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lie highly valued what Young
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No. f
THE
ESSENTIALS
OF
BRIEFLY CONSIDERED
IN
BY JOHN DICKSON, A. M.
PROF« MOR. PHIL. IN CHARLESTON COLLEGE.
CHARLESTON :
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY WM. RILEY,
church-street.
11327.
District of South Carolina.
.BE IT REMEMBERED, That on the twenty-first day of
June, Anno Domini, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-
seven, and in the fifty first year of the Independence of the
United States of America William Riley, of the said District,
deposited in this office the title of a book, the right whereof he
claims as proprietor, in the words following, to wit :—
" The Essentials of Religion, briefly considered in Ten Dis¬
courses. By John Dickson, A. M. Prof. Mor. Phil, in Charles¬
ton College."
In conformity with the Act of Congress of the United States,
entitled "An act for the encouragement of Learning, by secu¬
ring the Copies of Maps, Charts and Books, to the authors and
proprietors of such copies during the times therein mentioned
And also an act entitled, "An act supplementary to an act,
entitled 'An Act for the encouragement of Learning, by secu¬
ring the copies of Maps, Charts and Books, to the authors and
proprietors of such copies during the times therein mentioned,'
and extending the benefits thereof to the arts of designing, en¬
graving and etching historical and other prints "
JAMES JERVEY,
District Clerk, S. C. D.
PREFACE,
The author of the following discourses
makes no apology for their defects. He
has not dismissed them to the press with¬
out bestowing on them all the pains which
his health and leisure allowed. And yet
he is ready to confess that he would have
chosen to withhold them, had he been in¬
dulged with the prospect of being able
hereafter to accomplish any thing more
considerable with his pen. Under these
circumstances, and on the eve of a painful
separation from his friends, he begs leave
to offer them this little memorial of his
early and probably his last labors in the
ministry among them, with earnest prayers
that the blessing of God may accompany it.
" Dat monumetttucn sui, pignusque amoris."
Charleston, June 15, 1837.
CONTENTS.
SERttlOII I.
THE CHARACTER OF GOD.
Page.
John Xvii. 3.—This is life eternal that they may
know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ
whom thou hast sent. 13
ssRivToisr ix.
RUINOUS INFLUENCE OF SINNERS.
EccLesiastes ix. 18.—One sinner destroyeth much
good. 31
ssxii&osr xxx*
RELIGIOUS JOY.
Phil. iv. 4.—Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I
say rejoice. 52
SSBBION XV.
DEFECTS IN THE CHARACTER OF MORAL MEN.
Matthew xix. 20.—The young man saith unto him,
ail these things hare! kept from my youth up, what
lack I yet ? 74
SSRHOn V.
SINNERS UNWILLING TO COME TO CHRIST.
John v. 40.—And ye will not come unto me that ye
might have life. 9®
CONTENTS.
SEF.IVTOII VI.
THE ONE TALENT.
Page.
Matt. xxv. 24,25-—Then he which had received the
one talent came and said, Ltrd I knew thee, that
thou art a hard man, reading where thou hast not
sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed :
and I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in
the earth : lo, there thou hast that is thine. 116
SSEMON VII.
FAITH.
I Cor. xiii 13—And now abideth Faith, Hope, and
Charity, these three ; but the greatest of these is
Charity. 135
suasion vm.
HOPE.
I John hi. 3.—And every man that hath this Hope
in him, purifieth himseif even as be also is pure. 153
S EH IK ON IX.
CHARITY.
I Timothy i. 5.—Now the end of the commandment
is Churuy out of a pure heart, &c. 168
SEEMOII X.
USE OF PROPERTY.
Haggai ii. S—The silver is mine, and thegoldis
mine, sa'.th the Lord of Hosts. 188
THE CHARACTER OF GOD.
john xvii. 3.
this is life eternal that they may know
thee the only true God, and jesus ciirist
whom thou hast sent.
Should you find yourselves, my hearers,
in the hands of some power hitherto unseen
and unknown, with what eagerness would
you seek to discover his character and learn
what might be his designs with respect to you!
How particular would be your inquiries con¬
cerning all his moral qualities and natural
attributes ! How much would you desire to
know all he had hitherto done, or was now
doing, that you might judge - what he was
likely to do hereafter ! Nothing that related
to him would be uninteresting to you. Such
is, in fact, the relation between God and us.
We have always been in His hands, and are
and always shall be entirely at His disposal.
He will indeed do all things justly, but we
are surely concerned to know His will, since
upon it depends our destiny. If we please
2
14
character of gob.
him, we shall be safe and happy,—we need
then above all things to know how we may
please him. Hence the necessity of learn¬
ing his character on which hang all our
hopes for time and for eternity.
And not only is it necessary that we should
know him whom we are to please, or be un¬
happy forever, but this knowledge is in it¬
self delightful. Knowledge is the proper
food of the mind, and the more vast and ex¬
cellent the subject, the more happiness will
the knowledge of it create. But this is a
subject on which multitudes are deplorably
ignorant. It is a subject on which very great
mistakes are made, not only in heathen and
uncivilized countries, but even where the
truth is extensively diffused by the circula¬
tion of the Scriptures and the preaching of
the Gospel.
In the Epistle to the Romans, the writer
declares that men did not like to retain God
in their knowledge, and changed the image
of the incorruptible Creator into an image
made like unto corruptible man, and to birds,
and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.
In the garden of Eden, before that fatal act
of disobedience which t( brought death into
the world and all our woe," the knowledge of
God and the enjoyment of a sacred intimacy
Vrith him, were the principal sources of that
perfect felicity, which our first parents pos¬
sessed. By their rebellion against their gra¬
cious Sovereign, they became estranged from
Him and His ways, destroyed that purity and
CHARACTER OF GU'U.
15
dignity of their own character which fitted
them to converse with Him, and lost all re¬
lish for such holy and blissful intercourse
with Heaven. And their degenerate poste¬
rity are no nearer the original standard to
which man was conformed. They know not
the God that made them, and they do not
wish to know Him. Hence the innumerable
forms of superstition and idolatry to which
men have resorted in preference to the ser¬
vice of the one Jehovah.
Yet God has never u left himself without
a witness." He has never failed to display
more or less clearly His glorious attributes.
His power and wisdom and goodness are seen
in the works of creation, but in His word alt
His character is revealed, and that in the
clearest manner. In that blessed book He
declares his will, makes known His designs
of mercy to our fallen world, and unveils
His face to the enraptured view of those who
love and seek Him.
In the following brief contemplation of the
character of God, I shall not enter into the
nice distinctions, nor study to set down all
the divisions which have been adopted by
some writers of systematic theology ; it will
be sufficient to enumerate those powers and
qualities which substantially make up his
character, and these we may consider very
properly under two grand divisions ;—to
wit,—natural attributes, a,nd moral per¬
fections.
16
character OF god.
I. And first, of the natural attributes ol
the Divine Being. God is a spirit, almighty
and every where present. He knows all
things. He is eternal, self-existent and un¬
changeable.
1. God is a spirit. By this 1 mean that
He is possessed of a will and understanding,
but is not the object of our bodily senses.
Like our own souls He is invisible, without
shape or parts, and incapable of receiving
such impressions as our bodies feel. Be¬
cause He is not seen by these eyes of flesh, we
are prone to act as if He did not exist or were
not present. But one day we shall drop the
veil of mortality, then we shall feel his pre¬
sence ; then, instead of needing arguments
to prove to, us his existence, we shall see as
we are seen, and know as we are known.
2. God is almighty. He created all things.
At His word the heavens and the earth sprang
at once into being. He said, " Let there be
light, and there was light." He can will no¬
thing to be which does not immediately exist.
In like manner, should He command it, this
great globe would dissolve, and at His word
all things would instantly return to their ori¬
ginal nothing.
God also supports all things. The power
requisite to sustain us in being at any given
instant, is just as great as would be necessa¬
ry to create us at that instant. The preser¬
vation, therefore, of the vast system he has
made, is no less than a continued creation, a
perpetual exertion of the very power which
character of god.
17
was put forth to bring it into being. I have
said that with a word He could annihilate
every creature of his hand ; but even a word
would be unnecessary, even annihilation
would be superfluous. Should he withhold
one instant that almighty energy which with¬
out weariness bears up the boundless uni¬
verse, the innumerable worlds and suns and
stars that fill immensity with all their inha¬
bitants, angels and men and animals, would
vanish at once, and leave not a trace behind.
Again, God rules and controls all things.
No event is too great for his power, or too
minute for his attention. The vast orbs that
compose our system and all other systems,
are rolled on and conducted by his hand.
Could any event take place contrary to his
will, he would not be almighty, and could
not be God. There is not only no power
capable of opposing His, but there is, strict¬
ly speaking, no power which He does not
furnish and support—no power which is not
properly His. All the strength exerted by
His most bitter enemies is His, and maintain¬
ed by him. The mightiest of them is in his
band like the puny worm held by a giant.
But this is a faint comparison—-the worm
exerts its little strength independently of the
giant; but not a motion, not a thought of
God's greatest foe could take place but by
power directly His. " In Him," not only
" we," but all " live, move, and have their
being."
2*
18
character of god.
3. God is every where present* He could
not otherwise exert almighty power. He
could not support and control all things, if
he were not present with all things. In the
darkest chamber of pollution and guilt,
where the sinner thinks he has shutout eve¬
ry witness—God is there ! There His all-
seeing eye observes the whole transaction
which will be proclaimed at the last great
day to the assembled world.
