the more serious 
 
 contemplation of our mortality 13 
 
 VI. The Spiritual Comfort which a right use of that season 
 
 offers 18 
 
 VII. The appropriate season for a close examination of our 
 
 hearts and conduct 23 
 
 VIII. The duty of Self-examination proportionate to the respon- 
 sibility, which station, learning, or influence lay upon 
 us 27 
 
 IX. The Bible — the word of God — danger and folly of neglect- 
 ing it 32 
 
 X. The Bible adapted to all men — learned and unlearned — in 
 
 public and in private life 35 
 
 XI. Prayer — the appointed means whereby man draws nigh to 
 
 God 42 
 
Vi CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. PAGE 
 
 XII. Public Prayer 47 
 
 XIII. Family Prayer 50 
 
 XIV. Private Prayer 58 
 
 XV. The Holy Ghost— the Comforter 66 
 
 XVI. Man's co-operation with the Holy Spirit of God — the 
 
 power so to co-operate being also from God 72 
 
 XVII. The Sabbath — of Divine appointment 81 
 
 XVIII. Sabbaths well spent — a blessing, nationally and indi- 
 vidually 89 
 
 XIX. Our blessed Saviour — the Lord of the Sabbath 96 
 
 XX. Neglect of the Sabbath — inconsistent with a Christian 
 
 Profession 100 
 
 XXI. Address to those who deliberately neglect the Sabbath 104 
 
 XXII. What occasions may justify us in not attending public 
 
 worship on the Lord's Day Ill 
 
 XXIII. The advantage of our Liturgy in directing aright our 
 
 devotional Services. — The Opening Sentences .... 117 
 
 XXIV. The Exhortation — its encouraging strain L20 
 
 XXV. The Confession — its truly Scriptural character 126 
 
 XXVI. The Absolution and Remission of sins declared ac- 
 cording to God's command . . , 132 
 
 XXVIT. Pardon—the promised answer to true repentance . . 136 
 
 XXVIII. The Lord's Prayer — its merciful adaptation to the 
 soul, when longing to pour forth to God its wants 
 and supplications ^"^2 
 
CONTENTS. Vii 
 
 CHAP. PAGE 
 
 XXIX. Reflections upon the Lord's Prayer — continued ... 151 
 
 XXX. The spiritual character of the Liturgy — illustrated 
 
 specially in its prayers for the rulers of the nation 156 
 
 XXXI. Illustration — continued — in the instance of the 
 prayer for the Clergy, and the People committed 
 to their charge 164 
 
 XXXII. The Holy Communion — its importance — The Chris- 
 tian's Passover 168 
 
 XXXIII. Care of the Church in guarding against unworthy 
 
 partakers of the Holy Communion 176 
 
 XXXIV. The happy effect of duly partaking of those holy 
 
 mysteries 185 
 
 XXXV. Recovery from Sickness 189 
 
 XXXVI. The Vow made in Sickness, to he paid in Health . . 194 
 
 XXXVII. Our own weakness so strengthened, that some evil 
 
 we dreaded is often by faith turned to good .... 200 
 
 XXXVIII. Perseverance — its necessity, and the means of at- 
 taining it 205 
 
 XXXIX. Old Age — the blessings attendant upon a religious 
 
 Old Age , 212 
 
 XL. The peculiar consolations of Old Age 216 
 
 XLI. Sickness unto death — its awakening call to self- 
 examination 221 
 
 XLI I. Futurity — its awful prospect 228 
 
 XLIII. Life's last hours 238 
 
Viii CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 XLIV, 
 
 
 241 
 
 XLV. 
 
 
 
 XLVI. 
 
 
 252 
 
 XLVII. 
 
 
 258 
 
 XLVIII. 
 
 The Memory of past mercies — soothing to the 
 
 
 
 
 265 
 
 XLIX. 
 
 Blessed fruits of righteousness in the hour of death 
 
 271 
 
 L. 
 
 
 276 
 
 LI. 
 
 
 285 
 
 LII. 
 
 
 293 
 
 LIII. 
 
 
 298 
 
 LIV. 
 
 
 308 
 
 LV. 
 
 
 316 
 
CHRISTIAN WATCHFULNESS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 TO THE READER. 
 
 If any readers of this book, in their healthy and 
 strength, and prosperity, think the general cast of it 
 too serious, let them not on that account either con- 
 demn the sentiments it contains, or slight the con- 
 solations it holds forth. Let them suspend their 
 judgment till the scene change with them : till sick- 
 ness, sorrow, or death, overcast their now cloudless 
 sky ; and life present a day of gloom, like the morn- 
 ing spread upon the mountains. It is with the book 
 we open, as with the prospect we look out upon — all 
 is viewed, in some degree, through the medium of our 
 feelings at the moment — whether of misery or happi- 
 ness. The fairest landscape gives no delight where 
 the heart is desolate ; and the brightest sun which ever 
 shone, pours no welcome ray to the captive, w^hose 
 dungeon gloom, if it reach, it seems but to mock. 
 So the mind of the reader must sympathize with the 
 matter in question, ere it can respond to the voice 
 which speaks either reproof or approval; warning 
 or encouragement ; the terrors of the Lord, or his 
 promises. 
 
 4- Our blessed Saviour, who on all occasions spake 
 as never man spake for wisdom, has on this subiect 
 [264] B 
 
2 
 
 To the Reader. 
 
 also searched and laid open the very secrets of the 
 heart ; touching with Divine skill the springs of action 
 by which it is moved. When He came as the Healer 
 of the nations, He knew full well that unless the soul 
 were conscious of the wound of sin, and felt its pain, 
 the Healer w'ould neither be sought nor welcomed. 
 Hence his awakening reply to the self-righteous. 
 
 The whole need not a physician^ but the sickj'^ True 
 it is^that this term — "the sick," — in its spiritual sense, 
 comprehends the w^hole human race ; — and so all man- 
 Mud need the Physician : yet in how many does that 
 sickness lurk insidiously, unseen of others, unfelt by 
 themselves ! how many know not that they are 
 WTetched and miserable till He w^ho loveth men^s 
 souls better than they love them themselves, chas- 
 teneth and afflicteth them ! In the mournful hours 
 of sickness and affliction, man is compelled to feel 
 his awful state, as an immortal and responsible being. 
 Driven then to reflect upon eternal interests, long 
 neglected in health and ease ; convinced of guilt and 
 deserved condemnation before God ; conscious of spi- 
 ritual w^ounds, w^hich the w^orld cannot heal — of spiri- 
 tual pains, for vrhich the world has no remedy — and 
 awakened to spiritual fear, wdiich the w^orld is utterly 
 unable to remove — he feels also at length his ow^n 
 wretchedness and misery ; and gladly flees to the 
 Saviour, Christ Jesus — the great Physician of souls, 
 who alone can supply the remedy. 
 
 To the sick at heart, therefore — to the mourner — 
 and to the dying— the following pages are, perhaps, 
 more immediately adapted. To the reader, however, 
 whether he be a child of sorrow or of joy, they 
 are offered with an earnest prayer to the Fountain of 
 Wisdom, to bless them to his instruction and his 
 comfort. 
 
 ^ Kev. iii. 1 7- " Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased 
 with goods, and have need of nothing ; and hiowest not that thou art 
 wretched, and miserable, and poor, and bUiid, and naked." 
 
3 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 KELIGIOUS RETIREMENT. 
 
 Of the vast numbers of mankind, who^, even in this 
 Christian land, pass through life apparently uninflu- 
 enced by the Gospel; neither heeding its restraints, 
 nor regarding its precepts, nor soothed by its conso- 
 lations ; the greater portion err, rather from giving 
 themselves no time for serious thought upon its excel- 
 lences, than from either questioning its authority or 
 doubting its importance. Hurried on by business or 
 pleasure, they pursue their way, as though this world 
 were the end of their existence — no eternity awaiting 
 them ; no immortality assured to them. Would they 
 but pause in their course, the truth must force itself 
 upon them — they would at once feel and confess, that 
 to secure eternal happiness for his immortal soul is 
 ^^the one thing needfuP^ for every man; whilst self- 
 love would lead them to seek diligently for the means 
 of attaining that happiness — and having found the 
 means, to adopt them. 
 
 Hence the v/isdom of occasionally withdrawing 
 ourselves from the world ; examining our own state 
 — as immortal beings; and "judging ourselves, that 
 we be not judged of the Lord.^^ Self-examination 
 conducted thus, in the uninterrupted hours of retire- 
 ment, tends to keep the soul in safety, by keeping it 
 watchful ; strengthens it in every good resolution ; 
 checks it, if any downward course of evil have been 
 entered upon ; and by promoting a salutary revision 
 of the past, teaches wisdom for the future. 
 
 The extent, indeed, to which a holy communing 
 with God in our closets is to be carried, must vary 
 with the circumstances in which we may be placed ; 
 and be regulated v/ith a reference to those active 
 duties which belong to the state of life unto which 
 B 2 
 
4 
 
 Religious Retirement, 
 
 it may have pleased God to call us. Those duties 
 are not to be neglected ; even though piety might 
 prefer seclusion for the fuller enjoyment of religious 
 meditation, David has very beautifully taught us, 
 how activity in the performance of social and relative 
 duties, consists with the deepest and most fervent 
 devotion — the one sustained by the other. " Put thou 
 thy trust in the Lord, and be doing good;^^ — let 
 faith in an ever-present God be thy uniform principle 
 of action ; repose all thy cares, all thy fears and hopes 
 upon the Lord ; then go to thy work of duty, and be 
 doing good We are thus instructed, that a spirit of 
 devotion is to be borne with us from our closets into 
 the world — that it is intended to act, as leaven upon 
 the whole lump^^ — working as a living principle upon 
 the whole man ; influencing, directly or indirectly, 
 our every thought, word, and action ; uniformly regu- 
 lating the mind and the affections ; and enabling us 
 to do all things not as unto men, but as unto God. 
 These considerations are strengthened by the dis- 
 
 ^ Ps. xxxvii. 3. 5. 
 
 To insist upon a life of seclusion as a necessary proof of holiness, 
 is to argue a total forgetfulness of the Divine ordering of human 
 affairs. Labour is appointed unto every man ; and by occupying the 
 time, and thoughts, and industry of mankind usefully to their fellow- 
 creatures, and according to God's commandments, preserves the mind 
 from being tempted to an evil exercise of its powers ; it gives to them 
 a virtuous direction, and calls forth every energy for good. Were 
 labour not necessary for the sustentation of man, language could not 
 descri]>e, nor could imagination picture, the horrors which would de- 
 solate society. 
 
 Nor is seclusion necessarily safety. The solitude of the desert 
 was chosen as a fit scene, where the tempter might most success- 
 fully contend with the Son of God : and He, who was " touched with 
 the feeling of our infirmities," and " tempted in all things like as we 
 are, yet without sin," spake from his own experience, when He prayed 
 for us to the Father — not that he should take us out of the icoiid, 
 but that he should keep us from the evil." In solitude a man's own 
 heart is often his most dangerous spiritual enemy. 
 
 Our care then should be, that when for the sake of religious retire- 
 ment we withdraw ourselves from active duties, we so do, not in a 
 timid or inactive spirit, but as seeking additional strength for a 
 better fulfilment of whatever duties the good providence of God may 
 lay upon us. 
 
Religious Retirement. 
 
 5 
 
 tlnction, drawn with equal force and clearness in the 
 discourses of our blessed Saviour upon the subject, 
 and sanctified by his own example. His general 
 course of life was one of active benevolence — He 
 went about doing good;^^ when, however, He foresaw 
 any especial trial awaiting Him, He retired to pri- 
 vate prayer; pouring out his supplications before 
 his Father in heaven : He communed with his hearty 
 and was still. 
 
 So must it be with us his followers. It is in the 
 stillness of holy communing that the soul is disciplined 
 to a more steady obedience ; soothed to a more un- 
 ruffled peace, or elevated to a holier joy. Conscience^ 
 whose voice in the midst of the world's busy turmoil 
 too often falls upon the heart disregarded, is heard, 
 even in its whisperings, when all else is still. Then 
 it is, that the gracious call of the Saviour finds a wel- 
 come, as it bids the "weary and heavy laden'' go "to 
 him and be at rest." Then, more especially, the Divine 
 promises speak the language of hope, the Holy Spirit 
 breathes into the soul new life, and faith in God 
 triumphs. 
 
 Why should you for a moment doubt, that these 
 will be to yourself y individually^ the blessed effects of 
 a holy communing with the Almighty ? If you draw 
 nigh unto Him, with your hearty as well as with your 
 lips — if you pour out your whole soul before Him ; 
 not keeping back aught of ill, with which conscience 
 may be burdened — if you desire that heavenly peace 
 for which you pray — cast away fear. " God giveth 
 not only more than we deserve, — but more than 
 we desire gracious as He always is, having mercy 
 and compassion upon his servants. He is "a very 
 jjresLYit God in the needful time of trouble." He is 
 all-powerful, as well as all-present. He will be 
 your God. 
 
 It appears, then,, that whilst the active duties of our 
 several stations can never safely be neglected, the 
 most laudable activity has its seasons of repose. And 
 B 3 
 
6 
 
 Prosperity. 
 
 as we all^ though appointed to sojourn for a few short 
 years in this mortal life, are created for immortality, 
 it is the duty of every individual to find opportunity 
 for furthering his interests in a future world, as well 
 as for duly ordering his concerns in this. There are, 
 therefore, or there ought to be, intervals of rest, when 
 each one of us w^ould do v»^ell to look " not only on the 
 things which are temporal, but on the things which 
 are eternal;" to take heed "to the one thing" above 
 all others needful" — the care of the soul; to ac- 
 quaint ourselves with God, and be at peace w^ith Him 
 here, who hereafter will pronounce upon us the sen- 
 tence of everlasting woe, or everlasting bliss. And 
 these intervals of rest must be, not only the Sab- 
 bath day, God^s own day ^, when in the assembled con- 
 gregation "with one accord we make our common sup- 
 plications" before Him; not only the hour of family 
 devotion, w^hen the daily sacrifice of prayer and praise 
 sanctifies and blesses, w^e humbly trust, the Christianas 
 dwelling, but also the hour of occasional retirement ; 
 when in the more immediate presence of our God, 
 "we commune with our ow^n heart, and in our cham- 
 ber, and are still." In that hour^ withdrawn from all 
 which might agitate the soul, we may hope to find a 
 moment's calm which the storms of life cannot reach, 
 gain a courage which its evils cannot daunt, and se- 
 cure, for a season at least, that peace which the world 
 is as unable to give as it is powerless to take aw^ay. 
 
 CHAPTER IIL 
 
 PROSPERITY. 
 
 Perhaps you are one w^hom the good providence of 
 God has been pleased to bless with health, and com- 
 
 ^ Ps. cxviii. 24. "This is the day ^Yh!ch tlie Lord hath, made; 
 we will rejoice and be glad in it." 
 
Prosperity. 
 
 7 
 
 petence, and ease. The world goes well with you ; 
 and, being prosperous, you can scarcely understand 
 how it is that "men are born to trouble,^^ With 
 respect to this life, you rnay have fallen into the too 
 common error of considering religion only as the 
 appointed remedy for the ills of it — and, therefore, as 
 not required by you, who enjoy only its blessings. 
 Yet such are the dangers of prosperity, that never is 
 a religious principle more necessary to guard the soul 
 from evil, than when the world smiles and so tempts 
 men to the self-gratulation of the rich one in his folly 
 — "Soul, take thine ease, and be merry 
 
 Now, therefore, retire for a while to thy closet — 
 commune with thine heart ; and in the stillness of 
 retirement, think of the dangers of your state — its 
 responsibility, and its end. 
 
 That prosperity naturally tends to withdraw our 
 hearts from God, is a truth confirmed by daily ex- 
 perience. Nay, it often happens, that in proportion 
 as our heavenly Father poureth his benefits upon us, 
 our sense of obligation grows weaker and weaker; w^e 
 gradually forget the Giver in the gift; and having 
 puffed up our vain imaginations with the idle vaunt 
 — "mine own arm hath gotten me the victory at 
 length boldly trust to our own strength, and presump- 
 tuously rely upon our own wisdom, for a continuance 
 of those advantages which the bounty of heaven has 
 vouchsafed to us^ David, when brought to a better 
 feeling by holy meditation, confesses that he himself 
 fell into this very sin, even w^hen he knew and allowed 
 that he owed his success to God : " In my prosperity 
 I said, I shall never h^removed — Thou, O God, of thy 
 goodness, hast made my hill so strong-.'^ A very 
 striking proof that you would act wisely in betaking 
 yourself to occasional retirement, and devout medita- 
 tion ; in order to keep alive in your heart a disposition 
 
 ^ 1 Chron. xxix. 12. " Both riches and honoiu' come of tlieej 
 O Lord ! In thine hand it is to make great." 
 2 Ps. XXX. 6. 
 
 B 4 
 
8 
 
 Prosperity. 
 
 of humble dependence upon that kind and gracious 
 Godj, who so wondrously surrounds you with his mer- 
 cies, commune with Him — pray to Him that He would 
 give you grace to make a right use of the advantages 
 bestowed upon you ; employing them to his glory, and 
 to the good of your fellow-creatures. Thus you may 
 hope to avoid the dangers of prosperity. Again : you 
 well know your final responsibility. You know, if only 
 from the parable of Dives and Lazarus, that God will 
 require you, at the day of judgment, to render an 
 account, how you have used your blessings. In the 
 hour, then, of holy communing, examine yourself, 
 what answer you wdll be able to give when judged 
 as to your use or abuse of prosperity. Ask yourself — 
 Do I in a wicked and unworthy spirit of pride shut 
 up my compassion from my less prosperous fellow- 
 creatures?^^ or rather, '^Am I kind-hearted and com- 
 passionate to them?^^ ^^Has my disposition been 
 softened to the wants of others Having the love 
 
 of God shed abroad in my heart, do I rejoice that it 
 should expand itself in love towards man ? " Am I 
 glad to distribute ? — having freely received ; do 
 I freely give ? Nothing wdll more aid you in this 
 self-examination than retirement and prayer. You 
 cannot estimate prosperity at its true value till you 
 are removed from the immediate glare of its wealth, 
 and applause, and flatteries. Then you will see it to 
 be — not a state in which man^s ease alone is to be 
 studied — but as a condition of responsibility propor- 
 tionate to its extent. No man is rich, or wise, or 
 great only for himself. If riches and honour come 
 of God, it is clear that they are to be used to the 
 honour of God, either directly — m exalting his name, 
 and " making his praise glorious,^^ or indirectly — in 
 benefiting his creatures for his sake. Here, then, 
 you learn the value of a religious principle ; and that 
 principle, if it does not originate in retirement, is there 
 cherished and matured, till it fulfil its holy purpose, 
 of sanctifying you in your use of blessings, pre- 
 
Prosperity. 
 
 9 
 
 serving you strong in your integrity, as a faithful 
 servant of God^ and forwarding you on your way to 
 heaven. 
 
 Other advantages still await you in this course. 
 Should your prosperous condition change, and you 
 be called to suffer adversity, you will be prepared for 
 the change. You will, w4ien a poor man, have no self- 
 reproaches for having made a bad use of wealth and 
 influence when you were rich. Your happiness cannot 
 be destroyed by poverty, because it never rested on 
 riches. " When riches increased, you set not your 
 heart upon them.^^ Besides, not only may your mid- 
 day sun be clouded, but a cloudless sun must, at last, 
 set. The night of death will surely darken the brightest 
 course ; and the end of riches must be, that at your 
 death you leave them. If, therefore, your prosperity en- 
 dure even to the close of life, still must that prosperity 
 be left. No earthly advantages profit in the grave. 
 Alas ! for the rich and great in their death, if in life 
 they made riches and greatness their idols ^ Be yours 
 the wise choice ! In the midst of prosperity, choose 
 God as your nearest friend, and his love as your best 
 riches. He will counsel you well, and lead you safely, 
 and, in the dangerous tide of success, enable you so 
 to steer your course, that you make not shipwreck of 
 your faith. Disciplined by the habitual practice of 
 devotional retirement, you will learn to be sober, and 
 w^atch unto prayer not conformed to this w^orld, 
 though surrounded by its blessings; never unmindful 
 of the Giver of them ; and, though encompassed by its 
 allurements, ever uninfluenced by them. Your affec- 
 tions are above — your heart is wdth your God. 
 
 ^ Ecclus. xli. 1. "0 death, how bitter is the remembrance of thee 
 to a man that liveth at rest in his possessions, unto the man that hath 
 nothing to vex him, and that hath prosperity in all things !" 
 
 B 5 
 
10 
 
 CHAPTER IVc 
 
 THE DAY OF ADVERSITY. 
 
 Has adversity overtaken you? That converse with 
 an ever-present God^ which in prosperity was your 
 high duty, becomes now more especially your high 
 privilege. 
 
 Your mind is agitated by various evils, with which 
 you feel unequal to cope. Honest and patient industry 
 may have failed to give you the return for your la- 
 bours, which you reasonably hoped ; and your worldly 
 possessions have been diminished, you scarcely know 
 how — making themselves wings, and fleeing away 
 Friends whom you loved as your own soul, and long 
 trusted as your own heart, may have proved faithless ; 
 or you may yourself, by some ill-advised counsel or 
 your own erring judgment, have surrounded yourself 
 with perplexities. The world^s flattering smile is 
 withdrawn. But are you therefore to consider your 
 life as a state of darkness and gloom ? God forbid ! 
 " Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for 
 the upright in heart.^^ Still rejoice in the Lord^^^ 
 You are privileged, by your Christian covenant, to 
 seek the favour of Him, whose favour is better than 
 life. God is your refuge. In the holy calm of retire- 
 ment, fail not to hold converse with Him and your 
 own soul. And if the Psalmist^s mournful reflection 
 speak the language of your grief — Why art thou so 
 heavy, O my soul ? and why art thou so disquieted 
 within me?^^ let his consequent resolve be the lan- 
 guage of your faith : O put thy trust in God. I 
 will yet thank him, which is the help of my counte- 
 nance, and my God Exercise your privilege of 
 access to Him, through the Saviour, Christ Jesus, the 
 
 Prov. xxiii. 5. 
 
 2 Ps. xcvii. 11. 
 
The Day of Adversity. 
 
 11 
 
 Lord. Fear not ! However your joy be now changed 
 into sorrow, the love of your heavenly Father knows 
 no change ; no passing cloud which the world inter- 
 poses can dim the brightness of his favour. His love 
 and favour veer not with the shifting seasons of good 
 or ill fortune. He loves alike the rich and the poor, 
 the prosperous and the unfortunate —if, like Abraham 
 and Lazarus, they each, in their state of life, exercise 
 faith, and patience, and, perfecting holiness in the 
 fear of the Lord adorn the doctrine of God their 
 Saviour in all things 
 
 Delay not then, in this the sad season of adversity, 
 to draw nigh unto thy God. Cast thy burden upon 
 the Lord.^^ Cling to Him as to a present, sure friend, 
 — flee to Him as a bird to its covert, when storm and 
 tempest rage. 
 
 The benefit of this religious meditation will soon be 
 evidenced in a patient submission to the severest trials. 
 By reflecting upon the nature of that God, whom the 
 Gospel reveals to you, and to whom you now look for 
 succour, you learn that afflictions and sorrows are 
 neither the result of chance, nor the tokens of Divine 
 anger. You learn that they are the declared tokens of 
 love from the everlasting Father ; who afflicts us for 
 a time here, that we may be prepared for a glorious 
 eternity hereafter. You learn that all things, even the 
 most trivial, which can happen to us individually, are 
 as clearly known to Him, and as surely permitted bj^ 
 Him, as the more important events which affect the 
 w^orld at large. The mere blade of grass under our 
 feet, and the gorgeous heavens above us, are equally 
 the work of his hands, and the object of his care. You 
 cherish this truth, and you derive a comfort from it, 
 which all your prosperity never gave you ; for you 
 then, perhaps,/or50o^ the counsel, and sought not the 
 converse of your God. You were as one in a thirsty 
 land, where no water refreshed you. 
 
 1 2 Cor. vii. 1. 
 
 2 Tit. ii. 10. 
 
13 
 
 The Day of Adversity. 
 
 You then sought not the fountain — what wonder 
 that you found not the waters ! 
 
 When God is in all our thoughts^ we may be poor, 
 even to destitution ; we may be borne to the dust by 
 contempt and ignominy ; fallen in man^s esteem, we 
 may have become objects of his scorn. Yet " shall 
 not our heart be afraid/^ The patriarch's submission 
 will fill our hearts : It is the Lord, let him do what 
 seemeth him good/^ We know that the disciple is 
 not above his master, nor the servant above his lord/^ 
 Following the steps of the blessed Jesus, we no longer 
 marvel that we are called to bear our cross ; we have 
 been taught that such is the appointed condition upon 
 which his disciples hope to follow Him to his glory ^ 
 The Apostle's language, therefore, speaks the steady 
 courage of a faithful soul — we are troubled on every 
 side,yet not distressed; perplexed, but not in despair.'^ 
 Almighty God, " who despiseth not the sighing of a 
 contrite heart, nor the desire of such as be sorrowful,'^ 
 giveth us his grace, whereby we derive strength to 
 bear up under our troubles, and patiently to await 
 their removal, when, and as it may please the Disposer 
 of all things. To Him, after the example of our Divine 
 Master, we have carried our sorrows ; and He, having 
 compassion upon our infirmities, has strengthened its 
 by his Spirit i as He strengthened by his angel the 
 Son in whom He was well pleased. 
 
 Thus it appears, that whether prosperity or adversity 
 mark our days, whether the world tempt us by its 
 smiles to forget God, or by its frowns lead us to dis- 
 trust Him, our privilege and our duty are the same — 
 to seek the Lord ; to commune with Him and with our 
 own hearts, and be still ; that by calm and holy medi- 
 tation in our occasional retirement, we maybe armed 
 with the spirit firmness '' m all time of our tribu^ 
 lationy^ imbued with a spirit of humility and tvisdom 
 
 1 Matt. xvl. 24. 
 
 2 Luke xxii. 4'^. " There appeared an angel unto him from heaven 
 Etrcugthening him." 
 
Sickness. 
 
 13 
 
 ^•in all time of our wealth,^^ and in every time and 
 place, be filled with that spirit of holiness which is 
 the gift of God, through Jesus Christ his Son. 
 
 The inquiring mind naturally asks, Avhy all men do 
 not labour to gain this spirit of strength, and safety, 
 and comfort ? The answer is, that in prosperity^ suc- 
 cess too often so entirely engrosses their thoughts, and 
 fixes them upon this present w^orld, that the soul can- 
 not, or will not, escape for sober meditation upon fu- 
 turity ; whilst in adversity ^ the effort to recover lost 
 advantages, whether in fortune or in fame, is too 
 often made with mere worldly views, and with a sole 
 reliance on worldly means. In eithj^r case, activity 
 in temporal pursuits is still open to them ; and they 
 find no pause for communing with God, till sickness 
 and approaching death compel them to the duty. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 SICKNESS. 
 
 Hitherto w^e have reminded you, that occasional 
 retirement for the purpose of devotion is at once our 
 duty and privilege in the time of health. In the joyous 
 season of prosperity it is our surest safety ; amid the 
 stern necessity of adversity, our surest comfort; though 
 such is the infirmity of man^s nature, till strengthened 
 by power from on high — such the perverseness of the 
 human heart, till corrected by the Spirit of grace — 
 that in the day of health, the duty is too often neglected, 
 and the privilege too often slighted. 
 
 As sickness, however, incapacitates for activity, and 
 brings a pause in worldly pleasures, this duty becomes 
 more welcome — this privilege more prized. The mind 
 is more open to the counsels of truth — more awake 
 to the realities of a spiritual and future world — more 
 alive to the high interests of eternity. 
 
14 
 
 Sickness. 
 
 This is now your case. Sickness^ which hitherto 
 has swept down others, has at length fallen upon you. 
 A painful languor steals over your frame ; the vital 
 powers flag; of worldly duties you are incapable; for 
 worldly enjoyments you have no relish ; it is time to 
 shun the busy haunts of men, and, like the wounded 
 hart upon the mountains, retire to the safe covert ^, 
 and there apply the appointed remedy which the great 
 Physician of souls has amply supplied in the Gospel 
 of his Son. When the springs of life are thus weak- 
 ened ; when all which was joyous, saddens ; when the 
 activity of health is turned into utter powerlessness ; 
 such a change.points, w^th unwonted solemnity, the 
 affecting truths: "We all do fade as a leaf;^^ "man 
 is as the flower of the field.'^ It is as though a voice 
 from heaven did speak : " Prepare to meet thy God.^^ 
 Surely, his correcting hand is impressing upon your 
 heart a just sense of the vanity of this shifting scene 
 of life ; in order that He may receive you unto Him- 
 self purified by the chastening. He acts as a father; 
 with the wise care and the tender anxiety of a parent, 
 He is gradually 'weaning you from things temporal, 
 that you finally lose not the things eternal. True it is, 
 that with all the fondness of a nursling, hanging yet 
 upon its mother's breast, you naturally cling to this 
 world; her caresses you covet; her smiles you look 
 for; her soothing endearments you repose upon. But 
 ^tis time now to put av/ay childish things ^ The reali- 
 ties of eternity await you. You will soon be called 
 to act in new scenes, as an immortal being ; you will 
 be engaged in new duties with the spirits of the just 
 made perfect ; and with them share, as you humbly 
 hope, new joys — even the everlasting joys of heaven. 
 
 But ere these new scenes and duties open upon 
 you, ere a hope so glorious be realized, you must be 
 clear of this lower world ; your aflfections must be 
 set on things above, not on things which are upon 
 
 * Isa. xxxii. 2. 
 
 2 1 Cor. xiii. 11. 
 
Sickness. 
 
 15 
 
 the earth ; wherefore your heavenly Father gradually 
 weans you from a worlds for which, by nature, your 
 attachment is the strong and clinging affection of a 
 child to its nursing mother; and embittering the allure- 
 ments of that world by sending sorrow, and sickness, 
 and pain, He renders it distasteful to you, and so leads 
 you to look forward to higher pleasures — to more en- 
 during joys — to the joys and the glories of eternity. 
 
 Amongst the various advantages which result to 
 the Christian from a solemn viev/ of his m.ortality, 
 especially in a season of sickness, is this — that the 
 more prepared he is, by deep repentance, and a lively 
 faith, and a holy obedience, to meet his change from 
 life to death, the more calm he may hope to be, 
 bodily as well as mentally. V\^here the soul is ill at 
 ease, the misery of sickness is awfully increased. And 
 who can be surprised that terror agitates those whose 
 
 debts to God are still unpaid, because He who 
 alone can pay them, has been rejected^ or forsaken, 
 or forgotten by the debtor ^ ? Taking it for granted 
 that no man on his death-bed can think slightingly of 
 eternity, but that every man must, then at least, be 
 deeply anxious to secure future happiness ; it is no 
 wonder that the scoffer, the irreligious, the worldly, 
 and " all the people who forget God should be so 
 confounded in the season of sickness, by self-reproach 
 for the past, by active terrors for the present, and 
 dark anticipations for the future, that the weakened 
 frame finds no rest — sleep forsakes the sufferer — and 
 
 1 Matt, xviii. 27. 32. " Then the Lord of that servant was moved 
 with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the deht.^' " Then 
 his Lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked 
 servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me." 
 
 How simply, yet how powerfully, has our Divine Teacher illus- 
 trated, in this parable, the nature of our offences before God, the 
 justice with which He might inflict puuisliment for tliem, and the 
 unbounded mercy which accepts the satisfaction of another, and so 
 
 forgiveth us our debts," for Jesus Christ's sake ! 
 
 2 Ps. ix. 17. " The zcicked shall be turned into hell, and all the 
 people that forget God.^^ 
 
16 
 
 Sickness. 
 
 every bodily pain is aggravated by the sharper pains 
 of the soul. Hence the benefit to the sick, of a 
 tranquil mind: a mind, which, firm in faith — un- 
 ruffled by agitating thoughts of the past, or over- 
 anxious care for the present, or unavailing fears for 
 the future — has already made its peace with God 
 through Jesus Christ ; upon Him casts all its care ; 
 and awaits in patient resignation whatever be the end 
 of his fatherly visitation. Of this calmness of the 
 soul the body partakes ; and to this mental repose, 
 the sick are oft-times indebted for sweet hours of rest 
 and sleep, which they alone can know, who, whether 
 in health or sickness, sleep as under the shadow of 
 HIS wing — whose favour is better than life \ 
 
 Should then this your sickness be unto deaths bless- 
 ing rests upon your holy communing. You are pre- 
 pared, undismayed, to meet your Judge ; for you have, 
 as your Advocate, One who never pleads in vain. O 
 think, my Christian reader, how great the blessedness 
 of being spared in your last hours that additional 
 misery which results from neglecting the soul and eter- 
 nity — a miser}' which in all its fulness and terror awaits 
 those, who, neither in health nor sickness, seek that 
 great Being, from whose mercy in Christ alone it is, 
 that this holy calm — this blessed repose — can be de- 
 rived ! Faith in that Almighty Redeemer and pre- 
 vailing Advocate disarms even bodily pain of a por- 
 tion of its power; fortifies the soul against unfounded 
 spiritual fears ; sustains it in its weakness, and gently 
 prepares it for its close. 
 
 1 So wonderfully do mind and body act upon each other, that, as a 
 distempered body sometimes produces a disordered mind, and an 
 uneasy and restless mind aggravates bodily suffering, not unfre- 
 quently defeating the fairest means of recovery, so in cases where 
 the sufferers — sustained by a firm and Christian faith and a bright 
 Christian hope — are able to cast all their care, both for bodily and 
 spiritual heahh, on the Lord, it is wondrous to observe the beneficial 
 effect of tranquillity of mind, in inducing, by the Divine blessing, 
 tranquillity of body. This truth supplies no unimportant reflection 
 to us all ; liable as we every moment are to pain, and sickness, and 
 sorrow, and death. 
 
Sickness. 
 
 17 
 
 If, on the other hand, the means used by human 
 skill be blessed, and life be spared, even then you 
 cannot better further the physician^s skill, than by 
 applying religion to free the soul of all violent emo- 
 tion, and so allowing it to repose in faith — serene in 
 the peace of God, which passeth all understanding. 
 Whereas, should you wilfully delay this required self- 
 examination, this hearty repentance, this holy com- 
 muning wdth God, till sickness bring down your 
 strength in your journey, you hazard both soul and 
 body. Even as to the body^ you aggravate the evils 
 by w^hich you are afflicted ; and yourself defeat the 
 very measures taken to relieve your sufferings. How 
 can medicine possibly have its due effect upon your 
 frame, if it be countervailed by continual agitations of 
 a sinful mind, and a self-accusing spirit? How can 
 even the tender attentions of those relatives and friends 
 who watch your every look with the fondest affection 
 — how can they effect their object of soothing you, if 
 the secret self-condemnation of an unrepenting state 
 keep up in your mind a continual terror ? And wher- 
 ever any acknowledged duty is left undone — wherever 
 the heart is dissatisfied with itself — there the secret 
 terrors of conscience allow no rest ; and the hour of 
 sickness makes evident a truth, which the day of 
 health had kept concealed, — " There is no peace, saith 
 my God, to the wicked.^^ 
 
 Thus, on every account, from a sense of duty; 
 from a regard to self-interest; from dread of future 
 woe, and hope of future bhss; now that you feel sick- 
 ness come upon you, turn wdth more than wonted 
 seriousness to your religious duties. Let repentance, 
 prayer, holy communing with God, an honest self- 
 examination of the past, with good resolutions for the 
 time to come, occupy your mind, and employ your 
 thoughts. You have now opportunity for reflection, 
 from which you cannot escape. Call, then, to remem- 
 brance your ways and your doings. Turn now to 
 God with a holier devotion, a sincerer service, and a 
 
18 
 
 Sickness, 
 
 more thankful heart. The performance of these 
 duties will bring its own reward — will shorten the 
 long nights of wakefulness — rob pain of half its 
 misery — and often render the hours of sickness, hours 
 even of joy. So cheering to the heart of man ; so 
 soothing to his pains ; so sustaining to his spirit, is 
 the abiding sense of the presence of a reconciled 
 Father in heaven ! 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 SICKNESS. 
 
 When thus serious thoughts crowd upon your heart, 
 give them welcome ; cherish them. Do not vainly 
 fear, that, by preparing for death, you will fill your 
 soul with gloom and despondency. Even in the bright 
 days of health, to be serious does not imply being 
 melancholy; nor does communing with God require 
 nor even allow a gloomy spirit. So far is this from 
 being the case, that in proportion as you prepared 
 to die at peace with God, you are prepared to live at 
 peace with Him. Your life vvdll be more calm, more 
 happy ; and the season of sickness will prove to you 
 a blessed season — a spiritual seed-time. True ! you 
 sow in tears but you will reap \n joy You 
 will gratefully acquiesce in the chastisement of the 
 Lord ; adopting the feelings and the language of the 
 Psalmist, Before I was in trouble I went wrong, 
 but now have I known thy word.^^ You have, at 
 length, time to think of many things, to the consider- 
 ation of which, either the enticing pleasures of the 
 world, or its perplexing cares, have hitherto proved 
 an insuperable obstacle. Nay, it may perhaps have 
 happened that even the occupation proper to your 
 state of life, and the calls of honest industry, may have 
 prevented that deep attention to the concerns of the 
 
Sickness. 
 
 19 
 
 soul, which you now feel to be ^^the one thin<r need- 
 
 Trusting, then, as I do humbly trust, that on this, 
 your bed of sickness, you will endeavour earnestly to 
 turn to your souPs good the hours which can no longer 
 be devoted to the furtherance of your worldly inter- 
 ests^ I w^ould fain converse with you from time to 
 time on som^e of those high matters which concern us 
 all as responsible beings, — but which hitherto may 
 have been passed by neglected, as though this world 
 were our all. 
 
 You probably find, what the sick generally expe- 
 rience, that the first serious thought which springs up 
 in the soul, is that of self-condemnation, as it awakes 
 to a sense of sin and guilt before God. "And is it 
 come to this ? Here, as I lie on my sick bed, alone 
 w^ith memory, a thousand instances rush to my recol- 
 lection Vt^herein I must have offended my God^ but 
 which have been till now forgotten by me. Sins com- 
 mitted — duties neglected— knowledge despised — all 
 rise up, and^ arrayed by conscience, bear witness 
 against me; a fearful indication of that searching 
 judgment which awaits me hereafter ! O God ! 
 forgive me ! O God ! be merciful to me a sinner 
 
 And God ivill forgive you — if you be sincerely sorry 
 for your sins. If, remembering the instructive and 
 monitory distinction drawn by St. Paul, you " sorrow 
 after a godly sort your sorrow shall be turned into 
 joy. To a worldly eye, your state is one of misery ^. 
 A bodily frame subdued by sickness, and a heart 
 mourning its infirmities; days of pain, and nights of 
 walking ; the world able to aflTord little comfort, and 
 you unable to w-elcome it — these things seem to ren- 
 der you an object of pity and compassion. But this 
 is only a seeming, I know^ that amidst this apparent 
 misery, and outward wretchedness, there is an ap- 
 proach to that inv^ard peace and heavenly joy, "with 
 
 1 2 Cor. vii. 11. 
 
 2 "Wisdom of Solomon^ iii. 1. 
 
20 
 
 Sickness. 
 
 which the stranger intermeddleth not;'^ and the hope 
 of which you would not exchange for all the joyous- 
 ness of which they boast, who know not God their 
 Saviour. 
 
 Contrast your present state of worldly woe and 
 spiritual peace, with your former state of worldly joy- 
 ousness and spiritual sorrow ; and view the many who 
 reverse this condition — those who, though in health 
 and strength of body, are sick and faint in spirit and 
 in hope : well might they envy you in your pain, and 
 sickness, and watchfulness ! 
 
 Look at the wicked, the worldly, the unchanged in 
 heart. Their evil course of life not only lays up for 
 them wrath against the day of wrath, when God will 
 punish the impenitent in a future state, but rendei*s 
 dark even their present hour, how fairly soever the 
 world may smile upon it. Suppose them to attain 
 their end — whether grasping some illusive pleasure, 
 or compassing some unlawful gain — not only every 
 passing hour brings them nearer to that Judge who 
 noteth their sins, and will punish them, but even in 
 this life their heart is the abode of wretchedness. At 
 the very time when, like men under a delusion, they 
 are deceiving themselves, by " calling evil good, and 
 good evil; putting darkness for light, and light for 
 darkness ; bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter ^ they 
 cannot make the evil good, or the darkness light, or 
 the bitter sweet ; evil still brings misery, — darkness 
 shame, — and bitterness disgust. Conscience is ever 
 reproaching them ; confusion covers them. Perhaps 
 
 ^ Isa. V. 20. The deceitfulness of sin is proverbial. 
 
 Upon the character of sin thus drawn by Isaiah, St. Paul grounds 
 the reasonableness of his appeal to those Avhom he would fain shame 
 from a sinful course. lie bids them remember the real misery which 
 every sinner endures, even at the moment when his sin may have 
 been successful. Addressing himself to hearts already ashamed of 
 the past, he puts the searching question, — What/r?«i« had ye then 
 in those things whereof ye are now asliamedV^ Rom. vi. 21. — The 
 penitent avows the truth, " This my wickedness is bitter, it reacheth 
 unto mine heart." Jer. iv. 18. 
 
Sickness. 
 
 21 
 
 there is to each a secret wish — " O that I were as in 
 the days of old!^^ but false shame, that remorseless 
 slayer of souls, interposes to check the rising wish ; 
 conjures up a thousand idle fears of man, who at most 
 can kill the body only pictures to itself the finger 
 of scorn ; the mockery of companions ; or the loss of 
 former pleasures — and so succeeds in adding fresh 
 entanglements, till the soul, like a captive bird in the 
 snare, is fixed by its own struggles still faster in its 
 bonds, and becomes a ready prey for the fowler. 
 
 Compare your present state with this. Would you 
 change? Your body indeed is weak, and brought 
 low, even to the borders of the grave ; but your soul^ 
 day by day, becomes stronger in holy thoughts; firmer 
 in patient resignation ; happier in the consciousness 
 of a renewed spirit — at peace with God and man. In 
 the midst of your bodily sufferings, you view with pity 
 the prosperous in their sin ; you remember how un- 
 satisfying were those pursuits of worldliness by which 
 you yourself were formerly enslaved; you now rejoice 
 in the fulness of that grace which is all your care, and 
 all your aim. You retrace past years; when your 
 temper was easily ruffled, your disposition harsh, your 
 whole mind restless and unquiet. You remember 
 that you then could not fly from your misery — because 
 you could not fly from yourself. But now the love of 
 God is shed abroad in your heart ; and, being at peace 
 with Him, you are at peace with the whole world. 
 Thus you may hope to go on from strength to strength, 
 till not only with patient Job you will be i^esigned to 
 the dispensations of the Almighty, but with you, as 
 with St. Paul, faith will so triumph, that you will 
 rejoice in afflictions ; and that, not as displaying a cold 
 apathy under ills, but as animated by the reasoning 
 of the same Apostle — '^Now no chastening for the 
 present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous : neverthe- 
 less afterward \i yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righte- 
 ousness unto them which are exercised thereby 
 1 Heb. xii. 11. 
 
22 
 
 Sickness. 
 
 In a sustaining spirit of faith you carry your view 
 to that afterward^^ — cheered on your way by the 
 hope of a pardoning God, a loving Saviour, an ever- 
 present Comforter. 
 
 ^'Blessed then is the man whom thou diastenest^ O 
 Lord ! and teachest in thy ways/^ O my reader, 
 blessed mayest thou be in this thy chastening ! For 
 such blessing, you would not take the world in ex- 
 change. If you recover from this sickness, and health 
 be restored to you, good ground is there to trust that 
 your future life will be as different to your former life 
 as light from darkness. Old things are passed away, 
 all things are become new.^^ You will delight in the 
 service of God, as in perfect freedom. With Him you 
 will vv^alk; in his presence you w^ill live. Love to 
 Him will produce love to man. In doing his will, you 
 will find your own best happiness. By a holy and 
 religious life, you will " let your light so shine before 
 men, that they may see your good works, and glorify 
 your Father which is in heaven.^^ Thus you will 
 rejoice to show forth all his praise. 
 
 If you do not regain health, if your sick-bed become 
 your death-bed ; your pious thoughts, and sincere 
 heart-searchings, and holy communing, will return 
 into your own bosom, bearing blessing to you. All 
 your humbling thoughts of yourself — all your good 
 resolutions — all your devoted love to the Saviour — all 
 your submission to the godly mictions of the Spirit- — 
 all your honest though oft-times painfid application of 
 the word — that heart-piercing sword of the Spirit un- 
 sparingly severing sin from 3^our soul — all these, the 
 proofs of anew and living principle — shall aid you in 
 working out your salvation, though with fear and 
 trembling. Your good and gracious God, the mer- 
 ciful Being, who, knowing all things, knoweth also 
 your infirmities, and hath compassion on them, will 
 accept, for Jesus' sake, the outpourings of a humble 
 and contrite spirit ; will, in power and mercy, conduct 
 you safe through the grave and gate of death, to your 
 
Self-Examination. 
 
 23 
 
 joyful resurrection ; and finally receive you to his 
 favour. Angels shall then raise their song of praise, 
 as they welcome you to their company, and proclaim 
 to the blissful choir of heaven — Behold ! one par- 
 doned sinner more. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 SELF-EXAMINATION. 
 
 Having thus far continued your meditations, and 
 found by serious communing wdth God and your own 
 heart, the truth of the Divine word, that whom the 
 Lord loveth He chasteneth — you will wisely persevere 
 in this profitable work ; and since sickness still with- 
 draws you from the business and pleasures of the 
 w^orld, more and more closely examine your past life. 
 As w^e become practised in the exercise of self-ex- 
 amination, it is wonderful to observe, how much more 
 skilfully W'C detect latent errors in our conduct, and 
 perceive secret faults, which beforetime were either 
 altogether overlooked by us, or considered too trifling 
 for our notice. And as we draw nearer to that tri- 
 bunal, where the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed, 
 — where so severe will be the scrutiny of the Judge, 
 that ^*'for every idle word^^ He will judge his crea- 
 tures ^, — our view^s undergo a further change ; we 
 begin to judge ourselves on many points, where before 
 w^e considered ourselves faultless ; we scrutinize our 
 thoughts as well as words, and in the undisturbed 
 calm of sickness become impartial judges. 
 
 Such is your case. You rejoice, perhaps — and you 
 reasonably may rejoice — that you w^ere never guilty 
 of the grosser sins v/hich sometimes, alas ! disgrace 
 those called by the name of Christ. You have not 
 
 1 Matt. xii. 30. " But I say unto you, That exery Idle word that 
 men shall speak, they shall (jive account thereof m the day of judg- 
 ment." 
 
24 
 
 Self-Examination. 
 
 been a drunkard or a swearer ; you have been neither 
 profligate nor dishonest. The vices to which such 
 yield themselves you have ever abhorred. Happy for 
 you that in these things you have a conscience void of 
 offence ! But you are well aware it is not enough 
 merely to avoid what is sinful. You must not only 
 
 cease to do evil/^ you must "learn to do well.^^ 
 There must not only be abstinence from vice — there 
 must be the practice of virtue. There must be no 
 neglect of duties enjoined — no forgetfulness God! 
 God must be in all our w^ays, and in all our thoughts^ 
 if we would be at peace with Him. The same Divine 
 word which deters you from the commission of wilful 
 sin, commands and invites you to active hohness; 
 bids you lead a life of watchfulness and prayer ; warn- 
 ing you in most awful terms — distinct as awful — that 
 neglect of duty, where the knowledge of it is re- 
 vealed, shares the condemnation which awaits actual 
 sin : " The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all 
 the people that forget God^ 
 
 This is a very important consideration for each of 
 us. You must feel it to be so for yourself. In the 
 many wakeful hours which you have experienced on 
 your sick-bed — in the stillness of night, when not a 
 sound, perhaps, has caught your ear, save the wind, as 
 it swept by — emblem of the Spirit which searcheth 
 your heart by its unseen but sure influence ^ — in those 
 hours of solemn stillness, this thought may have come 
 across you, and struck sadness into your soul ; for 
 who hath not sometimes/or^o//e^^ his God — who hath 
 not been sometimes unmindful of his gracious pre- 
 sence, his power, his mercy, and his love ? 
 
 You have, then^ confessed to your own heart — "Alas, 
 it is too true, that I have often and often forgotten 
 my God: and though by so doing I seem not to have 
 harmed other people, I have done harm to myself, by 
 forgetting what I ought to have been to Him, and 
 
 1 Ps. ix. 17. 
 
 2 Jolin iii. 8. 
 
Self-Examinatio7i, 
 
 25 
 
 He fain would have been to me ! Whilst He^ year by- 
 year, has been long-suffering and gracious^ offering 
 me reconciliation and fatherly care, I have disre- 
 garded Him as if He were not my preserver here : as 
 if He were not to be my judge hereafter. And, alas ! 
 I now shame to think how long I injured the cause 
 of his Gospel, by withholding the honour due unto 
 his name publicly before men. T forgot^ or acted 
 as if I forgot, his word — his Sabbaths — his Sacra- 
 ments. I must confess, it would grieve me that a 
 friend so forgot me ; especially if I had done him 
 service, and been his benefactor, daily conferring 
 kindness upon him. Yet my heavenly Benefactor, 
 who is ready to ^ call me friend^ ^ and ^pour his 
 benefits upon meV has hitherto experienced from 
 me the basest ingratitude. Oh ! now I feel what it 
 is to have a fallen sinful nature — now I feel myself 
 wTctched in my sin ! There is indeed no health in 
 me. Now all my thought is, ' Lord, be merciful to 
 me a sinner.^ O Lord ! grant me pardon for the 
 past, and grace for the time to come ; that both in 
 health and in sickness, I may remember Thee ; my 
 unwearied Benefactor, my heavenly Friend, my 
 Saviour, and my God/^ 
 
 Thus it is that we can judge with sufficient clearness, 
 when we place ourselves in the situation of another. 
 We know what we expect of other men ; and we allow, 
 that to neglect a friend till some strong necessity drives 
 us in very selfishness to seek his counsel or assist- 
 ance, argues no enviable disposition ; whilst we look 
 with pity, bordering on contempt, upon the feelings of 
 shame which must overpower a man who becomes a 
 supplicant to one whom he has treated with neglect 
 and dishonour. Yet is not this, in point of fact, the 
 
 ^ John XV. 15. "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the 
 servant knoweth not what his lord doeth : but I have called you 
 friends ; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made 
 known unto you." 
 2 Ps. Ixviii. 19. 
 
 [264] C 
 
 / 
 
26 
 
 Self-Examination, 
 
 very case with every man who neglects God in the 
 season of health and prosperity ; and turns to Him only 
 when sickness, sorrow, or approaching death convince 
 him that the world can give no refuge, that he has 
 none else to flee to — none else to succour him ? It is 
 a fearful risk to neglect God, till we must seek Him ; 
 and an awful presumption, to take for granted that He 
 whom for long years we heive neglected, wilV become 
 our friend, only when we can find no other to help us. 
 True ; the Gospel encourages us to seek Him, even 
 at the eleventh hour — But oh ! the daring of mortal 
 man, to presume upon being spared to that hour ! 
 
 These observations are made, not to discourage you : 
 God forbid ! My object is, to place before you more 
 strongly the mercy of God, in thus affording you 
 opportunity, in a season of sickness, of seeking Him 
 while He maybe found — to make you feel more power- 
 fully the blessed truth, that " whom the Lord loveth 
 he chasteneth,^^ — to show in strongercontrast the mer- 
 cies of an offended God, and the unworthiness of his 
 offending creatures — and to point to our own hearts 
 individually, the just but mortifying confession of the 
 prophet, that though to the Lord belong mercies and 
 forgiveness " to us belongeth confusion of face 
 The best of the servants of God, when they thus search 
 their hearts diligently, examine them thoroughly, and 
 compare what they have done, with w^hat they ought 
 not to have done, and w^hat they have left undone, 
 with what they ought to have done, will rise up 
 from their self-examination with the lowly avowal of 
 the Psalmist, my confusion is daily before me ; and 
 the shame of my face hath covered me 
 
 1 Dan. ix. 7- J). 
 
 2 Ps, xliv. 15. 
 
27 
 
 CHAPTER VIIL 
 
 SELF-EXAMINATION. 
 
 Reader ! perhaps thou art one whom the Providence 
 of God hath placed in a higher sphere than the gene- 
 rality of thy fellow-creatures. Thou hast honour^ 
 wealthy and learning. Art thou too in affliction ? Hath 
 sorrow found out thee ? All the defences which the 
 world threw around thee^ have they failed to ward off 
 misery ? The fountain of health hath ceased to flow ; 
 sudden injury hath cut down thy strength ; disappoint- 
 ment has foiled thy well-laid schemes of ambition. — 
 Come now, and withdraw from the v/orld which hath 
 wounded thee, commune with thine own heart, and 
 in thy chamber, and be stilL^^ Hitherto, perhaps, your 
 course of life may have been such as justly to obtain 
 the meed of praise from your fellow-creatures ; you 
 have been disinterested in your benevolence ; ready to 
 give counsel ; upright and honourable in your deal- 
 ings, avoiding the meaner motives of action which 
 weigh with lower minds. Still you may as yet have 
 lived to this world only. If so, turn from an object 
 so unworthy to engross your thoughts and affections. 
 Direct your views higher — even to your own ever- 
 lasting welfare in a better and eternal world. Ask 
 your heart, " Am I prepared for that world ? am I 
 prepared to meet my God at the bar of judgment?" 
 Fairly "judge yourself, that you be not judged of the 
 Lord." Conduct this self-examination in that spirit 
 of candour which always marked your dealings with 
 your fellow-creatures. Resort to no subterfuge to 
 avoid self-condemnation. Let your wonted love of 
 truth and honour influence you in your dealings with 
 God and your soul. Follow the example of the royal 
 Psalmist. He, in the season of his distress, turned 
 away, as I would now earnestly and affectionately 
 c 2 
 
28 
 
 Self-Examination. 
 
 entreat you to turn^ from the world which had failed 
 to succour him ; he sought, as I pray you now to seek, 
 his God ; and this was his anxious and unreserved 
 prayer for Divine aid to help him in the w^ork of self- 
 examination — " Try me, O God, and examine my 
 thoughts : see if there be any way of wickedness in 
 me, and lead me in the way everlasting The peni- 
 tent^s sincerity who could doubt, when he prayed for 
 the heart-searching influence of the Spirit of God, to 
 find out the lurking evil of his soul ? and who shall 
 doubt the extended mercy of Him to whom that 
 humble prayer ascended ? 
 
 Not that the advantages of a high station are to be 
 despised. Both riches and honour come of Thee^ O 
 God ^^^y bestowed upon the individual, 
 
 that he may use them to advance the glory of the 
 Giver, and the welfare of mankind. Yet such is the 
 weighty responsibility attached to their use, that they 
 are never to be coveted. Besides which, even with 
 respect to this w^orld, the value of these advantages 
 has its limits. Beyond the grave they profit not. 
 Nay, they cannot profit even on a bed of sickness : 
 they give neither rest to the weary, nor sleep to the 
 wakeful — they can neither mitigate pain, nor add one 
 hour to the closing scene of life. You can yourself, 
 sick and weary, testify to this truth. Pause then, 
 whilst life remains ; and, ere the darkness of death 
 overshadow thee, apply all the faculties with which 
 God hath blessed thee, all the varied learning which 
 opportunity hath enabled thee to acquire — apply them 
 to the highest concern which ever yet hath engaged 
 thy thoughts : direct them all to secure, by the ap- 
 pointed means, the eternal welfare of thy soul. Let 
 me again remind you, that yours is a heavy responsi- 
 bility, in rendering up your account. Riches, and 
 honour, and power, and influence, are precious talents 
 committed to your care, which must all give their in- 
 
 1 Ps. cxxxix. 23, 24. 
 
 2 1 Chron. xxix. 12. 
 
Self-Examination. 
 
 29 
 
 crease — must severally be used to the glory of the 
 Giver of them, and to the welfare of his creatures. 
 
 In what manner you should prepare to meet this 
 responsibility you cannot be ignorant ; unless the 
 ignorance be wilful : for you know what you expect 
 from those who are responsible to you. 
 
 Or are you conscious of shis committed, and unre- 
 pented of? As you lie on your bed of sickness, and 
 ponder these things, does conscience tell you that you 
 have not, even as a moral agent, employed your ad- 
 vantages as you ought ? If such should be the case — 
 if memory reveals not only wasted opportunities of 
 leading a holy life to the honour of God, the good of 
 your fellow-creatures, and your own eternal welfare ; 
 but activity in sinful courses : if, amid the temptations 
 of prosperity, j^ou lived for this present evil world, 
 the slave of your passions, and the victim of your 
 lusts ; revelling as though there were no punishment 
 for the wicked, and scoffing as if there were no reward 
 for the righteous : if, so long as you could escape the 
 reproach of men, you cared not for the anger of God : 
 blind to the future world opening upon you, and the 
 future reckoning awaiting you — Noiv repent ! Noiu 
 is the fit season — even the blessed season of thy sick- 
 ness ! Commune w ith thine heart ! Heed the Apos- 
 tle's question — searching as unwelcome — What fruit 
 hadst thou theii^ in those things whereof thou art now 
 ashamed^?" The fruit then was bitter, and the sin 
 is remembered noiv with shame and sorrow. All is 
 changed. This world is fast fading from your view ; 
 the next, with all its awful realities, is opening upon 
 you, increasing its terrors indeed as you remember 
 your sins ; but also expanding its joys, as you repent, 
 and believe, and return unto the Lord your God. 
 Your weeping, and penitence, and prayer will be 
 graciously heard. Having your pardon sealed by the 
 Spirit of grace, you w ill be enabled to embrace and 
 
 1 See Note, p. 20. 
 
 c 3 
 
30 
 
 Self- E anamination . 
 
 hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life set before 
 you in that Saviour Christ Jesus^ who came not to call 
 the righteous^ but sinners to repentance. Yours is no 
 vain hope : " there is joy in the presence of the angels 
 of God over one sinner that repenteth/^ How earn- 
 estly, methinks, does your prayer of penitence rise 
 to the throne of mercy, that for you also they may 
 rejoice, when the gates of heaven shall open for you. 
 Yours is now the grateful avowal of the humbled 
 king of Israel: Before I was in trouble I went 
 wrong, but now have I known thy word,'^ 
 
 As with others in the time of sickness, so it maybe 
 with you. Of the various offences against God which 
 present themselves to yourremembrance, perhaps none 
 appear more glaring than your neglect of the word of 
 God : because to that neglect you also attribute much 
 of the irreligion which formerly marked your conduct, 
 and of which you so heartily repent. Nor is it less 
 strange than wicked, that one skilled in all learning, 
 and with abilities to appreciate whatever excellence 
 the pen of wisdom might indite, should neglect the 
 wonders of that word, till sorrow, sickness, and ap- 
 proaching death terrify him to his duty ; should neither 
 search its records, nor examine its doctrines, nor con- 
 sider that the Bible is in fact the voice of the Creator 
 speaking to his creatures — the holy converse of the 
 invisible, eternal God with the forfeit souls of men — 
 itself the fountain of all wisdom. 
 
 Surely, if ever there was a period in the history of 
 Christianity, when they, to whom are afforded oppor- 
 tunities of cultivating their intellectual pov/ers, must 
 be conscious of a glaring and open violation of a 
 bounden duty in neglecting the word of God — it is in 
 these days ; days marked by an extension of human 
 learning, and a facility in acquiring it, altogether un- 
 paralleled. The experience of the past warns us, 
 that as scientific attainments become general, there is 
 too much ground to fear lest intellectual pride should 
 elevate itself ; and reason should delight to array itself 
 
Self-Examination. 
 
 31 
 
 against revelation \ Who sees not^ then, that in 
 proportion as human learning is extended, so Divine 
 wisdom claims the closer regard ? " The wisdom of 
 the world/^ when it stands alone^ " Is foolishness with 
 God/^ and brings ruin to its votaries by fostering an 
 intellectual pride, which is an especial offence to the 
 majesty of the Most High. If man fancies his own 
 reason a sufficient guide, and trusts to human learning 
 for counsel whereby to guide his ways, either with in- 
 tegrity before men, or holiness before God, he raises 
 in his heart a Babel-tower, whose end is confusion ^. 
 
 To this truth you can yourself bear testimony. 
 Your heart allows, that disregard of the Divine law was 
 your first step to misery. Had you read and studied 
 the Bible, and applied it to your heart and conduct, 
 with prayer for Divine grace to aid your endeavours, 
 you had been blessed in your deed. Those pages of 
 Divine wisdom would have sanctified your human 
 learning, by teaching its true application ; would have 
 meliorated your heart, by inculcating humility ; would 
 have shown you the value of your soul, and of the 
 salvation wrought for it by the Gospel ; and whilst it 
 purified your affections, would have gladdened your 
 spirit, by leading you to the bright hopes of another 
 and a better world ; where he alone will be found to 
 have gained true wisdom, who shall be found " wise 
 unto salvation.^^ 
 
 ^ There is a wisdom which " desceiideth not from abore.^^ 
 2 The principle upon which these observations are founded, is too 
 clear to be a matter of doubt. 
 
 What was man's original offence ? Was it not the proud wish to be 
 wise above that which was revealed ? Ye shall be as gods," said 
 the serpent to our first parents, " knowing good and evil." And what 
 form has worldly pride now assumed in this land ? iVo^ the pride of 
 wealth — that would lead to a different result ; would be productive of 
 carefulness to preserve in quiet, what industry had procured in an 
 honest calling. Nor is it the pride of ancestry — that is wont, let us 
 hope, to be the spring of noble feeling and honourable conduct. It is 
 the pride of intellect — striving to supersede, as a guide through this 
 life to the next, the word of God, and the Spirit of God. 
 
 c 4 
 
32 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE BIBLE. 
 
 Your attention being awakened to your spiritual 
 and eternal interests, and your conviction strong, that 
 they who would live hereafter in happiness as servants 
 of God, must live here in holiness, and begin upon 
 earth that service of praise which will constitute the 
 bliss of heaven you readily turn for guidance and 
 instruction, for counsel and comfort to that holy book, 
 the word of God, your past neglect of which is remem- 
 bered with a shame, proportionate to the humble and 
 teachable spirit with which you now open its welcome 
 page. In reading and studying its glad tidings you 
 rejoice. It affords the most cheering encouragement 
 to the fainting spirit of penitence ; the surest support 
 to the weak-hearted ; and to all, it holds forth the 
 promise of pardon, peace, and glory. There, Almighty 
 God, your heavenly Father, speaks to you as clearly 
 as though you heard his voice from heaven. As a 
 parent may be said to speak to his absent children, 
 when he makes known to them his wishes, or conveys 
 to them the expression of his love by letter — the 
 written declaration of his sentiments, making the 
 absent present; so the Bible, which is the written 
 word of God, makes present to man upon earth, the 
 majesty of Him who reigneth in heaven. 
 
 This your blessed change of feeling is followed by 
 a clear understanding of the value of the Holy 
 
 ^ Rev. vii. 14, 15. " These are they which came out of great tri- 
 bulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the 
 blood of the Lamb. 
 
 "Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day 
 and night in his temple ; and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell 
 among them." 
 
The Bible. 
 
 33 
 
 Scriptures. You wonder at yourself in having neg- 
 lected a treasure so precious. And this wonder is in- 
 creased^ when you further consider, that by neglecting 
 the Bible, you not only offend the great Being, whose 
 word and will it contains, but neglect your own 
 highest interests. What does the Bible contain ? even 
 our title to heaven ^ : preserved from age to age by so 
 evident a care of Divine Providence, that its preserva- 
 tion alone, were all other testimony wanting, forms a 
 powerful and convincing evidence of the truth. In 
 worldly matters, when a man has, or thinks he has, a 
 title or claim to an inheritance, he spares no pains to 
 assure to himself the possession of it. He examines the 
 title-deeds, either by himself, or by some other who 
 may understand the writings better than he does. He 
 ascertains that they are duly sealed, and in every way 
 safe. Moreover, if there be any conditions annexed 
 to the possession of the inheritance, however trivial in 
 themselves those conditions may be ; however peculiar 
 their nature; however precisely and punctually re- 
 quired ; he carefully observes them. At the appointed 
 day and hour he fulfils the conditions, and presents 
 the required offering — in itself perhaps of no value or 
 
 ' This mode of representing the renewed state of man by grace, is 
 frequently resorted to by the sacred writers ; especially by St. Paul. 
 That Apostle appears to delight in the comparison, as strikingly illus- 
 trative of the doctrine he preaches. He speaks of the kingdom of 
 glory as an inheritance, which the faithful are to share, being " heirs 
 of God, and joint heirs with Christ and he gives us the comforting 
 hope, that in the same Saviour, whose inheritance we share, we are 
 also " sealed by that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our 
 inheritance :" the sealed covenant whereby we hold our title. Eph. 
 i. 13. 
 
 " Our Church adopts the same figure of speech ; and instructing 
 the young Christian in the nature of his baptismal covenant, she thus 
 comprehends the benefits of it. He is thereby made "a member of 
 Christ, a child of God, and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven " — 
 terms grounded upon the apostolic enumeration of the blessings of the 
 Christian Covenant. So, when the Colossians are exhorted to be 
 "fruitful in every good work — giving thanks unto the Father," the 
 Apostle adds, as a ground for this grateful obedience, the encouraging 
 assurance, that the same Almighty Being had made tliem "meet to 
 be partakers of the inheritance of tlie saints iu light.'' Col, i. 12. 
 
34 
 
 The Bible. 
 
 importance, but indispensable as a token of the cove- 
 nant whereby the inheritance is held, and by failure 
 in observing which, the inheritance is forfeited. 
 
 Shall the children of this world be ever wiser in 
 their generation than the children of light ? Shall a 
 man be wise to secure an earthly inheritance, and not 
 be wise to secure an inheritance in heaven ? Shall he 
 use all diligence, compass sea and land to attain a pos- 
 session which, when gained, brings with it always 
 heavy responsibility, often much care, and sometimes 
 much sorrow ; and which, after all his anxious toil, 
 he must leave behind him when he dies • and shall the 
 same individual take no heed for a possession, which 
 is not only free from anxiety, and care, and sorrow ; 
 but which defies the possibility of a change — a pos- 
 session, eternal in the heavens? Shall he not deign 
 even to look at the records which contain his title to 
 it? Shall he cast them from him as of no worth ? and 
 all perhaps because the conditions require a suit and 
 service, to w^hich human passions wdll not bend 
 themselves. 
 
 How heartily I rejoice that your heart now echoes 
 these sentiments ! that when you open the sacred 
 volume in w^hich sickness and sorrow have,by a blessed 
 constraint, led you to seek comfort, you say to your- 
 self wdth the enviable feelings of a reconciled child of 
 God — Here is my title to heaven, through my all- 
 prevailing Saviour. Here is the record of my inhe- 
 ritance as a joint heir with Christ of a heavenly king- 
 dom. My title is written in letters of living light — 
 confirmed by the solemn word of Jehovah, and sealed 
 with the blood of the Holy One and the Just. Oh ! 
 that I should so long have kept the record closed 1 
 God be merciful to me a sinner ! 
 
 And He will be merciful. Turn yourselves, and 
 live ye,^^ is his command to the careless souls. Thou 
 hast turned; therefore He will give thee life. His 
 Spirit will, day by day, renew the powder of grace in 
 your heart. It is by his grace that you are at length 
 
The Bible. 
 
 35 
 
 enabled to find his presence your delight, and his 
 voice your joy. The Book whereby that voice speaks 
 and that presence is manifested, is your daily comfort 
 and support. You are a living proof of its power to 
 detect sins, negligences, and ignorances ; of its power 
 to bind up and heal the broken-hearted by its promises 
 of pardon ; of its power to lead men safely and surely 
 into the path of life eternal. You can now tell others 
 that there is scarcely an evil in your past life, against 
 which the Bible, had you followed its precepts, would 
 not have guarded you ; and that in this^ your heavy 
 affliction^ it is a rod and a staff to comfort you. 
 
 Nor need you doubt but that such it will be to you, 
 even to the end. The best and the wdsest have found 
 it their stay in the hour of peril and of death. 
 Martyrs have borne it w^ith them to the torments 
 which awaited them ; and have so been sustained to 
 meet their doom without a murmur. To them, amid 
 the flames by which their bodies were consumed, it was 
 as the angel of the covenant with the three sons of 
 Israel in the burning furnace — the form of whom 
 w^as like the Son of God. It was as the voice of 
 a very-present God'^ — ^^I am with you alway^ even 
 unto the end of the world.^^ 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE BIBLE. 
 
 Come now, and let us meditate still further on this 
 wondrous record of God^s will. The Bible, if it 
 speak to the heart of the unlearned, speaks not less 
 pow^erfully to the understanding of the learned. If all 
 the leading truths, whereby erring man is conducted 
 to the way of life eternal, be so plainly stated, that 
 the simplest minds may apprehend the teaching of the 
 Most High ; so the sublime doctrines which it pro- 
 mulgates, and the varied testimony on wdiich faith in 
 c 6 
 
36 
 
 The Bible. 
 
 those doctrines rest, afford the noblest exercise of the 
 intellectual powers. Nor can human learning have a 
 more glorious application of its skill, than to measure 
 "the breadth, and length, and depth, and height^^ of 
 that Gospel of mercy which, though off'ered especially 
 to the poor^ in station as in spirit, is to the rich man 
 his best treasure— to the great man, his highest honour 
 — to the learned (as to you perhaps), his truest wis- 
 dom. Bring your learning to bear upon its pages. 
 All w^hich the Gospel asks of the doubter, the sceptic, 
 and the infidel, is, that they would search the Scrip- 
 tures, whether these things be so\'^ Sound learning, 
 if it begin the inquiry with doubt, will end it with 
 conviction. The keener the. criticism applied to the 
 Holy Scriptures, the more brightly is the truth eli- 
 cited. Inquiry is triumph^ 
 
 ^ If tliou seek wisdom as silver, and searchest for her as for hid 
 treasures ; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find 
 the knowledge of God." Pro v. ii. 4, 5. 
 
 2 It should never excite our surprise, that some passages in Holy 
 Writ present themselves to us witli a certain degree of ambiguity of 
 expression, which renders them " hard to be understood," by the un- 
 learned. We find that so great is the difference which exists in 
 different minds, so different the view they severally take of the same 
 subject, and so imperfect is language as the appointed medium af 
 conveying ideas between them, that even in the common affairs of life 
 there is frequently much difficulty in clearly understanding the exact 
 purport of expressions and words. How much must this difficulty be 
 increased when the same imperfect medium is used to convey the 
 knowledge of spiritual and eternal things to the capacities of a finite 
 being like man ? For though the Holy Scri[)tures were written under 
 the immediate inspiration and guidance of the Holy Ghost, yet the 
 writers were left to the free use of their own natural faculties and 
 powers, and expressed themselves, every one after his own peculiar 
 manner and habit. Their minds, indeed, were preserved from error, 
 but, as the different styles of the different writers prove, each recorded 
 the truth in his own particular language. 
 
 Holy Scripture, however, is beautifully clear in all which relates 
 to life and conduct. Nor, indeed, are the few difficulties which occur 
 on other points without their important uses. They promote humility, 
 by making us feel how unapproachable by a finite creature is the in- 
 finite majesty of the Creator — they excite our industry in searching 
 the Scriptures, and so stir up our desire after added knowledge, that 
 '^we exercise ourselves in the law of God day and night." Ps. i. 2. 
 If every page were equally plain, attention might flag, and the mind, 
 
The Bible. 
 
 o7 
 
 In this your sickness, then, apply your learning to 
 the sacred volume, and you will find treasure which 
 fadeth not, and wisdom which deceiveth not. Let 
 prayer accompany your study. Love the law of God ; 
 you will soon understand his word, and will find in 
 your own case, what experience has ever shown in 
 the case of others, that in proportion as a good man 
 brings high attainments, and a well-cultivated mind^ 
 to the study of the Divine oracles, he the more sin- 
 cerely values them, and the more justly appreciates 
 them. 
 
 The Bible may well claim this acknowledgment 
 of its superiority — this testimony to its unparalleled 
 excellencies. Its pages present to us the earliest his- 
 torical records in existence, and comprehend the most 
 important periods of time, since the creation of the 
 world. We there find the fate of empires and of in- 
 dividuals to have been so ordered by the constant 
 superintendence of an all-seeing and all-ruling Provi- 
 dence, that they have directly, or indirectly, borne 
 ample testimony to Him, as the supreme moral Go- 
 vernor of the universe He created. We there find 
 exhibited clearly the care and provident wisdom, 
 whereby the knowledge of the true religion was pre- 
 served through ages of ignorance, and the worship of 
 false gods; we discern the light shining amid the 
 darkness, with contracted ray indeed — but with sure 
 guidance — Jehovah never leaving Himself without 
 witness. There we may learn the first intimation of a 
 Redeemer for a lost world ; and there the awful subject 
 
 no longer carried higher and higher, as it now is, towards the unat- 
 tainable knowledge of the true God, as He is, might make to itself 
 other gods, and at last sink to the worship of its own created reason. 
 Whereas now, whilst the faith of the lowly finds in the clear and 
 simple passages of the word of God, truths so wise, so strong, so bright, 
 that leaving to others whatever of difficulties may be found, it has 
 only for itself to receive the truth with gladness ; the faith of the wise 
 and learned is kept continually alive by finding always some new 
 gleams of truth, some fresh motive for patience, some brighter ray of 
 hope, some accumulating evidence of the truth as it is in Jesus. 
 1 John vii. 17. 
 
38 
 
 The Bible. 
 
 of man^s corrupt nature — a truth felt by every man, 
 but to be apprehended by no human wisdom, is opened 
 and explained to us. More blessed still ; there also 
 the mode in which this corrupt nature may be rege- 
 nerated, is from the beginning made known to us. 
 The mystery of an incarnate God, whom prophets 
 during successive ages were inspired to foretel — 
 whom angels, at his advent, welcomed to earth — 
 and who lived and died, and rose again for man — is 
 there fully revealed. Fallen man's restoration to his 
 former state is there assured, through the atonement 
 of the promised Redeemer — and the imperfections of 
 his own spirit as a child of Adam, amply compensated 
 by the strength of the Spirit from on high, vouchsafed 
 to him as a child of God. And not only are the great 
 doctrines of a common Preserver, Redeemer, and 
 Sanctifier declared to all men, without respect of 
 persons,'' but with those sublime truths are mingled 
 rules of wdsdom for directing men in their daily duty 
 to God, their fellow-creatures, and themselves ; and 
 whilst every hope of future happiness is referred 
 solely to God's undeserved mercy, through the grace 
 which is by Christ Jesus, a fulfilment of the duties of 
 this life is made one of the conditions of our attaining 
 the happiness of the next : and in the sacred volume, 
 as now read, in your hours of sickness and solitude, 
 undisturbed by the bustle of the world, you discern, 
 with a new mind, its power to instruct ''every man 
 that cometh into the world^;" high and low, one with 
 another : and this instruction, though its primary ob- 
 ject be to fit us for the enjoyment of a future world of 
 glory, fits us also individually and collectively for this 
 present world of trial. It is indeed in further proof 
 of the gracious superintending care of God over each 
 individual, that not only are general principles of 
 action laid down for mankind universally — every man 
 to do unto others as he would that others should do 
 
 1 John i. 9. 
 
The Bible. 
 
 39 
 
 unto him'; thereby giving a rule, which, if universally 
 followed, would promote universal " peace on earth, 
 good- will towards men;^^ — but with a view to our 
 welfare in civil and social life, rules of conduct ap- 
 plicable to each of us individually, whatever be our 
 several differences in station, age, or circumstances, 
 are laid down with a fulness of purpose, and a clear- 
 ness of object, which both evidences the Divine care 
 for the welfare of society, and sanctifies a conscien- 
 tious discharge of its duties. Thus, husband and 
 wife, parent and child, master and servant, kings, 
 and all in authority under them, men of all ranks, and 
 degrees, and ages, find in the Bible sure precepts to 
 direct them unto the way of a godly and a righteous 
 life; the principle oi responsibility to God accompany- 
 ing every precept, which in itself might seem to have 
 respect only to our fellow- creatures. Husbands ^ love 
 your wdves, even as Christ also loved the Church'^. 
 
 Wives^ submit yourselves unto your own husbands, 
 as unto the Lord^,^^ Fathers^ bring up your chil- 
 dren in the nurture and admonition of the Lord 
 
 Childy^en^ obey your parents, in the Lord.^^ " Mas- 
 ters^ give unto your servants that which is just and 
 equal ; knowing that ye also have a Master in hea- 
 ven^. Servants, be subject to your masters with all 
 fear.^^ " Exhort servants to be obedient to their own 
 masters, and to please them well in all things ; not 
 answering again ; not purloining, but showing all 
 good fidelity ; that they may adorn the doctrine of 
 God their Saviour in all things 
 
 Nor are the relative duties of public life guarded 
 wdth less watchful care. Whosoever beareth rule is 
 warned, ^^Thou shalt not respect persons in judg- 
 ment ; but thou shalt hear the small as well as the 
 
 1 Matt. vii. 12. 2 Epb. v. 25. 3 Eph. v. 22. 
 
 4Eph. vi. 4. ^ 5Col. iv. 1. 
 
 ® Tit. ii. 9, 10. St. Paul studiously impresses upon Timothy also, 
 the necessity of inculcating due respect and special honour from 
 Christian servants to Christian masters. 1 Tim. vi. 2. 
 
40 
 
 The Bible. 
 
 great; thou shalt not be afraid of the face of man, for 
 the judgment is God^s\^^ He that ruleth over men 
 must be just, ruling in the fear of God^^^ To kings, 
 as nursing-fathers of their people — or children ; — for 
 a good king is a father to his people — the command 
 to search for wisdom is as imperative, as the promise 
 of blessing upon obedience is sure. " When the king 
 sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, the book of 
 the law of God shall be with him ; and he shall read 
 therein all the days of his life, that he may prolong 
 his days in his kingdom — he and his children^. In 
 like manner the people are taught, "to be subject to 
 principalities and powers ; to obey magistrates*;^^ "to 
 honour the king^;^^ " to fear the Lord and the Kim/^ 
 and to meddle not with them that are given to 
 change ^;^^ — so utterly is God^s word against those, 
 who, in a spirit of discontent, " are presumptuous and 
 self-willed, and despise government, and are not afraid 
 to speak evil of dignities Indeed, we must trace 
 to this Divine authority on which our laws rest, that 
 inward reverence towards them, by which, in fact, so- 
 ciety is guarded ; for they who transgress human laws, 
 are found chiefly among those who have first cast from 
 them all sense of responsibility to the laws of God. 
 
 Thus even " the men of this world^^— those who 
 unhappily may not yet have been brought to a truly 
 religious life — have no weak motive for regarding the 
 Holy Scriptures with a reverence, which one might 
 fairly think would lead to the study of them. 
 
 Are men called to obey ? Their duty becomes light. 
 They learn from those oracles of truth, that obedience 
 to the laws of man is so closely linked with obedience 
 to the laws of God, that no casuistry can separate the 
 obhgation which binds them to obey both^ and thus 
 
 1 Deut. i. 17. 2 2 Sam. xxiii. 3. ^ Deut. xvii. 18, 19. 
 
 * Tit. iii. 1. M Pet. ii. I7. 
 6 Prov. xxiv. 21. ^ 2 Pet. ii. 10. 
 
 * Matt. xxii. 39. " The second comraaudraent is like unto it~Tliou 
 shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." 
 
The Bible. 
 
 41 
 
 the pride which might scornfully refuse to yield upon 
 mere human authority, should find no difficulty in 
 bending itself to the will of the Supreme. 
 
 Are men called to legislate and bear rule ? It would 
 seem that they should the more gratefully receive the 
 word of the Almighty as an inestimable gift, whereby 
 they find their own authority sustained by motives, 
 which are as far above all human influence, as heaven 
 is higher than earth ; motives, whereby alone, order 
 and degree — the great bands which hold together 
 society — can be preserved. Nay, since the higher be 
 the station in life, the greater are its difficulties, and 
 the more weighty its responsibility, the mighty of the 
 earth have the more need of that wisdom which alone 
 can give sure guidance through those difficulties, and 
 sure counsel to meet that responsibility. Who then is 
 the wise legislator — who the wise ruler — but he who 
 seeks w isdom at the fountain ? who having gained 
 counsel and strength in communion with his God^ 
 is carried safe through all temptations ; and rising far 
 above the low and unworthy motives which too often 
 actuate those who look no further than the interests 
 of this world, legislates for his fellow-creatures as one^ 
 who must at last give account/or them and vnth them. 
 Suppose him, in his high station, tempted to forego 
 principle for expediency ; tempted to win popularity 
 by pandering to the passions of mankind rather than 
 secure fame by controlling them ; and to sacrifice the 
 good of his country, by the dazzling prospect of 
 reaching for himself some higher eminence to which 
 ambition points — suppose him thus tempted, he is 
 armed against the temptation by that wdsdom for which 
 he prayed — a wisdom which is at hand with the moni- 
 tory truth, that for all these things God will call thee 
 to judgment. And what, though the Almighty speaks 
 not to his servants now as to them of old time, by a 
 voice out of heaven, He speaketh to them as clearly 
 by his i^/'or^" which came down from heaven,^^ and 
 which the Spirit, that descended from heaven, stamps 
 
43 
 
 Prayer, 
 
 upon the hearts of the faithful in letters of livdng 
 
 light. 
 