Did you think of this, my hearer, when
you committed in secret that odious sin, at
the recollection of which conscience now
stings you so keenly, and which you would
die rather than disclose ? Did you remem¬
ber that though no human eye could see you,
God saw you ? Oh, the blindness and folly
of the human heart! The stupid ostrich
hides her head, and fancies because she does
not see her pursuer, he cannot find her; but
how much more stupid is the man who acts
as if he could do any thing unknown I No,
my hearers, all space and every-portion of it
are full of God. He is all eye, all ear. In
the very recesses of your heart, he witnesses
every pulse, and marks the first rising of eve¬
ry wicked thought, as well as the prosecution
of every bad design. But this attribute is
so closely connected with the omniscience of
God, that I am already touching upon that
point. I proceed then to say
4. God knows all things. This doctrine
implies not only that He is present and no¬
tices our thoughts, words and actions, but
character of god,
19
that He foresees all things future, and is in¬
capable of forgetting any thing which has
ever taken place. No crime has ever been
committed so as to surprise Him by its oc¬
currence. He is prepared to meet the of¬
fender, and prevent the intended mischief, or
over rule it for good. We sin and we forget
our sins ; nay, we forget that God remem¬
bers them with all their aggravations. After
our transgressions have passed from our re¬
collection, we feel innocent,—but not one of
our ten thousand faults is blotted from his book.
To him they are as immediately present,
though committed half a century ago, as if he
saw us this instant in the act. To eternity they
will be perfectly remembered, that if not for¬
given for the sake of Christ, they may be
suitably punished, or if washed away by his
blood, may forever heighten his glory and
our gratitude in Heaven. Prepare to ac¬
count, my hearers, for all your secret crimes;
they will one day be set in the light of God's
countenance,—prepare to account for your
earliest sins, your long forgotten faults, for
they too will be set in order before your eyes
at the judgment.
But God's omniscience is strikingly dis¬
played also in the prophecies of the Bible.
Many of these, as you know, have already
been exactly accomplished, and many more
are now wonderfully fulfilling. To us,
therefore, they are full of interest, and prove
that holy book to be the word of God. There
He has told us of innumerable things which
20
character of god.
will come to pass in their appointed time, and
many of them things of eternal moment to
us. He only could assure us of those great
events, which relate to the end of this world
and to our future state of being. The last
conflagration, the final judgment, and the re¬
wards and punishments of the righteous and
the wicked,—all these He alone could fore¬
see ; all these He has graciously foretold,
that we might have the strongest motives to
seek His favour and discharge our duty.
5. God is eternal and self-existent. <« He
was, and is, and is to come," " the same yes¬
terday, to-day, and forever." Before the
earliest date of creation, He lived, without
beginning. The revolutions of time are not
O ©
to be accounted of with Him. To the ever¬
lasting God, the high and lofty one—who in-
habiteth eternity, " one day is as a thousand
years, and a thousand years as one day." In
all the ceaseless operations which He carries
on and controls, " He fainteth not, neither is
weary." Millions of spirits He has brought
into being whom he intends to preserve im¬
mortal. They, and the worlds they shall in¬
habit, will hang on his hand, and be under
his eye through ages without end.
6. Again, God is unchangeable. Infinite¬
ly excellent as he is, any alteration would be
from perfection to imperfection, from con¬
summate beauty and dignity, to something
inferior in worth and loveliness. What
consternation would fill the universe, if he
could change! He is the oitly supporter,
character of god.
21
hope and refuge of all beings and all worlds.
But this is one of the grand reasons why all
holy creatures rejoice in him, that with him
there is no variableness nor shadow of turn¬
ing- This great perfection, the stay and de-
fence of all the rest, which adds even to
them an inconceivable value, results from his
infinity, his independence. Finite, created,
dependent beings, change and die. But on
him, if we once know him, we can rely for
ever, for nothing new can happen to him,
nothing change his eternal purposes, nothing
alter his glorious character.
II. From the attributes thus briefly consi¬
dered, which are indeed themselves truly di¬
vine, let us proceed to contemplate the pe¬
culiar glory of the Divine nature, the moral
perfections of God. Moral excellence,
though embracing several different disposi¬
tions, may be summarily expressed by bene¬
volence or love. Thus it is said in Scripture,
" God is love." This expression, however,
may be understood to mean, that He is be¬
nevolent in all that he does. I shall prefer
therefore the following brief enumeration of
His moral perfections, holiness, justice, truth}
goodness.
With regard to wisdom, I consider it as a
compound perfection resulting from the
union of infinite knowledge with infinite
moral excellence. fVisdom consists in the
choice oj the best ends, and the pursuit of those
ends by the most suitable means. Without a
good selection of the ends to be pursued,
22
character of god.
there surely can be no wisdom; but it is ma¬
nifest that without moral excellence the best
ends will not be chosen. It is unnecessary,
therefore, to give a distinct consideration to
this attribute. To proceed,
1. God is holy. Though holiness is capa¬
ble of several acceptations, and indeed may
very properly be viewed as equivalent to that
love which is the fulfilling of the law, it will
here be used to denote God's separation from
and opposition to all sin. i( The Holy one
of Israel" is constantly represented in the
Bible as infinitely unlike the impure and
abominable idols of the Heathen, whose wor¬
ship generally consists of cruel and filthy
ceremonies. Our God, my hearers, " can¬
not look upon sin He contemplates it with
perfect abhorrence. To His ear, the very
prayer of the wicked is an abomination,"—
their vain oblations, presented with polluted
hands, He "cannot away with." In His
sight, " no flesh living shall be justified, if
viewed in their own proper character as sin¬
ners. O, then, how can He bear to look
down upon us, or we dare to look up to him !
2. God is just,—that is, he will first or
last render to all what is due: He is u no
respecter of persons." In the afflictions and
death which visit this guilty world, we see
something of this perfection. Though enough
is displayed to teach us that il verily there is
a God who judgeth in the earth," yet this
is a state of probation, a state in which he
delights to shew his own forbearance and
character of «ob. 28
mercy. He constantly exercises the faith,
the patience, and the love of his people by
his mysterious dispensations, and in all ages
they have been convinced that though
" clouds and darkness are round about him,
justice and judgment are the habitation of
his throne." The day has not yet arrived
when men are to be sentenced and rewarded
according to their works, but a day of final
judgment and a state of retribution, he has
assured us, we may expect, when all his
wise and glorious designs in the continuance
of this world are fulfilled, " then shall it come
to pass as it is written"—16 Behold He com-
eth with clouds, and every eye shall see
Him." " And 1 saw a great white throne,
and Him that sat on it, from whose face the
earth and the heaven fled away, and there
was no place found for them. And I saw
the dead, small and great, stand before God,
and the books were opened," t( and the
dead were judged out of those things which
were written in the books, according to their
wrorks." Then the conscience of every sin¬
ner in this assembly, who shall be found to
have lived and died impenitent, will approve
the sentence of condemnation which our
Judge will pronounce : " and these shall go
away into everlasting punishment, but the
righteous into life eternal."
3. God is true. He fulfils his gracious
promises even to sinners who have no claim
on his favor. All the doctrines he reveals are
to be believed in their simple meaning, and to
24 character of god.
their full extent. Trying lips are his detes¬
tation. From his heavenly abode will be
forever banished " whatever maketh and
loveth a lie." It is in the truth and sincerity
of Jehovah we confide, when we take this
Holy Book for our guide to salvation. The
peculiar guilt of unbelief which rejects the
only Saviour, consists in its making God a
liar. He declares that whosoever believeth
in Christ shall have " eternal life," that His
Son " is able to save to the uttermost all
that come unto God by Him," and that
" there is no other name given under heaven
among men, whereby we can be saved."
How grossly then do they insult their Maker
who despise the salvation offered in the gos»
pel!
4. Once more, God is good (or benevo¬
lent.) " His goodness is over all his works."
The ivhole earth is full of the glory of this
Divine perfection. "He opens his hand and
satisfies the desires of every living tfrng."
No reason can be given, why he has made
so great a number and variety of creatures,
but his disposition to spread life and enjoy¬
ment round him through immensity. In all
he does this attribute is displayed. Every
precept of his law, every penalty by which
that law is enforced, and every act of his pro¬
vidence prove that he is supremely good. If
he punishes, it is to promote the general hap¬
piness as wise rulers on earth are known to
do. If he chastises his children, it is in mea¬
sure and in mercy, as the tenderest earthly
character of god.
23
parents find it necessary to deal with their off¬
spring. Had sin never been committed,
God's divine love for his creatures would
have been displayed without even apparently
excepting a single being. As it is, the
greatest good of the whole may demand that
incorrigible offenders be made a lasting ex¬
ample to the universe, as hardened criminals
on earth are shut up for life. But notwith¬
standing such exceptions, and even in this
mixed state of things, his benevolence is not
to be doubted. Nay, the existence of suffer¬
ing and of sin has brought this glorious attri¬
bute more fully to view, and displayed it in
new lights to the intelligent creation. Now
it takes the forms'of grace, and long-suffer¬
ing, and mercy.* Now we can say, (i Who
is a God like unto thee, pardoning iniquity
and forgiving transgression ? Who is a God
like unto our God, who passeth by the sin
of the remnant of his people ?" The Lord,
the Lord God, gracious and merciful, long-
suffering and slow to anger, forgiving iniqui¬
ty, transgression and sin." And what angel
could have conceived of such goodness as
appears in the gift of His Son ? " Herein
is love, not that we loved him, but that he
loved us, and gave his Son to die for us."
But the subject is vast, it is literally hound-
less. Eternity will not exhaust it, forever
we shall be learning more and more of it.
* By mercy I mean compossion to the suffering ; by
long-sufferings patience with the undeserving ; by grace,
favor to the ill-deserving.
26
character of gow.
Be not contented with so imperfect a sketch
of the Divine character, study it in the Holy
Book where it is fully revealed. Daily
meditate on it with huml.de prayer that you
may understand it, and be conformed to it as
far as human frailty can resemble infinite
perfection. Carry every where a lively sense
of his divine goodness, his almighty power,
his holy presence. Ask his blessing on all
you do, and feel your dependence on him
for every thing you hope or desire. Seek
his pardoning mercy, believe his gracious
word, and accept without delay his beloved
Son as your only and all-sufficient Saviour.
Thus you will enjoy his favour through life,
thus you will obtain the consolations of his
Spirit in death, and thus secure eternal hap¬
piness in his presence in Heaven.
[improvement.]
1st. If the character of God be such as I
have here imperfectly described, we ought to
love him supremely. This is the first and
great command, which, with the second,
like it in nature and tendency, constitutes the
sum of virtue or moral excellence. From
this exhibition of the Divine character, we
see how reasonable is the command, how
binding the duty. Surely there can be no
doubt whether a moral agent ought to prefer
good to evil, holiness to sin, goodness to cru¬
elty, truth to falsehood. A heart not per¬
verted and corrupt, must then of course love
God, and love him supremely. For there
character of god.
can be medium in our feelings toward what
is infinite, and here infinite perfection de¬
mands our supreme regard*
To convince you that you ought to love
God, wdll not indeed be sufficient to create
this affection in your bosoms,—but this con¬
viction, and the sense of guilt which follows
it when you are made sensible that, instead
of loving him, you have been at enmity with
him by wicked icorks, will perhaps be the
first tokens of good concerning you, the
first grounds for hope that you may yet be
brought to accept the offers of the Gospel.
And now, my hearers, is this the God you
have neglected and rebelled against—the
master you have refused to serve—the friend
and father you have requited with ingrati¬
tude P What then do you not owe to his
sparing goodness, his saving grace ?
But 2dly. If the character of God be
such, multitudes are greatly mistaken in
this most important matter. So little is the
true character of God understood even in
Christian lands, that, on many a splendid
temple might justly be inscribed To the
uknown God." There many are, perhaps,
paying their devotions, such as they are, to
a very different Being from the one we have
been contemplating, to a God very different,
from the Jehovah of the Bible. You think
yop love God. You have formed in your
imagination such a Deity as you can love.
And now is your divinity such as we have
been feebly describing, all 'holy, pure, and
28
character of god,
just ? Or is he blind to the sins of his crea¬
tures and so weakly attached to his law and
the interests of his kingdom, as to pass
transgression by without full proofs of his
infinite displeasure ? Can he give his Son
to die for men, and yet allow sinners with
impunity to reject his.mode of salvation, and
accept them after all on their own terms, on
the ground of their own imaginary righ¬
teousness, or in consideration of their prayers
and tears and services ? If so, we cannot
acknowledge yours to be the God of the
Scriptures.
"Thus you see, my friends, you may be
greatly mistaken in the character of God,
and as greatly mistaken in supposing that
you love him. And let me ask, if it be of
no importance whether.we are right or not in
this matter, why has so much -pains been
taken to display the divine character f Why
were the Scriptures written, the Prophets in¬
spired, the Saviour sent into the world, the
Holy Ghost given ? Why were we so high¬
ly favored as to be born in a Christian land ?
To what purpose were Apostles sent to turn
the Heathen from the worship of abominable
idols ? Why should the worship of idols be
denounced as so sinful p The truth is, if we
love and worship God, supposing him to be
what he is not, we do, in effect, love and
worship a creature of our own imagination,
an idol, and not the true God. Let every
one who hears me, whatever be his profes¬
sions or his hopes, search his heart with fear
character of god.
29
and trembling, and see what God he loves
and serves. Compare, my brethren, the God
of your hearts, with Jehovah, as he reveals
himself in his word. You love something—
you worship something,—let it not be said,
" You know not what."
If we have wrong news on this subject, it
is impossible we should be right in other most,
important points. How can we feel the evil
of sin, without just notions of him against
'Whom it is committed ? How can we know
our danger unless we are aware what are his
dispositions and determinations with regard
to sinners ? How then can we feel our need
of his mercy, or the value of that gospel in
which it is conyeyed? And oh ! think if
you can, what must be the final anguish and
disappointment of the wretched man, who,
careless and ignorant on this great subject,
indulges throughout life the fond idea that he
loves God, but discovers for the first lime as
he enters eternity, the true character of his
Maker and Judge. He expected to find him
altogether such an one as himself, he antici¬
pated his smiles and his eternal favor. But
to his unspeakable dismay and horror, he
meets Jehovah, bright in holiness and awful
justice, frowning destruction upon his soul,
and banishing him irrecoverably to the abyss
of despair.
And shall we live, my friends, contented
in ignorance on this all-important subject,
and daily run the risk of being thus terribly
undeceived ?
3*
so
character of god.
4. If the character of God be such as We
have been considering, what cause have we,
my Christian brethren, for the deepest humi-
lity ! O, how unlike him are we ! He is
the standard to which Christ directs our at¬
tention,—" Be ye therefore perfect as youf
Father in Heaven is perfect." Before hitn,
sensible of their nothingness, angels veil their
faces. What place is low enough for us be¬
fore him ?
But let us not cease to aspire after some
likeness to this glorious character. If we
are his children, we already bear something
of his image; the resemblance js indeed
faint, but it is daily growing stronger, and
we shall never be satisfied till we awake in
his likeness perfect and complete, where we
shall see him as he is.
Nor is it our only cause for humiliation
that we are so little like God in character.
What shall we say, what can we say, to ex¬
cuse the coldness of our love, the languor of
our affections, the insincerity of our devo¬
tions, the inconstancy of our desires, the in¬
dolence of our services, to him who justly
claims our supreme regard, our perfect obe¬
dience ? Let us humble ourselves, then, un¬
der the mis fit if hand of God, that we may be¬
come entitled to the benefits of that gracious
promise, " He that humbleth himself shall
be exalted."
RtflWOUS INFLUENCE OF SIWNERft
ECCLESIA STES IX. 18.
one sinner destroyeth much good.
In teaching us the evil of sin, the word of
God assures us that if the sinner pursues his
course, he must perish. His own everlast¬
ing happiness is at stake. This immense
amount of good, together with his present
peace of mind, he forfeits by transgressing
the commandments of God. Conscience is in
few men so callous as not sometimes to feel
the burden of guilt. From time to time she
awakes to thunder in the sinner's ear the
terrors of the divine law, and gives him on
earth a foretaste of the worm that never dies,
the fire that is never quenched. Thus in the
torments of conscious guilt, and the ruin he
brings on himself, " one sinner destroyeth
much good." This portion, however, of the
mischief he accomplishes, is so frequently
dwelt upon in the pulpit, that I shall prefer
on the present occasion considering that mass
of evil which the sinner brings on others.
There is no character sinners more ge¬
nerally claim than harmless. They profess
32
RUINOUS INFLUENCE
universal good will—they often declare that
" they wish," and as often that " they do
nobody any harm." And far be it from me
to deny that in a comparative sense this is
true of some naturally amiable tempers. We
must acknowledge that generosity, patriot¬
ism, and other social feelings of the benevo¬
lent kind, are as really found in some unre¬
newed men, as the love of their young and
the gregarious instinct is in some of the ani¬
mal tribes^ The wisdom and benevolence of
the Deity are displayed in forming us so,
that these and some other kindly feelings are
to a certain extent intinctive in our constitu¬
tion, and have been preserved even amidst
the ruins of the fall. But still we shall find
on attentive and impartial examination, that
every sin is mischievous, exceedingly mis¬
chievous, not to the perpetrator only, but
to others. Every man who indulges in sin,
does mischief he can never remedy. The ex¬
tent of the mischief done is in proportion to
the talents and influence of the sinner ; it can
in no case be trifling, but where the indivi¬
dual is conspicuous in station, his sins are
often productive of incalculable evil. It will
not be necessary to enumerate the various ta¬
lents and relations which give more effect to
a bad man's influence ; on this point every
intelligent hearer must be sufficiently pre¬
pared to reflect. Those indeed whom God
has endowed with extensive influence, ought
to lay this subject most solemnly to heart, as
being aware, that " of him, to whom much
OF SINNERS.
S3
is given, much will be required," and that
the blood of souls may be found at last in
their skirts.
In illustrating the truth now before us, I
shall say little about those direct attacks on
the person, character, and interests of others
which constitute the numerous class of pri¬
vate wrongs forbidden and punished by hu¬
man laws. They undoubtedly proceed from
that corruption which is found to belong to
our whole race, as St. James teaches us,
" Whence come wars and fightings among
you ? Come they not hence even from your
lusts ?" If we lookback to ancient history,
or over the world around us, or within, at
our own hearts, we see little more than the
effects of sin in the destruction of life and
comfort and liberty amidst contendiug na¬
tions, in fraud and robbery and slander
among individuals, in malicious, envious,
and revengeful feelings towards our neigh¬
bour. This painful survey of the destructive
effects of sin, includes only what relate to the
temporal interests of men. It may be felt by
those who care little for the spiritual mis¬
chief and final ruin which result from the
same cause. If sin affected only our
temporal interests, it would be emphatically
true that 6k one sinner destroyeth much
good." Let a single tyrant, a single sot, a
Single slanderer be selected,—let his progress
be traced, let the miseries he inflicts be con¬
sidered. In this way may we obtain a lively
impression of the force and truth of the max-
34
RUINOUS INFLUENCE
im in the text. But after all, this is a very
partial and imperfect view of the subject. It
is the sinner's influence in corrupting others,
and thus destroying their spiritual good,
which most deserves our attention. The
mischief he can do by his power over their
temporal interests, is quite limited. How
often has the good man defied the rage of
his worst earthly enemies! How often has
even woman triumphed over the malice of
the persecutor, and sung praise to God in the
midst of the fire ! We proceed then to
speak of the destruction of moral good which
the sinner effects.