 How infinite the wisdom of our God ! how un- 
 bounded—how gracious his mercy! Behold in the 
 pages of his Word an inexhaustible fountain of wis- 
 dom to all men ; of every station^ and under every 
 variety of circumstances ! Those sacred pages y?/ us 
 for this world — they prepare us for the next. Is it 
 not a fearful thing to reject their counsel and forsake 
 their guidance ? 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 Having learned, from a serious study of the sacred 
 Scriptures, the new relation in which man stands to 
 the Almighty — not only as created by his power, but 
 redeemed by his love, and sanctified by his grace; 
 dependent, therefore, upon Him for all those things 
 w^hich are requisite and necessary, as well for the body 
 as the soul^^ — you will consider that your highest 
 duty and your choicest privilege is Prayer. Duty 
 demands that you avow your dependence ; whilst to 
 exercise the privilege of approaching his presence, 
 whose power, and love, and grace have restored you 
 from your fallen state to the hopes of heaven, would 
 seem the first desire of a soul, alive to the blessing of 
 this new condition. One so blessed is not contented 
 to feel the mercy — he is moved to the ardent zeal of 
 the lame man, of whom we read in the Gospel ; who, 
 finding his strength restored, ^' walked and leaped, 
 and praised God/^ That desire is yours. You are 
 eager to give expression to your entire reliance upon 
 the power of your God to sustain the life He gave — 
 upon his mercy to save the soul He redeemed — upon 
 the influence of his grace, daily to renew the sane- 
 
Prayer, 
 
 43 
 
 tification of which He is the author \ Prayer^ indeed^ 
 containing in itself all the elements of religion, pre- 
 supposes in us a true knowledge of God and of our- 
 selves ; a knowledge of our own wants, and his bounty ; 
 of our nothingness, and his perfections ; of our own 
 vileness, and his all-sufficiency. Why do w-e offer 
 the prayer of penitence ? — but that we know ouy^selves 
 to be sinners^ and God to he faithful in forgiving us 
 our sins ; merciful to pardon, if we truly repent — just 
 to punish, if there be no repentance. Why do we 
 plead for pardon in the name of Jesus ? but that, while 
 we feel and confess our own unworthiness in the sight 
 of our heavenly Father, we know Him to be the only 
 Saviour of a lost world — the sufficient Saviour — the 
 Saviour ever at hand — the risen Saviour — the as- 
 cended Saviour — sitting at the right hand of God, and 
 ever living to make intercession for us. Why do we 
 supplicate grace ? but from a deep conviction of our 
 own innate depravity of heart, and from a knowledge 
 that the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, which is the 
 gift of the Father and his Son Jesus Christ % is the 
 appointed iagent to work with our wills and in our 
 hearts, to the rooting out that depravity, the correct- 
 ing every evil propensity, and abstaining from all ap- 
 pearance of eviP. Why do we implore daily support 
 and protection from on high ? but that w^e know our- 
 selves to be dependent for every moment of our ex- 
 istence on the continued mercy and forbearance of 
 Omnipotence. If the Lord " take away our breath, 
 we die, and are turned again to our earth ^ ! We 
 know also that amid the thousand dangers, seen and 
 unseen, by which we are surrounded, his gracious 
 superintending Providence it is which wards off evil 
 on the right hand and on the left — arming us against 
 the pestilence w^hich walketh in darkness,^^ and the 
 "sickness which destroyeth in the noon-day." He 
 
 ^ There is no truth more strenuously hisisted on by our Church 
 than this, — that the Holy -Ghost is " the Lord and giver of life." 
 2 John xiv. IG. 3 1 Thess. v. 22. * Ps. civ. 29. 
 
44 
 
 Prayer, 
 
 shields our souls from every terror by night, and 
 from the arrow which flieth by day 
 
 Nay, further; even when we open the book of life, 
 and ^^search the Scriptures'^ — prayer to God must ac- 
 company our work ^. We are not able to read for our 
 profit without his blessing. Here too our sufficiency 
 is of Him. We must gain his Holy Spirit to fix our 
 attention with a teachable disposition upon the sacred 
 oracles. Otherwise, we shall vainly hope rightly to 
 understand the wondrous things of his law; value as 
 we ought the good tidings there announced ; boldly 
 apply to our sins his threatenings ; honestly regulate 
 our life and conduct by his precepts ; and animate our 
 repentance by his promises. 
 
 Thus, in our search after Him, who in the natural 
 and the spiritual world ; in things in heaven, and 
 things on earth, is the way, the truth, and the life ; 
 the true and living God; prayer is our only confidence. 
 Not trusting either to the wisdom of our own under- 
 standing, or the resolutions of our own hearts, to keep 
 the right way, we each adopt the noble sentiment of 
 the Psalmist, and pour forth the humble language in 
 which he expresses it — O give Thou me understand- 
 ing in the way of godliness.^' 
 
 True it is, that the Divine honour is not lessened 
 by our failure in worship. Whether men seek God 
 or forsake Him, his majesty is not lowered ; but re- 
 mains ever in the same infinite greatness. Were the 
 myriads who inhabit this globe to withhold their 
 homage — were there here neither voice nor language 
 heard to his honour ; those other worlds which adorn 
 boundless space, would still speak his praise, still 
 declare his power, and evidence his glory. But since 
 
 * Ps. xci. 5. 
 
 2 It was the bold saying of Luther — "To have prayed well, is to 
 have studied well." The acute Bishop Sanderson expresses this 
 tliought admirably — " Study," says he, " without prayer, is atheism ; 
 prayer without study, presumption." Surely, the God who gave to 
 the mind its powers, may well be sought as the Being who is to hless 
 the due and beneficial exercise of them. 
 
Prayer. 
 
 45 
 
 He deigns to assure us^ that He will reward those who 
 obey his laws, and love his commands, and serve 
 Him in true holiness ; honouring his name, and pro- 
 moting his glory, at the same time that they are 
 gaining peace to their souls in life, and hope in death ; 
 it would seem hardly possible for man not to rejoice 
 in a service so reasonable — in a duty so blessed. 
 
 Does it seem strange to you, that prayer is a neces- 
 sary duty, because it is telling our wants unto a Being 
 who knows them more fully than we know them our- 
 selves ; nay, who knows our thoughts long before ? — 
 In the first place, He bids us thus to ask, in token that 
 we «c/moi^/e6/^e ourselves dependent upon Him. Even 
 when, of his free grace, He promised mercy and bless- 
 ing to the house of Israel: ^^I will yet,^^ said He, 
 
 be inquired of by them to do it for them In 
 the next place, the considerate heart feels, and grate- 
 full}^ owns, that the duty is enjoined for man^s benefit. 
 When we pray, there is a pause, at least, in our career 
 of sin, and of worldliness ; of danger and of sorrow. 
 Our thoughts are turned inward. We feel our wants, 
 and we feel our inability to supply them. The soul, 
 by this contemplation of its own weakness, becomes 
 humbled — by the approach to the throne of grace 
 purified — and by faith in the presence of Divine aid, 
 strengthened against the evil of this world, and pre- 
 pared for another and a better. Prayer being thus a 
 divinely-appointed duty as well as a high and gracious 
 privilege, it is difficult to imagine by what sophistry 
 persons of reasonable and intelligent minds can de- 
 lude themselves to live in the neglect of it : forsaking 
 the assembling themselves together, and forgetting 
 that if " God is greatly to be feared in the assembly 
 of the saints,^^ and to be " had in reverence of all them 
 that are round about him^^^ — if even in the place 
 where He hath appointed the mercy-seat, they who 
 approach Him must draw near with great fear and 
 
 Ezek. XXXV i. 37. 
 
 2 Ps. Ixxxix. 7. 
 
46 Prayer. 
 
 reverence — how will fear be turned into terror, and 
 reverence into dismay, when they who despise his 
 mercy, and will none of his counsel here, shall be 
 summoned to appear hereafter at his judgment-seat ! 
 when his voice will no longer be the call of mercy, 
 but the voice of offended justice, pronouncing the 
 sentence — the irreversible sentence upon the wicked 
 — "Depart from me, I never knew you 
 
 How much wiser is the humble worshipper, who 
 not for a moment supposing there is either virtue in 
 itself, or benefit to God, in offering holy worship, 
 yet delights in the services of prayer and praise. It 
 is his part not to hide his " righteousness within his 
 heart/^ He boweth before the Lord his Maker, in 
 outward token of obedience — not backward to evi- 
 dence publicly the devotion he feels inwardly — not 
 ashamed to confess before men that lowly Saviour, 
 by faith in whom he lives — not impatient of that obe- 
 dience, which, though in itself valueless, becomes of 
 higher price than all the world could purchase, when 
 made the condition on which rests the gift of the 
 grace of God ; even our salvation by Christ Jesus. 
 
 Prayer, then, being alike our duty and our pri- 
 vilege, uniting us to our God, I would avail myself of 
 the present season, when sickness gives you oppor- 
 tunity for reflection, to suggest for your meditation 
 some considerations upon the several parts of this 
 duty, as they affect us in public, and in private life ; 
 as members of society at large, and as individuals. 
 And first let us meditate upon public prayer ^. 
 
 1 The duty of perseverance and importunity in prayer according 
 to God's word, is strikingly set forth in that part of the history of his 
 people, where, in their conflict with the Amalekites, the tide of battle 
 flowed for or against them, as Moses held up his hands in prayer to 
 the God of battle. If, wearied with their continual upraising, he 
 changed their position, though only to repose them for awhile — 
 Amalek prevailed ; and so necessary was it for him to resume the 
 appointed posture of supplication, that Aaron and Hur, after seating 
 him upon a stone of rest, themselves supported those arms, which 
 nmst be held up, or the wild and haughty Amalek had desolated 
 Israel; whereas, patience having had her perfect work, faith tri- 
 
47 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 PUBLIC PRAYER. 
 
 When St.. Paul placed Timothy over the Church of 
 Ephesus, his first care, after impressing upon the 
 mind of the youthful bishop the heavy responsibihty 
 of his office, was to lay down rules for a right order- 
 ing of congregational worship. Those rules are 
 marked with the most wise and salutary caution. 
 Being written, moreover, by the iVpostle under the 
 immediate inspiration of the Holy Ghost, they bear 
 an authority which none can gainsay. And mercifully 
 was it provided that rules on this subject should be 
 stamped with Divine authority, to secure unreserved 
 observance ; so only could be established that unity 
 of spirit,^' and that bond of peace,^^ which must be 
 combined in those who would so hold the faith, that 
 it produce the fruits of righteousness before God^ and 
 of good will towards men. 
 
 As we believe that Christ died for all, so it behoves 
 all to unite in acknowledging Him to be the only 
 Saviour. We believe also that through Him flow what- 
 ever general blessings are vouchsafed to mankind, 
 nationally as well as individually. Our God is King 
 of kings, and Lord of lords. "By him kings reign, 
 and princes decree justice Hence, the order which 
 the Apostle directs to be observed in the public wor- 
 ship. " I exhort therefore, that, first of all^ suppli- 
 cation, prayer, intercession, and giving of thanks, be 
 made for all men ; for kings, and for all that are in 
 authority ; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable 
 
 uraphed, and Moses having obeyed upon the true principle of faith, 
 which leads us to believe, and do the bidding of Him in whom we be- 
 lieve, though we comprehend not his counsel — Joshua and the Israelites 
 were strengthened for their work ; and " Joshua discomfited Amalek 
 and his people with the edge of the sword." Exod. xvii. 13. 
 * Prov. viii. 15. 
 
43 
 
 Public Prayer. 
 
 life in all godliness and honesty Aware of the 
 authority under which the Apostle lays down these 
 directions ; aware also, that unless religion be publicly 
 sustained, and the people collectively be godly and 
 quietly governed the servants of God individually 
 could no longer serve him in that godly quietness 
 which is the Christian's highest joy ; our Church ex- 
 hibits, not only in her doctrines, but in her forms of 
 worship, that apostolical character, which she justly 
 claims, as founded upon apostolical authority ; and 
 preserves in her service virtually, if not to the very 
 letter, the order laid down by St. Paul. Thus, sup- 
 plication for pardon — prayers for grace — intercessions 
 or prayers for others through the Redeemer — giving 
 of thanks for all God's goodness and loving-kindness 
 to us and to all men, — in how beautiful a conformity 
 with the Apostle's exhortation do these several ser- 
 vices follow each the other, and bear the souls of the 
 worshippers to the presence of their God ! 
 
 If it be within the finite powers of our mind to 
 imagine what the service of angels might be in heaven, 
 we find its type in the congregation of the faithful 
 upon earth. God is in the midst of them^ even as 
 amid the heavenly w^orshippers. In his presence, 
 whether in heaven or upon earth, is fulness of joy; 
 and when the soul, thus communing w^ith the Most 
 High, is filled with the peace of God, which passeth 
 all understanding, there is no room for evil. The 
 world, with its cares and pleasures, its enmities and its 
 allurements, its sorrows and its joys, is overcome 
 
 Mark them more especially, when they meet at the 
 Holy Table of the Lord— partaking of that "most 
 comfortable sacrament of the body and blood of Christ, 
 whereby alone they hope to obtain remission of their 
 sins, and be made partakers of the kingdom of heaven!'^ 
 Mark them, as by these appointed means, they 
 
 ^ 1 Tim. ii. 1,2. ^ Prayer for the Cljiircli militant. 
 
 » See the Collect for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity. 
 * I John V. 4. 
 
Public Prayer. 
 
 49 
 
 strengthen severally themselves and each other in a 
 faith, which no trials shall disturb; a hope, which 
 death itself shall not extinguish ; a trust in God, 
 which even his most afflictive dispensations can never 
 weaken ^ ; and a spirit of mutual love, which, by 
 fondly cherishing friendship, good will, and the various 
 sweet charities of life, conquers all enmity, and smooths 
 whatever asperities may occur in social intercourse, by 
 inducing in the heart of the worshipper that deep and 
 humbling sense of his ow^n unworthiness, which best 
 teaches each man to esteem other better than them- 
 selves-/^ These are the promised fruits of peace to 
 the sincere and humble communicant. He is enabled, 
 by the grace given, to live unto righteousness. He 
 exercises the powers of spiritual life. Strengthened 
 and refreshed by the body and blood of Christ, he 
 bears the cross of self-denial, self-control, self-abase- 
 ment — bravely, resignedly, cheerfully ; and exercises 
 every Christian virtue, — " love, joy, peace, long-suf- 
 fering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temper- 
 ance — with strength unwearied, and with fortitude 
 invincible. " Living in the Spirit — who shall wonder 
 that he is strengthened "to walk in the Spirit ^?'^ 
 
 You, my reader, are now perhaps in sickness and 
 pain. It may be, that when in health and ease, you 
 have too often neglected public worship : Oh ! how 
 gladly now would you join your fellow Christians! 
 How gladly exchange your sick bed for the house of 
 God, and join the general voice of prayer, and peni- 
 tence, and praise ! Whenever you have joined ia 
 public worship, I am sure you never shared, unmoved, 
 the holy service of your fellows-worshippers. When 
 supplication was made for forgiveness of sins, how 
 deeply did you feel that you needed the pardon prayed 
 for! When the lowly petition for Divine grace as- 
 cended from the assembled worshippers, how earnestly 
 did your heart breathe its prayer — that to you indivi- 
 
 ^ Job xiii. 15. 2 piiii^ 3, 3 q^I. v. 22—25 
 
 [264] u 
 
50 
 
 Family Prayer. 
 
 dually also it might be granted ! So, when inter- 
 cessions were made for all men/^ how earnestly did 
 you implore that they might be accepted for you ; and 
 when grateful thanksgivings for all the blessings, tem- 
 poral and spiritual, which flow to mankind through 
 our Lord Jesus Christ, were offered by the assembled 
 congregation, you were encouraged yourself to praise 
 your God, with meek and lowly reverence — encou- 
 raged to hope for yourself also, pardon and acceptance 
 and peace here — an earnest that hereafter you might 
 with angel choirs continue, in heaven, the glorious 
 services of earth ! 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 FAMILY PRAYER. 
 
 Our reflections now pass to the subject of family 
 prayer — a duty in itself so important ; in its conse- 
 quences so blessed ; in its nature so consonant with 
 every better feeling of the soul ; every kindlier affec- 
 tion of the heart — that omission of it often arises rather 
 from want of due consideration, than from deliberate 
 disregard. Indeed, on this point the very heathens 
 of old might instruct us. They had not only their 
 splendid temples wherein the assembled multitudes 
 might meet to worship, but they had also their house- 
 hold altars, before which, blindly indeed, but to them- 
 selves beneficially, they and their families daily bowled 
 the knee, and were led by habitual reverence for the 
 object of their worship to do his will \ 
 
 ^ Rom. ii. 14 — 16. " For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, 
 do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the 
 law, are a law unto themselves : *" 
 
 " Which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their 
 conscience also hearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while 
 accusing or else excusing one another ; 
 
 " In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus 
 Christ according to my Gospel." 
 
Family Prayer. 
 
 51 
 
 With respect to ourselves as Christians^ the habit 
 is so important^ that upon a fulfilment or neglect of it 
 as a duty, whereby the seed which the w^ord of God 
 plants in the soul is kept alive and nourished, hangs 
 in no small degree a right performance of our other 
 duties, both religious and social, public and private \ 
 
 Observe its bearings upon a proper performance of 
 the duty of public worship. We know that the Holy 
 Scriptures give express directions as to the frame of 
 mind with which we should join the congregation in 
 their solemn services : that we give not the sacrifice 
 of fools,^^ but come before the Lord wdth the prepara- 
 tion of a clean heart, and a right mind^^^ These, 
 and such like directions, not only apply to us, because 
 w^e all must repose on Jesus Christ as the only Being 
 through whom we can hope that any, the humblest 
 service on our part, can be rendered acceptable ; the 
 only Being by whom the heart of the worshipper can 
 be cleansed ; meet to receive the mercy of the Most 
 High ; but they indicate very clearly, that we must 
 avail ourselves, diligently and watchfully, of every oc- 
 casion which may present itself, to prepare ourselves 
 for a holy worship, with a due reverence towards Him 
 whose presence w^e approach in public prayer. 
 
 And what occasions so fitting for this preparation^ 
 as the duty family prayer? By daily acknowledging 
 in our family the entire dependence of each individual 
 upon Almighty God — daily confessing our many sins 
 and infirmities — daily looking to the Saviour^s cross^ 
 as the only hope of pardon, reconciliation, and peace 
 — daily imploring grace from on high to cleanse our 
 souls, and purify our aflfections, and help our infirmi- 
 ties — daily raising our affections to things above, and 
 contemplating that state of heavenly rest, and joy, and 
 glory, which is our inheritance through Christ — by 
 
 ^ How distinctly the word of God enjoins a fulfilment of all 
 the social duties as part of our religious duty, has been shown in 
 p. 39. 
 
 2 Eccles. V. 1. Ps. H. 10. 
 
 D 2 
 
52 
 
 Family Prayer. 
 
 this daily service with our families, we foster a spirit 
 of devotion towards God, and good will towards men, 
 which renders us, as far as a fallen and always an im- 
 perfect nature can be rendered, meet to offer in the 
 congregation the sacrifice of the wise ^ Where daily 
 devotion is thus habitual in a family, it is not too much 
 to hope, that when they enter the house of God — 
 master and servant, friends and neighbours, parent 
 and child, wife and husband — they all, in their several 
 relations to God and to each other, come before Him, 
 
 ' We all, prol)ably, more or less, lament the frequent wanderings 
 of thought which we are conscious of during congregational worship. 
 We are conscious, also, that these wanderings of thought vary in tlieir 
 character according to the frame of mind in which we attend the 
 house of God, 
 
 Sometimes an overpowering calamity has occurred which has sunk 
 our soul in sadness so deep, that not even the cheering voice of the 
 Gospel of peace can raise it. The ear may hear indeed the good 
 tidings ; the voice may give utterance to its prayer ; we may bend the 
 knee, and bow the head ; yet the heart too often finds itself wandering 
 to the scene of sorrow it has left behind. At another time, the mind 
 is perhaps disturbed by a different cause. Prosperity has shone upon 
 us. Joy has gladdened us. Our elastic spirits cannot calmly repose 
 on the solemn services before us. We are borne, involuntarily in- 
 deed, but too powerfully, to the scenes of gladness and delight from 
 which the service of our God has called us. 
 
 In either of these cases, the soul is withdrawn from that entire 
 devotion which alone can be graciously accepted before the throne of 
 God ; nor is there any remedy for this evil except that constant 
 watchfulness of heart, to which a habit of prayer trains us, and which, 
 by keeping our view steady to the relative value of the two worlds for 
 which we are created, prevents the soul from being subdued by the 
 sorrows of this world, or its allurements ; and directs us to the joys 
 and sorrows of the next. As he who too intently fixes his eye either 
 on the mid-day sun, or the dark midnight, finds that, go where he 
 will, his eye still retains the impressions severally made by the oppo- 
 site extremes of splendour and gloom : darkness not removing from 
 his eye the dazzling image of the one : noon-day not dissipating the 
 strange dimness of the other — so whenever the mind dwells too in- 
 tently upon the sorrows and joys of the world, it cannot divest itself 
 of their influence, even where their entrance is unhallowed. Its 
 sorrows still present their gloom ; its joys their dazzling. 
 
 A complete mastery, indeed, over these infirmities is perhaps im- 
 possible for any man. Much, however, may be done to restrain them. 
 •Our blessed Saviour has given us, in one word, the surest remedy — 
 Watch:' Mark xiii. 37. 
 
Family Prayer. 
 
 53 
 
 through their gracious Intercessor, with the requisite 
 preparation. 
 
 In the family itself, the blessed effects of this duty 
 are hourly felt and evidenced by all. Has there oc- 
 curred mutual offence ? There has been mutual for- 
 giveness : the sun has not gone down upon their wrath. 
 Mutual forbearance gradually becomes a habit in such 
 a family. Fathers learn, whilst they exercise, as they 
 are bound to do, all firmness in correcting what is 
 wrong, to heed the apostolic precept, " not to provoke 
 their children to wrath but to avoid unnecessary 
 severity ; seeing that they have themselves a Father 
 who is in heaven. Children, too, from an habitual 
 sense of living under the eye of an ever-present God, 
 are led not only to love, but to honour their parents ; 
 lest by disobedience they offend God. Nature impels 
 them to love the, beings to whom they owe nurture and 
 support : grace sanctifies this love — no longer allows 
 it to be influenced by the caprice or the will, but fixes 
 it so firmly in the understanding and the conscience, 
 that it is exalted from ^feeling to ^principle. Husband 
 and wife are reminded of the high and heavenly mo- 
 tive which the Divine Word holds out, for a due regu- 
 lation of temper, for mutual forbearance, and unfailing 
 mutual love : " being heirs together of the grace of 
 life, that their prayers be not hindered ^.^^ With re- 
 
 1 Eph. vi. 4. 
 
 2 1 Pet. iii. 7- " Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with your wives 
 according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the 
 weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life ; that 
 your prayers he not hindered.''* 
 
 There is something peculiarly touching in this tender appeal to 
 affection, as a motive for the mutual exercise of Christian graces, in 
 the regulation of their tempers and dispositions towards each other. 
 Many an impetuous spirit, ^hom no consideration of self could move 
 to restrain anger and curb temper, bends the proud heart to forgive- 
 ness, and gentleness, and love, rather than risk failure of blessing to 
 those for whose welfare, in time and in eternity, the soul has been 
 bowed in prayer. So mercifully has He, who was touched with a 
 feeling of our infirmities, provided a remedy for them, in the Scrip- 
 ture, by which his Spirit would thus enforce their correction ! 
 
 We can all doubtless feel that when parents, in the course of family 
 D 3 
 
54 
 
 Family Prayer. 
 
 spect to the dependents in such a family^ what a new 
 and deep interest does the master take in their welfare, 
 
 worship, not only pray for themselves, soul and body, but implore the 
 Divine goodness on behalf of their children, absent or present, it is 
 impossible but that the supplication must be sincere. It is equally 
 impossible that sincerity should wilfully place any hindrance between 
 their prayer and its accomplishment. Therefore, though to subdue a 
 feeling of anger, or contempt, or pride, be hard ; be like " cutting off 
 a right hand, or plucking out a right eye," painful even to agony ; 
 yet what parents would not make such a sacrifice for the preservation 
 of their child ? If this thought operates with salutary influence upon 
 the mind amid the common events of life, with what added force does 
 it act, when any special danger threatens — any darker sorrow saddens 
 — when sickness, perhaps, or absence does but the more endear to 
 each other hearts whom kindred love thus binds ? When, for instance, 
 father and mother hang over the sick bed of their child — when their 
 hearts swell nigh to bursting with the secret exclamation, " Would to 
 God I could die for thee, my child!" — if they hoped then that their 
 prayer be not hindered, let them exercise mutual forgiveness of each 
 other's failings, and exhibit that meek and quiet spirit, which is de- 
 clared to be, in God's sight, of great price. 
 
 The same reasoning is applicable, whatever be the immediate object 
 of their prayers. And whenever the appeal in question finds ready 
 response and faith in Him who makes it operative, its fruits will be 
 peace and joy. From hearts so regulated, prayer flows freely, 
 heartily ; there is no weight of a burthened conscience to check its 
 flow — the sin of a divided house * is removed : and hope brightens 
 the soul with a prospect of prayer accepted for the Saviour's sake. 
 
 As we pursue these reflections, and find Almighty God turning to 
 our happiness, even here, those very imperfections and infirmities 
 which too often mar the comfort of domestic life, and for the correc- 
 tion of which He therefore condescends to give counsel ; shall his 
 creatures be themselves the hindrance to their prayers ? themselves the 
 obstacle to their blessings? God forbid ! rather let each seek his own 
 happiness by furthering the happiness of the other. 
 
 Thus, is the husband employed in the turmoil of active life, and 
 consequently exposed to its perplexities? his temper assailed by in- 
 justice, or oppression, or fraud, and often rendered unquiet at home by 
 the scenes which have disturbed him abroad ? let a gentle forbearance 
 and deference, as directed by Almighty Wisdom, be rendered unto him 
 by the wife. Nor will the Christian wife be backward thus to exercise 
 that influence, which, when blessed of Heaven, tends to calm disquiet, 
 soothe sorrow, and triumph over the world. The beneficial effects 
 of such influence are intelligible upon the common principles of our 
 nature. Next to the approbation of his own heart, the husband prizes 
 
 * Matt. xii. 25. And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto 
 them. Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation ; 
 and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand,'* 
 
Family Prayer. 
 
 55 
 
 when he joins with them in common suppUcations^ and 
 views them as beings in whose eternal welfare he is 
 concerned ! He prays with them ; he prays for them. 
 He hopes that the services in which he joins with them 
 here^ will be continued hereafter^ where rich and poor 
 shall meet together before that Lord^ who is the maker 
 of them all\^^ How easy to the master of such a 
 household must come the Divine and gracious com- 
 mand — " Forbear threatening, knowing that your 
 Master also is in heaven 
 
 Servants also are thus reminded daily of their ap- 
 propriate duties5by powerful considerations, well fitted 
 to their capacities, and calculated to sink deeply into 
 their hearts ; rendering their service, in all cases, at 
 once easy and happy ; for they are encouraged to a 
 conscientious obedience to an earthly master, by the 
 cheering reflection that if they do all things as unto 
 God, their heavenly Master, they will of Him he finally 
 recompensed. Hence a truly religious servant enjoys 
 a contented spirit ; shows a cheerful obedience ; is 
 
 subject to his master with all fear/^ Nay, even 
 when a master may be harsh, the Christian servant 
 
 answereth not again because the Gospel teaches 
 him to obey " not only the good and gentle, but also 
 the froward And^the grace of self-control, whether 
 in master or servant, passeth not unheeded by Him, 
 
 that of one who has become his second self, and of which he cannot 
 feel deprived without pain and disquiet. 
 
 So, the weakness and tenderness of frame which render the wife 
 unequal to the more arduous bustle of Hfe, are adduced by God as the 
 very reason why the husband should honour her. Her very weakness 
 is thus to be her strength. Indeed, it is one of the many beautiful 
 ihstances of a Divine Wisdom ordering the constitution of our minds, 
 that in proportion as any object of our affection requires especial care 
 and attention, we are so far from wearying in our work and labour of 
 love, that we are more and more clieerful in it. How else would the 
 wife and mother, often of weak and tender bodily frame, tend with a 
 patience unwearied the sick bed of husband and children ? Wliere 
 love is, labour is delight — and where most of care and affection 
 are needed, there the Christian rejoices to bestow it in its fullest 
 measure. 
 
 1 Prov. xxii. 2. 2 Eph. vi. 9. ^ I Pet. ii. 18. 
 
 D 4 
 
.56 
 
 Family Prayer. 
 
 whose eye seeth the heart ; and in whose book un- 
 righteousness and righteousness are alike recorded \ 
 
 Is it too much to hope^ that the Divine blessing will 
 shadow such a household, and that the grace for which 
 they pray, will be vouchsafed to them severally, for the 
 fulfilment of their duties to God, their neighbour, and 
 themselves ? A family thus united in prayer — hus- 
 band, and wife, and children, and master, and servants, 
 and "the stranger within their gates,^' all joining in 
 common supplication at the Divine mercy-seat — how 
 can they forbear having a lively feeling for the eternal 
 interests of themselves and each other, and a deep 
 sense of the duties which they owe to one another ? 
 Hence, masters learn to be gentle, servants respect- 
 ful, children dutiful, parents kind but firm towards 
 their children. Husband and wife are of one heart 
 and one mind. Friends and neighbours vie in mutual 
 good offices. Happy they, who, placed by God's pro- 
 vidence as heads of their families, adopt the feeling of 
 the pious Joshua, and emulating his noble decision 
 take up his worthy resolve, " As for me and my house, 
 we will serve the Lord 
 
 Thus we find that an uniform fulfilment of this duty 
 not only forms an admirable preparation for public 
 worship in the congregation — each individual of such 
 a household bringing to the public services a mind 
 disciplined and practised in the Christian graces of re- 
 pentance and faith and hope before God — but it kys 
 the foundation of peace and good will towards men. 
 Hard, indeed, must that heart be, which, after the 
 aflfecting service of family prayer, can in its intercourse 
 with society injure another, in thought, word, or deed^ 
 
 * Rev. XX. 12. " And I saw the dead, small and J^reat, stand before 
 God ; and the books were opened : and another book was opened, 
 which is the book of life : and the dead were judged out of those things 
 "which were written in the books, according to their worksJ* 
 
 2 It has sometimes been urged upon me, when recommending family 
 prayer, that many who adopt it show not in their life the correspond- 
 ing fruits of the Spirit — " love, joy, peace.'* Their temper in the home 
 circle is still uncurbed; and in society they yield to pride, or anger. 
 
Family Prayer. 
 
 57 
 
 Such a service^ offered with an honest and true heart, 
 must foster in us that charity which doeth unto others 
 as we would they should do unto us — bearing all 
 things ; believing all things ; enduring all things ; and 
 loving all men, because our Saviour loved them and 
 died for them. Envy can have no root in a heart so 
 exercised ; there, hatred surely must die ; and the love 
 of God being sown in the heart, love of our neighbour 
 so groweth up together with it, that " our conversa- 
 tion is in heaven Peace is in our dwellings, and 
 amongst us. There is no rendering evil for evil, or 
 railing for railing ; but contrariwise, blessing know- 
 ing that we are thereunto called,^^ that we should 
 inherit a blessing 
 
 or ill-will, when occasion may kindle those feelings, as quickly as the 
 more worldly among their neighbours. 
 
 Now suppose this to be sometimes the case. It is no marvel, that 
 hypocrisy should exist now as it has done aforetime, in every age of 
 the church ; and that amongst the vast variety of human characters in 
 a fallen world, there should be some who mock their Christian duties, 
 and abuse their Christian privileges. There may he those, who thus 
 mask their real character ; who pray for blessings on their fellow- 
 creatures one hour, and the next slander their fame, and wound their 
 peace, and unscrupulously by word and deed injure them. Thus to 
 act, is, indeed, a dreadful sin. But we may fairly leave those hypocrites 
 to the misery of their own consciences; the secret upbraiding of their 
 own envious hearts ; and to that heart-searching God, who declares, 
 that " for every idle word which men speak, they shall give account 
 in the day of judgment." Verily, they have their reward; though 
 the end be not yet. The duty of family prayer is not less binding, 
 because some perform it in an evil heart ; nor are its blessings in 
 themselves less sure to the sincere and faithful worshipper, though 
 some may choose to forfeit them. 
 
 1 Phil. iii. 20. 2 i pet. hi. 9. 
 
58 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 PRIVATE PRAYER. 
 
 By public and famMy prayer, our watchfulness is ex- 
 cited to private prayer. We have all, doubtless^ some 
 sorrows and cares, some fears, some hopes, spiritual 
 and temporal, which we can lay open to our God only. 
 The heart, under a deep sense of unworthiness, is 
 perhaps well-nigh sinking under a sorrow which 
 nothing can soothe or mitigate, but a firm and un- 
 shrinking reliance on the mercy of an Almighty and 
 reconciled God. Sin, felt at last as the great burden 
 of life, becomes a weight of care, too heavy for our 
 endurance: ^^the burden of it is intolerable We 
 seek for one to bear the weight for us ; and we are 
 permitted to cast all our burden — all our care upon 
 the Lord. He has promised to sustain us. He, who 
 on the cross bare the sins of the whole world, will 
 bear for us our iniquities now. The fear, therefore, 
 under which in our penitence we labour, as we con- 
 template our own vileness in the sight of a pure and 
 holy God, is " cast out by that perfect love,^^ with 
 which an awakened mind contemplates the mercies of 
 the Redeemer. Hope, built upon this faith, stands 
 firm, however it be assailed. Knowing in whom we 
 have believed, we are persuaded that he is able to 
 keep that which we have committed to him, to that 
 day^^ — able to keep our souls in safety to the day of 
 final judgment ; and will then be, as we humbly trust, 
 mercifully ready to claim them as his own. 
 
 It has doubtless been thine, O reader, often to have 
 experienced the strength which the soul thus acquires 
 
 1 See the affecting and heart-searching form of confession in the 
 Communion Service. 
 
Private Prayer. 
 
 59 
 
 by a closer communion with God in prayer ; and when- 
 ever^ in obedience to the commands of thy Saviour, 
 thou hast entered into thy closet^ and shut to the 
 door^ and prayed to thy Father which is in secret 
 thou hast felt, that St. Paul directs to no presump- 
 tion or vain confidence, when he bids us "be strong 
 in the Lordy and in the power of his might/^ — Surely 
 it is a glorious privilege thus to cast our burden upon 
 the Lord. 
 
 Nor is the benefit which the soul derives from this 
 communion with the Lord, confined to the strength 
 supplied for a due discharge of duty towards God. It 
 is co-extensive with the whole range of duty towards 
 man also; giving grace to help in every time of 
 need ; preparing the soul for God, and regulating 
 the heart for man. Do worldly troubles accumulate 
 and misfortunes press heavily ? God is at hand : " a 
 very present help in the needful time of trouble 
 Does disappointment confound our prudence and 
 defeat our exertions in an honest course of industry ? 
 God — the Being to whom we have poured out our 
 soul in prayer, and whose promise is firm that He will 
 hear and answer our prayer — He is at hand to control 
 
 1 When our Lord, in this Scripture, condemns a public display of 
 the act of prayer, it is plain to common sense, that He does not forbid 
 either a pi^hc avowal of our faith, or a public expression of our sup- 
 plications. Curse, deep and heavy, is denounced against those who 
 are not always ready to make confession before men of the faith and 
 service they profess towards their Lord and Saviour Christ. Indeed, 
 He Himself, both by precept and example, enjoins the habit of public 
 prayer, in terms and in manner too clear to be misunderstood. The 
 lesson He teaches is this: that all the blessings which we share in 
 common with our fellow-creatures demand united thanksgiving, and 
 as our mutual wants demand that in our congregation, we, with one 
 accord, make our common supplications for the supply needed ; so 
 for our individual sorrow — our more secret wants and wishes, we 
 should in secret open our hearts unto the Lord ; encouraged by the 
 promise that the Lord, "who seeth in secret, shall reward us openly." 
 His object is to expose self-righteousness, and hypocrisy, and a 
 proud display in religion, — not to condemn the openness of Christian 
 courage. 
 
 2 Ps. xlvi. 1, 
 
 D 6 
 
60 
 
 Private Prayer. 
 
 all things, and to make them work together for good, 
 to them who love and fear Him\ We, therefore, 
 calmly "commit our way unto the Lord/' Does 
 sickness cramp our exertions, and bring with it accu- 
 mulated sorrows — worldly concerns neglected, and 
 worldly prospects blighted ? Prayer has so strength- 
 ened our faith in the Lord, who chasteneth whom He 
 loveth, and scourgeth whom He receive th, that we 
 repose fearlessly upon his mercy to us; and in the 
 midst of affliction, " stay ourselves upon our God.'' 
 Are friends removed by death ? or, bitterer still, the 
 cup of sorrow ! are they found faithless ? In either 
 case, Prayer is our consolation. " Henceforth," says 
 our blessed Saviour to his obedient servants, " Hence- 
 forth, / call you friends ^" Say, can that heart be 
 desolate, even though it may know the want of an 
 earthly friend, which by earnest prayer has found a 
 heavenly Friend, whose love is without measure, and 
 whose power knows no limit ? 
 
 The strength, thus by prayer imparted to the soul, 
 so elevates it, that the various perplexities even of 
 social life, cease to disturb the calm with which it has 
 learned to view all earthly things. 
 
 Be assured, that you will find this to be invariably 
 the happy consequence of thus seeking your appointed 
 refuge and defence. Has envy rendered you a mark 
 against which the disappointed and malicious direct 
 their venomed darts? You are in armour proof — 
 having on the armour of God. So armed, you stand 
 firm ; disregarding danger, and looking for the accom- 
 plishment of your warfare ; when to your unprincipled 
 foes their envy and their hatred must perish *, but 
 when the graces which you exercise — a patient faith, 
 
 » Rom. viii. 28. * John xv. 15. 
 
 ^ Eccles. ix. 6, 6*. " For the living know that they shall die: but 
 the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward ; 
 for the memory of them is forgotten. 
 
 " Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished ; 
 neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is 
 done under the sun." 
 
Private Prayer. 
 
 61 
 
 a courageous forbearance, and a firm reliance on Him 
 to whom you were instant in prayer^' — shall have 
 their rich reward. Is the despitefulness of the proud 
 directed against you; do they maliciously speak 
 peace, having war in their hearts — living unto God, 
 you have learned to feel yourself more unworthy in his 
 sight, than even they can think you ; and the feeling 
 has been salutary ; for it at once renders you invul- 
 nerable to the pride and malice of the scornful. You 
 think of yourself more and more humbly, and them 
 you have learned to pity. Even in this world you live 
 unto God ; and to live with Him in the next is all 
 your hope and all your care. The hour is ever 
 present to your mind when the proudest will be laid 
 low, and must be contented to dwell in the grave ; 
 where " their love, and their hatred, and their envy^^ 
 Avill, as to their object, though not as to their respon- 
 sibility, be alike forgotten. 
 
 Thus, the habit of private prayer is every way 
 blessed. Like a watchful guard, it will prevent your 
 being surprised into despair by sudden calamity. It 
 will shield you against the allurements of prosperity. 
 Your soul will be strengthened for its duties towards 
 God and man, and however the storm may rage out- 
 wardly — within, all will be still. Serenity will mark 
 your course; 'Hhere will be repose" to your soul 
 amid even sickness, sorrow, and death. 
 
 Indeed, you must be aware that there is sure bless- 
 ing to those who are sincere in this duty. How else 
 can you account for the fact which you must often 
 have observed, that when good people are in affliction, 
 whether of mind, body, or estate, they evince none of 
 that impatience— none of that murmuring and repin- 
 ing which, under similar circumstances, agitate worldly 
 minds ? Of this firmness under trial, as the result of 
 a prayerful life, St. Paul has left us a very memorable 
 instance in his own example. He speaks of himself 
 as tried with greater severity than any even of the 
 
63 
 
 Private Prayer. 
 
 Apostles but all could not move him from his sted- 
 fastness. So far was he from complaining of accu- 
 mulated sorrows, that his faith but grew the firmer. 
 His trust in the Divine mercy to bring them finally 
 to a happy issue, continually strengthened. He was 
 assured that they would work for him a far more ex- 
 ceeding and eternal weight of glory ; and, therefore, 
 he was enabled to rejoice even in his afflictions.^^ 
 So, if your heart habitually seeks God in prayer, 
 watching thereunto nothing will separate you 
 
 1 2 Cor. xi. 23. 
 
 2 It is a remarkable fact, that when any sudden accident or unfore- 
 seen calamity overtakes men, not only do the righteous flee to their 
 heavenly Father for refuge ; but even the most wicked are then sur- 
 prised into an involuntary acknowledgment of the constant presence 
 and superintending providence of God, and of his tender mercy over 
 all his works. You may, yourself, have observed what the writer has 
 had occasion sometimes to witness, the emphatic exclamation of one 
 suddenly afflicted, — Lord Jesus, have mercy on me ! — bursting from 
 lips all unused in the days of health and safety to utter his holy name, 
 or to pray for his grace, or to acknowledge Him as God. 
 
 The fact seems indeed to involve a contradiction. It is, however, 
 but too easily reconcilable with the inconsistencies of a fallen nature. 
 Pride of heart is as much the sin of the wicked in these days, 
 as it was the sin of our first parents at the fall. Hence it is, that 
 many, who are too proud to own themselves followers of a meek and 
 lowly Saviour, yet cherish a secret hope that in some or other way, 
 which they leave to Him, and at the same time which they leave to 
 chance, his mercy will at last be extended to them. This is a pecu- 
 liarly awful state of the soul. What deception must these persons 
 practise — deceiving themselves as well as others * ! At the very time 
 they are living in their wickedness, in opposition to the will and the 
 commandments of God, they believe in his power and mercy, that 
 both are unbounded ; and, during the years whicli they have passed 
 rejecting the notion of a Saviour, and perfectly regardless of the 
 Holy Ghost, the Comforter, they must have had inward convictions, 
 which they stifled, and warnings from the Spirit, which they heeded 
 not. They thus give proof what continued resistance must have been 
 made to the good motions of God's Spirit as it strives with man 
 
 • Isa. xliv. 20. " He feedeth on ashes : a deceived heart hath 
 turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, uor say, Is there 
 not a lie in my right hand 1 " 
 
 Surely the Prophet's portraiture of such an one is drawn too faith- 
 fully. 
 
Private Prayer. 
 
 63 
 
 from the covenanted love of your Redeemer ; nothing 
 remove you from the consolatory truth, that, as your 
 heavenly Father is with you always, so He is more 
 especially with you, when most you require his gra- 
 cious presence. In the time of our tribulation, there- 
 fore, when there is none else to help us, then may we 
 rejoice in our ever-present God. Nay, our blessed 
 Lord teaches us to adopt this sentiment so entirely, 
 that if it were possible now, as in the days of perse- 
 cution, that nearest relatives and most attached 
 friends should forsake and betray us to prison and to 
 death — God would supply their place. 
 
 It is the feeling that we are ever in the presence 
 of an all-powerful, all-wise, all-loving God, and ever 
 under his care; which calms the turbulence of grief, 
 arms against every fear, sustains under every trial, 
 and leads us, by faith, to repose on that promise of 
 peace, " which the world giveth not," but which is 
 the assured gift, of God through Jesus Christ his Son. 
 Cherish, then, this feeling ! Cherish it by praying 
 to thy Father, who is in secret." You will find that 
 the secret of the Lord is with them that fear him, and 
 put their trust in his mercy," and that this peace 
 of God" is the '^joy wdth which the stranger" to 
 religion " intermeddleth not." Worldly minds cannot 
 
 against the corruption of an evil heart. The Spirit striving with tliem 
 — then only gets the mastery, when, in the hours of sickness or peril, 
 resistance is relaxed, as it were, and the near approach of Divine 
 judgment prompts the cry for mercy. They little think, in their 
 wicked state, what a powerful testimony they bear — more powerful, 
 because unintentional — to their secret belief in the infinite mercies of 
 the Most High. Now, if they, whose whole life is a continued endea- 
 vour after holiness and peace, dare not look that mercy be extended 
 to themselves, except through the undeserved merits of the gracious 
 Redeemer, let the wicked seriously consider the awful peril in which 
 they place themselves — let them cease to " grieve the Spirit of God 
 " the Spirit will not always strive with man*." Let them ask them- 
 selves the reasonable question — " If the righteous scarcely be saved, 
 where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear 
 
 ♦ Gen. \'i. 3. 
 
64 
 
 Private Prayer. 
 
 understand this truth ; but the fact is not less sure. 
 Their unbelief cannot make the truth of God of none 
 effect ; cannot rob the soul of that strengthened faith, 
 that renewed courage, that brightened hope, which it 
 derives from secret converse with its God, and from 
 a devout outpouring of its wants and wishes, accompa- 
 nied with supplication for mercy, grace, and comfort. 
 You rise from this duty with a strength, not your own 
 indeed, but yours by covenant ; a strength which en- 
 ables you in the midst of trials, temporal and spiritual, 
 to adopt the firm language of the patriarch : " It is 
 the Lord ; let him do what seemeth him good.^^ 
 
 Nor suppose, for a moment, that this high feeling 
 will disqualify you for the duties of active life. So far 
 from it, that in proportion as your mind is clear of 
 worldly fears, and moderated as to worldly wishes, and 
 set upon attaining holiness of thought, rectitude of 
 conduct, and a right judgment in all things, you will 
 pass to your duties with renewed zeal towards God, 
 with renewed good will towards man — armed by 
 Divine grace for the exercise of those Christian virtues 
 for which you feel your own insufficiency. Holding 
 fast by God, "you will watch unto prayer;" and as 
 trials of temper arise — unlooked-for occasions sud- 
 denly calling forth anger, or disappointment, or grief 
 — you will offer, in the moment of difficulty, the 
 prayer of the heart, that present aid may be granted 
 by your present God. The prayer of the heart 1 — 
 how often is it the secret to the Christian of that 
 strength which turns resolve into practice ; of that 
 wisdom which gives to zeal discretion, and to caution^ 
 courage ; of that patience which submits without a 
 murmur to the Divine will; and of that faith which, 
 in life and health bravely leaves events to the great 
 Ruler of all ; in sickness learns submission to the 
 chastening of Heaven ; and in death, welcomes the 
 hand which is to set the captive free ! 
 
 And though, neither in private devotion, nor in 
 family worship, nor in the congregation of the faithful^ 
 
Private Prayer. 
 
 65 
 
 are we to look in these days^ as in days of old, for 
 the glories of a visible Shechinah ; though we are 
 not to expect any direct token of the presence of the 
 Holy One ; none pray in sincerity, but that the light 
 of the Spirit is poured into their souls ; bearing tes- 
 timony, that God heareth and answereth them ; so 
 enlightening their understanding, so purifying their 
 affections, so regulating their whole heart and mind, 
 that He leaveth not Himself wdthout witness. Say, 
 O my reader ! You have, perhaps, had sorrows of 
 the heaviest kind; they had well-nigh confounded 
 you. I picture you to myself as then falling low on 
 your knees before the presence of Him who is invi- 
 sible — no eye upon you, save the eye of your God ! 
 You opened your whole heart before Him — you at- 
 tempted no secret holding back of sins, negligences, 
 and ignorances — you allowed your soul no reservation 
 of its infirmities: "you poured out your heart by 
 yourself.^^ The answer whispered peace; and you 
 arose from your supplication, strengthened for the ex- 
 ercise of every grace, which the appointed trial might 
 call forth ; and so you went on your way rejoicing. 
 And who shall wonder at that joy ? You had been 
 communing with an omnipresent, omniscient, and 
 omnipotent Being; the great Eternal, who is from 
 everlasting to everlasting. You knew Him able to give 
 all which you could ask, and willing to give all which 
 you could desire: for He has proved his unbounded 
 love by giving his Son to die for you. You knew Him 
 as a loving Father, who declares that sooner shall the 
 nursing mother forget her sucking child, than He 
 forget you \ Well may you have rejoiced in that 
 blessed communing! It was indeed to have over- 
 come the w^orld, and to have had your conversation 
 in heaven 
 
 ^ Isa. xlix. 15. " Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she 
 should not have compassion on the son of her womb ? yea, they may 
 forget, yet will / not forget thee.*' 
 
 2 Phil. iii. 20. 
 
66 
 
 The Holy Spirit of God. 
 
 What, then, though we cannot burst the bands 
 which hold us here to earth? What though we 
 cannot ascend up where the Almighty dvvelleth in his 
 own bright glory unapproachable? He — wondrous 
 thought ! — He cometh down to us \ 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD. 
 
 To encourage fallen creatures thus to place them- 
 selves in the more immediate presence of their Creator, 
 and in prayer to bring before Him their hopes and 
 fears, their wants and wishes ; their sins, negligences, 
 and ignorances; the Son of God has revealed the 
 knowledge of the Holy Spirit, as the Being through 
 whom the Almighty will hold communing with them. 
 " I will pray the Father, and He shall give you an- 
 other Comforter, that He may abide with you for 
 every even the Spirit of truth " He shall teach you 
 all things This Being it is who sanctifies us by 
 his gracious influence ; counsels us by his heavenly 
 wisdom; and teaches us by his holy inspiration; 
 dwelling in our souls as in a temple^. So that what- 
 ever fears might arise to deter us from daring to ap- 
 proach one so vast, so pure, so unsearchable, as the 
 great Creator, those fears are subdued, by the assur- 
 ance, that this Comforter will be .with us in all our 
 services, and " abide with us always his consola- 
 tions and assistance more especially attending us in 
 our prayers *. 
 
 * James iv. 8. " Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.^^ 
 
 2 John xiv. 16. 27. 
 
 3 1 Cor. iii. 16. "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God 
 
 * Rom. viii. 26. " Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities : 
 for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the 
 Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot 
 be uttered." 
 
 St. Paul's language in this passage is peculiar and strong ; still it 
 
The Holy Spirit of God. 
 
 67 
 
 Yet to watch the current of human affairs, and ob- 
 serve men borne along it, as chance seems to drive, 
 and interest propels ; the sport of every gale^ which 
 their own passions or a restless world may direct 
 against them; seeking rest and finding none — who 
 could for a moment suppose, that those very beings 
 were privileged to have the guidance of a heavenly 
 Counsellor, and the consolations of a heavenly Com- 
 forter ; able and willing to steer them safely and bring 
 them to the haven where they would be ^ ? 
 
 This neglect of the Holy Spirit of God must be 
 traced in two chief causes. Men either live without 
 God in the world ; or if they profess, to believe in 
 his presence, they are uninfluenced by their profes- 
 sion : their faith, being without works corresponding 
 thereto, is dead; they remain unmoved by a sense 
 of dutiful obedience in their spiritual relation to Him, 
 and seem altogether indifferent to their eternal exist- 
 ence as spirits which can never die. Absorbed in 
 providing things necessary for the body, they forget, 
 or rather disregard, those things which are necessary 
 for the soul. 
 
 I would now, therefore, O my reader, resume with 
 you that holy communing, to which a season of sick- 
 ness more especially invites you, and which naturally 
 disposes to a more serious and earnest consideration of 
 
 is perfectly consistent ; being addressed to man, as a creature, who 
 though an occupant of a perishable body, is yet himself an imperish- 
 able spirit, and worships a God, who, being the Eternal Spirit, can be 
 discerned only spiritually. What an inestimable blessing then it is, 
 that the power of the Spirit of God helpeth the infirmities of our 
 spirit, aiding us in our services of prayer, and penitence, and praise, 
 with "groans which cannot be uttered !" — language seems labouring 
 for terms sufficiently strong to express the earnest and entire zeal 
 and sympathy with which this aid is given. 
 
 These thoughts tend highly to encourage the spirit of the contrite 
 ones. Finding their refuge and their hope in prayer, they commit all 
 to the mercy of their gracious Advocate, Jesus Christ, who, sitting 
 at "the right hand of God, ever liveth to make intercession for 
 them." 
 
 1 Ps. cvii. 30. 
 
68 The Holy Spirit of God. 
 
 the soul and heavenly things — of the eternal interests 
 of the one, and the ground of your hopes as to the 
 other. 
 
 Indeed^ withdrawn as you now are from the active 
 duties of life, and your meditations more free to take 
 a new direction ; let us proceed to contemplate the 
 nature of your mind upon which the Spirit of God is 
 to act. And who of us can forbear vv^onder and amaze- 
 ment, when we retire into ourselves, and study that 
 mind, which in fact constitutes the man, and links him 
 with the intelligences of a spiritual world ? We find it 
 endued with certain powers distinct from those of the 
 body; and though in a degree sympathizing with them, 
 not necessarily dependent upon any objects of sense. 
 It has the power of recalling the past, and, by com- 
 paring the past with the present, is able, in some de- 
 gree, to anticipate the future. It is capable of the 
 most varied emotions. You can feel the keenest woe^ 
 or the liveliest joy ; be depressed by fear, or elated by 
 hope : be moved by the kindliest feelings, or agitated 
 by the fiercest passions; yet no outward object shall 
 be apparent to excite these emotions. Again, you 
 can, by the mere exercise of the mental faculties, 
 carry your thoughts to the most distant parts of the 
 earth, can communicate with the minds of the absent, 
 as the writer of these pages now communicates wdth 
 you : can bear your wishes even to the heaven above, 
 and commune, at this moment, with the invisible 
 God who dwelleth there, yet no voice shall utter a 
 sound, no movement indicate the thought, no visible 
 presence break the solitude. 
 
 Now these observations show, that the mind or 
 spirit of man has as surely and as fully its own spiritual 
 powers, as the body has its own corporeal powers ; and 
 as in the exercise of those powers consists spiritual 
 life, so that life must be sustained by the Creator, 
 equally with the life of the body. He only can sustain 
 it. It is clear that the strength of either must depend 
 upon the continued care of the Being who created 
 
The Holy Spirit of God. 
 
 69 
 
 both. Why, then, should it seem more strange that 
 our spiritual life is preserved and strengthened by the 
 gifts of the Spirit, communicated in answer to prayer, 
 than that the Hfe of the body is sustained by the means 
 thereto appointed? or rather, What more natural 
 than to expect this to be the case? The mode in 
 which life is given and preserved to plants and ani- 
 mals, that they may become food for the support of 
 man, and the manner in which that food so supplied 
 is made to nourish the body, are in themselves as far 
 above our comprehension ; and, in reality, constitute 
 as great a mystery, as the mystery of the Holy Spirit 
 being able to give spiritual life, and to sustain it when 
 given. Whoso then would successfully engage in the 
 duties of spiritual life ; exercising himself in repent- 
 ance and faith before God ; in good will towards men 
 — checking evil tempers, practising the Christian 
 graces, bearing patiently some heavy cross perhaps, 
 and denying himself for the Saviour's sake — let him, 
 in prayer to God, seek the promised aid of the Holy 
 Ghost, the Sanctifier, the Counsellor, and promised 
 Comforter, that so all the energies of his mind may 
 be sanctified in their exercise, gain for themselves a 
 right direction, and be strengthened by that power, 
 which alone can either give them, or bless them. 
 
 It is very important that we thus understand both 
 the reasonableness and obligation of strengthening our 
 own spirit by the Spirit of God. Reason and revela- 
 tion declare the same truth. He who either does not, 
 or will not allow the importance of this great Christian 
 work, fails as well of comfort and counsel as of holi- 
 ness. And no wonder. Like our first parents, he 
 ^Means to his own understanding/' and, allowing that 
 to supersede the word of Divine Wisdom, falls from 
 hope as they did. Pride — whatever be its source; 
 whether wealth, or station, or intellect — "Pride 
 goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before 
 a fall.'' 
 
 Not so the second Adam. Having taken upon 
 
70 
 
 The Holy Spirit of God. 
 
 Him our nature, and being touched with the feehng 
 of our infirmity ; He, the meek and lowly Jesus, de- 
 nied not to avail Himself of such aid as his heavenly 
 Father should provide to help man^s infirmity. 
 Therefore was it, that He not only deigned to take 
 the Holy Spirit as his guide, when He went to his 
 temptation in the wilderness ; but, for our example, 
 did on every future occasion of approaching difficulty 
 and danger, flee to prayer for the same gracious aid. 
 Shall, then, any among men, who are all born in sin, 
 suppose themselves strong enough, and good enough 
 to live without such sanctifying aid? Surely, if ever 
 mind was clear to follow, unassisted, the course of 
 duty ; if ever heart w^as strong in virtue, to stand alone 
 in its resistance to evil, that heart and that mind were 
 in Christ Jesus ; in whom was no sin, neither was guile 
 found in his mouth; for though He made Himself of 
 no reputation, but w^as made in the likeness of man, 
 yet thought He it not robbery to be equal with God. 
 Still even this Holy One did not choose to leave 
 unassisted the nature He had taken — He strength- 
 ened it by the aid of the Spirit. So do ye. In all 
 humility and thankfulness accept the gift of the Holy 
 Spirit of God, in aid of such powers as your own mind 
 may supply, for guarding you against evil, and lead- 
 ing you to what is good. The admirable adaptation 
 of this Spirit to its purpose is clearly shown by the 
 very terms in which the promise of it is couched — 
 " I will pray the Father,^' said our blessed Redeemer, 
 ^^and he shall give you another Comforter, that he 
 may abide with joufor everP It is plain, that during 
 his sojourn upon earth, Jesus w^as Himself the Com- 
 forter ; or w^hy is the Spirit spoken of as another ? 
 but He could not, in his human nature, as man, ad- 
 vantageously abide with his people : it was rather to 
 their advantage — ^'^ expedient for them, as He ex- 
 presses it — that He went away, in order that He might 
 undertake the office of their intercessor at the right 
 hand of God, in heaven; and so complete the gracious 
 
The Holy Spirit of God. 
 
 71 
 
 work of their redemption. Having loved his own 
 which were in the worlds he loved them unto the 
 end/' The counsel^ the guidance^ the comfort which 
 his immediate followers derived from^ his personal pre- 
 sence as God the Son^ during his short abode in the 
 flesh, his followers now are to look for in the invisible 
 but constant presence of God the Holy Ghost. And 
 though in the days of strength and health, your own 
 powers seemed sufficient to guide you into the path 
 of rectitude and peace, you have on your sick bed 
 learned better things. Life wears away; death ap- 
 proaches ; anxious thoughts press upon your heart, 
 as to the future world ; and however self-flattery may 
 persuade men sometimes to think themselves free 
 from charge of blame before their fellow-creatures in 
 the concerns of time ; none, whose minds disengage 
 themselves from merely earthly views, can yield to the 
 same flattering notions, as they prepare to render up 
 their accounts in an eternal world before a heart- 
 searching God. When, therefore, you pause to ask 
 yourself — What shall I answer to my Got^ in judg- 
 ment? — all your own wisdom can devise no satisfac- 
 tory reply ; you feel that even your own righteousness 
 is indeed, as the prophet declares, utterly worthless 
 — valueless — whilst a remembrance of accumulated 
 offences before the Almighty crowds upon your agi- 
 tated thoughts, and bows you down with sadness. 
 Amid these sinkings of heart, man longs for some voice 
 to give sure counsel ; some spirit to breathe abiding 
 consolation; some power which may speak peace, 
 with an authority none shall gainsay. Alas ! then^ for 
 the despiser of the Spirit of God. The world gives 
 no such counsel, affords no such consolation, claims 
 no such authority ; and to the appointed Comforter he 
 is himself a stranger. Oh ! the utter woe of a heart 
 thus desolate ! Be thou of wiser resolve. Cherish 
 the privilege free to thee, of seeking this Comforter 
 in prayer. Seek, and thou shalt find — find Him with 
 rich blessing to thy soul ; in life, in death, in judg- 
 
73 
 
 On the Spirit. 
 
 ment. May He, who hath bid us all thus seek, and 
 whose bidding, thou wilt, I trust, obey, prosper thee 
 in thy obedience ! May He hear, and answer, and 
 bless thee ! 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 ON THE SPIRIT. 
 
 The Holy Spirit of God, being thus the appointed 
 helper of man's infirmities, it may be well to consider 
 the principle upon which we may hope a successful 
 result from the aid He supplies. 
 
 Now the general tenor of the word and counsel of 
 God, and all analogy from his gracious dealings with 
 his creatures, evidence that the principle is that of 
 co-operation — the " Spirit itself beareth witness with 
 our spirit.'^ Indeed, it is by keeping in view this 
 principle, that all difficulties upon the subject at once 
 vanish before the inquiries of the humble reader of 
 his Bible. True it is, that in the writings of St. Paul 
 there are apparently opposite declarations. But upon 
 examining the occasions which called them forth, the 
 parties to whom they were made, and the immediate 
 object which the Apostle had in view at the time, we 
 find that they are virtually not only unopposed to each 
 other, but perfectly consonant. The particular de- 
 claration stands often alone, in order that their whole 
 weight may bear exclusively upon the particular evil 
 to be resisted, and so correct the views of those who 
 hold opposite and extreme opinions. Thus, where 
 the Apostle found men either from pride of heart re- 
 jecting the doctrine of sanctification by the Holy 
 Ghost, and trusting for guidance to their own unas- 
 sisted reason ; or from a worldly indifference dis- 
 regardful of his influence ; — there he met the offence 
 by a distinct and monitory warning, that whilst in- 
 difference palliates not neglect, reason itself is vain 
 
On the Spirit. 
 
 73 
 
 without a holy faith in the unseen but all-pervading 
 Spirit of God : for " we have no power to think any 
 thing as of ourselves; our sufficiency is of GodP Again, 
 where his converts received that word with joy, but 
 perverted the truth to the neglect of social and reli- 
 gious duties, on the plea that sanctification being of 
 God, man might leave the work to Him; there his 
 language assumed a bolder tone, and had a more 
 direct bearing upon the opposite though not opposing 
 duty of a holy conduct ; deprecating, in most energetic 
 terms, so awful a perversion of the truth — " Shall we 
 continue in sin, that grace may abound ? God forbid?^ 
 Rather, as he emphatically observes, we are created 
 in Christ Jesus unto good works^^ — a holy life being 
 the very characteristic of our profession. Lest, how- 
 ever, any should continue in their mistake, and not 
 see, that in thus specifying a particular truth, he places 
 it in opposition to its corresponding error — neither 
 sanctioning other errors, respecting which he is silent, 
 nor lowering other duties, of which he makes no men- 
 tion — he sometimes so frames his address, that the 
 very precept bears its own explanation. Take, for 
 instance, his memorable counsel to the PhiHppians : 
 "Work out your own salvation with fear and trem- 
 bling : for — it is God which worketh in you both to 
 will and to do of his good pleasure/^ In this passage 
 the co-operation upon which must depend a success- 
 ful issue to our holy work, is distinctly insisted upon. 
 Man^s share in it is first stated, broadly and firmly, 
 both as to its object and its manner. The object is 
 no less than the souFs salvation ; whilst the work is to 
 be performed with fear and trembling — feelings which 
 befit the agent, not only from a humbling view of his 
 own utter powerlessness to labour successfully if left 
 to himself ; but also from a conviction, that if, with 
 such aid as is promised to cc-operate with him, he 
 should fail of his purpose, the failure will be his own, 
 with all its unutterable woe : remorse, bitter and un- 
 availing. Wherefore, though humility well becomes 
 [264] E 
 
74 
 
 On the Spirit. 
 
 man when he prepares for this work of a holy and 
 rehgious life, he must not allow humiUty to degene- 
 rate into listlessness and inaction. — Nay, part of his 
 fear must lead him to active obedience, because, since 
 God will work with him and for him, inaction is sin. 
 He therefore is not slothful in business, but fervent in 
 spirit : bearing in mind the further truth, that " God's 
 strength is made perfect in man's weakness/' 
 
 All analogy from God's dealings with his creatures 
 declares the same principle of co-operation in attaining 
 blessing. Look to the mode by which, age after age, 
 the bountiful Creator has given food to his creatures. 
 He giveth his sun to shine, and his rain to descend, 
 and the different seasons in their order, whilst the 
 anxious fears of men, when ungenial seasons occur, 
 sufficiently testify their belief; that the sustentation of 
 the universe itself entirely depends upon God. Yet 
 who would expect to reap the fruits in harvest, if^ 
 under pretence of an exalted trust in the Creator's 
 goodness, man were to fold his hands in slothfulness, 
 and refuse to labour? The light, and air, and rain, 
 and dew would still pour their influence over the 
 earth, but who so presumptuous as to expect that the 
 land should yield her increase ? Hence it is that men 
 do labour; hence, that they work out a successful 
 issue to their hopes by toiling with skill and patience 
 — rising early, and late taking rest. See them at early 
 dawn going to their work and their labour until the 
 evening ! They cultivate the soil, and sow therein 
 the seed, and watch its growth, till when the promised 
 season ^ arrives, they look that the harvest give full 
 increase. The work is of God, and man co-operating : 
 the successful issue is solely of God. How strange, 
 then, that in the greater work of his salvation, man 
 should err ! Prone to extremes, he will then do all 
 the work himself ; or he will do none. 
 
 1 Gen. viii. 22. While the earth remaineth, seedtime and har- 
 vest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night 
 shall not cease." 
 
On the Spirit. 
 
 75 
 
 Let it not be so with you. AvoicKng these equally 
 fatal extremes, thankfully accept the proffered assist- 
 ance of the Holy Spirit to aid your spirit in its daily 
 work of working out your salvation. And however 
 deep humility may fill your heart when you contrast 
 the work to be effected with your own natural weak- 
 ness and insufficiency^ be but the more ready to flee 
 to that divine and omnipotent hand, ever stretched out 
 to give the support you need ; and so supported, go 
 on your way rejoicing ; ^* for," adds St. Paul, it is 
 God which worketh in you, both to will and to do of 
 his good pleasure." However, therefore, he who trusts 
 solely to the power of his reason, or the strength of 
 his intellect, or the goodness of his intentions, or the 
 rectitude of his life, to work out his salvation, will fail 
 in his purpose, and remain as powerless to calm the fury 
 of his passions, and to still the whisperings of his con- 
 science, as to grasp the wind, or direct the whirlwind ; 
 he who, whatever be his wisdom, his power, or his 
 goodness, trusts to neither, but exercises them always 
 with dependence upon the sure and heavenly aid of 
 the Spirit, will find himself so strengthened for the 
 work, that in the daily exercise of those graces, in 
 which consist the labour of a Christian life, he will be 
 enabled gradually to accomplish his work, and may 
 hope to exchange a life of patient spiritual toil here, 
 for a life of undisturbed rest and joy hereafter. 
 
 The principle here laid down, is that upon which 
 holy men of old have ever acted. Was their faith in 
 divine aid strong ? — It but excited a livelier diligence 
 in every good word and work. Upon that very faith 
 was built their holy life — upon that, their hope of a 
 happy death. Like the reaper, when his daily work 
 is done, they reposed in a peaceful trust, that their 
 heavenly Father, who had vouchsafed them strength 
 for the work, w^ould, of his love and grace, bless it to 
 full increase. Thus work out your own salvation ; 
 struggling against evil, and striving after that which 
 is good ; and never weary in your well doing. Thou 
 E 2 
 
76 
 
 On the Spirit. 
 
 also shalt reap, if thou faintest not, for the same God 
 which blesseth man's labour in the fields rich for har- 
 vest, worketh with you and for you, in labouring for a 
 spiritual harvest. 
 
 If, in pursuing this subject, the distinct question 
 recurs to your mind; and, seeking a more specific 
 reply to it than may be gathered from the observa- 
 tions already made, you ask "To what extent may I 
 individually look for this assistance — the word of 
 God supplies the answer. 
 
 With respect to the measure of assistance which we 
 may individually expect to receive from the Holy 
 Spirit in answer to prayer, we have reason to believe 
 from the sacred oracles, that it will be exactly propor- 
 tionate to our need; the supply of grace, like that of 
 the manna in the wilderness, knowing neither defi- 
 ciency nor superabundance. Preserving, throughout, 
 the principle of co-operation, our heavenly Father 
 would seem so to regulate his assistance, that it should 
 never supersede the necessity of full exertion on our 
 own part. When trials press lightly, v/e are not to 
 look for a larger measure of aid, than is needful to 
 make our own efforts successful. When they weigh 
 down the soul with heaviness, and become " a burden 
 too heavy for man to bear,'' then the strength of our 
 God is made perfect in our weakness ; and support, 
 apportioned to the occasion, is at once applied. The 
 promise to Asher is still the promise to all in covenant 
 with Israel's God — " As thy days, so shall thy strength 
 be\" — ^As added years bring added trials, so shall thy 
 
 1 Deut. xxxiii. 25. Asher was one of the sons of Jacob. The 
 inheritance portioned out for his children lay in a beautiful district ; 
 extremely fertile ; sheltered from the north by the Mount Libanus, 
 and having to the south of it Mount Carmel, with the fertile valley of 
 Jezreel, along which was spread the tribe of Issachar. Its local ad- 
 vantages were manifold : not the least of which must be reckoned its 
 possession of the strong and famous city Tyre ; with the celebrated 
 harbour of Ptolemais. Thus strengthened in every way, it bid fair to 
 maintain an evident superiority among the tribes. Yet vain are the 
 highest worldly advantages to us, collectively or individually, unles 
 
On the Spirit. 
 
 77 
 
 soul gain added strength to bear them. And well 
 does the page of sacred history testify to this truth. 
 Look to the patriarchs in their patient waiting; look 
 to the prophets in their wondrous firmness of faith, 
 which no doubts could weaken, no dangers terrify, no 
 disappointments shake ; look to the noble army of 
 martyrs in their season of woe ; to the followers of 
 the crucified Jesus — men in their old age — women in 
 their tenderness — view them victorious over persecu- 
 tion, death, tortures ! How did they support the tor- 
 ments of fire and sword, and the exquisite cruelties 
 which the furious passions of their eneniies delighted 
 to heap upon them? Surely by none other power 
 than that of the Holy Spirit of God ! When, as chil- 
 dren of peace, they were pursuing the even tenor of 
 their life, as yet unassailed by the fury of the perse- 
 cutor, no prospect of troublous times terrifying them, 
 they little thought that such power and comfort could 
 have been the martyr's portion. They never then 
 w^ere conscious of the same measure of the Spirit, 
 which in their tortures they experienced. "As their 
 days were, so was their strength^' — the fuller aid was 
 reserved for the heavier trial. Perhaps had the same 
 
 we be true to our God. It is a no less remarkable than monitory 
 fact, that the tribe of Asher never possessed the whole district ori- 
 ginally assigned to it. The people took not heed to make their calling 
 and election sure. In their weakness of faith, their sing, negligences, 
 and ignorances, they failed of the full but conditional blessing pre- 
 pared for them. Their failure is recorded for our learning ; to show 
 us, that though to the covenanted members of Christ a glorious inhe- 
 ritance is spread out for their use ; an assured promise, that, as their 
 days, so shall be their strength — called to no trial, however severe, but 
 that strength apportioned shall be theirs — yet these and all advan- 
 tages may be forfeited, if either on the one hand they are so disre- 
 garded that men lean to their own understanding and trust to their 
 own strength ; or, on the other hand^ if their faith exalt itself into pre- 
 sumption, and, under pretence of trusting in fulness of faith to the 
 grace of God, they fold their hands in slumber, or stretch them out 
 to work sin — leaving to Hhn alone the work of that salvation, which is 
 not the less his free gift, because He wills that part of the labour 
 in attaining it should be borne by tliose to whom the gift is freely 
 offered. 
 
 E 3 
 
78 
 
 On the Spirit. 
 
 measure of the Divine Spirit been vouchsafed to them 
 in the balmy season of repose, they had relaxed their 
 own endeavours, had so forfeited the co-operation of 
 the Most High, and at last had sunk to rise no more. 
 Whereas, the fatherly loving-kindness of their God, 
 by supplying sufficient grace for the occasion, not only 
 conferred the positive blessing of an inestimable gift ; 
 but by calling forth the energies of the individual, 
 necessitated a salutary watchfulness, and thereby kept 
 the soul in safety. In the history of our blessed Re- 
 deemer, this principle is developed in all its fulness. 
 As He was pleased to be not only our sacrifice for 
 sin, but also our ensample of godly life*, we have but 
 to trace his steps, and the sceptic himself must allow, 
 that to every one born of the Spirit, as our days 
 are, so shall our spiritual strength be^^ — not like the 
 strength of the body, decaying with length of days, 
 but gathering more and more power as our deeper 
 and heavier trials advance and accumulate. Through- 
 out his varied sufferings the blessed Son of God, 
 though holy and without sin, did deign to pray for 
 and accept the aid of the Spirit in such proportion 
 as his need required ; from his first trial in the wil- 
 derness, till his last awful trial, when He poured out 
 his soul unto death, prayer was alike his refuge and 
 his aid. 
 
 You must, therefore, always strive to shun what is 
 wrong in thought, word, and deed ; and to aim at what 
 is holy, and just, and good: ^irWing strenuously ^ as if 
 the event depended on your own exertions. At the 
 same time, your trust for success must be upon the 
 assistance, which it may please God to give in answer 
 to your prayers for grace to "help in every time of 
 need.^^ Upon this point Chrysostom, one of the most 
 eloquent fathers of the Church, is equally powerful 
 and plaint Impressed deeply with the feeling of a holy 
 
 * John xiii. 15. Rom. xv. 5. 1 Pet. ii. 21. 
 2 Chrysostom died A.D. 407. 
 
On the Spirit. 
 
 79 
 
 and reverential awe for Almighty God ; deterred by 
 that feeling from the daring attempt of lowering one 
 of the divine attributes to exalt another; believing 
 rather, that divine justice and divine love are held in 
 exact balance — mercy and truth meeting together in 
 the Gospel — he combats with like ability and zeal the 
 dangerous heresies, of irrespective and irresistible 
 grace on the one hand, and of man^s independence of 
 it on the other. God^s free grace and man's free will 
 are both asserted. That they are to be reconciled, is 
 evident by the fact. The mode by which each has its 
 share in our salvation, he humbly leaves to the in- 
 scrutable counsels of the Most High — for who can 
 fathom the mysterious union of man's free agency, 
 and God's free gift of vital power to act, even in the 
 body ? The passage to which I refer is closed with a 
 simplicity, which, coming from the learned and ele- 
 gant Chrysostom, is more than usually striking. ^^For 
 neither does God," says he, lay any forcible restraint 
 upon the freedom of our understanding; nor weaken 
 our free will : rather He co-operates, and He affords 
 assistance, and stretches forth his hand to save ; or, 
 were the whole work of Him — what is to hinder, but 
 that all men must be saved 
 
 The reasoning is unanswerable. God being omni- 
 potent, and Himself willing not the death of a sinner, 
 but rather that he should be converted and live ; the 
 salvation of mankind must be universal, if He alone 
 were concerned in effecting it. Then all men must 
 be saved. For, if we argue that the whole work of 
 salvation is of God, and at the same time allow that 
 such salvation may be incomplete ; we fall into the 
 pestilent error, of limiting at once the power and the 
 mercy of God — we set bounds to his attributes ; we 
 limit his grace. But man being a party to the work, 
 and the grace whereby he can hope to effect his part 
 of the work successfully being a covenanted grace — 
 no sooner does he fail to fulfil his part of the covenant, 
 than he fails of the aid by which alone his best endea- 
 E 4 
 
80 
 
 On the Spirit. 
 
 vours to fulfil it can be rendered available ; and so, 
 his own failure mars the whole. Hence to the un- 
 righteous and impenitent, the affecting and pathetic 
 appeal — " O house of Israel, why will ye die?^' 
 
 ^^Therefore/^ adds Chrysostom, "it is manifest, that 
 in the work of our salvation, arduous as it is, if instead 
 of being wanting to ourselves by sloth and listless- 
 ness, we the rather apply tj> the work with alacrity, 
 with diligence, with good-will, with a fixed resolve 
 and anxious watchfulness ; and, withdrawing ourselves 
 from the entanglement of this lower world, and its 
 concerns, look forward to the next world, and daily 
 set our affections there — God will be with us as our 
 helper and defender^^^ 
 
 Whilst thus you labour to work out your own sal- 
 vation, God will work with you and for you of his good 
 pleasure : giving that measure of co-operation which 
 the particular occasion may render necessary. What 
 then, though you may not feel always the same fervour 
 of spirit ; the same glowing sense of an all-present 
 God; the same fulness of grace to bear up against 
 infirmity ? What though sometimes the sun of joy 
 seem withdrawn, clouds and darkness interposing ? 
 Divine grace in all its brightness is ready again to shine 
 on your heart, when the Searcher of all hearts shall see 
 the need thereof. And if, in proportion to your ad- 
 vance in the Christian life, your soul seems tried by 
 severer temptations — like the patient patriarch, Job, 
 more and more afflicted in mind, body, or estate — be 
 not surprised that, as your spiritual strength has in- 
 creased, God lays upon you a heavier cross. You are 
 stronger to bear it. Experience of the past well jus- 
 tifies faith in the future ^ Why despair of success,. 
 
 1 Chrys. Horn. Matt. ix. 37. 
 
 2 Among other illustrations of this truth, with which the lives of. 
 the faithful abound, one of the most striking is that supplied by the- 
 conduct of the youthful David, when about to engage with Goliath. 
 Saul was so amazed at the boldness of the stripling warrior, that he- 
 held him rather chargeable with temerity, than actuated by courage*, 
 " Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine^ 
 
The Sabbath. 
 
 81 
 
 when privileged to rest upon the joyful assurance, 
 that " as thy days, so shall thy strength be ? 
 
 CHAPTER XVIL 
 
 THE SABBATH. 
 
 But what if man be thus aided in his duty, by the 
 word of God written for his learning, and the Spirit 
 of God revealed for his sanctification ? This lower 
 world in which he is ordained for a season to move 
 
 to fight with him ; for thou art hut a youth, and he a man of war from 
 his youth." 1 Sam. xvii. 33. David, however, nothing daunted in the 
 prospect of meeting the great champion of the armies of the Philistines, 
 removes the fears of the king, and confirms his own courage, by re- 
 calUng past deliverances at the hand of that God, in whose name he is 
 about to contend. He declares his faith, that in the approaching strife 
 of death, as in the former struggles for his life, a successful issue must 
 be of God only ; but he argues, that as faith was then aided by Divine 
 help to the extent needed, so will it be in the more arduous conflict 
 awaiting him — " Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear : and 
 this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath 
 defied the armies of the living God. David said moreover. The Lord 
 that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the 
 bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul 
 said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee." 1 Sam. xvii. 36, 
 37. Thus, however bold his daring, and energetic his own exertions 
 when engaged in conflict with the dreadful beasts of the forest, he was 
 victor in the deadly strife — not because strong was his hand and un- 
 daunted his courage, but — because the Spirit of God nerved his arm, 
 and made his courage that it quailed not. Special aid had been vouch- 
 safed to him for the special trial. Relying, therefore, upon the same 
 aid on the part of his God, but still exercising the same resolute exer- 
 tions on his own pai't, he doubted not but that sufficient aid would be 
 given to meet the coming emergency. Faith assured him, that as his 
 day, so would be his strength. In that faith he went forth ; in that 
 faith he fought ; in that faith he conquered. 
 
 Christian ! — thou hast thine enemies arrayed against thee — mightier 
 indeed than the Philistine of Gath ! — " principalities, and powers, and 
 the rulers of the darkness of this world and thine own passions, 
 more fierce even tharf the boastings of the Philistine. But thou hast 
 also thy God with thee ! Follow David then to the battle ; strong in 
 the aid of God ; fearlessly, cheerfully. Let David's faith be yours — 
 and his shall be your victory ! 
 
 E 5 
 
82 
 
 The Sabbath. 
 
 has so natural a tendency to withdraw his mind from 
 the one, and estrange his heart from the other — the 
 very duties of earth entanghng his affections and im- 
 peding his heavenly-mindedness — that human resolve 
 and human wisdom had aUke failed to supply adequate 
 means for keeping up a devotional frame of mind be- 
 fitting creatures dependent upon their Creator, sus- 
 tained by his power, and amenable to his judgment. 
 Mankind would soon forget the solemn relation in 
 which they stand before their God, were they left to 
 choose for themselves the times and seasons for giving 
 expression to their feeling of it. On special occasions, 
 indeed, they might be led to an earnest and pious out- 
 pouring of their hearts before the footstool of God^s 
 throne : they might then flee to Heaven for succour, 
 and so acknowledge its power, in cases of imminent 
 danger, and bow with grateful adoration, when un- 
 looked-for blessing was vouchsafed. But suppose that 
 special providences, either afflictive or otherwise, might 
 have force to strike from the heart some sparks of holy 
 zeal ; a fallen nature must never trust to the caprice 
 of feeling, where the point at issue is uniform duty 
 to God. 
 
 Hence the gracious appointment of a Sabbath, And 
 whether we consider its divine authority ; its merciful 
 adaptation to the beings for whom it was made ; its 
 beneficial effects upon mankind, collectively and indi- 
 vidually ; its observance in token of allegiance to the 
 Supreme ; or the fitness of its services here on earth 
 as a preparative for the more glorious services of hea- 
 ven — the appointment itself, in whatever light it be 
 viewed, has stood from the beginning-, and will to the 
 end stand, a beacon-light to remind the world of the 
 solemn service it owes to God for its creation, preser- 
 vation, redemption, and sanctification ; and a token of 
 his love to the fallen race of man. 
 
 As with other of God^s mercies; however, so it is 
 with this : possession generates indifference ; and the 
 Sabbath-breaker too often becomes disregardful of the 
 
The Sabbath. 
 
 83 
 
 mercy which ordained it. You yourself, indeed^ may 
 happily not have been among those, who profane, or 
 despise, or habitually neglect the Sabbath ; still you 
 may feel in your sickness, that during health you 
 have not always observed it with that solemnity, and 
 delight, and holy zeal, which you now see that it so 
 justly did demand ; and by which, could you at once 
 be endued with your wonted strength and activity, you 
 would with equal gratitude and readiness hallow each 
 return of it. What to you now are the excuses, which 
 formerly served to palliate your disregard of this holy 
 day, but of which now you are ashamed ? Distance 
 from the house of God sometimes served as an excuse 
 for non-attendance : or the cares of a family ; or the 
 inconvenience of not finishing some worldly business, 
 which must otherwise be put off. Now^ the case is 
 altered : your heart secretly upbraids you with the past. 
 You are now truly sorry to have neglected, when health 
 and strength were yours, opportunities, of which in 
 sickness you are unable to avail yourself. Be not too 
 proud to listen to the upbraidings of conscience. They 
 are painful, but surely they are salutary. " Faithful 
 always "are the wounds of a friend and conscience 
 heals as it wounds ; for it leads to sorrow ; and sorrow 
 leads to repentance ; and repentance to amendment ; 
 and amendment to faith in God^s mercy ; and faith in 
 the mercy of God, to hope in his love. I trust then 
 that your bitter experience of the past will make you 
 wise for the future. Yet, lest if health return and 
 restore you to the world, you should again fall into 
 similar neglect of duty, it may be useful to refresh 
 your memory by reviewing the various motives which 
 bind men to keep the Sabbath holy : and fix on your 
 mind so firmly the obligation of this duty, that you 
 may never again fail in the fulfilment of it. 
 
 The first and highest motives by which man is bound 
 to keep holy the Sabbath day, is its divine authority. 
 The authority for its observance is not of man, but of 
 God. " Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy 
 E 6 
 
84 
 
 The Sabbath. 
 
 — is the command of the Almighty. Nor does thrs> 
 command stand alone. It rests not, as it might have 
 rested, simply on its authority ; conveying the will of 
 Him, whose will, upon every principle of common 
 sense, must be allowed supreme over the beings He 
 created : it softens the sternness of its authority by the 
 gentleness of its reasoning — ^^/or, in six days the Lord 
 made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, 
 and rested the seventh day : wherefore the Lord blessed 
 the seventh day, and hallowed it.'^ Thus, there is 
 graciously associated with the necessity of obedience 
 to the Divine command, so happy a recollection of the 
 Divine love, that it cannot fail to affect grateful hearts 
 with the liveliest thankfulness, and so render our duty 
 our happiness. It therefore must strike the thought- 
 ful mind with painful wonder, when men are found, 
 w^ho can not only neglect and think light of the Sab- 
 bath, but w^ho can forbear to hail it " as a delight ; the 
 holy of the Lord, honourable Still, the authority 
 is not lowered, because gratitude is called in to aid 
 obedience to it. The extent of the obligation has 
 been, is, and will. be for ever universal among the 
 people of God ; among all towards whom He is pleased 
 to extend the knowledge of his will ^ It was so from 
 the beginning : for though we do not find the com- 
 mand positively recorded till the time of Moses % yet 
 as it is specially stated to have had its institution in 
 consequence of the Creator's rest from the work of 
 creation, we should leave an insuperable difficulty in 
 any attempt to reconcile the ways of God to man, 
 were we not to conclude, that its observance was 
 enforced from the beginning. Surely the patriarchs — 
 
 1 Isa. Iviii. 13. 
 
 2 Exod. xxxi. 17. *^It is a sign between me and the children of 
 Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, 
 and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed." 
 
 3 The law was given from Mount Sinai 2513 years from the crea- 
 tion of this present world, and 1491 years before the Advent of the 
 Messiah. 
 
The Sabbath. 
 
 85 
 
 who walked with Jehovah as friends ; they with whom 
 He communicated by angelic messengers, or held con- 
 verse in a more immediate manner — they could never 
 have been unmindful of that glorious work of the great 
 Creator, from which He rested ; or of that gracious 
 rest which He appointed for his creatures. As well 
 might we suppose the other laws in the decalogue un- 
 observed, or not obligatory before the Mosaic dispen- 
 sation, because, till that period, there is no mention of 
 their specific promulgation. But in fact, though we 
 find no direct and positive command on this subject in 
 the earlier records of sacred writ, yet from the very 
 beginning, was it virtually enjoined as an ordinance 
 for ever^ when " God blessed the seventh day, and 
 sanctified it, because that in it he had rested from all 
 his work which God created and made.^^ He blessed 
 it — as a day wherein his creatures should rest from 
 toil, and celebrate with thanksgiving the glory of their 
 Creator. He sanctified it — that the character of their 
 rest and joy might be determined, as a holy joy ^ The 
 
 ' Gen. ii. 1 — 3. " Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, 
 and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his 
 work which he had made ; and he rested on the seventh day from all 
 liis work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and 
 sanctified it ; because that in it he had rested from all his work which 
 God created and made." 
 
 It would appear from this passage, that God, at the close of the sixth 
 day of the creation, revealed to our first parents the separation of the 
 seventh day as a sanctified day, in order that they might begin their 
 existence with praise to Him who had called them into being. The 
 words cannot be understood merely as the statement of a fact, but as 
 a declaration of his will to his attendant creatures. And though the 
 labours of Paradise were of a nature free from anxiety and pain, yet 
 even " to till the garden of Eden and to dress it," would have been 
 attended with labour for the body, and so far would have fixed the 
 thoughts on this world : whereas, it was necessary that the soul, des- 
 tined as it was eventually for the angelic services of heaven, should 
 be duly prepared for those services, and consequently be withdrawn at 
 stated intervals from all other thoughts than those which would fix it 
 on its heavenly destination. 
 
 It would be difficult therefore to suppose, that this knowledge of a 
 Sabbath and its ordinances was not revealed to our first parents. And 
 if it were a duty in their state of innocence, thus to celebrate on each 
 
86 
 
 The Sabbath. 
 
 command therefore given on Mount Sinai was in fact 
 but a confirmation of what had never ceased among 
 the people of God — a renewal of what had only lain 
 dormant ; once probably, when before the flood, the 
 earth was corrupt before God, and was filled with vio- 
 
 re turning Sabbath, the glorious creation, " when the morning stars 
 sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy how would 
 the duty be hailed as a privilege, when in their fallen state, doomed 
 to labour as a curse, there was left unto them one day out of seven, 
 when, by divine permission, they might cease that labour and toil ; 
 might lay down for a season their worldly cares and worldly sorrows: 
 approach again their once offended God, gain reconciliation, and be 
 at peace with Him ! 
 
 That this Sabbath was observed by the Patriarchs is more than 
 probable. The vast term to which human life extended in the earlier 
 ages was favourable to the transmission of the Divine will on this sub- 
 ject. Adam lived 930 years ; of which period Enoch was his com- 
 panion for 308 years. Enoch is specially mentioned as one who " walked 
 with God." To imagine therefore that he would omit this, nearly the 
 first commandment given by the Creator to his creatures, is scarcely 
 possible. Methuselah, his son, lived with him and Adam 243 years, 
 Noah lived with Methuselah 600 years. Thus then, to the flood, we 
 have three generations by whom the knowledge of the Sabbath must 
 have been preserved — Adam, Methuselah, and Noah. The seventh 
 day was specially marked by Noah. When he sent out of the ark a 
 dove to ascertain the subsidence of the waters ; he on two several 
 occasions waited for its return seven days : habitually looking for some 
 special token of rest and blessing on the seventh day. Having more- 
 over been eminent as a preacher of righteousness, whom nor scorn 
 nor danger could deter from declaring the whole law of God, he would 
 doubtless impress upon his posterity, who were to people the world 
 anew — the still accumulating obligation to keep the Sabbath holy f : 
 and so the knowledge of that holy day would be carried down to Abra- 
 ham, Isaac, and Jacob. During the patriarchal wanderings in Canaan 
 indeed, and especially during IsraeFs bondage in Egypt, where their 
 hard taskmasters allowed no pause in labour, Sabbath-observances 
 were probably interrupted. But that the observance of the Sabbath, 
 at the giving of the law from Mount Sinai, was to be considered with 
 reference to its observance in former ages of the world, appears clear, 
 as well from the terms in which it is couched, " Remember the Sabbath 
 day, to keep it holy as from its declared reference to the first crea- 
 tion of the world, "/or in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, 
 the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day : wherefore 
 the Lord blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it." But the creation 
 of the world is an event in which all ages, past, present, and future, 
 are equally concerned. 
 
 * Job xxxviii. 7. 
 
 t Noah lived 350 years after the flood. 
 
The Sabbath. 
 
 87 
 
 lence — the foundations of the earth out of course^' 
 — and once again, when during Israel's bondage in 
 Egypt, any regular observance of it was of necessity 
 interrupted. To impress this view of it still more 
 strongly upon the Israelites ; to hold up the blessed- 
 ness of observing the Sabbath in their freedom, in 
 more striking contrast to the neglect of it in their state 
 of bondage; and to convince them that the word of 
 Jehovah came with all the majesty of his power, and 
 the fulness of his mercy : no sooner was it ordained 
 that they should be. fed for forty years by a miraculous 
 supply of heavenly food, called manna,^^ than this day 
 was marked by a twofold wonder. During five days, 
 food sufficient for the day was to be daily gathered. If 
 any man gathered more, the remainder became unfit 
 for food. But on the sixth day each man found and 
 gathered sufficient food for two days ; and the whole 
 then collected continued fresh and fit for use ; in order 
 that on the Sabbath day there might be a complete 
 rest throughout Israel, and all the people might be free 
 to receive the blessing and sanctification, with which 
 the day itself was stamped ; and which was, and is, 
 and for ever will be reflected upon those who, in 
 sincerity and truth, " keep it holy 
 
 How sternly that authority was enforced after the 
 clear and fixed promulgation of the law on Mount 
 Sinai, the history of God^s ancient people is in full 
 evidence. Death followed an infringement of it: 
 
 Whosoever doeth any work on the Sabbath day, he 
 shall surely be put to death.^^ Again, Every one 
 that defileth it shall surely be put to death And in 
 order to prove that this awful threatening of punish- 
 ment was no mere assertion of power, but would be 
 executed upon the disobedient, the record of one 
 offender is preserved, who, having laboured on the 
 Sabbath day, was, by express command of the Lord, 
 put to death : " And the Lord said unto Moses, The 
 
 1 Gen. vi. 11. 
 
 2 Exod. xxxi. 14, 15. 
 
88 The Sabbath. 
 
 man shall be surely put to death : all the congregation 
 shall stone him with stones without the camp. And 
 all the congregation brought him without the camp, 
 and stoned him with stones, and he died ; as the Lord 
 commanded Moses Hence Nehemiah^s patriotic re- 
 monstrance with the nobles of Judah, whose disregard 
 of the Sabbath to keep it holy, sapped the prosperity 
 of their people ; " caused God to bring evil upon them 
 and their city and " brought wrath upon Israel by 
 profaning the Sabbath day,^^ which w^as for ever to 
 l3e a sign between God and the nations to whom his 
 truth should be made known. If the day were hallowed 
 before God, and exalted among men, it was to bring 
 triumph ; if lowered, or neglected, there would be de- 
 feat for victory, and sadness for joy, and Divine wrath 
 for the love and favour of the Most High ! " But if 
 ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the Sabbath 
 day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the 
 gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day ; then will I 
 kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall de- 
 vour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be 
 quenched ^.^^ 
 
 Such was the authority, wdth which the command to 
 keep the Sabbath holy was enforced upon the elect 
 people of God, under the Mosaic dispensation*; and 
 such the penalties by which it was guarded. That 
 the Christian Sabbath comes with milder enactments, 
 argues not that it comes with weakened authority. 
 The dispensation of the Gospel is throughout mild, 
 and gentle, and persuasive. The law was given in 
 terrors of lightnings and thunderings, and a visible 
 glory, of which no mortal eye could endure the blaze. 
 
 1 Numb. XV. 35, 36. ^ Nehem. xiii. 18. ' Jer. xvii. 27. 
 
 * That the severer enactments against Sabbath-breaking were 
 removed under the Christian dispensation, is in accordance with its 
 general character of mercy and love. Yet authority is never lessened 
 because exercised with forbearance and loving-kindness. The power 
 of Jehovah to puni-sh or reward is the same, whether He demand our 
 obedience upon the ground of fear of his terrors, or win us over to our 
 duty upon the principle of love for his mercy. 
 
The Sabbath. 
 
 89 
 
 The Gospel was ushered in with angel songs, and 
 established by the gentle voice of the meek and lowly 
 Jesus. The difference, therefore, between the Mosaic 
 and the Christian Sabbath is but consistent with the 
 different character of the two dispensations, and in 
 harmony with all the ways of God with man. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE SABBATH. 
 
 The authority of the Mosaic Sabbath was expected to 
 influence, not the outward man only, but the inmost 
 heart. There was not only to be a rest from bodily 
 labour, but that rest was to be occupied in cherishing- 
 holier thoughts, and higher feelings, and purer affec- 
 tions, than the turmoil of the world permits to the 
 anxious mind of man. A heavenly spirit was, for 
 that day more especially, to be fostered in the soul ; 
 gradually moulding it, and fitting it for the enjoyment 
 of an eternal Sabbath in heaven. The moral disci- 
 pline by which that spirituality was to be attained^ 
 Jehovah himself declared with a fulness equally plain 
 and instructive ; accompanied by promise of extended 
 blessing, which alone might suffice to win a ready 
 obedience. " If thou turn away thy foot from the 
 Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day : 
 and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, 
 honourable ; and shalt honour him, not doing thine 
 own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speak- 
 ing thine own words : then shalt thou delight thyself 
 in the Lord : and I will cause thee to ride upon the 
 high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage 
 of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hatk 
 spoken it 
 
 * Isa. Iviii. 13, 14. " Turn away thy foot from the Sabbath : froi» 
 doing thy pleasure on my holy day." 
 
 If this word be taken literally , the meaning will be, that when oil 
 
90 
 
 The Sabbath. 
 
 It is impossible for language to express^ in a more 
 beautiful and comprehensive manner^ the fitting mode 
 of regulating our own habits of life on the Sabbath, 
 than this passage. The noble spirit of heavenly-mind- 
 edness which the command inspires into the soul, ele- 
 vates it far above the grovelling notion that a Sabbath 
 is a mere day of rest from bodily toil — a mere cessa- 
 tion from the daily round of worldly gain, or worldly 
 duties. It demands that we withdraw our affections 
 from earth, and fix them on heaven ; it points out the 
 necessity of a marked distinction in our employments 
 on that day ; taking care that they jar not upon the 
 holy tone of feeling which should then fill the heart : 
 for though there is nothing meritorious even in the 
 most devoted service, yet we are encouraged to hope 
 t]\2ii sincere service may be acceptable ; whilst in token 
 of our wish to show deference and honour to the day 
 hallowed by our God, we cease from ^- doing our own 
 pleasures.^^ Further, this command expects that we 
 
 God's holy day we turn away from so unhallowed a Sabbath as doing 
 our own pleasure on his holy day, then God will bless us. 
 
 If it be understood figuratively^ the purport will be still the same. 
 The affections being to the mind what the feet are to the body — agents 
 to bear them severally on their way whither any object may induce 
 them — so on the Sabbath days, we are to turn away from all those 
 worldly affections which would lead us from God, in order that our 
 hearts may be perfectly free for his service ; lest otherwise they lead 
 us to do ^' our own pleasure " on God's holy day. 
 
 Whether, however, we consider the word literally or figuratively, 
 the whole passage is equally instructive : drawing in strong con- 
 trast such a Sabbath as the irreligious would keep, and such a Sab- 
 bath as God would require. Man would do his own pleasure on 
 God's holy day ; passing it perhaps in rest from usual labour and toil^ 
 but still pursuing his usual amusements, occupied with his accustomed 
 worldly pleasures, and laying schemes for the advancement of his in- 
 terests or the extension of his enjoyments. From such a Sabbath he 
 is to turn away. The Sabbath which God requires, is one, dedicated 
 to Himself ; not indeed in a severe spirit of mortification, or harsh 
 severity, or wearisome dulness ; but in the full and free expression of 
 a dehghted heart, bending its thoughts and directing its affections to 
 contemplate the perfections of Jehovah ; rejoicing in his mercy, de- 
 lighting in his presence, happy in his love ; glad therefore to con- 
 secrate that grateful joy by a holy observance of the day which the 
 Lord hath called his (. ,vn. 
 
The Sabbath. 
 
 91 
 
 hail each returning Sabbath with joy^ and greet it in 
 the impassioned language of David — " This is the day 
 which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad 
 in it we will rejoice, that though labour be our ap- 
 pointed portion^ and we be doomed late to take rest^ 
 and eat the bread of carefulness/^ we are privileged to 
 lay it aside on this day. Yet the rest appointed is not 
 for sloth, or our own pleasure, or worldly trifling ; its 
 character is stamped broadly and plainly as Holy — 
 " holy to the Lord ; honourable — to be honoured 
 above all other days by the reverence shown to it, in 
 abstaining from wonted employments and amuse- 
 ments, which, though in themselves perhaps harmless, 
 yet not being necessary, we put aside, in 'proof that 
 we ^^do not our oivn ways, nor find our own pleasure, 
 nor speak our own words making the distinction 
 not in any pharisaical boast of spiritual pride, but 
 wdth that candour and judgment to which our 
 reason, aided by the word and Spirit of God, may 
 guide us. 
 
 Happily for this Christian nation, such is the view 
 generally taken of the mode in which a Sabbath should 
 be kept : among those at least who are not ashamed 
 to hold themselves bound to obey Him in whom they 
 profess to believe. That some consider such strict 
 observance of the day inconsistent with that cheerful- 
 ness with which the heart ought to be filled in the 
 service of the Almighty, is not less true than strange 
 — strange, because it is only to such a Sabbath that 
 the Divine blessing is attached: and without the 
 Divine blessing, what is cheerfulness but a name ; a 
 mockery — laughter in which the heart is sad ? 
 
 Surely, a greater misery could not befal our nation, 
 than a weakening of the sanctity which now professedly 
 marks the observance of an English Sabbath. Lower 
 the tone of devotional feeling, which gilds the Sabbath 
 hours — make congregational worship a matter of in- 
 difference.; break in upon holy meditation ; disturb by 
 common business or mixed amusement the calm and 
 
92 
 
 The Sabbath. 
 
 quiet of the domestic circle ; give up the holy contem- 
 plation of the works of God, as parents and children 
 take their walk abroad, in the fields rich in his bounty ; 
 and lead their feet to scenes of vain public pleasures, 
 where worldly affections must predominate : disturb 
 that salutary pause in the career of life, which, enabling 
 men to look back upon the past, and forward to the 
 future, aids them in either keeping the strait and nar- 
 row way, or returning to it; entice them from the 
 green pastures by the waters of comfort, where the 
 good find their true rest, and though on earth, have 
 their conversation in heaven — lower this high feeling; 
 bring it down to earth again ; and who shall dare ex- 
 pect other result, than a loosening of those principles 
 of right, which at present keep together the bands of 
 society ; and a disregard of those hopes and fears of 
 an hereafter, which to the individual, in all the rela- 
 tions of life, constitute his only safe guidance, his 
 only sure strength : fitting him for that conscientious 
 fulfilment of duty here, which may, by God's gracious 
 mercy in the Saviour, lead him to a blessed recom- 
 pense hereafter? That such result would attend an 
 authorized relaxation of Sabbath observances is as 
 certain as that effect follows its cause. Men would 
 never be contented to dispense with rest from labour on 
 that day — the ordinance, as a season of repose from 
 bodily toil, is too consonant with man's view of his 
 own comfort, too well adapted to his consciousness 
 that stated rest is needful, to be voluntarily resigned* 
 But if usual bodily labour be suspended, and the mind 
 not applied sedulously to the spiritual work of prayer 
 and praise, of meditation and holy communing, of self- 
 examination, and due preparation for death and eter- 
 nity, the inevitable consequence would be misery* 
 Men, no longer finding exercise for their intellectual 
 powers in holy converse with their Maker, or for their 
 physical powers in the stirring business of active life, 
 would soon become slaves to their passions, and learn 
 to follow " their oivn ways, and do their own pleasure.'' 
 
The SoMatli. 
 
 93 
 
 Whereas, allow to the world its appointed pause ; keep 
 up the tone of Sabbath feeling ; elevate it higher and 
 still higher^ as the human mind gains more and more 
 intelligence ; and who can doubt but that the Divine 
 blessing will rest upon us? The Almighty has 
 declared that the Sabbath shall be a sign for ever 
 between him and his people. Blessing and glory are' 
 promised to them, fully and unreservedly, so long as 
 they shall observe the sign. Then are they to prosper. 
 " Then/^ adds Jehovah to his people — Then shalt 
 thou delight thyself in the Lord ; and I will cause 
 thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and 
 feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father : for 
 the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.^^ 
 
 How strictly the Jews felt the obligation of the 
 Sabbath, is evident in their various remonstrances 
 with our blessed Lord upon what they considered his 
 desecration of it. Did his disciples, as they passed 
 with Him through the corn-fields on the Sabbath day, 
 pluck the ears of corn ; instantly the Pharisees said 
 unto Him, Behold ! why do they on the Sabbath day 
 that which is not lawful So, again, when a woman 
 which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and 
 was bowed together, and could in no wise help her- 
 self, was loosed from her infirmity, and was made 
 straight, and glorified God; "the ruler of the syna- 
 gogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus 
 had healed on the Sabbath day, and said unto the 
 people. There are six days in which men ought to 
 work : in them therefore come and be healed, and not 
 on the Sabbath day 
 
 The skill with which the Son of God meets their 
 objections, and confutes their arguments, showing by 
 their own proceedings at once their folly and their sin, 
 is indeed sufficiently clear w^henever the subject calls 
 Him forth into argument with them. He reminds 
 them that occasions are by their own law provided 
 
 ^ L ike xi.i. 14. 
 
94 
 
 The Sabbath, 
 
 for^ when work may be done — especially works of 
 mercy : " cloth not each one of you on the Sabbath 
 loose his ox or his ass from the stall and lead him 
 away to watering?^' the conclusion to be drawn being 
 inevitable. If this act of consideration to the neces- 
 sities of brute beasts which perish be a permitted 
 work ; much more must acts of beneficence and 
 benevolence towards man, for the relief of his neces- 
 sities in mind, body, or estate, be also permitted. 
 The holy work well befits the holy day \ 
 
 Why, then, it may be asked, did not this, the ap- 
 pointed sign of God's favour to his people, and their 
 
 ^ All wonder at the severity of the enactments relating to the 
 Israelitish Sabbath-breaker is removed, when we consider the pecuhar 
 circumstances of the people of God when the law was promulgated. 
 They were surrounded on every side by nations given up to the wildest 
 superstitions, and the most degrading idolatry ; themselves, as their 
 history shows, fatally prone to such abominations. To check this prone- 
 ness, where it was likely specially to break forth, partly from a natural 
 stifFneckedness which led to a love of resistance ; partly from that 
 inaction, which, unavoidably attendant upon their miraculous support 
 in the wilderness, consequently left them more exposed to temptation ; 
 there was a peculiar necessity for adopting strong measures for their 
 preservation — measures which, having for their object the prevention 
 of a weighty evil, were framed with proportionate strength to the evil 
 apprehended. Hence the severe and even stern attention required 
 to the minutest regulations of the Sabbath, where, if they were 
 neglected, the danger would instantly accrue, of the individual being 
 led astray to other than the true worship, and so forfeiting the blessing 
 of his covenant. The fear of death, therefore, was placed before the 
 Israelite, who should be guilty of the sin of Sabbath-breaking ; and 
 mercy it was which enacted the law : for no measures less strong 
 would have availed to control men circumstanced as the Israelites 
 then were. As they became not only one among the nations, but " a 
 wise and understanding people," some of the reasons for so severe a 
 penalty on the Sabbath-breaker might lose in part their force. But 
 we are not surprised that the Jews still held the law itself as retaining 
 all its severity. The laws of their religion, in the very letter of them, 
 were their boast and their glory. They were indications to the world 
 of their cherished election to the favour of Jehovah, as a peculiar 
 people : the honour and importance that fact conferred, more than 
 countervailing the burden with which it was accompanied. 
 
 Jesus would fain have taught them to keep the Sabbath in spirit and 
 in truth, as well as in the form and letter. But their pride intervened 
 — that pride of heart, and of will, which too surely combined with their 
 other sins to bring them to destruction. 
 
The Sabbath. 
 
 95 
 
 distinguishing mark as the chosen^ stand between 
 them and woe in the dreadful day of their visitation ? 
 Why did the promised blessing of defence not rest 
 upon such a nation ? Why did the Sabbath no longer 
 throw its defence around them, as in old time ; at once 
 their shield and their glory ? — The answer meets us in 
 the very words of our Divine Master: ^^This people 
 draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, an d honoureth 
 me with their lips; but their heart is far from me^P 
 It was with their Sabbaths, as with their other ordi- 
 nances ; they polluted them ^ Disregard of the spirit 
 of the law strove to go hand in hand with observance 
 of the mere letter of the law. There was a constant 
 and vain effort to bring about that impossible union 
 — the service of God and the service of Mammon. 
 All their aim was to keep the Sabbath to the letter, 
 careless how they broke it in the spirit; thereby 
 leaving themselves open to every temptation ; be- 
 coming ready victims of evil ; willing slaves of sin ; 
 and having begun with uuholy Sabbaths, ending with 
 a revolting and rebellious heart, which drew them 
 from their God. Hence the appeal of the Almighty, 
 followed by a destruction, which swept like a whirl- 
 wind over the land — Shall I not visit for these 
 things? saith the Lord. Shall not my soul be 
 avenged on such a nation as this^?^^ 
 
 Why has the record of these things been preserved, 
 but for our learning? Or, are not the sufferings of 
 the once favoured people of God in old time sufficiently 
 striking to arouse his people now to a hearty and spi- 
 ritual obedience to the same law ? — a law, sustained 
 by higher sanctions ; to be attended with fuller bless- 
 ings if obeyed in sincerity and truth, or followed by 
 severer punishment if it be either rejected on the one 
 hand, or on the other received for mere formes sake. 
 Oh, that we may take warning as a nation, and so hal- 
 low the Sabbaths of our God, neither doing our own 
 ways on his holy day,^^ " nor finding our own pleasure, 
 
 1 Matt. XV. 8. 2 Ezek. xx. 12, 13. 3 jer. y. 29. 
 
96 
 
 The Sabbath. 
 
 nor speaking our own words — that his full blessing 
 may rest upon us ; and that as we " call the Sabbath 
 a delight^ the holy of the Lord, honourable/^ He may 
 cause us to ride upon the high places of the earth, 
 and feed us with the heritage of Jacob ; for the mouth 
 of the Lord hath spoken it I 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 THE SABBATH. 
 
 It was not, however, only by illustration and argu- 
 ment, that our blessed Saviour defended Himself 
 against the charge of desecrating the Sabbath. He 
 took higher ground. He appealed to his power in jus- 
 tification of his acts. Declaring the Son of man to be 
 Lord also of the Sabbath, He claimed to do what He 
 would with his own \ The reasoning by which He 
 arrived at this conclusion, was conducted not so much 
 by the force of argument, as by a reference to facts : 
 facts w^hich, proving Him to be the Lord of that mate- 
 rial world, to commemorate the creation of which was 
 the primary object of the Sabbath ordinance, made it 
 evident to common sense as well as satisfactory to 
 faith, that the Sabbath itself, with its ordinances, its 
 employments, its very existence,must be at his disposal 
 and his ordering. He who originated the ordinance, 
 would of course regulate the mode of its observance. 
 
 ^ As Maker of all things, his claim Avas just*. And it is important 
 that the principle on which it rests he a recognized principle : for 
 where it is wisely acted upon, submission to the Divine will, under 
 the heaviest trials, is rendered comparatively easy. " We are thine, 
 O God ; not our own ! Let us then not murmur. Thou canst do 
 what thou wilt with thine own." This was St. Paul's reasoning, 
 
 Shall the thing formed say to him tliat formed it, Why hast thou 
 made me thus ? " Rom. ix. 20. 
 
 * John i. 3. 
 
The Sabbath. 
 
 97 
 
 And of what part of creation did He not show Him- 
 self the Lord? All nature, animate and inanimate, 
 obeyed Him. The elements acknowledged his sove- 
 reignty. The earth supplied food ; the sea gave up 
 her treasures ; the winds and the waves stayed their 
 fury ; whilst man in his strength and in his weakness, 
 in his hatred and in his affection, was moulded to his 
 will, and could not forbear confessing Him Lord of all. 
 Thus, when He acknowledged Himself to the officers 
 of justice to be, the " Jesus of Nazareth, whom they 
 sought,^^ they who came armed to seize Him, ^^went 
 backward, and fell to the ground.^^ Such was the 
 power of his presence \ On the fallen Peter, who 
 was warm in his affection, as weak in his resolve. He 
 but looked ; the creature owned the presence of the 
 Creator; the heart owned the eye of the Searcher of 
 all hearts. Did thousands faint for lack of food? 
 Those thousands He fed ; and though his word was the 
 only agent to gather the food required, the feast sup- 
 plied enough and to spare. Was it required that He 
 showed obedience to the laws of his country by paying 
 tribute ? The sea gave the tribute, according to his 
 word ; even as his Divine knowledge foresaw, and his 
 Divine power ordered ^ Were his disciples afraid when 
 storm and tempest threatened to overwhelm the ship 
 in which they were sailing in his company? The 
 winds and the waves were hushed at his bidding : they 
 likewise confessed Him their Lord, and there was a 
 great calm. So, the various infirmities to which the 
 human frame is liable yielded to Him who made it. 
 Sickness became health ; weakness strength ; the blind 
 received their sight ; the deaf heard ; the dumb spake ; 
 the alienated mind returned to the due exercise of its 
 powers ; reason resumed her seat where long she had 
 been a stranger ; and the dead were restored to life^ 
 because He willed, who made all things, and for whose 
 pleasure they are and were created. Thus, even from 
 
 ^ John xviii. 6. 
 
 2 Matt. xvii. 27. 
 
 [264] 
 
98 
 
 The Sabbath. 
 
 the blade of grass which we tread upon, to man, into 
 whom He breathed the breath of Hfe, and whom He 
 made a Uving soul — all things owned Him their Lord. 
 Well, therefore, might He appeal to \\\^ power to jus- 
 tify his act, when He did that on the Sabbath day, 
 which his enemies deemed unlawful. 
 
 But was it thus his intention either to abrogate the 
 Sabbath, or loosen the force of its enactments? — Far 
 from it. He confirmed its authority by his precepts, 
 and sanctified it by his example. AH his arguments 
 upon the subject, in opposition to the Jews, amount 
 to this : that "it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath 
 day.^' The Sabbath which He disregards, is a strin- 
 gent adherence to the letter of the law : when such ad- 
 herence to the letter is considered as a substitute for 
 observing the spirit of the law : when abstinence from 
 worldly labour is held sufficient, without abstinence 
 from worldly thoughts and worldly desires ; when a 
 spirit of pleasure or of gain waits but the setting of 
 the Sabbath sun again to come forth into action, and 
 slight the holy duties to which a Sabbath morn has 
 called us. In a word, the Rest, which our Divine 
 Teacher enjoins, is a rest from those earthly cares, 
 which though in their season necessary for the susten- 
 tation of bodily life, must have their appointed pause, 
 lest otherwise they destroy our spiritual life ; and that 
 rest is to be a holy rest. The outward ordinance was 
 observed by our Saviour with an uniformity so habi- 
 tual, that no pointed mention is made of it, but we 
 gather from the gospel history, that to attend the 
 synagogue on the Sabbath was his regular practice : 
 the historian, therefore, not considering it as a point 
 to be noted. The charge against Him was, not that He 
 neglected the Sabbath, but that as He went or returned 
 from public worship. He added to the strict letter of 
 the law the further duty of acting up to the spirit of 
 it — benefiting the creatures of God, and so exalting 
 the glory of God. It was thus that He effected the 
 object of his coming into the world, as a Divine 
 
The Sabbath. 
 
 99 
 
 Teacher. He came " not to destroy the law, but to 
 fulfil/^ That which was wanting. He supphed; that 
 which was erroneous, He corrected. Therefore He 
 insisted upon splritual-mindedness in the observance 
 of that Sabbath, which being devoted to the worship 
 of God, would not otherwise be kept holy, than by 
 being kept in a holy spirit, ready to do always his 
 holy will. He added the reason — God is a Spirit, 
 and they that worship him, must worship him in spirit 
 and in truth.^^ 
 
 Thus our gracious Master wills, that whilst thankful 
 for the Divine mercy which has removed the severer 
 enactments of the Jewish Sabbath, and the severer 
 temporal penalties attached to an infringement of its 
 ordinances, we are not on that account to omit a 
 strictly holy observance of that day outwardly — are 
 not to forego the form of godliness ; but to add to the 
 form, the power of godliness : for the form without the 
 power is but the shadow instead of its substance — a 
 body without a soul. Whereas He, by his word and 
 Spirit, aiding his followers in this, as in all other their 
 works, would have us to keep the Sabbath day HOLY^ 
 both in word and deed ; in the letter and in the spirit. 
 He would have us keep it as unto the Lord, not as 
 unto man only. He would have us devote it to the 
 service of the Almighty, not doing our own ways, 
 nor finding our own pleasures, nor speiaking our own 
 words but esteeming it a day " holy unto the Lord^ 
 and honourable," wisely employing it in so disciplin- 
 ing our souls to high and heavenly hopes, and to aspi- 
 rations after another and a better world, that we may 
 gradually be prepared for our appointed services in 
 Heaven, where " our sun shall no more go down," 
 when " time itself shall be no longer," and where an 
 everlasting Sabbath shall be at once our reward and 
 our glory for ever. 
 
 f2 
 
100 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 THE SABBATH. 
 
 And now, my reader, since the leisure and calm of 
 sickness have induced you thus far to a serious con- 
 sideration of the ways of God with man, your heart 
 has expanded, I hope, towards religion with a warmth 
 seldom felt before, and has enjoyed a peace with which 
 the stranger to religion " intermeddleth not/^ On 
 the subject to which I called your attention in the 
 former chapters — the Sabbath of the Lord — you pro- 
 bably felt an increased interest, both from a conscious- 
 ness that you had, in health and strength, too often 
 neglected the solemn duties of that day ; and from a 
 sad conviction, that you had consequently too often 
 lost the blessed consolations of it. 
 
 Whether, however, you reflect upon your past neg- 
 lect of the Sabbath, as a duty omitted, or a privilege 
 disregarded, there can be no doubt that mingled feel- 
 ings of wonder and grief fill your mind. 
 
 But if it be wonderful that men neglect it; and 
 under pretences which it is impossible to reconcile 
 even to their own consciences, much less to their 
 Maker ; it is more strange, that so neglecting it, they 
 should, under a strong self-deception, disavow, (and 
 many pretend to disavow,) the intention of dishonour- 
 ing Him by their neglect, or hazarding the welfare of 
 the soul by their disobedience. They still claim to 
 themselves, as professing Christians, all the privileges 
 of their covenant. They hope to gain his mercy, 
 whom they profess to believe as God. Called by the 
 name of Christ, they look to be saved through Him by 
 whose name they are called ; and hope that they shall 
 go to heaven at last. Now there is a dangerous de- 
 lusion here. What can be more delusive, than for 
 servants to look for favour from a master whose com- 
 mands they systematically disobey ? or for a son to 
 
The Sabbath. 
 
 101 
 
 claim blessing from a father whose will he opposes ? 
 As to the hope of heaven to which the Sabbath- 
 breaker looks — what must that heaven be^ which he 
 anticipates? All which the Scriptures reveal to us of 
 the nature of heavenly happiness seems comprehended 
 in this — that it will consist chiefly in an unceasing 
 and unwearied service of God ; resting not day and 
 night for ever\ Strange! that they, who have no 
 pleasure in serving God in the congregation, accord- 
 ing to his will, here on earth, can expect to have plea- 
 sure in serving Him in heaven hereafter ! — Nothing 
 can be more inconsistent than such an expectation. 
 Suppose for a moment that a Sabbath-breaker were ad- 
 mitted to join the heavenly worshippers, he would be 
 as averse to raising the song of praise above, as he is 
 from attending the courts of the Lord's house here be- 
 low. The angels' heaven would be no heaven to him. 
 
 Nor is this fact less grievous than it is wonderful. 
 I believe, indeed, that much of Sabbath-breaking 
 arises from habit. Habitual sin, however, is the more 
 dreadful sin. A fearful thing it is to live week after 
 week, month after month, year after year, in habitual 
 disobedience to the positive command of the most 
 high and holy God, who made us, and alone preserves 
 us, and in whose hand is every moment of our lives ; 
 and who, when life is taken, hath power to cast soul 
 and body into hell. Or is it possible for any Sabbath- 
 breaker to consider himself safe from the just anger 
 of the great and gracious Being, who, as the Father 
 — the Redeemer — the Sanctifier — Himself has hal- 
 lowed the day ? Can they, who claim to be the 
 creatures of his power, the redeemed of his love, and 
 the sanctified of his grace, hallow not the day of their 
 Lord ; and yet hold themselves guiltless ? 
 
 In addition to these considerations, it is not to be 
 
 ^ Rev. iv. 8. The Cherubim and Seraphim about the throne rest 
 not day and nighty saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which 
 was, and is, and is to come." Whilst the spirits of the just — martyrs 
 and saints — praise Him unceasingly. They are before the throne of 
 God, "and serve Him day and night in his temple,** Rev. vii. 15. 
 F 3 
 
102 
 
 The Sabbath. 
 
 forgotten, that he who wilfully breaks the Sabbath, 
 deprives himself of the special blessings which await 
 those who keep the day holy. God not only hallowed 
 his own day, but blessed it. You yourself, as you lie 
 on your sick bed, and naturally retrace your past 
 course of life, not only remember with pain those 
 occasions upon which you neglected this duty, but 
 love to dwell upon the recollection of peaceful hours 
 which you enjoyed when you were fulfilling it. You 
 recollect that when engaged in the holy service of 
 prayer, and penitence, and praise, your whole heart 
 and soul were strong and peaceful. The world was 
 for a time forgotten — its pleasures and its pains ; its 
 joys and its sorrows. You were altogether at peace 
 with God and your fellow-creatures. One with Christ 
 as Christ with God, you were by the Spirit so brought 
 near to your gracious Redeemer, that no doubt re- 
 mained of your prayers having ascended to the throne 
 of grace, borne thither by your gracious Intercessor 
 sitting at the right hand of the Father. Engaged in 
 such heavenly communing, you felt in all its power 
 the truth of the Saviour's assurance, that there is no 
 condemnation to them that believe in Him — that such 
 are passed from death unto life And where then 
 were the lower feelings of the soul, which in the world 
 so often perplex man ? Where were anger, and dis- 
 appointment, and revenge, and envy? — They were as 
 though they existed not. The heart, filled with the 
 peace of God, had no room for any disturbing influence. 
 Happy they who can bear testimony to this truth ! 
 The love of God, as we have drawn nigh to Him, has 
 caused our love to man so to be enlarged, that we felt 
 it not enough to forgive our enemies — we loved them : 
 not enough to be reconciled to worldly disappoint- 
 ments — we rejoiced in them as means of training us 
 for heaven ^ As for revenge — every thought of a 
 
 1 John V. 24. 
 
 2 2 Cor. iv. 17. For our light affliction, which is hut for a moment, 
 worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." 
 
The Sabbath. 
 
 103 
 
 feeling so racking was gone. We were in the pre- 
 sence of the Almighty, who claims vengeance as his 
 own\ Pity for the offender therefore took place of 
 indignation for the offence; whilst even envy itself 
 withered, when no discontent was left to foster it. 
 The lowliest Christian — when admitted, as the poorest 
 and lowliest are free to be admitted^ into the presence 
 of the Almighty by the service of prayer — learns at 
 once to be contented with whatever his heavenly 
 Father shall ordain for him ^: and there is no envy of 
 another where we are contented ourselves. It is by 
 such recollections as these that you bear testimony to 
 the blessed effects of keeping the Sabbath holy in the 
 congregation of the faithful. It is thus you testify, 
 that a sincere worshipper lays up in store for himself 
 spiritual peace, which calms the troubled soul amid 
 the agitating concerns of the world, and the voice of 
 human passions; and attains a spiritual joy, which sets 
 him high above all inferior views ; raises him, whence 
 he can so look down upon earthly concerns, that he 
 views them in their proper dimensions, as nothing 
 when compared to eternal things ; and fixes his heart 
 where true joys are to be found, even upon a recon- 
 ciled God, a loving Saviour, and an ever-present 
 Comforter. It is thus you testify to the blessings of 
 a Sabbath. And whoever, on each returning Sabbath, 
 attends the house of God regularly ; with proper dis- 
 positions of humility and thankfulness; with an earnest 
 desire to become a better Christian, — more sincere in 
 his motives before God, more upright in his dealings 
 before men ; less conformed to this world, and more 
 and more transformed by the renewing of his mind ; 
 he finds, that duty and blessing go hand in hand — the 
 fulfilment of the duty which God requires, receiving 
 the fulfilment of the blessing which He promises. He 
 
 ^ Rom. xii. 19. " It is written, Vengeance is mine! — I will repay, 
 saith the Lord.^* See also Deut. xxxii. 35. Ps. xciv. 1, Heb. x. 
 30. 
 
 2 1 Tim. vi. 6. "But — Godliness with contentment is great gain." 
 F 4 
 
101 
 
 The Sabbath. 
 
 gains blessing for himself and his children, whom 
 he teaches to make the Almighty their friend ; and 
 as years roll on and bring him nearer to his end, he is 
 more and more prepared to meet his God. This man, 
 if he be poor as Lazarus in earthly goods, is rich as 
 Abraham in the Divine blessing : and to him the house 
 of God is as a shadow from the heat, and a refuge 
 from the storm — for there he finds his Saviour and 
 his God. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 THE SABBATH. 
 
 If this page be opened by a faithful servant of Christ, 
 who loves the Lord's day, and finds his best pleasure 
 thereon, in doing the will of Him who claims the day 
 as his own he may pass the chapter unread. The 
 remonstrance it sets forth, the appeal it makes to 
 man's self-love, and the counsel it offers apply not to 
 him. He needs them not. But it may chance that 
 this page be opened by one, who, either from a wilful 
 determination to continue in sin, or from an eagerness 
 after worldly business which allows no respite, or 
 from a love of pleasure which makes all duties dis- 
 tasteful, has been too often a Sabbath -breaker. If so, 
 allow the word of exhortation. Indeed, addressing 
 you as I now do, under the supposition that you are 
 debarred by sickness from pursuing your usual avo- 
 cations, I am aware that your mind is more ready to 
 receive the truth, in proportion as you are freed from 
 the objects which long have intercepted your view of 
 it. Consider then, for a moment, whom you disobey, 
 in breaking the Sabbath ! Not man ; but God. Not 
 a fellow-creature, whom you might in pride and pas- 
 
 1 See Note;, p. 9fi. 
 
The Sabbatfu 
 
 105 
 
 sion choose to contemn — but the Almighty ! the Being 
 who made you — the Power, by whom alone your Hfe 
 is continued to you day by day, and hour by hour. 
 You disobey Him^ who in one moment could withdraw 
 your life from you, and with it, all the opportunities 
 which you now have of taking heed for the salvation 
 of your soul. Suppose He were to strike you with 
 sudden death when you were breaking the Sabbath : 
 at an hour when you ought to be with your fellow- 
 creatures and fellow-Christians in the courts of the 
 Lord's house, drawing nigh to Him on earth, with 
 whom you hope to live for ever in heaven ! Suppose 
 Him to demand your life in this ill-spent hour ; what 
 could you answer to Him, when " your spirit returned 
 to the God who gave it ? What reply could you 
 make to the charge of coming into his presence unpre- 
 pared ? It were in vain to urge that you were peni- 
 tent in your heart, though you avowed it not ; that you 
 reverenced God, though you worshipped Him hot ; 
 that you read the word of God, though you confessed 
 it not ; that you believed in his Son Jesus Christ, 
 though you obeyed Him not ! The question of your 
 heavenly Judge would still recur — ^' Where is your 
 obedience to my commandment — ' Keep holy the 
 Sabbath day?''' 
 
 But perhaps you have neglected the Sabbath less 
 deliberately. Worldly concerns have so absorbed you, 
 that you have found no time for the one thing need- 
 ful." As a man of business, calculation is of course 
 familiar to you ; and your great anxiety as an honest 
 and flourishing man is to show at the year's end a 
 good account — a good balance in your favour, after 
 paying to every man his due. Apply this just and 
 equitable principle as a Christian. You have not only 
 a body to provide for, but also a soul to save. Shall 
 you be anxious for the one, and careless for the other? 
 That were to prove you a bad calculator indeed ; it 
 were to suppose you anxious about the lesser gain, 
 and overlooking the greater gain. For if you could 
 F 5 
 
106 
 
 The Sabbath. 
 
 heap up for the body riches beyond imagination to con- 
 ceive, you, and those for whom you gather them, must 
 leave them when you and they die ; but if you wisely 
 gain salvation for your soul, you gain that which 
 shall never fail you, but shall endure through endless 
 ages of eternity. Strike the balance, and you will feel 
 in its just force the appeal of our Divine Teacher — 
 What is a man profited if he gain the whole world, 
 and lose his own soul ? or what shall a man give in 
 exchange for his soul ? — Think, moreover, that as 
 your habits of business make you careful to render up 
 ^^a good account at last,^^ — think, wheni\\2ii LAST 
 wall be ! even at the day of judgment, when obedience 
 will be found to have been not only true wisdom, but 
 true gain ; and the welfare of the soul to have been 
 the one thing needful. Nor let it seem any palliation 
 to your sin of Sabbath-breaking, that your worldly 
 business so increased upon you that you found the six 
 days not enough for its completion. To say nothing 
 of the positive command of God, which condemns 
 your practice, do you not, in the calm hour of sickness, 
 feel yourself chargeable with the basest ingratitude ? 
 God has so blessed your worldly business, that the 
 usual days are not sufficient " for doing all that you 
 have to do/^ But are you therefore to oppose yourself to 
 the command of Him who has so mercifully prospered 
 you ? Are you therefore to dishonour Him who has 
 dealt so lovingly with you ? Are you to make so base 
 a return for added mercies ? What a painful thought 
 it must be to yourself, now you are of clear mind to 
 observe the truth, to remember that when the Sabbath 
 sun arose to call the congregation of the faithful before 
 their God and Father, their Redeemer and Sanctifier, 
 that they might let their light shine before men, and 
 confess their Saviour-God not merely in their hearts, 
 but publicly in their lives — You, one of the most fa- 
 voured and prosperous ; you^ one who owed the very 
 means which you made an excuse for sin, to the gra- 
 cious Being who bade you to his holy house — you 
 
The Sabbath. 
 
 107 
 
 were in your own ! You made that day yours, which 
 He requires to be made his ! You occupied yourself 
 in casting up your worldly gains, when Ai^ voice sum- 
 moned you to take account of your soul, how that 
 might stand prepared to give up its account to Him ! 
 It is a most awful thought that worldly blessings, 
 which flow from the bounty of your heavenly Father, 
 should be made the ground of opposing the will of the 
 gracious Giver of them ! — the extent of the ingrati- 
 tude proportioned to the greatness of the blessing ! 
 Surely, O my reader, should God be pleased to re- 
 store you to health, the more you prosper in your 
 worldly affairs, the more diligent you will be, if only 
 on the principle of gratitude, to keep the Sabbath 
 holy to the Lord, your God, your Benefactor. And 
 if your concerns so extend and prosper, that, in 
 order to be true to your worldly engagements, you 
 must either be at charges for others to aid you during 
 the six days, or resign part of your occupation — do 
 not hesitate to do one or the other. Either is far 
 better than losing the approbation of your great 
 Benefactor, and with that, the approval of your own 
 conscience, and the welfare of your soul. But which- 
 ever of these alternatives you prefer, be sure that you 
 henceforth " keep the Sabbath holy and resolve in 
 the spirit and language of the patriarch, that let others 
 act as they list, you will keep the straight path of life 
 — " Choose ye, this day, whom ye will serve : as for 
 me and my house, we will serve the Lord/^ 
 
 Or perhaps you devote the Sabbath to worldly joZea- 
 sure. Pause, my fellow-Christian, in a career so fatal 
 to real pleasure, to your truest joys, and to your hap- 
 piness both here and hereafter. It is proved by sad 
 experience, that the first step to crime is Sabbath- 
 breaking, where the youthful Christian breaks from 
 the restraints of holy thoughts and holy services, casts 
 from him the salutary season of quiet meditation, and 
 resigns himself to the vanities and allurements of the 
 F 6 
 
lOS 
 
 The Sabbath. 
 
 world. He leads himself mio temptation \ For when 
 can the devil find the soul more ready to receive evil 
 impressions, than when it has wilfully and proudly 
 cast off the guidance and protection of the Holy One ^ ? 
 The very struggles which every one must have, ere 
 he can throw from him the services of the Sabbath, 
 which he believes to be ordained of the Most High^ 
 leave him open to the delusions and wary suggestions 
 of the tempter, who says, as of old, " Thou shalt not 
 surely die^;^^ thou shalt not surely be punished of 
 God for this trivial offence. — And so because the Sab- 
 bath-breaker may perhaps for a season go on in his 
 usual worldly prosperity, the subtle lie succeeds; 
 pleasure is pursued ; and the Divine counsel despised. 
 Oh ! would the young take counsel, how much 
 present sorrow and future misery would they avoid ! 
 And what is the pleasure, which a Sabbath revel can 
 afford you? It is at best but vanity ; and too often 
 sin and misery attend it. In the midst of your 
 laughter, your heart is sad. You laugh to check the 
 rising sigh of conviction ; you revel, to draw oif the 
 secret upbraidings of a disturbed conscience ; you are 
 noisy, to drown the still small voice,'^ which whis- 
 pers you to return into the right way — " This is the 
 path ; walk ye in it.^^ Henceforth try the pleasures 
 which religion offers. The Spirit of truth assures us, 
 that ^^at God^s right hand are pleasures for evermore:'^ 
 and though He dwelleth in heaven, where no man can 
 approach unto, and we therefore cannot go to Him, 
 He Cometh to us, and where two or three are gathered 
 together in his name, there is He in the midst of 
 them. If you will keep the Sabbath-day holy, and 
 
 ^ It were no unsalutary reflection when we offer our prayer to God 
 — "Lead us not into temptation," — to consider whether we do not 
 often cross our prayer by leading ourselves into temptation. 
 
 2 If the soil be not cultivated, and good seed be sown, weeda 
 spring up. 
 
 * Gen. iii. 4. 
 
The Sabbath. 
 
 109 
 
 call it honourable to the Lord, you will soon find it 
 a dehght^' also ^ ; you must find pleasure in feeling 
 that God pardons your sins for Jesus Christ^s sake, in 
 whose name you have oflfered prayers for pardon. You 
 must feel pleasure in being at peace with God, with 
 your neighbour, and yourself. You must allow that 
 to give pleasure, which enables you to hope for the 
 favour of the Almighty here, and a share of his glo- 
 ries for ever. 
 
 There may however be some, who, even whilst they 
 profess themselves servants of the Most High, and on 
 the Lord's day both cease scrupulously from worldly 
 business, and abstain strictly from worldly pleasure, 
 yet offend on this point. Possibly you may be one of 
 those who say, " It is true that I do not attend pub- 
 lic worship, but I read my Bible at home on the Sab- 
 bath/' — To read the Bible is our duty. But what do 
 you find written there ? Why the very command 
 which you disobey. So, in fact, you mock God ; and, 
 virtually, defy Him. It is as if you said, "The Al- 
 mighty, in his word, which I am reading, bids me keep 
 the Sabbath day holy ; and his Apostles, under the 
 inspiration of the Holy Ghost, have taught me to keep 
 it holy in the congregation, by those public services, 
 in which our blessed Lord, our example as well as our 
 sacrifice, regularly joined ; but / am good enough 
 without this means of grace ; I want no such religious 
 assistance and comfort as the services of the congre- 
 gation can give me. I shall stay at home, and still 
 I shall be as good as your Sabbath-keepers.'' Mark 
 the proud daring of this excuse ! You, the being of 
 an hour, array yourself against the eternal God ! He 
 ordains a means of grace, which will assist in training 
 you for heaven ; and you choose to think that you can 
 be good enough for heaven without it. How differ- 
 ent to the nobler spirit of David ! He, too, scorned 
 the mere formalities of worship — he, too, rejoiced to 
 
 ^ See Chap, xviil 
 
110 
 
 The Sabbath. 
 
 serve God with his whole heart ; in spirit and in truth 
 — he, too, prayed in secret, and sought the Lord in the 
 retired hour of private devotion — he, too, studied the 
 word of his God in his closet, and pondered it by him- 
 self to his joy and comfort : yet no rest had he, till he 
 had declared this service, publicly, to the honour of 
 his Lord. Far from him the half-service of a devout 
 feeling only ; his words, his actions, his whole bearing 
 was to evidence him a bold and grateful servant of 
 Jehovah : " I have declared thy righteousness in the 
 great congregation ; lo ! I will not refrain my lips, 
 
 0 Lord ! and that thou knowest. I have not hid thy 
 righteousness within my heart : my talk hath been of 
 thy truth and of thy salvation In your season ot 
 sickness think calmly of this matter, and you will at 
 once condemn yourself, and wonder at your sin. You 
 will wonder that a fallacy so slight, and one which so 
 completely exposes its own weakness, could have de- 
 ceived you : for whilst with every faithful Christian, 
 you have condemned the unbeliever and the irreligious, 
 the worldly and thoughtless, as risking the welfare of 
 their souls; you have been forgetful of your own 
 offence towards God. " Thou hast beheld the mote 
 that is in thy brother^s eye, but considered not the 
 beam that is in thine own eye You and they have 
 acted in opposition to the same God, though in a dif- 
 ferent manner. The same holy book which commands 
 us to believe, and to pray, and to crucify in our 
 hearts the world, and rise above its vanities, commands 
 us also, " to keep holy the Sabbath-day,^^ by " not 
 forsaking the assembling of ourselves together 
 
 1 am sure, therefore, that however hitherto you may 
 have unhappily attempted thus to excuse yourself to 
 your own mind for a neglect of one of your solemn 
 duties, you will not again seek so to justify yourself; 
 because you will pause upon the whisperings of con- 
 
 1 Ps. xl. 11, 12. 2 Matt. vii. 3. 
 
 3 Heb. X. 25. The tacit rebuke with which the Apostle closes his 
 exhortation is severe and cutting — ** as the manner of some is." 
 
The Sabbath. 
 
 Ill 
 
 science — Can this justify me to my God? When 
 He unveils all my secret motives^ and exposes all the 
 delusions I have practised upon myself on this point, 
 can it be sufficient answer that I knew my duty, but 
 did it not, that I read his commands but obeyed 
 them not ? For I know from my Bible that obedience 
 will be required as the only test of sincerity 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 THE SABBATH. 
 
 Whatever may hitherto have been your neglect of 
 the Lord's day, I cannot but consider you as now 
 having resolved never again to disregard an ordinance, 
 founded by Divine wisdom, enjoined by Divine autho- 
 rity, stamped with Divine blessing, and hallowed by its 
 Maker^ You will not dare defy Jehovah. You will 
 rather dare henceforth to honour Him. Convinced 
 also, how beneficial to mankind, collectively and indi- 
 vidually, are the effects of this appointed day of holy 
 rest, you readily allow, that even if human authority 
 had originated an ordinance so wise and so merciful, 
 to slight it were folly ; to slight it then when the au- 
 thority on which it rests is not of man, but of God, is 
 but adding to the shame of folly the wickedness of 
 sin. Lamenting, therefore, the awful daring of the 
 profligate, who, passing the day in a reckless spirit of 
 worldliness and dissipation, defies the great Being who 
 made it, and calleth it his own^ — avoid the incon- 
 sistency of those who, professing themselves servants 
 
 ^ Many Sabbath-breakers may unhappily pursue a course far moi'^ 
 flagrant, more injurious to society, and more prejudicial to their own 
 temporal interests ; but none is more unreasonable, none more incon- 
 sistent, none more vain. For the Bible, to meditate upon which you 
 stay at home, reproves your act. The word of God you read — the 
 vnll of God you disobey, 
 
 2 Exod. XX. 11. ' Ps. cxviii. 24. 
 
112 
 
 The Sabbath. 
 
 of God and of his Christ, yet absent themselves from 
 that worship, to which his word calls them ; and con- 
 scious that your temporal and eternal welfare is^ under 
 the Divine blessing, best promoted by those holy ser- 
 vices of penitence and prayer, in which the heart is 
 occupied in the house of God, you resolutely for your- 
 self, obey Him whom you fear ; honour Him whom you 
 love ; and seek Him in whom you confide — keeping his 
 Sabbaths HOLY. 
 
 But a question, perhaps, forces itself upon your 
 mind, " Can nothing excuse my absence from the 
 congregation on the Lord^s day ? 
 
 It is clear that occasions will arise, when your pub- 
 lic religious duties must be broken in upon, and regu- 
 lar attendance in the congregation rendered impossible. 
 Your own present situation is a case in point. Sick- 
 ness confines you to your home. Duty and affection 
 detain around you those who minister to you, and by 
 their soothing attentions ease your pains, or lessen 
 them, and aid in reconciling you to them. So it is 
 with all works of charity. The afflicted, the sick, the 
 dying; they require our care at the hand of God. 
 In tending them, we are doing the will of our hea- 
 venly Father, who " will have mercy and not sacri- 
 fice \" Our blessed Saviour too, who spake as never 
 man spake, and taught as teacher never taught be- 
 fore, has further shown the distinction between an 
 allowable absence from holy worship, and a culpable 
 neglect of it, by his memorable admonition — "The 
 Sabbath was made for man; not man for the Sabbath 
 
 1 1 Sam. XV. 22. 
 
 2 Mark ii. 27. 
 
 The Christian Sabbath * allows and even requires, that we omit 
 no duty of active charity and bertevolence, on the plea of any out- 
 ward Sabbath observances. Our blessed Saviour taught this plainly 
 by example as well as by precept. St. Paul acted upon the requisi- 
 tion with his characteristic zeal ; as the scene of a Christian Sabbath 
 at Troas, presented to us by St. Luke, strikingly proves. The scene 
 
 * The word Sabbath means Best, 
 
The Sabbath. 
 
 113 
 
 Hence, whatever act is requisite to the real welfare of 
 man, and tends to promote the honour of God, and 
 cannot be deferred till the morrow, may be done on 
 the Sabbath day. Such are, attendance on the sick, 
 and relief of the afflicted, the succouring the distressed, 
 and other occasions, which the reason of every man 
 may discern for himself, and the conscience of every 
 Christian may for himself determine. 
 
 Leaving, then, those extreme occasions of active 
 duty as lawful exceptions to our attendance upon 
 public worship, we must yet allow that no trifling 
 
 itself indeed is full of animating interest. The Churcli, being then of 
 about thirty years' growth, had so increased, that wherever, in the 
 more civilized parts of Europe and Asia, the Apostles had journeyed, 
 they found, as at Troas, brethren in Christ Jesus to welcome them. 
 The ordinances were observed with all due order and solemnity. 
 The Lord's Supper was held in special reverence, and we find the 
 brethren anticipating its celebration with such sincere piety, that the 
 Apostle is induced to delay his voyage, in order that he might share 
 their common worship. But before the administration of the holy 
 rite, he preached to them — when towards the close of his preaching, 
 one of the congregation fell from a height where he had placed him- 
 self, and was taken up for dead. Instantly the course of action was 
 changed, because the course of duty was changed. Paul broke off 
 the solemn service — and sought the suffering auditor. The call of 
 distress was heard — the word of exhortation ceased. The house of 
 mourning needed a comforter ; the house of the Lord was left unoc- 
 cupied. The wice of faith was hushed — but the act of faith spake 
 better things — for to " obey is better than sacrifice * — and who. 
 shall deny that the voice of suffering humanity appeals to the heart 
 of man, as the voice of God? 
 
 But the scene again changes. Life is restored; and the Apostle, 
 and brethren, and all the congregation return to their solemn ser- 
 vice. Well may we imagine the glowing eloquence of a St. Paul,^ 
 when, his whole soul having been inspired of Heaven to bring life to- 
 the dead, and himself wrapt in deepest gratitude for the mercy, signal 
 as unlooked for, he returned to his holy office of preaching the word 
 of God. We see the congregation also returning to finish their holy 
 sacrifice of prayer and thanksgiving — offering their bounden duty and 
 service ! — With what zeal must they have raised the song of praise, 
 when "they brought the young man alive ! " — with what fervour would 
 they join in the holy service, when the Apostle " was come up again^ 
 and breaking bread, did eat ! " 
 
 * Hos. vi. 6. " I desired mercy, and not sacrifice ; and the know* 
 ledge of God more than burnt-offerings." 
 
114 
 
 The Sabbath. 
 
 considerations should stand in the way of a duty so 
 important. Nay, I would rather suggest, that the 
 peace of mind consequent upon the fulfilment of the 
 duty will not be lessened, if now and then it happen 
 that our attendance in the congregation be accom- 
 panied with some personal inconvenience. Suppose 
 even in things, w^hich circumstances might render 
 lawful to be done on the Lord's day, we practise a 
 little self-denial and put those aside, in order that we 
 may attend in his own house the Master we serve, and 
 the Saviour we honour : our hearts will not glow with 
 less delight, nor will our sleep be less sweet, when at 
 the close of the day we remember that whilst we 
 served the Lord, we denied ourselves. Indeed, as for 
 any personal inconvenience which may sometimes 
 arise to you and your family, from regular attendance 
 in the congregation, it is all amply repaid by the 
 satisfaction of reflecting, when the day closes, that 
 though after our best services, we are all ^^unprofitable 
 servants,^^ yet no wilful omission of duty presses 
 upon your conscience ; no avoidable neglect of your 
 blessed Redeemer ; no intended slighting of your 
 gracious Sanctifier. You have worshipped in spirit 
 and in truth ! You have obeyed the word in which 
 you believe ! Your hope, therefore, is not vain that 
 God^s blessing will follow your services, will shadow 
 you amid the dangers and difficulties which again may 
 meet you on resuming the duties of a busy world, and 
 be your gracious guide unto death. Oh ! how changed 
 your feelings, even on the bed of sickness ! Formerly 
 when unable^ from sickness or accident, to share on 
 the Lord's day those services of his people in the con- 
 gregation, which in health you had habitually disre- 
 garded, you were sunk in sadness and bitterness of 
 spirit. In those silent hours of watchfulness, when 
 the busy hum of the world was for a season hushed, 
 conscience was busy with you, whispering many an 
 unwelcome truth : none more unwelcome than your 
 long neglect of the Sabbath. From your inmost 
 
The Sabbath. 
 
 115 
 
 heart you then envied the worshippers whom you saw 
 assembhng together for the house of God. But now 
 all is changed. Though unable to appear in the con- 
 gregation personally^ your thoughts bear you thither. 
 Now, as you watch your fellow-Christians willingly 
 hastening to their service — the flock of Christ gather- 
 ing to their appointed pasture * — you resolve that, by 
 God^s grace assisting you, no sooner shall health and 
 
 ^ John xxi. 17. The Church of Christ is a flock, of which his ap- 
 pointed ministers are the shepherds. It was under this beautiful 
 comparison that our Lord chose to convey to his Apostles his last 
 charge — "Feed my sheep," — a charge which, though addressed to 
 Peter individually by name, was equally applicable to each of the 
 Apostles. 
 
 But there seems a reason for the mention of Peter's name, without 
 implying any superiority or pre-eminence of worth in him over the 
 rest of the Apostles. It is true, that Peter had avowed a greater love 
 for his Master than was felt by the other Apostles. Our Lord, how^- 
 ever, had elicited this avowal only in illustration of the reasonable 
 doctrine He had Himself laid down : " To whom little is forgiven the 
 same loveth little," — but " he will love his Lord most, to whom he 
 forgiveth most Peter had signally sinned. He had been as fully 
 forgiven. The sequel, therefore, is highly characteristic of the divine 
 benevolence of his Master. 
 
 At the time the address was delivered, the memory of Peter must 
 have retained too lively an impression of his late offence, to leave him 
 otherwise than at least diffident of spirit, if not subdued in mind. 
 The bitter tears of penitence for his denial of Christ had scarcely 
 ceased to flow ; his heart was still sorrowful ; and it is probable he 
 would have considered himself unworthy on this occasion to have been 
 included at all in the high and holy office with which the other 
 Apostles were then invested, had he not been thus specially addressed.* 
 We may well, therefore, suppose that the language held towards him 
 throughout the interesting scene was the language of encouragement, 
 as though his Lord had said — " What if in the moment of infirmity 
 thou didst fall from thy stedfastness? thou hast not so greatly fallen 
 but that thou art now raised up, and henceforth, tempering the ardour 
 of thy zeal, thou wilt be faithful as thou art zealous. Wherefore to 
 thee, as to the rest of thy brethren, I commit the care of my Church 
 — the flock for which, as the good Shepherd, I have given my life. 
 * Feed ' thou also ^ my sheep.' " 
 
 Thus did the great Healer of the nations fulfil his gracious office 
 of binding up the broken-hearted. He, who by his ZooA; pierced the 
 heart of the conscience-stricken, and drew forth bitter tears of sorrow, 
 by his word healed that wound ; wiped away the tear of the penitent ; 
 gave to his faith new strength, and to his zeal new courage. 
 
 * Luke vii. 42 and 47. 
 
116 
 
 The Sabbath. 
 
 strength be restored, than each returning Sabbath 
 shall see you also joyfully confessing your Lord and 
 Saviour in the courts of his house, according to his 
 command; and your soul already pours forth its secret 
 prayer to the Almighty, that when He heareth and 
 answereth the supplications of his assembled people 
 offered up for themselves^ He will also mercifully hear 
 the prayers they offer up for you \ You long to be 
 of the goodly company. Your heart adopts the eager 
 language of David — " As the hart desireth the water- 
 brooks, so longeth my soul after thee, O God/^ 
 
 Thus may it be to thee, my Christian brother ! And 
 thus it will be to thee, if, with a true penitent heart 
 and lively faith, thou dost turn in thy sickness unto the 
 Lord thy God, pray for his Holy Spirit, follow its 
 holy guidance, and rejoice in its holy consolations. 
 Mayest thou increase in that Holy Spirit more and 
 more — rejoicing in the service of thy God ; and find- 
 ing his Sabbaths thy joy M 
 
 O God, we thank Thee for thy Sabbath day! we 
 bless Thee for that thine holy ordinance ! Give to us 
 each, we pray Thee, grace so individually to feel its 
 value, acknowledge its Divine authority, and rejoice 
 in its holy comfort, that neither pride of reason may 
 tempt us to hold its observance a matter of indiffer- 
 ence, nor worldly business nor worldly pleasure with- 
 draw us from its duties. May we by thy gracious 
 and ready help, be strengthened to shun alike the 
 daring of the profligate who scorn the day; the indif- 
 
 ^ See the Prayer for all Conditions of Men where we pray for 
 all the sick and afflicted in mind, body, or estate. See also the cor- 
 responding supplication in the Litany ; where we pray " for all sick 
 persons and " for all that are in danger, necessity, and tribulation.*' 
 
 How does this appeal to Christian sympathy tend to soften the heart 
 of stone, correct an uncharitable temper, and subdue the proudest 
 spirit ! We, too, some day, may be sick ! we may be afflicted ! we may 
 be in danger, necessity, and tribulation. Let us at least pray for 
 those, who are suffering evils, to which, though now, perhaps, we be 
 free from them, we also are liable. 
 
 2 Refer to p. 112. , 
 
The Sentences. 
 
 117 
 
 ference of the worldly, who value it not ; and the 
 hypocrisy of the self-righteous, who own its obliga- 
 tions, but regard them not. May we keep the Sabbath 
 holy for thy great name's sake, as the day which Thou 
 hast made especially thine own * ! So may we find in 
 its high and holy services a rest from the cares and 
 sorrows of life, gain strength against the temptations 
 of the world, and acknowledge " the house of God to 
 be none other than the gate of heaven/^ 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 THE LITURGY. THE OPENING SENTENCES. 
 
 Your meditations cannot have been thus far pur- 
 sued, without leading you to a conviction that the 
 appointment of a Sabbath is an inestimable blessing 
 to mankind, and that every man is bound to keep 
 it holy by serving the Lord with holy worship. If 
 so, the present would seem a favourable opportunity 
 for directing your attention to the excellence and 
 value of those appropriate services in our Liturgy, 
 which our Church provides for congregational worship 
 — services which, the more closely we examine them, 
 we shall see, more and more clearly, to be in most 
 strict and beautiful harmony with the word of God. 
 It is, therefore, no wonder that we shall find them also 
 adapted to the feelings of the devout soul, which^ 
 
 * Ps. cxviii. 24. " This is the day which the Lord hath made ; we 
 will rejoice and be glad in it/' — True it is, that the Lord made every 
 day. Time itself is but a part of the great creation — a portion of 
 eternity : adapted to a dispensation which is limited, and will cease 
 when that dispensation shall close : for when this world shall have 
 passed away, time itself shall be no longer." Rev. x. 6. But the 
 Sabbath is peculiarly the day which the Lord hath made his own, by 
 Himself resting on that day from his labours; hallowing it, and bless- 
 
118* 
 
 The Sentences. 
 
 under a sense of sin and infirmity is anxious to pour 
 forth before its God^ meet expressions of penitence, 
 supplication, and thanksgiving. 
 
 I would now, then, endeavour to lead you to a more 
 serious contemplation of our excellent Liturgy; in 
 order that if health be restored to you, and you again 
 join the congregation in the courts of the Lord^s house, 
 "with one accord making common supplications,^^ 
 you may more thoroughly feel the force of the ex- 
 pressions you use : for the better you understand 
 them, the more you will feel them; and whilst you 
 " pray with the spirit, you will pray with the under- 
 standing also 
 
 It must forcibly strike an attentive reader of the 
 Gospel, that every page of it breathes the voice of 
 encouragement. It is true that punishment is for the 
 wicked, and reward for the righteous ; but all are in- 
 vited to become righteous, and to all, the way of 
 righteousness is equally open. If the Lord "hath in- 
 cluded all in unbelief,^' it is, " that he may have 
 mercy upon alP/^ The same spirit of encouragement 
 pervades our Liturgy. It opens with the glorious 
 assurance of Almighty God, that " when the wicked 
 man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath 
 committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, 
 he shall save his soul alive And well it is that its 
 services thus open. For where is he among the sons 
 of men, who without such encouragement would not 
 be afraid to approach that Almighty Being, whom he 
 must be conscious of so oft offending ? And who can 
 tell the fulness of comfort which the words must 
 
 1 1 Cor. xiv. 15. 2 Rom. xi. 32. 
 
 3 Ezek. xviii. 27. It would be very instructive, if in your season 
 of sickness you would give to these opening sentences of our Liturgy 
 more particular attention than, perhaps, you have hitherto done. 
 They are full of encouragement to the humble soul ; they strengthen 
 the weak, and confirm the strong, and prepare the hearts of all for a 
 nearer approach to their Father and their God. 
 
 I would earnestly advise you to study and apply them. 
 
The Sentences. 
 
 119 
 
 convey to the lowly and contrite one^ who^ bending 
 perhaps under his load of unworthiness, might not 
 dare to join his offending fellow-creatures in their 
 high and holy services ? We may suppose him, like 
 the prodigal^ once to have forsaken his Father's house, 
 and to have wasted his time and his substance in vanity 
 and wickedness. Now^ not only desirous to return 
 thither, but powerfully encouraged so to do, he adopts 
 the affecting language of that penitent : " I will arise 
 and go to my father/' Nor does any doubt mark his 
 faith when he trusts in his Father's love to extend 
 towards him forgiveness. The blessed assurance is 
 brought before him in all its fulness, that " to the Lord 
 our God belong mercies and forgivenesses though we 
 have rebelled against him ^ and however the self- 
 righteous, the indifferent, and the worldly may say, 
 " that they have no sin," and, persisting in this error, 
 deceive themselves, the truth not being in them ; yet 
 no sooner do we confess our sins, than God in the 
 infinity of his power, and the plenitude of his mercy, 
 '^'i^ faithful dindi just to forgive us our sins, and to 
 cleanse us from all unrighteousness^." 
 
 Thus every excuse is removed from those who hold 
 forth their own unworthiness, as a reason for not 
 drawing near to the great and holy God in prayer. 
 Of himself, no man is worthy to approach the throne 
 of grace. But through Jesus Christ all are ex- 
 horted to approach it, that by his merits and media- 
 tion they may be rendered fit objects of the Divine 
 mercy. 
 
 ' How peculiar is the strength of this expression — " To the Lord 
 our God belong mercies " — mercies and forgivenesses are his cliarac- 
 teristics. To have mercy and to forgive is, it were, his peculiar 
 property and right. Dan. ix. 9. 
 
 2 It were much that infinite undeserved mercy should forgive us. 
 It is more when Divine ^ws^ice has been so fully satisfied by the sacri- 
 fice of Christ, that mercy and truth can meet together, and that God's 
 faithfulness SiJid justice are made perfect in our forgiveness. 
 
120 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 THE EXHORTATION. 
 
 The penitent thus encouraged to return to his hea- 
 venly Father, and all of us reminded, that as the best 
 of the sons of men cannot of themselves stand justi- 
 fied in the sight of an heart-searching God, the lowliest 
 spirit best becomes the worshipper — the minister, as 
 the steward of the mysteries of God, proceeds to 
 remind the congregation of the solemn duty of con- 
 fession, as a fit preparative for their further service 
 of supplication and thanksgiving; animating them 
 to the duty by an exhortation no less affectionate 
 in its manner of address, than in itself powerful and 
 searching 
 
 The minister addresses the congregation earnestly 
 and affectionately as his dearly beloved brethren 
 including himself in the number of those ^* who ought 
 at all times humbly to acknowledge their sins before 
 God^^ — himself a fellow-servant in the house of the 
 Lord. The address then proceeds to lay open the 
 many various intricacies of the human heart with 
 equal skill and boldness ; warns against the deceits to 
 which they have recourse, who, by calling evil good, 
 and good evil, would fain conceal from God their real 
 motives of action, and throw a veil over the true 
 character of their conduct; exposes the folly of at- 
 tempting to deceive God, whilst men deceive them- 
 selves; and at once strips off* the flimsy pretexts of 
 
 ^ It is observable in this address, that the minister includes him- 
 self in the admonitory clauses — and holds the congregation of peni- 
 tents as his brethren — himself joining in every expression of humility 
 and lowliness. Whilst, however, he frankly avows himself but a fellow- 
 servant of the same Lord, he sustains the liigh authority of his office 
 with the boldness which becomes an appointed steward of the Lord's 
 ]iouseliold ; and he never dares to forget, that " it is req^uired ill 
 stewards, that a man he found faithful.'*^ 1 Cur. iv. 2. 
 
The ExJiortaiion. 
 
 121 
 
 self-deceit. And as even reason must allow, that con- 
 fession to a heart-searching God is but mockery^unless 
 itself be from the very depth of the heart ; so in pro- 
 portion as the blessings attending a hearty confession 
 of our sins, negligences, and ignorances are great, it is 
 important that our confession be sincere. Hence we 
 are warned against any vain attempt to conceal from 
 God the evil of our doings ^ We are neither, like 
 Saul and Ananias, to " dissemble nor, like Gehazi^ 
 are we to cloke our sin Thus we shall cast 
 ^wvLj false shame. We shall be ashamed of our sins, 
 not of our sorroio for them. Still less shall we be 
 ashamed to confess before men that Saviour to whom 
 alone we look as the meritorious cause of our pardon 
 and reconciliation with a justly offended God. The 
 heart, now freed from its dreadful burden of sin long 
 •concealed — long cherished — is light, and open to 
 €very kindly, every happier feeling. By this open 
 -confession before our assembled fellow- creatures, we 
 not only wisely humble ourselves under the mighty 
 hand of God, who in due time exalteth the humble and 
 meek, but we learn the useful lesson of bearing more 
 patiently with each other's infirmities. Indeed, no 
 oonsideratioA avails more to preserve harmony in 
 society ; to promote that " peace on earth, and good 
 will towards men,'^ which angels heralded when the 
 Prince of peace was born into the world, than this 
 spirit of humility. How often is anger against others 
 for their faults towards us, even just anger perhaps, 
 checked ^, when we have kept in our hearts a lively 
 impression of our own liability to error ; of our own 
 infirmities ; of our own manifold offences before the 
 Being, of whom we pray, that He will forgive ns^ as 
 we forgive others ! If wfinite mercy be required to 
 forgive us^ we cannot be too humble, or too forgiving, 
 
 1 Ps.lxxiii. 11. 
 
 2 1 Sam. XV. 15. Acts v. 2. 2 Kings v. 25. 
 
 3 Ephes. iv. 26. Be ye angry, and sin not." 
 
 [264] G 
 
122 
 
 The Exhortation. 
 
 as sinners whose pardon needs so much forbearance 
 from our God. 
 
 Thus prepared, we more hopefully proceed to the 
 duty of confession — a duty which, though at all times 
 necessary for weak and erring man, is ^^most chiefly 
 so/^ when we " assemble and meet together for our 
 gracious Lord has then promised to the worshipper 
 the assured blessing of his presence. 
 
 That the Divine blessing specially shadows the con- 
 gregation of the faithful, none can doubt. ^^God is 
 in the midst of them.^' But it is both instructive and 
 comforting to the faithful few — who, " neither weary 
 in well doing/' nor deterred either by any difficul- 
 ties which their own particular circumstances may 
 occasion, or by the obstacles which the scoffing of the 
 wicked may raise, frequent perseveringly the public 
 service of their God, — to consider the manner in which 
 our blessed Saviour has declared the blessing of his 
 presence. He does not confine it to the vast assem- 
 blage of multitudes ; but assures us, that however few 
 be the numbers who assemble in his name, even if 
 only two or three be so gathered together, they shall 
 be met by the blessing of his presence \ Our Church 
 in this exhortation, avails herself of that gracious as- 
 surance with a marked solicitude which I cannot 
 forbear pointing out to you. Whether her assembled 
 sons be in full multitude, or a scattered few, she in- 
 vites them with equal earnestness and with promise of 
 equal blessing to draw near to the throne of grace. 
 There is something very affecting in her allusion to 
 those who are not there present. In 
 Wherefore, I ^j^^ heart of every devout worshipper 
 
 pray and be- . . . ^^ • 
 
 seech you, as the anxious thought naturally arises — 
 many as are here Where are the absent servants of our 
 present. Divine Master? Does sickness con- 
 
 fine them to their homes ; or any work of charity and 
 
 1 Matt, xviii. 20. " For where two or three are gathered together 
 ia my name, there am I in the midst of them." 
 
Tlie Exhortation. 
 
 123 
 
 necessity ? Or are they the slaves of the world — its 
 business or its pleasures ? Are they gone, the one to 
 his farm, the other to his merchandise ; withholding 
 the one day from Him who gives to them every day ? 
 Are they gaining for themselves blessing — or are they 
 wilfully casting blessing from them?" How power- 
 fully such reflections fill the heart of the minister, as 
 he looks around the flock committed to his charge, 
 every sincere Christian can feel. It is then that he 
 finds consolation in the Saviour^s gracious promise, 
 that where two or three" — where only a few — are 
 gathered together in his name, there is ^^he in the 
 midst of them." Sustained by that promise, he de- 
 clares the glad tidings of pardon and peace, proceeds 
 in his holy ministration, and rejoices in the glorious 
 truth, that the Divine presence is with his flock ; that 
 no diminution of assembled numbers causes diminution 
 of divine grace ; for in the heart of the lowliest wor- 
 shipper Jehovah Himself dwelleth. It is not enough 
 that of his mercy " God despiseth not the sighing of 
 a contrite heart ;" — in his infinite love He " dwelleth 
 with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit \" 
 Thus the minister is bold to encourage the lowliest 
 individual. Even for him are poured out in the 
 Gospel the full riches of the grace of the Almighty. 
 
 The subject forcibly reminds me of the vehement 
 grief of one of the fathers of the early Church, when 
 he observed his congregation thinned of their num- 
 bers, by many having withdrawn themselves from 
 divine service, for the purpose of attending some 
 public amusement ; and that^ at a time when any such 
 defection from religious duty was not less a matter 
 of surprise, than a cause of grief. The people had 
 been lately threatened with devastation of their lands 
 by a dreadful flood of waters, and had sought refuge 
 in prayer. The terrors of the Lord, whose hand they 
 acknowledged in the awful visitation, had persuaded 
 
 1 Isa. Ivii. 15. 
 G 2 
 
]2i 
 
 The Eoahortation. 
 
 them ^ Yet no sooner had their prayers been an- 
 swered^ and the dreaded calamity been averted, than 
 they retm^ned to their worldliness. Their anxious 
 pastor cherished the fond hope that the flame of devo- 
 tion which fear had excited, gratitude would have kept 
 alive. But his hopes were frustrated. Their devotion 
 was as transient as their fear. With the return of 
 safety, returned forgetfulness of their Saviour. Upon 
 this he takes occasion to deliver one of his noblest 
 and most animated expostulations, upon the unchris- 
 tian course which he at once laments and condemns ; 
 giving expression to his own feelings of pain in a 
 strain equally dignified and affecting. After exclaim- 
 ing in the vehemence of his concern for God^s honour 
 — " Are these things to be borne ? is this conduct to 
 be endured ? how are we again to propitiate God — 
 how avert his wrath he observes — "few days have 
 passed, since in terror lest the flood of waters should 
 have swept away your corn, already ripe for harvest, 
 the whole city % with its vast tide of population, w^as 
 seen hurrying to join the service of supplication and 
 prayer. But no sooner does Divine goodness avert 
 its wrath, and we rejoice with spiritual joy, than, 
 neither warned by past danger, nor instructed by a 
 gracious answer to our prayers, you plunge at once 
 into worldliness and sin.^' " As for myself, sitting in 
 my house on my return home, and hearing the mingled 
 voices of those slaves to worldly pleasure, I endure a 
 severer conflict of feeling than the tempest-tossed 
 mariner. Every sound is borne to me, like the beat- 
 ing of the wave as it dashes upon the vessePs side ; 
 and my heart sinks within me ; till with eyes fixed on 
 the ground, I remain the image of shame. Well may 
 our foes apply their taunt — ^ Are these the followers 
 of Christ ^?^^^ 
 
 ^ 2 Cor. V. 11. 2 Constantinople. 
 
 3 The same eloquent father of the Cliurch — when, in refutation of 
 those who held in scorn his anxious care for each individual soul com- 
 mitted to his charge, he argued the high and awful responsibility of 
 
The Exhortation. 
 
 125 
 
 Is there not to each minister of Christ the same 
 responsibility now ? Is there not upon each shepherd 
 of a Christian flock now the same charge ? Is not 
 the soul of each individual of the flock as precious in 
 the sight of God now as at the moment when the 
 Saviour hung upon the cross, and there poured out 
 his soul unto death Surely then our Church engages 
 the sympathy of every faithful heart, when, in her 
 exhortation to the assembled congregation, she thus 
 gently but affectingly calls to mind, that some of the 
 flock might yet be wandering in the wilderness, and 
 forsaking the rich pastures to which the appointed 
 Shepherd's voice would lead them ! What heart can 
 withhold its secret prayers from them ? 
 
 the ministerial office, and the necessity of imitating the good Shep- 
 herd, who, leaving the ninety and nine in the wilderness, sotight out 
 the one lost sheep — breaks forth into the following affecting and ener- 
 getic strain : " Tell me not, that only one brother is in peril ! Rather 
 ponder well, that thy brother is a being, who is so specially cared for 
 loy God, and for whom so great things have been done, that for him 
 the precious blood hath been shed, and a great price hath been paid. 
 For him the heavens were ordained, the sun was lighted up, the moon 
 runs her course, the choral* stars glow with their varied splendour, 
 the air is spread around, the sea is poured out, the foundations of the 
 earth laid ; the fountains gush forth, the rivers flow, the mountains 
 are made strong ; for him the meadows and the gardens smile ; for 
 him seeds, and trees, and plants, in all their variety, flourish ; for 
 him are all things which the mountains and the deserts, the cities and 
 the plains, the groves and tlie hills suppl3\ The immeasurable 
 swarms of fishes ; the various kinds of animals and birds are ordained 
 for his service. For him the prophets and Apostles lived and taught. 
 For him were displayed the numberless wonders they record. But 
 why should I thus enumerate the marvellous proofs of God's love for 
 the soul of each man \ For him, in his individuality, the only be- 
 gotten Son of God became man ; and being made man, was slain." — 
 Chrysostora, Hom. .3. Matt. ix. 37. 
 
 * Job xxxviii. 7. When the morning stars sang together, and all 
 the sons of God shouted for joy." 
 
126 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 A GENERAL CONFESSION. 
 