I. Multitudes directly corrupt the hearts of
others by commanding or seducing them to
sift. It is impossible and unnecessary to
specify all those classes of people, or all
those worldly employments which involve
the corruption and ruin of men. A few par¬
ticulars only can cr need be mentioned. And
first, all who require others to do what is
forbidden by the law of God, fall under this
censure. Every master, parent, or magis¬
trate abuses his power whenever he enjoins
what is wrong or even doubtful in its moral
nature. Those who are clothed with au¬
thority are bound to watch for the best inter¬
ests of ail who are under their charge ; but
if, instead of a tender regard for their im¬
provement and salvation, they actually do
what they can to corrupt and ruin them, how
inexcusable is their conduct! To estimate
the amount of good they destroy, we must
OF SiNNERff.
35
consider the tendency of such conduct to
produce a state of confirmed and hopeless
abandonment to habits of sin, and the utmost
disregard of every duty. At is natural in
such cases for both parties to feel innocent
and safe—the one imagines because he does
not commit with his own hands the trans¬
gression he has commanded, that he has
transferred the guilt to his agent,—the other
is confident since he was required to do it,
that his superior must bear all the blame,
while in fact both are guilty ; the former
for requiring, the latter for performing the
crime, if enlightened enough to know its na¬
ture. Again, all those whose employments
have a corrupting tendency, are liable to the
same censure. Those who make a living by
the scandalous amusements of the theatre,
and other scenes of revelry and dissipation,—
those who conduct and take a part in the
cruel sports which assembled multitudes
contemplate with so much pleasure,—those
who are engaged in the writing, publication,
and sale of licentious books,—and those
whose soul-murdering trade it is to make or
to vend spirituous liquors, may be enumera¬
ted under this head. If the pale victims of
all who thrive in these various ways by the
ruin of others, could pass night by night in
procession before their sleepless eyes, hovv
dreadful, yet howjustpa penalty would they
pay ! But the day is coming, the time is
near, when these betrayed and undone spi¬
rits will meet their view, and pointing at
86
RUINOUS INFLUENCE
their spiritual murderers now disembodied
like themselves, remind them in accents ne¬
ver to be forgotten, how much of guilt and
misery they owe to the avarice and cruelty
of those who deal in the means of sin arid
corruption. Those likewise who, like wolves
in sheeps' clothing, spread abroad lalse reli¬
gious opinions, tending to lead others away
from duty to God, faith in the only Saviour,
and pure benevolence to their fellow men,
and those more open enemies who vent the
abominations of atheism and scepticism,
must be numbered with the worst of the des¬
troyers.
And a still more numerous body are those
who entice their companions to the scenes of
guilty pleasure and forbidden pursuits. How
often does the thoughtless youth thus involve
himself in the aggravated wickedness of
tempting his associates to violate the Sab¬
bath, to enter the haunts of vice, or to indulge
in folly and excess ! Before you allow your¬
selves, my young friends, to weaken or ri-.
dicule the scruples of your companions, sit
down and calculate the fearful consequences.
Look forward to the event,—realize the ac¬
count you must give, if you succeed in the
attempt to influence a single soul to stain it¬
self with guilt, and expose itself to the anger
of its Creator.
II. After this hasf)p glance at the direct,
moral injury done to others by multitudes of
sinners, let us proceed, in the second place.
OF SINNERS.
37
to contemplate the ruinous effects of every
sinner's example.
The first sin, probably, that was ever com¬
mitted in the universe, was pride, the offence
of Satan and his angels in Heaven. So
strongly are men disposed to this sin, that
they often justify it; nay, give it names of ho¬
nor and credit. They talk of a just pride, an
honest pride, a laudable pride. This affords,
therefore, a fair example of th(? ruinous ten¬
dency of sins which are not directed purpose¬
ly against the temporal interests of others.
No doubt, at the instant, when pride first
stirred in his heart, ki Lucifer, the son of the
morning," felt it to be a just and laudable
pride. But look at the consequences. So
conspicuous was his station, that like a tor¬
rent, the very sight of him in arms carried
thousands headlong into rebellion. From
one of the foremost among the servants of
God, he has become the enemy of all good,
the destroyer of our race, the adversary of
God, the accuser of the saints, and the most
signal monument in the universe of the just
displeasure of Heaven. Thus has one
sinner destroyed much good. .,
When the arch-fiend entered the garden
of Eden, all was lovely, peaceful, and hap¬
py. Its inhabitants, loving and beloved, the
objects of the divine benignity, and the faith¬
ful subjects of the divine government, seem¬
ed to promise a long and delightful career of
obedience and enjoyment. But no sooner
does Eve listen to the tempter, than she be-
4
38
RUINOUS INFLUENCE
comes, by her example, the destroyer of Iter
husband, her only companion, her only earth¬
ly guide and friend. Surely, it may be
thought, her eating the forbidden fruit was as
trivial and harmless as any sin could be. It
was no loss to God, that this free rather than
another, should be deprived of its produc¬
tions. It could not injure Adam who had
"enough and to spare." Suppose our
common mother to have deceived herself by
such sophistry,—do you not see how false
and insufficient it is ? and above all, do you
not perceive how pernicious was the example
of disobedience ? Adam immediately follow¬
ed her example, and our race was undone.
Thus again did one sinner destroy much
good.
In these two instances the force of exam¬
ple and influence is most powerfully display¬
ed. Let it be remembered, that the angels
who so readily joined in Satan's grand re¬
bellion, and Adam, who plunged into the
gulf of error so speedily after his guilty
partner, were holy beings when the evil ex¬
amples were presented before them,—yet
they fell. What then is to be expected when .
a sinful example is brought to exert its influ¬
ence on souls already depraved and prone to
iniquity.
From these instances, therefore, I proceed
to cases such as observation makes, alas!
too familiar. Fix your eyes on the sinner in
a public and exalted station. Raised to a seat
of honor and distinction without any inter-
OF SINNERS.
nal principles of piety or virtue, he neither
fears God, nor feels any just regard to the
best interests of men. While he tramples
boldly on the divine law, as if he were above
itsauthority, he gives countenance to all who
feel disposed to neglect and despise it. When
he fears not to break the Sabbath, and to
indulge the emotions of false honor and re¬
venge, he spreads these enormous evils
through a whole community. Rulers and
men in public life are capable of doing great¬
er injury in a country like this, than in na¬
tions governed by hereditary monarchs and
divided into privileged and inferior orders.
Here all.are considered equal in rights ; he,
therefore, who can exhibit no other mark of
equality with men of distinction, defies all
reproof when he sins in company with such
men. What mischief then is done by a pro¬
fane magistrate, a Sabbath-breaking legisla¬
tor, a duelling national officer ! How em¬
phatically in such cases does one sinner des¬
troy much good !
It may still be thought, perhaps, that in
private life, a sinner may be harmless. In¬
deed, it is often said, " such an one hurts no¬
body but himself"—" he is an enemy to none
beside himself." This remark I have heard
applied even to the drunkard. But if we
grant that the sot is a man of kind feelings to
his household even when intoxicated, that
he does not involve his family by running in¬
to debt, that in short he commits the sin pri¬
vately and quietly at his own fireside,—and
40
RUINOUS INFLUENCE
this is more than can be truly alleged in
one case out of ten thousand,—grant all this,
and still I ask, is it nothing that his family
lose all the improvement in situation, intelli¬
gence, and character, which they might de¬
rive from a sober husband and father ? Is it
nothing that they are degraded by their con¬
nexion with one, who dear as he is, or ought
to be to them, they know very well can only
be despised ? Is it nothing that they derive
no benefit from his prayers with and for
them? Nothing—that their moral feelings
become blunted, and that, rendered desperate
by the sense of family disgrace, they become
as bad as himself; and the whole race, as we
often See, turn out votaries of strong drink ?
Nothing—that other families are corrupted by
the spreading plague, his country denied the
services he might have rendered, and himself
shut out from every place of usefulness in
the church and neighborhood. Who can cal¬
culate the good one such sinner destroys for
time and for eternity, in his family, among
his acquaintance, throughout his country,
and in generations yet unborn ?
Another character who may pretend to be
very harmless, is the man who uses profane
language. Suppose, (what is not very pro¬
bable) suppose he has no other fault. What is
the effect of his irreverence on those around
him, and especially on the young, and others
who may be his inferiors ? They catch the
spirit of contempt for the sacred and awful
subjects of which they hear him speak so
OF SINNERS.
41
profanely. God himself they learn to treat
with disregard,—His adorable name becomes
their by-word,—His righteous threatenings,
His holy book, His solemn ordinances,
mere jests and trifles. To all the truths of
religion, they of course become indifferent,—
they are hardened in impenitence, " make a
mock at sin," and break through every res¬
traint which the fear and love of God would
put on their evil inclinations. I leave you
then, my hearers, to judge, whether the pro¬
fane man is a harmless man, or whether he
does not furnish another painful proof, that
" one sinner destroyeth much good."