 When the mind is deeply impressed with its own 
 sinfulness, it readily turns to the duty of confession, 
 as the appointed condition of forgiveness \ Our 
 blessed Lord, as He taught his disciples to pray day 
 by day for daily bread, taught them also the duty of 
 daily prayer for forgiveness. Hence our Church, 
 whose liturgy is throughout eminently scriptural, 
 leads the congregation to a general confession^ before 
 they proceed to supplication and thanksgiving. 
 
 The address is so worded, that whilst the sinner is 
 rebuked, the penitent is soothed. The Being whom 
 by our sins we have offended, is indeed " Almighty 
 — powerful to punish. He is also our ^^Father^^— our 
 most inercifuV^ Father, willing to save to the utter- 
 most. And shall a son, if truly penitent under a 
 
 sense of unworthiness, fear to ask par- 
 Almighty and don of such a Being ? " If ye, being 
 Father /'''''''^"^ evil,^^argues our Divine teacher, ^^know 
 
 how to give good gifts unto your chil- 
 dren, how much more shall your Father, which is in 
 heaven, give good things to them that ask him ^.^^ 
 Surely He will not refuse pardon to the returning 
 wanderer. 
 
 Still guided by the teaching of the Saviour, who 
 compares a sinner to a lost sheep in the wilderness, 
 our Church directs us to approach the Lord, as wan- 
 dering sheep returning to the Shepherd of their souls. 
 And sure it is, that men are tempted to evil by the 
 
 ^ 1 John i. 8, 9. " If we say that we have no sin, we deceive our- 
 selves, and the truth is not in us. 
 
 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our 
 sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.'' See p. 119, Note. 
 
 2 Matt. vii. 11. 
 
The Confession. 
 
 127 
 
 wicked one, whenever they forsake his We have erred 
 guidance, who fain would direct them and strayed from 
 into the paths of safety and of peace. ^^^^^ ^^'^ 
 Jesus, Himself the Good Shepherd, is 
 ready to guide us by his word, and keep us by his 
 Spirit, but in the bustle of the world we heed Him not. 
 Then comes sickness ; and in the weary silent hours 
 of watchfulness and pain, the still small voice reaches 
 our hearts; we are convinced at length of our sin, 
 folly, and danger; and our hearts condemn us. Con- 
 viction moves the soul to repentance; repentance opens 
 the lips to confession ; and faith whispers the encou- 
 raging truth, that the Shepherd, when He has found 
 his sheep which was lost, will bear it on his shoulders 
 home, and rejoice that the lost is found ^ In truth, 
 when sickness gives time for reflection, we soon learn 
 that we have thus strayed from the ways of God, be- 
 cause we have followed too much the devices and 
 desires of our own hearts.^^ What these devices and 
 what these desires are, every man knows from his own 
 sin and the plague of his own heart. In sin were we 
 born ; to sin are we ever by nature inclined ; and 
 unless nature yield to grace, in sin shall we continue. 
 It is therefore no wonder, that by following the de- 
 vices of our own hearts, " we offend against God^s 
 holy laws.^^ Nor is any worldly learning required to 
 be certified in what our offence consists. We offend 
 God our heavenly Father, whenever we leave un- 
 done those things which we ought to do ; or do 
 those things which we ought not to do.^^ Here we 
 can judge ourselves. The Bible — the gift which is 
 free alike to the poor and the rich, the unlearned and 
 the learned, the simple and the wise, to subjects and 
 their rulers — the Bible, with equal clearness and 
 power, marks out the line of duty which every man 
 should pursue in that state of life, to which it may 
 please God to call him. There we find golden rules 
 
 1 Luke XV. 5. 
 - G 4 
 
128 The Confession. 
 
 for a good and righteous life, in sickness and in healthy 
 in riches and in poverty, in lowHness and in power. 
 Thus, wherever we have omitted to do right, or per- 
 sisted in doing wrong, w^e may "judge ourselves 
 Whilst w^e continued in error and wrong, there was 
 no "health in us'^ — no spiritual health. We had no 
 energy for the duties of a spiritual life. As the sick 
 body refuses its wonted exertions in the concerns of 
 this world, so the sick soul has no power for its ap- 
 pointed work in preparing for the next world : no 
 energy for the vrork of self-examination, self-control, 
 faith, obedience, hope. It languishes in sins either 
 of omission or commission — doing those things which 
 should be left undone, or not doing those things which 
 ought to be done. 
 
 From a state so sad, thy mercy, O God, alone can 
 set us free. To Thee, therefore, the penitent turns ; 
 Bat thou O deep humility indeed, but in firm 
 Lord, have mer- faith, that Thou, in thy fatherly mercy y 
 cyuponus,mise- i^vilt have compassion upon him. 
 rable offenders. ^^^^^^ htYieye that a hea- 
 
 venly Father will compassionate his once erring chil- 
 dren, who desire to return unto Him ; and who, long^ 
 miserable under a consciousness of sin, rather meet the 
 just shame of confession, than under assumed hardi- 
 hood of indifference, suffer the real misery of a sick 
 and wounded conscience ^ The appeal we humbly 
 trust to be available, because founded upon the Divine 
 promises, already considered — the promises of cove- 
 nanted pardon on confession ^ God hath promised \ 
 He " is not a man that he should lie!^^ 
 O Godr^^^^^^^ O the infinite mercy which thus allows 
 confess ' their to the lowly penitent a hope which 
 faults. Restore maketh not ashamed ; a hope which 
 thou them that can conquer false shame in the presence 
 
 ^ 2 Cor. xili. 5. " Examine yourselves. Prove your ownselves.^' 
 
 2 Sin is with pecuhar propriety represented as a sickness or dis- 
 ease. Refer to p. 2. 
 
 3 Refer to the Note, p. 119. 
 
llie Confession. 
 
 129 
 
 of his fellow-creatures ; overcome the are penitent ; 
 reproaches even of his own conscience ; ^^^^^^^^ 
 give him spiritual health and strength ed unto mankind 
 to retrace his erring steps ; and make in Christ Jesu 
 him to go on his way rejoicing. 
 
 The penitent, however, rests not here. His me- 
 mory of past misery is too recent not to cause a dread 
 of its recurrence. He therefore implores his recon- 
 ciled Father that He would never leave him to the 
 devices and desires of his own heart, but would by his 
 preventing and following grace, guide him into the 
 way of peace. Observe the truly hum- 
 ble feelings which confession of sin and ^"^^ ^merciful 
 unworthiness has induced. We venture Father, for his 
 thus to pray for forgiveness and pardon, sake; Timt we 
 and com^d.^%\on—on\jior another^ s sake. a^^^^godly' 
 Our's is the language of the returning righteous, and 
 prodigal ^ I will arise and go to my sober life, to the 
 
 father, and will say unto him. Father, I ^^^^^^ ^^^^^ 
 
 ^ .•^ IIP name. Amen, 
 
 have sinned against heaven, and before 
 
 thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son : 
 
 make me as one of thy hired servants.^^ 
 
 But suppose that we dare not claim the love of our 
 God, as ground of hope that He would pardon and 
 forgive us — we then plead his own name and honour's 
 sake. We beseech Him to save and defend us for his 
 own sake. We earnestly implore Him, that as He of 
 old declared Himself the defenderof hisfaithful people, 
 not for their sakes, but his oiv7i; "because he loved 
 them, and because he would keep the oath which he 
 had sworn unto their fathers,^^ for his "name and 
 honour's sake ^ so He would be pleased to hear and 
 answer, and pardon and sanctify us now, for the glory 
 of his holy name. 
 
 It is observable that this is termed a general con- 
 fession ; both because it is made by the congregation 
 g eiier ally ^vi\t\\OMt exception, minister and people; all 
 men being in God's sight sinners — and because it is 
 1 Luke XV. 18, 19. 2 J)qxxU xvii. 7. 
 
 G 5 
 
130 
 
 Tke Confession, 
 
 an avowal of our sinfulness in general. Particular sins 
 are to be recalled to our own minds, and specified 
 before God alone, in our private confession, and in 
 our private prayers. Enough, that before man w^e 
 own our sinful state, in proof that we need the pardon 
 we implore. By this judicious and seasonable for- 
 bearance towards the particular sins of the assembled 
 penitents, the form of confession is adapted to every 
 variety of disposition : calculated equally to check the 
 presumption of self-righteousness ; to regulate and 
 direct the fervour of zeal ; to sustain the drooping 
 spirit of the contrite, and to win all men to the service 
 of Christ. The congregation was also to be general in 
 the avowal of their sinfulness and their repentance : 
 not only to kneel and fall down before the Lord their 
 Maker, but with one accord to speak together the 
 language of humility and contrition : accompanying 
 the minister not with a pure heart only,^^ but with a 
 humble voice^ unto the throne of the heavenly grace/^ 
 Nor let the manner in which we are directed to 
 offer this confession be thought of little moment. Our 
 glorious Redeemer Himself, when He prayed for aid 
 from his heavenly Father, " kneeled down Indeed, 
 
 ' Luke xxii. 41. It is well observed by a Christian philosopher of 
 the present day, that " the posture and the expression of reverence 
 are universally the same in every period of life, in all stages of society, 
 and in every clime ; and that when pious thoughts prevail, man's 
 countenance is turned from things earthly to the purer objects above : 
 for a reverential posture is natural to man, when * strong emotions of 
 reverence and piety ' fill his soul. And here," as he wisely shows, 
 " there is a link in this relation every way worthy of attention ; a 
 correspondence of the mind, the frame, and external nature, by which 
 man is directed to lift up his eyes to the hills, ' whence cometh his 
 salvation,' and not to look for help from this lower world Nor 
 did it escape the philosophic mind of one of the famous heathen poets, 
 that whils.t other animals are so framed that their look is directed 
 downwards, towards the eartli, man stands erect, with his eyes natu- 
 rally directed upward, as tending to that heaven for which he was 
 originally created. 
 
 Man stands erect ; his countenance 
 To Heaven upturn 'd : as though Heaven's word 
 Did bid him, whilst he fix'd his gaze on high, 
 On high to bear his thouglits.^^ 
 
 * See Bell's " Bridgewater Treatise." 
 
The Confession. 
 
 131 
 
 whenever He was more deeply affected with any senti- 
 ment of compassion towards others, which led Him to 
 pray for them — or whenever He was labouring under 
 any more violent mental agony, which induced Him 
 to pour out supplications for Himself — his look and 
 his posture corresponded to his feelings. Thus, when 
 seeking blessings on his gracious miracle of feeding 
 the multitude with five loaves and a few fishes — He 
 first lifted up his eyes to heaven And when He 
 was preparing Himself for judgment and death, He» 
 " kneeled down and prayed/^ His thoughts found 
 due utterance ; and his feelings appropriate expres- 
 sion. It were, indeed, much to be wished, that in 
 this and other parts of our Church service, where the 
 congregation are directed to join with the voice^ they 
 would do so audibly. The advantages of such a prac- 
 tice are manifold. By adding to the solemnity of the 
 service it encourages the assembled worshippers to 
 more earnestness; it is a proof that we are not 
 ashamed of Him who is the friend of sinners : and it 
 renders the whole office far more impressive upon our- 
 selves and others. The attention is kept alive. The 
 mind finds it impossible to wander from its object, 
 where the voice is deliberately uttering its feelings, 
 whether of penitence or praise. Wherefore it is not 
 without reason that in this general confession of sin, 
 in which all are equally concerned, the voices of all 
 the congregation should be joined with the minister; 
 and that at its close, all the people, with one heart and 
 soul, should so pour forth their willing testimony to 
 the truths uttered, by a solemn Amen. 
 
 1 Matt. xiv. 19. 
 
 G 6 
 
132 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 THE ABSOLUTION. 
 
 As the Son of God " came into the world to save 
 sinners so repentance and confession are the ap- 
 pointed conditions on which sinners become entitled 
 ^to the salvation offered through Him. Hence they 
 who do heartily repent, and humbly confess their 
 sins, are declared to be absolved from them ^ 
 
 In thus, however, offering absolution to the peni- 
 tent, our Church acts not upon her own 
 authority, nor do her ministers assume 
 to themselves any superiority of holi- 
 ness, by virtue of which remission of 
 sins can be conveyed from them to 
 others. The authority is that of the 
 Saviour Himself; and by virtue of his 
 merits alone is remission of sins held 
 forth. For though our Lord assured his 
 Apostles ; and through them now as- 
 sures the ministers of the Gospel, their 
 appointed successors, — whose soever' 
 sins ye remit, they are remitted unto 
 them ; and whose soever sins ye retain, 
 they are retained — is clear, as 
 well from the dictates of common sense, 
 and the reason of things, as from the 
 whole tenor of the Gospel, that the min- 
 ister is not empowered by these words to 
 grant or withhold absolution according 
 to -his own arbitrary will. He cannot 
 search the heart. Howthencan he judge 
 
 1 1 Tim. i. 10. 
 
 2 Luke xxiv. 46, 47. " Thus it is written, and thus it belioved 
 Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day : and that 
 repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name.'* 
 
 3 John XX. 23. 
 
 Almighty God, 
 the Father of 
 our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, who de- 
 sireth not the 
 death of a sin- 
 ner, but rather 
 that he may 
 turn from his 
 wickedness and 
 live ; and hath 
 given power and 
 commandment 
 to his Ministers, 
 to declare and 
 pronounce to his 
 people, being 
 penitent, the 
 Absokition and 
 Remission of 
 their sins : he 
 pardoneth and 
 absolvetli all 
 them that truly 
 repent, and un- 
 feignedly believe 
 his holy Gospel. 
 
The Absoluiiotu 
 
 133 
 
 the secret faults^ and inward offences of his erring fel- 
 low-creatures ? How know the sincerity and extent of 
 their repentance ? The absolution^ therefore, is framed 
 in the form of a declaration ; and the blessing is stated 
 as being conditional, God pardoneth and absolveth. 
 The minister, as the servant of God, declares that 
 truth. Yet is not this pardon — this absolution— irre- 
 spective as to its objects? To those who continue in 
 sin ; to those who make a mock at sin ; to those who 
 are regardless of the consequences of sin ; no pardon 
 is pronounced, no absolution declared. The minister 
 declares and pronounces the blessing to those who 
 truly repent, and unfeignedly believe his holy Gos- 
 pel/^ Thus, every individual in the congregation is 
 left to judge himself, that he be not judged of the 
 Lord. Every individual knows whether he does re- 
 pent and believe ; or whether he is hardened through 
 the deceitfulness of sin, and continues in unbelief ; 
 and he can judge accordingly : he can judge for him- 
 self whether the pardon and absolution are for him. 
 
 Observe with what care all ground of offence and 
 cause of error are avoided. It is not said that God 
 has given to his ministers power and command, of 
 themselves, to forgive sinners. They are to declare 
 and pronounce to the assembled congregation of peni- 
 tents that " He^^ — namely, God — .pardoneth and 
 absolveth.^^ For who can forgive sins, but God 
 only^?'^ 
 
 Hence the minister, whilst he speaketh with autho- 
 rity, speaketh not as one having authority in himself^ 
 but as deriving it from the Divine Master, whose ser- 
 vant he is ; and whose authority none can safely gain- 
 say, even when exercised by a fellow-servant. The 
 ambassador is a subject, — but the message bears the 
 authority of the Sovereign whose subject he is ^ 
 
 1 Mark ii. 7. 
 
 2 " Now then v:e are ambassadors for Christ : as though God did 
 beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to 
 God." 2 Cor. v. 20. 
 
134 
 
 The Absolution. 
 
 To impress this as the just view to be taken of the 
 absolution^ it closes with an earnest and affectionate 
 admonition from the minister ; who, anxious that when 
 blessing so great is at hand, we fall not short of it by 
 neglect of the conditions by which it is accompanied, 
 proceeds to address us in a strain which is at once 
 plain, affectionate, and awakening. 
 
 Warned first to examine ourselves,^^ and " prove 
 „ , ^ our ownselves,^^ whether ours be a true 
 
 WilGr6T01'*G let • 
 
 US beseech him repentance, we are admonished not to 
 to grant us true trust to our own Strength for continu- 
 hts ^hd ^^s' irit^ ^^^Y j^^t and good. Have we 
 that those things fallen and recovered? we shall stand 
 may please him upright only in the strength of the 
 thi^^Wsenf and Wherefore, with earnest prayer 
 
 thltX^^resrof are to beseech iVlmighty God to 
 our life hereafter give US not only true repentance for 
 may be pure and the past, but also his Holy Spirit— to 
 
 ^ ' guide us for the present time, and guard 
 
 us for the future. To the power and influence of that 
 Spirit we must look for the strength and wisdom which 
 are to keep us in a perfect way. So only can we hope 
 that those things may please him which we do at this 
 present, and that the rest of our life hereafter may be 
 pure and holy — pure in thought and holy in practice. 
 And if this Spirit be our help, why need we doubt our 
 power? It is the promised guide and comforter; 
 promised to be with us always, even unto the end of 
 the world — able and willing to teach us all things. In 
 this admonitory close of the Absolution, the reader will 
 notice that the minister no longer addresses the con- 
 gregation in a tone of authority, but with the affection- 
 ate earnestness of a fellow-worshipper, who, himself 
 equally wdth them needing pardon and forgiveness for 
 the past, is equally dependent upon divine grace for 
 the future. " Wherefore, let us beseech him to grant 
 us true repentance, and his holy Spirit.^^ 
 
 That our Church thus earnestly exhorts to the duty 
 of repentance, on the ground of its paramount neces- 
 
The Absolution^ 
 
 135 
 
 sity, and affectionately moves us to heed her exhorta- 
 tions by the promise of pardon and absolution, is no 
 marvel. The object to be gained by repentance and 
 remission of sins is too vast not to demand all our 
 energy, all our exertion, all our watchfulness ; it is no 
 less than the attainment of eternal felicity. What a 
 startling reflection does this expression excite in the 
 soul — " So that at the last Reader, 
 that last must come to you and to me. ^t'^'^LyL^, 
 The last word, the last look, the last tp his eternal 
 breath ! And then — what new scenes j^y? through 
 will open upon us ! scenes, where peace ^ord! ^^"^'^^ 
 and rest and joy await the righteous ; 
 where pain and woe and anguish are prepared for the 
 wdcked. O that last ! what will bring a man peace then^ 
 but that true repentance, and that holy life, to which 
 here we are so strenuously exhorted, and so gloriously 
 encouraged ? Be thine that holy life of penitence ! for 
 the penitent and the holy, God pardons and absolves, 
 and blesses at the last. And where is he who would 
 exchange peace at the last moment^ for all which sin 
 could give through a whole life ? The wide world con- 
 tains not the man, who at that moment would make 
 such exchange. You will yourself one day know w^hat 
 that last is, which shall close upon this short, transitory 
 state of being; ending its cares and pains and sorrows, 
 and opening upon a new and eternal world ; where the 
 joys are unchanging, and the woes eternal ! Choose 
 now between the two. Sickness has already in part 
 weaned you from sin and worldliness : complete the 
 good work by a wise care for your immortal soul ; and 
 remember that at ^Hhe last,^^ eternal joy may be your 
 own, if you then be found among the number of the 
 faithful. 
 
 And lest any should think that even repentance and 
 obedience can merit aught in effecting their salvation, 
 w^e are instructed to offer up our hopeful prayer, in the 
 name and mediation of Jesus Christ. So sure is the 
 truth, that neither is there salvation in any other, for 
 
136 
 
 Pardon. 
 
 there is none other name under heaven given among 
 men, whereby we must be saved 
 
 When health is restored, and you again join the con- 
 gregation, and hear the minister declare this welcome 
 absolution, offer up a secret, but heartfelt prayer, that 
 Almighty God would grant yoii, for yourself indivi- 
 dually^ true repentance for the past, and vouchsafe his 
 Holy Spirit for the future: so that you may please Him 
 both in will and deed ; may look forward without fear 
 to that awful last hour which is to pass you to your 
 eternal home ; and may live prepared to meet your 
 God. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVn, 
 
 PARDON. 
 
 Suppose a criminal, justly doomed to the dreadful for- 
 feiture of life, suddenly to find his forfeiture remitted 
 to him ; the penalty paid ; the offence freely and fully 
 forgiven. Restored to new life, with what ecstasy does 
 he spring again to the exercise of it ! Joy fills his heart; 
 the very air he breathes is enjoyment ; existence itself, 
 blessing. He has regained life, and he asks no more. 
 However poor and lowly his state now be, and by 
 whatever conditions it be held, still the dreaded sha- 
 dow of death hath passed away ; he lives ; and to him 
 life is all. So is every one, who, once dead in trespasses 
 and sin, and justly under that condemnation which is 
 awarded to the sinner^, ^^turneth from his wickedness 
 which he hath committed, doeth that which is lawful 
 and right, and saveth his soul alive He repents 
 and is pardoned ; for the Redeemer has already paid 
 the penalty, and the blood of the Holy One hath washed 
 
 1 Acts iv. 12. 
 
 2 Ezek. xviii. 4. The soul that sinneth, it shall die." 
 
 3 Ezek. xviii. 27. Refer to p. 118. 
 
Pardon, 
 
 137 
 
 away the sin. On that Holy One he rests his faith ; 
 and he finds peace and joy in believing. 
 
 Is not this your own case ? You have sinned ; you 
 have repented ; you have confessed ; you have been 
 pardoned, "according to God^s promises declared unta 
 mankind through Jesus Christ our Lord/^ When in 
 that holy name, you heard the minister, who had re- 
 ceived " power and commandment thereto, declare the 
 same to all them that truly repent, and unfeignedly 
 believe his holy Gospel," you felt that he pronounced 
 pardon and remission of sins to you; and your heart 
 rejoiced. Indeed, if one condemned to temporal 
 punishment rejoices, when pardon is pronounced^ 
 and the fearful penalty remitted — if in the heart of one 
 so set free, joy and gratitude strive for the mastery; 
 with what measureless joy, with what unbounded 
 gratitude, must your heart be filled at hearing the 
 glad tidings — "Thy sins be forgiven thee and with 
 what joyful readiness must you receive with the gra- 
 cious gift its appointed conditions — " Go, and sin na 
 more ! It is much that life is preserved to the body 
 for a few years. It is surely more that life is restored 
 to the soul for ever. 
 
 You are well aware that repentance is a duty not 
 only in those whose offences are more flagrant, and of 
 a deeper dye ; but also in the case of every fallen son 
 of Adam ; and consequently, that pardon is a blessing 
 to others, besides those to whom may be remitted sins 
 of a heavier character. In the sight of a holy God can 
 no man living be justified. Before Him w^e must all 
 confess ourselves sinners. Hence our Divine Master, 
 in teaching his servants a daily prayer, included a 
 petition for daily forgiveness. And that for his im- 
 mediate disciples — for men, who though marked, alas ? 
 with infirmity, were, with one exception, even as bre- 
 thren to their Lord; declared, for their excellence, ta 
 be the salt of the earth ^; men, whose example and 
 
 > Matt. V. 13. 
 
138 
 
 Pardon. 
 
 teaching were to give a new tone and character to 
 human conduct. Yet even they were taught to pray 
 daily for pardon. Forgiveness then^ being thus re- 
 quired daily, by us all^ I would remind you of the 
 present golden opportunity for calm reflection, to ex- 
 amine well your own heart, and see " if there be any 
 way of wickedness in it Sift your actions, your 
 words, your motives. Compare them with the revealed 
 will of God, and judge them by that. Are they such 
 as his word sanctions — his Spirit approves? If you 
 have wilfully broken any of his known laws, " go, and 
 sin no more.^^ Nay, in this your hour of serious medi- 
 tation, weigh well those ^' negligences and ignorances^^ 
 also, which, as our Church reminds us, must by grace 
 be pardoned^ ere by mercy they are unpunished ^ 
 Does memory array against you neglect of the word of 
 God, neglect of his Sabbaths, neglect of his ordinances 
 — those appointed means of grace ? Repent — heartily ! 
 resolve, that when again health be restored, you will 
 not shame to confess by a holy and religious life, your 
 past sin and folly in having so long neglected your 
 God. So may confession bring pardon, and pardon 
 peace. Have you by thought, word, or deed injured 
 your neighbour ; or neglected to do him such service 
 as it might have been in your power to render him ? 
 Does conscience reproach you with words of hatred 
 without cause? with slandering your neighbour's 
 fame ? with striking at his peace and comfort, through 
 
 1 Ps. cxxxix. 23, 24. "Try me, O God, and seek the ground 
 of my heart: prove me, and examine my thoughts. Look well if 
 there be any way of wickedness in me; and lead me in the way ever- 
 lasting.'* 
 
 This is one of the noblest strains of sincere penitence, with whicli 
 language can furnish us. The penitent is so thoroughly set upon a 
 sincere and entire cleansing of his soul from sin and infirmity, that, 
 despairing of his own power for the task, he implores the Almighty 
 Himself by his Spirit to effect the work. Upon Omnipotence he relies 
 to complete his repentance, and theUf to lead him into the way ever- 
 lasting. 
 
 * Beautiful as every part of the Litany is, there is something spe- 
 cially striking in the petition for pardon for " our ignorances^ 
 
Pardon, 
 
 139 
 
 envy ^5 or hatred, or uncliaritableness ? — If conscience 
 does thus reproach you, I am sure the reproaches must 
 be sad and bitter. So long indeed as anger lasted, you 
 might feel a lamentable satisfaction in causing pain to 
 any one you hated or envied ; and might have a secret 
 
 1 There is no petition which we should more heartily offer up than 
 that against the sin of envy. " From envy, hatred, and malice, and all 
 uncliaritableness — Good Lord^ deliver us Our own resolves are all 
 too weak to trust in. 
 
 Trifling as the feeling of envy may be considered in a religious 
 point of view, its effects upon Christian temper and Christian practice 
 aresoformidable, as well to justify the solemn prayer against it, which 
 our Church, in the Litany, teaches us to offer ; when she directs, that 
 we pray Almighty God, by '^his power to deliver us.'* If indeed envy 
 were found in the breast only (;f the indigent and houseless wanderer, 
 we should be less surprised that in his want and wretchedness he 
 eagerly craved some share of those comforts — perhaps even of those 
 necessaries of life, which he sees to overflow to others. But far deeper 
 seated is this evil; far more widely spread. Not confined to the 
 poor, and needy, and "them who have none to help them," it often 
 ranges the domains of the most wealthy, and accompanies the success 
 of the most powerful ; and wherever it passeth,there, like a withering 
 blight, its path is fatal. Worth and merit — domestic affection and 
 friendly intercourse — whatever we owe of duty to God and love to 
 man — all are sacrificed to its poisonous breath. How often does even 
 a rich man, if he be envious of another, who may enjoy some advan- 
 tage with which he may not be blessed — whether it be learning, 
 or station, or even contentment — cherish the baneful feeling, till it 
 gradually produces hatred, malice, and uncharitableness ? The desire 
 of attaining that one thing, yet unpossessed, rankles in his bosom, till, 
 like another Ahab towards Naboth, he hates the very virtues of the 
 object of his envy ; so bitter to him is it to witness in another the 
 enjoyment of any advantage, worldly, or intellectual, or moral, which 
 he himself cannot reach. 
 
 Every attentive reader of the Bible must remember to have found 
 there very sad and painful illustrations of this truth. Did Cain rise up 
 against his brother and slay him ? What prompted this first murderer 
 to his crime? Envy! — Envy of the excellence he would not imitate ; 
 of the piety which brought blessing from heaven upon Abel, and made 
 that the Lord had respect unto his offering. Whence came long years 
 of misery to the patriarch Jacob ? Joseph, the son of his old age, was 
 envied of his brethren ! " His brethren saw that their father loved 
 him more than all his brethren, and they hated him." So in many and 
 various other instances, envy has been the fruitful source of evil : 
 leading the dissatisfied heart of the proud to sin and misery. Well 
 therefore may we all pray against envy ; and seek divine strength to 
 deliver us from a passion so mean, so degrading, so cruel, so subver- 
 sive of whatever is peaceful, happy, and good. 
 
140 
 
 Pardon. 
 
 pleasure in thinking how deeply you had wounded the 
 feelings of him who was the object of your malice. 
 But now that time has softened down your anger, 
 and sickness has led you to think more of your own 
 offences towards God, and less of the offences of a 
 fellow-creature towards yourself, the case is marvel- 
 lously altered. How gladly w^ould you now recal 
 your words of hatred ! How gladly would you now 
 forget, and persuade others also to forget, that cutting 
 slander of your neighbour's fame, and those secret 
 words of envy, smoother perhaps than oil, yet being 
 very swords ^, in which your tongue once rejoiced ! 
 You are now sad in your turn. Your own heart is 
 now pained, and wounded — the painful wound, in- 
 flicted by your own conscience. Yet you have found 
 one to heal even that v/ound. "Though your sins be 
 as scarlet, they shall be white as snow Let your 
 penitence be proportionate to your offence. If that 
 be deep, deep be your repentance. "The blood of 
 Christ cleanseth from all sin.^^ The end of such re- 
 pentance will be, as we have seen, peace and joy: 
 peace, that you are again reconciled to your God: 
 joy, that the weight of sin, its power, and its punish- 
 ment, are cast. from you. You can rejoice in the 
 freedom wherewith Christ hath made you free. 
 
 Such being now your case — " Arise and go to 
 thy Father,^^ who is in heaven. To Him, open thine 
 heart ; rejoicing in his own assured declaration, that 
 He " dwelleth in the heart of the contrite.^^ Indeed, 
 such is the overwhelming shame, which the penitent 
 experiences, when, by the light of God^s word and 
 Spirit, he sees the dark character of sin, plunging 
 him into a state of enmity with God and man and 
 his own soul, that in the language of the prodigal 
 
 ^ Ps. Iv. 22. Open enmity is bad. But worse is it, to cherish in the 
 heart, malice — indulging the tongue in bitterness and guile, and at the 
 same time pretending good will to the victim of its malice ! No re- 
 trospect is more painful to the sick and dying penitent, than the recol- 
 lection of having injured the good fame and peace of his neighbour. 
 
 2 Isa. i. 18. 
 
Pardo7i. 
 
 141 
 
 alone, can He find adequate expression for his feelings 
 — " I will arise and go to my Father/^ But how is 
 it that we are permitted to expect, that the Being 
 whom we have offended will be reconciled? that He 
 will welcome the banished home ? Lo ! He by wdiose 
 name we are called, did teach his followers, ere He 
 left them to their weighty trials, to view the Almighty 
 as their Father. When his disciples were perplexed 
 between the extent of their duty, and the weakness of 
 their power to fulfil it, and ignorant how to frame 
 those supplications to the throne of grace for aid, 
 which they felt w^ere indispensable, they turned to 
 Him for counsel. Themselves unable to frame such a 
 prayer as might be acceptable, they besought Him — 
 "Teach us to pray The reply w^as immediate; 
 and, to their surprise and joy, the address permitted 
 them was to their "Father in heaven.^^ 
 
 Reader, as you meditate upon these gracious and 
 saving truths, rejoice that, truly penitent for past 
 offences against God, your neighbour, and yourself, 
 you have access to God through Jesus Christ % not as 
 to an angry judge, but as a reconciled and merciful 
 Father — a Father in heaven^ who, " always more ready 
 to hear than we to pray," heareth the prayer of the 
 contrite, and despiseth not their desire ; but meeteth 
 his erring children as they return to Him, welcometh 
 them again to their long-forsaken home, killeth the 
 fatted calf, and biddeth each heart to make merry and 
 be glad ! Thou, his son, wert dead, and art alive ! — 
 Thou w^ert lost and art found ; and once again happy 
 in the love and favour of this thy heavenly Father , 
 mayest now go on thy way rejoicing. 
 
 ^ The prayer which was graciously taught in reply to this request, 
 will be separately considered in the two following chapters. 
 
 2 Rom. vi. 1 . But " let none therefore sin, that grace may abound." 
 God forbid." 
 
142 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. . 
 
 THE lord's prayer. 
 
 The reader will remember^ that in one of the many 
 deeply interesting scenes with which the life of the 
 Son of man abounds, his disciples, having watched 
 Him as He poured out his heart in prayer, earnestly 
 besought Him, that He would teach them to pray 
 Not that we are to suppose them ignorant of the duty 
 of prayer; but desirous of being instructed in the 
 most acceptable mode of performing that duty, they 
 naturally looked for such instruction to one, who not 
 only as their Lord and Master was ever ready to 
 counsel and comfort them, but who Himself appeared 
 to have derived from his devotion, strength for the 
 work appointed Him, and consolation under the ap- 
 prehension of those sorrows and afflictions which He- 
 knew awaited Him. They not unreasonably hoped, 
 that He, who had found so successful a mode of sup- 
 plication for Himself, would be the best counsellor 
 for them. Hence it w^ould be not with joy only 
 that they heard themselves bidden to address the 
 mighty Jehovah — the maker, preserver, and ruler 
 of all — as their " Father in heaven wonder would 
 mingle with their joy. Complete indeed, beyond the 
 boldest heart to imagine, must be man^s reconcilia- 
 tion with God, through the Saviour, ere he be per- 
 mitted so near approach to the throne of grace as 
 sonship would entitle him to. 
 
 Our Church seems impressed with the feelings of 
 these disciples, and adopts their wise course; for 
 though ready with her glorious collection of prayers, 
 adapted to suppHcants of every age and station — to 
 
 1 Luke xi. 1. 
 
The Lord^s Prayer. 
 
 143 
 
 their varied wants^ and wishes^ and fears^ and hopes, 
 — she ventures not to present her own words of sup- 
 pHcation and thanksgiving, till first that prayer, 
 which the Lord did teach, has been, with one voice, 
 poured forth by the congregation — spirituahzing 
 their minds, and, we humbly, but firmly Our Father 
 hope, propitiating a reconciled God ^ which art in 
 How instructive is the very opening of ^^^"^^"^ • 
 this prayer ! God is our Father. The Christian is 
 thus admitted to the privilege of angels. The low- 
 liest among the sons of men, if he be a faithful mem- 
 ber of Christ, may look to the Supreme, with all that 
 sure reliance on his care, which children have in a 
 parentis love, and with all that feeling of safety in 
 which they may rejoice, who are under the protecting 
 care of Omnipotence. Yet no vain glory mingles 
 itself wdth this sense of privilege— no boasting of ex- 
 clusive advantages. God is our Father — the Father 
 of all^ specially of the faithful of Christ Jesus. The 
 monarch on his throne has no higher honour than 
 their sonship ; no surer defence than this divine pro- 
 tection ; no more abiding consolation than the comfort 
 of this holy presence ! and his meanest subject who 
 worships with him, shares that consolation, that de- 
 fence, that honour ; is partaker with him of his high 
 privilege. What a bond of union is here formed ! 
 How are all the congregation, whether high or low, 
 rich or poor, ruler or subject, parent or child, master 
 or servant — how powerfully are they all severally 
 encouraged so to fulfil the duties of their respective 
 stations, that they may please their heavenly Father ; 
 
 ^ The Church service formerly began with the Lord's Prayer. Now, 
 however, the congregation, under a sense of the necessity and vakie 
 of serious preparation, are led to the previous duty of confession. 
 Penitent and pardoned, they may hope to be less unworthy of the 
 glorious privilege of approaching their heavenly Father. And the 
 previous part of the service we must feel and allow to be in the full 
 spirit of the most deep and uncompromising humiliation. What a 
 noble outpouring of a penitent and contrite heart is the Confession ! 
 See p. 126. 
 
144 
 
 The Lord^s Prayer. 
 
 gain his favour, and secure his love ! Thus approach- 
 ing his holy presence as children would approach the 
 presence of a parent, it is but natural that we should 
 pour forth, in the fulness of our heart, every senti- 
 ment of love, honour, and devotion — declaring our 
 reverence, obedience, dependence upon his bounty, 
 heavenly-mindedness, charity, humility, and lowliness; 
 with a ready avowal, that to Him all honour is due. 
 
 Indeed, our souls once raised to heaven, 
 ™X K$ his dwelling-place, well may the angelic 
 dom come; thy Spirit of praise excite in us a holy joy 
 will be clone in in hallowing his name^^ — that name 
 Wem^ ^^^^^ ^^^^'^ associate all that is vast 
 
 and holy and just and good — that name 
 which is above every name : even thy name, O God ! 
 by whom all things were made, and by whom all things 
 are preserved, and without whom man can do nothing ; 
 thy name, in whom we live and move and have our 
 being. Surely that name should by all thy creatures 
 be hallowed with praise, and glory, and honour, and 
 power. But if we thus hallow the name of God, we 
 must, as a reasonable consequence, allow that every 
 command sanctioned by that name, should find a 
 ready obedience from us. His laws should be written 
 in our hearts : there his authority should be welcomed; 
 there He should reign supreme — no rival power con- 
 tending for the mastery : our wishes, our affections, 
 our hopes, and our fears, all yielding to the influence 
 of those laws. To this ready obedience we virtually 
 pledge ourselves when we add the prayer — Thy king- 
 dom come ! For the kingdom of grace must first be 
 established in our hearts, ere we can hope to share 
 the kingdom of glory. We must first obey on earth 
 the laws of our heavenly King, ere we can hope that 
 our petition be granted to its full extent, and we 
 be admitted at last to his kingdom in heaven. If 
 then our souls look forward to the glories of God's 
 heavenly kingdom, they must become conformed to 
 the laws of his spiritual kingdom. Hence the fit 
 
The hordes Prayer. 
 
 145 
 
 order of the following petition — as a condition that 
 our hope of gaining the former may not be vain. 
 We now pray that all the world may bear true alle- 
 giance to Him^ their heavenly King ; and do his ''will 
 in earth as it is in heaven/^ Not that man can so 
 resist the will of God as to prevent its accomplish- 
 ment. The guilt of resistance may be incurred, but 
 its failure is sure. As for our God, he is in heaven ; 
 he hath done whatsoever pleased him ^ and his will 
 must be done. The object of the petition is that we 
 may have grace always to acquiesce in his will ; even 
 when it be so done as to oppose our own. The peti- 
 tion, thus felt, and thus offered, is worthy an immortal 
 soul, whose aspirations are for that blessed day, when 
 the spirits of the just made perfect shall join the 
 angel-choir in their unceasing services in heaven : 
 services, let us remember, which w^ill consist in doing 
 the will of the Almighty. Blessed thought ! Our 
 service, then, even on earth, is as the service of hea- 
 ven ! Man shares the services of angels. How near 
 the two worlds— the visible and the invisible ! How 
 near time and eternity ! But patience must have 
 her perfect work. Much must be done here in this 
 lower w^orld, before we can be admitted to the higher 
 services above. Like the Apostles, indeed, in their 
 hour of wonder at the glories of the spiritual world 
 opened to them, when they attended their Lord 
 during his transfiguration, w^e may exclaim — "it is 
 good for us to be here in these contemplations we 
 would fain abide — but the duties of this lower world 
 again demand our care; and for strength to fulfil 
 them we must look to our heavenly Father. " Give 
 us ' therefore^ this day our daily bread ^.j^,^ ^l^j^ 
 — bread for the body — bread for the day our daily 
 soul. True it is, man labours and toils ^I'ead. 
 in cultivating the ground : he goeth forth to his work 
 till the evening — he late takes rest, and eats the bread 
 
 1 Ps. cxv. 3. 
 
 [264] 
 
146 
 
 The Lord's Prayer. 
 
 of carefulness — and seed-time and harvest so regu- 
 larly succeed each other^ that the inhabitants of the 
 world find food from year to year, and from age to 
 age. But He, whose bountiful providence blesses the 
 labour, and gives the seasons in their order, is too 
 often as little remembered as if man were his own 
 provider. The Giver is forgotten in the gift. Sup- 
 pose the Almighty to withhold his sun and his rain ; 
 or so to time his gifts, that their influence would de- 
 stroy instead of nourish, where would be the labour 
 and industry of man? Not an ear of corn would 
 spring up ; and for lack of bread, man would perish. 
 Does God thus give us food ? wisely do we pray to 
 Him for a continuance of the supply, and thai^ " day 
 by day.'^ Give us this day our daily bread lest 
 we be full and deny our God, and say, " Who is the 
 Lord?^^ and fancy ourselves independent of our hea- 
 venly Father ; and so, perhaps, in the midst of our 
 plenty and fancied security, the awful voice of death 
 summon us with — ^^Thou fool, this night thy soul 
 shall be required of thee.^^ Every day is, in fact, 
 a new life. It is solely by God^s providential care 
 over us that we wake from the torpor of sleep. 
 Surely He who thus daily gives life, is able and will- 
 ing daily to give means of sustaining it. On Him^ 
 then, let us trust, each day, for food convenient for us; 
 and take not any over- anxious heed for the morrow^ 
 If these reflections are applicable to the petition in 
 question as it relates to the body, with what added 
 power do they strike upon our heart, when we con- 
 sider the petition as a prayer for spiritual food — for 
 the bread of life ? Does the body languish without 
 its food ? without its appointed daily food the soul 
 too languishes and dies. When, therefore, we offer 
 this supplication, let us remember that bread enough 
 and to spare is free to all in the word and Spirit of 
 Christ — and to the soul which feeds thereupon there 
 is no fainting, no languishing, no death ! but life, and 
 health, and strength, and joy. Pray daily for this 
 
The Lord^s Prayer. 
 
 147 
 
 breads and daily shall you receive for his sake, who 
 taught you thus to pray. But with all our own efforts, 
 and all the aid which they receive from the strength- 
 ening and refreshing of that spiritual food — even the 
 bread of life which the word and Spirit supply — we 
 must confess ourselves sinful and unworthy in the 
 sight of a holy God. Wherefore we are taught daily 
 also to pray for pardon. Nor can the best of men, 
 as he sums up, at evening close, the 
 thoughts, words, and actions of the day, trespasses'^' ""as 
 do other than confess that in God^s we forgive them 
 sight he standeth /xo^ justified. With- that trespass 
 out pardon there can be no peace. ^S^^^^t us. 
 " Forgive us our trespasses" — is then the soul's deep 
 and earnest prayer. And now let us pause for a 
 moment to admire the Divine wisdom, in so framing 
 our petition for the greatest blessing which, as sinners, 
 we can ask of our God, that we compel ourselves to 
 the performance of the highest duty we can fulfil 
 towards our neighbour, ere we can receive the bless- 
 ing we ask for ourselves. Nay, we make the fulfil- 
 ment of the duty a condition of the gift. We 
 virtually throw away the blessing, even though God 
 should grant it, if we do not fulfil the conditions of 
 our own appointing. We pray to God that He would 
 forgive us our trespasses ; but we add both the con- 
 dition and the measure of that forgiveness — " as we 
 forgive others. What a debt does society owe to 
 the ilifluence of this principle ! How much of its 
 peace and quiet may be traced to it ! A ready for- 
 giveness heals many a fresh wound, which would 
 otherwise rankle and fester in the heart, both of the 
 offender and the offended. The Apostle's illustration 
 of evil thoughts in general, applies in full force to 
 those of anger. They conceive sin, and bring forth 
 ungodliness. Where there is a mind so Christianly 
 noble as at once to forgive the offender, there is no 
 time for sin to show itself. Whereas every angry 
 man knows, that by brooding over an oflfence, he 
 H 2 
 
148 
 
 The Lord^s Prayer. 
 
 fancies it worse and worse, till in his inflamed imagi- 
 nation, an offence grows into a crime. Let him take 
 heed; lest in venting his anger against a fault in his 
 fellow- creature, he do not himself fall into a sin before 
 his God ; and if he love his own soul, let him not 
 presume to pray for pardon for his sins, negligences, 
 and ignorances, ere he has forgiven others, fully and 
 freely, lest his prayers be by himself hindered. 
 
 It is true, that here arises no small difficulty. Even 
 St. Paul felt that it was scarcely possible for us to be 
 altogether clear either of giving or of taking offence. 
 He guards his admonition — " If it hepossible, as much 
 as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men How 
 then are we to bear ourselves peaceably amid the con- 
 tinual trials to which we are exposed by those who, 
 themselves of discontented and turbulent minds, '^stir 
 up strife all the day long?^^ It is certain, that we 
 must not, like Peter, trust to our own strength or good 
 resolutions, lest, like him, we fall from our stedfast- 
 ness, and bring upon ourselves added misery. Our 
 trust must be in the name of the Lord. We must be 
 strong in the power of his might. Happy indeed 
 if we be spared the trial — happier still if w^e be 
 strengthened to endure it. Ours, therefore, be the 
 humble, yet pious petition which follows — indicative 
 , , ^ . ^ of the most lowly dependence upon 
 
 Lead us not into , , --i *^ r i ir-^i 
 
 temptation ; but the good providencc of God, and faith 
 deliver us from in his grace both to prevent and follow 
 us. He is our helper and defender 
 through whatever trials He may see fit to lead us. 
 Whether our path of life be in sorrow or in joy, in 
 trouble or in peace ; He is our guide unto death. Yet 
 the lowly heart, conscious of its own weakness and 
 insufficiency, first prays to be spared the trial of its 
 faith — "Lead us not into temptation^' — lead us not 
 into scenes and circumstances which may try our faith, 
 and place obstacles in the fulfilment of our duty, either 
 
 1 Rom. xii. 18. 
 
The LorcTs Prayer. 
 
 119 
 
 towards Thee our God, towards our neighbour, or 
 ourselves. Spare us that arduous struggle with our 
 infirmities. But if it please Thee, in thine all-wise 
 providence, that this petition be not answered — if 
 trials compass us around ; tempting us either to let go 
 our faith, and weary of hope, and relax our obedience 
 before Thee ; or to yield to anger, or envy, or any 
 uncharitableness towards our neighbour — then, O 
 Father, forsake us not ! Let thine Almighty " strength 
 be perfected in our weakness If evil assault us, 
 do Thou defend us ! " Deliver us from evil And 
 thy power controlleth all evil ; whether the evil one 
 — that prince of the powers of darkness, who is con- 
 tinually going about, seeking whom he may devour; 
 tempting us by evil thoughts of pride and vanity, and 
 discontent, and envy, and other bad passions : or evil 
 men — who, being wicked themselves, have no higher 
 gratification than tempting their fellow-creatures to 
 share their sin, and so plunge them into a share of 
 their misery : or the evil world, with its cares and its 
 pleasures, successively enticing us from God, and 
 lowering our thoughts from heaven to earth. If this 
 petition be granted, then shall we patiently endure 
 any trials which our heavenly Father may see fit to 
 lay upon us ; knowing that God will not suffer us 
 to be tempted above that we are able ; but will, with 
 the temptation,^^ — or ti'ial — ^^also make a way to 
 escape, that we may be able to bear it ^.^^ And if it 
 be borne well and patiently, great is the reward. 
 Should continual trials, however, almost wear out 
 patience, do not fear, as though God had forgotten 
 to be gracious, and not answered your prayer. If 
 He has led you into trial. He is at hand to deliver 
 
 1 2 Cor. xii. 9. 
 
 2 Either from " the evil one" — the prince of darkness, the devil : 
 or from evil generally ; of which he is the author and promoter — 
 evil men ; evil thoughts ; evil of every kind. 
 
 ^ 1 Cor. X. 13. 
 
 H 3 
 
150 
 
 The Lord^s Prayer. 
 
 you from the evil of it. He can change fear and 
 doubt and dismay, into peace and hope and joy. 
 
 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation, for 
 when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, 
 which the Lord hath promised to them who love 
 
 Having thus summed up our petitions^ we are 
 For thine is the directed to close the prayer with a 
 kingdom, and doxology — a giving of thanks and glory 
 
 the power, and ^ ^j^^ g j ^ ^ ^ 
 
 the glory, for . t • . mi n n ^ ' 
 
 ever and ever, been sohcitmg. 1 he lorm or this 
 Amen. doxology, when considered in reference 
 
 to the petitions we have previously offered, is very 
 striking. It is, in fact, an avowal of the supreme 
 majesty of Jehovah ; a confession that whether or no 
 we, his creatures, are sincere in our supplication for 
 grace to hallow his Name, and obey his laws, and 
 depend upon his providence, and acknowledge his 
 power, and receive his kingdom into our hearts, and 
 live to his glory — his is the kingdom : his the power, 
 and the glory, forever and ever: our defection neither 
 detracting from the splendour of his kingdom, nor 
 weakening his power, nor diminishing his glory. For 
 though it is true, that the righteous are said to live 
 to God's honour, and the poorest and lowliest who 
 lead godly lives, are encouraged by the assurance, 
 that before men they are graciously considered by God 
 as living to his glory, inasmuch as they show the 
 power of his grace ; letting their light so shine, that 
 others seeing their good works, glorify their Father 
 who is in heaven — yet God's glory is essentially the 
 same; for ever and ever unchangeable : independent 
 of any such accessary to its splendour, as the worship 
 of the whole universe might supply. 
 
 To this truth each individual of the congregation 
 gives assent with heart and voice, by the solemn — 
 
 ^ James i. 12 
 
The hordes Prayer. 
 
 151 
 
 ^^Amen!" ^^Even so, blessed Father! even so be 
 it ! My heart confesseth ; my lips avow this truth. 
 Thine is the kingdom — thine the power — thine the 
 glory — for ever 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 THE lord's prayer. 
 
 This great eternal Being is your Father. Heaven 
 is his throne ; earth his footstool : yet He is your 
 
 very present help in the needful time of trouble 
 in this your season of sickness. He watches over 
 you in nights of anguish and wakefulness. By his 
 providence He sustains you, enabling you to bear the 
 pain and wearisomeness of an afflicted body, and in 
 David's affecting language, making all your bed in 
 your sickness." By his grace He heals the sickness of 
 your soul also, and applies to it the healing doctrines 
 of his Gospel. And when perhaps to this gracious 
 God, in the extremity of exhaustion from pain and 
 weakness, you were unable to proffer other devotional 
 services, this prayer has arisen to your thoughts, and 
 been uttered by your lips, to the sustaining of your 
 patience, the strengthening of your faith, the removing 
 of your fears, and the brightening of your hope. It 
 is this prayer, with which our devotional services in 
 
 ^ Though, as I have already suggested — p. 131 — if. is always 
 desirable that in those parts of the service, where our Church 
 directs the congregation to join with the voice, their responses be 
 made audibly, the practice would seem especially beneficial, when we 
 join in, or close, this prayer. Indeed, that the habit is too often 
 disregarded is much to be lamented, for where it is observed, the 
 devout worshipper is both delighted and strengthened in his duty. 
 When a whole congregation, after repeating together the several 
 petitions in the prayer, join in the solemn Amen, each heart finds 
 the flame of devotion kindle into a brighter glow, and we serve our 
 God on earth with a fervour and joy, exceeded only by the angel- 
 choirs in heaven. 
 
 H -t 
 
152 
 
 The hordes Prayer. 
 
 life begin : it is this with which they close. Who re- 
 members not, that memory^s first effort was to retain 
 as its own this, the Lord's Prayer? You recollect 
 when your mother, with a devotedness of patience 
 which piety could alone supply, joined your infant 
 hands, and directed your wondering eyes and opening 
 thoughts upwards, as she taught you to lisp these 
 words. And you have probably witnessed in your 
 dying fellow-Christians, that their last faltering breath 
 has whispered them in peace. Oh ! let not the words 
 in your case be mere sounds ! let them not be a mere 
 lip service ! Let the heart also pour them forth, as 
 you thus proceed with your own individual applica- 
 tion of them. 
 
 ^^Is God my Father? where then is his honour? 
 Do I reverence Him with filial love and obedience ? 
 Do men see in my conduct any token that I am a 
 child of God? — Again : Is He our Father? Where 
 is that charity which I owe to my fellow-creatures, 
 as those who are blessed with like privileges, as well 
 as bound by like obligations ? do I heed my Divine 
 Teacher's counsel, in reference to this our mutual 
 relation to the Almighty — do I love them as brethren ? 
 This our Father is in heaven I If I beheve that He 
 heareth me even there, how searching must be his 
 knowledge ! He is present in heaven above ; He is 
 also present upon the earth beneath; or how could He 
 hear us ? We cannot yet ascend into heaven ; thither 
 no man approacheth : He therefore cometh down to 
 his creatures, and heareth the prayers of the faithful. 
 What a motive for holiness in thought, word, and 
 deed ! How dare I sin on earth, yet think to be 
 heard in heaven ? 
 
 Having thus reflected upon the address with which 
 you begin the Lord's Prayer, pursue your reflections 
 upon the petitions by which the address is followed. 
 ^' I have prayed that ^ his Name may be hallowed.^ 
 With what care should I watch myself, lest I either 
 take that great and holy Name in vain by evil speak- 
 
The LorcPs Prayer. 
 
 i53 
 
 ing, or hear it in vain^ by disregarding the word 
 which is armed with its authority^ and sanctified by 
 its hoHness ! I have prayed also that his kingdom 
 may come. Does then my soul ardently long for the 
 kingdom of grace so to be established in my heart 
 now^ that I may share the kingdom of glory hereafter? 
 Having been enrolled as a soldier of Christ, do I 
 faithfully and manfully fight under his banner the 
 good fight of faith; earnestly contending for the ex- 
 tension of his spiritual and heavenly kingdom, and no 
 longer, either by resistance to its authority, or luke- 
 warmness in its honour, oppose its coming ? I have 
 also prayed, that his will may be done in earth, even 
 as it is in heaven. Let me beware of mocking the 
 Supreme ! Has my heart really wished an answer to 
 the words my lips have uttered ? If so, why have I so 
 often murmured at his dispensations, when afflictive 
 towards me ? Those dispensations were according to 
 his will ; and doubtless necessary to accomplish his 
 will in me, even though my infirmity discerned not 
 the necessity. Let me, for the future, check every 
 murmur, by recalling to mind my prayer — that God's 
 will be done, not my own. Let me stand to my 
 words. Let me prove that I was sincere in offering 
 the petition, by being submissive to whatever answer 
 God may have sent to it ; and let me gain a steady 
 and even cheerful patience, by reassuring my fainting 
 spirit, that not only is it God's will^ but that his will 
 is our salvation ; and that all things which God wills 
 to be done, shall work together for good to them that 
 love Him\ Again; as I have continued the petitions, 
 
 ^ 111 recording this sentiment, I am forcibly reminded of a noble 
 instance of the practical application of it, in the case of a great and 
 good man, under sufferings of mind, body, and estate *. 
 
 The patient sufferer, after his recovery from a dreadful illness, 
 observed, " I cannot expect that the first will be the last visit of this 
 cruel complaint. But * Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and 
 
 * The late Sir Walter Scott. 
 H 5 
 
154 
 
 7 he hordes Prayer. 
 
 and prayed our heavenly Father to ^give us this day 
 our daily bread/ have I been regardful of my spiritual 
 wants as well as temporal necessities? Grateful for 
 my own temporal mercies^ as the free gift of my 
 heavenly Father, have I been mindful of the wants of 
 others, rendering what aid was in my power towards 
 their alleviation ? and when I remembered that my 
 spiritual life required its appointed food — the word 
 and Spirit of Christ — did 1 also remember that He, 
 who is always more ready to hear than we to pray, had 
 already provided it, fully and freely? Whatever may 
 have hitherto been my neglect of this food for my 
 soul, henceforth, with gratitude proportioned to the 
 gift, will T receive the blessing, and feed thereon in 
 my heart by faith with thanksgiving. — Do I pray to 
 he forgiven F let me ^^ra^z^ forgiveness ; lest by with- 
 holding pardon from others, I cast away pardon from 
 myself/^ Reader ! are you of a revengeful spirit ? 
 Does your anger flame up, when a fellow-creature 
 offends you ? Do you long to wreak upon him your 
 vengeance ? — You are undone by your own act. For 
 though your revenge may be restrained by a consider- 
 ation of your station in life, or by your fears, or by 
 your dread of its consequences in various ways ; yet 
 if you conceive it in thought^ that is the sin before 
 God. And suppose God, in answer to your petition, 
 does to you as your heart would lead you to do to a 
 
 not receive evil ? ' " Whilst in reference to trials of a different nature, 
 in the prospect of loss of property and worldly comforts, the same 
 firmness, based upon religious principle, supported him in a noble 
 submission, and even cheerful acquiescence, which no lower consi- 
 derations could have supplied. When he had reason to fear a change 
 from the ease of affluence to the trials of adversity, he checked eveiy 
 murmur, welcomed every trial, controlled every fear, in the spirit 
 and the language of the Patriarch — Naked we entered the world, 
 and naked we leave it. Blessed be the Name of the Lord.^"* Thus did 
 his great mind bear its willing and valuable testimony to the gracious 
 power of the Divine word, as the fountain of strength and wisdom : 
 confessing that, with all its contingent advantages, " the wisdom of 
 the world is but foolishness with God." Religion alone is sure 
 wisdom, even for the wise. 
 
The Lord^s Prayer. 155 
 
 fellow -creature — would He pardon you? One hour 
 you have, either in your closet, or in your family, or 
 in the congregation, offered up this petition, and in 
 another hour even murderous thoughts may have 
 swelled your angry hearts. Earnestly pray God, the 
 thought of your heart be forgiven you ! Remember 
 the condition you annex to your prayer ; and forget 
 not, that as you forgive others those trespasses against 
 you, which can affect you only for the short space of a 
 passing life, so you gain or lose pardon for sins which, 
 if unforgiven, will surely plunge you into misery for 
 ever. You lastly pray that God would lead you not 
 into temptation, but deliver you from evil. Take 
 heed yourself to avoid that temptation, from which 
 you pray to be delivered. Do not yield to evil habits, 
 evil affections, evil tempers ; lest, by so doing, you 
 encourage the evil one to tempt you. If you really 
 hate all evil ways, then, depend upon it, God will de- 
 liver you from them: "Resist the devil, and he will 
 flee from you.^^ God^s strength, in the fulness of his 
 mercy, and the free exercise of his power, will be 
 perfected in your weakness — and you will be more 
 than conqueror through Jesus Christ, your Teacher^ 
 your Saviour, your God. 
 
 Such, my reader, are some of the reflections which 
 naturally suggest themselves upon a serious consider- 
 ation of the Lord^s Prayer. I have stated them the 
 more fully, not only because the prayer itself, being 
 from infancy to the end of life, part of our appointed 
 daily service to the Almighty, cannot be too well un- 
 derstood ; but because the hour is coming to us all — 
 the hour of death — when our failing powers may yet 
 retain it in memory, and we shall flee to it as our re- 
 fuge. Blessed will they be who in that hour can offer 
 it in sincerity and in truth, and in all the fulness of 
 faith. God grant that you may then so offer it ! The 
 voice, indeed, as vital strength gives way, may be 
 powerless, the lips may deny their office, and no ivord 
 of prayer find utterance ; but the heart shall yet pour 
 
156 
 
 The Liturgy : 
 
 forth the cherished thoughts of well-founded con- 
 fidence, and holy praise, and filial reverence to your 
 Father in heaven. His Name you have hallowed ; to 
 his authority you have bowed yourself ; his will you 
 have striven to do on earth with the communion of 
 saints, even as you hope to do it in heaven with the 
 angels; his forgiveness, the subject of your daily 
 petition and your daily hope, you trust to have gained 
 even as you from your heart have forgiven others \ 
 And thus your dying petitions will close. You will 
 henceforth have no temptations to fear, no evil of this 
 w^orld to be delivered from* The next will be open- 
 ing upon you ; and there, as the wicked cease from 
 troubling, so will the weary be at rest. Rest and 
 glory shall then be the portion of the righteous for 
 ever ^ When that hour shall come to thee, may this 
 prayer be in thine heart, to sustain and comfort thee \ 
 May it pass thee to thy bliss in heaven ! 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 THE LITURGY — ITS EMINENTLY SPIRITUAL 
 CHARACTER. 
 
 Though In the former chapters I have not forborne ta 
 enter largely into an explanation of the Lord's Prayer^ 
 
 1 I can imagine no moment on this side of the eternal world of 
 woe, more dreadful, than that in which a dying man remembers the 
 unrepented sin of revenge — of revenge, whether in act, in wish, or in 
 thought. To feel, as lie draws near the presence of the eternal J udge, 
 in hope of pardon— iov who would dwell with everlasting burnings % 
 Isa. xxxiii. 13, 14.— to feel, that he so approaches, not having fulfilled 
 the very conditions which he annexed to his petition for forgiveness 
 to himself; to be conscious that inasmuch as he has not forgiven his 
 fellow- creatures, he has virtually cast from himself the forgiveness 
 which now at the last hour he prays for ; to feel and be conscious of 
 all this, when time is past recal, and eternity at hand — what is it but 
 to anticipate at once the woe and remorse of Dives ? no alleviation of 
 a misery which the conscious sufferer himself pronounces just. 
 
 2 Matt. XXV. 46. 
 
its Spiritual Character. 15/ 
 
 with which in fact the suppHcatory part of our Liturgy 
 may be considered as beginning, it is not my present 
 purpose to proceed with an equally full explanation 
 with respect to the Liturgy itself. It will be enough, 
 in' this season of serious thought, to fix your mind 
 upon some of its excellences; especially upon its 
 wonderful harmony with the word of God : proclaim- 
 ing the doctrines of the Gospel in all their purity; 
 expanding its instructive precepts with a clearness and 
 force equally beautiful and striking ; teaching a wise 
 application of its hopes and fears, its threats and pro- 
 mises, not less practical than spiritual ; and interweav- 
 ing throughout its services, whether of penitence, or 
 supplication, or thanksgiving, that twofold object 
 which angels proclaimed as the aim of the coming 
 Messiah, and to establish which the word itself directs 
 all its power — " Glory to God^ and good will toward 
 men^.^^ That object is kept in view by our Church 
 with a steadiness of purpose, and a fervour of piety, 
 which is unfelt only by those whose heart is not in 
 their duty, and who join in the public service merely 
 for formes sake. Where men worship in spirit and in 
 truth, it is impossible to use our noble Church services 
 without a depth of devotional feeling, and a spirituality 
 of thought towards God^ which, as they well befit a 
 creature bowed low before the footstool of the Creator, 
 we may humbly hope will not be unaccepted, for 
 Christ's sake, by Him to whose honour they are con- 
 secrated, and on whose divine word they are founded : 
 whilst towards men they foster "peace and good will ;'' 
 engendering that charity, which believeth all things^ 
 endureth all things, hopeth all things — that heaven- 
 born charity, which never faileth. In fact, the word 
 of God finds in the Liturgy a commentary so plain 
 and instructive, that the more heartily we join in its 
 services, the more we shall prize them, and the nearer 
 we may hope to attain to that excellence which the 
 
 1 Luke ii. 14. 
 
158 The Liturgy: 
 
 one enjoins, and to the attaining which the other lends 
 its aid. 
 
 Fully, however, as all the doctrines of the Gospel 
 are declared in our Liturgy, and powerfully as the 
 application of them all is there enforced, none are 
 insisted upon more strongly, or display themselves 
 more clearly, than the doctrine of sanctification by 
 grace. It at once leads us to the Spirit of God, as 
 the spring of whatever is holy in thought, or good in 
 deed ; as the only fountain whence can flow what- 
 soever things are lovely, whatsoever things are true, 
 whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are 
 of good report ; and whenfce alone the stream of good- 
 ness can be supplied. Whether the supplication be 
 on behalf of nations or individuals, of sovereigns or 
 their subjects, of believers or unbelievers — one senti- 
 ment prevails — an entire dependence upon the grace 
 of God. And to this particular excellence of our 
 Liturgy I would now direct your attention, because it 
 would seem specially a subject adapted to your present 
 tone of feeling ; when your mind, having ample time 
 for serious meditation, is more and more conscious of 
 its own weaknesses and infirmities, and gratefully lays 
 hold of the means set before it, of strengthening those 
 weaknesses, and healing those infirmities by the power 
 and efficacy of the Holy Spirit of God. 
 
 Let us illustrate our position, by adducing a few 
 instances where this harmony is more strikingly 
 observable. 
 
 We have already noticed it in the exhortation^ the 
 confession^ and the absolution \ Does the minister 
 exhort the congregation to accompany him to the 
 throne of grace ? The purport is distinctly stated — 
 that they may thence gain those things which be 
 necessary as well for the body as the soul/^ The 
 soul boasts no power, no strength, no other means of 
 sustaining what power and strength may be given. 
 
 1 Sec p 120—136. 
 
its Spiritual Character. 
 
 159 
 
 than may be supplied by the grace of God, So in 
 the confession, the penitent is led at once to avow — an 
 avowal mortifying to human pride^ yet well becoming 
 human weakness — that "there is no^^ spiritual "health 
 in him by nature, no health of soul — no purity of 
 intention, no soundness of principle, no strength of 
 holiness. All those blessings, if we would have them, 
 must be received as the free gift of the grace of God, 
 for his mercy^s sake in Christ Jesus. And when the 
 Church declares that God pardoneth and absolveth the 
 truly penitent — minister and people unite in beseech- 
 ing God to grant them not only true repentance, but 
 ^' his Holy Spirit that so life may henceforth be 
 passed to the welfare of their souls, and the honour of 
 their God. On that Holy Spirit alone they rely for 
 pleasing their heavenly Father, even in the present 
 hour of solemn devotion. On that they repose their 
 hope, that " the rest of their life hereafter may be pure 
 and holy." Language cannot be stronger in avowing 
 faith in the doctrine of Grace ; nor can it be in more 
 entire harmony with the word of inspiration, which 
 declares emphatically that "it is God which worketh 
 in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure 
 We have no power of ourselves to help ourselves : 
 our sufficiency is of God 
 
 This doctrine of spiritual grace as the fountain of 
 spiritual life, is so interwoven by our Church into her 
 services, that whilst she teaches us to consider the 
 Holy Spirit as the source of our sanctification before 
 God, she directs us to refer to his guidance and wis- 
 dom for the regulation of our conduct before men. If 
 grace be required as the means of so sustaining the 
 soul against evil, that " we fall into no sin, neither run 
 into any kind of danger," its preventing aid is declared 
 equally needful in " all our doings," that they may 
 " be ordered by God's governance ;" and that we be 
 enabled to "do always that which is righteous in 
 
 * Phil. ii. 13. 
 
 2 2 Cor. ii'. 5. 
 
160 
 
 The Liturgy : 
 
 his sight, through Jesus Christ our Lord — that iu 
 all our ways, from the liigh and holy duties which He 
 more immediately between God and our souls, to 
 those apparently inferior, yet closely connected duties 
 which we owe to our neighbours and ourselves, we 
 should consider the same Divine guidance necessary ^ 
 Thus, as she brings her worshippers to the throne of 
 grace, she prepares them all by the deepest humility. 
 In her assemblies, rich and poor meet together ; having 
 one common fountain of heavenly wisdom, even the 
 Spirit of Him who is the maker of them all. Where 
 is self-sufficiency ? Where the pride of riches, learn- 
 ing, or station ? The highest intellect, the deepest 
 learning, the most exalted station, the most ample 
 wealth, find no power of themselves to help them- 
 selves : their sufficiency is of God. So the poorest, 
 the lowliest, the most unlettered, can no longer excuse 
 an unholy life by pleading their ignorances, their 
 poverty, or whatever other disadvantages may attach 
 to their several stations. That^ which maketh truly 
 wise, is fully theirs. The Spirit of holiness, wisdom, 
 and peace, is free to them also in Jesus Christ their 
 Lord. As without Him none are wise, or strong unto 
 salvation, so by Him strength cometh to the weakest. 
 Thus is the Saviour exalted, and the Spirit of grace 
 magnified. Can the deepest piety conceive a feeling 
 more in harmony with the humbling doctrines of the 
 Gospel ? Can the deepest conviction of sin and un- 
 worthiness require more than this in proof of devoted-- 
 ness to the cross of Christ? Till the season of sick- 
 ness gave you time and opportunity to reflect, you per- 
 haps never fairly measured this doctrine as declared 
 in our Church service, by the Gospel itself. If so, 
 you never could have partaken to the full, of that 
 peace and consolation which they are so admirably 
 calculated to afibrd, when the worshipper shares in 
 them with all his heart, and with all his mind — a peace 
 
 1 The Collect in the Morning Service; "for Grace." 
 
its Spiritual Character. 
 
 161 
 
 and consolation which^ 1 trusty will henceforth be 
 your own. 
 
 As in all cases, the more exalted be the station in 
 life, the heavier is the responsibility attached to its 
 duties ; and as in proportion to the weight of respon- 
 sibility, is the strength required to sustain it ; so we 
 are taught to consider the aid of Divine strength as 
 specially required by those whom Providence may 
 have been pleased to set in the high places of the 
 earth, — by " kings, and all in authority under them 
 that they may live in the fear of God, and to the 
 praise of his holy Name ; remembering the strict and 
 solemn account they must themselves one day give 
 before his great tribunal. 
 
 Do we pray for the king? — with what fulness of 
 purpose is our prayer poured forth ! How deep the 
 piety, how fervent the devotion, how ardent the zeal 
 for his welfare, with which it is framed! and the 
 object of our prayer is, that God would "replenish 
 him with the grace of his Holy Spirit — filling his 
 every thought, directing his words, and guiding his 
 actions, in all the s'afety of godly counsel and heavenly 
 wisdom : whilst we further supplicate that, consider- 
 ing all other sources of help, wisdom, and riches, as 
 nothing compared with grace, he may thereby be ena- 
 bled " alway to incline to GotVs will, and walk in God^s 
 way may so triumph alike in public and in private 
 life over the sreveral ills which assail him, that " finally 
 he may attain everlasting joy and felicity resting 
 our plea upon the infinite power, the unbounded love, 
 and the wise superintending providence of the great 
 Jehovah, to whose care, temporally and spiritually, 
 we commend the sovereign He has set over us. We 
 appeal to his love as a Father— to his o Lord, our hea- 
 majesty as King of kings and Ruler venly Father, 
 of princes — to his omniscience as the high and mighty, 
 great moral Governor of the universe. Lord of lords' 
 who is supreme equally over kings and the only Rulev 
 their subjects. How powerfully is the piinces, who 
 
162 The Liturgy : 
 
 dost from thy spirit of loyalty here excited ! how glo- 
 j^^n^^^ riously is it sanctified! a spirit which 
 
 all the dwellers ,/ • , n ^ ^ > ^ i 
 
 upon earth, breathes in every part oi our admirable 
 most heartily Liturgy ! a spirit^ upon which every page 
 we beseech Thee ^[^^ sacred writin2:s, which has refer- 
 
 with thy favour i i 
 
 to behold our ^^^^ t'^is world'^s ordering, strongly 
 most gracious and uniformly insists ! And if the prayer 
 Sovereign. offered in sincerity, we dare not doubt 
 
 of blessing. My Christian reader, whether thou be 
 of the great and mighty ones of the earth, or thy lot 
 be cast among the lowliest of the sons of men — who 
 knoweth but that even thy voice may call down 
 blessing? that at thine earnest supplication the 
 Almighty may turn and leave a blessing behind Him ; 
 and so answer thy prayer for grace, that the sovereign 
 — knowing whose minister he is,^^ may above all 
 things seek God^s honour and glory and study to 
 preserve the people committed to his charge in wealth, 
 peace, and godliness whilst " we and all his subjects, 
 duly considering whose authority he hath, may faith- 
 fully serve, honour, and humbly obey him, in Gody 
 and for God, according to his blessed word and ordi- 
 nance, through Jesus Christ 
 
 Surely a nation, if all were influenced by the Spirit 
 of the Most High — from the king on his throne, to 
 the lowliest subject in the realm— might humbly 
 hope to be exalted in righteousness \ 
 
 ^ If those holy and happy thoughts are at all times natural to the 
 mind, when we contemplate the relation in which a Christian people 
 stand to a Christian monarch, they would seem, irresistibly, to fill the 
 heart with still holier and happier reflections now *. It has pleased 
 Divine Providence to set upon the throne of these realms a youthful 
 and a female sovereign. If the perils of so exalted a station be always 
 great — if the experienced find it no easy task so to steer amid the 
 intricacies of such a course, that they safely " pass the waves of this 
 troublesome world " — those perils are not lessened, those difficulties 
 are not diminished, when youth, in the very confidence of unsuspect- 
 ing ingenuousness, is exposed to the one, and surrounded by the other. 
 Blessed thought, then, that there is a strength, which is perfected in 
 weakness ! that there is a wisdom from above, which maketh the 
 
 * June, 1839 > 
 
Us Spiritual Character. 
 
 163 
 
 But it is not only in his royal office that our 
 Church directs her sons to pray for the sovereign set 
 over them. Affection for the individual is to blend 
 with reverence for the office. The sovereign is open 
 to all the cares, and free to all the charities of social 
 life, even as the subject. Ours, therefore, is the duty 
 of praying for blessing on those near and dear to him 
 in life — that the Divine favour may rest on all the 
 royal family \ Mark now the source . n a 
 
 1 11 1 1 i ' A^ Almighty God, 
 
 whence, here also, we look to gam the the fountain of 
 blessing for which we pray! AH wis- all goodness, we 
 dom, such as human learnins: would {^/^"^^ly beseech 
 
 thee to bless 
 
 supply, we may well suppose them to the Prince Al- 
 have at their command ; for they would bert, Albert, 
 doubtless surround themselves with the ^^'"^^^ Wales, 
 
 heart of the simple wise, even unto salvation ! 0 most wise, and holy, 
 and mighty God ! when these prayers of thy Church are offered— thy 
 people, rich and poor, old and young, high and low, with one accord 
 making common supplication — O grant that, being uttered from the 
 heart, from the very depth of loyal Christian hearts, they may be 
 heard and answered from heaven thy dwelling-place ! So may our 
 youthful Qaeen be blessed in her people here, and in her God for 
 ever ! 
 
 ^ Ezra vi. 10. It is at all times gratifying we hope to a Christian 
 people to pour forth prayers for blessing on those whom God hath 
 placed over them, to bear rule : and hard indeed must be the heart, 
 which does not soften, as it is thus called to feel their wants and 
 wishes, to sympathize with their sorrows as liable to the ills of 
 humanity, and to share their joys as the redeemed of the Lord. But 
 even this duty may have a higher claim upon our regards, and be 
 heeded with a deeper devotion, according as circumstances of in- 
 creased interest call for its performance. Of the thousands and tens 
 of thousands who offer this prayer, few, methinks, whilst they pray for 
 all the royal family, fail to picture to themselves as an object of their 
 special reverential regard and gratitude, Adelaide, the widow queen ; 
 who, noble as was her bearing when she shared a throne, still moves, 
 though in another sphere, an example of all the excellences which 
 can adorn Christian character. Nor can this nation ever forget its 
 debt of gratitude to her, so long as it remembers her the unwearied 
 tender nurse of our late monarch, through a sad and wearying sick- 
 ness, even to the awful hour of death *. 
 
 * Since the above note was written in 1830, the good Queen 
 Adelaide, to whom it refers, has passed to her rest, and has found a 
 brighter throne, we trust, than even that which she shared on earth. 
 But the note is retained, as a grateful tribute to her honoured 
 memorv. 
 
164 
 
 Prayer for the 
 
 and all the Royal 
 Family. Endue 
 them with thy 
 Holy Spirit, en- 
 rich them with 
 thy heavenly 
 grace, prosper 
 them with all 
 happiness, and 
 bring them to 
 thine everlast- 
 mg kingdom, 
 through Jesus 
 Christ our Lord. 
 Amen. 
 
 truly wise as well as the truly good. 
 Wealth also, ample to meet the gran- 
 deur of then* station, they would have 
 without toil or anxiety; and of such 
 happiness as this world can give, they 
 may be supposed to have full measure. 
 Therefore, not for such good things on 
 their behalf do we supplicate. In the 
 devotional feeling with which the Gos- 
 pel imbues us, we rather pray that 
 God would endue them with his Holy 
 Spirit — so shall they have true wis- 
 dom : that He would enrich them with his heavenly 
 grace — so shall they have treasures in heaven: that 
 He would prosper them with all happiness — with that 
 spiritual happiness, which shall gild their path with 
 peace in this life, and with everlasting glory in that 
 which is to come. 
 
 Thus the Spirit of God is duly honoured, as the 
 author and giver of life — the fountain of good to all 
 people — the only sanctifier, guide, and comforter, not 
 of the poor and needy only, but of the rich and 
 the powerful. All are God's creatures ; preserved by 
 his care; redeemed by his love; sanctified by his 
 grace. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI, 
 
 PRAYER FOR THE CLERGY AND PEOPLE. 
 
 Since kings and their subjects, when viewed as to 
 their eternal concerns, are all one family, the family 
 of God ; having one common interest as his children 
 in Christ Jesus, and so heirs of his kingdom — our 
 Church offers a common prayer for blessing alike 
 upon those to whom more especially as stewards of 
 the manifold grace of God, those interests are en- 
 trusted, and those for whose sake the trust is so re- 
 
Clergy and People. 
 
 165 
 
 posed. Observe^ however, the full rehance which 
 she places upon the Spirit of God, to convey the 
 blessings for which she prays. Observe, too, the 
 reverence with which she approaches the throne of 
 grace, when supplicating for so great a boon, as power 
 in her clergy to preach the word, and a disposition of 
 meekness in the people so to receive it, that it may 
 win souls to Christ. The appeal is to Omnipotence — 
 to the God who doeth wonders ; that in the exercise 
 of that wondrous power. He will Himself effect so 
 stupendous a work, as the salvation of souls by the 
 appointed ministry of his word. Nor is 
 there to a contemplative mind an object 
 of greater wonder, than the evident in- 
 fluence of the word of God, when dis- 
 pensed by the hand of man ^ Well 
 may the supplicant Church approach 
 its heavenly Father, as a Being w^ho 
 worketh great marvels.^^ Was it his 
 mar\xllous work that the Spirit brooded 
 upon the face of the w^aters, reducing to 
 order and harmony the rude and con- 
 flicting elements w^hich now form the 
 natural world ? Is it a less marvellous 
 work to brood upon the^storrfiy elements 
 of the moral world — even the wills and 
 passions of sinful man — bring them 
 into their beautiful order of holiness, 
 and by controlling their conflicting 
 agencies, direct them to God'sglory and 
 man's salvation ? None but a minister 
 of the word can fully feel the necessity 
 for " that healthful Spirit of grace'' here prayed for, to 
 
 Almighty and 
 everlasting God, 
 who alone work- 
 est great mar- 
 vels ; Send down 
 upon our Bi- 
 shops and Cu- 
 rates, and all con- 
 gregations com- 
 mitted to their 
 charge, the 
 healthful Spirit 
 of thy grace ; 
 and that they 
 may truly, please 
 Thee, pour upon 
 them the con- 
 tinual dew of 
 thy blessing. 
 Grant this, O 
 Lord, for the - 
 honour of our 
 Advocate and 
 Mediator, Jesus 
 Christ. Amen. 
 
 1 By the term "curates" here, is to be understood all to whom is 
 committed the cure or care of souls — whether " Bishops, Priests, or 
 Deacons." 
 
 Thus our blessed Lord, for the encouragement of his Church for 
 ever, chose that when He miraculously fed the thousands, the food 
 should be distributed by the hands of his disciples. The blessing the 
 came, though dispensed by the intervening agency of man. 
 
166 
 
 Prayer for the 
 
 assist his humble endeavours in the arduous work ap- 
 pointed him. He maybe watchful in his office^ faithful^ 
 diligent ; he may be bold to rebuke vice, and zealous 
 to excite the indifferent to action ; he may lack no 
 fortitude in enduring the taunts of the scornful, the 
 sneers of the envious, the frowns of the malicious and 
 cruel man ; he may be quick and patient to enlighten 
 the ignorant, strong to combat the unbeliever, wise to 
 confute the sophist, apt to expose the caviller ; but 
 where is the fountain whence flows this wisdom? 
 where the spring that supplies this courage, this 
 patience, this endurance ? Where but in the " health- 
 ful Spirit of God^s grace So with those for whom 
 he exercises his ministry. Are they, in obedience to 
 the Gospel preached, to control their self-will, correct 
 and regulate their tempers, curb their passions, soften 
 the heart of stone till it become a heart of flesh ? Are 
 they " to live to the glory of God,^^ and by identifying 
 their own cause with his, elevate themselves alike 
 above the wants and the calamities of the world ? 
 How is all this to be done, unless the God who 
 alone worketh great marvels,^^ pours upon them the 
 
 continual dew of his blessing If the blessing be 
 vouchsafed, then indeed it is no presumptuous hope 
 that the seed of the word, sown in the heart by the 
 agency of man, may yet spring up, and bring forth 
 fruit unto holiness, the end whereof may be life 
 eternal, through Jesus Christ. 
 
 Thus humbly does the Church repose her full trust 
 and confidence upon the powers of the Spirit to pros- 
 per the work of her hand upon her ; gladly confessing 
 that, if at the great harvest of the world her spiritual 
 field give good increase, the praise will be not of man, 
 but of God ! 
 
 I have the rather drawn your attention to this more 
 striking characteristic of our Liturgy, because you will 
 the better appreciate, I hope, the value of its daily 
 services in aiding you to sustain and exercise that 
 spiritual life, the life of the soul, which, now that 
 
Clergy and People. 167 
 
 bodily sickness has taught the comparative vanity of 
 a mere earthly existence^ you find to be the ^^one thing 
 needful/^ deserving all your care and watchfulness. 
 
 But when this season of sickness shall have passed, 
 and you again mingle in the busy worlds you will find 
 it ditficult perhaps to retain the same fixedness of faith 
 in your Redeemer, and trust in his Spirit, which at 
 present you rejoice in. The holy, the happy calm of 
 a spiritual life, which you now feel — how often will it 
 be interrupted by the varied and daily trials of active 
 life ! You will require, therefore, not only day by day, 
 
 daily bread the word and Spirit of God ; you will 
 need also some occasional help of a special nature ; 
 such as shall so vividly set before you Him who is 
 Himself your life — even Christ Jesus, the Lord of life 
 — that his image, stamped upon your heart, shall ever 
 there retain its place ; that whatever else may either 
 demand your care, or win your regard, or attach your 
 affections, He may still reign there. Supreme. To 
 keep alive in your soul this remembrance of Him, He 
 did "institute and ordain holy mysteries — as pledges 
 of his love, and for a continual remembrance of his 
 death, to your great and endless comfort.^^ Our 
 Church, therefore, at the holy communion of his body 
 and bloodj sets before us the very emblems, by which 
 He Himself chose that his precious sacrifice should be 
 represented : and so forcibly and aflfectingly does 
 that representation strike upon the heart of the hum- 
 ble communicant, that as to share it without benefit, 
 so to neglect it without harm to the soul, were alike 
 impossible. 
 
 Let me now therefore direct your attention to that 
 solemn part of Christian duty — attendance at the holy 
 table of the Lord. 
 
168 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 THE HOLY SACRAMENT. 
 