I know it is common for sinners to evade
the force of reproof on this subject, by re¬
presenting themselves as so inconsiderable
and destitute of influence, that they cannot
do any mischief by indulging in sin. But
where can an individual be found so separa¬
ted and cut off from the rest of mankind, as
to have no influence ? Providence has so
united us together by our very constitution
and situation on earth, that in business and
social intercourse and family connexions,
we necessarily act on others, and are acted
on by them. He who can do no more, can
make one on the side ol good or evil, and
mere number has much force. Whenever
people converse on a subject of interest, you
may see the truth verified, " As iron shar-
peneth iron, so the face of man his friend."
Even children exert an influence on each
other; nay, on their parents. A christian
42 RUINOUS INFLUENCE
slave who adorns the gospel by patience, fi¬
delity, and industry, may touch the con¬
science of an irreligious master, and force
him to confess the excellence of that reli¬
gion which has made a poor degraded ser¬
vant so good and so happy.
III. But we proceed in the third and last
place, to a consideration which heightens the
atrocity of sin to the utmost: J mean the
dishonor done to God by disobedience. We,
my hearers, are doubly unfitted for estima¬
ting fully the evil of sin considered in this
view. We are not only weak in our con¬
ceptions because our powers are limited, but
we are parties in the case. Sin does not in¬
deed at all lessen the essential glory and hap¬
piness of our Creator,—but what is the lan¬
guage of every sin ? Violating the express
command of God, and disregarding His au¬
thority, it implies an accusation against the
author of the command as a hard master, an
unjust lawgiver. Charge the sinner with
his guilt, and press it home on his conscience,
and you will find he does exculpate himself
by such accusations against the law and its
author ; nay, rather than confess his own
sinfulness, he will often throw the blame on
his Maker, because He did not prevent his
transgressions, or because He did not wholly
exclude sin from the universe. Men are
prone to think, that since God has not pre¬
vented it, He may be blamed for its exist¬
ence. Think what dishonor is done to the di-
divine character by such dreadful imputations!
.OF SINNERS.
4&
Sinners may imagine themselves clear of
the guilt of dishonoring God, because in ma¬
ny or most of their actual offences, they have
not had Him directly in view. They do not
always, at the moment of transgression,
think of doing any thing against God. They
do not often perhaps reflect on the holy law
they are breaking. I do not hesitate to ac¬
knowledge with regard to many sins, that
more thoughtlessness thai! malignity appears
in them. This is the best excuse the sinner
can make for himself; but mark what it in¬
volves. By his own account," God is not in
all his thoughts," and can the sinner then be
acquitted of the charge of dishonoring Him ?
But to return to first principles, every sin
violates a command of God. It is committed
in His presence, and by a creature bound by
all the obligations that can produce affection,
reverence, and obedience to our Maker and
benefactor, our preserver and sovereign.
The language of the action is, '*'1 will do as
I please. The approbation of Heaven is worth
less than my present gratification. The law
is unjust to forbid so small an indulgence. It
can never hurt any one; 1 am sure it will be
110 loss to my Maker. Every body does this,
and so may I. Notwithstanding the threaten¬
ing of punishment, He will surely overlook
such a trifle ; if He does not, it will be cru¬
el." Or sometimes the sinner will plead
the greatness of the benefit he aims at, and
then he will feel that the law is hard and un¬
reasonable in requiring so great a sacrifice
44
ruinous influence
on his part. The offence he will always re¬
present to himself as small, the danger in¬
considerable, the mischief as nothing. He
will sometimes calculate before hand on his
future repentance—and the pardoning mercy
of Heaven for the sin he is about to commit.
Sometimes he will jest on the subject, ridi¬
cule the idea of guilt, and laugh to scorn the
scrupulosity of Christians who warn him
against the crime t<T which he is tempted.
To present the enormity of sin in its full
light, we must consider the nature and ten¬
dency of that law which it violates. " God
is love," and love is exhibited in all the com¬
mandments He has given. They are intend¬
ed to produce good, and when obeyed, they
actually do produce good. But the man who
breaks such a law, says by his conduct, that
the ruler and the law are bad—unkind—un¬
just—unworthy of his attention or obedience.
And here, we must not forget, that the truth
of God likewise is impugned by the sinner.
Our Creator assures us that the law was
formed for our good, and that if we obey it,
we shall be happy. The sinner not only de¬
nies the first, but shews that he disbelieves
the last .of these declarations. And while
God threatens, that " though hand join in
hand, the wicked shall not go unpunished,"
the rebel believes his Maker so weak and so
insincere in his threatenings, that a little re¬
pentance which he intends to exercise when
he shall have sinned as much as he wishes,
will save him from the penalty so solemnly
OF SINNERS.
45
denounced! If a man believes the promises
and threatenihgs of God, if he looks for¬
ward to the judgment, if he brings eternity
near, he will not, he dare not jsin. No!
with heaven and hell in view, with a sense of
the omniscient eye fixed on him, no man
dare break the express commands of his Ma¬
ker, and touch the accursed thins which God
hates.
If it were necessary to urge the proof of
the malignity of sin any further, we might
go on to point out its opposition to the very
existence of God. It is natural to wish for
impunity, and when we feel that we have
drawn down the holy indignation of Heaven,
we begin to cherish the horrid sentiment of
the fool, who said in his heart, No God !
Oh that there were no silent and all seeing
witness, no inflexible judge, no eternal
avenger of my sins ! Such thoughts natural¬
ly spring up in the mind of the hardened
sinner, produced by indulgence in wicked¬
ness, and producing in turn a more despe¬
rate state of hostility to God, and to His
truth, to duty and repentance.
And now consider the consequences of
thus dishonoring God. You tell all around
you, with hearts like your own, and there¬
fore ready to entertain the sentiment of dis¬
affection to Him,—you tell them that God
and His law are unworthy of regard, and
that you for one do not regard them. You
tell them not to fear the penalty of the law,
for you do not fear it. But think what it is
46
ruinous influence
to destroy the love and confidence and fear
of His creatures towards Him. He is their
only hope, support, and refuge. His smile
is life and heaven,-—His frown is death, is
hell. How dreadful then the evil of sin,
which by dishonoring God, thus introduces
and spreads anarchy and destruction irrepa¬
rable ! Surely " one sinner destroyeth much
good."
1. From this very brief and imperfect view
of the nature and tendency of sin, I infer
in the first place, that there are no little sins.
I do not mean that there are no degrees of
criminality, or that one sin is just as great
as another. My meaning is, that there is
no sin, however trifling h may appear, which
does not violate the highest obligations, and
produce very great evil. We who are par¬
ties in the case are willing to extenuate, to
palliate, to excuse our faults. But He with
whom we have to do, is of purer eyes than to
look upon sin, and the Heavens are not clean
in His sight. The sin of Eve, already re¬
ferred to, is a striking proof of the princi¬
ple now before us. Did any of us ever
commit a sin apparently more inconsiderable
than her eating of the forbidden fruit ? No¬
thing appears more indifferent than her
choice on such an occasion. But view the
matter in another light. In that action she
disbelieved and disobeyed the word of God,
and thus rebelled against -the-divine authori¬
ty. The tremendous, the tsternal conse¬
quences of that1 one transgression, no finite
OF. SINNERS.
47
mind can conceive* Now, my friends, view
your little. sins in the same light. If you
will but candidly do this, you must see that;
your apparently trivial offences, however
thoughtlessly committed, spring from the
same disobedient temper, possess in fact the
same enormity, and may reasonably be ex¬
pected to produce results of the same nature.
But 2dly. There are no neutral charac-
ters,--rnone who are neither saints nor sin¬
ners, neither friends nor enemies of God.
Many indeed fancy they can take refuge on
some middle ground. Unwilling to comply
with the divine requirements, yet sensible
that " the way of transgressors is hard,"
and desirous not only of keeping a good
name on earth, but of having, as they sup¬
pose, some claim to< the favor of God, they
are careful to avoid all gross external of¬
fences, and to do many things which they
think acceptable in His sight. But they are
under a great delusion. Were the true cha¬
racter of God presented to their view, they
would not like to retain it intheir knowledge.
Could they behold in the light of eternity
the nature and consequences of their con¬
duct, which they consider so fair and unex¬
ceptionable, they \vould perceive that they,
like other sinners, arq destroying much good,
and must be brought to repentance and faith
in Christ, instead of confidence and compla¬
cency in their supposed virtuous behaviour, if
they are ever to enter Heaven. While i( man
regards the outward appearance," God re-
48
ruinous influence
quires the heart, the whole heart,—110 actions
which do not spring from cordial regard to
Him? can ever constitute obedience, or lay
a foundation for any claim to his favor.—
Throw away then, my hearers, the false
and proud imagination of being saved by any
such means, and receive as your only Savi¬
our, ((the Lamb of God, who taketh away
the sins of the world!"
We see, 3dly, That none can maintain the
double character of a sinner and a harmless
man. Every (t sinner destroys much good,"
and thus labors in the service of the arch¬
enemy of God and man. On the other hand,
every true servant of Christ, with a greater
or lessdegreeof zeal, imitates his heavenly
master, who 44 went about doing good," and
counted it " more blessed to give than to re¬
ceive;" who was t( holy, harmless, undefi-
led, and separate from sinners. Light and
darkness shall as soon become one, Christ
and Belial shall as soon harmonize, as harm-
lessness and sin unite in one man ! How ab¬
surd then the boast, how unsubstantial the
comfort of many a dying sinner, whose only
support is found in the recollection of his
never having done any harm! How painful
the reflection that numbers have no better
consolation with regard to their departed
friends!