 « 
 
 Great peace have they who love God's law/' — 
 Surely^ henceforth all the day long shall be my 
 study in it 
 
 Such methinks is the heartfelt resolve of one, who, 
 withdrawn by a season of sickness from a worldly 
 course, and having in holy communing " tasted how 
 gracious the Lord is V resolves to lead a new life; to 
 have a lively faith in God's mercy through Christ, 
 and be in perfect charity with all men. — Such, haply, 
 are now your reflections, O my reader ! Such your 
 resolves ! But let no follower of Christ trust to his own 
 resolution to keep stedfast; lest, like the zealous Peter, 
 he lean upon a reed which will break under him ; and 
 great and grievous be his fall. T hope you will seek 
 the appointed means of sanctifying your holy reflec- 
 tions, and strengthening your pious resolutions, by 
 being a partaker of the holy communion of the body 
 and blood of Christ ; thereby strengthening and 
 refreshing the soul, even as the body is strengthened 
 and refreshed by the bread and wine." And as you 
 partake of that appointed outward and visible sign of 
 an inward and spiritual grace, may the God of all 
 comfort be with you, and bless you in your deed ! 
 May He prosper the work of your hand upon you ! 
 Spiritually eating that bread which came down from 
 heaven, and spiritually drinking of that blood which 
 was shed upon the cross by Him who has ascended up 
 to heaven, maj^- you be so strengthened with might 
 in the inner man, that every holy thought sanctified, 
 every pious aspiration sustained, every good resolu- 
 tion confirmed, living to God spiritually here in 
 
 ' Ps. cxix. 97. ^ Ps. xxxiv. 8. 
 
The Holy Sacrament. 
 
 169 
 
 peace, you may live with Him hereafter eternally in 
 glory. 
 
 It may, however, happen that you have either long 
 neglected this duty, and feel shame in renewing it ; 
 or even have never known the comfort of being a par- 
 taker at the table of the Lord. A few observations 
 may therefore not be altogether useless, as to the 
 nature of the duty — its institution, its importance, 
 its privileges. 
 
 Indeed, to feel that the duty is at once holy and im- 
 perative, we have only to bear in mind the institution 
 of the Holy Sacrament. The scene opened to us upon 
 that occasion is one, on which time, and place, and 
 circumstances combine to stamp a more than wonted 
 interest — a scene which, however the glare and con- 
 fusion of earthly things may sometimes put it aside, 
 and remove it from our thoughts, can never be con- 
 templated without mingled feelings of admiration and 
 awe, of love and thankfulness. 
 
 The Son of God, being about to finish the work 
 appointed to Him of his Father^, by dying for the sins 
 of mankind, earnestly desired that the sacrifice of 
 his life should never be forgotten of those, for whose 
 sake He voluntarily oftered it; yet, knowing all things, 
 even all the intricacies of the human mind, and all 
 the weaknesses of the human heart. He foresaw that 
 unless some motive of more than ordinary force were 
 supplied to men, as the spring of obedience, the 
 memory of his death, and the benefits of it would be 
 alike disregarded and forgotten. The pride of intel- 
 lect would soon obliterate any feeling of its necessity 
 on the one hand, and a spirit of worldliness would 
 soon lose any recollection of an act, the fidl and chief 
 benefit of which was distant. Hence He not only 
 appointed an outward and visible sign of that inward 
 and spiritual grace which the Holy Sacrament offers to 
 his followers, but He superadded a motive for partaking 
 
 » John xix. 30. 
 
 I 
 
170 
 
 The Holy Sacrament. 
 
 it, which of all motives might reasonably be expected 
 to prove most powerful — even gratitude. " This do 
 — in remembrance of me/^ And at what moment was 
 this appeal made to one of the noblest feelings of the 
 soul? even when death was about to divide the family 
 — to separate. Master and servant, disciple and Lord. 
 
 This do — in remembrance of me — of me, about to 
 die for you/^ Now think with what force this appeal 
 ought to come ! Think, and reason thus with your- 
 self — I feel that my soul is immortal^ and that whe- 
 ther I shall be for ever happy, or for ever miserable, 
 depends upon Jesus Christ, the crucified Son of God, 
 He died for me ; that, through his death, I might live 
 eternally. Surely, if a friend, a dying friend, a friend 
 dying to save me from death, were at his last hour to 
 make any request to me, I feel it would be impossible 
 not to comply with it. I could never resist the last 
 wish of so dear, so inestimable a friend — Apply 
 this to the case in point. Christ died for you, a sinner. 
 Suppose therefore there were no other ground of 
 obedience to his command to partake of the Holy 
 Sacrament of his body and blood, than gratitude; 
 that^ methinks, were motive strong enough to move 
 the hardest heart, and bend to obedience the most 
 stubborn. Who so base as to be ungrateful? Add 
 to this motive, the various other considerations which 
 might weigh in pressing upon us obedience to this 
 command of the dying Saviour, and it must be always 
 
 1 Whilst scarcely for a righteous man," as St. Paul argues, " will 
 one dare to die" — ^'Christ died for the ungodly*.'*^ The Apostle's 
 argument derives much additional force from the consideration, that 
 in addressing tlie Romans, he addressed a people whose history was 
 marked by memorable instances of self-devotion among their men of 
 renown — patriots, who had given their lives for their country, and 
 whose memory was justly cherished, and held in honour through 
 successive generations by their countrymen. To them therefore the 
 appeal to the principle of gratitude towards a dying benefactor would 
 come with added power, and meet a readier welcome. 
 
 * Rom. V. C, 7. 
 
The Holy Sacrament. 
 
 171 
 
 a matter of mingled astonishment and pain to the 
 humble Christian, that the ordinance of the Lord^s 
 Supper is so often neglected, if not despised. 
 
 But the Holy Sacrament of the body and blood of 
 Christ is not merely a commemorative rite; it is a 
 seal of the Christian covenant, and an efficacious 
 means of grace and salvation ; appealing, therefore, 
 not to feeling alone, but to principle — not only to the 
 hearts of the simple, but to the understanding of the 
 vi^ise. Reason and faith combine to enforce the ob- 
 servance of it. For who enjoins it ? — even the great 
 Being, whom to obey is life ; to disobey, death ! He 
 commands, who is all-merciful, to will what is for our 
 benefit ; all-wise, to design what shall accomplish his 
 will ; all-powerful, to reward obedience, or punish dis- 
 obedience. Surely, then, even the wise of this world 
 must allow that what He commands us to do, it must 
 be equally our interest and our duty to do ; for when 
 the servant is negligent of the known will of his 
 master, reason itself awards punishment. Or shall the 
 servants of Christ be measured by another standard 
 of right and wrong? Shall they either be safe in 
 their disobedience, or unrequited in their faithfulness? 
 Rather let us be assured that attendance at the holy 
 table is a duty, which no one who professes to be a 
 Christian can consistently or safely neglect \ Whoso 
 would be hailed with the welcome — " Enter thou into 
 the joy of thy Lord,^^ — must first prove himself the 
 "good and faithful servant,^^ for whom that welcome 
 is reserved. 
 
 The ground on which many pretend to justify 
 their disregard of this duty, varies with every shade 
 of character, and every difference of age, and station, 
 and circumstance. Before, however, we proceed to 
 
 * The observations in chap, xxiii., upon the causes which may 
 lawfully prevent our attendance upon public worship on the Sabbath, 
 are equally applicable to the occasions which may prevent our attend- 
 ance at the Lord's Table. To that chapter, therefore, I would refer 
 the reader. 
 
 I 3 
 
172 
 
 The Holy Sacrament. 
 
 consider at large the excuses of the negligent, it may 
 be well, in order to strengthen your own happy resolve 
 henceforth to be a humble communicant, to state the 
 necessity^ which lies upon every hopeful believer, to 
 fulfil the duty in question, viewing it as an appointed 
 means of grace, which, in its institution and nature, is 
 in striking harmony with the general character of all 
 the Divine dispensations. The thoughts of God are 
 not as our thoughts; neither his ways as our ways; 
 but He works his own mighty will, and effects his 
 own gracious purpose often by means which, accord- 
 ing to unassisted reason, would rather bear the 
 stamp of weakness than of power : almost of mockery, 
 rather than of mercy. 
 
 You are doubtless conversant with the history of 
 God^s dealings towards his ancient Church, the people 
 of Israel ; and you remember that among the many 
 wonderful circumstances connected with that history, 
 is the institution of their Passover \ The members of 
 Christ are now the Church of God — they are now his 
 Israel ; and what the Passover was to his Church of 
 old, the Supper of the Lord is to his Church now. 
 With the Apostle we rejoice, that Christ our Passover 
 is sacrificed for us ^J'^ 
 
 Now suppose the Israelites, when God appointed 
 the Passover as a token of salvation to as many of them 
 as should observe the ordinance, to have questioned 
 the necessity or the propriety of the institution, and 
 disregarded it. Suppose them to have put in the plea 
 — that they "could see no reasonableness in believing 
 that means so simple could possibly accomplish an end 
 so vast as preservation of life. How could so simple 
 an act guard them and their houses from the sword 
 of the destroying angel ? Besides, if God chose to 
 deliver his elect people, his power was confessedly 
 
 * Exod. xii. 27. " It is the sacrifice of the Lord's passover, who 
 passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he 
 smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses." 
 
 2 1 Cor. V. 7. 
 
The Holy Sacrament. 
 
 173 
 
 infinite; sufficient therefore to deliver them without 
 man's agency. Why should man share the work of 
 salvation — Had God's people of old thus reasoned, 
 as his Israel they might have boasted themselves his 
 chosen, his elect : but saved they would not have been. 
 The destroying angel recognized only the token of 
 obedience : That was to make their calling and elec- 
 tion sure. Where the blood was sprinkled, there he 
 passed over ; where the token was wanting, there he 
 smote with death \ And shall the sceptic of the 
 present day urge a similar plea for his disregard of 
 
 Christ our Passover;'' and urge it successfully? 
 Shall he, in the pride of his intellect, scoff the simpli- 
 city of the means, and therefore cast them from him ? 
 or shall he taunt the believer, and in the infatuation of 
 a wicked heart, pretend that man should have a fuller 
 trust in the free grace of God, than to use means ? 
 How blind such wise ones ! Surely Israel in Egypt 
 were saved equally by grace, though obedience on 
 their part was required to adopt the means by grace 
 enjoined. So surely also, my Christian reader, are we 
 now saved equally by the free grace of God, even 
 though with all our heart, and with all our mind, we 
 obey his commandments, and do his bidding, and keep 
 his laws ; remembering his own emphatic warning — 
 
 Not every one that saith unto me. Lord, Lord, shall 
 enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth 
 the will of my Father which is in heaven." 
 
 The same reasoning applies in the case of Naaman 
 — a case the more strongly illustrative of our argument, 
 as we find the Divine mercy conveyed by appointed 
 means, and by the word of a prophet, to a heathen 
 
 ^ Exod. xii. 23. The passage is not less remarkable than instruc- 
 tive and monitory. " For the Lord will pass through to smite the 
 Egyptians : and when he $eeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the 
 two side-posts, the Lord will pas&-over the door, and will not suffer the 
 destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you." 
 
 Happy believer ! on whose heart and conduct is seen sprinkled the 
 blood ot the Crucified, its evidence being a holy and religious life ! 
 
 I 3 
 
174 
 
 The Holy Sacrameni. 
 
 sufferer. The history is of course famih'ar to you, 
 Naaman had led with great success the armies of the 
 king of Syria. He is portrayed as " a great man with 
 his master, and honourable ; because by him the Lord 
 had given deliverance unto Syria : he was also a 
 mighty man in valour — but he was a leper For 
 this sad disease the skill of man could find no remedy. 
 It happened, however, that in one of their incursions 
 into the territory of the Israelites, the Syrians under 
 this captain had taken captive "a little maid of Israel^ 
 
 ^ If we look carefully into human life, how invariably shall we find 
 ,that in its happiest state, as far as tiiis world's advantages can afford 
 Thappiuess, there is always some drawback to man's felicity ; some 
 . alloy to his comfort. Naaman's history presents an affecting illustra- 
 tion of this truth. He was a warrior, deservedly held in honour by his 
 king and by his country ; even "a great man with his master." He 
 was more ; for it is clearly implied that he deserved this greatness — 
 he was a great man with his mrister, and Ao?iowra6Ze." The term 
 indicating that the moral worth of his character gave a lustre even to 
 the splendour of his high station : whilst in private life, the affection 
 that his servants and dependants bore him, give testimony to his kind 
 and amiable bearing ; for even the captive maid of Israel so felt for 
 his affliction that she scrupled not boldly to suggest the means of its 
 alleviation. High then in public honour and rich in private esteem, 
 Naaman was, to a superficial observer, an object of envy. What lacked 
 he ? " 0 that I had his wealth ! " exclaims the poor man. 0 that 
 I had a share of his honours !" whispers the ambitious. " Give me a 
 part of his power," says the disappointed. Let these envious ones 
 look closer to the portraiture. Naaman was a mighty man of valour ; 
 he was high and honourable ; he was loved of his king, his country, 
 and his family; he was thus eminently and deservedly a man of re- 
 jiown — hut he was a leper! 
 
 Do you envy him now ? would you, who are poor, exchange your 
 poverty, with health, and strength, to be rich — but a leper ? would 
 you, whose ambitious spirit is kept down by adversity and disappoint- 
 ment, but who are blessed with health of body and of mind, and com- 
 petency perhaps: say, would you be a successful aspirant after fame 
 — but a leper \ Envy not thy neighbour. In human life, lights and 
 shadows, joys and sorrows, however they may be modified, ever go 
 together. Man is born to trouble. He may indeed have many alle- 
 viations to it, in the blessings which by Divine mercy are mingled with 
 liis trials ; for these he cannot be too grateful. But, some drawback to 
 felicity the happiest of the sons of men must have : and to that, in 
 whatever form it come, let us be resigned. It is the Christian's cross. 
 Let us take it up readily ; and so follow Christ. 
 
 The whole of the chapter, 2 Kings v., is full of instruction ; and of 
 deep and affecting interest. 
 
The Holy Sacrament. 175 
 
 who waited upon Naaman's wife/^ She, with every 
 thought carried back to her own land, mindful more 
 especially of the miraculous power vested in the pro- 
 phets of her nation, and prompt to speak aught which 
 might in some degree turn the conqueror's view favour- 
 ably towards the vanquished, declared her firm convic- 
 tion that Elisha, the prophet of the Lord, could heal 
 the leper. Would God my lord were with the pro- 
 phet that is in Samaria! for he would heal him of his 
 leprosy/' Naaman, with a natural eagerness to adopt 
 any measure which promised relief, applied to the pro- 
 phet, pursued the course enjoined him, " and his flesh 
 came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he 
 was clean/' Now is it not clear, that if he had dis- 
 regarded the remedy, he had failed of the benefit ? 
 Yet what was that remedy ? what were those means by 
 which the prophet proposed to heal this leprosy ? 
 
 Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh 
 shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean." To 
 mere human apprehension, there could be no virtue 
 in such a remedy as this. Reason could allow no force 
 to the mode prescribed. Indeed, the whole proceeding 
 of the prophet appeared so unreasonable and strange, 
 that Naaman turned and went away in a rage." He 
 argued justly, as far as human power was to efi^ect his 
 recovery, that if any stream of water could render him 
 clean, the far-famed Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Da- 
 mascus, had better been appointed for that purpose. 
 But God often by the simple confounds the wise. The 
 zealous servants of Naaman— their zeal quickened by 
 their affectionate compassion — took up a different 
 ground of argument : " My father, if the prophet had 
 bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have 
 done it? how much rather then when he saith unto 
 thee. Wash and be clean?" The master could no 
 longer either disregard the ready zeal of his servants, 
 or check his own secret desire to try any remedy 
 proposed, however its simplicity might wound his 
 pride. " Then went he down and dipped himself 
 I 4 
 
176 
 
 The Holy Sacrament. 
 
 seven times in Jordan, accoiding to the saying of the 
 man of God ; and his flesh came again hke unto the 
 flesh of a Httle child ; and he was clean/^ 
 
 Shall Naaman be prevailed upon to have faith in the 
 prophet Elisha, and will you not have faith in the Lord 
 of that prophet ? Shall Jesus Christ bid you wash 
 in the fountain of his blood, and will you turn away ? 
 Nay ! let the servant of Christ now remind you, as 
 the servants of Naaman their master — " If the pro- 
 phet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou 
 not have done it ? how much rather then, when he 
 saith to thee. Wash and be clean The fact is, that 
 when men feel sin to be a " sickness unto death,^^ then 
 they, like Naaman, are prevailed upon to try the 
 remedy: then^ however the pride of human reason 
 may scorn the simplicity of the remedy, faith the more 
 gratefully rejoices in it; then^ theirs is the emphatic 
 language of Peter — " Lord, not my hands only, but 
 my feet and my head^^ — Wash away all my sins ; heal 
 all my infirmities; cleanse and purify all my thoughts; 
 try and examine them ; see if there be any way of 
 wickedness in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIIL 
 
 THE HOLY SACRAMENT. 
 
 But other causes operate against a fulfilment of this 
 duty ; and those who are unwilling to fulfil it are 
 very ingenious in assigning reasons for their incon- 
 sistency. I say inconsistency ; because it is incon- 
 sistent to profess ourselves servants of Jesus Christ, 
 unless we obey his commandments. Many, however, 
 who neither hold the ordinance of light moment, nor 
 disallow its importance, nor cavil at its authority; 
 many who read their Bible, and assemble themselves 
 
The Holy Sacrament, 
 
 177 
 
 together in the congregation^ and feel each returning 
 Sabbath a dehght to them, and flee to prayer in 
 trouble and in joy, and rejoice in their title as Chris- 
 tians — yet are not communicants. Such have, of 
 course, some plea, which they fancy may palliate, if 
 not excuse^ their omission of an acknowledged duty. 
 Of these excuses perhaps the one most generally 
 assigned, is the overpowering influence of worldly 
 business. They find no time for that serious prepa- 
 ration of mind which is necessary in an humble com- 
 municant. True ! we cannot too closely examine 
 ourselves, or too strictly judge ourselves : we cannot 
 too carefully mend our ways before we presume to 
 eat of that bread, and drink of that cup,^' whereby 
 " we do show the Lord's death till he come In 
 this we are all agreed. But to turn away from the 
 holy feast, though it saves us from the sin of partak- 
 ing irreverently, does not save us from the sin of 
 neglecting altogether to partake of it. The one sin 
 does not blot out the other. Consider, moreover, if 
 you, who have an immortal soul to save, and an eter- 
 nal state before you, pursue the business of this world 
 in so absorbing a spirit, as to render the business of 
 the next world distasteful to you : if, in the endeavour 
 to increase your earthly substance, you neglect your 
 heavenly treasure, you are overreaching yourself ; you 
 are calculating very ill your profit and your loss ^ ; 
 you give too much to one part of your duty — for no 
 one will deny that a diligent discharge of worldly 
 business is part of Christian duty — and too little to 
 the other. You give your chief care to the concerns 
 of a mortal body, and neglect the concerns of an im- 
 mortal soul. Because, suppose for a moment that 
 the Sacrament itself could be safely disregarded, it 
 can never be a safe state to be so engrossed with the 
 
 1 1 Cor. xi. 26. 
 
 2 Matt. xvi. 26. " For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the 
 whole world, and lose his own soul ? or what shall a man give in 
 exchange for his soul See p. 105. 
 
 I 5 
 
178 
 
 The Holy Sacrament. 
 
 concerns of time, and conformed to this world, as to 
 neglect the concerns of the next. It cannot be safe 
 for an immortal being not to prepare for immortality. 
 
 That men may receive this gift unworthily is, alas ! 
 too surely true. Such are they who approach the holy 
 table of the Lord, not " truly and earnestly repenting 
 them of their sins not " in love and charity with 
 their neighbours not " intending to lead a new life, 
 following the commandments of God, and walking 
 from henceforth in his holy ways;^^ — but the Church 
 does not invite them, they come unbidden. To 
 them, her's is the voice of warning. To them she 
 declares that the Holy Sacrament, which is so divine 
 and comfortable a thing to those who receive it wor- 
 thily,^^ is as dangerous to them that will presume to 
 receive it " unworthily .^^ They are warned to consider 
 "the dignity of that holy mystery, and the great peril 
 of the unworthy receiving thereof; and so to search 
 and examine their own consciences, (and that not 
 lightly, and after the manner of dissemblers with God; 
 but so) that they may come holy and clean to such a 
 heavenly feast, in the marriage garment required by 
 God in Holy Scripture, and be received as worthy 
 partakers of that Holy Table.^^ At their own peril 
 such become communicants ; and if they then cherish 
 in their hearts dishonour to God by fostering there 
 any known sin — if they harbour in their hearts any 
 hatred, malice, or uncharitableness towards their 
 neighbours as they bring "their gifts to the altar — 
 the Church raises her voice against them, in the warn- 
 ing language of our Lord — " If thou bring thy gift to 
 the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother 
 hath aught against thee, leave there thy gift before the 
 altar and go thy way : first be reconciled to thy bro- 
 ther, and then come and offer thy gift The sin, 
 therefore, of the unworthy communicant is his own, 
 and he must answer for it to his God. But the abuse 
 
 1 Matt. V. 23, 24. 
 
The Holy Sacrament. 
 
 179 
 
 of a gift in an unworthy partaker neither lessens its 
 real value to those who partake worthily, nor weakens 
 its obligations upon us all. The sin of the unworthy 
 lessens not the sin of the negligent. 
 
 As he then pursues the wisest course, who in every 
 state of life doeth all things as unto the Lord — fulfil- 
 ling all his worldly duties in that guarded spirit of 
 watchfulness, and unworldliness, which shall keep him. 
 ready for his religious duties ; so if any thing can aid 
 him in preserving this frame of mind, it is the spiri- 
 tual strength promised to those who partake worthily 
 of the body and blood of Christ. Indeed, by partaking 
 worthily ^ of the Holy Sacrament of Christ^s body and 
 
 1 In adopting the terms — worthily and unworthily — with reference 
 to communicants, I would be understood as using them in the sense 
 so admirably defined by our Church, through her Communion ser- 
 vice. We are in ourselves unworthy even to approach the table of 
 the Lord — not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under 
 his table." Yet we may humbly trust to receive, worthily., the very 
 blessing of which we are undeserving. Thus a criminal condenmed to 
 die, is pardoned by an act of grace in the sovereign. He is not worthy 
 the gracious favour bestowed upon him : but by a sincere contrition, 
 by a deep conviction of his crime, and a hearty repentance even to 
 amendment of life, he receives the act of grace worthily— in a fit and 
 becoming manner: so the communicant may receive his spiritual 
 pardon in a fitting frame of mind, though he can never deserve it. 
 In the inimitable language of our Liturgy, he may " be a meet " though 
 undeserving partaker of those most holy mysteries," " if with a true 
 penitent heart, and lively faith, he receives that Holy Sacrament." Or 
 he may " receive the same unworthily " — if impressed neither with 
 his own sin, which deserves only punishment, nor with a sense of 
 Divine mercy, which of grace would have saved him, he recurs to his 
 former evil course, and renders of none effect the gracious gift of 
 pardon vouchsafed to him. 
 
 Thus, the more you examine and judge your own self, tlie more 
 deeply you feel your own unworthiness in the sight of God ; your own 
 demerit undeserving his favour. At the same time, by humility, by 
 thankfulness, by a strengthened faith, and a holy obedience, you strive 
 to receive his grace worthily. You heed the guarded invitation of our 
 Church, when she invites to the table, not the spiritually proud, not the 
 self- righteous, not the vain in their own worth, but those who " truly and 
 earnestly repent them of their former sins:" those who "are in love 
 and charity with their neighbours :" those who ''intend to lead a new- 
 life ; following the commandments of God, and walking from hence- 
 forth in his holy ways," heeding this invitation, you " draw near 
 with faith, and take the Holy Sacrament to your comfort." Though 
 
 I 6 
 
180 
 
 The Holy Sacrament, 
 
 blood, you will not be debarred from being diligent 
 and active in that state of life to which it may have 
 pleased God to call you. Far, very far from it. You 
 will rather be sanctified in your dihgence, and blessed 
 in your activity ; for you will learn to practise the 
 apostolical injunction, to " do all to the glory of God.^^ 
 Your heart will be comforted under its trials ; your 
 good principles will be confirmed by a more lively 
 sense of your spiritual and eternal interests; your 
 souPs welfare will be more vividly before you ; and 
 you will be reminded more forcibly of the awaken- 
 ing truth, that the " one thing needful is — so to pass 
 through things temporal, that you lose not finally the 
 things eternal. True ! you must be more watchful 
 of your conduct; you must take special heed not wil- 
 fully to break his laws, to whom, you have so solemnly 
 pledged your obedience. But that consideration must 
 
 tiRwortliy of the gift, you receive it worthily. Sufficiently clear, how- 
 ever, in her distinction in the use of terms as our Church is for the 
 liumble-minded Christian — clear as it is possible to be from the 
 nature of language, where always some part of the sense of a term 
 is reflected from the context — notwithstanding this sufficient clear- 
 ness, cavillers will be found even among professing Christians, to carp 
 at the expression — & worthy communicant." Let me hope that the 
 suggestions above made will point out the absurdity, as well as spiri- 
 tual self-sufficiency of those cavillers. Let me remind such, that they 
 place themselves in one or other of these positions. They either 
 Siiisapply language through ignorance, or some secret hatred of the 
 simplicity of our beautiful Liturgy lurks in their heart, and they cavil 
 at the terms used, only as those terms extinguish their own high-flown 
 pretensions to be " as other men." These "righteous over-nmch" 
 are in a dilemma — they are either ignorant, or they are uncharitable. 
 I^et them choose their alternative. In either case their position is 
 painful and perilous. What do they but discourage the penitent 
 from fulfilling a duty, wilfully to neglect which, he knows to be an 
 offence against the command of his Saviour, yet to share which, his 
 humble view of his own demerits makes him feel all unworthy? The 
 cavil ends not in a mere confusion of terms, but by making sad that 
 Ijroken and contrite heart, which the Lord hath not made sad *, risks 
 the presumptuous sin of sinking repentance to despair. 
 
 The distinction, therefore, to which the reader's attention has been 
 drawn, cannot be too heedfully remembered. See note, p. 36. 
 
 * Isn. Ivii. 15. 
 
The Holy Sacrament. 
 
 181 
 
 not deter you. The watchfulness^ and the same 
 obedience, are equally required of you, whether you 
 are a communicant or not. So that if you are not safe 
 in coming to the Holy Sacrament, neither are you safe 
 in staying away. It is a poor plea to neglect a sacred 
 and acknowledged duty, because it would have the 
 effect of promoting a strictly religious life. In short, 
 if the world now so occupies you, as to prevent your 
 fulfilling your religious duties, you must give only so 
 much to it, as shall leave you free for the work of 
 your salvation, and obedience to your God. Remem- 
 ber, that want of leisure can never excuse want of 
 religion. 
 
 To these causes, which the busy part of the Chris- 
 tian world assign as reasons for not attending at the 
 holy table of the Lord, are superadded by the poor^ 
 the various distractions and perplexities, and some- 
 times bickerings to which those perplexities give rise, 
 which render domestic repose difficult of attainment; 
 and which, as it is urged, unfit the mind for the solemn 
 service of the Sacrament. Now suppose that such 
 difficulties and perplexities be those only incident to 
 a poor station, we are not for a moment to suppose 
 that they can be obstacles to the fulfilment of a posi- 
 tive duty. Poverty — honest poverty — as it was sanc- 
 tified by the lowly birth of the Redeemer, so it is, and 
 for ever will be blessed of Him who is the Lord equally 
 of poor and rich ; ^"the maker of them all To 
 the poor in station, as in spirit, " the Gospel is 
 preached/^ Are you poor? do you find it difficult to 
 divest yourselves of the weight of worldly care as you 
 provide from your scanty means for the children whom 
 you dearly love ? and do these cares often make you 
 irritable? do they induce harsh thoughts and bitter 
 words ? and do you feel yourselves thereby unfitted 
 to approach the more immediate presence of your 
 
 ^ Prov. xxii. 2. '^Tlie rich and the poor meet together: the Lord 
 is the maker of them alL" 
 
183 
 
 The Holy Sacrament. 
 
 God? In the first place, your very humility proves 
 that you know such feelings to be in themselves wrong, 
 and to be repented of, whether or no you approach 
 the Lord^s table ; or you would not be afraid to carry 
 them to God. Surely, the sooner you get rid of them 
 the better. And how are you to be freed from them ? 
 You and I know, that we are not sufficient of our- 
 selves for these things ; our sufficiency is of God \ 
 His grace we must trust to for aid to bring our reso- 
 lutions to good effect. Behold ! his grace is ready for 
 us; but we do not take the means of grace — even the 
 strengthening and refreshing of our souls by the body 
 and blood of Christ. Why, think ye, has He left his 
 memorable invitation : — " Come unto me, all ye that 
 are weary and heavy laden, and I will refresh you?^^ — 
 Do you suppose that these words can apply to those 
 who are at ease ; who know nothing but peace and 
 tranquillity ? I should rather at once apply them 
 to you. We all indeed are heavy laden with the 
 burden of our sins, and ought to feel weary of them. 
 That spiritual burden you share with others. You^ 
 however, have your own added burden of poverty, 
 and distracting cares, and perplexities, tempting to 
 murmurs before God, and unchristian tempers before 
 men. You then are the very persons whom the 
 Saviour invites — " Come to me, and be at rest.^^ And 
 oh ! the holy calm, when the soul, casting off worldly 
 cares and troubles, reposes in the assured presence, 
 and gracious love of its dying Redeemer, feeding oii 
 Him by faith in his merits, and with thanksgiving for 
 his mercy ! I wish you would try the duty. How 
 boldly then could you commit to the care of that God 
 and Saviour, in time, and in eternity, the welfare of 
 yourself and your family ! You indeed would, after 
 all, confess yourself an unprofitable servant: but you 
 would have done w^hat was your duty to do ; and there- 
 
 5^ 1 2 Cor. iii. 5. "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think 
 any thing as of ourselves ; but our sufficiency is of God." 
 
The Holy Sacrament. 
 
 183 
 
 fore might safely trust the rest to his mercy and love 
 — infinite as they are gracious. 
 
 Having thus reflected upon the duty in question ; 
 convinced moreover that your blessed Saviour Himself 
 commands its performance, and that a fulfilment of it 
 tends to purify your every thought, spiritualize all 
 your affections, and draw your whole heart from a love 
 of the world to a devotedness to God, you cannot 
 but allow the necessity of obedience, and gratefully 
 acknowledge the blessed hopes by which that obedi- 
 ence is encouraged. You are aware too, that the 
 Redeemer would never have instituted such an ordi- 
 nance, hallowed it by his own presence, and imposed 
 it by motives addressed to every better feeling of the 
 soul — and then left to our own option, to our own 
 wayward and capricious will, whether we would obey 
 or disobey. 
 
 Yet perhaps you still neglect this acknowledged 
 duty. If so, there must be some secret sin which 
 besets you — some sin which you dare not take with 
 you to the table of the Lord, but which you, fatally 
 for your peace, will not cast from you. This is 
 truly a very dreadful frame of mind ; and I can con- 
 ceive no more painful state of feeling. What a tem- 
 pest of the soul ! — a sense of right and a conscious- 
 ness of wrong conflicting for the mastery. You may 
 well fear so to approach the Lord^s table. But do 
 not make a merit of your fear. True ! you must not 
 bear the sin with you, as a communicant. To rush 
 with unhallowed step to the altar, and there pretend 
 honour to Him whom sin dishonours, is to mock the 
 Saviour; is again to plat a crown of thorns for his 
 brow ; again to put a reed into his hand in derision of 
 his sovereignty; again to crucify Him \ Remember 
 that the cherished sin which renders you unfit to be a 
 w^orthy communicant — one who receives God's mercy 
 and grace in a worthy manner^ — is not less sin, because 
 
 1 Heb. vi. G. 
 
 See note in p. 179. 
 
184 
 
 The Holy Sacrament. 
 
 it prevents you from the added guilt of hypocrisy in 
 taking the Holy Sacrament. It is equally sin, when 
 you take it with you into the congregation for public 
 prayer; equally sin, when you pray with your family; 
 equally sin, when you do not pray. Surely, " the 
 wages of sin — is Death/' even though the sin be con- 
 cealed in the deepest recesses of your heart. That 
 you feel the misery of this state, it is impossible to 
 doubt. You are no stranger to religion, but a pro- 
 fessing Christian ! one who, by your conviction of the 
 awfulness of sin, separating you from your God, evi- 
 dence that you have tasted of the heavenly gift/' 
 even the gift of grace, which has given that convic- 
 tion. At the same time you love your sin. Be awake 
 to your own inconsistency. Is not God equally pre- 
 sent every where ? knowing all things, even to the 
 very secret thought? Now if absence from the holy 
 ordinance could remove the guilt of sin from your 
 soul, could prevent or mitigate its punishment, or 
 screen it from the eye of Him who is all-present to 
 see it, and almighty to punish it — Then, reason there 
 w^ere for imagining that, by withdrawing yourselves 
 from the table of the Lord, you might escape at once 
 his notice, and his anger; and discretion might be 
 pleaded for the measure. But even that wretched 
 plea must fail. Nay, reason itself is shamed at such 
 a plea. Where and how is your sin to be forgiven ? 
 and I take for granted that you intend, like the trem- 
 bling Felix, at some time or other — at some 
 mew^ season^'' — to repent and turn to God^'' Who 
 can pardon for the past? Who give grace for the 
 future ? Who — but the Being, whose mercy you will 
 not seek, because you will keep and cherish some sin, 
 which your conscience tells you must separate you 
 from Him. I am the more anxious for you, because 
 it is clear that your own mind must experience a sad 
 conflict of feeling. You will, perhaps, even say, as 
 
 1 iVcts xxiv. 25. 
 
 2 Ibid. xxvi. 20. 
 
The Holy Sacrament. 
 
 185 
 
 many do, ^^We mean no contempt towards our 
 Saviour/^ "We do not intend to set up ourselves 
 against God/^ — Now words are easily spoken ; but 
 can words weigh against actions ? " Not every one 
 that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the 
 kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my 
 Father which is in heaven/^ And is it not the will 
 of your Father who is in heaven, that you obey the 
 commands of his Son who came down from heaven ? 
 And did not the Son, who came down from heaven 
 to earth, then leave recorded his positive command, 
 — "Do this in remembrance of me?^^ You cannot 
 overthrow this reasoning. You feel its force, because 
 you feel its truth. Choose, therefore, this day, whom 
 you will serve — will you continue a wretched slave 
 to your sin, or will you be a happy servant of your 
 God ? On the one hand, woe awaits you ! in this 
 w^orld, the upbraidings of conscience, the reproofs of 
 the word of God, the sharp strivings of his Spirit; 
 and in the next world, that unutterable woe, which is 
 reserved for the impenitent. On the other hand, 
 grace awaits you in your penitence ; grace — full, free, 
 effective ; enabling you to do the will of God, and 
 to resist your own. I trust you will resolve wisely. 
 Cast from you the sin which has hitherto stood be- 
 tween you and your God. You need not doubt a 
 welcome on your return. The voice of mercy and 
 of love is ever calling you, " Come to me, and be at 
 rest.'' 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 THE HOLY SACRAMENT. 
 
 And have you by earnest prayer gained grace to 
 bring your good resolutions to good effect? Have 
 you returned to your Redeemer a penitent ? Have 
 
186 
 
 The Holy Sacrament. 
 
 you sealed your repentance at his table ? Blessed be 
 your deed! Who shall doubt a blessing upon it? 
 Did ever the wanderer return to his God, and not 
 find a welcome ? 
 
 What a changed being you are ! The sin removed, 
 its misery is removed. The blood of Christ cleans- 
 eth from all sin '^Old things are indeed passed 
 away ; behold, all things are become new All is 
 peace. In the storm of conflicting passions which 
 lately agitated you, you prayed to Him, who, amid 
 all your disobedience, was never far from you. You 
 prayed, ^^Lord, save me, or I perish Your prayer 
 was heard. " He arose, and rebuked the winds and 
 the waves.^^ What a calm your soul enjoys ! Anger 
 no more masters you. Hatred and malice find no room 
 in a heart which is occupied by Christian love. Envy 
 pines, for you cherish her no more : she is become her 
 own tormentor, instead of yours. Putting away all 
 manner of sin, and mourning all your infirmities, you 
 no longer complain how "strict your life must be.^^ 
 You no longer find religion a hard service. You ex- 
 perience now, what before you disbelieved, that her 
 ^^ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths 
 are peace.^' You were once careless alike of the 
 duties you owed to God, and to man. You are now 
 careful of both ; you have learned that no appointed 
 duty is a trifle — because for the due discharge of 
 every such duty, you must reckon at the tribunal of 
 your God. You find it, for instance, impossible to be 
 too watchful of your conduct towards others, when 
 you read the startling truth — that, with regard to so- 
 cial intercourse, " for every idle word which men shall 
 speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of 
 judgment Your neighbour's good name, his peace 
 
 1 1 John i. 7. 2 2 Cor. v. 17. ^ Matt. viii. 25. 
 
 * Mutt. xii. 36. " But I say unto you, that every idle word that 
 men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judg- 
 ment," Few declarations are more calculated to startle the heedless 
 than this. It conveys a useful warning to us all. But it especially 
 
The Holy Sacrament. 
 
 187 
 
 and comfort^ are^ therefore^ sacred subjects with you 
 now. Your love for him is interwoven with your love 
 for God. Indeed, in every part of life, since you have 
 fed on Christ in your heart by faith, with thanks- 
 giving you will be a new creature, even as one 
 born again ; so completely will nature have been 
 changed by grace. For instance, the Sabbath, which^ 
 in your former days of health and strength, too often 
 was no Sabbath to you — a day often either of con- 
 tinued business, or worldly pleasure, or unhallowed 
 rest — will see you henceforth regular in your attend- 
 ance upon public worship, to the honour of your God, 
 
 warns the slanderer, who throws about him words of ill-will to his 
 neighbour's harm, and satisfies his conscience with, Tush, God shall 
 not see it ! " Yet God doth see ; and God will punish the evil which 
 He sees. Nay, He hath classed together the slanderer and blasphemer 
 — the offender against his neighbour, and the offender against his God. 
 The general source of slander is envy. Suppose any one to Iiave a 
 higher fame, or a more prosperous condition, than his neighbours, he 
 becomes to bad men an object of envy. The envious man, with all 
 the meanness of a little mind, hopes himself to rise higher, and appear 
 more conspicuous either as to wealth or station, in proportion as those 
 above him can be lowered : he therefore sets about the work in- 
 sidiously — by defaming and slandering ; well knowing that the world 
 is always ready to hear evil of others, whether true or false ; because 
 self-love is gratified, and pride of heart sustained. Nor does judg- 
 ment await the slanderer only in a future state. The slanderer, when 
 he has effected his object, and murdered the reputation of his neigh- 
 bour, has no sooner come to himself and contemplated his own work, 
 than he stands self- condemned even here. Passion is over ; hatred 
 satiated. Like Cain, he finds no rest, ile bears with him the mark 
 of his crime stamped on his heart ; and, wander where he may, 
 he cannot recal the past : nor knows he how to heal the wound 
 his slanderous tongue hath made — but oh ! how awful, as well as 
 grievous, to feel that he has inflicted that wound ! Watch then against 
 the beginning of sin, as well towards your fellow-creatures as towards 
 your God ; and remember, " that for every idle word which men 
 sha ll speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment." 
 Refer to p. 139, note. 
 
 ^ The beautiful address in our Liturgy to the communicant, on his 
 reception of the consecrated elements — an address marked by a spirit 
 of counsel and affectionate supplication — every way edifying — The 
 body of our L( rd Jesus Christ, which was given for thee, preserve 
 tl)y body and soul unto everlasting life. Take and eat this, in re- 
 membrance that Christ died for thee, and feed on him in thy heart 
 by faith with thanksgiving." 
 
188 
 
 The Holy Sacra?nent» 
 
 and the welfare of your soul. The Bible will be your 
 delight. You will no longer fear to open its pages. 
 They will not, as they used to do in your sin, speak 
 very swords to you ; your conscience then sharpening 
 them by its own accusation. Surely now they will 
 speak peace. They will tell of pardon for your sin, 
 of compassion upon your infirmities : they will declare 
 oblivion of negligences and ignorances \ No terror 
 now rushes to your heart, when you think of approach- 
 ing the house of God. Prayer is your refuge and 
 your consolation. Unworthy you are — unworthy we 
 all are of ourselves to draw nioh unto Him ; but you 
 have found One who is worthy, and who will plead 
 his own worthiness in your behalf. And can He 
 plead in vain ? 
 
 I rejoice thus to picture you, my reader, not as one 
 stifling the cravings of your heart for God's favour ; 
 not, as formerly, stilling by a great effort of self-con- 
 trol the voice of conscience, as it reproved you : but 
 opening your whole heart to a present God, in prayer, 
 and penitence, and praise. You pour out your soul 
 before Him, you confess your manifold sins ; you avow 
 your fear; you declare your hopes ; you cast all your 
 burden upon Him ; resolving to amend your ways and 
 your doings ; day by day, hour by hour, you implore 
 grace to bring these resolutions to good effect. Your 
 heart is ready for duty. You have been communing 
 with your God. You feel the influence of his pre- 
 sence. When with Him^ what can this world harm 
 you ? What can it profit you, without Him ? In your 
 religious as in your social duties, you will always have 
 at hand counsel and comfort to walk in a holy way, 
 and you will find by happy experience, that no fancied 
 benefit was prepared for the soul, when the Lord 
 commanded us to observe this his holy ordinance 
 in remembrance of Him. We bring the Saviour even 
 into our hearts, and his Spirit into our lives. The 
 
 ^ Jer. xxxi. 34. 
 
189 
 
 Recovery. ^ 
 
 servant is enabled to do his Master's will — the dis- 
 ciple is enabled to keep the commandments of his 
 Lord. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 RECOVERY. 
 
 When St. Paul found that the effect of his first epis- 
 tolary charge to the Corinthian Church was to incite 
 in the members of it a new and evident activity in 
 spiritual life; that, " awake at last unto righteousness/^ 
 they had betaken themselves to hearty self-examina- 
 tion, with a steady resolution to amend their ways and 
 doings, he proceeded in a second address to commend 
 their improvement, describing in his own full and 
 peculiar style of eloquence — full to overflowing — the 
 signs by which he was certified of their sincerity. 
 Language seems inadequate to express his sentiments 
 — For behold this self-same thing, that ye sorrowed 
 after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, 
 yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, w^hat indigna- 
 tion, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, 
 what zeal, yea, what revenge ^ 
 
 Methinks such are the full feelings of your own 
 heart now ! So it is at length with you, O my reader ! 
 You^ too, have repented, with godly sorrow, your past 
 sins, negligences, and ignorances ; you, too, awake at 
 last to the wisdom, as well as duty, of heeding " the 
 one thing needful,^^ bestir yourself in earnest to the 
 
 ^ 2 Cor. vii. 11. It is true that St. Paul's primary object in this 
 passage was of a particular nature — to encourage his converts in their 
 faitliful adherence to him as their minister, and their withdrawal from 
 the influence of those who endeavoured to separate them from his 
 guidance, and bring confusion on the Cliurch. But the principle in- 
 volved in the passage is clearly of general application — au energetic 
 change from eri'or to truth. 
 
190 
 
 Recovery. 
 
 great work of your salvation. Your communings with 
 God and your soul — what a salutary change have they 
 now wrought in you ! what carefulness to keep the 
 strait and narrow road of holiness which leadeth unto 
 life ! yea^ what clearing of yourselves from all the en- 
 tanglements of sin and the world, which once impeded 
 your onward course of duty, and bound you captive ! 
 and from which now you are free ! yea, what indig- 
 nation, equally against those who tempted you to evil, 
 and yourself who yielded to them ! yea, what fear of 
 again admitting even the first approaches of those 
 sins, which have cost you such bitter repentance ! yea, 
 what vehement desire after holy aitti spiritual things ! 
 yea, what zeal to prove by practical piety the sincerity 
 of your convictions ! yea, what revenge, as it were, 
 against yourself, and your former evil courses — bear- 
 ing willingly now the burden of that cross, which of 
 old you disregarded; and now cheerfully following 
 that Saviour, whose servant you hitherto had been by 
 name alone ! 
 
 Perhaps God has been pleased graciously to restore 
 your bodily powers, and Hezekiah's long day is added 
 to your life. The languor of sickness is gone. You 
 again feel the elasticity of health : your fear of present 
 death hath passed away, and your spirit rejoiceth. 
 Well may you rejoice ! Life itself is a blessing. To 
 recover it when it appeared well-nigh lost, is therefore 
 just cause for thankfulness ; and when again you see 
 the cheering light of the sun, and walk in its beams as^ 
 one having a new existence — unexpectedly restored to 
 family and friends — it were strange if your heart did 
 not expand with a joy all unfelt before. But I trust that 
 your chief joy springs from the thought, that in the 
 season of sickness to your body, you gained health to 
 your soul. No longer " conformed to this world, but 
 transformed by the renewing of your mind,^^ you now 
 live as one who is of the family of God. When you 
 repented, your heavenly Father rejoiced before his 
 
Recovery. 
 
 191 
 
 angels ^ : and who shall doubt but that those heavenly- 
 servants shared in that joy ? How can we suppose 
 that there is not joy in the host of heaven when the 
 penitent holds on his course of faith unweariedly^ and 
 lives unto righteousness ? And if it be part of true 
 wisdom, to gather to ourselves, as it were, every en- 
 couragement towards a holy and religious life, it were 
 unwise not to cherish the reflection, that when we 
 are painfully struggling against our infirmities, and 
 patiently bearing the weight of our cross — the blessed 
 
 1 Luke XV. 10. " Likewise I say unto you, there is joy in the pre- 
 sence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.'* 
 
 Although in this passage, the joy spoken of is in the first instance 
 referrible to Him, who deigns to feel towards us as a father on the 
 return of his prodigal son ; nor is any particular mention made as 
 to the angels who are present about his throne, sharing in that joy 
 and its cause ; still, being present, they must be cognizant of the joy 
 and its cause. The very designation which, by way of eminence, 
 ancient writers give to them — that of intelligences — marks especially 
 their enlarged knowledge ; and we caimot but suppose that their joy 
 and sorrow would be commensurate with that knowledge. Whatever 
 tended to the glory of Him they continually worshipped, even suppose 
 them unaffected by the welfare of man, would itself be a ground of joy 
 with them. Hence they would rejoice in the conversion of a sinner. 
 But that from the beginning of time, they have been, are, and to the 
 end of time will be, interested in the welfare of us, who, though inferior 
 creatures, are yet, like them, the creatures of the same eternal God, is 
 sufficiently evident from the revealed word, to justify us in rejoicing 
 in this sympathy. Why else, when Jehovah laid the foundations of 
 the earth, did " all the sons of God shout for joy *?" Why, when the 
 Prince of peace came to save a sinful race, and open the kingdom of 
 heaven to those whom He should redeem, did they join their glorious 
 voices in songs of joy, that there would be " glory to God on high, 
 on earth peace, good will to manf ?" Why, when such special trials 
 of faith have happened to the servants of God, that special aid has been 
 required and vouchsafed, why have angels been then the appointed 
 ministers to " succour and defend ? " Why, when the afflicted Lazarus 
 Bunk under his accumulated misery, did angels bear him to his rest ? 
 — Surely angels do sympathize with man, and share the joy of the 
 Holy One, enthroned in heaven, when there is added to the commu- 
 nion of saints one pardoned sinner more. 
 
 • Job xxxviii. 7- 
 
 + Luke ii. 14. — Our Church has beautifully encouraged us in these 
 reflections by her " Collect for the Festival of St. Michael and all 
 Angels." 
 
192 
 
 Recovery. 
 
 angels, those created higher inteUigences, with whom 
 we look one day to be associated in the realms of bliss, 
 are witnesses, even in this passing world of sorrow — 
 and anxious witnesses, though unseen — of all our 
 temptations, all our struggles, all our patient endur- 
 ance. They mourn our failure ; they rejoice in our 
 success : " ready to succour and defend us on earth, 
 as they alway do God service in heaven/^ " Are 
 they not all," — asks the Apostle — " are they not all 
 ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them 
 who shall be heirs of salvation * ?" 
 
 To stimulate your further vigilance in a holy course, 
 forget not the monitory reasoning of David, when in 
 sickness he implored the Almighty to grant him 
 lengthened days. He urged his prayer on the express 
 ground, that so he might have time and opportunity 
 to strengthen his spiritual life, ere his natural life 
 closed in death. " O spare me a little, that I may 
 recover my strength, before I go hence, and be no 
 more seen Are you mercifully spared for a little 
 time? Surely the object God has in view in this ex- 
 ercise of his mercy, is the recovery of your strength ; 
 your spiritual strength; before you ^^go hence^^ — 
 
 1 Heb. i. 14. 
 
 2 Ps. xxxix. 15. This Psalm is one of those appointed to be read 
 in the Burial Service : and the verse itself would seem especially 
 calculated then to speak a warning, to which the most insensible 
 heart must give heed. When the survivor, as he mourns the dead, 
 repeats these words, and feels that he, too, ere long, must pass away ; 
 and may, soon, pass away ; when he feels, too, his own spiritual weak- 
 ness, his own unpreparedness perhaps to stand, himself a spirit, before 
 the Father of spirits — with what secret awe does he retire into his 
 inmost thoughts, and in that solemn moment of sorrow haply breathe 
 a heartfelt prayer, that God would indeed spare him, that Ae, too, may 
 himself recover his spiritual strength, ere he also shall " go hence, and 
 be no more seen ! " 
 
 Mourner ! Have such been thy thoughts ? such thy prayer ?— 
 May God, in his mercy, sanctify those thoughts : may He, in his faith- 
 fulness, hear and answer thy prayer in peace ; may He bless thee, even 
 to the end ! Then will thy day of mourning be as a seed-time, in 
 which thou hast sowed precious seed ; and at the great harvest of the 
 world, thou mayest bring thy sheaves rejoicing. Ps. cxxvi. 6. 
 
Recovery. 
 
 193 
 
 where the Gospel continually calls the sinner to re- 
 pentance ; promising pardon to the penitent, and to 
 the pardoned breathing hope — and pass to the eternal 
 world. In that world there is no knowledge, no de- 
 vice, whereby the contrite may turn and be saved : 
 else the woful prayer of Dives had not been rejected \ 
 Remember, that if death be for a short season warded 
 off, the day of its power must come, when you will be 
 no njore seen among the children of men. Watch 
 then in health, even as in sickness, for the welfare of 
 your soul ; and now that you are recovered, and mingle 
 again in a world, where the hurry of business, or the 
 allurements of pleasure, are continually tempting men 
 to evil, watch especially against those occasions of 
 sin, to which you found yourself formerly most ex- 
 posed, and which caused you so bitter a repentance 
 in the sad and silent hours of sickness. Bear with 
 you into active life those clear views of Christian duty, 
 which long and faithful communing with God and 
 your own spirit have, by Divine grace, at present fixed 
 in your heart. God grant that they be fixed firmly ! 
 Relax not indeed a proper diligence in the duties of 
 that state of life, to which Divine Providence may have 
 called you. Be the more diligent. " Whatsoever ihy 
 hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might but do 
 it "not as unto men, but as unto God acting always 
 conscientiously — as one who, at the last great judg- 
 ment-day, must give account to the Searcher of hearts 
 for all you do, or say, or think. Whether you are 
 worshipping the Almighty in the courts of his house 
 of prayer; or are engaged in the daily concerns of 
 common life with your fellow-creatures ; let a consci- 
 entious adherence to the Divine law act equally upon 
 your heart and conduct. Let a prompt acquiescence 
 in the counsels of the Spirit of grace be the secret 
 spring of all your actions. Love to God and love to 
 man must go hand in hand. The envious man, the 
 
 1 Luke xvi. 24—27. 
 
 [264] 
 
194 
 
 Recovery. 
 
 maligner^ the sneerer, the proud of heart, and the 
 self-righteous in spirit, may claim to be servants of 
 God and his Christ ; but they are not of those servants 
 who do their Master's will. If love to God be the 
 first commandment, the second is like unto it — "Thou 
 shalt love thy neighbour as thyself/' Learn thus 
 habitually to act in your recovered health, as you feel 
 that in your last sickness you will wish to have acted. 
 Live^ as you would wish to die — at peace with God, 
 through the Saviour; and at peace with all men for 
 the Saviour's sake. Thus I trust you will return to 
 active life in a new and happy frame of mind ; bless- 
 ing and blessed. Whether you be rich or poor, learned 
 or unlearned, set a glorious example of the power of 
 the Gospel, to guide by its word into the path of 
 heaven ; to strengthen by its spirit to keep that path ; 
 and to give peace by its promises in sickness and 
 in health, in life and in death. Thus will you both 
 bless and be blessed. Your light will so shine before 
 men, that others, seeing your good works, shall at 
 once perceive the power which worketh them to be 
 from above, and so glorify your Father which is in 
 heaven. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 RECOVERY* 
 
 ^^When thou vowest a vow unto God,^' saith the 
 Scripture, " defer not to pay it ; for he hath no plea- 
 sure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed *.'^ 
 How often did you upon your sick bed vow unto God^ 
 that if He would be pleased to restore you, and " try 
 you once again you would not only never willingly 
 
 ^ Eccles. V. 4. 
 
 2 Luke xiii. 8. " And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it 
 alone this year also, till I shall dig about it and dung it." 
 
 And ^vhat other object has a merciful God in view, when He gives 
 
Recovery. 
 
 195 
 
 sin against Him : but would lead the rest of your life 
 according to your new conviction of a Christianas duty. 
 Yours was the anxious reflection of David^ when his 
 heart overflowed with gratitude, as yours now does, for 
 special mercies vouchsafed to him. What reward ^ 
 shall I give unto the Lord for all the benefits that he 
 hath done unto me?^' and you adopted perhaps his 
 pious resolution — " I will receive the cup of salvation, 
 and call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my 
 vows now in the presence of all his people, in the 
 courts of the Lord^s house, even in the midst of thee, 
 O Jerusalem." 
 
 Whosoever may have recovered from the sad hours 
 of sickness, must doubtless share the feeling which 
 gave rise to these sentiments in the heart of David. 
 When the shadow of death is by God^s mercy vv^ith- 
 drawn, and the light of life again gleams upon them, 
 they cannot but long to enter into the courts of the 
 house of the Lord, and in health confess before men, 
 Him^ whom in the lonely hours of sickness they found 
 to be their Saviour and their God. Perhaps, however, 
 you who now read these pages are a mother ! With 
 what added force must the Psalmist^s reflection appeal 
 
 added years of life, but that we may cultivate our hearts ; in order 
 that faith may not be a dead profession, but a living principle — not 
 like the barren fig-tree ; but a faith rich in good works ; plentifully 
 bringing forth fruit unto holiness, to the honour of our God ; the end 
 whereof may be life eternal ? 
 
 1 Ps. cxvi. 11 — 13. 16. Our Church, with her wonted careful 
 discrimination in adapting to particular occasions appropriate ser- 
 vices, has appointed this Psalm as one of those to be read in the 
 office for " The Churching of Women." 
 
 The word reward has here rather a peculiar sense. It means return. 
 Thus, when we read, that every man, even the wicked, shall receive 
 the just reward for his deeds*, we see at once, that the word means 
 due recompense, or just return. Now, as the due return for right- 
 eousness is blessing, and for wickedness, punishment, so the due 
 reward, or return^ for mercies graciously bestowed, is obedience 
 gratefully offered. 
 
 * Luke xxiii. 41. Heb. ii. 2. 2 Pet. ii. 13. Rev. xxii. 12. 
 K 2 
 
196 
 
 Recovery. 
 
 to you for sympathy ! You have heard the words, when 
 your whole soul has been poured out in thankfulness 
 to the Almighty for more signal mercies vouchsafed to 
 you : evenwhen you kneeled before the throne of grace, 
 in thankful acknowledgment of deliverance from 
 '^the great pain and peril of childbirth/^ With all 
 your heart, and soul, and mind, you then joined in the 
 beautiful and appropriate prayer of our Church, that 
 through God's help,^^ you might thenceforth '^both 
 faithfully live and walk according to his will in this 
 life present, and also be partaker of everlasting glory 
 in the life to come, through Jesus Christ/^ In that 
 hour, when your heart was specially susceptible to the 
 appeal of gratitude, how earnestly did you devote 
 yourself to a religious life ! Remember, how solemnly 
 then was your pledge given ! Forget not to redeem 
 
 it 710W. 
 
 To ally however, this duty applies. Art thou raised 
 from a sick bed? In health pay the vow made in 
 sickness : pay it boldly, as you vowed it resolutely ^ 
 Be not like Peter, of a cowardice as memorable as his 
 resolve v/as bold ^ ; but confess your Saviour before 
 men with a firm trust in Divine grace to aid your own 
 resolution ; and fear not then to bring the same to 
 good effect. Pay the vow, as thou didst make it — 
 with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all 
 ihy mind. Surely gratitude might render payment 
 not only a duty, but a delight. 
 
 It may however happen that various obstacles pre- 
 sent themselves against this decisive course of action. 
 Not only may the pride of your own heart again strive 
 
 ^ Oil this subject I would refer the grateful heart to chapters 
 xxxiii. — XXXV. The observations there would seem peculiarly 
 suitable. 
 
 2 The bravest spirit could entertain no more bold or worthy resolve 
 than that of Peter — Though I should die with thee, yet will 1 not 
 deny thee." The most panic-stricken heart could utter no more base 
 denial — " I know not the man I" Deep and blessed was the peni- 
 tence, which moved the offended Master to receive again into favour 
 the faithless servant ! " He sowed in tears : he reaped in joy.'* 
 
Recovei^y. 
 
 197 
 
 or mastery, now the fear of present death is removed 
 — not only may former habits return with former feel- 
 ings; business and pleasure alternately drawing yon 
 off from the strait and narrow path of holiness ; but 
 you fail perhaps in moral courage to exhibit fearlessly 
 before your fellow-creatures the changed life of one 
 renewed by the Spirit of grace. You fear the ridicule 
 of some sneering neighbour; dread the shafts of his 
 wit; and are ashamed of that unreserved avowal to 
 which yet your conscience is urging you, and your 
 heart longs to enter upon. Let him taunt you as a 
 Bible reader ! Can he speak to you words of deeper 
 wisdom, of nobler charity, of richer consolation ? Let 
 him mock you as a church-goer ! Does he find in his 
 hours of dissipation abroad, or idleness at home on that 
 day of the Lord, the peace, the comfort, the conscious 
 rectitude, which the evening hour brings to you, when 
 you close your eyes at night, under the sheltering wing 
 of Him, whom you have honoured on his holy day? 
 What if he sneer at your attendance upon the ordi- 
 nances? Take but care to "lead a godly, righteous, 
 and sober life,^^ agreeably to your profession as a ser- 
 vant of Christ, and in his heart he respects and envies 
 3'Ou ; though his pride and self-conceit permit him not 
 to speak the truth, by which he would himself stand 
 condemned. Your course is clear ; make a conscience 
 of all your duties, civil and religious, social and do- 
 mestic. Live to God as well us to man, and the wit of 
 man can never harm you. If indeed it were necessary 
 still further to guard you on this point, I would remind 
 you of the blessed Saviour's express precept respecting 
 it, and of the Apostle's continued warning, that such 
 enemies there would ever be to oppose the humble fol- 
 lowers of Christ, in their strait and narrow^ path of duty. 
 How nobly does our Divine Master, anticipating their 
 attacks upon his faithful servants, animate us to scorn 
 the puny enmity of wicked men ! How unanswerably 
 does He argue against fearing their restricted cruelty ; 
 whose enmity reacheth not the grave ! How anxiously 
 K 3 
 
198 
 
 Recovery. 
 
 does He warn against this fear^ as the rock on which 
 too many make shipwreck of their faith ! He knew well 
 that this degrading passion would operate so widely 
 and so variously, that it could not be guarded against 
 with too much care. How does it act upon you ? Does 
 the direct reproach of a wicked companion deter you 
 from the fulfilment of some duty, either to God, your 
 neighbour, or yourself? Or is it, that you picture to 
 yourself the silent contempt, or the insidious sneering, 
 which an avowal of religious principles may perchance 
 bring upon you ; and though you long to join in 
 prayer and supplication with the assembled congrega- 
 tion in the house of the Lord, ardently desire to share 
 the holy ordinances, yearn to assemble your house- 
 hold to family prayer, and are ready to join in religious 
 converse, and confess at once that you wish to lead 
 your life religiously; yet you have not courage to 
 begin? — Now, whom fearest thou? a mortal man like 
 thyself, who, suppose he could harm you, can injure 
 only your present peace and quiet ! Surely it were 
 better to fear the more powerful of those who require 
 you to do their bidding. Heed, then, the counsel of 
 your Saviour — given as wisely as affectionately — I 
 say unto you, my friends^ be not afraid of them that 
 kill the body, and after that have no more that they 
 can do. But I \n\\\ forewaiii you whom ye shall fear 
 — fear him which, after he hath killed, hath power to 
 cast into hell : yea, I say unto you, fear him In 
 your sickness you felt the force of this reasoning. You 
 then reproved your own folly for having, in health, 
 so often allowed the malice and the reproofs of the 
 wicked to turn you aside from the right way. " Why,'^ 
 — your heart whispered to you, Why fear those from 
 whose enmity either my own death or theirs must soon 
 release me ; and not rather fear the great God, who 
 can destroy my soul, if unrighteous ; or save it, if 
 penitent ? O, be wise ! In health act upon the 
 
 1 Luke xii. 4, 5. 
 
Recovery. 
 
 199 
 
 reasoning, the full force of which you felt in your 
 sickness. Pay thy void. 
 
 Consider^ too^ if any one taunts you with being reli- 
 gious, and questions your sincerity, and mocks your 
 change of life — those taunts are your trial. You are 
 but paying the natural penalty of your former irreli- 
 gious conduct ; for these very reproaches form part 
 of that weight which you bear, in bearing your cross. 
 Be assured, also, that by patient continuance in well- 
 doing, you will gradually put to silence the ignorance 
 of these foolish men, and they will, at lens^th, cease to 
 persecute, when they find consistency. You are now 
 armed with the fear of God, and the love of God. 
 You fear — not man, whose hatred killeth the body 
 only, but God^ who, after he hath killed, hath power 
 to cast into hell.'^ You love — not this world which 
 passeth away; but Him who is Lord of the world to 
 come, and who hath prepared in that world, for those 
 who love Him, such good things as pass man^s under- 
 standing \ Your life will now be in evidence that 
 your fear of God has been the beginning of wisdom,^^ 
 and your love of God, the perfecting thereof. The 
 mocker has his answer in your conduct. That will 
 reply in language, which he who runs may read — I 
 have a soul to save; and therefore I will not again 
 risk the loss«aof it, either through fear of man, or 
 neglect of God. I must die; and you^ who now 
 ridicule my conversion, must die; and we must^ 
 both, stand before the judgment-seat of Christ: your 
 harassing contempt of me will then have passed 
 away, but my patience shall then not fail of its sure, 
 though undeserved recompense. The God whom I 
 fear now, will be my Saviour then/^ 
 
 Thus, methinks, you will repose your w^earied mind, 
 after all the distracting cares of a Christian struggle 
 with the opposition of the world, and the weaknesses 
 
 ^ 1 Cor. ii. 9. But as it is written, Eye hatli not seen, nor ear 
 heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which 
 God hath prepared for them that love him." 
 
 K 4 
 
200 
 
 Evil turned to Good. 
 
 of your own heart. Like a pilgrim, who, after long 
 wandering, worn and fainting in the parched desert, 
 finds, at length, the welcome water-springs, slakes 
 his burning thirst there, and feels new vigour animate 
 his frame ; so you rejoice to find yourself by the well 
 of the water of life; j^ou, too, wearied with your 
 long pilgrimage, welcome the gracious stream, drink 
 thereof, and find strength and refreshment to your 
 soul. There you rest — at peace with God, with your 
 fellow-creatures, and with yourself. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 EVIL TURNED TO GOOD. 
 
 Having thus, by Divine grace aiding you, risen above 
 the fear of man, and learned to bear without dread the 
 scorn and contumely of the malicious, you will be en- 
 abled, by the spirit of faith, to advance still further 
 towards Christian perfection \ You will be able to 
 turn to good account, and apply even to your joy, as 
 well as to your spiritual benefit, those efforts by which 
 the malicious seek to injure you. You ^ill view such 
 attempts to destroy your peace, not only as among the 
 dispensations which your Lord and heavenly Father 
 appoints ; but as a trial, by bearing which with resig- 
 nation and even cheerfulness, you not only give proof 
 of a faithful service and a filial reverence, but promote 
 his glory. Therefore you rejoice ^ 
 
 * The Christian is always in progress. No pause to exertion on 
 this side the grave ! Every follower of the Saviour is like St. Paul in 
 that respect — " He godh on unto perfection" — that point, ever to be 
 aimed at, yet ever eluding your grasp, in this world. In a future world^ 
 we shall be complete in the righteousness of Christ. Phil. iii. 12. 
 
 2 It was upon tliis view of the case, that St. Paul, whilst he con- 
 fessed afflictions to be in themselves, " not joyous, but grievous," yet 
 "rejoiced," and " gloried in tribulations." Heb. xii. 1 1. Rom. v. 3. 
 2 Cor. vii. 4. 
 
Evil turned to Good, 
 
 201 
 
 That this particular trial of Christian peace is spe- 
 cially severe^ when it is laid upon one whose heart is 
 incHned only to charity towards all men, is not denied. 
 
 Why then this trial — whispers the heart of the 
 benevolent — I could have borne any sorrow rather 
 than this/' 
 
 Happily for us, we are not to choose our trials. 
 Even our Divine example^ Jesus Christ, did not choose 
 his trials: else He had spared Himself the agony^ which 
 well-nigh mastered the nature He had assumed, and 
 which in that nature He implored his Father to remove 
 from Him \ He distinctly speaks of his course of life 
 as one appointed Him. — "Father! I have glorified thee 
 on earth : I have finished the work which thou gavest 
 me to do So is it with ourselves. We, also, are to 
 do the work our heavenly Father may see fit to give us 
 to do : and by so doing, we are permitted to encou- 
 rage an humble hope that we also glorify Him ^ In- 
 deed^ were we to select our own trials we should 
 probably select them in exact opposition to those 
 appointed us. Nature would prompt us to choose 
 what we should fancy ourselves best able to bear ; 
 forgetting, that then the trial would be hardly felt as 
 the burden of that cross^ which every follower of the 
 Saviour is solemnly warned he must bear^ patiently ; 
 or his discipleship will not be recognized^ when the 
 cross shall triumph. "If any man will come after me^ 
 let him deny himself, and take up his cross^ and follow 
 me.'' And who expects to find a cross easy to bear? 
 Hence, upon the noble-minded^ the generous^ and the 
 good^ is often laid the cross of contumely unmerited^ 
 of benevolence unrequited^ of excellence maligned — 
 because that is exactly the cross^ the weight of which 
 they cannot bear without seeking a heavenly arm to 
 
 ^ "Nevertheless, not my will, hut thine, be done." Luke xxii. 42. 
 
 2 John xvii. 4. 
 
 3 Matt. V. 16. Let your light so shine before men, that they 
 may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in 
 heaven." 
 
 K 5 
 
202 
 
 Evil turned to Good. 
 
 help them; a heavenly spirit to sustain them ; a hea- 
 venly hope to cheer them. Loss of this world^s goods, 
 deprivation of mere worldly enjoyments, and even of 
 the more evidently Divine visitations, would less have 
 disturbed their repose, than loss of a well-earned fame^ 
 or a due return for benefits conferred. But where 
 then would have been the weight of the cross to them ? 
 — So it is with all trials, which the wisdom of an all- 
 seeing God sees fit to lay upon us. That which would 
 be least pain, is often spared, because it would not 
 answer its purpose of disciplining men for heaven. 
 In short, a very little reflection is necessary to con- 
 vince us, that better far is it, that God choose our 
 trials for us, than that we should choose them for 
 ourselves. 
 
 Suppose, then, that your particular trial be the 
 bearing the enmity of those who are set against you, 
 "without any offence or fault of you Let it be 
 your care that you give them no reasonable cause of 
 anger or hatred. If they pretend to find occasion 
 against you, let it be with you as with Daniel, that 
 they find no7ie occasion except in your faithful ad- 
 herence to your religious duties ^ In that case, it 
 were easy to bear even the despitefulness of the proud 
 patiently. You will view it no longer only as the 
 cruelty of man, but as the will of God. And so viewed, 
 the effect of it upon your peace and comfort is not 
 what your enemy intended — to destroy them. You 
 understand with the Psalmist, that the sorrow in ques- 
 tion is but one of those numerous modes of trial, by 
 which God proves the children of men. You pity 
 the ungodly, even while they persecute and provoke 
 you to anger. Your mind is now convinced, that 
 wicked men, whilst they dishonour God, and injure 
 their neighbour, though they must bear their own 
 iniquity, are yet made instruments to further the very 
 object they purpose to overthrow. They are used 
 
 1 Ps. lix. 4. 
 
 2 Dan. vi. 4, 5. 
 
Evil turned to Good. 
 
 203 
 
 as instruments in the hand of God to chastise the 
 children whom He loveth ; and thus afford oppor- 
 tunity to the righteous to give higher evidence of 
 their Faith. The prayer of the afflicted still is — 
 Deliver my soul from the ungodly^ which is a sword 
 of thine 
 
 What an entire and happy change of feeling is 
 wrought in you by thus viewing the malice of an 
 enemy 1 Not only does pity usurp the place of 
 anger, but you pray for him who curses you. WeU 
 may you pray for him ! What if he be rich in worldly 
 w^ealth, or high in worldly station ; he is poor in 
 spiritual riches ; he is indeed low in spiritual hope. 
 Vain, perhaps, of his fancied superiority, ingenious 
 in devising plans for giving pain ; powerful from his 
 w^ealth or influence to tyrannize over his neighbour^ 
 
 1 Ps. xvii. 13. 
 
 When our blessed Saviour found Himself betrayed by Judas, not 
 one harsh word was directed by Him against the false disciple — the 
 cold-hearted, calculating betrayer of the Master who trusted him, and 
 the Friend who cherished him. His sin^ indeed, our Lord laid open 
 to its very depth, and exhibited in all its enormity : the sinner He left 
 to his own fearful responsibility ; affirming the sin to be greater than 
 even that of Pilate, who pronounced sentence upon Him. TAom," 
 said the accused Saviour to Pilate — Tliou couldst have no power at 
 all against me, except it were given thee from above : therefore he 
 that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin." And justly was 
 this comparison drawn. J udas sinned against conviction, against bet- 
 ter knowledge, against warning, against all laws, human and Divine. 
 He delivered up the Master he was bound to protect ; he betrayed the 
 Friend he professed to love : he had the word of prophecy in his own 
 Scriptures, which forewarned him, and would fain have deterred him 
 from aiding in accomplishing the foretold sufterings of his Friend. 
 Whereas, even his right hand was a right hand of iniquity * his 
 pledge of an assured friendship proved to be the sign of an infamous 
 betraynl. Not holding it cruelty enough, either openly to denounce 
 our blessed Saviour, or even secretly to betray Him, he dared to meet 
 the eye of his victim, and to give the greeting of affection, in token 
 that He was the object marked for destruction. " Whomsoever I 
 shall kiss, that same is he : hold him fast." — Matt. xxvi. 48. So 
 surely does sin harden the heart, whilst it blinds the understanding ; 
 rendering men as cruel towards their fellow-creatures, as they are 
 guilty before God. 
 
 Ps. cxliv. 11. 
 
 k6 
 
204 
 
 Evil turned to Good. 
 
 and exhibit all the evil feeling, which united envy 
 and malice generate — you view him only as the un- 
 willing instrument of good, in the hands of that Being, 
 to whom you address yourself in the appropriate words 
 of David — ^'The fierceness of man shall turn to thy 
 praise, and the fierceness of them shalt thou refrain 
 Oh ! how is this proud, and vain, and boastful spirit 
 lowered ! He thought to disquiet thee in thy new 
 and amended course of life; and, by despising thee, 
 to show disregard to the Divine Master whom thou 
 servest. He is disappointed of his hope. God makes 
 him tow^ork good; leaving to him the awful responsi- 
 bility of his will to work evil. You have benefited by 
 his enmity; for you have drawn nearer to your God. 
 Your aim is heaven ; and no lower consideration, 
 whether of good or ill, can divert an aim, whose ob- 
 ject, here, is Peace ; hereafter. Glory. The sting of all 
 unkindness is drawn, w^hen received in this spirit of 
 Christian courage; because the feeling of individual 
 wrong is withdrawn. An enemy strikes a blow at our 
 good name, perhaps, or our worldly advancement. 
 His object is to give pain. Faith is our shield to 
 quench this fiery dart. We believe, that though he 
 hurls the dart for our harm, a greater than he shalt 
 direct it for our good. Wisely looking higher than our 
 individual wrong, we repose, in faith, upon " that 
 goodness,^^ which God " hath prepared for them who 
 love him, even before the sons of men.^^ We can 
 ever appeal to that Being in the firm language of 
 David — "Thou shalt hide us privily by thine own 
 presence from the provoking of all men : thou shalt 
 keep us secretly in thy tabernacle, from the strife of 
 tongues.^' 
 
 Thus restored to health of body and of soul, you 
 go on your way rejoicing. Do enemies beset you in 
 your new path of life? Do they daily provoke — 
 challenge you, as it were, to anger, or hatred, or 
 
 1 Ps. Ixxvi. 10. 
 
Perseverance. 
 
 205 
 
 ill-will^ or any other sin? They tempt in vain. You 
 have found a hiding-place ; even the love of your 
 Father, who is in heaven, and the mercy of your 
 Saviour, and the comfort of your sanctifier. In that 
 hiding-place you remain safely. The evil-speaker, 
 the backbiter, the slanderer, the reviler, may perse- 
 vere in their baseness. But there is no offence taken, 
 consequently no retort given; no railing for railing — 
 no "strife of tongues. Leaving them to the misery 
 of their own hearts, you persevere in your patience, 
 and God permits you to find with Him rest, and a 
 peace of mind which "passeth all understanding.'^ 
 By faith you have at length overcome the world. 
 Nay, you have achieved a nobler triumph still — you 
 have overcome yourself. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
 
 PERSEVERANCE. 
 
 There are few qualities more valuable than decision 
 of character — an inflexible resolution to maintain the 
 course of action we have upon principle adopted. To 
 the Christian this is indispensable towards his final 
 perseverance. There is no other source, however, of 
 the courage upon which it depends than Religion — a 
 pervading sense of our covenanted relation to God, 
 through Jesus Christ. The Apostles, whilst they 
 exemplified this virtue in their lives, urge it in their 
 writings with all the eloquence of truth, and all the 
 fervour of inspiration. If tJiey found it needful, ive 
 cannot dispense with it. To you, indeed, it would 
 seem now of primary importance. With you every 
 day probably will call it into action ; because, having 
 resolved to " lead a new life ^ before God and man. 
 
 1 See p. 194. 
 
306 
 
 Perseverance. 
 
 you will need all your resolution to persevere against 
 false shame on your own part ; against the ridicule of 
 the wicked; and the temptations of those principalities 
 and powers, and the rulers of the darkness of this 
 world/^ who are continually trying the souls of men^ 
 whether they be faithful. Were you to confine your 
 observance of a religious conduct to the more solemn 
 occasions of religious duty, the call for courage would 
 not be so great ; but when you start afresh in your 
 Christian path, with a resolution, that, by God's grace, 
 you will make a conscience of every thing ; will endea- 
 vour to see the hand of God in every dispensation of 
 his providence, and hold yourself responsible to Him 
 for every part of your conduct in civil, social, and 
 domestic life, you w^ill find that St. Paul did not 
 adopt too strong language, when he compared such a 
 course to a constant warfare; an unceasing struggle*; 
 and that our blessed Lord might well teach us, that no 
 such ease must mark hfs followers' onward course, as 
 would lay them open to surprise. " What I say unto 
 you, I say unto all, TVatch/^ Your Christian courage 
 must be a uniform principle — not an effort, but a ha- 
 bit. The Apostle expresses the truth very felicitously, 
 "Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ;'' — so imitate, 
 upon all occasions, the graces which marked Him in 
 his human nature, that all men shall know you to 
 be his disciple ^ Nor must you ever forget, that a 
 Christian's Hfe, in all its bearings towards his Creator 
 and his fellow-creatures, is a " life hid with Christ in 
 
 1 2 Tim. iv. 7. 
 
 2 Rom. xiii. 14. Chrysostom tells us, that it was a common and 
 familiar expression in his day, when any individual closely imitated 
 another — He has put him on." The expression is frequently used 
 by St. Paul in the same sense. — " Put on the new man." " Put on 
 the whole armour of God." " Put on charity." Nay, even when a 
 hypocrite renders to the excellence of any Christian grace the unwil- 
 ling evidence of his testimony, by assuming the appearance, yet is 
 uninfluenced by the power of it — whether of humility before God, 
 or of charity before men — it is commonly said, " He puts on the 
 virtue." 
 
Perseverance. 
 
 207 
 
 God ^ — a life, therefore, often of silent and hidden, 
 but always of lofty motives. To a worldly eye, which 
 confines its view to this mortal state, and to a worldly 
 mind, which grovels under the dread of man^s judg- 
 ment, they are silent and hidden ; for, being spiritual, 
 they can be discerned only spiritually ; but they are 
 open as the day, and eloquent as the uttered prayer, 
 to that heart-searching God, with whom the Christian 
 ever walks, as with the God of final judgment; and 
 they are lofty, as well becometh an immortal soul, 
 whose aim is to please the Most High in this 
 and to dwell with Him for ever in the next ^. 
 
 I am aware that, in looking for a religious motive, 
 and a religious sanction, in what appear merely the 
 common transactions of life between man and man, 
 great care must be taken not to bear ourselves irre- 
 verently towards the Supreme! The Divine warning 
 to Moses must be duly heeded by us, whenever w^e 
 approach in prayer to the eternal God! "Put off thy 
 shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou 
 standest is holy ground." Every worldly affection 
 must carefully be removed from our heart, ere we can 
 hopefully approach the holy presence of the Almighty ^ 
 Whether good or ill betide us ; whether prosperity or 
 
 1 Col. iii. 3. 
 
 2 How effectively does St. Paul use this argument ! Called to 
 defend himself and others, the ministers of the Gospel, against the 
 false imputations east upon them, as to their motives ; whilst he fear- 
 lessly stands forth their spirited champion, he answers for himself, 
 with all the scorn merited by his slanderers, and with all the honest 
 indignation natural to an honourable mind, casting back the con- 
 tumely of baser minds. What though, as ministers of Christ, and 
 followers of the meek and lowly Jesus, having taken up the cross of 
 self-denial, they did patiently endure the contradiction of sinners: 
 "bearing all things, believing all things, hoping all things !" — were 
 they, therefore, to be held of mean and grovelling spirit ? Were tliey, 
 therefore, to be met by scorn and obloquy ? But if they were, their 
 motive sustained them. But with nie it is a very small thing that I 
 should be judged of you, or of man's judgment : yea, I judge not 
 mine own self. For I know nothing by myself : yet am I not hereby 
 justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord,^^ 1 Cor. iv. 3, 4. 
 
 ^ See the note in p. 89. 
 
208 
 
 Perseverance. 
 
 adversity be our portion ; one feeling must predomi- 
 nate — unshrinking submission to the Divine will. ^^It 
 is the Lord! let him do what seemeth him good/^ We 
 must not irreverently measure his love by the afflic- 
 tions or the blessings of this life ; but by faith learn 
 to act irrespectively of this world^s ordering ; for of a 
 truth, there ^^is here often one event to the righteous, 
 and to the wicked/^ Does not ^Uhe same God make 
 his sun to shine on the evil and on the good?^^ Nay, 
 sometimes there appears even an inversion of that 
 moral order, which we are sure it must be the will of 
 God to enforce, and the subversion of which has ever 
 been an obstacle in the way of those who carry not 
 their view bej^ond man's present state of existence. 
 But this fact is not only allowed by the Christian ; it 
 is adduced as one amongst other proofs, that there wdll 
 be a future day of retribution. The end is not yet. 
 This apparent anomaly, therefore, strengthens faith in 
 a judgment, and adds another motive to a steady, 
 uniform perseverance. God being confessedly good 
 and just, and "having pleasure in the prosperity of 
 his servants "his mercy reaching unto the heavens, 
 and his faithfulness unto the clouds, and his righteous- 
 ness standing like the strong mountains'^ — it is clear, 
 that if the principles of right seem to be violated in 
 this life, they will be for ever established in the next : 
 if the Divine mercy appear withdrawn, God is but 
 more severely trying our faith and patience, that He 
 may more fully and more " openly rew^ard it 
 Justice shall finally prevail ; and under that convic- 
 tion, in proportion as w^e draw near and more near 
 to our heavenly Father, we shall approach with more 
 and more reverence; leaving events to Him, and view- 
 ing all things as either directed or permitted by Him. 
 A truth this, in proof of which no argument of man's 
 wisdom is required. The voice of God declares that 
 " all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of 
 
 J Matt. V). 18. 
 
Perseverance. 
 
 209 
 
 Him with whom we have to do and since/^by our 
 w^ords we shall be justified, and by our words we shall 
 be condemned/^ we understand^ with sufficient clear- 
 ness^ that no part of conduct can be considered by a 
 wise man as a matter of indifference. For though 
 such is the immensity of God^s power, such the un- 
 imaginable greatness which surrounds Him; filling 
 equally all space, sustaining with equal care and equal 
 power the w^orlds which He has created, and the low- 
 liest insect which creeps therein, that the mind is lost 
 in the contemplation of his awful majesty: yet, as "his 
 ways are not our ways, so neither are his thoughts our 
 thoughts extent and magnitude are as nothing in 
 his sight. Whilst He ruleth in all the kingdoms of 
 the w^orld, empires in their rise and fall unconsciously 
 fulfilling his will ; suns and their systems rolhng their 
 courses through space, showing his handy-work and 
 his guiding and sustaining power : whilst " He hum- 
 bleth himself to behold even the things of heaven — 
 Not a sparrow falleth to the ground, but He noteth it : 
 not a hair of our head perisheth, but it is known to 
 Him. How much more then shall the soul of each 
 individual, in its spiritual and eternal interests, be his 
 care ^ ! The practical inference to be drawn from 
 
 ^ Ps. cxiii. 5. 
 