But 4thly. How zealously should Chris¬
tians labor lor the good of souls and the glo¬
ry of God. Since so much evil to men, and
so much dishonor to God, is effected by one
OF SINNERS.
49
dinner, there is need of the greatest diligence
on the part of every Christian, to counteract
it. If others labor to destroy good, let us
not be weary in well-doing. There is no
object more deserving of our prayerful, ar¬
dent, and persevering exertions, than to re¬
claim sinners from their destructive course.
Every sinner thus reclaimed, not only ceases
to be a destroyer of good, but becomes in
his turn a doer of good. What efforts and
what prayers then ought not this object to
call forth ?
5. Again, the preceding view of the ten¬
dency, of sin to destroy good, clearly shews
the necessity of punishment for those who
will not repent and forsake it. Sin, in the
view we have taken of it, appears "exceed¬
ing sinful." It opposes the government of
God, belies His glorious character, is hos¬
tile to His very being, contaminates all
around with its moral poison, and thus
spreads ruin through the divine kingdom.
Shall it go unchecked, and ravage with im¬
punity ? No! Surely God will interpose in
mercy to the whole race of creatures, and
save the universe from entire and irretrievable
ruin; surely He must, He will punish sin.
That infinite benevolence which is the glory
and the sum of His character, will not per¬
mit Him to sit and behold His enemies de¬
stroying all that is fair and peaceful and holy.
He will display himself as Love,—the name
He has chosen to denote his nature and es-
5
RUINOUS INFLUENCE
sence, by arresting the destroyers of good,
and cutting short their guilty career.
6. But finally, how shall Jehovah be suf¬
ficiently adored, that not content with vin¬
dicating His holiness and goodness by the
punishment of sin, His wisdom and grace
over-rule it for good ! How poor, how in¬
adequate any thanks we can pay for the plan
He has formed of restoring us who are load¬
ed with the guilt of so many offences! All
the sufferings of our wretched race, should
they lie forever exposed to His wrath, could
not remedy the mischiefs they have done ;
nor is He so vindictive as to be gratified by
the torment of His enemies. The miseries
of the lost will be indeed a lasting and awful
proof of the evil of sin. But we ought not
to forget that the very means His infinite
grace has devised for the salvation of sinners,
speaks His views on this point in the strong¬
est terms. "He spared not his own Son,
but delivered him up for us all," when it had
become necessary to save us from this un¬
speakable evil and its dreadful consequences.
" Oh the depth of the riches both of the
wisdom and knowledge of God!" How
adorable His patience and forbearance!
How amazing His love and mercy to lost
mankind!
And now, my dear hearers, what is so
becoming our guilty character as to humble
ourselves in His sight, and accept the free
offers of His grace ? None of us can plead
innocence,—our own hearts condemn us,
OF SINNERS.
51
and God is greater than our hearts, and
knoweth all things. Nothing will bring us
to a cordial trust in the Saviour of sinners,
until a sense of our own sinfulness shall have
penetrated and humbled us. Let us then
count over the instances of our open and
secret transgressions, the iniquities of our
thoughts, words and actions. Let us add to
this black catalogue all the sins of others to
which we have tempted them, or of which
our influence and example have been the oc¬
casion. And when we have solemnly re¬
flected on the immense evil we have done
in a long course of disobedience, let us be¬
take ourselves to the throne of Grace, and
cry, each for himself, with all the earnest¬
ness of the broken hearted publican, " God
foe merciful to me a sinner!"
iat%
-eo*-
RELIGIOUS JOY
PHIL. IV. 4.
REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS, AND AGAIN I SAY
REJOICE.
The grand question which was agitated by
the ancient philosophers, and upon which
their opinions were as various and as con¬
tradictory as i was possible for opinions to
be,—the grand problem which men are prac¬
tically solving still, or attempting to solve
in so many ways, is this, " What is the
summum bonum, the supreme or chief good ?
What is happiness r1" To this question a
thousand answers are returned; but only one
can be true. In the book of Ecclesiastes,
which was written on this subject, the au¬
thor, after assuring us on his own experience
that all earthly things are vanity, concludes
the treatise in these words : u Fear God and
keep his commandments, for this is the
whole of man"—man's all, i. e. true religion
is happiness, and the only happiness.
The soundest reasoning, as well as the
testimony of Scripture, must bring us to the
conclusion that true happiness consists not
in receiving any thing passively, but in feel-
RELIGIOUS JOY.
53
ing and acting right,—in the exercise of
right dispositions of heart. God is infinitely
the happiest of beings, because he is the ho^
liest, the most benevolent, for " it is more
blessed to give than to receive," and he only
gives, and never receives. For the same
reason, in proportion as we resemble him,
we shall be happy as well as holy.
There must surely be good reasons why
the Christian should rejoice, since he is in¬
vited and urged to i( rejoice always." From
the text, therefore, I shall take occasion to
point out the true sources of religious enjoy¬
ment, and particularly to illustrate the prin¬
ciple, that the only true happiness, the only
well founded religious joy, consists in the
exercise and action of right dispositions, and
the consciousness of them.*
The subject will no doubt be peculiarly
pleasing to Christians. But I trust even
those of my hearers who do not profess to
know any thing about religion from their
own experience, will also find it interesting
to them.
You, my hearers, often hear the jovs of
religion spoken of. You are told all " her
ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her
paths peace." You look,—you listen,1—to
discover what these peculiar joys and com¬
forts are, and from all you can learn you per-
# To prevent mistake, I observe here, once for all, that
I do not speak at all of any inoperative feelings, but have
in view " the exercise and action ,©f right dispositions,'*
throughout.
5*
64
AELieiOUS JOV.
haps do not see that religious people have
finy real advantage over you. You hear pro¬
fessors of religion speak of comforts which
you find they receive not from being religious,
but from believing they are religious, and
you can easily perceive that this is a kind of
satisfaction that may result from the grossest
delusion, nay, you see it often does. Again,
you hear of spiritual enjoyments and rap¬
tures, which, from the vague description
you receive, can appear to you nothing but
the flights of imagination or excited animal
feeling. But let me assure you, all the real
enjoyment religion proposes is perfectly ra¬
tional,-^-may be accounted for on just prin¬
ciples, and is well suited to the most im¬
proved state of mental cultivation. There
is no weakness in true religious enjoyment.
The happiness religion proposes is the only
real happiness. It differs not from what the
soundest philosophy teaches us to call by that
name. I shall therefore have the pleasure
to-day of pointing out to you in religion the
only true happiness,—substantial, refined,
exquisite, and every way worthy of being
the object of your most vigorous efforts to
attain and preserve. You therefore, my
friends, who do not profess to have experi¬
enced any thing of the joys of religion, will,
I trust, take a rational interest in hearing an
intelligible account of them. Let us then
proceed to notice some of the principal sources
of true religious enjoyment.
RfiLtGIOtrS JOT.
f. The Christian " rejoices in the Lord."
This may include several particulars. As
1st, The character of God. This is a sub¬
ject of delight to every holy being, to every
pious heart. All perfect as it is, and em¬
bracing every attribute which a benevolent
mind approves and loves, it is a constant
subject of meditation to every saint, and
will forever afford an infinity of all that is
glorious and all that is good for his contem¬
plation. The subject is ever new, ever im¬
pressive, and entirely inexhaustible. Eter¬
nity will stiff be furnishing new views and
new displays of this character, while at
every step of religious improvement the
taste for its beauties will be heightened. As
the Christian advances in his endless progress
towards unattainable perfection, his joy in
the character of God will constantly become
more and more pure, and elevated, and rap¬
turous. The thought that God is what he
is, LoVe itself— all benevolence, all holi¬
ness, justice, goodness and truth, i( merci¬
ful and gracious, long suffering and slow to
anger, forgiving iniquity, transgression and
sin"—-the thought that such a God is on the
throne, that he every where and at every
period of duration, controls and disposes all
things, is a rational source of consolation
amidst the darkest storms of trouble, and
affords such peace as the world can neither
give nor take away.
2. This remark, however, touches on an¬
other important particular of the Christian's
56
RELIGIOUS JOY.
rejoicing in God, which implies, as I have
just intimated, a delight in the divine govern¬
ment. As God is love, his boundless admi¬
nistration is continually exhibiting this truth,
and every exhibition of it is delightful and
glorious in the eyes of his loyal subjects.
Thus when he created this world to be an
additional theatre on which to make himself
known, " the morning stars sang together,
and all the sons of God shouted for joy."
And in the book of Revelations, the most
awful as well as the most gracious acts of
the divine government are represented as
causing rejoicing and praise in heaven.
3. To " rejoice in the Lord" implies also
a delight in the various wise and gracious
dispensations of God. Whether he consi¬
ders the ways of Providence, the giving of
the law, or the glad tidings of redeeming
mercy, the Christian finds abundant cause
for joy. The dealings of God with himself,
his friends, his country, the churoh, and
mankind at large, afford innumerable topics
of this kind, and as the Psalmist observes,
" Whoso will mark his operations, even they
shall understand the loving kindness of the
Lord." He who thus views the hand of
God in every event is the only truly happy
man. The history of the past, the progress
of present affairs, and the prospect of the
future, are all to him like pictures in which
he daily sees as the principal figure the great
object of his supreme and unalterable love.
He made us, and not we ourselves'; we are
HELIGIOUS JOY.
57
the people of His fold, and the sheep of His
pasture. He led his people of old,—He
gave our fathers the land of our inheritance.
He surrounded Us with the comforts we en¬
joy,—He sent us the blessings of the gospel
—He answers our prayers. He is carrying
on a glorious scheme, in which chance has
no influence. All is His work, contrived,
managed, and disposed by Him. Thus
every subject and every event, derives new
interest from the impressive thought of His
agency in all things, a thought which must
therefore be a constant source of joy to all
who love Him.
4. To rejoice in the Lord, implies delight
in the Scriptures. The God whom he loves
is made known indeed in his works, but how
much more clearly in his word ! (l O how I
love thy holy law !" savs David, (i it is
daily my delight." " Thy statutes have
been my song in the house of my pilgrim¬
age." " His delight is in the law of the
Lord," for this law is " perfect, making
wise the simple; the statutes of the Lord
are right, rejoicing the heart. More to be
desired than gold, yea than the most fine
gold,—sweeter also than honey and the
honey comb." Here only can the mind and
will of our Creator be learned. Here only
is he revealed as a God pardoning iniquity.
—Here only does he shine as in the face of
Jesus, and display the milder glories of his
character. Here only can the man who en¬
quires with filial affection,i( Lord what will
58
RELIGIOUS JOY.
thou have me to do ?" find an answer to the
question, and be taught to commit his ways
to the Lord, who ivill direct his steps. Here¬
in are contained the promises made to his
people individually, and to the church as a
body. Here the terms of eternal life, the
credentials of the great Messiah, the history
of the work of redemption which he has
completed, and the road to heaven are all
laid down in the plainest terms. Here
therefore the Christian has a rational and in¬
exhaustible store of materials for instructive
and delightful meditation.
II. Christians are said also to rejoice in
Christ Jesus, and to have no confidence in
the flesh. The import of this declaration is
evidently this, they rejoice that instead of
being left to work out their own redemption,
(shall 1 not rather say their own destruction)
a deliverer has been provided,—that the Son
of God, mighty to save, i{ the same yester¬
day, to-day, and forever," is the chosen
and anointed Saviour,—that He has willing¬
ly entered on and finished the great under¬
taking—and t( brought life and immortality
to light in the gospel"—that he has made a
sufficient atonement and ascended far above
all heavens, that he might " fill all things,"
and has i( received gifts for men," that his
" grace is sufficient" for all his people, and
that where two or three are gathered in his
name there he is in the midst of them," as
well as with the messengers of his salvation
J< always even to the end of the world." la
RELIGIOUS JOY.
hd
short, they rejoice in exercising full confi¬
dence in him as their Saviour, and thus in
Christ Jesus they have even now infinite
cause for joy.
III. The spread of Christ's kingdom af¬
fords matter of rational and unspeakable
joy to Christians. Were this a temporal do¬
minion, their love to their Master would
make them rejoice in its extension and im¬
provement ; but when it is considered that it
consists in righteousness, peace, and joy in
the Holy Ghost, that Its spread consists in
the increase of holiness, the addition of souls
to the number of the regenerated and re¬
deemed, who will through eternity be vessels
oj mercy, they find here a transporting
theme. By this means will the glory of God
and the happiness of his creatures be best
promoted. They can therefore unite hearti¬
ly, though in a lower degree of perfection,
with the joy of angels over one sinner that
repenteth; and as religion advances, this
joy must be continually multiplied to them.
IT. The Scriptures mention also joy in the
Holy Ghost. This no doubt implies glad¬
ness at the fact that this glorious agent is
sent down to work in the hearts of men " to
will and to do of his good pleasure," to re¬
new sinners, and quicken Christians, and
thus revive the work of God. But it also
implies the inward happiness of feeling and
being governed by his holy influences, for
" the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,"
&c.; and thus he " witnesses with our spirits
60
RELIGIOUS JOY.
that we are the children of God.'y This,
like the other points I have already touched,
is very important, and might of itself consti¬
tute a distinct subject for an entire discourse,
but 1 must now leave it.
From these particulars, it is clearly mani¬
fest that the love and service of God are
the chief sources of joy to Christians. It
is in itself delightful to love. To feel be¬
nevolent inclinations is happy, and hence
as I observed, God is infinitely happy. In
this the benevolent, the pious man, defies
all enemies, for though often made sorrow¬
ful by outward things, he may be always
rejoicing in the love of God and man. Of
this none can deprive him, for the mere
feeling of love is delightful, and to act as
love prompts us to act is delightful. Hence,
to do the ivill of God was the meat and drink
of our Redeemer when on earth, and it will
for the same reason be the most delightful
employment of his followers.
1 am solicitous to impress on the minds of
my hearers, that to love and serve God is
the chief source of true religious joy. What
stands higher in the estimation of angels?
What was more valued by the prophets and
apostles ? What now is found to be the por¬
tion, the support, the happiness of the mis¬
sionaries, the followers of the apostles? Do
they not feel the sweetness of love to Christ
and to the souls of men, and the sweetness
of labouring for that cause? Do they take
more delight in contemplating their own
RELIGIOUS JOY.
61
good state. Is self-complacency their high¬
est pleasure ? Bear it ever in mind, my
friends, therefore, that happiness consists in
the exercise of right feelings. If you love
God supremely and your neighbour as your¬
self, in vain 'shall storms of sorrow fall, in
vain shall earth shake beneath your feet,
heaven be shrouded in darkness above, and
all the hosts of hell roar around you,—in vain,
for the kingdom of God is within you, the
spring of pure and endless joy flows within
your bosom, and no stranger can meddle
therewith.
Let it be clearly understood that I do
not mean to say the belief that we exercise
right feelings is the chief Christian joy. No 1
The exercise of such feelings is in itself far
more delightful than the comfort of believing
we exercise them. To feel as we ought to
feel, that is, to love God, to believe in
Christ, to love our Jellow men—in short, to
feel right, I say, is to be happy,—positively
and directly happy. To feel a hope, as it is
not very properly expressed—i. e. to believe
that you do love God, to believe that you do
trust in Christ, to believe that you do love your
fellow men, is not direct and positive happi¬
ness,—it is comfortable indeed to have such
a view of ourselves on good evidence, but
on comparison, you will see the vast dif¬
ference between loving God, and 9bliev~
mg that you love him. To mark the
difference more plainly, let us proceed to
6
62
RELIGIOUS JOY.
mention one othcrsubject of religious enjoy¬
ment.
V. When the disciples returned to Christ
exulting in the miraculous powers conferred
on them, he said, "rejoice nc^in this, that
the spirits are subject to you, but rather re¬
joice that your names are written in heaven
It is then a reasonable and proper cause of
joy, if we possess evidence of having " pass¬
ed from death unto life," and thus it is exhi¬
bited in the Scriptures in various places.
And Christians are bound to live in such a
manner as to possess this joyful evidence,
"which may exist in all degrees according to
the state of the heart. Such is the true no¬
tion of religious comfort. It ought to be
supported by evidence, and proportioned to
it. No man has a right to it, no man can in
reality enjoy it, unless he has evidence of a
renewed heart. A counterfeit of this reli¬
gious joy exists, and this counterfeit we fear
is the whole of the religious enjoyment of
multitudes who profess their faith in Christ.
But as has been already stated, the highest.
religious enjoyment, the true happiness of
the Christian, lies in something higher and
better than even the comfort of possessing
evidences of piety. The Christian's source
of happiness lies out of himself in a certain
sense. He rejoices in the Lord, not in him¬
self^ He always sees so much to lament in
his own heart, even when he finds in it evi¬
dences of gracious influences, that he turns
with delight to a higher and purer source, the
RELIGIOUS JOY.
infinite fountain of good. There he can
lose himself in the contemplation of unmin-
gled perfection. And if he rejoices in view¬
ing his own state, it is only because he sees
God's hand producing a happy change with¬
in him, where once all was depravity and
corruption. He rejoices indeed in hope of
the glory of God, but the prospect of heaven
which he is permitted to enjoy derives its
greatest delight from the holy beauties and
glories of heaven, and not exclusively from
his own supposed title to it. Such a title is
strong consolation under trials and afflic¬
tions, it is a source of solid satisfaction. But
the man who has a title to heaven, has also
already a heaven begun in his heart, and
this affords him higher happiness than even
the best view he can enjoy, amidst his many
defects, of his own evidence of being on the
way to the world of glory. The symptoms
of good health are welcome, but the sensa¬
tion and enjoyment of it are positive and di¬
rect pleasure.
Some of those who acknowledge the truth
of these views may yet feel inclined to con¬
sider them of no practical utility. But, my
Christian friends, the more I reflect on the
subject the more am i convinced of the im¬
portance of correct sentiments with regard
to it. He who continually craves comfort,
meaning by this term a satisfaction in view
of his own evidences of piety, and who has
no aim at any higher and purer religious en¬
joyment, is liable to serious practical errors.
64
RELIGIOUS JOY.
He will naturally employ much of the time
which should be devoted to cultivating and
enjoying true religious feeling, in seeking
the mere temporary satisfaction of believing
himself in a good state. Every sermon,
every ordinance, he will turn from its direct
application to spiritual improvement, and
will try whether he can obtain any comfort
from it. He will be apt to stand still, con¬
templating the advances he supposes he has
already made, while he might be proceed¬
ing still further. While he is so much dis¬
posed to find comfort in having attained, he
is likely not " to forget the things that are
behind," and not t( to press forward to those
which are still before." And thus, as the
solid comfort of possessing good evidence
cannot be enjoyed without some real pro¬
gress, he is liable to be disappointed of the
very happiness which he makes his principal
good.
Let us now consider some of the objec¬
tions which will be made to these statements.