 2 How beautifully does our Church in her Communion service, 
 lead us to draw comfort from this feeling of an individual interest in 
 the care of our Redeemer, God ! How strikingly does she impress 
 the sentiment upon the heart of each commvmicant ! Was the blood 
 of Christ shed for all men, that it might " cleanse from ail sin So 
 was it shed for you, and for me, and for each individual, however 
 lowly in station, or humble in spirit. And who ever heard the words — 
 ^' the body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was given for thee " — " the 
 blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was shed for thee '* — who ever 
 heard these words unmoved ? As on bended knee, and with lowly 
 heart, they received the blessed elements at the Lord's Table, and 
 applied to themselves the gracious truth which those words convey, 
 comfort was shed abroad in every heart. Each suppliant joyfully re- 
 sponded in spirit, if not in words — "For — "For me did the 
 Lord of heaven die ?" "Am / to share fully and freely in that his 
 full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, which he made for the sins of 
 the ichole world^^' Into the heart thus impressed with wonder and 
 
210 
 
 Perseverance. 
 
 these considerations is, that no part of human conduct 
 either in motive or in act, is so minute as to escape 
 the notice of the same omniscient and omnipotent 
 God ; but that every action, every word, every thought 
 of man should be carefully ordered according to the 
 Divine law, inasmuch as upon their right ordering in 
 this life depends his woe or his bliss in the next. 
 Hence your anxious care to make a conscience now 
 of every thing: living as unto God\ Hence, too, 
 the resolve, ^'in all thy w^ays to acknowledge Him,^^ 
 with a well-grounded hope, ^Hhat he will direct thy 
 paths,^' and lead thee by the appointed way, the road 
 to heaven. 
 
 In duly regulating this strict and minute view of 
 Christian duty, we shall be much assisted by searching 
 those Scriptures, whence alone v/e can draw true wis- 
 dom ^ In them, especially in the discourses of our 
 blessed Lord — we find safe guidance in every diffi- 
 culty ; sure counsel for every doubt. In the present 
 case, all difficulty is removed, all doubt solved, by his 
 own illustration of the point in question ; an illustra- 
 tion which indeed exhibits a matchless union of the 
 deepest wisdom with the clearest instruction — "The 
 kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a w^oman 
 took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole 
 was leavened Does the leaven, which one putteth 
 into meal, so pervade every particle of it, that the 
 whole is leavened ? yet is no eye able to detect its 
 presence, save by its effects? — So is it with a truly 
 Christian life. There is no part of it uninfluenced by 
 Christian principle : yet no eye shall find, in one 
 action, an adherence to the law of Christ ; in another, 
 a disregard of it. The same sense of religious duty, 
 which bears us each Sabbath to worship the Lord in 
 
 gratitude, the happy truth sinks deep ; full of power ; and the love of 
 God pours around all its radiance of peace and joy. Yes! the body 
 and blood of Christ were offered, even for thee! See the note in 
 p. 124. 
 
 1 Refer to x). 205. 2 gee chapter ix. « Matt. xiii. 33. 
 
Perseverance. 
 
 211 
 
 the beauty of holiness, in the courts of his house, and 
 boldly there confess that ^^the Lord, he is the God 
 and that in his sight no man living can be justified;^^ 
 that we are, before Him, "unworthy servants 
 "miserable sinners saved only by his grace — the 
 same sense of duty renders us bold, when, in active 
 life, we are called to avow a religious principle, and 
 evidence a religious practice. We deny ourselves ; 
 we brave reproach; we are patient under contumely ; 
 and endure even the contradiction of sinners. As the 
 leaven "leaveneth the whole lump,^^ so religion influ- 
 ences the vjhole conduct ; as in the congregation, so 
 in the world, not ostentatiously, but effectively. 
 
 That your perseverence fail not in such a course, 
 requires, therefore, all your courage. But you have 
 learned to sustain that courage by no worldly motives^ 
 which might fail you ; by no temporal considerations, 
 which were unworthy the cause you have engaged in — 
 you sustain it by looking up to Him, who has brought 
 you out of all your trouble; to Him who hath redeemed 
 your life from the grave, and your soul from death ; 
 before Him you resolve to walk in the light of the 
 living ; in his constant presence you delight to feel 
 yourself. He your companion and guide, you move, 
 even in the midst of temptation, unharmed ; you per- 
 severe in holiness, because you serve, and love, and 
 walk with a holy God. He heard your cry in your 
 sickness: in health you hear Him, You openly confess 
 Him before men, because you habitually look forward 
 to that solemn hour, when you hope — humbly, but 
 firmly hope — that He will confess you before an as- 
 sembled creation, and the glorious angels in heaven. 
 Thus you arm afresh your courage; thus you nerve 
 your heart against the evils and trials of this life ; and 
 "praying always with all prayer and supplication in 
 
 ^ Who can forbear recognizinn; and acknowledging, in the humble 
 language of our Liturgy, the pervading influence of the Spirit of the 
 meek and lowly Jesus ? Refer to chapter xxv. 
 
212 
 
 Old Age. 
 
 the Spirit^ and watching thereunto with all perse- 
 verance you strive so to live unto God here on earthy 
 that you may live with Him for ever in heaven ! 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 
 OLD AGE. 
 
 Few things are more wonderful in the history of the 
 human mind, than its eager anticipation of events, the 
 end of which it dreads. Man dreads death, towards 
 which all events in the flow of time hasten him : yet 
 has he a restless desire to change the present for the 
 future. And this holds true, through every gradation 
 of age and circumstances. Children, we long for 
 the joyous days of boyhood. The boy, with eager 
 hopes, looks to the season when he shall be engaged 
 in the concerns of active life. And no sooner does 
 one, in full strength, find himself successful in the 
 world's race, than in striving for the goal, he anxiously 
 carries his view to the calm of retirement, where 
 old age may overtake him in the enjoyment of a 
 well-earned competence : — for thus fancy pictures the 
 scene — no cares to molest ; no anxieties to disturb ; 
 no disappointments to vex him. As age creeps on^ 
 he trusts to live longer and longer : yet still he fears 
 that^ in which age must close — Death. I know but 
 one way of rendering every stage of human life at 
 once safe and happy; and that is, by taking in each 
 the appointed guidance of the word of God, and 
 the promised comfort of the Spirit of God ; and fixing 
 our hopes on a future world. Where man confines his 
 view to this lower world ; its wealth or power, its hopes 
 or fears ; each step he takes does but add to care. 
 There is always some still distant point, which he is 
 
 1 Eph. vi. 13. 
 
Old Age. 
 
 213 
 
 striving to attain : yet no sooner is it reached, than 
 another, and another, succeeds : till when, Hke the 
 mountain traveller, he has surmounted many an inter- 
 vening eminence, the evening of life overshadows him 
 ere his object be accomplished, and the glories, in the 
 expectation of witnessing w^hich he had nerved his 
 strength for the toilsome ascent, are lost in clouds and 
 darkness — the summit is not gained. How different 
 with him, who amid all the successive changes has 
 walked with his God ! A firmness of purpose has 
 kept him unperplexed in his course. He too has ex- 
 perienced all the changes and chances of this mortal 
 life — but in each he has taken the appointed Guide and 
 Comforter. He too has toiled onward, and upward — 
 but even though wealth and honour may be his well- 
 earned portion, the world has no eminence so high as 
 to satisfy his ambition. His aim is far above the 
 mountain-steep of worldly honour, fame, or joy. He 
 " looked to the hills whence cometh his salvation.^^ 
 His aim is heaven. From that lofty height alone he 
 expects to behold at his feet the clouds of worldly 
 sorrow and the storms of human passion ; w^hilst in this 
 lower state he enjoys the calm brightness of the Sun 
 of Righteousness, and the cheering consolations of the 
 Comforter. Nor are his hopes vain. If, indeed, amid 
 the pains and infirmities which naturally attend length- 
 ened life, patience occasionally wearies, and hope is 
 sometimes clouded ; that weariness is soon removed ; 
 that cloud soon dispersed. Faith hears the cheering 
 voice of a heavenly Father — Even to your old age 
 I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: 
 I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry and 
 deliver you.'^ Sustained by this promise, he goes on 
 his way rejoicing. He ascends higher and higher 
 tow^ards the spiritual mount; till he dieth, as Moses, 
 in the sight of the land of proniise, and gains at last 
 that "rest, which remaineth for the people of God/^ 
 Old Age has perhaps thus now overtaken you, and 
 finds you a patient pilgrim on your w^ay to heaven. 
 
214 
 
 Old Age, 
 
 Religion has effected that, which the world had failed 
 to effect : it has enabled you to pass from the busy 
 bustle of active manhood, to the calmer season of age, 
 at peace with God, your neighbour, and yourself. 
 Grateful for the past, hopeful for the future, and 
 strong in faith, that the God with whom you walk, 
 wdll be your refuge, your defence, your guide, you 
 look fearlessly to the approach of death ; trusting 
 that the great Disposer of events will order it wisely 
 and mercifully for you. 
 
 Nor will the season of Old Age drag on heavily wdth 
 you. Not because to the learned, whose minds are 
 stored with human wisdom, memory must ever open a 
 rich source of intellectual improvement and interest, 
 but because to unlearned alike and learned, are open 
 those inexhaustible treasures of Diviyie wisdom, which 
 the Bible offers freely to all. The learned of the sons 
 of men do indeed there find ample resource for the 
 leisure of age. Tracing the wondrous histories of na- 
 tions and of individuals ; studying "the great mystery 
 of godliness,^^ in its "length, and breadth, and depth, 
 and height the noblest intellect, the most cultivated 
 mind, the highest talents, and the most extensive ac- 
 quirements, still find full exercise for their various 
 powers ; one truth flowing from another ; as from a 
 perennial fountain, unexhausted and inexhaustible — 
 that fountain, God. But its doctrines strike home to 
 the sympathies of all; and its rules of life stand pro- 
 minent in all their sublime simplicity ; plain to be 
 apprehended by the lowest grade of intellect, yet 
 acknowledged even by the highest to be Divine : rules 
 of life, involving a principle of action, needful for the 
 right ordering of life, equally in the prince and the 
 peasant. Nor will you in this your season of old age, 
 as you are engaged in meditating upon the great truths 
 revealed in the holy Scriptures, whether you be rich 
 or poor,*great or lowly, learned or unlearned, fail to 
 remember that the same wondrous Being, of whose 
 marvellous great power and infinite love you there 
 
Old Age. 
 
 215 
 
 read, is your God ! — that He has been to you also^ 
 marvellous in his dealings through along life : crown- 
 ing his mercies by bringing you at last to full age — 
 your Father and Redeemer; your Guide and Com- 
 forter. 
 
 As thus your thoughts are filled holily and happily, 
 old age itself has no day too long for you ; every hour 
 passes in a calm hope^ which^ like an autumn sun^ as 
 the shadows lengthen, mildly cheers the evening of 
 your journey. You walk with your God/^ and your 
 path is peace. As you retire each night to rest, you 
 are reminded, but without fear, of the hour when your 
 body must tenant the grave ; and you close your eyes 
 in sleep, even as you humbly hope to close them at 
 the hour of death, in firm reliance upon the sure pro- 
 tection of the Almighty to raise you again to life — 
 here to a life of peace^ hereafter to a life of glory. 
 And each morning when you wake, though your exist- 
 ence now seems to preclude you from worldly useful- 
 ness, you will wake not impatient under your infirmi- 
 ties, but rather rejoicing that your light never perhaps 
 shone more brightly before men, to the glory of God, 
 than when you now exhibit in your life a watchful 
 preparation for another and a better w^orld : in 
 patience possessing your soul, thankful to be yet a 
 sojourner here, and spiritually adding strength to 
 strength — till "through the grave, and gate of death, 
 you pass to your glorious resurrection when you 
 trust to awake up, after the likeness of your 
 Saviour and your God, and live to his glory for 
 ever 
 
 * The Collect for Easter Even. 
 
 2 Ps. xvii. 16. 
 
216 
 
 CHAPTER XL. 
 
 CONSOLATIONS OF AGE. 
 
 It were dIfRcult to imagine a nobler object for our 
 contemplation^ than the aged Christian, crowned with 
 righteousness, and calmly awaiting his summons to 
 the eternal world. In the mean time, whilst life is 
 spared, he exhibits in his whole demeanour the appro- 
 priate graces of a cheerful resignation under infirmities, 
 a watchful hope for future mercies, and an abiding 
 sense of gratitude for mercies past. By a meek and 
 uniform spirit of resignation under the various ills he 
 endures, and the several deprivations which lie heavy 
 upon him, he at once adorns and benefits society. 
 Around him flock youth and manhood, joying to learn 
 wisdom from his experience, and by contemplating in 
 him the more winning features of Christian character, 
 led almost imperceptibly to imitate what they admire. 
 As his spirit is seen to triumph over ill, by an uniform 
 acquiescence in the Divine dispensations, without 
 murmur, or impatience, or repining, and in a calm 
 endurance of every affliction, whether of mind, body, 
 or estate, — he stands forth, the Christian hero. Those 
 w^ho surround him, pay him honour. Nay, much 
 more frequently than may meet the world\s eye, he 
 is the means of calHng into activity virtue itself : 
 he gives to the timid the courage of companionship, 
 pours fresh animation upon the struggling efforts of 
 the zealous, and upholds the cause of holiness and 
 truth with the silent but prevailing eloquence of 
 example. As memory brings to him sweet consola- 
 tions in retracing the goodness of God to himself, 
 through a long and varied life, he not only delights to 
 cherish in his own heart gratitude for the past — he is 
 solicitous to cherish in the hearts^of others faith and 
 hope for the future. The young, as they catch the 
 
Consolations of Age. 
 
 217 
 
 instructive narrative of temptations bravely resisted ; 
 of bad habits successfully broken ; of worldly sorrows 
 removed or lightened ; of spiritual griefs soothed 
 and changed into joy; of disappointments ending in 
 blessing ; of evil courses long borne with^ and at last 
 changed— and all acknowledged to be the gracious gift 
 of God, whose grace was no sooner sought, than found 
 powerful, "to the pulling down of strongholds; 
 casting down imaginations, and every high thing 
 that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and 
 bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience 
 of Christ'^ — as the young catch these truths from the 
 lips of old age, calm, pious, and wise ; every worldly 
 passion subdued, every spiritual grace triumphant— 
 they are insensibly won to approve and adopt princi- 
 ples, whose fruit is thus evidenced as Peace \ And the 
 aged righteous may well have the courage to be sin- 
 cere ; they have but little to fear from a world which 
 is passing away from them ; and they have every thing 
 to hope from the world, towards which every hour 
 sees them approach nearer and nearer. It is true that 
 age has its drawbacks, even to the truly religious ; but 
 they are far more than counterbalanced by the hopes 
 and graces which a Christian spirit supplies. Suppose 
 the aged unable to mingle, as in former days, in the 
 permitted activity of worldly business — he rejoices, 
 that no call of duty requiring him for the concerns of 
 this lower world, he is free to devote all his energies 
 to thoughts of another and a better, and henceforth 
 passing the time of his sojourning here in fear,^^ 
 duly to prepare him for his end. To this nobler 
 object his exclusive attention may now be given, and 
 like the patriarch of old, he may walk with God.^^ 
 Nor for a moment does he regret pleasures, of which 
 now he cannot partake. He has found that the w orld 
 never afforded, in youth and strength, pleasures so 
 unalloyed as hours of age and infirmity have brought 
 
 [264] 
 
 ^ Heb. xii. 14. James iii. 18. 
 
218 
 
 Consolations of Age. 
 
 him. Young and old indeed equally find of Religion, 
 that " her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her 
 paths are peace;^^ but in age this pleasure brings more 
 of peace : for it is more out of the reach of the world ; 
 less interrupted by its necessary occupations, less 
 embittered by its cares and sorrows. Whilst the n^ar 
 prospect of death, which to the wicked and the irre- 
 ligious constitutes the chief drawback to peace in old 
 age, is to the good man the great soother of what 
 cares still may press upon him ; is itself the great 
 argument by which he is enabled to sustain his forti- 
 tude under the ills of this present life. Is death near? 
 His sorrows must soon close. As for his enemies, 
 their love and their hatred, and their envy, is al- 
 ready perished — he w ill soon be out of the reach of 
 enmity; and the pleasures which he now rejoices in 
 as he walketh in rich pastures of spiritual food by the 
 
 1 The reader is referred to a note upon this passage, p. 139. 
 To the observations there made, may be added the striking consi- 
 deration, that when the Son of God submitted Himself to the ^vili of 
 his enemies, the secret spring of their hatred and injustice proved to 
 be Envy, They hated Him for liis very excellences ; the brightness 
 of which, rendered dazzling by the contrasted darkness of their sinful 
 hearts, tliey could not patiently endure. Was no guile found in his 
 mouth ? Was every action marked with perfect benevolence ? Did 
 liis discourses tend to promote good-will and charity towards men, 
 in all the varied relations of life ? Was His anxiety for his country's 
 welfare so tender as to call forth tears of anguish in the prospect of 
 its overthrow ? Did he obey her laws ? Did He so love her people, 
 that He died for them ? All these things, in proportion as they won 
 upon the minds of men in general, and influenced them in his favour, 
 excited the bitter hatred of his enemies. It maddened them to see 
 "all Jerusalem" go after Him. The quiet influence of his teaching, 
 the deep impression made upon the thoughtful by his doctrines, and 
 the unostentatious yet effective working of his example, though they 
 combined to draw from the coward-hearted judge who condemned 
 Him to death, the self-accusing confession of injustice — "I find no 
 fault in him," — were so many serpent stings to the hearts of his 
 accusers. *^They delivered Him for Envy 1''^ 
 
 Dreadful indeed is a passion, thus fatal in its exercise ; subversive 
 of justice and charity in all man's dealings with his fellow-creatures, 
 as well in public as in private life. The slanderer and the murderer 
 alike find it the motive for their sin. 
 
 With what watchful care should we avoid the first stirrings of this 
 baneful feeling ! 
 
Consolations of Age. 
 
 219 
 
 waters of comfort shall be exclianged for those im- 
 mortal "pleasures which are at God^s right hand 
 for evermore.^' 
 
 If it happen ever, that a cloud of fear pass over 
 his soul, he flies to the consolations of memory. He 
 calls to mind the years that are past ; he remembers 
 some season of trial, when in dismay and anguish at 
 the prospect before him, he felt with the mourning 
 patriarch — "All these things are against me He 
 remembers, also, that God mercifully either removed 
 the trial, or mitigated it, or gave him strength to bear 
 it. Nay, he can even trace some present blessing to 
 that very season of sorrow. He therefore casts away 
 fear. The noble reflection of David instantly springs 
 
 1 Gen. xlii. 36. 
 
 There are few portions of sacred history more deeply interesting 
 to the aged, than tliat of the patriarch Jacob. His hfe was, for the 
 greater part, marked with perihnis adventure, or striking incident.. 
 The transfer to him of his elder brother's inheritance ; his flight from 
 the house and land of his fathers ; his sojourn in a distant country ; 
 his varied condition during that period ; the unlooked-for restraint by 
 the hand of Heaven upon the anger of Laban and the envy of Esau, 
 who both souglit him, that they might ''smite and do him hurt his 
 hair-breadth escape on these occasions, calling forth alternately his 
 prudence and his courage, his fears and his hopes, the evident and 
 signal protection he enjoyed in the watchful care and superintending 
 providence of God ; the Divine blessings which subsequently attended 
 him, till Joseph's exaltation in Egypt afforded him the long looked- 
 for rest ; "giving beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the 
 garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness*,'" bringing liis grey 
 hairs with honour to the grave— these events are not pondered without 
 exciting the deepest interest, and affording the most powerful instruc- 
 tion. Jacob lived long, and saw every sorrow end in joy — every trial 
 in blessing. Did he then say, " All these things are against me?" 
 He then doubtless rather acknowledged, that " the Lord, he is alone 
 the God ;" great, merciful, and gracious : his ^^ ays, and his times, and 
 his thoughts, not as man's, though ever lovingly directed to man's 
 good. We, short-sighted, look only to the prest-nt ; He, to the end. 
 And as age corrects the erring judgment of youth with respect to the 
 ordering of God's providence, so will a future state give, even to the 
 agefl, a still clearer view of the same truth ; evidencing of the Divine 
 dealings towards the sons of men, that "all his ways are right."' 
 
 * Ifea. Ixi. 3. 
 
 l2 
 
220 
 
 Consolations of Age. 
 
 to his heart. This is my infir7nity ! I will remem- 
 ber the years that are past, and call to mind the 
 wonders of old time : I will remember the years of the 
 right hand of the Most Highest/' And where is he 
 w^ho can look back upon his past life, without tracing 
 there the mercy of his God ? It is God, who by his 
 providence has preserved us day by day, from the 
 moment of birth, even to this present hour. Through 
 all the perilous seasons of infancy and youth He has 
 upheld us. To whom can we now trace our escape 
 from impending dangers, our deliverance from accu- 
 mulated evil, our extrication from various difficulties 
 and distresses, in mind, body, and estate, when health- 
 ful and strong we engage in the full tide of human 
 affairs, but to Him, in whom we now rejoice, as in 
 the God of our old age ? We look back as a traveller, 
 who, having reached some hill, w^hence he views his 
 happy home, and anticipates the welcome there aw^ait- 
 ing him, turns himself, and surveys the long tract of 
 country he has passed over, wondering how he escaped 
 its dangers, and endured his toils, but glad at last to 
 near his rest. We acknowledge, that " the goodness 
 of God hath followed us all the days of our life.^^ 
 
 Happy the aged, if crowned with righteousness ! — 
 Unequal to activity in worldly duties, he wisely turns 
 with more exclusive diligence to the working out 
 salvation for his immortal soul \ The pleasures of 
 the world vainly now allure him ; but he repines not : 
 all his aim now is, to attain those pleasures which 
 are at God^s right hand for evermore.^^ What if 
 infirmities bow him down ? They will soon cease, 
 and be to him as though they had never been, except 
 for the trial of faith they have afforded him in this 
 scene of probation. Death w^ould fain terrify him ! 
 But his trust is in One who conquered death for 
 him ; and will supply courage to meet those terrors. 
 It is thus that, after a life well spent in Christian 
 
 1 Phil, u, 12. 
 
Sickness unto Death. 
 
 221 
 
 activity^ the aged Christian blesses and is blessed. He 
 excites the young to a worthy emulation of his virtues 
 and graces ; stimulating them by his example^ guiding 
 them by his wisdom, and encouraging them by his 
 experience ; till, wise in heavenly wisdom, and good 
 in heavenly piety ; watchful and provident for his own 
 eternal interests, a humble but sincere benefactor of 
 his fellow-creatures, and a promoter of the honour of 
 his God — he advances to a higher, and a holier, and a 
 happier state ; in patience, as in faith unwearied ^ ; 
 and waiting all the days of his appointed time, until 
 his change come 
 
 CHAPTER XLI. 
 
 SICKNESS UNTO DEATH. 
 
 Years have rolled on, and at length comes a sickness 
 unto death. You are convinced that from your pre- 
 sent sickness there will be no recovery ; and that your 
 earthly course is well-nigh run. With this conviction, 
 what new feelings rush upon the soul ! Every thought 
 is now directed to the future world opening upon you ! 
 If you be found watching for your Lord, blessed are 
 you ^ ! The calm of righteous age has been the har- 
 binger of a calm close to it. And your whole heart 
 is set upon another world ! " Your life is hid with 
 Christ in God and your humble trust is, that with 
 God you may find that life — even life eternal. 
 
 But it may happen that some who open these pages, 
 are not found so watching. Upon them, perhaps, the 
 sickness has fallen, not only with the conviction that 
 there will be no recovery from it, but with the awful 
 feeling of unpreparedness for the close of it. What 
 
 1 Tit. ii. 2. 2 Job xiv. 14. 
 
 3 Luke xii. 37. * Col. iii. 3. 
 
 l3 
 
222 
 
 Sickness unto Death, 
 
 new views then open upon you, my reader ! — new 
 views of the past, the present, and the future. 
 
 As you look back, and meditate upon the years 
 which are past, former sins, which in their commission 
 you either thought trifling, and disregarded as needing 
 no repentance ; or which, if at the time viewed with 
 fear, were too soon blotted from your remembrance, 
 now array themselves against you in all their fearful 
 responsibility. Once held harmless, they now wound 
 sharper than a serpent's sting. Even your " negli- 
 gences and ignorances the remembrance of which 
 had long slept, now awake to reprove and torment 
 you. You know, that though you may have forgotten, 
 God does not so forget. You know, further, that He 
 will judge you, not only for those sins which were 
 directed more immediately against Himself — disho- 
 nouring his Name, neglecting his Word, forsaking his 
 Sabbaths, slighting his Ordinances, disregarding his 
 Worship, grieving his Spirit — He views the offences 
 of which you have wilfully been guilty towards your 
 fellow-creatures, as sins committed against Himself. 
 Their cause He makes his own : whether in reward 
 for good, or recompense for evil^ How stands your 
 conscience with respect to all these? Experience 
 proves, that never does the recollection of them, whe- 
 ther they be sins against God, or offences against our 
 neighbour — never does the least of them, unless sin- 
 cerely repented of — escape the memory of the dying. 
 
 Judge yourself, that you be not judged of the 
 Lord.^^ Has Sabbath-breaking been the sin of your 
 
 ^ Well does our Church direct us to pray Ahuighty God to forgive 
 us, not only our sius, but " our negligences and ignorances." — See 
 the Litany, and p. 138. 
 
 2 In the wondrous scene which Christ Himself depicted, of the day 
 of Judgment, we find the supreme Judge thus determining severally 
 the sentence of condemnation, and the award of approval. In the 
 one case — Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the leant of these 
 my brethren, ye have done it unto In the other — "Inasmuch as 
 
 ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to mej^ Matt, 
 XXV. 40. 45. 
 
Sickness unto Death, 
 
 223 
 
 health ? Have you habitually desecrated the day by 
 worldly business, or debased it by worldly pleasure, 
 or in the pride of self-will kept it as a day of un- 
 halloived rest, in idleness at your home, and disre- 
 garded its call to the house of your God ? And does 
 anguish fill your soul ? In this your last sickness — 
 your last season for repentance — give what proof you 
 can of sincerity as a penitent, not only by confessing 
 to God your sin and your sorrow, but by warning 
 others, lest they also pursue the same evil course, and 
 share your misery by partaking in your sin. Tell the 
 yomiy^ more especially, how gladly now, were health 
 and strength yours, you would attend the courts of 
 the Lord's house, and praise his name there^ and 
 honour his day, and esteem no earthly consideration 
 sufficient excuse for the neglect of a duty so holy and 
 so happy. Warn them^ that as a youth of sin brings 
 an old age of sorrow, so no sin so completely hardens 
 a man as sabbath-breaking. It perils the soul, equally 
 by the indifference to which it gives rise, with respect 
 to its own eternal welfare, and the open defiance of 
 God's law to which it leads ^ It wilfully closes those 
 
 ^ Many fall into error by fancying that, if they abstain from those 
 flagrant sins and offences, which mark the course of openly wicked 
 men, they have attained spiritual safety. Not so are we taught by 
 the word of God. That assures us that indifference and carelessness 
 peril the soul, as surely as the more active sins. Witness tlie memor- 
 able and startling warning to the Church at Laodicea — a Cliurch 
 sunken in indifference and carelessness : — "I know thy works, that 
 thou art neither cold nor hot : I would thou wert cold or hot. So 
 then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue 
 thee out of my mouth"*'." Witness too the end of the slotliful ser- 
 vant, who thought because he had neither purloined nor diminished 
 his master's goods, that if he were to lose the meed of praise, he at 
 least was not open to blame. What availed him to have cautiously 
 laid up in a napkin the pound entrusted to himf? He was a sloth- 
 ful careless servant ; and in his sloth and in his carelessness he was 
 doomed to punishment, Alas, then, for those who think it a matter 
 of indifference whether they hallow the sabbaths and keep the ordi- 
 nances, and fancy themselves at liberty to choose whether or not they 
 will serve the Lord. 
 
 Kev. iii. 15, IG. 
 
 t Luke xix. 20. 
 
 L 4 
 
234 
 
 Sickness unto Death. 
 
 avenues to the understanding and the heart by which 
 righteous thoughts might enter, and having found en- 
 trance, might by grace abide ; it slights as a thing of 
 nought, the promised blessing of Divine graco upon 
 the assembling of ourselves together ; and by disdain- 
 ing those holy ordinances which the Almighiry Himself 
 has been pleased to appoint as the means of sanctifying 
 our souls in life, especially grieves his Holy Spirit \ 
 All these truths now rush upon your soul like a flood. 
 Your understanding is convinced by them ; your heart 
 confesses them in all their force. Avow then, unflinch- 
 ingly, your convictions and your feelings. This your 
 solemn hour is no season for dissembling. You know 
 not how much of good may accrue to others from your 
 warning, raised as it is with a sincerity which none 
 can doubt in one on the brink of the eternal world. 
 " Behold,^^ you will say, " behold in me a witness to 
 the blessed truth which came from heaven, that ^ whom 
 the Lord loveth he chasteneth.^ For many a long 
 year, in health and strength, I heeded not religion^ 
 cared not for my soul, thought not of eternity. I 
 went wrong ; and I began my evil course of error by 
 sabbath-breaking. But now I know God's ways, that 
 they have been righteous, and just, and true ; and my 
 own ways, that they have been altogether evil. Sick- 
 ness and affliction have been sanctified to me ; bring- 
 ing conviction of my once outcast sinful state, allaying 
 the fiery temper of my heart, and subduing it to re- 
 ceive the mild and gracious influences of the Spirit 
 of grace. All my impulses, by nature only evil conti- 
 nually, are now curbed, and by grace directed aright. 
 I fear sin ; and I fear hell. I love God ; and I long 
 for rest with Him in heaven. Surely, then, I may 
 rejoice in afflictions in this life, when by Divine mercy 
 they prepare me for happiness in the next.'' — Thus to 
 declare your own unworthiness, and the Lord's unde- 
 
 ^ To avoid repetition upon this point, the reader is referred to the 
 17th and following chapters upon the "Sabbath." 
 
Sickness unto Death. 
 
 225 
 
 served forbearance and goodness towards you : thus 
 to avow your own sinfulness, and exalt the merits of 
 your Saviour, as its atonement, — thus to confess 
 Christ before men, leads to no presumptuous hope 
 that He will also confess you before men and angels. 
 
 Or have you been unjust towards your neighbour in 
 thought, word, or deed? Surely the misery of that 
 injustice hath now recoiled upon yourself. If in your 
 thought you have judged others wrongfully, con- 
 science bids you consider, how you will yourself stand 
 his judgment, who will search the depths of your 
 heart, and who declares that ^^with the same judg- 
 ment ye mete to others, it shall be measured to you 
 again Have your lips spoken evil words of your 
 neighbour ^ ? If you have been guilty of slandering 
 his fair fame ; a backbiter, a tale-bearer, a whisperer ; 
 separating very friends ; if you have of malice been 
 the disturber of his peace by false insinuations, deal- 
 ing to him with your tongue other measure than you 
 would he should have dealt to you — your worst enemy 
 might pity you. There you lie, sick and afflicted ; 
 thisnvorld, in which you have done him the injury, 
 passing from you, and the next, where you must an- 
 swer for those idle w^ords — which once you held so 
 trifling — opening to receive you : and your conscience 
 even now so reproaching you with your cruel conduct^ 
 that you would willingly bear all the pain you made 
 him to suffer, if you could either forget the sin which 
 caused it, or recall the slander which your lying tongue 
 
 1 Our Church wisely takes especial heed to this important part of 
 Christian duty ; and early trains her sons to the observance of it. In 
 the full and striking exposition of a Christian's duty towards his 
 neighbour, which is so clearly and so wisely laid down by her in the 
 Catechism, she expresses herself very strongly upon the point. Our 
 duty is — " to hurt nobody by word or deed ; to be true and just in all 
 our dealings ; to bear no malice nor hatred in our heart.*' And who 
 shall wonder at the parental anxiety with which she teaches the youth- 
 ful Christian to guard the " heart with all diligence for " those things 
 which proceed out of the mouth," saith our Lord, " come forth from 
 the hearty and thei/ defile the man." Matt. xv. 18. Also Prov. v. 23, 
 L 5 
 
226 
 
 Sickness unto Death. 
 
 has proclaimed to a listening world, and which that 
 world has echoed afar. Have you injured your neigh- 
 bour in deed? And is this injury, like the last, that 
 for which you are all unable to give recompense ? 
 Alas ! you have fallen into the pit that you dug for 
 others. You injured them, but you have more deeply 
 injured yourself. You doubtless expected, by thought^ 
 word, or deed, to exalt yourself, and lower them, 
 and great seemed your triumph. But who triumphs 
 now ? The evil you inflicted upon them will not only 
 pass away, but will turn to their good ^ by aiding to 
 wean them from a world, which your malice has tended 
 to render distasteful to them : whilst against you it 
 rises with accumulated force, in a rushing tide of re- 
 morse, gathering fresh strength, as every hour bears 
 you onward to that eternity, where you must render 
 your account before the tribunal of God. 
 
 If these have been thy sins towards thy God, these 
 thy offences towards thy neighbour, and they be unre- 
 pented of; wonder not that the remembrance of them 
 now rises up against thee ^ " Sin did lie at the door 
 as it did with Cain and though for a while if rose 
 not up against thee, it was only dormant. You may 
 endeavour to escape the recollection of what it is con- 
 venient for your peace of conscience to forget ; but 
 be sure your sin will find you out." Arouse thee, 
 then, ere it be too late, and no longer close your eyes, 
 either to the existence of these sins and offiences, or 
 to their danger. No longer attempt to conceal from 
 yourself what you cannot conceal from your God. Yet 
 despair not. God forbid ! Repent ! — Thanks to the 
 mercy of the Most High, as often as the question 
 arises in the terrified heart of the convinced sinner 
 — What must I do to be saved ?" so often arises the 
 ready answer — an answer in which the Spirit of God 
 Himself speaks peace and hope to the soul — Believe 
 
 1 Matt. xii. 37. 
 
 s Gen. iv. 7. Numb, xxxii. 23. 
 
 2 See p. 198. 
 
Sickness unto Death. 
 
 227 
 
 in the Lord Jesus Christy and thou shalt be saved 
 — for your belief is no longer a mere profession, but 
 a living principle ; evidencing itself by unfeigned 
 sorrow, by a deep self-abasement, by a hatred of the 
 sin, the very recollection of which is your torment, a 
 full and unreserved confession to Almighty God % 
 with a turning of the whole heart to Him under a 
 newly awakened sense of his love and his forbearance^ 
 his mercy and his power. Apply to your own indi- 
 vidual case the glorious truth, which the word of Him 
 in whom you thus believe teaches you; and if you 
 truly mourn and forsake your sins, let the firm lan- 
 guage of St. John be the language of your heart — 
 I have sinned^ — and no longer will I, in my folly, 
 attempt to conceal from myself the danger of that sin, 
 which I cannot conceal from God. But though a 
 sinner, I hope for pardon, because I repent through 
 Jesus Christ, who hath died, and become the propi- 
 tiation for my sins. And as ^ his blood cleanseth 
 from all sin,^ I can never doubt but that it will cleanse 
 me from mine. Now I know indeed the value of a 
 Saviour; now I indeed prize the blessed truth, so long 
 and often thought lightly of, that ^ whom the Lord 
 loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom 
 he receiveth.^ True it is — I feel and I confess the 
 feeling — that as ^before I was in trouble I went 
 "wrong, but now at length I know God^s ways so I 
 owe this happy change to the merciful dispensation of 
 my heavenly Father, He saw me wandering far from 
 the strait and narrow path which leadeth unto life, 
 and, having compassion upon me. He rendered my 
 course of sin and indifference heavy and painful, by 
 sending sickness and sorrow; and merciful is this pause 
 in my earthly cares, though the pause may bring me 
 to my grave. God loved my soul, and He has chas- 
 tened me, that I might myself wisely have a heed to 
 
 ^ Acts xvi. 31. 
 
 2 1 John i. 9. "If we confess our siiif?, he is faithful and just to 
 forgive us our sins." l-efer to p. 119, and the note there. 
 
 L 6 
 
228 
 
 Futurity. 
 
 its welfare \ I now see clearly^ that Christ is alone 
 the way^ and the truths and the life ; and that the part 
 of his followers is to repent, and to believe, and to 
 obey; and so have hope of pardon and of peace." 
 
 Are these your reflections now ? these the confes- 
 sions of your heart on a dying bed ? said I not then 
 aright, that you view, with far other thoughts than 
 when in health, the present time, which God graci- 
 ously spares to you ; and that you retrace the past^ 
 with wonder at his forbearance, and amazement at his 
 love ? — New views have indeed opened upon you. 
 
 CHAPTER XLII. 
 
 FUTURITY. 
 
 If you be thus startled into an awakened view of your 
 past life and your present state, it is the prospect of 
 the future which has roused you. You feel that your 
 sickness is unto death; and you know from God^s 
 word, that, after death comes the judgment." How- 
 ever you might, in health, have pretended a disbelief 
 of this truth, or an indifference to the consequences of 
 it, you are not bold enough to disbelieve now ; and 
 your terrors prove you not indifferent. You are at 
 length convinced, that whilst Divine revelation pro- 
 claims the solemn truth, reason itself testifies to it. 
 Even in health you were fain to allow, that all things 
 in the natural world exhibit their Creator to be not 
 only a Being of infinite power to create the wonders 
 by which we are surrounded, and of infinite love in 
 so ordering them, that they all, whether in the heaven 
 above, or on the earth beneath, are uniformly directed 
 to the service of man \; but a Being who has so framed 
 
 1 1 Jo'm ii. 2 See p, 68. 
 
Futurity. 
 
 229 
 
 and so guides them, that long ages see no disturbance 
 in their course. All is order ; for all things obey his 
 will. If then the same Being, when his will is dis- 
 obeyed in the moral world, corrects not, in this life, 
 the confusion consequent upon such disobedience, it 
 were sheer credulity to imagine that in this life his 
 judgment can be final. That were to believe, either 
 that the Creator has no control over his creatures 
 or that a God, infinite in holiness as in power, can 
 leave evil unpunished* Right reason, while it scoffs at 
 imaginations fit only for the fool in his folly, can see 
 clearly, even unaided, that when a good and benefi- 
 cent Creator permits evil in the present world some- 
 times to prosper, and virtue sometimes to suffer wrong, 
 there must be ^. future day of recompense, when this 
 moral disorder will be rectified. Suppose, for a mo- 
 ment, that the certainty of final retribution had not 
 been revealed to us in the Holy Scriptures, it were 
 far more difficult to believe that such a Being as God 
 — who must be essentially truth — would suffer false- 
 hood and wrong to prevail, and remain unpunished; 
 than to credit the notion that the same Being — who^ 
 if his existence be believed at all, even as a Creator^ 
 must be allowed to be infinite in every attribute; 
 infinite, therefore, in goodness, infinite in justice — 
 should reserve to Himself full retribution, till all 
 opportunity of amendment in the wicked should have 
 passed away, and all fear of returning trials should 
 have been removed from the righteous. Nay, the 
 very heathens looked iov final ]\xAgment in the world 
 of spirits^ whither they felt every human being must 
 
 ^ The folly of scepticism on this point is at once exposed by St. 
 Paul, in the triumphant questions — Shall the thing formed say to 
 him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus ? Hath not the 
 potter power over the chiy ?" Rom. ix. 20, 21. Yet will man, formed 
 from the dust ; man, who hath only that he hath received from Him 
 who formed him, too often set up his weak reason against the word 
 and will of Him from whom he received that reason. Surely the sin 
 of the unbeliever and the sceptic hath not only exceeding sinfulness, 
 but exceeding folly. Rom. vii. 13. Prov. xiv. 9 ; xxviii. 26. 
 
236 
 
 Futurity. 
 
 pass, when the body was subdued by death ^ Even 
 in their comparative ignorance they were wise enough 
 to know, that if a man can doubt the truth of religious 
 hopes, he cannot doubt that they are the natural 
 remedy for those weightier afflictions, of which philo- 
 sophy supplies no alleviation; and which can be borne 
 only by other considerations than those which a pass- 
 ing world or the wisdom of man can offer. Add to 
 these deductions of reason^ the plain and positive 
 statement of the fact, as revealed to us in the word of 
 God % and you will draw the only safe conclusion — 
 that a judgment awaits you, which will be final; a 
 sentence irrevocable ; misery or bliss ; shame or glory. 
 I trust that you are thus convinced ; and that your 
 w^ell-grounded belief in a God of judgment, will lead 
 you to a saving faith in the same God, as a God of 
 mercy and of love. 
 
 ^ If I be in error," said the wise and virtuous heathen, If I be 
 in error, in believing the immortality of the soul, and the happiness 
 of good men in a future world, I err willingly. The prospect soothes 
 me amid the anxieties of life ; nor shall any consideration induce me 
 to forego it." — Cic. de Sen. 
 
 2 T have known men, rendered desperate by a hardened conscience 
 and along course of sin, madly scoff at the notionjof God and judgment ; 
 mock against the Saviour, and crucify Him afresh. But this fitful 
 fever, this madness, passed away when health passed away. No 
 sooner have they been brought to a bed of sickness, with the prospect 
 of death, than boldness gave place to terror, scoffing to confession, 
 the hatred of God to the love of Him. How eagerly have they then 
 caught at the promises of pardon, and reconciliation, and peace, 
 which that very book, once scorned, proclaims to them ? The Holy 
 Scriptures then have shone, as being verily the word of God ; the 
 consolations of the Spirit have been received as in truth the gift of 
 God ; and the Saviour has been sought, as indeed the only refuge for 
 the conscience-stricken sinner. The past they have then allowed to 
 be but a vapoury dream of pride ! It suited not their worldliness, and 
 their vices, to acknowledge the truth of a revelation which opened to 
 them sure punishment for those sins and offences, which marked their 
 conduct severally to their God and their fellow-creatures ; and which, 
 because unpunished in this world, they foolishly flattered themselves 
 would be unpunished for ever. 
 
 Men maij sometimes lixe infidels, sceptics, cavillers ; but let us 
 humbly hope, that when the blessed season of sickness intervenes 
 to dispel the gross darkness of sin, they do not so die ! 
 
Futurity. 
 
 231 
 
 What, then^ is that futurity which is opening upon 
 you ? You view it not as heretofore — either with pre- 
 tended doubt or a cold indifference ; with the terror 
 of a convicted hearty or the stern defiance of a reckless 
 mind — you contemplate it with mingled awe and 
 hope; as that state, which your immortal spirit 
 whispers to you is its proper destiny ; and in which^ 
 as reason and revelation agree in declaring, your woe 
 or your bliss will be sealed for ever. 
 
 To contemplate such a state without awe, would 
 indeed argue an insensibility to our own best interests, 
 equally degrading and sinful. Futurity will reveal to 
 us, what is of far more importance to each individual 
 than the fate of empires in this present life — even our 
 own final doom. The eye which closes in death will 
 open either to woe or to bliss unchanging ^ It were 
 
 1 And is not all doubt as to a future state mere pretence ? Is it 
 possible that rational man can contemplate even his own mind^ watch 
 its powers, and trace their movements, without being convinced that 
 he is spirit as well as flesh, soul as well as body ? And when 
 he looks to this lower world, and observes that its supplies are pro- 
 vided evidently for a perishing body, but affording nothing which can 
 satisfy an unperishing spirit, can he really believe, that he is himself 
 created only for this world? — I have known the strong and the healthy 
 by a painful effort of hardihood, profess that they had not made up 
 their minds about it ; but I never knew the dying to doubt of an 
 hereafter, or to deny that "after death comes the judgment." 
 
 2 " This day shalt thou be with me in paradise," was the express 
 declaration of the Saviour to the penitent thief upon the cross. The 
 paradise, indeed, here promised, is the place appointed for the spirits 
 of the just in that new world, to which death passes them, imd not 
 the final heaven, to which, at the day of judgment, soul and body will 
 alike be admitted. Even the body of Jesus, whilst in spirit He 
 descended to the place of departed spirits, lay in the grave till its 
 appointed time for rising again. Yet this state is evidently a state of 
 happiness : a paradise, wherein spirits repose after the toils of earth, 
 till the body, being raised an immortal and glorified body, shall be 
 created anew, and made a fit habitation for the immortal soul. 
 
 It may be observed upon this passage of holy writ, that the exam- 
 ple of the penitent thief, calculated as it is to speak encouragement to 
 the truly contrite, is by no means intended to qualify the danger of 
 delay. Before he was brought to the cross, he appears to have been 
 thoroughly acquainted with the leading doctrine of the Gospel — sal- 
 vation by Jesus Christ, the Son of God ; both God and Man. Mark 
 his testimony to the faultless Son of Man, whose innocence he con- 
 
233 
 
 Futurity. 
 
 surely not without a merciful consideration for human 
 infirmity, that our gracious Redeemer, who will Him- 
 self be our Judge, has depicted the scene of final judg- 
 ment with a minuteness so marvellous and awakening, 
 that it almost makes the future present to us. He 
 who will judge us, stands forth as the " Son of man,^^ 
 — and the manner of the judgment is shown ; the 
 Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all his holy 
 angels with him,^^ — and the principle upon which it 
 will be conducted is declared ; the righteous and the 
 wicked shall then receive their just recompense of 
 reward ; the wicked shall pass to everlasting misery, 
 the righteous unto life eternal. The whole scene is 
 opened before us, and the actors in it are severally 
 portrayed with a force and vividness, to which lan- 
 guage has no parallel. The Son of Man ! no longer 
 the meek, the lowly, the despised Nazarene; no 
 longer the ready Saviour, the patient Advocate, the 
 unwearied Intercessor — but glorious in his Majesty, 
 as Judge and Lord of all ! not, as once, the scorn 
 
 trasts with his own and his fellow-sufferer's just doom — " We indeed 
 justly! but this man hath done nothing amiss ! Mark his testimony 
 to the glories of the Son of God! — ^^Lord! remember me, when thou 
 comest into thy kingdotn !^^ But can we for a moment suppose, that 
 all this enlarged knowledge of the Saviour, in his Divine and human 
 nature — this ready avowal of a blessed faith in his pure and spotless 
 humanity ; this unhesitating reliance upon his divinity as Lord of a 
 future kingdom of rest and joy — could spring up in a moment? In a 
 moment too of bitterest shame to the suffering Saviour ! who, as it 
 seemed, was utterly destitute of power to save Himself ? Over what 
 kingdom could he suppose the suffering victim was about to reign 1 
 It is clear to the eye, even of right reason, that during confinement in 
 his prison-house, if not before, he had learned of Christ, — his nature 
 and office, and life and conversation ; was convinced that He was 
 king of a spiritual and heavenly kingdom ; had heard that ^'the blood 
 of Christ cleanseth from all sin " which is repented of : and having 
 had beUef to the salvation of his soul, closed his life of crime with 
 penitence and confession; his sins and offences washed away, his 
 pardon sealed, and his reconciliation effected. Alas ! then, for those 
 who plead the example of the penitent thief on the cross, as a pallia- 
 tion for their folly and sin in putting off repentance till a death-bed ! 
 It is indeed to " boast of to-morrow in defiance alike of reason 
 and of God. The pardon thus recorded has for its object, to check 
 despair, not to encourage presumption. 
 
Futurity. 
 
 233 
 
 of his enemies, thorns his crown, and a reed his 
 sceptre ; but, in his turn, scorning the vain and 
 wretched pleadings of the impenitent despisers of the 
 cross ^ — He shall array his " ten thousand times ten 
 thousand/^ the host of heaven ; that so arrayed, they 
 may summon the worlds to judgment, and prepare 
 them for the sentence He shall Himself pronounce. 
 ^^Lo! all nations gathered before him What a 
 moment of unutterable woe for the conscience-stricken 
 "wicked! to the righteous, what a moment for joy in- 
 conceivable ! And under one or other of these feelings 
 shall every individual hear the judgment, as it will be 
 proclaimed by that voice which all must then obey — 
 "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire^^ — 
 ^^Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom 
 prepared for you from the beginning of the world 
 How merciful, thus so far to remove the veil of futurity, 
 that the wicked, if they rush into misery, cannot plead 
 defective knowledge, or a doubtful warning : the 
 trumpet-call, wdiich this Scripture sends forth, gives 
 no uncertain sound for preparation^ ! Well, that the 
 ■wicked take heed, and turn from their wickedness ! 
 Well, that the righteous servant " beareth all things, 
 believeth all things, endureth all things,^^ in this life 
 present ; cheered on his w^ay by the prospect thus 
 opened to him, of the life that is to come ! Here, 
 too, every man may judge himself; for the principle 
 upon which this tremendous judgment will be con- 
 ducted is clearly laid down. As our blessed Lord 
 reminded the simple-hearted and unlearned of this 
 world's wisdom, that "to the poor the Gospel is 
 preached,^' even so to the lowest apprehension are the 
 
 ^ Prov. i. 26. " T also will laugh at your calamity ; I will mock 
 when your fear cometh." The whole passage, from verse 23, is well 
 worthy of the deep and earnest attention of the scorners and the 
 careless ones. See also Matt. vii. 22, 23. 
 
 2 Matt. XXV. 34. It were well often to meditate upon the whole of 
 the subhme scene, as depicted in this chapter from the 31st verse. 
 See the note in p. 222. 
 
 3 1 Cor. xiv. 8. 
 
234 
 
 Futurity. 
 
 Divine judgments made intelligible. Where glory- 
 to God, and goodwill towards men have marked 
 human conduct, there the Judge will of grace give 
 rich recompense of reward ; and where neither the 
 honour of God, nor the welfare of man for God^s 
 sake, have been heeded, there will the same just and 
 gracious Being award dread punishment. Receive, 
 then, with the solemn thoughts it demands, the Divine 
 revelation of a future judgment, which the Almighty- 
 has thus vouchsafed by his blessed Son; keep in mind 
 that you must yourself bear a part in it ; and as a 
 salutary awe fills your soul in the apprehension of it, 
 heed the emphatic warning from heaven — " O Israel, 
 prepare to meet thy God." 
 
 But with feelings of awe in contemplating this pro- 
 spect, is mingled a bright kope^ that mercy will temper 
 judgment. You delight more and more to open the 
 sacred pages of your Bible, where you find this futurity 
 to be thus opened to you ! How do you now bless 
 God for your former sicknesses and trials, which first 
 led you to his holy book, as the fountain of true know- 
 ledge, and the source of sure consolation ! You find 
 it to be, indeed, what its name imports — the Book of 
 books ^ ! What comforting passages now recur to your 
 
 ^ The truly great mind is ever tlie most humble before its God ; and 
 the highest intellect ever most ready to glorify the wisdom which is 
 from above. I am irresistibly led to illustrate this observation by the 
 affecthig testimony borne to the inestimable value of the word of God, 
 in one to whom I have before alluded in this work — one, whose 
 intellect was of the highest order, and who so prized the Gospel of 
 Christ, that judging it even from its beneficial effects upon society, in. 
 rectifying the errors of a fallen nature, he declared his willingness to 
 die a martyr for it," if so called upon. In his last illness, he ex- 
 pressed a wish that his attending friends should read to him. When 
 asked, from what book ? his reply was worthy of him — " Need you 
 ask?— There is but one!" 
 
 It were difficult to imngine a more striking testimony both to the 
 power of the word of God, in giving that peace, which the wisdom of 
 the world cannot give ; and to its inestimable value, as that ''one pearl 
 of great price; which, when a man had found, he went and sold all 
 that he had, and bought it."— Lockliart's Life of Sir W. Scott, 
 vol. vii. 
 
Futurity, 
 
 235 
 
 memory ! — Even then read and valued, they are now 
 felt to be beyond price. There He speaks to us in 
 life, who after death will be our Judge. Can any one 
 marvel, that hope of mercy springs to the heart alive 
 to a truth so encouraging? or that a soul which is 
 about to endure his judgment, should wish to know 
 Him, and search diligently the records which convey 
 that knowledge ^, before the solemn meeting at the 
 bar of account ? Mark a prisoner, who, after brooding 
 in his dungeon-cell over the sad hour which should 
 call him to his trial, is brought at length for judgment. 
 How earnestly his ear watches to catch the voice of 
 his advocate ! What a tumult of conflicting feelings 
 agitate his heart, as he ponders what may haply be 
 the plea, which wisdom or mercy may suggest to stay 
 or mitigate his doom ! Watch the anxious eye ! At 
 first it is lowered even to the very dust; a horrible dread 
 and confusion overwhelms him ; the apprehension of 
 shame and punishment renders him hardly conscious 
 where, or before whom he is ; and as the books are 
 opened, and his offence proclaimed, shame, even to 
 agony, fills his heart. Oh, what would he not then 
 give, that he had never sinned ! At length the voice, 
 for whose sound he had so painfully watched, is heard 
 to plead for him ; and the w^eight upon his heart is 
 lightened. The plea is strong; its effect powerful; 
 its success hopeful. He ^4ifts up the hands that 
 hang down, and the feeble knees his eye is again 
 raised ; forgetful of all else, he now, in the intenseness 
 of his feelings, and reckless of the gazing throng, 
 watches every look, as well as every word, and when 
 the plea is acknowledged to be good, springs to new 
 life, and goes on his way rejoicing. So in the pro- 
 spect of your final judgment — when, as you learn from 
 the word of inspiration, that as surely as ^^the dead, 
 small and great, shall stand before God,^^ so surely 
 
 ' Job xxii. 21. "Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace : 
 thereby good shall come mito thee." 
 
236 
 
 Futurity. 
 
 then shall ^Hhe books be opened and the record of 
 unrepented sins stand in all their guilt — in the pro- 
 spect of that judgment you feel^ you own^ you lament 
 that you have sinned ; and shame covereth your face. 
 Then is it that you hear the Gospel-voice, reminding 
 you of your plea — " Christ hath died ; and become 
 the propitiation for your sins/^ — You know that the 
 plea is good. He who was called in righteousness, 
 to bring out the prisoners from the prison/^ now 
 
 saith to the prisoner, Go forth ^ and that opener 
 of the prison-house is Christ your Advocate. Well 
 therefore may you place your whole trust and confi- 
 dence in the merit of such an Advocate. Is He not 
 Himself your pleader and your plea? You also go 
 on your way rejoicing. 
 
 And what though the future — to which every hour 
 is now hastening you on your way — be in some re- 
 spects veiled ? What though its exact state be so far 
 shadowy and undefined, that it doth not yet appear 
 what we shall be — that uncertainty is rather as to 
 the extent,i\i^xi as to the nature of the change awaiting 
 us, "when mortal shall put on immortality.^^ We 
 know certainly, for the Divine word hath assured us, 
 that when the Lord " shall appear, we shall be like 
 him ; for we shall see him as he is Shall we com- 
 plain that we know not, to its exact and full extent, 
 what that likeness will be?-~We know that it will be 
 in righteousness and glory ; and as the deductions of 
 sound reason lead us to believe, that it will also be 
 commensurate with our capacities, shall not the know- 
 ledge satisfy pardoned sinners like ourselves? To 
 wish more knowledge on this point, were to expect 
 that finite beings could comprehend infinity; to ap- 
 proach holy ground with unholy feet ; to pry into the 
 
 * Mai. iii. 16. Kev. xx. 12. "A bco^v of remembrance was writ- 
 ten before liim for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon 
 his name.'* " And I saw the dead, pmall and great, stand before God; 
 and the books were opened.''^ 
 
 2 Is. xlii. 7 ; xhx. 9. 3 i jyim 2. 
 
Futurity. 
 
 237 
 
 hidden things of God with unhallowed curiosity; and 
 justly to share our Lord^s rebuke to mere vain and un- 
 profitable questioning, when He vouchsafed no other 
 reply than a solemn admonition, rather to take heed 
 to positive duty, than perplex the mind with such 
 inquiries — " Strive to enter in at the strait gate 
 Enough is revealed to warn us to avoid here what is 
 sin, as we would hereafter avoid the woe which follows 
 it ; enough, to encourage us to follow after holiness 
 now, if we would then see the Lord; teaching us 
 clearly and emphatically, that he alone is truly wise 
 who views the future world, as you now view it — the 
 appointed state for final retribution ; its fears there- 
 fore, and its hopes, paramount to all the present world 
 can oflFer; since this world — its cares and its sorrows, 
 its glory and its shame, its fears and its hopes — all 
 shall pass away, and be as they had never been ; but 
 thou, an immortal spirit, re-united to thy body, must 
 be made immortal— ^Aow must exist for ever. Mortal 
 must put on immortality ^. 
 
 ^ Luke xiii. 24. How wise and salutary the counsel which thus 
 checks all vain curiosity ! Suppose we knew minutely the state of 
 departed souls, not only should we take no more heed, than now we 
 do, to our eternal welfare ; for as our Divine Teacher argues, if we 
 believe not the testimony of the word of God, " neither should we be- 
 lieve, though one rose from the dead but the main point of indivi- 
 dual interest would still press upon our attention — What must I do 
 to be saved?'* Let us strive, then, each for himself, to enter in at the 
 strait gate ; and waste not inquiry on matters which are among the 
 hidden things of God. 
 
 2 No choice left ! The wicked, doubtless, would fain sink into utter 
 annihilation ; but no such alternative will be permitted them. The 
 living will be changed, and the dead will be raised, that they may 
 pass to an everlasting existence. The thought might suffice to break 
 even the heavy slumber of the sinner, and rouse him to the care of 
 " the one thing needful." See 1 Cor. xv. 53. 
 
238 
 
 CHAPTER XLIIL 
 
 life's last hours. 
 
 On the brink of this futurity you now stand ! How 
 earnestly do you strive to concentrate all your powers 
 in prayer for His aid^ to whom the past, the present, and 
 the future, are alike known ; who is the same yester- 
 day, to-day, and for ever; the Lord alike of death 
 and of life! How anxiously do you seek to draw nigh 
 unto Him now, before whom^ as the Father of the 
 spirits of all flesh, you will yourself, a freed spirit, so 
 soon appear! You dread to meet Him unprepared. 
 Rather, you desire to open to Him your whole heart, 
 and no longer to palliate its unworthiness — an attempt 
 vain as presumptuous ; for a few hours will see you in 
 the presence of the Searcher of all hearts. I have 
 sinned^ but Christ hath died/' is the one absorbing 
 sentiment in your soul. No glorying in riches, or 
 might, or wisdom! Are you rich? you candidly 
 acknovvledge, that riches profit not in the hour of 
 death. Are you great? you as readily avow that 
 earthly glory is but vanity, and that the grave will 
 soon bring down your greatness : — you trust in it no 
 more. Are you wise in the wisdom of the world? 
 how scornfully do you cast from you all trust in that 
 wisdom ! "Talk not to me of aught but the wisdom 
 which maketh wise unto salvation. To know Christ 
 is the only wisdom now I To know Christ and Him 
 crucified ! — O merciful Judge, grant that He may be 
 Christ crucified for mel^^ Your soul filled with feel- 
 ings thus deep and holy, you long to give expression 
 to them in prayer. Yet haply, the languor of sickness, 
 and the agony of pain, check your utterance ; and 
 your flagging powers refuse their office. Still, be not 
 dismayed ; the Holy Spirit will breathe into your soul 
 its gracious consolations, and will bring to your mind 
 
Life\s Last Hours. 
 
 239 
 
 the blessed promises^ on which^ during your sickness, 
 you rejoice to meditate. You will remember that if 
 you draw nigh to God, he will draw nigh unto you."' 
 Memory will recall the blessed assurance of your 
 Redeemer, that "whosoever liveth and believeth, 
 though he were dead, yet shall he live/^ You will 
 trust in the Divine mercy, that with you, as with the 
 Ethiopian convert, the desire shall be accepted, even 
 though due power of uttering that desire be wanting. 
 If thou behevest with all thine hearty thou shalt be 
 saved/^ Neither can you forget that your heavenly 
 Father waiteth not for the expression of devotion, to 
 be reconciled ! When the returning prodigal was as 
 yet a great way off^ long ere his voice could be heard, 
 his heavenly Father, "unto whom all hearts are 
 opened,'^ " saw him, and had compassion, and ran 
 and fell on his neck, and kissed him And can you 
 doubt that He is less ready to receive you when your 
 heart is filled wdth a devoted love and reverence 
 towards Him; and when all your longing, also, is to 
 pour forth the just confession — "Father,! have sinned 
 against heaven, and before thee?^^ He Himself stays 
 every fear — "This my son was dead, and is alive 
 again; he was lost, and is found. So truly does the 
 Church teach us, that " God is always more ready to 
 hear than we to pray May He grant you to re- 
 ceive this truth in all its power, and in all the fulness 
 of its consolation 1 
 
 You will find much aid and comfort in this your 
 hour of trial, by applying to the appropriate service, 
 appointed by the Church for the season of sickness and 
 
 ^ I know but few passages in Scripture more calculated than this to 
 speak peace to the dying. When the lieart is full of prayer, (so to 
 speak,) though the tongue be powerless to give utterance to thought; 
 to feel tlien that the heart-searching God knoweth our thoughts long 
 before; and to believe what our blessed Saviour hath Himself taught 
 us, that the thought, if right, is accepted — this conviction, and this 
 faith, must give to the expiring Christian a peace which indeed 
 
 passeth all understanding/' 
 
 2 See the Collect for the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity. 
 
240 
 
 Life's Last Hours. 
 
 approaching death — a service altogether instructive ; 
 equally awakening and consolatory; adapted most 
 admirably both to fix the soul of the sufferer where 
 alone hope is to be found; and to aid in his high and 
 holy office the servant of the Lord, who is called to 
 minister. When that service is engaged in with a true 
 spirit of devotion, how entirely is all self-righteousness 
 put aside; all insincerity abashed; all vain terror over- 
 come ! The humble rejoice to find themselves en- 
 couraged; the faithful strengthened; the wavering 
 brought back to the truth — whilst despondence is 
 cheered, hope is duly regulated ; nor was ever found, 
 I should think, a heart so hard as to read or to hear it 
 unmoved \ Throughout this service for the sick, from 
 its opening to its close, there is a watchful care so to lead 
 your thoughts to God, that neither consciousness of sin 
 and infirmity sink you to despair, nor faith in the pro- 
 mises of redemption lead you to presumption. The 
 truth, that God chastening you as a father, is by those 
 very means at once proving his love and intending your 
 welfare — appears, with abeautiful consistency, pervad- 
 ing every part. You praj^ that your conviction of this 
 truth may be sanctified to you, leading you ^^to take in 
 good part the chastisement of the Lord/^ As you ap- 
 proach nearer to judgment, it is possible that some fear 
 yet remains, lest when there shall be arrayed against you 
 sins, negligences, and ignorances, among them may be 
 found not only those with which your own memory is 
 burdened, but those also which you m^ijh^Ye forgotten; 
 yet which God forgets not till washed out in the blood 
 of the Lamb. You therefore implore your gracious 
 Lord "to remember not your iniquities/^ but to "spare 
 you whom he hath redeemed with his most precious 
 blood.^^ O the power of that plea ! It can still those 
 terrors which trouble even the contrite heart, when 
 contemplating the perfection of Him, before whom the 
 
 ^ It is not my intention, in the present work, to enter into a gene- 
 ral explanation of this service: yet I cannot forbear thus directing 
 the sick to its ready aid. 
 
The Triumph of Faith. 
 
 241 
 
 freed spirit must appear. We ask^ How can such a 
 Being forget True it is, that as we forget, He for- 
 gets not. Happily for us, Ms forgetfulness is but 
 another term for his forgiveness ; and his forgiveness, 
 when vouchsafed, partakes of his perfections. It is 
 complete. Our offences once forgiven by Him, are, 
 as to their dreadful consequences, as though they had 
 never been. So true is the Apostle's bold assertion, 
 that " there is now no condemnation to them which 
 are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but 
 after the Spirit — a boldness well borne out by the 
 solemn declaration of a reconciled God to his repentant 
 people, that their " sins and their iniquities He will 
 remember no more The stain of them is washed 
 away by the atoning blood of the Lamb. ''^ His blood 
 cleansethfrom all sin for He offered upon the cross 
 a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and 
 satisfaction for the sins of the whole world Your 
 faith firmly fixed upon this blessed truth, and seeing 
 that thereby the perfection of Divine justice is satisfied 
 — for " mercy and truth can now meet together ^ — 
 nature yields to grace ; the fear which nature dictates 
 is overcome by the hope to which grace leads you. 
 How is there room for fear, when such a Being is at 
 hand to save you — when your Redeemer is your God ? 
 
 CHAPTER XLIV. 
 
 THE TRIUMPH OF FAITH IN LIFe's LAST HOURS. 
 
 Thus you commune with your heart in the awful 
 stillness of life's closing scene ; and, as each moment 
 passeth away, your communing brings you nearer and 
 
 1 Jer.^xxxi. 34. Heb. viii. 12. Isa. xliii. 25. 
 
 * See the Communion Service. 3 Ixxxv 10 
 
 [264] M ■ ■ 
 
242 
 
 Tlie Triumph of Faith 
 
 nearer to that glorious Beings who, having conducted 
 you at last beside the waters of comfort even in this 
 wilderness of life, forsakes you not as you enter the 
 gloomy vale to which it leads^ even " the valley of the 
 shadow of death.^^ Dreading it as you did in pros- 
 pect, you dread it not now ! for He is with you, your 
 Strength^ your Guide, your Comforter : you. ^^fear no 
 evil : his rod and his staff comfort you 
 
 But perhaps, even when your repentance is sincere^ 
 your faith firm, and your hope bright with respect to 
 the gracious acceptance of the soul by a merciful God, 
 the heart still dwells with anxious care upon survivors 
 — upon those from whom you are about to part, and 
 whom you are leaving to the cares and troubles of a 
 stormy world. You are a parent. Your eye rests 
 upon the loved children v/eeping round you. They 
 already begin to feel the desolateness which soon will 
 overcloud them, when your affectionate voice shall no 
 longer be heard to counsel them in their doubts, 
 encourage them in their duties, cheer them in their 
 sorrows, and direct them into the path of safety and 
 of comfort. No word may pass ; but you read their 
 thoughts ; and you, for whom they weep, are yourself 
 the soother of their grief. Faith wins for herself a 
 triumph here also. You fear not. You remind them 
 of the gracious promises of an all-present and all- 
 powerful God, that He will supply to them tlieir every 
 want ; will be Himself in the place of the departed — a 
 
 Father of the fatherless, who defendeth the cause of 
 the widows, even God in his holy habitation You 
 remind them of his gracious goodness to you hitherto, 
 through a long and varied life ; you recount his many 
 merciful providences towards you, and your numerous 
 deliverances from impending danger or trouble ; you 
 gratefully acknowledge his long-suffering towards you, 
 in giving you added years to prepare for eternity: 
 you cannot doubt his goodness now ! You now too 
 
 ^ Ps. xxiii. 4. 
 
 2 Ps. Ixviii. 5. 
 
in Lifers Last Hours. 
 
 243 
 
 reap the reward of that Christian spirit which in life 
 you delighted to exercise towards your fellow-creatures. 
 You give assurance to those around you, for their 
 guidance and instruction, that peace is in your heart; 
 for you find there no revenge, no ill will, no painful 
 recollection even of those evils which malice once 
 w^orked against you ; you have as fully forgiven all, 
 as you hope for Christ^s sake to be yourself forgiven ^ ; 
 — no burden of enmity presses upon your soul. Re- 
 joicing to feel that " God spared not his own Son, but 
 delivered him up for us aiy^ you see with a clearness, 
 which no worldly cloud now dims, the justness of the 
 Apostle's reasoning — How shall God not with him 
 also freely give us all things ^?^^ Thus whilst you 
 speak comfort to the mourning survivors, by showing 
 that your faith is upon the Rock, and that your hope 
 maketh not ashamed, you endeavour to point these 
 truths for their practical instruction, that when they 
 come to the same awful hour, they too " may find 
 peace in the day of their visitation/' You urge them 
 to live above the world ; no longer enchanted by 
 its smiles ; no longer terrified by its frowns ; no 
 longer conformed to its spirit, but "transformed 
 by the renewing of their mind ^ that so to them^ 
 as to you, a death-bed may be in peace. True ! the 
 pains and terrors of death, though sometimes they 
 are mitigated, and the soul appears to pass away as in 
 soft slumber, are yet often grievous to be borne ; and 
 the sorrowing hearts around you dread lest you suffer 
 under them. Then it is that Faith enables you to nerve 
 their courage by your own firm reliance on a " very 
 present God As you approach nearer to the glo- 
 rious Majesty of heaven^ so entirely are you convinced 
 of your own utter unvvorthiness in his sight, that you 
 confess of these pains, even when they rack you with 
 agony, that they are but the natural penalty of a sin- 
 
 See p. 147 — on the Lord's Prayer. ^ Rom. viii. 32. 
 
 Rom. xii. 2. * Ps. xlvi. 1. 
 
 M 3 
 
244 
 
 The Triumph of Faith 
 
 ful and corrupt nature ; too fully deserved by your- 
 self, and too justly inflicted by a holy God\ You 
 compare your sufferings with those of your blessed 
 Redeemer — and the language of the penitent on the 
 cross is the language of your heart — We indeed 
 justly ; but this man hath done nothing amiss yet no 
 sorrow was like unto his sorrow. Severe, too, and just 
 as these pains may be, they will soon cease ; and then 
 you will be admitted to their Father and your Father, 
 to their God and your God — happier even than their 
 ardent love can wish you — no care, no sorrow, no 
 pain. They w^eep ; you weep not. You are your- 
 self in proof, that whatever be the nature of the trials 
 to which we may be called, w^hether in life or in 
 death, "as our days, so shall be our strength 
 From the hour that sickness first crept upon you, to 
 the present moment, when it is subduing your vital 
 powers, and racking you with pain, you have had 
 grace to be more and more submissive, more and 
 more patient and resigned; your faith has been 
 the more strengthened, your hope more brightened ; 
 and whilst your throbbing pulses tell how fast the 
 tide of life is ebbing, you exhibit — not the stubborn 
 pride of stoic apathy either to the pangs of death, 
 which may soon come upon you, or to the grief 
 of those who mourn you : not the daring of an 
 assumed resolution — you exhibit the calm and steady 
 fortitude which the Spirit of Christ alone can give ; 
 enabling you, in humble imitation of your agonized 
 Redeemer, to cast your burden upon your God, and 
 
 * Death itself came by that judicial andrlgliteons connexion which 
 is between sin and dissolution : for how could a body defiled hy sin 
 be fit to accompany the soul to its destined immortality of bliss in 
 heaven? Needs be, tliat it underwent such change as Almighty 
 Wisdom appointed it to undergo by death, that it might afterwards 
 be created anew, like unto Christ's glorious body." 
 
 The body of Jesus Christ, though it was for a time forsaken of its 
 spirit, knew no corruption^ because it had known no sin, 
 
 2 Deut. xxxiii. 25. Sec p. 76. 
 
in Lifers Last Hours. 
 
 245 
 
 submit the issue to Him. You are on your way to 
 another and a better world ; — deep and powerful 
 indeed are the feelings which thus fill your soul ; 
 they are feelings which no wild fancy dictates ; no 
 vain imagination creates ; they spring of faith in 
 the Lord Jesus Christ, and the knowledge of him 
 crucified/^ He is "thy plagues, O Death — and thy 
 destruction, O Grave M^^ — they are feelings which 
 the agonies of dissolution cannot weaken ; they are 
 strong as the rock on which they rest ; they sustain 
 your faith, and elevate your hope, and prepare your 
 soul for heaven ! 
 
 At length, though consciousness fails not, you are 
 powerless to give expression to it. The sight dims, 
 the hearing fails, the tongue refuses its office — you 
 are left in the solemn stillness of " the valley of the 
 shadow of death/^ Your spirit hovering between the 
 two worlds, prepares for its entrance upon that eternal 
 state of which you have thought so much and so often, 
 on the brink of which you now find yourself, and of 
 which soon you will know all the wonders. With 
 what awe do you walk in the seclusion, and gloom, and 
 silence, of that dark and solitary region ! "True, for 
 others the light of day may be shining in full splen- 
 dour, but your eye is closed to its cheering ray ; the 
 voice of love and affection may speak sweet words of 
 soothing to you ; but, though never before w^as affec- 
 tion so deep, never before was love so strong, your 
 ear catcheth no sound ; your eye maketh no recog- 
 nition. All those who would fain thus minister to 
 you in lifers last hour, you are about to leave for ever 
 here. Yet you cannot sorrow for them. You have 
 already, in faith, committed them to the care of One, 
 whose care for their best interests is only equalled by 
 his love and his power ; and they are infinite ^ Nei- 
 
 ^ Hos. xiii. 14. 
 
 2 In the history of our blessed Lord's life, we find Him on various 
 occasions directing us to follow his example. When, for instance, He 
 would enforce the practice of humility in the exercise of good offices 
 M 3 
 
246 
 
 The Triumph of Faith 
 
 ther can you sorrow for yourself. This loneliness, 
 awful though it be, is but for a moment. You will 
 
 towards our fellow-creatures, He Himself washed his disciples' feet, 
 and pointed to his own act, both as a type of his power and will to 
 cleanse the soul, by washing it in the living waters, of which He is 
 Himself the heavenly fountain ; and likewise as an illustration of 
 that principle of humility which should ever guide, in their conduct 
 towards each other, the disciples of a meek and lowly Master. But 
 that history has recorded other passages in his short sojourn here 
 below, which, though not directly pointed for our imitation, botli chal- 
 lenge imitation as a duty, and permit it as a privilege. Thus, when 
 He was about to yield up his life upon the cross, He bequeathed to his 
 beloved friend, St. John, the care of his sorrrjwing mother, who was 
 soon to be left unprotected — exposed alone to the hard trials of a 
 cruel world. The whole scene, as depicted by the Evangelist, is of 
 deep and affecting interest. We behold the mother, standing in lone- 
 liness of heart, and with an intenseness of feeling which mothers only 
 can understand, viewing her wondrous Son in his agony, and watch- 
 ing his death in all the touching silence of utter hopelessness ; whilst 
 the agonized Jesus turns upon her his last look of mingled pity and 
 affection, with the simple and emphatic charge, severally to her and 
 to his friend — "Behold thy son ! — Behold thy mother!" True, the 
 Saviour added no command that we should "go and do likewise:" 
 yet the instruction is not less plain. See we not that He has for ever 
 sanctified the tenderest feeling of which the human heart is capable 
 — I had almost said its last weakness — in the thoughtful care for the 
 temporal welfare of survivors. Can that cease to be a duty in us, 
 which He practised ? Or can that care be in us unhallowed, for the 
 exercise of which we can plead his own affecting example ? O how 
 good, how gracious, how tenderly considerate for our weaknesses I 
 What a glorious proof that He was indeed Himself " touched with all 
 the feeling of our infirmity except sin!" Behold Him offering up 
 Himself on the cross, the world's great sacrifice ; bearing the weight 
 of the sins of mankind ; in all the desolateness of desertion by his God, 
 yet not holding his work finished, till He had provided for the welfare 
 of his heart-br(^ken mother ! He saw the " sword of misery pierce 
 her heart," and He forgot his own woes in hers. As often then as we 
 contemplate this scene, it is impossible not to feel the holiest grati- 
 tude at the assurance thus Jifforded to the Christian's mind, that even 
 in the awful hour of dissolution, there may be mingled with care for 
 our soul's welfare, care also for the welfare of those dear ones we are 
 about to leave, and thus the parting of the living from the dead, sad 
 and heart-racking as is the severing, finds some soothing even here. 
 
 The occasion thus referred to presents one of the clearest and 
 most impressive explanations which the inquiring mind can wish, of 
 those precepts of our blessed Lord, with respect to worldly careful- 
 ness, which are too often, if not wilfully misunderstood, errone- 
 ously applied. For instance, we hear his startling warnings — " take 
 no thought for the morrow ; for the morrow shall take thought for the 
 
in Lifers Last Hours. 
 
 217 
 
 change the sympathy of earthly friends for the love 
 of your God^ and the ministry of his angels, and the 
 society of the blessed. God will not fail his word. 
 He will be with you on your way. " When thou 
 passest through the waters, I will be with thee ; and 
 through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee 
 Hath He said, and shall He not do it? Or can faith 
 be so weak as not to trust Him in this the last great 
 trial of the soul ? He who hath sustained thee in 
 the temptations of life — shall He not be thy rod and 
 thy staff in the trials of death ? Or, is his hand 
 shortened, that He cannot save his Israel now ? — 
 Rather shall ample evidence of his presence be yours^ 
 
 things of itself " If any man come to me, and hate not his father, 
 and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, and his 
 own life also, he cannot be my disciple f Are we, therefore, to 
 disregard the duties of the world, and outrage all the sweet charities 
 of life ? Look to the cross, and the Saviour there expiring ! The 
 same Being, who, when surrounded by those who made the world 
 their idol, and heeded not the one thing needful," warned with all the 
 energy of a Divine love the souls of those careless ones, did, in his 
 ow^n death-hour, make wise and thoughtful provision for the morrow ; 
 and the same voice which declares the condition of our discipleship to 
 be, that we hate those to whom nature herself hath bound us in bonds 
 of affection, rallies its fainting powers in death, to enforce upon a sor- 
 rowing friend the care and guardianship of a surviving mother. With 
 how marvellous — rather with how Divine, — a wisdom, anticipating 
 every difficulty which our infirmities might present to a right under- 
 standing of his words, does the example of our Redeemer qualify and 
 regulate his precepts ! None but the proud of heart and of will need 
 misunderstand his words. His precepts are strongly marked indeed; 
 stamped with that decision which is characteristic of earnest affection 
 and sure wisdom ; but it is clear that they are directed against excess. 
 Care for the body, so long as God pleases to prolong our existence in 
 this lower state of being, is a duty ; but if that care be taken in a pre- 
 sumptuous disregard of a superintending Providence ; or, if it exceed 
 — I shoula rather say — if it be not inferior to the care which we take 
 for our soul's welfare, then are we careful overmuch : then are we 
 taking thought for the morrow," to the dishonour of our God, and 
 the ruin of our souls. But a due and proper regard of our own well- 
 being in life, and that of our survivors in death, is now for ever sanc- 
 tified by the example of our Saviour Christ : only let us take good 
 heed to be "likeminded" after his example J. 
 ^ Isa. xliii. 2. 
 
 * I^Iatt. vi. 25. 
 
 f Luke xiv. 26. 
 M 4 
 
 X Rom. XV. 5. 
 
248 
 
 The Chamber of Death. 
 
 in a holy calm, which none but He can give ; in a 
 firm unshaken faith, which his Spirit alone can sup- 
 ply ; and in a hope so holy and so bright, that as it 
 emanates from heaven, so will it be an earnest of 
 that heaven for you. Who knoweth but that when 
 thy soul, thus plumed for flight, as a bird out of the 
 snare of the fowler, free to expatiate on the expanse 
 before it, spreads its wings for flight, angels may be 
 at hand, ministering to thee as to the patient Lazarus, 
 sustaining thee in thy flight, and bearing thee in safety 
 and in peace to thy rest in heaven ? 
 
 CHAPTER XLV. 
 
 THE CHAMBER OF DEATH. 
 
 Of those who read these pages, some there may be^ 
 who, though each cherishes in his heart the fond 
 desire that he may " die the death of the righteous,'^ 
 yet being strong, and healthful, and prosperous, are 
 reluctant to think upon death — itself a withering 
 blight to all man's hopes of ease and advancement in 
 this world, and a barrier for ever to those fair scenes 
 which prosperity may be opening to him. Much 
 might be said for this reluctance, either if it were not 
 appointed unto all men once to die, or if forgetfulness 
 of that truth could confer any chartered privilege to 
 keep death in check till man should proclaim himself 
 ready for the meeting ; or even if the contemplation 
 of our end necessarily sunk the heart in sadness. 
 But, as Death must be met, though the time of the 
 meeting is shadowed in the awful gloom of uncer- 
 tainty ; as it oftentimes seizes the rich in their pros- 
 perity, cuts off youth in its bloom, and subdues man- 
 hood in its strength ; whilst age, and poverty, and 
 sickness, are spared still to linger out their existence of 
 
The Chamber of Death. 
 
 249 
 
 weakness^ misery^ and pain ; and as there can be no 
 real enjoyment in this worlds unless our peace be 
 sealed for the next; wisdom tells us, that to prepare 
 for Death — " man^s last enemy — is by God^s bless- 
 ing the readiest way to gather courage for the meet- 
 ing, and strength for the struggle. Hence to the 
 strong and healthful, as to the sick and dying, speaks 
 the voice which came down from heaven — Watch 
 But since it is difficult, in the hurry and bustle of life^ 
 to be free for such thoughts as befit our watchful- 
 ness, it were not less wise than profitable to begin 
 the duty in the sad stillness of the chamber of death. 
 
 Come, then, let us enter that still and solemn cham- 
 ber; contemplate the stern conquest which, for a 
 season, death hath there achieved; and in the salutary 
 pause so given to earthly views, bear our thoughts to 
 that future world, which the dead have entered, and 
 towards which we are ourselves hastening. The scene^ 
 how strange — how awful ! There lieth one, in whom 
 lately moved the springs of life in full activity, giving 
 animation to every the minutest portion of the frame. 
 Now all is motionless. The shadow of death hath 
 passed over those features, of late instinct with every 
 varied expression which might indicate intelligence ; 
 and marble itself is not more rigid than those once 
 plastic lineaments. The eye is closed, yet the dark 
 brow evidences that no easy struggle was that which 
 the mortal frame endured, ere it gave up the dread 
 contest with this champion of the grave. It were not 
 possible to contemplate such a scene unmoved. With 
 a silent, but impressive eloquence, not only does it 
 warn the sinner, startle the careless, and rouse the 
 lukewarm, but it encourages the righteous, and ad- 
 monishes all. 
 
 What change is here wrought? Was the dead 
 exalted in station, and commanding in wealth ? Was 
 he one whom during life the world saw high in honour 
 
 1 1 Cor. XV. 26. 
 M 5 
 
250 
 
 The Chamber of Death. 
 
 and in fame; the admiration of the wise, and the envy 
 of all ? Where now the dazzling splendour of his 
 course ? All is faded in the gloom of death. Nothing 
 profits now but the use he may have made of worldly 
 advantages, to promote the glory of God and the wel- 
 fare of mankind. If his wisdom and his mighty his 
 riches and his influence, rich gifts from heaven \, were 
 applied to uphold true religion and virtue ; if all things 
 were done^ " not as unto men, but as unto God if an 
 uniform sense of responsibility to a heavenly tribunal 
 was the paramount feeling of his heart — determining 
 his motives, and regulating his counsels, and directing 
 his actions ; if, amid the allurements of this world, his 
 affections were set on another; if, happily an instru- 
 ment of good to his fellow- creatures, he yet referred 
 the power and the glory to God; if, living unto the 
 Lord, he also died in the Lord — then " his works do 
 follow him ^;^^ and he will be recompensed, not indeed 
 of merit, but of grace, through the satisfaction made 
 by our Redeemer, Christ; and his course, like the 
 ship's bright track on the dark waters, will still serve 
 to guide into the same blessed path others who are 
 " passing the waves of this troublesome world,^^ and, 
 like him, steering for the haven of their rest. To the 
 righteous, then, his example speaks encouragement. 
 Are you haply of those servants who delight to do 
 their Master's will? Are you of exalted station, 
 ample wealth, and far-spread influence ; yet self- 
 denying towards your God^, benevolent towards your 
 fellow-creatures, and of a humble heart ? Though 
 favoured of this present world, is your mind set on 
 that future world awaiting you ? Do you strive so to 
 use your earthly blessings, that they may turn to 
 heavenly blessings ? so to use each passing hour, that 
 your last hour may be peace ? To you the example 
 of the righteous dead is a continual encouragement 
 " not to be weary in well-doing,'' but to remember 
 
 ^ 1 Chron. xxix. 12. 
 
 2 Rev. xiv. 13. 
 
 3 ^latt. xvi. 24. 
 
The Chamber of Death. 
 
 251 
 
 that ^^you shall reap, if you faint not." Nay, they 
 well remind you, that there is a spirit of ambition^ 
 which even in this world is an object worthy the aim 
 of the noblest minds — the ambition of living to the 
 honour of our God, the benefit of our fellow-creatures, 
 and the good of our immortal souls. Death destroys 
 not that ambition — it but suspends its agency. That 
 spirit will resume its power over us in higher worlds, 
 where the glory of the Lord will be our aim, and to 
 serve and to please Him be our ambition for ever. To 
 those, however, who, in a spirit of pride and vain-glory, 
 live the slaves of wealth, or of worldly ambition, 
 making self their idol, and holding this world to be 
 their resting-place, what an instructive lesson is here 
 presented ! The world has no monitor like the grave. 
 The dead thence speak the language of no earthly 
 wisdom. They not only tell that all is vanity," 
 they are themselves in proof that the voice is truth. 
 They warn the ambitious, that if the wealth, the sta- 
 tion, the power, the influence, at which they aim, be 
 at last made their own, all will soon fade, even as 
 his over whose lifeless form they now stand : soon 
 they ydW have left their riches for others ; and as they 
 brought nothing into this world, neither may they 
 carry any thing out. Reader ! wisely examine well 
 your own heart. Has worldly ambition ever agitated 
 you ? has it ever wrapt you in dreamy visions of 
 greatness and applause, of riches and of power ? Have 
 you, when under this delusion, been tempted to forego 
 your rectitude, in the pursuit of that to which the 
 spirit of ambition points ? Behold and see that even 
 the highest earthly honours must end in dust : all is 
 indeed vanity. Even as you view your fellow-crea- 
 ture now, cold and powerless in the awful repose of 
 death, others will one day behold you. Neither can 
 your pomp follow you ; and however in life you may 
 have been exalted far above others in wealth, fame, or 
 station, you must with them return unto the dust 
 whence you w^ere taken. Meditate upon this scene 
 M 6 
 
252 
 
 Conscience Aroused. 
 
 with the solemn feelings which it demands. It may 
 well calm all the agitating hopes and fears of those 
 whose aim reaches no higher than this present world 
 of vanity and woe. 
 
 CHAPTER XLVI, 
 
 CONSCIENCE AROUSED. 
 
 Thus far the death-scene is encouraging and instruc- 
 tive. There are those to whom it is more. There are 
 those whose consciences^ long dormant, it at length 
 awakens, and to whom it renews the memory of 
 events long forgotten, but now remembered — remem- 
 bered with horror ill concealed, and remorse unavail- 
 ing. These are they, who in life first envied their 
 neighbour, then hated, and at length persecuted him. 
 
 Where now is the fury of the oppressors ? By a 
 just retribution it is now in their own hearts : thither 
 the arrow, aimed too well at another, has at last re- 
 turned. Victims of self-reproach, they now in their 
 agony envy the dead, not as of late, his wisdom, 
 power, riches, or other worldly advantages — they envy 
 him the calm and peaceful silence of the grave. If 
 you injure your neighbour whilst he lives, no sooner 
 do compunctious visitations begin to torment your 
 conscience, and better thoughts are yielded to, than 
 you may seek him, and recompense him^ and be recon- 
 ciled to him \ Have you slandered his fair fame ? 
 By a frank avowal of your sin, and a candid expres- 
 sion of sorrow for it, you may in some degree, so heal 
 the wound you have made, that the past will be for- 
 given, and you will gain a brother.^^ If you have 
 aimed at his peace of mind, by the shafts of wit and 
 ridicule — nay, if you have, in the coward spirit of 
 
 1 Matt. V. 24. 
 
Conscience Aroused, 
 
 253 
 
 wickedness, covertly endeavoured to undermine his 
 comfort by secret attacks, in which you professed no 
 participation, though you rejoiced in the pain you 
 caused ; if you have mocked and scoffed the virtues 
 which you would not imitate ; if, because you felt his 
 very excellence to be a tacit reproach upon your own 
 worldliness, you therefore hated whom thus you en- 
 vied — still, so long as life is spared, it is not impossible 
 but that you may relent, and offend no more ; and that 
 he who was so long an object of your injustice and 
 wrong, may, with that truly noble spirit which is ever 
 attendant upon the virtuous, be as placable as you 
 are relenting. But when he, whom you have thus 
 injured in thought, and word, and deed, lies dead 
 before you — he^ free for ever from your cruelty ; you^ 
 left with the burden upon your soul of injuries freshly 
 remembered, but beyond recall or recompense — ca- 
 lumny, hatred, scorn; offences indeed against your 
 neighbour, but to be answered for before your God — 
 can imagination picture to itself a state of mind on 
 this side the grave more utterly wretched ? Death 
 has rolled back the tide of human passions, and the 
 heart, like a forsaken shore, lies exposed to itself, 
 wdth all its long-concealed realities; laid bare in all 
 the unsightly variety of a selfish pride, a deluding 
 envy, and a harsh uncharitableness, which the tower- 
 ing wave once covered. Then it is, that the soul, 
 conscience-stricken at the recollection of sins long 
 forgotten, receives with amazement and dread the 
 solemn truth, that " for all these things, God will call 
 us to judgment So appalling is the feeling which 
 
 ^ It is a wise as well as a Christian habit, to encoiirnge ourselves 
 to think kindly towards those among whom we live, lest in death we 
 lament opportunities of kindness for ever lost, and regret occasions 
 of harshness then past recall. It may indeed sometimes happen that 
 in pursuing a course so opposed to our natural feelings, we are called 
 to exercise no small share of self-denial and self-control. But how 
 far better to bear the weight of self-denial, and to submit to the curb of 
 self-control in life, than risk the misery of remorse in death ! David's 
 example is in clear and in beautiful illustration of this reasoning, which 
 
254 
 
 Conscience Aroused. 
 
 thus arises from the consciousness of having injured 
 another^ when we view the dead^ unoffending now, 
 though long injured — all opportunity of repairing the 
 injury for ever cut off — that part of the misery of those 
 dread offenders against the majesty of the Most High, 
 w^ho once cried ^' Crucify him^ crucify him ! and of 
 those who in succeeding ageS;, by their desperate and 
 presumptuous sins, have crucified Him, and do crucify 
 Him afresh — part of the misery, under which they 
 severally shall suffer at the last great day^ will be the 
 view of Him whom they persecuted — " they shall look 
 on him whom they pierced'^ — that sight aggravating 
 even the gnawing of the worm that never dieth,^^ 
 and the torment of '^the fire which never can be 
 quenched/^ 
 
 It is when under solemn feelings like these — feel- 
 ings quickened and cleared to the truth by the scene 
 which calls them forth — that we are fully aware of our 
 real position, as responsible to our Maker for a kindly 
 or a cruel bearing towards our fellow-creatures. 
 Blessed, if the subdued heart even then bends itself 
 to the tardy confession — I have sinned. God be 
 merciful to me a sinner ! I know and feel my sin. I 
 
 he felt in all its force, and acted upon with a decision and persever- 
 ance well worthy our imitation : " My soul hath long dwelt among 
 them that are enemies unto peace." But what course did he adopt ? 
 Mark his resolve : " / labour for peace This is a course not less 
 wise than holy. It is in evidence of that true wisdom which prefers 
 duty to inclination, and the future to the present. Nor let any delude 
 themselves by supposing that injuries of harshness, which they may 
 have forgotten now, they will always forget. Even in our daily expe- 
 rience, circumstances for long years totally forgotten, are, by the 
 occurrence of some or otlier event associated with them, brought to 
 light with all their vividness of joy or sorrow, regret or happiness. 
 Who then shall say, how much of the past now forgotten, may at the 
 close of life rush again to memory, compressed into a moment — that 
 moment, the moment which precedes our entrance upon eternity ? 
 Thou little dreamest now, perhaps, what hidden cells of memory may 
 then be opened. — Watch now ! 
 
 * Ps. cxx. 5. 
 
Conscience Aroused. 
 
 255 
 
 feel that if to love the Lord our God be the first com- 
 inandment, the second, though demanding -only that 
 we love our neighbours as ourselves, is like unto it : 
 like unto it, in the authority upon which it rests ; like 
 unto it, in the responsibility which it involves ; for 
 not only is it written in heaven, that duty to my 
 neighbour, neglected or fulfilled, will form part of my 
 future judgment ^ but my conscience tells me, that 
 were it not so. Divine justice would be outraged, and 
 wrong would ultimately triumph. For these things 
 therefore, God will bring men into judgment 1 Happy 
 they who take w^arning in time, and do, from their 
 very heart, love their neighbour as themselves 
 
 It is the more important to heed these- truths, be- 
 cause very little experience of the world and its doings 
 is required to convince us that the greater part of 
 human misery is the fruit of human passion. True, 
 the Almighty Disposer of all events regulates and 
 directs, for man^s j^!?2«/good, circumstances in this life 
 w^hich appear to him the most trivial ; even as in the 
 formation and preservation of the meanest insect we 
 trace the same Omnipotence w^hich made and governs 
 the universe. From Himself, too, He sends troubles 
 upon the sons of men, and in so doing permits the 
 wicked often to be the instruments of his will. Indeed, 
 trouble must ever attach to mortal man. It is our 
 inheritance on earth, as surely as freedom from it is 
 our promised inheritance in heaven ^. Thus not only 
 when the Lord, chastening whom He loveth, sendeth 
 sickness, sorrow, death, do we know that He so 
 chasteneth us, even as a father the children whom he 
 loveth, regulating the measure of our troubles accord- 
 ing to his mercy as well as according to his will; the 
 object both of his mercy and his will being our salva- 
 tion, and the hand which w^ounds being the hand 
 
 1 Matt. xxii. 30. 
 
 2 Rev. xxi. 4. And God shall wipe away all tears from their 
 eyes." 
 
256 
 
 Conscience Aroused, 
 
 which heals ; but even when the fraud and malice of 
 men weave for us pains and sorrows of a different 
 stamp, we know that they, also, are permitted of our 
 heavenly Father for our final good. This view of 
 human suffering it is which more than reconciles the 
 sufferer, though it does not relieve of their responsi- 
 biUty those who cruelly inflict it. Of the thousand 
 ills, indeed, which rack our hearts, how large a propor- 
 tion of them are the infliction of man. Man, himself 
 born to trouble, becomes the bitter foe of his fellow- 
 creatures. Social life too often testifies to this truth. 
 To men collectively, the bountiful providence of God 
 supplies from age to age, food, shelter, clothing; 
 surrounds them with relatives and friends, and all 
 the endearing charities of life ; gives them his holy 
 word by which they may have companionship even 
 with Himself, and by his sure guidance pass through 
 this world in safety and peace. By the Saviour 
 who is revealed in that word. He stilleth the agitating 
 fears of conscience under a sense of sin, whilst by 
 the Holy Spirit there promised. He assures them a 
 never-failing Comforter. Further, He not only in his 
 word promises a glorious immortality of rest, and 
 peace, and joy, but did raise up from the dead his 
 crucified Son Jesus Christ, that He might be the firsts 
 fruits from the dead ; an earnest of the resurrection of 
 his followers ; fulfilling, by the exercise of his power^ 
 the promise which his mercy had vouchsafed, that man 
 should rise again from the grave, and know sin and 
 death no more. But this hopeful state of comfort — 
 how is it disturbed by man himself! How often, in 
 social life, where neither poverty, nor sickness, nor any 
 special sorrow, as sent from heaven, is present to dis- 
 turb, human passion brings misery ! Envy, hatred, 
 and ill will soon overcloud a prospect which God^s 
 bounty leaves so fair \ 
 
 * That this is really the case where religious pnnciples are not 
 active in counteracting the natural evils of the heart, must be evident 
 
Conscience Ai^oused. 
 
 257 
 
 Is it not wise, then, to guard ourselves, by every 
 motive which reason and religion may supply, against 
 unchristian conduct towards our neighbour in life, lest 
 in his death we be left to the dreadful misery of know- 
 ing, that recompense then^ we can offer none ? Passion 
 once abated, pity will supplant envy ; compassion^ 
 hatred ; remorse, revenge ; and the dead will triumph 
 over the living. Thus, even in this lower world, the 
 indulgence of evil passions towards our fellow-creatures 
 finds at last just retribution ; and the exercise of kind 
 and benevolent affections, sure recompense — memory 
 goading the wicked with recollections of past injuries 
 which no sorrow can now repair, and soothing the 
 good wdth the remembrance of past kindnesses which * 
 no time can wear away. The nobler motive, how- 
 ever, for curbing the evil, and stimulating the good 
 dispositions of our hearts between man and man, yet 
 remains; and is to be found in the solemn truth, that 
 not only will the evil inflicted upon another in life 
 
 to every reflecting mind. Upon the traveller's heart how often does 
 the truth strike with full force ! He journeys cheerily perhaps ; for 
 all around hira is blithe and joyous ; and he himself moves in the full 
 flush of health, and with the elastic step of unwearied strength. His 
 spirits are radiant as the glowing landscape before him. V^hen he 
 contemplates the wide-spread fields, green with verdure, or white for 
 the harvest, his soul expands with ardent gratitude to his Creator ; 
 and he confesses that God is indeed a gracious God, preserving all 
 things as He created them, for the service of man — willing man's hap- 
 piness. Every thing around him breathes delight : the very birds of 
 the air, the cattle in the fields, the insect tribes on wing, fluttering 
 away their sunny hour, and teaching us how short our own life may 
 be — all appear to rejoice in their very existence, and in their own 
 notes of praise off*er a hymn of thanksgiving to their glorious Creator. 
 Thus as he journeys, and surveys the scene which his progress opens, 
 fancy pictures to him, that in some quiet valley, as it lies before him, 
 with its lowly dwellings, sheltered and secure, peace and quiet have 
 surely fixed their habitations ; and as far as a merciful Providence is 
 concerned, his fancy may be realized. But it were a mockery of ex- 
 perience, not to fear, that even there, amid that outward calm, too 
 often the agitating passions of a fallen nature disturb that quiet, and 
 rob the scene of its repose. Where those passions are resisted indeed 
 peace abides ; but where they are permitted to exercise their sway^ 
 they bring on earth strife for peace, enmity for good will. 
 
258 
 
 Survivors. 
 
 bring fearful misery in death to him who hath inflicted 
 it^ but that the evil we do, or say, or meditate^ 
 against a fellow-creature, must be accounted for, not 
 to him alone, but to Almighty God, who will judge 
 both the oppressed and the oppressor; and who hath 
 declared in terms, plain as they are awful, that as He 
 will judge the despiser of his word, and the contemner 
 of his laws, so He will judge the oppressor of his 
 creatures. 
 
 CHAPTER XLVII. 
 
 SURVIVORS. 
 
 The dead hath passed to his rest. The spirit hath 
 returned to the God who gave it, and the bodily frame, 
 ever liable to ills and infirmities, and lately racked 
 perhaps by pain and agony, now lies free from even 
 the fear of ill. Its mortal trials all are past ; nor pain 
 nor sorrow reach it more : the form so fearfully and 
 wonderfully made^^ — in death as in life, surpassing 
 wonder — will soon be but as the dust from whence it 
 sprung. Yet, with what reverent care do survivors 
 tend the lifeless clay, gaze upon the well-loved 
 features with a strange, lingering look — hopeless, yet 
 not despairing — as if the voice would again address 
 them, the eyes again open and beam upon them, and 
 the brow, now shaded with the awful frown of deaths 
 again be radiant with smiles to cheer them as before ! 
 Still the garb of the grave, and the narrow dwelling 
 for the dead are duly prepared ; and in the prepara- 
 tion Christian hands perform the office with a tender 
 and scrupulous care, which seems scarcely requisite for 
 a perishing frame, so soon to tenant the grave, and be 
 no more seen. It is, however, a Jioly care, sanctioned 
 and sanctified by our blessed Lord Himself. He 
 being dead, yet speaketh.^^ He deigned to permit, 
 
Survivors. 
 
 259 
 
 after death, those affecting ministrations towards 
 Himself by which tenderness delights to reheve its 
 woesj and give proof of its love, when mourning the 
 (Jeparted \ Affection clings closer and closer still to 
 the object of its care. Nor is this only a tribute which 
 affection pays to memory : it is an evidence which 
 faith bears to truth. It evidences a firm trust in the 
 Divine promise, that the body, though sin has rendered 
 it liable to that corruption into which it must soon be 
 turned, will one day be raised a glorious immortal 
 body — will know death no more, because it will know 
 sin no more, but be like unto Christ's glorious body. 
 Therefore is it worthy our reverential regard, even in 
 death ; and Faith thus justifies the pious care with 
 w^hich Feeling decks man's ruins for the grave. 
 
 These careful attentions have, to a certain extent, 
 their beneficial influence, and relieve in some degree 
 the heavy hours of sadness which intervene between, 
 death and the grave. Misery finds some alleviation 
 in thus hovering round the dead, performing its kind 
 offices, and thinking its kind thoughts, and still paus- 
 ing, ere the last look be taken. At the grave, too, 
 the solemn Service for the Burial of the Dead itself 
 pours a healing balm into the wounds, then afresh 
 opened ; sustains the fainting spirit by the heavenly 
 tone of its exhortations, prayers, and thanksgivings ; 
 and, for a season, throws the brightness of hope over 
 the dark hour of bereavement and despair ^. 
 
 The mourners return to their home. There the 
 loved one greeteth them not. The honoured parent 
 — the beloved child — the faithful friend — the brother 
 — the sister ! Where the voice which was wont to 
 
 ^ Mark xv. 36; xvi. 1 ; also Luke xxii. 55, 50, and John xix. 3.9. 
 40. In Mark xiv. 8, this subject is treated by our blessed Lord Him- 
 self in a very affecting manner. The reader would do well to refer 
 to the chapter. 
 
 ^ I apprehend that no mourner could ever hear the solemn Service 
 for the Dead, provided by our Liturgy, without acknowledging its 
 excellence, and feeling its power. 
 
260 
 
 Survivors. 
 
 cheer them ? the eye which spoke its welcome, and 
 the smile its joy? Does no bright gleam break forth 
 from out this gloom ? no comfort relieve this utter 
 desolateness ? What voice is that which whispers to 
 the heart — ^' Come to me, and be at rest ? Come, ye 
 Aveary and heavy laden, and / will refresh you?^^ 
 Lo ! it is a voice from heaven ! and does not your 
 full heart respond, in the memorable language of your 
 agonized Saviour, "Then am I not alone, because the 
 Father is with me?^^ — He, to ^^whom all things in 
 heaven and earthy and under the earth, do bow and 
 obey^^ — He, who though He dwelleth in heaven, 
 where no man can approach unto, yet beholdeth all 
 the inhabitants of earth — He, who in the person of 
 his Son, Jesus Christ, our incarnate God, did promise 
 that He would be all in all to his faithful people, under 
 whatever trials He might place them, and to whatever 
 worldly deprivations He might see fit to subject them 
 — He, in the fulness of his power, and love, and 
 mercy, invites you to Himself, and promises, that with 
 Him you shall find rest. He will be with you in your 
 loneliness — a very present help in this your needful 
 time of trouble.^^ 
 
 With what earnest desire do you hasten in prayer 
 to the more immediate presence of that gracious 
 Being ! You never felt in full force, till now, the 
 value of his promise, that even when " he vexeth you 
 with all his storms,^^ He will be " as a hiding place 
 from that wind, and a covert from that tempest 
 With what hurried step do you retire to your chamber^ 
 there flee to Him, and there hide thee under the sha- 
 dow of his wing, till the tempest calm ! You com- 
 mune with Him : you pour out your heart before Him : 
 the world shut out. He alone is witness to your woe. 
 Him, though invisible, you know to be present in his 
 power, which is almighty ; in his mercy, which is un- 
 bounded : in his love, which is infinite. And his pre- 
 
 ^ Isa. xxxii. 2, 
 
Survivors. 261 
 
 sence is life. Remembering the blessed command — 
 " Call upon me in the time of trouble — you^ in this 
 your time of trouble, do call upon Him; you make 
 your prayer unto the God of your life ; you " cast all 
 your burden upon him and He fulfils his promise 
 — He sustaineth you/^ He delivereth you^^^ You 
 pray in secret " he rewardeth openly/^ O the 
 blessed power of prayer ! Prayer hath gained grace, 
 and grace hath dispelled the darkness which had well- 
 nigh confounded you. A light hath sprung up in 
 that darkness, clearing your understanding to know 
 your God, rectifying your view of his dealings with 
 the children of men, and chasing far away the dark 
 gatherings of despair. Tears indeed find their way — 
 but tears are not forbidden to the mourner. Nay, they 
 are for ever sanctified — Jesus wept,^^ when he whom 
 He loved died. Not to mourn a blessing reft from us, 
 would well-nigh argue insensibility to blessings given. 
 Tears, too, by a merciful dispensation of the Maker 
 of our frame, are at once the eflfect of sorrow, and to 
 a degree its alleviation : they are like the rain, which 
 falling from some heavy cloud as it threatens storm, 
 both draws off the tempest, and by its welcome stream 
 renews to the fainting earth its freshness and its 
 powers. 
 
 Your mind thus roused by grace in answer to 
 prayer, you dare to look again upon the sorrow from 
 which, in your near communion with God, you had, 
 in some sort, withdrawn yourself. You again feel all 
 its weight, but you feel added strength to bear it. 
 The dark cloud still hangs over you in all its gloom 
 and sadness ; but a light gleams from that cloud, which 
 removes its terror, and disarms its power. Your God 
 hath set his bow there — the token of his heavenly 
 presence; the pledge of his love; the assurance of 
 your safety and your peace. Yes ! Faith reveals to 
 you the hand of God in this your dark sorrow. You 
 
 1 Ps,l. 15. 
 
263 
 
 Survivors, 
 
 collect again your scattered powers of thought ; you 
 du'ect them to a juster view of human sorrow; and in 
 a strength beyond your own, you return to the worlds 
 a wearied perhaps, but a patient pilgrim, onward on 
 your way to heaven. 
 
 You remind yourself that all events^ though brought 
 about by man^s agency and other secondary causes, 
 are permitted by that omnipotent and omniscient 
 Jehovah, to whom all things in heaven, and earth, 
 and under the earth, do bow and obey you believe 
 that without Him "not a sparrow falleth to the 
 ground and that by Him "the very hairs of your 
 head are all numbered/^ This your cause of mourn- 
 ing, then, is known to Him — nay, it is as He willeth. 
 You struggle with your feelings, and you listen to 
 your reason, and you summon faith to your aid, and 
 you judge yourself ; God and your own soul the 
 only witnesses to your self- striving. "What! — is 
 this event according to the will of God, and shall I 
 murmur? Shall I not submit? Shall I not be re- 
 conciled ? Have I day by day, through life, prayed 
 to Him — ^ Thy will be done ?^ and now that it is done, 
 shall I complain ? Or shall I blindly forget, that as 
 often as this prayer is offered, I have offered it, not 
 wdth reference to his power, as if that were aided by 
 our prayers in accomplishing his will, but in reference 
 to ourselves, that grace might be so fully imparted to 
 us, that we^ even as angels, should ever delight and 
 always acquiesce in the accomplishment of his will, 
 whatever that will may be? It is now his will to 
 afflict me. Oh ! may I be enabled still to say from 
 my very heart — ' Thy will be done ! ^ — ' O Lord ! I 
 
 ^ See tlie Service for the Visitation of the Sick, and the commen- 
 datory prayer by which the minister is directed to strengthen the 
 faith of the weak, and animate the hope of the lowly. How wisely 
 does the Church, on that occasion, lead us to this view of an all- 
 present and all-controlling God, — " The Almighty Lord, who is a 
 most strong tower to all them that put their trust in him, to whom all 
 things in heaven and earth, and under the earthy do bow and obey, be now 
 and evermore thy defence ! " 
 
Survivors. 
 
 2G3 
 
 believe ; help thou mine unbelief/ I do believe that 
 Thou art equally ^ood, and wise^ and gracious ! but I 
 miplore Thee ^help thou mine unbelief/ Alas, the 
 infirmity of my nature, how does it bear me to earthy 
 when thy will is so done, that I am called to mourn ! 
 O that I had the patriarch's firmness, and could re- 
 solve with him — 'though God slay me, yet will I 
 trust in him 1' My tongue does indeed confess, that 
 ^it is the Lord : let him do what seemeth him good ;^ 
 and my present resolve is to be submissive to this 
 dispensation, and patient under my affliction ; yet my 
 rebellious and wayward heart! — O Father, let thy 
 Spirit of holiness and strength keep me firm to my 
 purpose, and true to my obedience/^ 
 
 Thus recognizing by faith the hand of a heavenly 
 Father in the event which you mourn, you become 
 submissive under his dispensation. Bowing yourself 
 with all reverence before Him as the Supreme Disposer 
 of events^; neither looking to the world for conso- 
 lation, nor trusting to your unassisted powers for 
 strength, but to his promised Spirit for both, you 
 repose under a constant sense of his gracious presence. 
 Nature, it is true, may ofttimes struggle against faith, 
 and tempt you to repine at your sad bereavement. 
 You pray. Grace is the answer to your prayer. The 
 Spirit of God is with you, opening your understand- 
 ing to " understand the wondrous things'' of his pro- 
 vidence, as well as ''of his law^;" bringing to your 
 remembrance all things which may temper your sor- 
 row and assuage your grief ; and summoning every 
 consideration which reason and religion present to 
 the mind of man, to make obedience to the will of 
 God easy to you. Hence you will pause to consider, 
 that death is a penalty which must at some time be 
 paid by mortal man ; and therefore, to be paid with- 
 out a murmur, when He, to whom it is due, demands 
 payment. God hath claimed his own. Nay — death 
 
 1 See p. 12. 
 
 2 Ps. cxix. 18. 
 
264 
 
 Survivors. 
 
 is not only a penalty which must be paid, it is a 
 penalty, payment of which none of the sons of men, 
 were the decision left to their free choice, would 
 forego. Where is he who would willingly live for ever 
 in this his present state of trial and infirmity ? Who 
 would willingly retrace the toilsome path of a long 
 and anxious course ; be again young ; again begin the 
 voyage of life ; meet again its storms and tempests 
 past? And as for the spirits of the blessed, with 
 w^hom your hope is that those whom you mourn 
 are now mingled, in all the glorious liberty of spirits 
 freed from this encumbering mortal coil, — could aught 
 w^hich this world might offer them, even of health un- 
 broken, and peace undisturbed, prevail upon them 
 again to visit earth ? Would Abraham leave his seat 
 in Paradise, even though he might return to more 
 than his own far-spread possessions, and his high and 
 honourable state on earth ? Would Lazarus leave his 
 rest in Abraham^s bosom, to revisit a world where 
 oppression and wrong made him their sport, and 
 pride spurned him as the victim of misery*; even 
 though want were to be exchanged for abundance, 
 trouble for rest, pain for ease, and the outcast be 
 held in honour ? Would there be found one among 
 the spirits of the just made perfect,^^ ready to revisit 
 this strange world of change ? Would he whom you 
 mourn, and who is now, as we humbly trust, of that 
 happy number — would he, think you, be again a 
 sharer of our toilsome pilgrimage ; a struggler with 
 us, amid the diflGculties of a sinful, weary world, like 
 this ? Sure it is, that the departed righteous would 
 never again accept the boon of this life. They are 
 happier even than your affection can imagin.e them ; 
 infinitely more happy than your care could make 
 them. As they cannot return to you, so neither would 
 they, if power w^re given them — but ''you will go to 
 them 
 
 Luke xvi. 20. 
 
 2 2 Sam. xii. 23. 
 
265 
 
 CHAPTER XLVIII. 
 
 RECOLLECTION OF MERCIES. 
 
 In seeking consolation, however, far be the thought 
 that you should forget the dead ! Indeed, to bid the 
 mourner forget, were to argue alike insensibility to 
 others^ woes, and ignorance of the very constitution of 
 our nature : vain, too, as to bid the tide stay its flow, 
 or the winds their course. Christian sympathy rather 
 weeps with them that weep, and bids the mourner 
 remember — though wisdom directs memory to recall 
 mercy as well as judgment. Withdrawing your mind 
 then for a season, not only from the loss felt by survi- 
 vors, but even from the final gain of the dead, meditate 
 with grateful recollection on the Divine love, which, 
 throughout the late dispensation, tempered judgment 
 with mercy, and so wonderfully ordered the several 
 circumstances attending it, that your meditations have 
 -already led you to recognize in their ordering the 
 iiand of a gracious and a present God. 
 
 None wonder that you mourn in your affliction. 
 You mourn a father. Sad and heavy is your loss. 
 The wise guide and counsellor; the tender and able 
 protector ; the watchful guardian is removed. What 
 a blank life now appears ! Yet consider a moment. 
 What was his closing scene ? Remember that ! Your 
 heart, in those hours, used to whisper to you — that 
 such a close of life as his were surely a foretaste of hea- 
 ven. The holy calm, the perfect resignation, the peace 
 of God there evidenced, gave to the scene a serenity, 
 which you can never recall without gratitude. With 
 what humility would he point to himself in proof of 
 the power of Christian faith ! " See,^^ he would say, 
 See the effect of grace on my heart, in bearing all my 
 pains of body : all mv anxieties of mind for you whom 
 
 [264] ^ N 
 
266 
 
 Becolledion of Mercies. 
 
 I am about to leave ; all my natural apprehensions ot 
 launching upon the great ocean of eternity ! See how 
 it enables me^ not only to bear my trial with fortitude^ 
 but to meet it triumphantly/^ With what coUectedness 
 did he both warn and encourage you to begin betimes 
 that discipline of the soul^ which faith requires^ and 
 which he had long practised to his joy ! With what 
 earnestness did he bid you seek diligently in prayer 
 the Spirit of grace to aid you in that work ! How 
 boldly did he testify to the power of the Spirit ! Under 
 that holy influence his own heart, which, once wilful 
 and turbulent, was wont to chafe at whatever obstacles 
 crossed his path in life, had long since grown calm ; 
 the cares which once perplexed and agitated him, had 
 long been laid aside ; and he came to his grave in full 
 age, like as a shock of corn cometh in its season 
 
 You cannot forget the clear views of the past and 
 the future, with which he was thus blest at the close of 
 life, or the words of wisdom with which, in the inter- 
 vals of pain and anguish, he declared them. When 
 striving to fix upon your heart, and the hearts of those 
 who surrounded him, the assured truth, that religion 
 has "the promise^^ as well "of the life that now is^^ as 
 of " that which is to come he appealed to his own 
 experience ; addressing you almost in the patriarch^s 
 language — " I have been young, and now am aged, and 
 dying : yet must I bear my testimony to the encou- 
 raging truth, that never saw I the righteous forsaken. 
 Oh ! follow after righteousness. Nothing else will give 
 you comfort when you come to liebere. Nay, that is 
 profitable, even if you can feel no higher motive to 
 actuate you than a wish to be happy as to this world ^ : 
 
 ' Job V. 26. 2 1 Tim. iv. 8. 
 
 ^ A writer not less eminent for his piety and wisdom, than for his 
 practic al ap[)lication of them, has testified to this truth in a passage 
 so full of force, that I cannot forbear adding it * : — " The secret direc- 
 
 • The writer was Sir Matthew Hale, Chief Justice of England 
 in the year 1671. He died in the year 1G76, at the age of 76. 
 
Recollection of Mercies. 
 
 267 
 
 how profitable it is, when your aim is everlasting hap- 
 piness, they best can tell, who have passed from right- 
 eousness to glory. With respect to myself, I am 
 going the way of all the earth ! but as I look back 
 upon the path I have trodden in this wilderness of life, 
 I can see clearly that Divine mercy has throughout 
 accompanied me. It has often indeed happened that I 
 have had hard struggles with myself, and have needed 
 all my faith to sustain a drooping courage upon the ap- 
 proach of unlooked-for ill, or support a wearied patience 
 
 tion of Almighty God is principally seen in matters relating to the 
 good of the soul ; yet it may also be found in the concerns of this life, 
 which a good man, that fears God and begs his direction, shall very 
 often, if not at all times, find. I can call my own experience to testify, 
 that even in the external actions of my whole life, I was never dis- 
 appointed of the best guidance and direction, when I have in humility 
 and sincerity implored the secret direction and guidance of Divine wis- 
 dom." This testimony, in itself valuable, becomes inestimable when 
 we look to the character of the witness. He was not only a Christian 
 of exemplary piety. That were enough ; and, as far as he himself was 
 individually concerned, all in all. But in reference to his influence 
 upon society at large, he was far more ; and his example is propor- 
 tionably of wider influence. He was a man of extensive erudition, 
 vast acquirement, sagacious discernment, sound discretion, and noble 
 judgment. Of character unimpeached, even in times of unparalleled 
 difficulty, he pursued with inflexible integrity the path of virtue and 
 of h(mour. " Through good report and evil report," he kept on his 
 way unmoved by either from his appointed course ; and leaving his 
 envious maligners to the bitterness of their own hearts, he committed 
 his way unto the Lord, and calmly " waited God's leisure," " to make 
 his righteousness clear." He was what every truly great man is found 
 to be, humble before God, in proportion to the greatness of the 
 blessings vouchsafed to him, and kindly disposed towards his fellow- 
 creatures in proportion as he was exalted above them. He never for- 
 got the unanswerable question — What hast thou that thou hast not 
 received ?" Nor was he ever unmindful, that for the use of every 
 talent committed to his charge, whether learning, wealth, or station, 
 or the influence arising from either, he would be finally responsible to 
 God. From one so learned in true philosophy, of legal powers so 
 acute, and so zealous for truth, as a faithful follower of a meek and 
 lowly Jesus — the testimony thus given upon his own experience, may 
 well confirm our faith, and enliven our hope in that Gospel which 
 professes with no vain pretensions, to have " the promise of the life 
 that now is," as well as "of that which is to come;" pretensions 
 which to his joy, he found justified in his own case, through a long 
 and arduous life. 
 
 N 2 
 
268 
 
 Recollection of Mercies. 
 
 under the continuance of it ; but now that my mind is 
 cleared from the film v/hich worldly fears and worldly 
 hopes once interposed, I see plainly that every trial 
 has been necessary for me. Perhaps some loss of in- 
 dustrious gain occurred. I was mortified ; and my 
 very soul was vexed within me. I am now aware that 
 such a check to my worldly spirit was needed ; for 
 success began to cause, almost insensibly, a love of 
 the world and its wealth and advantages, which, if 
 unchecked, had made me no longer a servant of God, 
 but a slave to Mammon. Disappointment was mercy ; 
 for it disciplined my soul to seek heavenly treasure. 
 Another time sickness brought down my strength in 
 my journey. I chafed under the mortifying weakness 
 in which I lay ; I could not reconcile myself to the 
 alternate pain and languor of a sick and wakeful couch. 
 But now^, indeed long since, I have been convinced, 
 that the word of the Lord is true — He ^chasteneth 
 whom he loveth/ He knew that I was naturally in- 
 clined to glory in my strength and health. The lan- 
 guage of my heart, known to Him, was that of folly — 
 ^ Tush, I shall never be cast down ; he hath made my 
 hill so strong :^ and I began to live as though sickness 
 and death were never to be mine. Was it not then 
 mercy which awakened such a sleeper, raised him from 
 the death of sin, and gave him the light of life? — So 
 also, when I had set my heart on this or that object, 
 and disappointment crossed my path, no sooner had 
 I submitted myself, and committed my way unto the 
 Lord, than I found reasons to bless God for it; the 
 very disappointment ended in my advantage. Events 
 proved either that the gain in prospect w^ould have 
 deceived me, or that it was denied, only that some 
 greater good might happen to me. Indeed, so sure 
 am I that every trial I have had was necessary to dis- 
 cipline my soul for the service of God in heaven, that 
 I bless Him specially for my tribulations — nay, I now 
 ^ glory ^ in them; knowing, as I do, that tribulation 
 
Recollection of Mercies. 
 
 269 
 
 worketh patience ; and patience^ experience ; and ex"- 
 perience^ hope; and hope maketh not ashamed 
 
 Thus^ though at intervals^ as strength ebbed and 
 flowed, the venerable pai'ent whom you mourn strove 
 to laj^ open his own experience of the past, to guide 
 and sustain you — himself he further sustained by de- 
 claring his view of the future. Behold me/^ said he, 
 " between the two worlds for which man is formed. 
 From the one I have escaped : to the other I am has- 
 tening; and even now discern its shore. True, I 
 must die ! How often have my thoughts dwelt upon 
 that solemn truth ! How often has the awful question 
 passed my mind — What is this death? What is that 
 change, which will free my soul from its earthly house 
 — this mortal body ; and set it free in its own spiri- 
 tuality ? I am now about to learn the answer to these 
 questions. My whole frame is evidently giving way : 
 the tabernacle of this body is loosening at every cord, 
 and will soon be unable to hold its habitant — the soul. 
 Dying to this world I must live to another. Do j^ou 
 wonder then why terror does not subdue me? Why 
 an awful apprehension of that hitherto unseen land of 
 spirits does not confound my reason, and terrify my 
 hope !~What if I know that I must die ! ^ I know that 
 my Redeemer liveth !^ — I know that He livethfor me — ■ 
 that He will be with me according to his promise, even 
 when I am passing the waters of death. When my soul 
 shall leave this body of infirmity, and be freeto range in 
 its proper element — a spiritual world — this Redeemer 
 will guide, and sustain, and comfort me. If I faint in 
 the day of mine adversity, my strength is indeed smalP 
 — I have no dread — no fear. Faith conquers. 
 
 Exhausted with his earnestness, here he paused, 
 and it almost appeared as if the silver cord were loosed, 
 not again to hold him in life. At length, however, he 
 raised himself, evidently rallying all his dying powers 
 for one last effort, by which he might let his " light 
 
 1 Rora. V. 3—5. 2 Yvo\. xxiv. 10. 
 
 N 3 
 
270 
 
 Recollection of Mercies. 
 
 shine before men/^ and so give added force to his tes- 
 timony for the " truth as it is in Jesus/^ His expres- 
 sions were pecuhar — I am going ! — raise me higher 
 — higher yet!— heaven is before me! — Yet — another 
 word .... For some time no word was spoken. 
 The pause had less of earth in it than heaven. But 
 at length lifers ebbing tide again flowed : and again 
 the dying voice told the travail of his soul. Now I 
 see before me ' the valley of the shadow of death.^ 
 Its shades will soon gather round me — I shall soon 
 walk in that gloomy vale. But no darkness will, even 
 there, cloud my soul. No ! — no darkness there ! for 
 I trust in the name of the Lord, and stay myself upon 
 niy God. The Lord will be my light \—That He hath 
 promised 
 
 Another pause ! ... At length, in a tone which 
 struck on the hearts of all around, he suddenly ex- 
 claimed — " That pang ! — Oh ! that was death ! Often, 
 in moments of serious thought ; often have I then 
 wondered in myself what were death^s last struggle ! 
 I have felt it now ! Yet mourn not ! Not even now 
 do I feel terror, or fear, or doubt. The promise which 
 for long years has been in my heart, with a hopeful 
 prayer that at my death-hour it might be accomplished, 
 is in me now fulfilled — God's grace be praised ! He, 
 a present God — my Creator, my Redeemer, my Sanc- 
 tifier, ^ He is thy plagues, O Death, — He is thy de- 
 struction, O Grave/ Is He not? Look at me! You 
 see the death agony indeed to mark my brow ! You 
 hear the natural moaning of exhausted nature, in a 
 body worn with age, infirmities, and pain, and in the 
 act of dissolution ; but could you see my heart — there 
 you would find victory over the past; and for the 
 future, peace and rest in the bosom of my God. — Lord 
 Jesus ! receive my spirit ! — Lord Jesus ! come quickly 
 — Blessed, blessed Saviour — O take me to thyself !^^ 
 
 You can never forget the look which followed this 
 
 1 Isa. Ix. 19, 20; 1. 10. 
 
Blessed Fruits of Righteousness* 271 
 
 outpouring of the dying soul ! His countenance 
 radiant with joy and triumph ! The stillness of death 
 on earthy a fit emblem of his rest in heaven ! 
 
 Say, mourner, wouldst thou call him back again ? 
 
 CHAPTER XLIX. 
 
 THE BLESSED FRUITS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. 
 
 It is well, then, to remember : taking heed, however, 
 not only to remember the dead in their cold graves, 
 silent and cheerless, dust and ashes — but to remember 
 them before death, in their hour of struggle indeed 
 and agony, yet their hour of triumph and of glory. 
 Is there no consolation in this retrospect ? O cherish 
 fondly in thy heart the memory of that hour in which 
 they triumphed ! Fired by their courage, and sus- 
 tained by their fortitude, fear not thyself to meet 
 the terrors of death — fear not to endure the pains of 
 it. They found that as their days were, so was their 
 strength Thou also wilt find strength proportioned 
 to thy need, when thy day shall come, if only thou 
 followest the same holy course, and seekest the same 
 holy aid. 
 
 There may, however, be mourners, who in looking 
 back upon the death-scene, find no such consolatory 
 retrospect. They perhaps have witnessed death, when 
 he came shrouding every faculty in darkness, and 
 overpowering every sense in a deep oblivion of the 
 past, and an unconsciousness of the present. Theirs 
 is the language of despondency. Had we seen life's 
 sun go down in the brightness of hope, our sorrow 
 then would have been comparatively light and brief. 
 We should have felt it to have been for the most part 
 a selfish sorrow, which reason and religion had united 
 
 ^ Refer to p. 76, and the note there inserted upon this subject. 
 N 4 
 
272 Blessed Fruits of Righteousness. 
 
 to relieve ; and our minds would gradually have been 
 disciplined to bear resignedly what, in truth, was a 
 sorrow to survivors only; whereas, disease having 
 rendered every faculty powerless, death seized him 
 whom we mourn, when his senses were confounded 
 and subdued, and the breathing alone testified that he 
 had not already passed to the world of spirits. His 
 departure hence was without one word spoken, one 
 look turned upon us, one sign given ! Memory there- 
 fore brings not its consolation to us.^^ — It is on occa- 
 sions like this, that the value of habitual piety is felt 
 in full force, with respect both to the dead and to sur- 
 vivors — then it is, that even in this world, the righte- 
 ous have a foretaste of their reward, both in their 
 own blest though unexpressed hopes, and in the com- 
 fort which they impart even I'cflectively to the loved 
 ones they leave behind. What then though infirmity 
 so beset the close of existence, that no outward expres-- 
 sion of faith and hope be given ? still if there has been 
 an uniformity of Christian conduct in life and health, 
 who shall doubt but that even in the hour of sickness 
 unto death — when the soul found no responsive power 
 in a sinking body to give expression to its feelings — 
 it yet did feel and enjoy the presence of its God? 
 For myself, I cannot for a moment doubt but that even 
 tJien^ though a final barrier intervened between the 
 dying and survivors^ the soul communed with its God 
 in a high and holy converse, to which, when hampered 
 by its earthly ties, it was all a stranger ; that it then 
 learned of the land on which it was about to enter, and 
 prepared itself for that rest, which there awaited the 
 people of G od. I the rather urge these considerations,, 
 because there are few occasions, where the sorrow of 
 mourners has a stronger claim upon our sympathy, 
 than when aggravated by fears and doubts like these. 
 It must always be borne in mind, that when they, who 
 watch the death-bed, view their dying friend as under 
 the dark influence of apparent unconsciousness, they 
 must not suppose it a necessary consequence that the 
 
Blessed Fruits of Righteousness. 273 
 
 sufferer is unconscious, because powerless to express 
 consciousness. There may be power to apprehend 
 whatever tends to soothe pain, to allay fear, to 
 strengthen faith, and animate hope, though no power 
 to give token of recognition — no power to speak the 
 thanks of gratified affection, or even to look acknow- 
 ledgment of care so soothing. Prayer, therefore, and 
 holy converse, with ^vords of affection, and encourage- 
 ment, and counsel, may well occupy those moments of 
 awe. To the living, such services assuredly speak com- 
 fort: we may hope that they speak encouragement 
 also : and who shall say, that even the dying may not 
 thereby find fears removed, and faith sustained, and 
 hope brightened ? Let me open to you such a scene. — 
 
 For long and weary hours the sufferer lay, appa- 
 rently unconscious of all which passed around him. 
 The voice of sympathy poured its soothing tones un- 
 heeded : nor movement, nor word, nor look, indicated 
 aught of sensibiUty to things of this lower world. The 
 hour was indeed dark ; and for a season no cheering 
 ray burst forth to mitigate its gloom. At length the 
 voice of a far distant friend, summoned to the sad 
 scene, appeared to awaken the dormant powers, and 
 rouse them into action. " Sure, I know that voice — 
 
 Sure, I do know that voice,^^ repeated the lips of 
 him, whom for many, many hours, weeping friends 
 had lamented, as being lost to sense, ere lost to life. 
 His words were brief yet forcible, distinct and clear; 
 and thus his converse ran. — I am happy, very happy. 
 No pain. I have never lost my consciousness : only 
 for a long while, no voice, no power. I have been 
 praying. God is with me. Too weak to make 
 prayers : but I remembered my beautiful Church 
 prayers, and the Litany — and I bless God that I loved 
 them early — when a child I knew them and loved 
 them, and I do not forget them now. God is with 
 me : and Jesus Christ is my hope. God^s Spirit com- 
 forts me, and tells me that He accepts my repentance 
 through my blessed Saviour ; He pardons me : He will 
 N 5 
 
274 
 
 Blessed Fruits of Righteousness. 
 
 receive my soul. This comforts me. — O yes ! great 
 comfort. No pain at all. Bless God ! no pain — only 
 no strength. I could not move, nor open my eyes, or 
 speak. Thank God ! I can now speak — I cannot see 
 you. Soon I must go quite away — glad you are come 
 — glad when I heard your voice.^^ . . . The silence of 
 the chamber of death thus broken, you may well 
 imagine how welcome were those sounds ; welcome 
 as the last unlooked-for sunbeam, bursting from the 
 evening cloud which long had darkened it. At his 
 request we kneeled down ; that with one accord, one 
 heart, and one mind, we might again join in serving 
 that gracious Being on earth, whom the dying trusted 
 so soon to serve for ever in heaven. You may well 
 understand, for your own heart must fully sympathize 
 with the worshippers, the fervent gratitude, and un- 
 feigned reverence, with which prayer and praise were 
 offered to the God of all mercy ! How heartfelt the 
 thanksgiving for this proof of his great mercy and 
 loving-kindness ! Then, indeed, the Gospel tri- 
 umphed. Lo ! the chamber of death, turned into a 
 temple of praise ; the house of mourning, better than 
 the house of joy; and when the loved one passed to 
 his rest, we wept indeed — for ourselves. Who could 
 weep for him ^? 
 
 ^ It is thought right to state, that this scene is faithfully delineated, 
 as the author himself witnessed it. Word for word the dying record 
 is given. Some years have since passed ; but the mingled feelings 
 which it called forth ; the transitions by which it was marked, from 
 blank hopelessness to the clear and bright reality of heavenly conso- 
 lations ; its triumph over every infirmity which death could accumulate 
 upon the sufferer — the change it effected in the grief of surrounding 
 relatives and friends — the firm tone which it gave to faith in the grace 
 of God here, in his promise of glory hereafter — the brightness it gave 
 to hope — the resignation it cherished — the holy calm which it infused 
 — all were so indelibly impressed upon his mind and heart, that so 
 long as memory holds her seat, the impression can never weaken ; 
 and he has recorded it — faithfully, but he trusts not too familiarly — in 
 the humble hope that the fact may, in various points of view, afford 
 both instruction and comfort; pointing out, on the one hand, the 
 blessedness of habitual piety ; andonthe other hand, testifying in a most 
 marked and striking manner, to the inestimable value of our Liturgy 
 
Blessed Fruits of Righteousness, 275 
 
 Can such a scene be contemplated without benefit ? 
 Instruction and comfort alike flow from it. With 
 what irresistible force does it urge upon us all an 
 habitual holy life ; at peace with God and man ! With 
 what authority does it insist upon an uniform watch- 
 fulness in spiritual and heavenly things, that the 
 solemn call to death and judgment never finds us un- 
 prepared ! A long life had this dying Christian 
 passed ; many a sharp trial had tested his faith^ and 
 tempted his hope ; but prayer had been his panoply. 
 So armed, as in life he held his stedfastness, so in 
 death he wavered not. How beautiful to see even 
 then^ trust in God's goodness, faith in his mercy, re- 
 liance on the Saviour, and confiding joy in the Spirit 
 — graces of a Christian life, untouched even by death ! 
 Fiercely as the king of terrors assailed him, the God 
 he sought was at hand to give him courage. What, 
 though his foe drove him to a dark and dismal loneli- 
 ness, on the confines of either world — the light of this 
 world and its sweet charities shut out, and the next 
 world still veiled, — he was not alone. His heavenly 
 Father was with him, " because he trusted in him 
 He never cast away his confidence ; therefore he was 
 enabled to travel on in imparted strength. The pro- 
 phet's language best tells the working of this piety. 
 ^^Who is among you that feareth the Lord; that 
 obeyeth the voice of his servant ; that walketh in dark^ 
 ness and hath no light? let him trust in the name of 
 the Lord, and stay upon his God/' To him the world 
 gave no light, all there was one dark gloom. But his 
 faith never weakened, and his hope never dimmed, 
 and he walked in the light of the Lord. 
 
 Whoso would thus die in the Lord, let him live to 
 fhe Lord. 
 
 — a ready guide to devotion, not only in health and in the assembled 
 congregation, but in sickness, in sorrow, in solitude ; even in the 
 awful loneliness of death. 
 
 ^ Isa. xxvi. 3. *^ Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind 
 is stayed on thee : because he triisteth in thee." 
 
 N 6 
 
276 
 
 Faith Triumphs. 
 
 If instructive, the scene is consolatary ^also. We 
 learn, that if to ourselves or others, Death as he strikes 
 his blow, should in like manner press heavily on our 
 sense of outward things, and render us incapable of 
 giving expression to our wants or wishes, of acknow- 
 ledging the kind offices of attending relatives and 
 friends, and of speaking our testimony to the power of 
 faith, and the consolations of hope; yet where Chris- 
 tian faith has striven in life, we must not doubt but 
 that it will conquer in death. The loved one who lies 
 breathing, indeed, but apparently unconscious of all 
 around him, has still the presence of his God to sustain 
 and soothe him. With that Being he holds converse ; 
 to the care of that Being he commends himself. And 
 who shall doubt but that a present God will walk with 
 him even through the solitude of that dark valley over 
 which Death has cast his awful shadow ; will bear 
 him safely through its dangers ; fearlessly through its 
 terrors ; successfully to the end? In the chamber of 
 death, then, whilst the soul yet tenants its mortal 
 dwelling, you are not discouraged, even under cir- 
 cumstances like these, from offering up the sacrifice of 
 prayer. Prayer must comfort survivors ; it may com- 
 fort the dying; and though the dark cloud of uncon- 
 sciousness be impervious to us, there may be light 
 beyond it, of which we see not the brightness ; and 
 the sun, which to our sight sets in gloom and terror, 
 may be calmly taking its course to open upon another 
 w^orld in renovated strength, and entering upon a 
 glory which no cloud again shall darken. 
 
 CHAPTER L. 
 
 FAITH TRIUMPHS. 
 
 It can hardly fail, I trust, but that these reflections 
 afford consolation to the Christian mourner. When 
 
Faith Triumphs. 
 
 277 
 
 he looks to the past, and pictures to himself the dead 
 as those, in whose heart the light of hope, fed by a 
 heavenly flame^ burned with clear and steady light, 
 amid even the dark and gathering clouds of death; 
 when he remembers that having wisely " taken oil in 
 their vessels^ w^ith their lamps,^^ though they might 
 sometimes " slumber and sleep,^^ under the wearying 
 weight of human infirmities, yet were they ever ready 
 to trim their lamps and renew their light at what 
 moment their Lord should summon them ^ — the re- 
 trospect is so full of peace and hope, that no longer 
 dwelling on the loss he has sustained in this world, 
 his heart is raised in ardent aspirations after the sure 
 mercies promised in the' next. 
 
 But other mourners there are, to whom the same 
 reflections bring no consolation. Who shall not pity 
 them ? Theyy perhaps, may be called to bewail some 
 
 1 Matt. XXV. 1 — 3. " Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened 
 unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the 
 bridegroom." The whole of the parable is replete with rich and 
 varied instruction. It especially teaches us that a profession of 
 godliness profiteth nothing, without the substance of it. Both are 
 necessary to our salvation. As without the lamp, oil would be sup- 
 plied to little purpose, so without oil the lamp would be useless. In 
 like manner the form of godliness, to benefit the soul, must be accom- 
 panied by the power of it *. Religious profession is the lamp, by 
 bearing which we confess ourselves the servants of the Lord ; piety 
 is the oil to feed the lamp, that it may shine and give light, at what- 
 ever hour the Lord shall summon us to meet Him. We learn further, 
 that those who profess the name of Christ, are not justified in their 
 neglect of such duties as their state of life requires of them, under 
 pretence of devotion. From the acts of devotion, we are occasionally 
 free ; from a spirit of devotion never free. The lamp is not always to 
 be burning ; but the oil is always to be ready. Even the wise virgins 
 were permitted to "slumber and sleep," so long as they were ready 
 when their Lord came. So David consoles himself for his imperfect 
 services, by remembering that where the heart is right, God merci- 
 fully allows occasional cessation from the outward services of devo- 
 tion, according to his own gracious word — " I will not reprove thee, 
 because of thy sacrifices, or for thy burnt- offerings ; because they 
 were not alicay before me f ." 
 
 * 2 Tim. iii. 5. 
 
 ...ii^:-.^ ^ Ps. 1. 8. 
 
278 
 
 Faith Triumphs. 
 
 wicked one^ who has been removed, sinful and impe- 
 nitent, as far as human knowledge can discern in a 
 case so awful — who not only in death gave no token 
 of a Christian hope^ but in life gave no evidence of a 
 Christian faith. Such mourners heed not the voice 
 of sympathy. Theirs is the affecting remonstrance — 
 ' How bid ye us be comforted ! Around us there is 
 only one dark gloom'/ — If the reader of these pages 
 thus sorroweth^ let him not sink under this sad misery. 
 There ay^e sources of consolation even for him. Let 
 him set his aifections on things above ; let him have in 
 all his thoughts^ the God who dwelleth there ; let him 
 search the word of truth, which that God did send 
 from above ; let him commune with himself on the 
 high and holy things there revealed. Reason and 
 revelation will then unite to sustain his drooping 
 heart, and cheer his fainting spirit ; and though the 
 trial to which he is called as a mourner be in all its 
 weight and bitterness — a cross heavy and painful ; a 
 cup, full to overflowing, and bitter to the very dregs — 
 yet shall he gain strength to bear the one, and com- 
 fort to sweeten the other. Let him look stedfastly to 
 the eternal world, whither we are all hastening; and 
 consider well, what view he will then take of this 
 severe trial of his faith ^ ; so may he find rest to his 
 soul : for, severe as the trial is, he will then under- 
 stand, that it is appointed;, as all trials, of every kind, 
 however varying in degree and character, are ap- 
 pointed, to prove man^s confidence in God ; even as 
 
 ^ It is a thoroughly wise habit of mind in all cases, especially in 
 any doubtful or difficult course of action, whether in adversity or 
 prosperity, to j^xiuse eve we determine upon it ; and ask ourselves— 
 ' How shall I estimate this apparent loss or gain, this pain or pleasure 
 in 2i future world V Wisdom would often avail herself of that pause 
 to influence our minds, and regulate our course aright — to dissuade 
 us from pursuing some worldly advantage which might compromise 
 our duty ; to urge a patient bearing under some trial of our faith 
 which tempts to murmuring: and win us over to some virtuous self- 
 denial, some holy resolve, which we had well-nigh cast from us. When 
 tempted by pleasure to forget God, or by sorrow to distrust Him, it 
 is a thought, salutary as comforting, that ''the end is not yet," 
 
Faith Triumphs, 
 
 279 
 
 gold is tried seven times in the fire \ With respect 
 to himself, therefore, the fact, with all its pain and 
 grief, is to be considered as part of the weight of the 
 cross which it may please the Father to lay upon him ; 
 and with respect to the dead, happily it is not for man 
 to determine the future state of his fellow- creatures, 
 or to pronounce what may be their acquittal or con- 
 demnation before their Almighty Judge. Our blessed 
 Lord has left us the clearest and most unerring coun- 
 sel to guide us in all such difficulties. Whatever 
 happens to ourselves or others, not only are we directed 
 to leave the final disposing thereof to the will and 
 mercy of the Supreme ^ ; but we are forbidden to 
 judge another, or to decide upon another's final ac- 
 ceptance or rejection before God \ Each individual, 
 even the best and the holiest among the sons of men, 
 has enough, and more than enough, of himself to do 
 to prepare his own soul for heaven. How forcibly does 
 our Divine Teacher thus instruct us, in his memorable 
 
 ^ Does the refiner purify the silver stream seven times in the fire * ? 
 The Lord proveth his faithful servants, and trieth them like as silver 
 is tried ; so as by fire f . And who shall wonder ? " He is," indeed, 
 " like a refiner's fire ij:." 
 
 2 It must never be forgotten, that since time is as nothing in the 
 sight of God — a thousand years as one day, and one day as a thousand 
 years — survivors can never know, either what contrition may have 
 taken place in the soul of the dying, even in that awful hour when, 
 though consciousness may remain, all power of giving expression to 
 its feeling shall have passed away ; or what reconciliation may have 
 been eff'ected, if, even then, the soul turn with all its remaining powers 
 to its Saviour and its God. For any individual indeed to trust in this 
 thought, as a ground for delaying repentance, would argue folly even 
 to madness in a mortal man, whose tenure of life is so precarious, that 
 any moment may summon him to that judgment, which will pass him 
 to everlasting misery, if he die with his sins unrepented of and un- 
 forgiven — to eternal joy, if he die a pardoned sinner, reconciled and 
 accepted. Yet the truth must not be concealed ; tending, as it does 
 on the one hand to check the presumption and harsh judgment of 
 self-righteousness ; and on the other, to soothe the sacred son'ows of 
 affection.— See p. 118, N. 
 
 2 See p. 253. 
 
 * Ps. xii. 6. t Ihv}, Ixvi. 10. + Mai. iii. 2. 
 
280 
 
 laith Triumphs* 
 
 reply to those^ who with natural curiosity on the awful 
 subject of a future judgment^ inquired as to the num- 
 ber of the redeemed — whether the more would be 
 saved or lost — Lord^ are there few that be saved 
 His reply, brief, and emphatic as brief — conveys 
 counsel, at once wise, and safe, and comforting : 
 Strive to enter in at the strait gate/^ Do we not all 
 feel that the counsel is mercifully adapted to our 
 infirmities ? Does not each man find toil and labour 
 sufficient for the soul, in working out his own salva- 
 tion, and keeping that strait and narrow path of 
 holiness, w^hich leadeth imto life eternal, without en- 
 tangling himself in such inquiries as called forth our 
 Lord^s rebuke — vain inquiries, w^hen time of trial is 
 past ? Our own individual course is an onward course. 
 In the fight of faith, if our fellow- soldiers contend 
 manfully, we are encouraged ; we follow in their path ; 
 we contend the more earnestly: and even when they 
 have passed to their reward, the memory of their 
 example animates us But, if they fall back, desert 
 their standard, and perish in their faithlessness — we 
 grieve indeed, and are sore vexed : our own course, 
 however, is still the same — onward. We are not to 
 pause and suspend our exertions, that we may inquire 
 with forbidden curiosity into the consequences to 
 themselves individually of their dereliction of duty. 
 What may be the eternal state of the individual is by 
 the Divine counsels concealed from us ; and remains 
 among the hidden things of God^ With respect, 
 
 ' Luke XIX. 12 — 27. "He said therefore, A certain nobleman 
 went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to re- 
 turn. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, 
 and said unto them, Occupy till I come." We find in the conclu- 
 sion of this parable, that of the faithful servants, one was set over ten 
 cities, another over ^^<j; both rewarded, though apparently in unequal 
 measure. But it appears, that as both parties had acted well accord- 
 ing to their ability, so each was rewarded according to his capacity of 
 receiving and appreciating reward. 
 
 2 There is yet a stern instruction in these fears. That they are 
 felt ])y us for others, is as a heavenly monitor ; warning, that unless 
 
Faith Tiiuniphs, 
 
 281 
 
 therefore, to others already passed into the spiritual 
 world, their probation is ended : and God will give 
 to every man, according as his work hath becn/^ If 
 your mind lingers still upon this death-scene, which 
 memory presents to you in its dark hopelessness; 
 if, as you are about to resume the active duties of 
 life, these agitating fears disturb you, you must 
 resolutely keep your affections on things above ; 
 you must have your conversation in heaven ; you 
 must, '^in heart and mind, ascend whither our 
 blessed Saviour Jesus Christ is gone before ^J'^ To 
 this end, study " the whole counsel of God con- 
 template Him, as revealed in the Gospel of his 
 Son; meditate upon his wondrous nature as there 
 
 we also repent, they will be felt by others for ourselves. Can there 
 be a stranger contradiction in human character than is evidenced in 
 the fact, that those who for the everlasting welfare of relatives, friends, 
 -and neighbours, manifest the most sincere and anxious care, should 
 so often appear totally regardless of their own hope of heaven, as if 
 either a wish on their part would secure it to them, or others could 
 be as indifferent to their welfare as they themselves are ? Too many 
 there are, who, whilst in tender love they shrink in horror at the 
 thought, that parent or child, relative or friend, or fellow-creature, 
 should fall short, either of that righteousness in life which leadeth to 
 peace, or that holiness in death which breatheth hope — are as reckless 
 for themselves, as if for them the pains of hell had no terrors, and the 
 glories of heaven no joy. Wise, indeed, it is, never to cease this 
 anxious care for others' welfare.* Well does such care become them ! 
 Bat let them at the same time take good heed themselves to 2i\o\(}L those 
 sinful courses, the evil consecjuences of which they profess so much 
 to dread in the case of others. A bad example far more than counter- 
 vails the best counsel. Does the parent dread in his children the 
 fearful consequences of sabbath-breaking, idleness, evil-speaking, or 
 other species of irreligion ! Let him, for himself, keep the Sabbath 
 holy ; let him be himself active in " every good word and work ;" let 
 him for himself " do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with his 
 God." So shall his example be honoured, his counsel be heeded, and 
 his wai^ning voice not uttered in vain — for his " children shall rise up 
 and call him blessed." Is it possible for any man to be so blind and 
 insensible, either as not to see that if Divine vengeance will punish 
 unrepented sins in the case of others, it will not spare the same sins 
 in himself ; or as his heart rejoices in a good. and virtuous child, not 
 so to lead his own short life of trial here, in all godliness and honesty, 
 that he may be cheered by the hope of sharing with his child here- 
 after a life of rest and joy for ever ! 
 * See the Collect for Ascension Day. 
 
282 
 
 Faith Triumphs. 
 
 declared to us, and the wondrous change promised 
 to ourselves in the world beyond the grave ; that 
 by so " acquainting thyself with God — meditating 
 upon what He is^ and what we shall be ^ — you may 
 learn to calm, if not remove, these fears, and in 
 patience possessing your soul, find peace and joy in 
 believing. What then are the attributes, and what is 
 the nature of that God, whose presence will be your 
 heaven ; whose glories, the subject of your everlasting 
 praises ; and his perfections, your wonder and joy 
 through the endless ages of eternity ? — His holiness 
 is so complete, that though such was his love to man, 
 that He gave his Son to die for him. He cannot love 
 what continues evil : and in a future state of being, 
 as He cannot love the wicked, so they must be driven 
 from his presence — cast out for ever. In like manner 
 his happiness is perfect. That can never be clouded, 
 though impenitent worlds were to pass to their punish- 
 ment. Now it is revealed to us, that when Christ 
 shall appear, the righteous, being admitted to their 
 blessed inheritance in the kingdom prepared for them 
 
 will see God face to face, and be made like unto Him 
 — like unto Him in holiness and happiness : a simili- 
 tude perfect in kind, though imperfect in degree. See 
 we not then, that immortal spirits also, themselves for 
 ever holy and for ever happy, wdll be unable either to 
 
 ^ St. John, indeed (1 John iii. 2), when he directs his beloved to 
 look forward to their blessed change after death, after glorying that 
 " now are we the sons of God," immediately adds, "and it dotli not 
 yet appear what we shall be.'' But this expression denotes only that 
 with our present limited faculties, Ave are incapable of comprehending 
 the extejit of that change — the fulness of that lieavenly inheritance, 
 which is consequent upon our adopted sonship. And though so vastly 
 beyond our present conceptions will be the glories of an hereafter, 
 that " eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the 
 heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that 
 love him * there is no uncertain knowledge as to the promised 
 inheritance itself. The uncertainty is one as to degree, not as to 
 enjoyment. 
 
 * Isa. liv. 4. 1 Cor. ii. 9. 
 
Faith Triumphs. 
 
 283 
 
 love any thing which is not holy^or to know diminution 
 of happiness, even from witnessing the sufferings of 
 others, whoever those sufferers may be ? We can draw 
 no other conclusion. The love of God will be all in 
 all — a feeling so absorbing, that what He loves, that 
 alone shall the blessed love. All the kindly feelings 
 which here had their exercise in mingled love to God 
 and his creatures, will then be centred in Him ; and the 
 sweet charities of life, here resting indiscriminately 
 upon those whom various earthly bonds unite in com- 
 mon affection, will hereafter not only be enlarged be- 
 yond our capacities now to comprehend, but will be 
 spiritualized also: and so expanded and purified, will 
 form an harmonious bond of love between the spirits 
 of the just made perfect a great multitude, which 
 no man can number, of all nations, and kindreds, and 
 people, and tongues:'^ all having one great object — 
 to celebrate the love and the praise of their God. 
 Nor will it then be possible for the happiness of the 
 faithful to know diminution or change, even should 
 any be absent from the company of immortal spirits in 
 heaven, who w^ere of their fellowship or kindred here 
 on earth. The happiness of each shall be, accord- 
 ing to their capacities, perfect ; neither shall they 
 again know doubt, or care, or sorrov/. Every tear 
 being then wdped from every eye,^^ " there the wicked 
 cease from troubling there even those sorrows 
 which fill the souls of the righteous, when they wit- 
 ness, in life or in death, the evil course of wicked men, 
 and see them dishonouring God, causing wretchedness 
 to their fellow-creatures, and bringing ruin upon their 
 own souls — even those troubles caused by the wicked 
 there cease. The spirits of the just cannot love aught 
 which God loveth not; and their happiness, being 
 complete, as it needed not the participation of others 
 to perfect it, so the exclusion of others diminishes it 
 not : else had Abraham bewailed, and Lazarus found 
 no rest, when the wretched Dives was in torments, 
 from which he implored relief, but implored in vain. 
 
284 
 
 Faith Triumphs. 
 
 Dives indeed thought, and thought with horror, upon 
 the wretched course of life which his surviving bre- 
 thren were pursuing in the world he himself had left ; 
 but those agonized feelings werepart of his punishment. 
 Between him and the blessed there was a great 
 gulf fixed — an impassable barrier — even the perfect 
 love of God ; a barrier which, whilst it excluded sym- 
 pathy with the condemned, excluded as a necessary 
 consequence, any feeling which might diminish that 
 fulness of joy, which the love and presence of their 
 heavenly Father extend to the righteous. So impos- 
 sible will it be for the pure and holy spirits of the 
 blessed to love that which God loveth not, or to know- 
 diminution of happiness, when once admitted into the 
 mansions of the blessed. 
 
 When meditating upon this high and awful subject, 
 God forbid that we should presumptuously pry into 
 the hidden things of the Almighty ! The " ground 
 whereon we stand is indeed holy ground,^^ and well 
 does it become us to " put off our shoes from off our 
 feet — to remove all mere earthly views of a matter 
 so spiritual ; yet it is wisdom, it is duty, thankfully to 
 receive, as added motives to a holy life, whatever in- 
 timations our Divine Teacher may have been pleased 
 to give of our eternal state ; and, as far as He has re- 
 vealed the future by the light of his word, humbly to 
 contemplate it for our instruction and comfort. Not 
 to see that on the point in question He has mercifully 
 vouchsafed sufficient knowledge to check the fear we 
 have been considering, and set us free from those 
 perplexing thoughts which otherwise might have de- 
 stroyed our peace in life, and darkened our hope in 
 death — were to close our eyes against blessing. Thanks 
 to this marvellous great light,"^ our view is suffici- 
 ently clear for safe guidance : and in proportion as 
 faith operates upon the mind and heart, its power will 
 remove every doubt, calm every apprehension, and 
 enable us to repose our whole trust and confidence on 
 Him^ " in whose presence there is fulness of joy and 
 
The Mourning Mother Comforted. 285 
 
 who^ to those who are admitted into his presence, will 
 communicate that joy in all its fulness ; every accepted 
 soul there rejoices^ for ever^ undisturbed in serenity 
 of bliss. I trust, therefore, that if in some darker 
 moments of sorrow, the mourner's grief ever be ren- 
 dered more poignant by fear as to the state, after 
 death, of those who have lived unchristian lives, 
 the considerations here brought forward may serve 
 to calm his spirit; reminding him that even this sad 
 trial — this weighty cross — is not to be borne for ever. 
 Pass a few years of this transitory life, and the bur- 
 den will be removed, to be borne again no m.ore. 
 Thus let him raise his soul high above this trouble- 
 some world, and ^^fix it where true joys are to be 
 found — joys, which not even those agitating fears 
 can reach : even the joys of heaven, which neither 
 memory of the past nor anticipations of the future 
 shall diminish or change. 
 
 CHAPTER LI. 
 
 THE MOURNING MOTHER COMFORTED. 
 
 That the aged should sicken and die, although it 
 grieves us to witness their suffering in sickness, and 
 their removal by death, is yet an event which a calm 
 consideration of the general ordering of God's provi- 
 dence does much to relieve and reconcile. We see 
 all things come to an end. It must be so : for the 
 shadow of death which entered into the world with 
 sin, passed over all created things, animate and inani- 
 mate ^ ; though THE Supreme controlleth for man^s 
 benefit, even the consequences of man's sin, by mak- 
 ing death, which man himself brought in by sin, the 
 
 ^ " Cursed is the ground j for tliy sake." 
 
286 The Mourning Mother Comforted. 
 
 door to that immortality, for which he was originallj^ 
 created. The death of the aged, therefore, is but 
 according to the Divine wisdom, which ruleth over 
 all. As the sun knoweth his going down, so man 
 now has no sooner passed his meridian of life, 
 than he descends naturally to his setting, and passeth 
 away, far hence, to rise in a new world with reno- 
 vated strength and glory. We find, therefore, that 
 when Christian faith and Christian hope sustain 
 them, those who, far advanced in years, have long 
 suffered under the infirmities of body and anxieties of 
 mind incidental to mortality, are themselves more than 
 reconciled to the change awaiting them in death ; and 
 though many a day of pain is soothed, many a night 
 of waking cheered, by reflecting, that in suffering pa- 
 tiently the various trials of sickness — and so evidenc- 
 ing the power of the Divine word, with the efficacy of 
 Divine grace — their lives are not passed otherwise than 
 to the glory of their God ; yet, wearied with long toil, 
 they generally look with resignation and even joy to 
 the hour, which shall end their pilgrimage, and bear 
 them to their promised home in heaven. Reason and 
 religion thus unite in affording consolation to the 
 mourning survivors. Every hour we live, every step 
 we take, every word we speak, every thought we 
 breathe, as they bring us nearer to the grave, bear us 
 nearer and nearer to our final meeting with those 
 loved ones gone before us. Thus it is, that gradually 
 the pain of the past is lost in joyous anticipation of 
 the future ^ 
 
 * If this consideration bring comfort to us, when we carry our 
 thoughts to those, whom in death as in life we honoured ; whilst our 
 hearts, softened by sorrow, fill with love both to God and man ; so it 
 may serve as a salutary check to those who, from any offence taken, 
 any clashing or mutual interests, any feeling of wounded pride or 
 broken regard, are about to act towards a neighbour or fellow -creature 
 in an uncharitable or unkind spirit. " Every step you take " — so con- 
 science whispers them — brings you nearer to the grave ; and after 
 that comes tlie judgment. If you yield to this temptation of injuring 
 your neighbour, in thought, word, or deed, how will you meet him 
 tlim ? Are you of a revengeful or malicious spirit \ Do you delight 
 
The Mourning Mother Comforted. 
 
 287 
 
 But thou^ weeping mother ! thou refusest to be 
 comforted ! What are thoughts hke these to thee ? 
 Thou mournest the inverted order of human events. 
 Thou mournest a daughter. Thine is the impas- 
 sioned lamentation of a hearty which consolation vainly 
 tries to soothe. — Oh ! that I had died for thee, my 
 child ! Must then the young be taken and the aged 
 left? Is failing strength like mine to be spared^ with 
 its tottering step and wearied spirits ; and art thou in 
 thy youth and beauty to be taken ; thy spirits all 
 joyous, thy step firm and active? Speak to me, my 
 child, yet once again ! Once more look upon me, my 
 loved and beautiful ! Cheer my aching heart, as thou 
 wert wont. Smile once again on thy mother — heart- 
 broken . . . . Who shall wonder that nature thus 
 bewails ; though not even your voice shall wake the 
 dead. The warm cheerful current of life is suspended ; 
 and the form is fixed, as the frozen waters — cold and 
 motionless. Yet view it again. Is it indeed your 
 
 to give pain, where you have taken offence : to stir strife, where you 
 may have been disappointed ; yourself to rise in fame upon the ruins 
 of another's good name ? — Remember, you are nearing your grave ! 
 — the grave wliich buries every error — covers every defect — extin- 
 guishes every resentment." 
 
 Sure it is, that the proud and revengeful shall one day lament, with 
 a compunction which wiser thoughts liad spared them, that they should 
 ever have warred with dust and ashes, to which their enemy and they 
 must alike come. From the grave should spring only the flowers of 
 sweetness, fond regrets, and tender recollections ! 
 
 Indeed, the consideration is every way important. It serves to 
 check evil by reminding us that every step we take in a sinful course, 
 must bring us nearer to the borders of that grave, which will pass 
 us to our strict and solemn account for eternity : and in that prospect 
 he is a bold man, who "refraineth" not "his foot from evil." — It tends 
 also to reconcile every tri;fl,by the near prospect of its close ; for who 
 would be impatient of a sorrow which soon will end, when his patient 
 continuance in well-doing, for the brief space of a short and uncertain 
 life, gives hope of glory, and honour, and immortality ? What strength 
 does that thought supply in the path of holiness? 
 
 Whoso thus watches his steps is wise; and " whoso walketh wisely, 
 he shall be delivered 
 
 * Prov. xxviii. 20*. 
 
288 
 
 The Mourning Mother Comforted. 
 
 daughter? True, not long since she tenanted that 
 form ; but she has left it now. She herself is in 
 another and a better world. You humbly hope that 
 she is in paradise, with the spirits of the just made 
 perfect; where the departed saints of every age are in 
 bliss, awaiting the last trumpet-call, to resume their 
 once mortal bodies, and find them immortal — glorious, 
 like unto Christ's glorious body, and fit dw^ellings for 
 their immortal spirits. This body, then, over which 
 you hang in agony, is not the daughter who was your 
 delight and joy. It is but the tabernacle she once in- 
 habited. The casket is left, but the treasure is gone — 
 recalled by ffim, even the Lord of life and death, who 
 having entrusted you with it for a season, at length 
 wills to reclaim his own : ready for that day, when 
 he shall make up his jewels Though during her 
 short passage through this life, she was as good as 
 your anxious heart could wish her, she is now in 
 scenes far more congenial with her pious soul, than 
 those which she has left. Her gentle spirit is at rest 
 with God. Whilst you are contending in the busy 
 turmoil of this lower world, remember ! — she has no 
 care, for her dwelling is where all is peace : she has 
 no fear, for she rests where all is safety ; she has no 
 doubts, for she reposes where all is certainty of bliss 
 for ever. Your heaviest cares thus lose half their 
 weight. Your own troubles — how easily are they 
 borne, when you reflect that she shares not their 
 burden 1 She is far — far above them. You need not 
 weep for her, as if she were any longer an object of 
 your compassion. When of late we saw her labouring 
 to sustain what weakened powers of life remained; 
 striving against pain ; her breath failing, and her 
 trembling frame agitated by the awful strife of death 
 — then indeed who could behold, and not weep tears 
 of anguish ? You wept — we all wept — she alone w^ept 
 
 ^ Mai iii. 17. "And they" — the righteous — " sliall be mine, saitli 
 the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels." 
 
The Mourning Mother Comforted. 
 
 289 
 
 not. Nor were our tears then shed in vain for her. 
 ^Tis true, she bade us check them : but as they flowed 
 in heartfelt sympathy, she welcomed, and was grateful 
 for them. They could not heal, but they could and 
 they did soothe: they could not recall life, but they 
 betokened that love^ which gives to life its charm : 
 and all the tender offices you ministered, unable 
 though they were to check the progress of disease, or 
 avert the hand of death, were at once grateful to the 
 object of them, and comforting to the anguished heart 
 which ministered unto them : like the pious services 
 of the faithful to our blessed Lord, they were sancti- 
 fied by their motive \ 
 
 Let me recall to your recollection the closing day 
 of your daughter's sojourn here ; and the instructive 
 scene which it presented. Finding the time of her 
 departure drawing nigh, she prepared, with the deep- 
 est humiUty, and the holiest joy, to partake of ^^the 
 most comfortable sacrament of the body and blood of 
 Chrisf — adding, in the firm and hopeful language 
 of our Liturgy — " This I do * in remembrance of his 
 meritorious cross and passion, whereby alone I look to 
 obtain remission of my sins, and be made partaker of 
 the kingdom of heaven Thus, too, she further 
 
 ^ Matt. xxvi. 10. 12, 13. "When Jesus understood it, he said 
 unto them, W^hy trouble ye the woman ? for she hath wrought a good 
 work upon me. . . For in that she hath poured this ointment upon ray 
 body, she did it for my burial. Verily, I say unto you, Wheresoever 
 this Gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this 
 that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her." See 
 p. 259, note. 
 
 2 I am here forcibly reminded of an occasion, upon which one of 
 the highest personages of the land sought and found in this holy 
 ordinance, a strength to meet every severity of trial which no earthly 
 power could furnish, nor the kingdoms of the world supply. And 
 though many years have since passed *, yet the record is not less 
 instructive, nor the example less forcible. It will be remembered, 
 that in the spring-tide of youth, surrounded by anxious relatives and 
 friends, and the object of the heartfelt prayers of an expecting 
 nation, the late Princess Charlotte of Saxe Coburg died : as did 
 
 [26-1] 
 
 * November, 1817. 
 
 O 
 
290 
 
 The Mourning Mother Comforted. 
 
 testified her hope — " My blessed Saviour instituted 
 that holy ordinance, when his own death was at hand ; 
 I, his unworthy dying servant, trust that mercy may 
 be with me, if I, in the prospect of my death, partake 
 thereof, and as my last act of outward obedience, 
 obey his last command/^ You will never forget your 
 dear dying daughter at that hour — her more than 
 earthly calm ; her serene and collected air ; her own 
 tranquillity diffusing itself over the whole scene — long 
 will vou remember that scene. The sob of ano-uish 
 even in your own heart was hushed ; and as she took 
 the emblems of her Redeemer's love, her voice alone 
 was heard — weak, indeed, and gentle even to faint- 
 ness, yet distinct and clear — pouring forth its last 
 words of faith, and hope, and thankfulness. " O 
 blessed body, broken for me I What strength to m.y 
 
 the infant to which she had given birth. For this sudden wrench 
 from hfe, however, and from all those earthly blessings which might 
 seem to render life desirable, she had prepared herself, with a wisdom 
 as Christian as it w^as exemplary. No sooner did she find her trial as 
 a mother approaching, than she strengthened her soul by partaking 
 of the holy Sacrament. She '^received the cup of salvation, and 
 called upon the name of the Lord Blessed was she in her deed I 
 The grace she so sought was mercifully vouchsafed, according to her 
 need. As her days were, so was her strength. When the event 
 which had been anticipated with joy closed in sorrow, and mother 
 and infant passed from life to death — no murmur escaped her dying 
 lips ; no complpJning mingled with her prayers ; no lingering love of 
 that world which had smiled upon her, found place in her thoughts ; 
 the earthly crown which awaited her in this life, she readily resigned, 
 in the view of that heavenly crown which she humbly trusted awaited 
 her in the next ; and as she was about to take leave of tlie world 
 where she would have reigned a queen, every hope centred in her 
 God. As a sinful mortal, her aim was to gain his pardon ; as recon- 
 ciled through the Saviour, her care was to win his favour ; as an 
 immortal spirit, her ambition was to secure an immortality of joy; 
 and her last words were in humble submission to his dispensations — 
 " God^s will be done !" 
 
 Behold, then, and see, that, alike to rich and poor, to sovereigns and 
 their subjects, Jesus Christ is the only refuge in the needful time of 
 trouble — but He is a sure refuge. The kingdoms of the world and the 
 glory of them, supply not such ; yet to royalty and to poverty is it 
 equally free. May we all have grace to seek it ! 
 
 * Ps. cxvi. 12. 
 
The Mourning Mother Comforted. 291 
 
 soul ! What strength to my faith in God's promise of 
 forgiveness of sin, for his sake ! O blessed Blood, 
 shed for 77^e/ What refreshment to my soul, what 
 brightness to my hope !— Jesus my strength, my hope, 
 my life! O grant!''— and here with clasped and 
 upHfted hands, she raised her look to heaven, with an 
 energy and fervour of which sinking nature had long 
 seemed incapable— "O grant that, being one with 
 Thee spiritually by faith, now, I may be one with 
 Thee hereafter, for ever 
 
 She felt no anguish then. She then shed no tear 
 of sorrow ^ though the tear of holy — heavenly joij 
 ghstened full and bright, whilst in a faith, pure as 
 aught of earth can be, she thus partook of the holy 
 supper of the Lord, and applied to her soul it& 
 gracious benefits. " Thank God !— Thank God !"— 
 though in tones scarcely audible, yet fell from her 
 lips. Even you, at that moment, appeared as if you 
 could have parted from her without a pang. Your 
 full heart declared your conviction, that she was, in- 
 deed, '^meet to be a partaker of the inheritance of the 
 saints in light." She then, as you will remember, 
 reposed, and retired into her own thoughts, which 
 were doubtless with " God and with his Christ." 
 Death, however, was advancing rapidly. Pain had 
 subsided, but her bodily weakness had increased. Still 
 her thoughts were for others. In lamenting her own 
 unworthiness in the sight of God, she warned the 
 young who were around her— Never do or say any 
 thing to, or 0/ others, which in death you will be'sorry 
 to have said or done ! Think, what will make you 
 
 ' That this spiritual and heavenly union might be perfected by his 
 mediation was the object of the Redeemer's beautiful and affecting 
 prayer, when He committed his Church for ever to the care of his 
 Fatlier.— -"Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which 
 shall believe on me through their word ; that they all may be one ; 
 as thou, Father, art in me, and 1 in thee, that they also may be one 
 m us : that the world may believe that thou hast sent me^" 
 
 * John xvii. 20, 21. 
 
 o 2 
 
293 
 
 The Mourning Mother Comforted. 
 
 happy then : and that do. If I ever have offended any 
 of you, forgive me. You have all been so kind to me, 
 that I have nothing to forgive. I have only to thank 
 you. I do thank you. God ever bless you all!^^ 
 Seeing you still weeping, she once again rallied what 
 powers remained to her, and with a marvellous firm- 
 ness, which appeared indicative rather of returning 
 life than approaching dissolution, she thus expressed 
 to you, clearly and distinctly, her hope, and the 
 grounds of it : — " Mother, I am going from you — 
 but not for ever ! I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 He will save me. My gracious heavenly Father pro- 
 mises me in my Bible, that He will save those who 
 repent and believe — I repent and believe. If I had 
 my time to come over again, I would pray for grace 
 to make better use of it ; and I would love you all 
 even more dearly than I have done. I trust that the 
 Holy Spirit, who comforts me in this hour, will go on 
 to comfort me. Surely He is now speaking peace to 
 me. Else how could I feel 7iot afraid to die ? Yet, I 
 am not afraid. Oh! bless God for that.^^ .... And 
 thus she strove to relieve your deeply-wounded heart 
 by pouring in the balm of her own heavenly hope. 
 The smile which then overspread her countenance, 
 memory will ever cherish — a smile, such as lights not 
 up the eye of suffering — suffering was past — a smile it 
 was, so bright, so radiating, that had no word been 
 spoken, no assurance given, of the glorious hope of 
 immortality, that alone might have indicated the hope 
 to be from heaven. Nay, even your own sad heart, 
 for the moment, ceased to grieve. At length, finding 
 her end at hand, she appeared to collect herself for a 
 last effort : an effort, equally noble in its motive, and 
 heroic in its spirit. Forcibly laying aside every selfish 
 consideration, even at that trying moment, she whis- 
 pered to her attendant— Turn me round, do not let 
 my mother see me die — she could not bear that.^^ 
 Thinking that she slept, all were silent : nor was the 
 silence disturbed, save that twice her failing voice 
 
The Meeting of the Blessed. 293 
 
 uttered — O Mother ! I am happy ! — dear Mother ! 
 — happy . . . And her spirit returned to the God 
 who gave it. 
 
 CHAPTER LIL 
 
 THE MEETING OF THE BLESSED. 
 
 "Shall we then meet again? Shall the dear one 
 again call me. Mother? Shall the eye, whose smile 
 of affection so often greeted me here, again welcome 
 me ? And shall we live together again in peace and 
 in joy ?^^— How natural these reflections to a m.ourn- 
 ing parent! and how blessed the Divine word, which 
 gives assurance that the hope they breathe shall, to 
 the righteous, be realized ! The assurance is express, 
 that the dead body shall be raised to life ; that the 
 spirit, separated by death, shall again be united v/ith 
 it ; that, so renewed, each individual shall know death 
 no more^ but "be for ever with the Lord/^ Yes! 
 weeping mother, thy child shall rise to new life, in 
 the resurrection at the last day ; for she believed in 
 Jesus Christ, the Lord of life ; and believing in Him, 
 " though she were dead, yet shall she live/^ " Thy 
 brother shall rise again said the Son of God to the 
 afflicted sister of Lazarus. And what if, on that occa- 
 sion, the promise was fulfilled after the dead had lain 
 in its grave only four days, whereas long ages may 
 pass, ere the last trumpet summon from the grave the 
 dead you mourn ? — the promise is not less sure. Nay, 
 if they to whom our blessed Lord so addressed Him- 
 self were to receive the doctrine in the simplicity of 
 an unreserved faith, with how firm a faith should ive 
 receive it ! He, who spake the words in life. Himself 
 after death rose from the dead by his own power, the 
 first-fruits of them that slept thereby establishing 
 the truth of his promise, and the extent of his power 
 o3 
 
294 
 
 The Meeting of the Blessed. 
 
 to fulfil it. In this, as in all cases, bear in mind that 
 since even to ourselves, when we have passed into the 
 eternal world, there will be time no longer, so now, 
 with the eternal God, time is as nothing. The very 
 term itself is merely adapted to the limited capacities 
 of finite beings, and can never be applicable to the 
 Divine counsels and Divine perfections. The disem- 
 bodied spirits in paradise are happy with their kin- 
 dred spirits — "the spirits of the just made perfect'^ — 
 and await with patient hope the appointed hour which 
 shall perfect their bliss, and restore them, glorified, to 
 their home in heaven. The grave, then, shall not 
 for ever hold thy loved one captive, "The hour is 
 coming, in the which all that are in their graves shall 
 come forth And the Spirit of God has thus revealed 
 the wonders of that hour. "The Lord himself shall 
 descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of 
 the archangel, and with the trump of God ; and the 
 dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are 
 alive and remain shall be caught up together with 
 them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air : and 
 so shall we ever be with the Lord.^^ As you ponder 
 truths so high, so glorious, you scarcely need the 
 apostolic exhortation which follows them — " Comfort 
 one another with these words How often during 
 
 1 John V. 28, 29. 
 
 2 1 Thess. iv. 16—18. Few points are more strongly insisted 
 upon in the discourses of our gracious Redeemer, as a motive for 
 watchfuhiess in our lives and conduct, than the fact tliat the great 
 judgment-day will come upon mankind, as the flood did, suddenly, 
 when they least expect it, and are engaged in all the busy bustle of 
 the world and its concerns. And as the dead shall then be raised to 
 life, so those who are then alive — or quick, as the living are sometimes 
 termed in Scripture * — will be changed without c^^a^A, and rendered 
 imm-ortal. 
 
 It was probably to prepare the human mind for the reception of 
 
 * Thus Numb. xvi. 30 — 33, the presumption of Korah, Dathan, and 
 Abiram, was signally punished ; in that when the Lord commanded 
 the earth to swallow up them and their families, they went down — 
 quick'' — that is, cdive — "into the pit." See also Ps. Iv. 15, and 
 cxxiv. 3. 
 
The Meeting of the Blessed. 
 
 295 
 
 her sickness did you and your loved daughter so com- 
 fort one another? How often did you weigh the in- 
 estimable value of the blessing contained in those 
 words^ and strive to reconcile each the other to the 
 parting for a season^ by faith in the promised meeting 
 when you shall part no more. Your faith, I trust, 
 fails not. Marvellous indeed is the thought, that our 
 bodies, which, when dead, gradually become corrupt, 
 and at last return to their dust, should be formed 
 anew; become "like unto Christ's glorious body;'^ 
 and, like his, be capable of ascending up into heaven, 
 to die no more. But is it not equally marvellous — 
 equally beyond our faculties to comprehend, how man 
 should have been first formed from the same dust, and 
 from age to age, through long generations of his kind, 
 been sustained by the food thereunto appointed ? The 
 closer we reason upon the facts by which the provi- 
 dence of God surrounds us in the natural world, the 
 more unhesitating will be our faith in the mysteries 
 which his word of grace reveals in the spiritual world. 
 The same power which first called man's body into 
 being, and ordained his existence in this present state 
 for a season, can again call his body into being, and 
 ordain his existence in a future state for ever. Still 
 further to strengthen our faith in this truth, God has 
 spread over the whole of nature, animate and inani- 
 mate, ample proofs, that his power is constantly opera- 
 tive in reproducing whatever, as part of a fallen 
 world, for a season yields to death. When in early 
 spring, the voice of the invisible bids nature awake 
 from its death-like torpor : and when, obedient to the 
 bidding, the tree shoots forth its leaves, and the plant 
 its blossoms — say, is there not a rising of what had 
 for a time been dead ? and shall we limit our faith in 
 that Divine power to the work we see accomplished ? 
 Shall we not rather extend it to the work we find pro- 
 
 this truth, that Enoch before the law, and Elijah under the law, passed 
 to heaven, quick — that is, alive, without the intermediate step of 
 death. 
 
 o 4 
 
296 
 
 The Meeting of the Blessed. 
 
 mised ; and believe that the same God will raise us 
 also from the dead ? Surely this is the proper exercise 
 of a faith, which, though it be, essentially, "the evi- 
 dence of things not seen/^ finds ample ground whereon 
 upon this subject to take its stand, in the evidence of 
 things which are seen. 
 
 If, with this object in view, we contemplate the 
 Creator's works in the natural world, no part of crea- 
 tion will be uninstructive ; but each will come in aid 
 of our faith in the word of the same great Being, who 
 is alike the God of nature and of grace. How beauti- 
 fully St. Paul points out this truth, as aground of con- 
 solation to those who, like you, mourn some loved one, 
 snatched away by death — you must well remember — 
 ^^That which thou sowest is not quickened, except it 
 die : and that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that 
 body which shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of 
 wheat, or of some other grain : but God giveth it a 
 body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own 
 body — " So also is the resurrection of the dead. It 
 is sown in corruption ; it is raised in incorruption : it 
 is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory : it is sown 
 in weakness ; it is raised in power : it is sown a natural 
 body ; it is raised a spiritual body.'' — " And as we have 
 borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the 
 image of the heavenly \" These words of glorious 
 
 1 1 Cor. XV. 36, &c. 
 
 He must be indeed a weak caviller who would limit to the act he 
 sees, the power which effects it. The faithful Christian needs neitljer 
 illustration nor analogy whereon to rest his assured faith in the rt sur- 
 rection. That is founded immovably upon the word of God, and the 
 power of his Christ. But he gladly cheers that faith, by contemplating 
 the Divine works analogous to, or illustrative of, the doctrine ; and 
 the more boldly repels the attacks of scepticism, by the unanswerable 
 question of the Apostle : " Why should it be thought a thing incredible 
 with you that God should raise the dead . . . . Is it at all incredible 
 that God, who created man in the beginning of the world, should re- 
 create him at the close of it ? Is it incredible that He, who framed 
 Adam from the dust of the ground, should frame him anew^ out of the 
 dust, into which his earthly body shall have returned % Is it incre- 
 dible that He, who year by year calls into new life the powers of nature. 
 
The Meeting of the Blessed. 
 
 297 
 
 promise are still fresh in your recollection. You 
 heard them during the solemn service for the dead ; 
 in a holy hour, when your heart was softened by sor- 
 row^ and the heavenly truths they conveyed sunk deep 
 into it. Behold the very grain which man soweth ; 
 it perisheth — corrupteth — and cometh to an end. 
 But lo ! out of this death springeth life ! from this 
 corruption cometh forth purity ! and from the mortified 
 mass, there ariseth in full beauty a glorious plant ; fit 
 emblem of that change which awaiteth the dead ! 
 when this corruptible must put on incorruption, and 
 this mortal, immortality/^ The very blossoms with 
 which you strewed your daughter's grave, whilst they 
 figured indeed that she drooped and withered and was 
 cut dov\^n like a flower, figured also her resurrection to 
 a new life of brighter joys and happier seasons — where, 
 planted by the waters of life, she shall flourish for 
 ever; no more to wither, no more to change; but live 
 pure, and bright, and glorious, through the endless 
 ages of eternity. 
 
 sealed as in death ; that He, who is every hour reproducing through- 
 out creation that which by the law of death hath for a time perished 
 — is it incredible that He should exercise that power upon man, the 
 noble&t of his creatures ? Or, shall the inanimate plant, after death, 
 know its resurrection, and man be left to know only death ? Shall 
 the perishing insect tribes be changed from vile bodies, that they may 
 in new bodies be clothed with beauty, and, from creeping things on 
 earth, mount into a new element in winged splendour, whilst immortal 
 man turns to his dust, and becomes less than the worm which 
 destroyeth his mortal body ? Shall the Divine power to change from 
 corruption to incorruption be thus graciously vouchsafed and daily 
 present itself to your view in all creation around you, and you yet 
 continue doubting, questioning, cavilling ? Go, vain, foolish caviller ! 
 Pluck from tliine heart the love of sin, and we shall soon find thee 
 gratefully to receive the love of God. Resolve to ohey the pure and 
 holy precepts of the Gospel, and we shall see an end of thy cavilling. 
 Thou art a sceptic, not because faith, in itself, offends thy reason, 
 but because its requisitions either olfend thy pride, or condemn thy 
 practice. 
 
 o5 
 
298 
 
 CHAPTER LIII. 
 
 THE DYING MOTIIER^S FAITH. 
 
 It was the marked and emphatic admonition of our 
 Divine Teacher^ that not content merely to read the 
 Scriptures, we should " search^^ them ; that so we 
 might learn — as far as our limited powers are capable 
 of learning — the whole counsel of God. And whoso 
 thus searcheth those hidden treasures, will find few 
 considerations to affect his heart with a deeper sense 
 of gratitude and wonder than this — that they reveal to 
 us the Lord of all as regarding with the minutest and 
 most watchful care, the welfare of each individual of 
 us his creatures, not only in reference to our future 
 and eternal state, l3ut in respect also to our fears and 
 hopes in this present life. So widely extended is this 
 care, that for every outward evil to which a varied life 
 is exposed. He has provided a specific remedy. The 
 Angel of the covenant,^^ touched with all the feelings 
 of our infirmities, identifies Himself, as it were, with 
 us in all those wants and wishes^ all those fears and 
 hopes, all those sorrows and joys, which, springing 
 out of the several relations of social life, alternate 
 with the changing tide of this fluctuating world, and 
 constitute our probation. Where is the sorrow which 
 He shares not? Where the grief in which He does 
 not sympathize? Nay, not only ^^in all our afflic- 
 tion he is afflicted but in every affliction He is at 
 hand to supply its appropriate relief. Not only, if we 
 be wearied and heavy laden with the burden of our 
 sins, does He, as having borne our sins, take the burden 
 from us, and give rest — not only, if we be poor and 
 
 ' Isa. Ixiii. 9. 
 
The Dying Mother's Faith. 
 
 299 
 
 in misery^ does He supply the riches of his grace^ 
 which waste not^ and the blessing of his peace^ which 
 faileth not ^ — not only when death approaches^ does 
 He calm all fear for ourselves^ by the assurance that 
 He is the resurrection and the life^ and hath con- 
 quered death for us — -but when our dying hour is sad- 
 dened by fears for those we leave behind, even then does 
 his voice speak comfort — "Behold/^ saith He, "in me, 
 a Father of the fatherless, a God of the widow thus 
 permitting us to cast all our care upon Him, 
 
 That natm^e has these fears, who can wonder ? — 
 That Faith in this view of Divine love can conquer 
 them, the following narrative may testify. The oc- 
 casion was one, never to be forgotten by those who 
 witnessed it ; nor can it ever be remembered by 
 them without the most lively feelings of gratitude, for 
 the blessing of an example which might encourage 
 the most desponding, and comfort the most afflicted. 
 A Mother^ in the prime of life, and, as far as human 
 apprehension could judge, in the mid-day of useful- 
 ness, was seized with a sickness unto death, and felt 
 that she was called to set her house in order. The 
 call was startling ; for though never presumptuously 
 reckoning upon health or life, she had thought yet 
 to live, blessing and being blessed, till age should 
 lead her gently to the grave. As a wife, a mother, 
 and a friend, she fulfilled every duty with a ready 
 zeal, and a patience in well-doing, and an habitual 
 self-denial which indicated, by signs unequivocal, that 
 in all her actions and in all her thoughts, that right 
 spirit dwelt, for the daily renewing of which she had, 
 in the sincerity of her own conscious unworthiness 
 before God, offered her daily prayer ^ Her heart 
 was laid open by her conduct: and what her faith 
 was, her works did show \ This faith was now to be 
 tried to the uttermost. The world was to be re- 
 
 1 John xiv. 27. 2 See the Collect for Christmas Da/. 
 
 3 James ii. I7. 
 
 o 6 
 
300 
 
 The Dying Mother's Faith. 
 
 signed — not its pleasures only ; from those she had 
 long withdrawn — she was now called to resign its 
 duties ; and for these only she had lately lived. Thus 
 summoned away^ and convinced that death had set 
 his seal upon her, not only did she seek and find re- 
 fuge in her God^ as a Redeemer ; but as she looked 
 around upon her husband and children and assembled 
 family — her eye resting on the children whom she 
 was so soon to leave^ and her fond heart sinking at 
 the thought that no longer would they have her 
 anxious care, no longer find shelter under her wing, 
 no longer be cheered by her smile, and made happy by 
 her love — every fear was conquered, by remembering 
 that the same God had revealed Himself, as " the 
 Father of the fatherless, that defendeth the cause of 
 widows — even God in his holy habitation How 
 firmly she relied upon this gracious assurance, she 
 thus— though at intervals, and as strength permitted 
 — gave her full and grateful testimony. " In the 
 prospect of leaving you all — all so dear to me — you 
 cannot doubt but that my love increases more and 
 more, as the parting hour draws nearer : yet I feel 
 that God, as He gives me grace to approach death 
 without dread, gives me grace also to resign life and 
 you, without a murmur or a fear. No, not even for 
 you my weeping children — though if ever a parentis 
 heart would naturally dread for surviving children 
 the perilous trials of a wicked world, it must be in an 
 hour like this — yet, not even for you, dare I doubt 
 or fear. And I will tell you in one word from what 
 my resignation is derived — even from Faith. 
 
 But first, as to my own soul. Faith then is my 
 shield against the terrors of death. I firmly believe, 
 that the Almighty ' is my stronghold whereunto I may 
 alway resort :^ 'He hath holden me up ever since I 
 was born.^ Being blessed, in these my last hours, 
 with a clear mind to discern the truth, and remember- 
 
 ^ Ps. Ixviii. 5. 
 
The Dying Mother^s Faith. 
 
 301 
 
 ingj as I do, the years of old, through the trials of 
 which his hand did bear me safely ; I judge of what 
 He will do by what He has done : and I can never 
 suppose that his loving-mercy, which has hitherto 
 followed me all the days of my life, will be withdrawn 
 from me now, when I need it most. That were to 
 forget the perfections of an unchanging God. His 
 love is always the same. Hence, I believe firmly 
 that He will not forsake me noiv. ' Going forth,^ there- 
 fore, to death, ^in the strength of the Lord God 
 I have no dread. My courage is strong. My hope 
 is bright. And this observe, not in a spirit o*f pre- 
 sumption : Jesus Christ is the Lord my righteousness ; 
 and ' I make mention of his righteousness only.^ 
 Mine own unrighteousness has been, and to the end 
 must be my heavy burden ; nay, it would be hea- 
 vier than I could bear, but here again faith sustains 
 me : I believe that Jesus Christ has borne it for me ^, 
 Believing his word, I ^ cast my burden upon the 
 Lord:' and 1 know that ^he will sustain me.' Have 
 I not this very day partaken of the holy communion 
 of his blessed body and blood? And did I not then 
 seal this faith with the blood of the everlasting cove- 
 nant? Do I not know that the death I then com- 
 memorated was suffered for me^ ? And oh ! my Sa- 
 viour, did not my soul thank Thee ? Did not hope 
 bid me look to the hour when I should soon drink 
 that cup new with Thee, in thy Father's kingdom ? 
 What a clearing of the mind and judgment does the 
 prospect of death give me ! Now that ^the one thing 
 needful' so forcibly demands my attention, I am free 
 to judge myself. I understand now, better than ever 
 I iDefore understood, how merciful, as well as wise, 
 is the command that we should ^ judge ourselves, 
 that we be not judged of the Lord.' Not that we are 
 to escape his judgment, for ' all must stand before the 
 judgment-seat of God;' but that if we first judge 
 
 1 Ps. Ixxi. 14. 
 
 2 1 Pet. ii. 24. 
 
 3 See p. 209. 
 
302 
 
 The Dying Mother's Faith. 
 
 ourselves^ and so stand convicted, we flee for succour 
 gladly and even eagerly to the Saviour, who is our 
 only Advocate with the great Judge of all men, and 
 who alone can successfully plead our cause with Him. 
 Thus I can noio see many things to have been wrong 
 in my conduct, which before-time I thought nothing 
 of. Surely, it is the world — acting upon the infir- 
 mities of our nature : exciting vain fears on the one 
 hand, and vain hopes on the other; pandering to our 
 self-love, and enticing us from the love of God — 
 which weakens our powers of judging and acting. 
 But with the world I have now little to do, nothing 
 indeed, as far as I am individually concerned ; except 
 to bear with patience whatever pain and sickness my 
 heavenly Father may see fit to lay upon me. Whilst 
 therefore I am free to judge myself fairly, by the law 
 of the Gospel of my blessed Saviour ; and under even 
 my own judgment, feel all my un worthiness in the 
 sight of a perfectly holy God ; faith in the atoning 
 blood of the Sacrifice of the Lamb of God is so strong 
 that I fear no evil. I fear not. I have placed in my 
 very heart the glorious words — ' The blood of Christ 
 cleanseth from all sin.^^^ 
 
 After an interval of repose, during which she seemed 
 to be in a closer and more earnest communion with 
 her God, she resumed her converse ; edifying, as 
 though a voice from the grave had spoken . ..." I 
 feel that Death has set his seal upon me. Soon — soon 
 indeed must we part. I repeat again and again, that 
 in the prospect of this parting, my love glows towards 
 my dear ones more and more intensely ; and still, 
 though I see you all weeping around me, I can shed 
 no tear. Yet it is no unfeeling disregard for your 
 love — no want of gratitude for your sympathy, which 
 gives me this calmness. Faith it is, which here also 
 sustains me — a triumphant faith in the promise of the 
 Almighty, that He will not only wash my soul pure in 
 the blood of the sacrifice of his Son, and prepare it for 
 heaven by the sanctification of his Spirit ; but will 
 
The Dying Mother^ s Faith. 
 
 303 
 
 accomplish in all its fulness his own solemn promise 
 to be a Father of the fatherless^ and a God of the 
 widow — God, infinite in power as in love. My trust 
 is on that promise : therefore am I not moved ; there- 
 fore is not my heart afraid ; therefore it is that I dare 
 not have aught of lingering fear, as to this world's 
 trials, even for you. Husband — children — all you dear 
 ones ! See now, I am leaving you to the care of a 
 heavenly Guide, a heavenly Companion, a heavenly Pro- 
 tector. His power to protect and comfort you all, is 
 as much above my poor power to render you service_, 
 as heaven is higher than earth, the Creator than his 
 creatures, and the Lord of all above dust and ashes ! 
 Yes ! my children — Almighty God will be as a mother 
 to the motherless ; whilst to the desolate He saith, ^ I 
 am for you, I will turn unto you Husband — mark 
 that ! Almighty God is the friend of the desolate. 
 How often, in reading my Bible, have I paused upon 
 the many affecting passages where this tender parental 
 love of God towards children, and his anxious sym- 
 pathizing care for the mourners in their desolateness, 
 are assured to us in a spirit of mercy, which might 
 encourage the most desponding. ^ Ye shall not afflict 
 any widow or fatherless child.' ^ He ' — the great 
 Jehovah, who .dwelleth in heaven, and ruleth upon 
 earth — even ^ He doth execute the judgment of the 
 fatherless and widow Bearing in mind these pro- 
 mises, I pray that my faith in them may be strength- 
 ened, because my Saviour hath taught me, that ac- 
 cording to my faith, so will it be unto me. How can 
 I not unreservedly trust my God, who to his command 
 hath added his promise ? — ' Leave thy fatherless chil- 
 dren, I preserve them alive; and let thy widows 
 trust in me^.^ Memory recalls the further assurance, 
 that the mother should sooner ^ forget her sucking 
 child,' than God forget those who trust in Him*. 
 
 ^ Ezek. xxxvi. 9. 
 ^ Jer. xlix. 11. 
 
 2 Deut. X. 18. 
 * Isa. xlix. 15. 
 
304 
 
 The Dying Moihej^s Faith* 
 
 Blessed words of my all-merciful Father ! . . . How 
 impossible it is for a nursing mother to forget, for one 
 moment, the treasure she clasps to her bosom, as she 
 nourishes her infant child — / well know. Still less 
 can God ever forget his servants who trust in Him. 
 Observe, what grace is given me to cast all my care 
 upon Him ! . . . Thus, my judgment cleared to the 
 comparative value of this world and the next, I can 
 fairly separate what I would leave, and what I would 
 take with me. Let me tell you what I wish to take 
 with me. I wish to take with me — an acceptable faith 
 in Christ my Redeemer; a pure and undivided love to 
 God my heavenly Father ; and the fellowship of the 
 Holy Ghost the Comforter — because then I hope my 
 soul may be found at last, pure, through the blood of 
 the righteous sacrifice ; admitted to its home in hea- 
 ven ; and sanctified for ever to the service of the Lord. 
 All the rest I am now well content to leave under the 
 gracious care of infinite love, and infinite power. . . . 
 Husband, and children, and all my dear friends — 
 listen to me — now — for soon my life will fail me. 
 Already my strength weakens every minute. My 
 last counsel to you all is, that whenever fears and 
 doubts and sorrows afHict you, ^ be strong in the Lord, 
 and in the power of his might.^ Do as I am now 
 doing in this my last awful trial — ^ Draw nigh unto 
 God/ and ^ cast all your care upon him.^ Live the 
 life of the righteous, and you may hope to die the 
 death of the righteous: then you, O beloved compa- 
 nion of my earthly pilgrimage, the partner of my life, 
 the sharer of my sorrows and my joys — you, and our 
 dear children, and friends, all may meet again ! Oh ! 
 how joyfully shall I welcome you all — to share with 
 me my rest in heaven 
 
 Having requested to be left again to her quietude, 
 she patiently awaited her summons to the grave. 
 With weakening voice, her lips yet whispered one of 
 her cherished passages in Scripture — " ' Ye shall reap 
 if ye faint not;'^^ adding, "O Thou, the strength of 
 
The Dying Mother^ s Faith. 
 
 305 
 
 all who put their trust in Thee, strengthen me ! con- 
 firm my faith unto the end The sublime language 
 of our Liturgy then occurred to her — "^O God most 
 mighty ! O holy and merciful Saviour, thou most 
 worthy Judge eternal ; suffer me not, at my last hour, 
 for any pains of death, to fall from Thee V^^ The mind 
 appeared to be clearer and clearer, as she was about to 
 be freed from mortality. After a lengthened pause, she 
 questioned those friends who still watched her — ^'How 
 shall I know when death is really come? What a 
 thought it is, that, perhaps, ere another hour has gone 
 by, I shall have passed into the regions of space, and 
 be winging my way to the mansions of peace. Jesus 
 has said, that He is ' gone to prepare a place for me 
 Do you suppose that angels wdll guide me ? Angels 
 were the guides to Lazarus, and conducted him to 
 
 Abraham's bosom in Paradise.^' To this question 
 
 there could be but one answer — Have faith in God. 
 He Himself is with you, and by what intermediate 
 agency He may conduct the freed spirit to its rest, we 
 may safely leave to Him. The veil of futurity is not 
 to be raised by mortal hand. The knowledge which 
 would then be revealed to us is too high for our pre- 
 sent faculties to apprehend. Jesus has well warned us, 
 that these are beyond our grasp : ^ Ye cannot bear 
 them now.''' — Her reply was striking! "True; 
 You are right. But angels are so often spoken of in 
 Scripture, both in the Old and New Testament, as 
 ministering to the people of God in their more special 
 trials, that it is natural to think they may attend us 
 when we are dying, and be our guides to the next 
 world. Besides, though yet I see no angel-forms 
 awaiting me, it does not follow that I may not see 
 them, when I shall be quite free from my body. You 
 will not see my spirit, when it leaves this room, but it 
 wdll nevertheless pass you, and be in your presence, 
 though your mortal eyes shall be holden, that you 
 
 John xiv. 2 ; also John xvii. 24. 
 
306 
 
 The Dying Mother's Faith. 
 
 cannot discern it \ So I will encourage the hope that 
 angels may be around me now^ though I see them not ; 
 and that when I leave the body, I shall find them 
 awaiting me. But— no matter that ! God is present : 
 He will sustain me in my passage through ^ the valley 
 of the shadow of death and He is — all'm all At 
 length the moment of dissolution approached ; O ! 
 now ! — now ! — Death is come V\ . . Death did come : 
 
 1 There is a passage in the history of the prophet Bala<am, which in 
 no small degree strengthens the hope here thrown out. We must ever 
 remember, indeed, that the occasion was marked by a miracle ; still, 
 the circumstances there revealed prove this fact, that as to the high 
 and holy things of the spiritual world, the Creator can vouchsafe to 
 his creatures at one time a degree of knowledge, which is withlield at 
 other times. We read, that when the wicked prophet was pursuing 
 his way, with a mind filled wnth evil projects against the people of 
 God, he for some time discerned not an " angel of the Lord, v/hich 
 stood in the way, for an adversary apjainst hira but no sooner had 
 the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam," than " he saw the angel of the 
 Lord, standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand :" the 
 guardian angel of God's people ; to turn aside from his deadly purpose 
 their fierce and powerful foe. Why sliould we doubt Jjut that when 
 "our last enemy," Death, shall assail us, angels may then also inter- 
 pose their aid, and shield us from his terrors ; though our eyes as yet 
 be holden, that we see them not * ? 
 
 The whole of the narrative is replete with instruction. We learn 
 from it, that there is an ever-present and an ever-watchful God, 
 ministering by unseen agents, to the protection and support of his 
 Church and people — his faithful Israel — restraining the wicked, and 
 protecting the righteous : nay, " making the fierceness of man to turn 
 to his praise," changing contempt into honour, and turning curse into 
 blessing. We see that Great Being, by the power of his will, con- 
 founding the wisdom of the wise, when directed against his honour ; 
 and by making the " dumb ass to speak with man's voice," words of 
 rebuke to his lordly rider, laughing to scorn man's presumption. We 
 see also, that He alone is the Author and Giver of all our powers, 
 physical and intellectual ; for who but the Giver of them could so 
 
 confound, or extend, or transfer them at his pleasure ? We learn 
 
 further, that though we discern them not now, we are surrounded by 
 spiritual intelligences, which by Jehovah's ordinances are at hand, 
 for the '^punisliment of evil-doers, and for the praise of them that do 
 well." Our eyes may not always be thus holden : and this of a surety 
 we do know, that hereafter even we, now vile earth and miserable 
 sinners, shall, if admitted into the number of the redeemed, be our- 
 selves made like unto the angels in heaven. 
 
 ♦ Numb. xxii. 22. 3L 
 
The Dyinff Mother's Faith. 
 
 307 
 
 but without his terrors. His approach was met by a 
 smile, which seemed rather the welcoming of angel- 
 messengers, than of a tyrant king — the hailing of 
 some friend long looked for ; some bliss unimagined. 
 The expanded eye, full, as if struck with some won- 
 drous sight, and bright, even to dazzling, gleamed 
 with a joy all unearthly. Nought of earth could have 
 called up a look so piercing. It was as though her 
 soul, in the last moments of its hovering on this lower 
 world, thence looked out into the world of spirits, 
 spread before it ; saw there, with mingled amazement 
 and delight, the kindred spirits of the disembodied 
 just welcoming her ; for one fleeting moment viewed 
 even from earth the glorious joys of heaven ; and 
 then breathed life away— the hope, long-cherished, 
 realized ; the victory, long fought for, won ; and hea- 
 ven, long prayed for — who can doubt that it was 
 gained ? . . . . 
 
 Where now is the mind which, a few hours since, 
 reasoned so wisely and so well ? Where the voice, 
 w^hich then so eloquently, even in death, proclaimed 
 the triumph of a Christian faith, and the glories of a 
 Christian hope? In what new scenes is the spirit 
 expatiating ? How enlarged its powers ! How pass- 
 ing wonder the objects on which they are exercised 
 .... Such, doubtless, were the solemn musings of 
 those who witnessed this parting ! Such may be our 
 meditations now ! Salutary they are, and the source 
 of high and heavenly thoughts ; elevating the soul to 
 a more hearty devotion of all its powers to God here ; 
 in the animating hope of being hereafter admitted 
 into heaven, and there serving Him for ever ; whilst 
 upon the heart of each sorrowing survivor, the deep 
 and anxious reflection presses — " Thus, too, must / 
 die ! Thus must / surrender up my soul to Him who 
 created me — Him who will judge me 1 Thus, too, 
 must / pass into new and eternal scenes — O mighty 
 God 1 — O merciful Saviour ! — O gracious Comforter 1 
 prepare me for that hour 
 
308 
 
 CHAPTER LIV. 
 
 RECOGNITION IN THE WORLD OF SPIRITS. 
 
 ^^Let not your heart be troubled. I go to prepare 
 a place for you ; that where / am^ there ye may be 
 also — Thus did the Son of man comfort the hearts 
 of those who were soon to mourn his death. They 
 were to meet Him again ; knowing, and being known 
 in a future state of being, even as in this : and though 
 deeply would they grieve his death, the certainty 
 thus assured to them of their mutual recognition in 
 heaven, each in his identity, was so far to mitigate 
 their grief, that they were not to sorrow as others 
 without hope/^ Nor can we forbear to ponder with 
 gratitude the provident care with which our Lord 
 timed his consolatory assurance, that in heaven the 
 faithful disciple and the loved Master should together 
 find their rest. He revealed this truth before He 
 suffered — before, therefore, those for whose benefit it 
 was vouchsafed were called upon to apply to its aid as 
 mourners : for under recent loss, the ear is often deaf 
 to sympathy. Grieved as they were in the prospect 
 of losing Him, they were not as yet under the stunning 
 blow of separation by death, and consequently were 
 free, duly to estimate the value of such a truth, and 
 admit it fully into their hearts, as a treasure in time 
 
 ^ John xiv. 1 — 3. Our Lord kept the same subject in view, wlien 
 He held forth to his disciples the further promise — a promise which 
 might more than satisfy the aspirations of the most ambitious — that 
 when He should Himself "sit on the throne of his glory, they also 
 should sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel *." 
 What higher encouragement could his followers desire, for a course 
 of patience under trial here, than such an assurance of reunion with 
 Him, and with each other in their identity hereafter ? 
 
 * Matt. xix. 28. 
 
Recognition in the World of Spirits. 309 
 
 of need. He was well aware, that in deep and over- 
 whelming distress, the mind is often powerless to lay 
 hold even of the comfort set before it ; and sinks at 
 once, unless prepared to meet woe by having secured 
 its appropriate relief. Further, we are to be grateful 
 for the plain and intelligible terms in which our 
 Divine Teacher has conveyed his consolation. Him- 
 self " touched with the feeling of our infirmities,^^ He 
 could well understand that the mind, when heavily 
 oppressed by grief, and agitated by severe affliction, 
 is unequal to draw comfort from the finer reductions 
 of reason, or from the clearest result of argument : 
 and rather falls back at once upon such aid as the plain 
 promises, and simply declared truths, like that now 
 recorded for our learning, do so amply and so happily 
 supply. Thankful enough we can never be, that by 
 this assurance, so graciously given by our blessed 
 Lord, all those precious hopes of the dying, all those 
 fond anticipations of survivors, to which we cling when 
 death is about to part us, are confirmed for ever. If 
 in a future world there is to be a recognition in their 
 identity of the more immediate disciples of our Lord, 
 we cannot doubt there will be a similar recognition of 
 all the families of the righteous, through the redemp- 
 tion which is in Him. And since none can gainsay 
 this truth, the view of happiness which it opens may 
 well brighten every passing hour which brings us 
 nearer to that world, where it will be realized : whilst 
 the mourner, as he still plods on his weary pilgrimage, 
 may now look joyfully to its close. How often, when, 
 by some unlooked-for association of the present w ith 
 the past, the fountain of grief is opened afresh in the 
 mourner's heart, and tears bedcAV the memory of 
 some former scene, whose brightness was the pre- 
 sence of those, now laid in the grave ! . . . how^ 
 I often, on such occasions, may the current of bitter 
 thought be checked, by the brief but animating re- 
 flection — Away these sorrows ! We shall meet 
 again 1^^ 
 
310 Recognition in the World of Spirits. 
 
 The more attentively we read the word of God^ 
 the more surely shall we confirm all the fond wishes 
 which the Christian's heart cherishes, on a subject so 
 dear to him. Thus the transfiguration of our Lord 
 — a scene opening to us in some degree the glories 
 of heaven — is in striking evidence of the fact. When 
 Moses and Elias appeared on that occasion, and con- 
 versed with Jesus, the main object of their appearance 
 was, doubtless, to show that the authority of the legal 
 and prophetical dispensations was to merge in the 
 Gospel ^ : yet it also proves incontestably, that there 
 will be a mutual recognition of mankind, even in the 
 world of spirits. Why did Peter so immediately pro- 
 pose to build tabernacles on the mount, not only for 
 his Divine Master, but for Moses and Elias, unless 
 he had recognized in their identity the prophet and 
 the lawgiver ? Indeed, search we but the Scriptures, 
 and we shall find them so marvellously confirming this 
 truth, that every page will tend to strengthen our 
 faith, and brighten our hope. It is true that our Lord 
 in his discourses with his disciples and others, who 
 directed their inquiries as to the nature of a future 
 state, discouraged vain curiosity, and checked all pre- 
 sumption, as well by withholding any but general 
 views of a subject so spiritual, as by his admonitory 
 and sometimes even reproachful replies to the vain 
 questions of the curious ^, or the lower wishes of the 
 worldly. He has intimated, however, at various times, 
 and with a clearness which the aching heart knows 
 well to estimate, that the families of the faithful upon 
 
 ^ This is plain from the express declaration of a voice from heaven, 
 which evidently disannulled the authority of former dispensations, by 
 demanding that all men should henceforth look for Divine guidance 
 to the Son of God — This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well 
 pleased : Hear ye Him * ! " 
 
 2 Witness our Lord's memorable rebuke to Salome, upon her 
 ambitious demand on behalf of her two sons. Matt. xx. 20—28. 
 
 * Matt. xvii. 5. So St. Paul, Heb. i. 1. 
 
Recognition in the World of Spirits. 311 
 
 earth shall meet as the famiUes of the blessed in 
 heaven. Thus^ when, in arguing with the Sadducees 
 touching the resurrection of the dead/^ He reminds 
 them of Jehovah^s declaration respecting Himself, as 
 the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the 
 God of Jacob,^^ He asserts of Jehovah, that He is 
 ^^not a God of the dead, but of the living Hence 
 we draw the inevitable conclusion, that therefore the 
 Patriarchs are living, though in the world of spirits, 
 and will live with their God for ever : each one in his 
 own identity. 
 
 Still more clear is it, that this identity will be pre- 
 served in the final gathering of mankind at the gene- 
 ral resurrection at the last day; when we shall be 
 raised from the grave, " spiritual bodies and 
 this mortal shall put on immortality To this 
 point we are specially directed by those discourses 
 of our blessed Redeemer, which are connected with 
 the subject in question. When risen from the dead, 
 as the '^second Adam/^ by whom ^^came to man the 
 resurrection from the dead,^^ with what earnestness 
 did He impress upon his disciples this very truth. It 
 is a striking fact, that He then called their attention, 
 not so much to his office or authority, or even to his 
 appearance in the body generally, as to his being 
 really in the same body, in which they had known 
 Him before his death. He not only bade them ascer- 
 tain that He had risen from the grave, clothed with a 
 
 1 Matt. xxii. 32. 2 j Cor. xv. 44. 
 
 ^ 1 Cor. XV. 53. " This mortal shall put on immortality " — the very 
 expression indicating our identity with sufficient clearness. But the 
 indication becomes still clearer, when we refer to the passage in the 
 original. The words there convey a fuller meaning — " This xery 
 mortal body, to^/*, shall put on immortality!" And what thouo-h 
 such be the wondrous changes by which our frames are acted upo^, 
 that in reality we do not have the same absolute substance in man- 
 hood as in youth ; in age, as in manhood ; and therefore at different 
 periods of our existence, the same form does not contain the same 
 matter, no one considers himself therefore a different person, at dif- 
 ferent stages of his life : he is still the same person as to his identity. 
 So will it be at the resurrection of the dead. 
 
312 Recognition in the World of Spirits. 
 
 body—" Handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not 
 flesh and bones, as ye see me have but He also 
 willed that they convinced themselves by absolute 
 testimony — the testimony of their own senses— that 
 the body in which He had risen, was the very same body 
 which He had previously borne, and in which they 
 had known Him in life : •* Behold my hands and my 
 feet, that it is I myself 'J'^ Now, if according to the 
 express declaration of St. Paul, touching the resur- 
 rection of the body, "as in Adam all die, even so in' 
 Christ shall all be made alive is it not beyond con-, 
 tradiction, that we shall rise in our identity? thcv 
 righteous and the wicked ; each for their final recom-ii 
 pense ? — the conclusion seems unavoidable \ 
 
 Long ages, indeed, before the Gospel thus en-< 
 lightened mankind, the same truth was cherished by^ 
 the faithful. Witness for instance the course pursued ' 
 by David, when the Lord struck with death " the 
 child that Uriah's wife bare unto him/' How are we 
 to account for the contrariety and apparent inconsis- 
 tency, evidenced by David on that occasion ? During j 
 the child's sickness, there was mourning, lamentation, j 
 and woe : at his death, there was a calm and cheerful | 
 acquiescence in the event! To what else must we j 
 trace this affecting change of demeanour, than to the ] 
 prospect of their reunion in a future world, and a 
 blessed recognition there? — "And David said. While 
 the child was yet ahve, I fasted and wept : for I said, 
 
 * Luke xxiv. 39. These memorable words were addressed by 
 Christ to his eleven Apostles — the representatives of his Church ; and 
 being addressed to them, are recorded for the instruction and comfort 
 of the faithful members of that Church, till time itself shall be no 
 longer. 
 
 2 1 Cor. XV. 22. 
 
 2 The reader is again referred to the parable of Dives and Lazarus, 
 by which it is put beyond a doubt, that the impenitent will know in 
 a future state, the sharers of their interminable misery — else why did 
 Dives find added tortures to his soul, in the fearful anticipation of 
 beholding his jive brethren in the place of torment?" The inference 
 is plain, that so also the righteous shall then kno\T the partakers of 
 their joy. 
 
Recognition in the World of Spirits. 313 
 
 Who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that 
 the child may live ? But now he is dead, wherefore 
 should I fast ? Can I bring him back again ? I shall 
 go to him^ but he will not return to me The 
 darkness of the present was dispelled by the bright- 
 ness of the future. The loved one was at rest ; and 
 they should meet again. This thought it was, which 
 not only rendered submission to the Divine will deep 
 and perfect — that it was before : witness the supplica- 
 tions of the monarch, in which he cast all his care 
 upon God! — at once changed sorrow and mourning 
 into joy. Submission was now lightened by hope, 
 and the mourner went on his way rejoicing. — Take the 
 opposite view of the subject, and we become at once 
 perplexed and confounded : all this pious care would 
 seem to want a fit object. Why care for that which 
 is to be resolved into its original element, and become 
 only dust ? Whereas, once let us be convinced of 
 this recognition of kindred, and all is clear and intel- 
 ligible ; encouraging and comforting. 
 
 Nor can it be, that these hopes as to our know- 
 ledge of each other in a future state are at all weak- 
 ened by our Lord's memorable declaration, " that in 
 the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in 
 marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.^^ 
 That truth He uttered to meet a particular occasion, 
 and to confound the sophistry of the infidels by whom 
 He was then surrounded ^ It would by no means 
 
 ^ 2 Sam. xii. 22, 23. 
 
 2 Matt. xxii. 30. " For in the resurrection they neither marry, 
 nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven." — 
 But this truth was declared by the Saviour, to meet a particular occa- 
 sion : to correct the false views of the Sadducees with whom He was 
 conversing; and, if possible, to shame their infidelity, "which say 
 there is no resurrection.'' They came to the conference, thinking to 
 show, by their false reasoning, that the notion of a resurrection of 
 the body was absurd ; since the}- took it for granted as a necessary 
 consequence, that if there were an]/ resurrection, that resurrection 
 must be in personal identity ; and with mutual recognition : indeed, 
 however they chose to impugn the doctrine of the resurrection itself, 
 they made no pretence of denving identity and reconiition, as 
 
 [264] ■ p 
 
314 
 
 Recognition in the World of Spirits. 
 
 warrant us in concluding, that all the sweet charities 
 of life which have arisen from the holy ordinance of 
 marriage, and which now, in their several degrees of 
 near or distant kindred, meliorate our condition in 
 this lower w^orld, will be swept away from memory* 
 So far from this being the case, we should rather 
 
 inevitable consequences of the doctrine, could it be established. They 
 therefore adduced — what they expected would have proved conclusive 
 in their favour — the extreme case of a person, who, in conformity with 
 the Jewish law, provided for such emergency, had been married in 
 succession to seven brethren : the six former having been severally 
 removed by death. They argued thus: — Suppose this resurrection to 
 be possible — all mankind rising in their identity, and with mutual 
 recognition, as in life — then tell us, if you can, " In the resurrection^ 
 whose wife shall she be of the seven ? " The question they put, ap- 
 peared, to their own n.inds, perfectly unanswerable ; because their 
 minds were of earthly stamp, and of earthly views*. They were blind 
 to the great end for which God created man. How dignified is our 
 Lord's rebuke of their ignorance % How noble the view of truth, by 
 which He puts to silence their ignorance ! " Ye do err ; not knowing 
 the Scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they 
 neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of 
 God in heaven." The thoughts of these Sadducees were set on 
 worldly wisdom, and confined to earthly things. They thought "God 
 was such an one as themselves." But the believer in the Scriptures 
 raises his view to heaven, whilst his heart fills with joy and gratitude 
 to that Divine love, which in those Scriptures assure him that he 
 will rise from the grave in his body, and be made " equal unto the 
 angelsf." God having then "accomplished the number of his 
 elect J," and the servants of God then experiencing no diminution in 
 their number — for " there shall then be no more death : neither can 
 they die any more/' saith the Lord, "they are equal unto the angels." 
 — Therefore the institution of marriage will cease with its necessity. 
 The love, however, and affection, which united kindred souls here on 
 eartli, ceaj^e not ; they form part of that heaven-born charity, which 
 never faileth ; but which in a purer and holier state of being, shall 
 unite us in closer bonds with each other and with God. 
 
 * When the Sadducees thus speak of the resurrection, we must 
 understand that they do not allow that there will be a resurrection. 
 They merely admitted the premises for argument sake : as if they had 
 said, " Well, now, suppose there be, as you affirm there will be, a 
 resurrection of the dead, whose wife shall she then be % " — Subtle 
 reasoners very commonly adopt this mode of arguing. On the present 
 occasion the added cunning of these reasoners did but cause them 
 deeper shame. 
 
 t Luke XX. 36. 
 
 X Matt. xxiv. 31. See also the Service for the Burial of the Dead. 
 
Recognition in the World of Spirits. 
 
 315 
 
 conclude^ that the manifold endearing ties of relation- 
 ship, thence flowing, having been by Himself honoured 
 and sanctified they will there surely find entrance 
 whither He is gone before^ to prepare a place for us 
 The love^ and affection, and good-will, and all the 
 kindly feelings we have borne towards each other here^ 
 constituting as they do part of that heavenly charity 
 which never faileth, shall endure for ever in angelic 
 purity, and Divine perfection ; for all will then have 
 undergone a blessed change, the extent of which it 
 were impossible for us now adequately to conceive ; 
 and our thoughts will then be high and holy, far 
 beyond our present intellectual powers to apprehend. 
 Nay, if our vile and corruptible bodies shall put on 
 glory, what shall be the brightness of that glory with 
 which our souls shall then be clothed^ when, restored' 
 to our home in heaven, we shall " shine like the bright- 
 ness of the firmament, and as stars for ever,^^ " even 
 as the sun, in the kingdom of our Father ^?^^ 
 
 To argue against this view of the subject, or ta 
 check the cherished hopes to which it gives rise, be- 
 cause we cannot now comprehend how there can be, 
 in the resurrection of the dead, individual recognition, 
 and distinction of families amid the countless and 
 mingled families of mankind, then to be gathered 
 together, is to reason as if our present faculties were 
 for ever to remain, as they now are, limited. To 
 
 ^ If proof were needed in confirmation of this view of the case, we 
 have it in the memorable words wherein Jesus referred to those sacred 
 affections, as in themselves signs of the tender love which He bare ta 
 his disciples. For when, in the midst of his discourse with the people 
 He was interrupted by one, who announced to Him, that his " mother 
 and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him!" He 
 turned the occasion, not to the instruction only of his followers, but 
 t to their encouragement and consolation — " And he stretched forth 
 r his hand towards his disciples, and said, Behold my mother, and my 
 t brethren ! For whosoever shall do the will of my father which is in 
 t heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother*." 
 2 Dan. xii. 3. Matt. xiii. 43. Rev. vii. 15. Rev. v. 13. 
 
 * Matt. xii. 49, 50. 
 
 p 2 
 
31G 
 
 Conclusion^ 
 
 a degree, indeed, they must always have limit, as 
 compared with Him, who alone is infinite, and who, 
 when He breathed into man the breath of life, gave to 
 his creature what measure of power and knowledge He 
 willed. We must not, however, forget his promise, so 
 to extend our power and knowledge in a future state, 
 that man shall not only be as " the angels which are in 
 heaven,^^ but " shall know God Himself, even as he 
 is known/^ Moreover, let us never forget the heart- 
 stirring encouragement of our Divine Master, to the 
 servant who had h^en faithful over ^few things — I 
 will make thee ruler over many things ^ added au- 
 thority being vouchsafed, not according to the extent 
 or capacity, but according to a well-tried application 
 of it. Power will be given then^ apportioned to our 
 faithfulness now. 
 
 Away, then, with doubts and fears, which are adapted 
 rather to the lower views of a worldly mind, and suit 
 well the sceptic and the infidel, who dare not look to 
 immortality ; but which ill become those whose con- 
 versation in earth may yet be as in heaven % and who, 
 ere long, shall be endued with new powers, and live 
 for ever with angels, and with God ! 
 
 CHAPTER LV. 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 If the reader has thus far patiently borne with my 
 endeavour to lead him to a closer acquaintance with 
 God, I trust that his time will not have been mis- 
 applied. Certain it is, that if, as his attention has 
 been awakened to the subjects brought before him, he 
 
 1 Matt. XXV. 23. 
 
 2 I think it is the venerable Bishop Hall, who exhorts to a reli- 
 gious life by the example of one, who, when dying, observed to those 
 around him — " I am about to change my place, but not niy company." 
 So blessed are they who, even among men, " do walk with God," and 
 even on earth '^have their couvex*sation in heaven !" 
 
Conclusion. 
 
 317 
 
 has sometimes found an hour of rest from his worldly 
 cares, or consolation in his hour of sorrow, my labour 
 will have been well repaid. He will see that the 
 object of the work is to fortify his mind with prin- 
 ciples, which, under the Divine blessing, may not only 
 sustain him amid the temptations of the world in 
 health and prosperity, but comfort him amid the varied 
 trials which the changes and scenes of life bring to 
 every man — principles which may soothe him in the 
 weary season of sickness, speak peace to his agitated 
 heart in the days of his mourning, and hold fonth to 
 him a hope which knoweth no fear, even in the awful 
 hour of death. 
 
 That he may the more justly estimate the import- 
 ance of that object, and the value of those principles, 
 I have urged the advantage of occasionally retiring 
 from the world; withdrawing for a season from its 
 allowable enjoyments, and even from its more active 
 duties ; in order that he may be free to " commune 
 wdth his own heart, and in his chamber, and be still.^^ 
 Tliere^ Reason gains her fair influence, for passion 
 is at rest ; the gentle whisperings of conscience are 
 there heard and listened to, for the busy hum of life 
 is hushed; and there the gracious Spirit of the 
 Most High pleads and strives with man success- 
 fully ^ ; for the convinced sinner has no longer at 
 hand that too welcome barrier against conviction, 
 which the pride and prejudice and the vanity of this 
 world interpose. In those moments, therefore, the 
 various delusions, under which sin too often leads the 
 soul astray, vanish. Every man then feels that his 
 highest interests, both for time and eternity, are at 
 stake in this his state of probation ; and under that 
 feeling, he anxiously looks around for some surer 
 means to secure those interests, than human power or 
 human wisdom may supply. Yet whether he recall the 
 past, or watch the present hour, or anxiously expect 
 
 ^ Gen. vi. 3. Ezek. xx. 30; and Acts vii. 57. 
 
 p 3 
 
318 Conclusion. 
 
 the future, to whom can we look with sure confidence 
 for availing help, but to God ? from whom else can 
 he seek unfailing comfort, strength, and guidance? 
 And who of us, whether we consider the past, the 
 present, or the future— who of us does not require 
 this heavenly comfort ? As we advance in life, how 
 often does the past come over us Hke a cloud, to dim 
 the brightness of the present hour ; and fill the heart 
 with sadness ! There springs up perhaps the remem- 
 brance of some joyous scenes, bright with all the glow 
 and freshness of our youthful years ; and now for ever . 
 gone. Or, our mind arrays, in long succession, vari- : 
 ous comforts which have dropped away. Of friends, 5 
 some are alienated by the clashing of interests, or the ' 
 caprices of temper ; others are cut off by death, when ' 
 we had learned best to prize them, and felt that most ' 
 we needed them. Perhaps the ease, with which com- 
 petence once blessed us, is changed into cares and anx- 
 ious fears for those supplies, which change of fortune 
 now renders precarious. Health yields to sickness. 
 Or— still heavier trial— the recollection of past sins, 
 unheeded in their commission, and still unrepented of, 
 now touched by some secret spring of an awakened 
 conscience, may start up, and fill our hearts with 
 heaviness. As thoughts like these arise to harass us, 
 there is one only refuge— the mercy of God through 
 Jesus Christ our Lord ; mercy so unbounded, that 
 tnough It permits not the past to be recalled, and 
 those who die in their sins must, therefore, for those 
 sms be punished, yet itgraciously assures the repentant 
 sinner, that all the dreadful memories of past sins, all 
 the horrors even of long-suppressed remorse, shall be 
 obliterated, washed out—blotted out— by the blood of ' 
 atonement, and be as though they had never been \ 
 So with the present hour. There is generally some 
 or other cause of anxiety, for which the world has no 
 
 I 
 
 1.1 *^e^'e^ore, and be converted, that your sins may be 
 
 blotted out.'' Acts iii. 19 ; also Isa. liv. 22. 
 
Conclusion. 
 
 319 
 
 remedy, yet which is met by Christian faith. In 
 the world ye must have tribulation/' saith our God ; 
 but the world offers no comfort to balance it : whereas 
 the gracious Being who died for our sins, did also 
 overcome the world^' for us : and in that ^2*5 victory 
 bids us "be of good cheer;'' for the fruits of that 
 victory are our own : " My peace I give unto you,^^ 
 But suppose it sometimes to happen — it can happen 
 but rarely — that the past has neither vain regrets nor 
 special sorrows to cloud the enjoyment of life, and 
 that the present is marked with no such trials as may 
 fill the heart with sadness ; it were impossible to sup- 
 pose any man free from anxiety as to the future. 
 True, the profligate may pretend a chilling indiffer- 
 ence to religion generally, may scoff the notion of 
 acting up to a religious principle, where policy or 
 passion interpose, and pretend to consider a sense 
 of religious responsibility a matter, if not of choice, 
 at least foreign to him, and rather adapted to minds 
 of a lower order, and of less advanced wisdom ; he^ 
 forsooth, in the height of his pride, is superior to 
 the prejudices of his fellow-mortals. The ignorant, 
 too, if devoid of religious principle, may sometimes 
 wish to shelter himself under his want of religious 
 knowledge; and may pretend exemption from the 
 strict course of duty prescribed by the written word — 
 "He is not of the learned P' But there is no indi- 
 vidual — whether the proud of reason and of intellect, 
 or the wilful ignorant— who is really indifferent to his 
 eternal welfare. Let be, that there is no fear for the 
 pasty no care for the present — there must be, and there 
 are, either fears or hopes for the future. And though 
 wisdom and mercy ordain that no mortal eye shall 
 pierce the dim veil which shrouds from us that futu- 
 rity, yet not only does every conscience own a future 
 state, in which will be determined our happiness or 
 misery for ever, but, as I have endeavoured to show, 
 the Light of the word which came down from heaven, 
 has so far revealed it to us, that even the partial view 
 p 4 
 
1 
 
 320 Conclusion. 
 
 there vouchsafed, whilst it awakens the fears of the 
 sinner, and encourages the aspirations of the penitent, 
 has yet power to calm the fears, and confirm the faith, 
 and brighten the hope of the faithful and the good. 
 Enough is revealed to render our present trials more 
 than bearable, whether prosperity require a guard 
 against the allurements and vanities of the world, or 
 adversity need a refuge from its woes ; the former, 
 being transitory, may well be resigned, since we can 
 look to those enduring joys which await us hereafter; 
 and if inducement be wanting to endure tribulation 
 patiently, we have but to remember that tribulation 
 leadeth to glory \ Surely a revelation which opens 
 to us the prospect of a death of peace and an eternity 
 of happiness, reveals enough to encourage and sustain 
 us in a cheerful fulfilment of the duties of a holy and 
 religious course of life, and in preparing calmly and 
 peaceably for our end. The several stations in life, in- 
 deed, have each their own peculiar trials ; yet are there 
 some to which every man is equally liable. Accident, 
 sickness, loss of friends by death, and the prospect of 
 our own death, mingling the highest and the noblest 
 among the common mass of mankind, marking all 
 equally as of the fallen race of Adam, and liable to the 
 infirmities of a fallen nature ; thus practically ^'warn- 
 ing every man, and teaching every man,'^ that for all 
 equally, there is one thing needful.'^ Hence, could we 
 look into the heart, we should find, that in the most 
 exalted, as in the lowest ranks of society, there are 
 periods of mournful reflection, and secret sorrow, for 
 which the world has no remedy; afflictions of various 
 kinds, and causes of anxiety in various degrees, which 
 pomp cannot soothe, or power allay : bitter griefs there 
 are, of which each knoweth his own, and which, even 
 with the nearest and dearest of earthly friends, can 
 neither be shared nor communicated. It is then that 
 the soul, in the retirement of a Christian Watchfulness, 
 
 1 John vi. 33. Acts xiv. 22; and Rev, vii. 14. 
 
Conclusion. 
 
 321 
 
 finds refuge in prayer, and seeks the more immediate 
 presence of its God. To Him it then pours forth, un- 
 reservedly, all its misery. It casts upon God the 
 burden too heavy for man to bear ; and, in the stead, 
 takes the yoke of Christ, and finds its burthen light. 
 
 In my endeavour still further to impress the reader 
 with the importance at once, and the blessedness of 
 this Christian Watchfulness, I have led him to scenes 
 of sorrow, where the spirit of Jesus Christ, assured 
 to all who " ask and seek it, has been bountifully 
 vouchsafed ; bringing ^^joy and peace in believing;^' 
 scenes, where the word of God — the sword of the 
 Spirit" — has proved itself of heavenly temper ; clear- 
 ing away every difficulty, removing every doubt, and 
 opening the way for victory over even man^s " last 
 enemy ;" scenes of Deaths where nature would have 
 sunk under its deep and often unutterable woe, had 
 not He been at hand, a very present God, whose pro- 
 mise, made to the ear by the voice of the Gospel, is 
 never broken to the heart. Indeed, scenes of death 
 every way test the truth as it is in Christ. Do peni- 
 tence and faith there shine in their own proper 
 lustre, and in all the radiance of a hope whose light is 
 from heaven? so there also, wickedness and irreligion 
 stand exposed in their dark hour of misery and re- 
 morse. In the death-hour, all concealment of a con- 
 viction of sin is impossible. However an aching 
 heart may in health have been hidden under the sem- 
 blance of indifference, or a scoffing unbelief under the 
 pretence of higher wisdom, or a secret dread of eter- 
 nity under the bitter laugh of scorn at the servant of 
 the cross — when death comes, the mask drops off. 
 The soul, hovering between the present and the 
 future world, learns to give to each its due value, 
 estimating fairly the light and passing advantages of 
 the one, and the weighty and enduring blessings of 
 the other. Thus truth is vindicated. On the one 
 hand, the most desperately wicked — as they shrink 
 from dying in the dreadful recklessness which marked 
 
322 
 
 Conclusion. 
 
 their lives, and would in death fain repent and be 
 saved — do bear their awful testimony to the word of 
 the Lord, that there is no peace to the wicked/^ for 
 " sin lieth at the door/^ On the other hand, the glo- 
 rious prospect of eternal bliss, opened by the Gospel 
 to every faithful servant of Jesus Christ, gives full 
 earnest of the promised "reward to the righteous 
 The sinner is convinced, the careless are aroused, the 
 weak are strenf^thened, the strong are confirmed. 
 Christian Watchfulness triumphs ; for it gives to 
 death a welcome. 
 
 If these thoughts might ever be of weight — if ever 
 it were a wise and salutary measure for man to look to 
 God as the " Father of lights, from whom is every 
 good and perfect gift — specially " the gift of life 
 eternal, through Christ Jesus,^' — it is in these days. 
 We live in an age when the human mind, from the 
 very extent and greatness of its accumulated powers, 
 is in danger of disregarding its dependence upon the 
 great Creator of all things ! and contented with look- 
 ing to secondary causes in which man is the agent, 
 omits due reference to the Almighty — the final cause 
 of all, forgetting the Giver in the gift ^ In propor- 
 tion, therefore, to the influence upon our souls, of the 
 hurry and excitement of the present world, should 
 be our watchful care never to lose our hold of the 
 blessed hope of everlasting life in that future world, 
 to which we are all hastening, and from which there 
 will be no return. Nor let any proudly cast from 
 them this spirit of watchfulness, as though it would 
 weaken mental energy, and contract the free scope of 
 intellectual powers — it will the rather give a right 
 tendency to those powers, and a worthy and benefi- 
 cial direction to those energies ; directing them, where 
 reason and religion alike teach us to direct them, to 
 
 ^ Ps. Iviii. 10. " So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward 
 for the righteous: doubtless, there is a God that judgeth the earth.'' 
 2 See pp. 30 and 31. 
 
Conclusion. 
 
 323 
 
 the glory of Him who giveth them : whilst the whole 
 mind, elevated by a sense of living under the eye of 
 The Supreme, and bound to do all things to his 
 honour, will expand into nobler and more enlarged 
 modes both of thinking and acting : sustained by a 
 strength of purpose, all unfelt before ; strong in reli- 
 gious principle, strong in religious sentiment, strong 
 in religious fear, strong in religious hope — strong in 
 the Lord. To attain for you and myself this strength, 
 ere the hour of death and the day of judgment come, 
 is my object in this work. True, like the disciples 
 of our Lord, who followed Him to the mount of 
 transfiguration, we are not always there to abide — 
 not to set up the tent of our rest on a mount so 
 glorious ; we must to the world again — must return 
 to a fulfilment of its duties ; bearing our appointed 
 share of its sorrows, and enduring such trials as may 
 await us there ; but we may hope so to return, better 
 and happier : every unworthy feeling subdued, every 
 heavenly grace cherished ; love to God and love to 
 man filling our hearts ; living in the world, but 
 " delivered from the evil of it,^^ through Jesus Christ 
 our Lord \ 
 
 Fare -thee- well then, my reader ! May Almighty 
 God bless thee in thine onward way to heaven ! We 
 part in this life ; to meet, as let us humbly pray we 
 may meet, in life everlasting. 
 
 To those of my readers who may haply be of the 
 flock of Christ, specially committed to my charge — 
 I must address yet a few more words. If, as an ap- 
 pointed minister of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, I am anxious that all men ^^hear and be 
 saved,^^ you may for yourselves judge, in what pro- 
 portion that anxiety is increased, when I look to you I 
 — And here I cannot forbear adding, that as my first 
 object in undertaking this work, was a hope that it 
 might, by the blessing of God, aid you in a righteous 
 
 ^ John xvii. 15. 
 
324 
 
 Conclusion. 
 
 and peaceful course^ so the affection with which you 
 receive my ministrations — both in the discharge of 
 the public duties of my office^ and in those seasons 
 of sorrow, when sickness or death bring me to your 
 dwelUngs — has proved a continual encouragement to 
 me ; leading to what will I trust prove no vain ex- 
 pectation, that the same truths, which, by Divine 
 grace, may have brought conviction and comfort to 
 you when uttered by my lips, may prove neither less 
 convincing nor less comforting, when recorded by my 
 pen. May the God and Father of all keep you sted- 
 fast in that Christian Watchfulness, to which my 
 voice and pen alike would urge you ! Well know I 
 that it is only when so watching, that your hearts 
 can be at peace. From that state of preparation 
 must spring whatever may brighten the days of your 
 earthly pilgrimage : for who of us must not confess, 
 that if ever our spirits feel an elasticity which bears 
 them buoyant above this present world, it is when 
 we are watchful and ready for the world beyond the 
 grave ? 
 
Conclusion. 
 
 325 
 
 Scarcely had my pen concluded the preceding lines^ 
 when a knell of death arose^ which struck to my heart 
 with unwonted awe. It tokened that our venerable 
 Bishop, who had intrusted to me the spiritual charge 
 of you for whom chiefly these pages had been writ- 
 ten, had ended all his earthly labours, and had passed, 
 so we humbly trust, to his rest in heaven \ It was 
 in truth a sad and solemn thought for me, that though 
 my responsibility to him, my spiritual father in 
 Christ, was closed for ever here, that responsibility 
 must be met, once again, before the dread tribunal 
 of our God. Thus, as each note fell on the ear, it 
 sunk deeper and deeper into my heart, and gave to 
 the past hours that due value, which is never felt till 
 they are beyond recall. We then think how still 
 more anxiously, still more diligently, we should have 
 employed them, as those who must give account. 
 But what if it be mine, not only to share a common 
 grief in the death of one who, during a long and use- 
 ful life, had been the learned and watchful champion 
 of the Gospel of Christ, and the vigilant pastor of 
 that apostolical Church over which the providence 
 of God had set him as a spiritual overseer — what if 
 it be mine also, to feel that my responsibility in the 
 charge committed to me by him, has received an 
 accumulated weight by his death? Am I therefore 
 discouraged ? God forbid ! Rather, I find in it for 
 myself, what you also will, I trust, share with me — 
 an added motive for increased diligence in together 
 striving in the great work of our salvation. That 
 with me this event must ever prove a powerful 
 motive to labour more and more earnestly for the 
 welfare of your souls, every heart can feel : for if the 
 voice of the living be heeded, say, with what anxious 
 
 ^ Herbert Marsh, D. D., Lor<l Bishop of Peterborough, died at 
 seven o'clock in the evening of May 1st, 1839. 
 
326 
 
 Conclusion. 
 
 zealj with what ardour^ unfelt before, does duty fulfil 
 the wishes of the dead ! I know that you share with 
 me this sentiment. On you, then, as on myself, let 
 the feeling which it expresses be operative. Let us 
 labour with an earnestness, perhaps not evidenced 
 before, in working out our own salvation" — each 
 one "according to his vocation and ministry" — I, in 
 " ministering as a steward of the manifold gr:;ce of 
 God ^ ;" you, in aiding my anxious ministrations, by 
 increased affection in receiving them. Thus prepare 
 we, each and severally, to meet our God — thus wait 
 we, "all the days of our appointed time, till our 
 change come : " in Christian Faith ; in Christian 
 Hope ; in Christian Watchfulness. 
 
 1 1 Pet.iv. 10. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 *,j*^The letter N after the number of a Page, directs to the note in 
 that Page. 
 
 A. 
 
 Abraham in bliss, 264. 
 Adversity, season of, time for 
 
 seeking God, 10. 
 Ambition, what kind laudable, 
 
 251. 
 Ananias, 121. 
 
 Angels, ministration of, 247. 305, 
 306 N. 
 
 Apparent loss of sense in the 
 dying not always attended with 
 unconsciousness, 245. 271 — 
 274 N. 
 
 Asher, tribe of, its fall, 76. 
 
 B. 
 
 Balaam, 306 N. 
 
 Bell's Bridge water Treatise, 130 
 N. 
 
 Bible, the earliest historical re- 
 cord, 37. 
 
 — contains our title to heaven, 
 33. 
 
 preservative against evil,35. 
 
 suited to learned and un- 
 learned, 35. 
 
 Bible, guide in civil and social 
 
 life ; for rulers and those placed 
 
 under them, 39. 126. 
 neglect of it brings shame 
 
 and misery, 33. 
 striking testimony to its 
 
 value by a great and good 
 
 man, 234 N. 
 Blessed, the, in heaven cannot 
 
 love what God does not love, 
 
 284. 
 
 Burial service, reflections on, 
 192. 
 
 C. 
 
 Christ, his love to the lowliest of 
 his servants, 222 N. 
 
 ■ his body saw no corrup- 
 tion, because He had known no 
 sin, 244 N. 
 
 our. example as well as 
 
 our salvation, 245 N. 
 
 Christian, his sympathy, 265. 
 
 • ■ always in progress, 200 
 
 N. 
 
328 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Christian armed against scorn 
 
 and ridicule, 196. 201. 
 fulfils all duties for 
 
 conscience sake, 207. 210. 
 his spiritual union with 
 
 God, 290, 291, and N. 
 dying, his reflections 
 
 and counsel, 265. 269. 
 Chrysostoni, his affecting regard 
 
 for each individual of his flock, 
 
 124 N. 
 
 on spiritual co-ope- 
 ration, 7H— 80. 
 
 his explanation of 
 
 the term — *^putting on Christ," 
 206. 
 
 his lamentation at 
 
 the neglect of public worship, 
 121. 
 
 Cliurch of Christ, a flock, 114, 
 
 115, and N. 
 Churching of women, the service 
 
 for, 195 N. 
 Communion, the Holy, 52. 
 Conclusion, 316. 
 
 Conscience, a severe judge, 23. 
 30. 
 
 aroused, 252. 
 
 Consciousness may exist in the 
 dying, though all power of ex- 
 pression fails, 245. 271—274. 
 
 D. 
 
 David, his successful faith, 80 N. 
 his hope of recognition 
 
 in a future world, 313. 
 Daughterdying in a blessed hope, 
 
 287. 
 
 — heroism of, in death, 
 
 291. 
 
 Death, righteous judgment upon 
 
 sin, 243. 
 view of, by Bishop Hall, 
 
 316 N. 
 
 does not destroy our 
 
 kindly feelings, 384 N. 
 
 of the wicked, 278. 
 
 lays bare the heart, 253. 
 
 chamber of, 248. 
 
 Death, its nearness — motive for 
 
 mutual forbearance, 286 N. 
 a faithful witness to the 
 
 truth, 321. 
 Dives, his prayer, 193. 312 N. 
 Duties, their fulfilment expected 
 
 according to our opportunities, 
 
 280 N. 
 
 • • of this world, their per- 
 formance regulated, 246. 
 
 E. 
 
 Elisha, 175. 
 
 Envy, 60 and N, 139 N, 218. 
 Esau, 219. 
 
 Evil turned to good bj grace and 
 faith, 203. 
 
 F. 
 
 Faith triumphs in life's last 
 
 hours, 241. 
 Fear of man often operates fatally 
 
 for the soul, 196. 
 Fears for others should make 
 
 us watchful for ourselves, 280 
 
 N. 
 
 Felix, 184. 
 
 Forgiveness at God's hand, its 
 conditional character, 154. 
 
 Future world, the final test of 
 truth, 278. 
 
 Futurity, its prospect, 228. 
 
 doubt of it, a pretence, 
 
 231 N. 
 
 ' in wisdom and mercy 
 
 only partially revealed, 237 N, 
 282 N. 
 
 sufficiently revealed 
 
 for our encouragement, 319. 
 
 ■ no man otherwise than 
 
 anxious respecting it, 319. 
 
 G. 
 
 Garden of Eden, 85 N. 
 Gehazi, 121. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 329 
 
 God our Father — our consequent 
 duty, 152. 
 
 though He forgives and "re- 
 members no more," He cannot 
 forget as man forgets, 241. 
 
 Good men,patient in sickness, 61. 
 
 Gospel, its encouragement, 118. 
 
 Grace, the promised answer to 
 prayer, 263. 
 
 Greatness — only true/^238. 
 
 H. 
 
 Hale, Sir Matthew, 266. 
 Hall, Bishop, his view of death, 
 316 N. 
 
 Happiness of the blessed com- 
 plete, 282. 
 
 Hezekiah, his recovery, 100. 
 
 Holy Communing, its benefits, 5. 
 
 Holy Spirit, will not always strive 
 with man, 62 N. 
 
 the answer to prayer, 
 
 64. 
 
 helpeth our infirmi- 
 ties, 67. 
 
 our appointed guide 
 
 and comforter, 70. 
 
 man's spirit co-ope- 
 rates with, 74. 
 
 its aid proportioned 
 
 to our need, 76. 
 
 sustained the mar- 
 tyrs in their trials, 77* 
 
 ■ neglect of, whence 
 
 arising, 67. 
 
 House divided — in danger, 54 N. 
 
 Human learning — its danger 
 without religion, 30. 
 
 I. & J. 
 
 Inconsideration, the fruitful 
 
 source of evil, 3. 
 Infidelity — none dare to die in 
 
 it, 230 N. 
 Jacob, the patriarch, in old age, 
 
 219 N. 
 Judgment day, 232. 
 
 [204] 
 
 Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, 
 294. 
 
 L. 
 
 Laban, 219. 
 
 Language — its imperfection, 36^ 
 N. 
 
 Lazarus in bliss, 264, 312 N. 
 Learning and station,their higher 
 
 responsibility, 28. 
 Life's last hours, 238, 245. 
 Liturgy — its truly evangelical 
 
 character, 117. 
 
 ■ Opening sentences, 118. 
 
 Exhortation, 120. 
 
 . • Confession, 126. 
 
 Absolution, 132. 
 
 its prayer for forgiveness 
 
 of ignorances, 138, 222 N. 
 its eminently spiritual 
 
 character, 157, 158. 
 that character specially 
 
 marked in the prayers for the 
 
 Sovereign and the Royal 
 
 Family, the Clergy, and the 
 
 People, 161 — 167. 
 its services for sickness. 
 
 and death, 233, 262 N. 
 
 its value, 274 N. 
 
 Lukewarmness, its danger, 228 
 
 N. 
 
 M. 
 
 Man, his original offence, 31 N. 
 
 his own chief foe, 256. 
 
 Manna, miracle of, 87. 
 
 Marriage, none in the resurrec- 
 tion, 313 N. 
 
 Masters, their Christian motives, 
 54, 55. 
 
 Memory — quickened at the ap- 
 proach of death, 253 N. 
 
 Ministers, their care for their 
 flocks, 124, 125, and N. 
 
 -> their motives, 207. 
 
 Mortal, ^Ais, clothed with immor- 
 tality, 311 N. 
 
 Q 
 
330 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Mother, the mourning, comfort- 
 ed, 285. 
 
 the dying, her faith, 285. 
 
 Mount Sinai, law given from, 86. 
 
 N. 
 
 Naaman, 174. 
 
 his leprosy, 174 N, 
 
 his faith, 176. 
 
 Neighbour, our duty towards, 
 225 N. 
 
 0. 
 
 Offices, kind, to the sick : blessed, 
 
 289 and N. 
 Old age, 212. 
 
 its defence, 213. 
 
 its consolations, 216, 
 
 P. 
 
 Paradise, the penitent thief in, 
 231 N. 
 
 Pardon, 136. 
 
 Passover, 172. 
 
 Penitent, his joy, 236. 
 
 Perseverance, 205. 
 
 Peter, Christ's charge to, 115 N. 
 
 a warning, 196. 
 
 Prayer, our duty and our privi- 
 lege, 42. 
 
 the appropriate manner 
 
 of offering, 130 and N. 
 
 must accompany study, 
 
 44. 
 
 • — necessary ; though God 
 knows our thoughts long be- 
 fore, 45. 
 ' importunity in, success- 
 
 ful, 46 N. 
 
 public, 46. 
 
 • the order to be 
 
 observed in it, 47. 
 
 family, 50. 
 
 useful preparation 
 
 for public prayer, 5 1, 52 and N. 
 63. 
 
 Prayer, family, its benefits to the 
 members of the family, 53, 
 54 N. 
 
 private, 58. 
 
 the Lord's, 142. 
 
 Prosperity, its dangers and its 
 duties, 6. 
 
 Providence, God's universal, 15. 
 
 R. 
 
 Recognition in a future world, 
 308. 
 
 David's hopeof,312. 
 
 Recollection of past mercies,265. 
 
 Recovery from sickness, a special 
 call to duty, 189, 192 N. 
 
 Religion, the spring of noble 
 thoughts and noble actions,322. 
 
 Religious services not to be per- 
 formed ostentatiously, 59 N. 
 
 do not dis- 
 qualify for active life, 64. 
 
 Repentance, David's beautiful 
 prayer in, 138 N. 
 
 of the sinner, joy to 
 
 angels, 191 N. 
 
 danger of delay in, 
 
 279 N. 
 
 Responses, very desirable that 
 the congregation should make 
 them audibly^ 151 N. 
 
 Resurrection, 293. 
 
 when the quick, 
 
 or those who are then alive, 
 will be changed, 294 N. 
 
 its perfect credi- 
 bility, reasoning even from 
 analogy, 296 and N. 
 
 the Sadducees' 
 
 disbelief in, 313 N. 
 
 Reverence never to be omitted 
 towards God, 207. 
 
 Reward, future; its meaning, 
 200. 
 
 Riches, only true, 182. 
 
 Righteous, their sufferings in this 
 life, ground for faith in a future 
 day of reckoning, 208. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 331 
 
 Righteousness, its fruits blessed ; 
 
 especially in death, 272. 
 Royal Family, prayers for all the, 
 
 163 and N. 
 
 S. 
 
 Sabbath, its gracious appoint- 
 ment, 82. 
 
 its divine authority, 83. 
 
 proper feelings on, 89. 
 
 a blessing, nationally, 91. 
 
 - individually. 
 
 101, 114. 
 
 • its regulation by Jesus 
 
 Christ, 94. 
 Jesus Christ, the Lord of 
 
 the, 96. 
 
 - danger of breaking the, 
 
 100, 104, 222. 
 on what 
 
 occasions we 
 may humbly hope that our 
 public observance of it may be 
 omitted, and yet the omission 
 be excusable, 112. 
 Sacrament, Holy, strong motive 
 for partaking thereof, 169, 
 172. 
 
 its consolation in the 
 
 prospect of death, 289, 290. 
 
 ■ striking instance of 
 
 that consolation, 289 N. 
 
 causes of neglect of, 
 
 171. 
 
 — justifiable causes of 
 
 absence from, 112, 171 N. 
 
 • want of leisure no 
 
 ground for neglect of, 181. 
 — family cares no avail- 
 plea for absence from, 
 
 able 
 181. 
 
 • icilful neglect of it, 
 inconsistent, 176. 
 
 ■ "inay be received un- 
 
 worthily, 178, 188. 
 
 the terms worthily and 
 
 unworthily receiving the same, 
 explained, 178, 179 and N. 
 
 sometimes neglected 
 
 by those who will not put aivay 
 some sin, consciousness of which 
 
 separates between them and 
 their God, 183. 
 
 Sacrament, its beneficial effect 
 upon the heart and conduct, 
 185, 186. 
 
 the Church beautifully 
 
 points out its individual bene- 
 fit, 209 N. 
 
 seal of the Christian 
 
 covenant, 171. 
 
 Sadducees, their infidelity : they 
 argue with our Lord respect- 
 ing the resurrection, 313 N. 
 
 Saul, 121. 
 
 Scepticism, its folly as well as its 
 
 sin, 229 N. 
 Scorn and contempt, often ac* 
 
 company the Christian, 200. 
 Scott, Sir Walter, his meek and 
 
 exemplary resignation under 
 
 God's afflicting hand, 153 N. 
 an affecting instances of his 
 
 reverence for, and love of the 
 
 word of God, 234 N. 
 Seclusion from the v/orld not 
 
 always safe, 4 N. 
 Self-examination, its advantages, 
 
 3. 
 
 Servants, their Christian motives 
 
 for duty, 55. 
 Service for the visitation of the 
 
 sick — its excellence, 239. 
 Sickness, its call to devotion, 
 
 13. 
 
 the advantage of a 
 
 tranquil mind in, 16. 
 
 • a season of peace to 
 
 the good, 21. 
 
 softens anger, 139. 
 
 • unto death, season for 
 
 an unshrinking self-examina- 
 tion, 221. 
 
 Sin, a spiritual sickness, 2, 128. 
 
 renders the heart cruel, 
 
 203 N. 
 
 mars the fairest prospect, 
 
 256 N. 
 
 Sinners encouraged to repent 
 
 and be saved, 239. 
 Sorrows, some common to the 
 
 highest and lowest, 320. 
 
332 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Soul, its value, 1'99. 
 
 purified by afflictions as by 
 
 fire, 274 N. 
 
 weaned from the world, 14. 
 
 Sovereign, prayer for God's bless- 
 ing on the, 161, 102 N. 
 
 St. Paul at Troas; the scene 
 there on the Lord's day, 113 
 N. 
 
 Submission a Christian duty, 
 262. 
 
 Survivors, in their season of 
 mourning, prayer their refuge, 
 260. 
 
 T. 
 
 Time — nothing in the sight of 
 
 God, 117 N, 279 N. 
 Transfiguration of our Lord, 322 
 
 U. 
 
 Unequal distribution of good and 
 ill in this life, a powerful argu- 
 ment for faith in a future state 
 of just and final retribution, 
 229. 
 
 Ungodly men, often a sword m 
 
 God's hands, 203 N. 
 Unworthy communicant, 178,. 
 
 187 N. 
 
 V. 
 
 Virgins, the wise and foolish, 
 277 N. 
 
 Vow of sickness to be paid in 
 health, 194, 
 
 W. 
 
 Wandering thoughts in worship 
 to be guarded against, 51. 
 
 Wicked men, in sudden calamity^ 
 call upon God, 62. 
 
 this explained, ibid». 
 
 Wisdom, only true, 238. 
 
 World, danger of brooding over- 
 its sorrows, or being absorbed 
 in its pleasures, 52 N. 
 
 Worldly occupation, fulness of,, 
 no excuse for neglecting reli- 
 gion, 181. 
 
 Worthy communicant, 179 N, 
 188. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 Gilbert and Rivington, Printers, St. John's Square, Londo^