And first, it will be objected that God says,
comfort ye my people." Now, far be it
from me to suggest that God does not mean
to afford comfort to his people. Religion,
in truth, furnishes the only real happiness
here or hereafter, and God has moreover
taken effectual care to provide strong conso¬
lation for those who have fed for refuge to
the hope set before them in the gospel. If
we turn to the passage quoted by the objec¬
tor, we shall find in the context a strong in-
RELIGIOUS JOY. 65
stance of this, and one so well adapted to
my present purpose, that by itself it will suf¬
fice to remove the objection- te Comfort ye,
comfort ye my people, saith your God.
Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry
unto her, that her warfare is accomplished,
that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath
received of the Lord's hand double for all
her sins. The voice of him that crieth in
the wilderness prepare ye the way of the
Lord," &c.; and a verse or two farther on
—" And the glory of the Lord shall be re¬
vealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for
the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." Here
we see of what nature is the comfort God
addresses to his people. If it were his ob¬
ject to give what is commonly called comfort
to his people, he could easily produce that
effect. He could reveal to every true Chris¬
tian the joyful fact that his name is written
in Heaven. But he has not judged it best
to do this, and those who are most confident
are too often least warranted to be so, if we
may judge by their lives. The comfort here
spoken of, however, is such as the Bible
gives to every true Christian. It was ad¬
dressed to the ancient church, and opens a
prospect of the glorious dispensation with
which God designed to bless Iter. Chris¬
tians, do yon desire solid comfort ? Go to the
word of God, it is full of such comfort.
" The Lord reigneth, let the earth rejoice,
let the multitudes of the isles be glad there¬
of." Is there no comfort here ? " My word
6*
66
RELIGIOUS JOY.
shall not return unto me void, but shall ac¬
complish the purpose whereunto I sent it."
Does this promise give you no pleasure ?
" Thy people shall be willing in the day of
thy power." The future prosperity of Zi-
on, the full restoration of Jerusalem, the
knowledge of the Lord covering the whole
earth as the waters cover the sea; in short,
those great and precious promises which are
there contained—are they not most consoling
to all who love Jesus Christ in sincerity?
And in the actual progress of things, we see
in various parts of the world such striking
fulfilments of these promises, that not a day
passes without fresh cause for rejoicing on
this account. The Apostles felt the force of
these considerations in the midst of stripes',
and persecution, and imprisonment, and toil,
and privations of every kind. They re¬
joiced when Christ was preached, even
though the motives of some who preached
him were mixed or bad. They gave thanks
to God alway on behalf of the churches they
had planted, and thus encouraged their con¬
verts, by their example, to do what the text
enjoins, " Rejoice in the Lord alway."
But it will be farther objected, in the
second place, that these high comforts are
intended and fitted for Christians, and before
I can feel them I must know that I am a
Christian. This objection admits only of a
very brief answer, but it is a very decisive
one. Before you can feel those comforts or
joys, you say, you must know that you are
BELIGIOUS JOY.
67
a Christian. I reply, Before you can know
you are a Christian, you must know that
you feel something of these joys. These
joys are as real and necessary proofs of a
renewed heart, as any other feelings. I ac¬
knowledge your heart may not be attuned to
these high and pure delights of the Chris¬
tian, and yet you may be able to persuade
yourself you are one,—and you may be ca¬
pable of enjoying such satisfaction as this
can give. And you may live and die in the
mistaken notion that such comfort is the hap¬
piness of the Christian's life. But, my
friends, c< be not deceived." Without a
heart to rejoice in the <*Lord, to find happi¬
ness in loving and serving him, to triumph
spontaneously in all the triumphs of truth
and holiness, you want some of the most
decisive evidences of your being true Chris¬
tians.
Here, thirdly, it will be objected, " But this
is resting on feelings." This objection has
vSome vagueness and obscurity attending it,
which being removed, it will be seen to have
no force. What is meant by resting on,
feelings? What do we intend when we cau¬
tion you against resting on feelings ? We
mean, or should mean simply these two
things;—first, that a momentary ebullition
of feeling does not show what the habitual
character is,—secondly, that the strength of
any emotion is no proof that it is right.
These two things are true, and they em¬
brace all we mean or should mean by cau-
68
RELIGIOUS JOY.
tioning you not to rest on feelings. But,
my friends, a right feeling is as good evi¬
dence of piety as a right action. The Scrip¬
tures mention certain feelings among the
"fruits of the spirit" by which you are to knew
that you are the followers of Christ. It is
as easy to know certain feelings to be right
as to know any action to be right. An ac¬
tion, to be right, must proceed from right
feelings—a right feeling will produce right
actions. Nobody means then, or should
mean, that if you have right feelings you
are not to consider them as good evidences
of piety ; nobody means that they are more
easily counterfeited t*han right actions, for
they are not. Is there not then a lamentable
error among us on this subject ? Do not
many look with too much self-complacency
on their lives, as much better than they a,re
conscious their hearts are ? This is wrong—
your actions, my friends, are no better than
the feelings from which they proceed. How
important then to keep the heart with dili¬
gence, how true that out of it are the issues
of life ! How clear, that as a man ihinketh
in his heart, so is he, and so in the sight of
God is ail he does ! And now, my Christian
friends, do you see no flaws in your conduct,
and are you any better satisfied with it than
with your hearts ? Be assured you have no
right to be so.
Again, it will be objected, that accord¬
ing to these views, self-examination is not
so necessary or important as the Scriptures
RELIGIOUS JOY.
69
teach. To remove this objection, I shall
simply ask what is the object of your self-
examination? An honest answer to this
question, from every professor, would be of
great importance to him, Do you examine
yourself to obtain comfort ? If you do, then
your self-examination is neither necessary
nor important, nor is it commanded in the
Scriptures. It will not be impartial, it can
do you no good. The true use of self-ex¬
amination is to detect the true suite of the
heart and life, and especially to unveil every
thing sinful that maybe lurking within us.
Self-examination, viewed in this light, is so
far from being unnecessary or unimportant,
according to these statements, that it is made
more efficient, more complete, more condu¬
cive to growth in grace.
I shall now add a few brief reflections
suggested by the important subject we have
been considering.
1. We see a good reason why faithful mi¬
nisters are seldom solicitous to administer
mere comfort. People are not only suffici¬
ently inclined to seek it of themselves, but
as we have just seen, it is in itself of less
importance than they are prone to think. A
faithful minister lays little stress on the new¬
found comfort of a recent convert, but presses
him to live near to God, to beware of de¬
clining in his love to Christ, his faith and
zeal. And when he hears those of his peo¬
ple who give good evidence of enjoying on
the whole something of the true happiness
70
RELIGIOUS JOY.
of religion, complaining at any time that
they do not feel the comfort of seeing them¬
selves in a good state, he sympathises with
them indeed, but he does not immediately
proceed on the supposition that they must by
all means be comforted.
2. This view of the subject affords an an¬
swer to the question, Mow may we obtain
comfort? You already understand, my
friends, that I consider it one of the leading
and prevailing errors among religious people,
that they are always craving comfort, as it is
called. I do not blame any man for seeking
true religious enjoyment, such as I have been
describing above, i. e. the happiness of feel¬
ing and acting right. But now I say to those
who are so anxious for comfort, do you wish
to know an infallible way to attain solid
peace and joy ? 1 will mention one that can¬
not fail—" grow in grace." Are your evi¬
dences faint and dark? " Grow in grace,"
and they will become stronger and clearer.
Are you devoid of comfort day after day,
and hardly able to maintain your profession
of faith and hope in Christ? " Grow in
grace." Seek, and cultivate every pious feel¬
ing, exercise true Christian joy,—" rejoice
in the Lord," then you will enjoy the double
happiness of loving and serving God, and of
having evidence that you possess that charac¬
ter.
3. Hence we see why Christians are com¬
manded to " rejoice evermore." It is our
duty to possess such a state of heart as to be
RELIGIOUS JOY.
71
capable of rejoicing always, i. e. it is our
duty to possess right feelings, and these are
in themselves joyful. It is our duty to be not
only by conversion and habitually thus ca¬
pable, but it is our duty at every moment to
exercise those Christian feelings, the exercise
of which is enjoyment in itself. So iar is re¬
ligion from being designed to make our plea¬
sures less. God has made it our duty to he
happy.
4. Again, this view of the subject explains
the Christian paradox, " though sorrowful,
yet always rejoicing." The Christian is of¬
ten exhibited as defying all earthly ills while
he has true comfort in the evidence of being
an heir of heaven. But suppose his evi¬
dences to be clouded, then it will perhaps be
thought he is of all men most miserable.
This will be the case with a mere professor
of religion, if while in deep outward afflic¬
tion, his comfort is taken away. But not
with the true Christian, lor he has joys
which the mere professor never tasted,—he
has an anchor to the soul, both sure and stead¬
fast. His distress will indeed be great,
especially if he sees that sin is the cause of
his darkness; but so sure as he has a Chris¬
tian heart, whatever he may think of him¬
self there are subjects which cannot fail to
give him joy, yes, joy, sometimes unspeak¬
able and full of glory. We have heard of
Christians, who have thought themselves on
the point of being cast into outer darkness,
who yet could not but rejoice aloud at some
72
RELIGIOUS JOY.
unexpected news of the progress of religion,
or would betray on a sudden hearing of some
precious passage of the word of God, that
they indeed delighted in his law, after the
inner man.
5. To conclude, let me urge you, my im¬
penitent hearers, to feel the value of true
religion and your need of it.
In two ways sin destroys your happiness.
While you exert no truly pious feelings, you
are destitute of that enjoyment which consists
in the very exercise of right dispositions, and
it is as truly painful to feel wrong as it is
pleasing to feel right. And you are not on¬
ly thus destitute of enjoyment, but entirely
devoid of solid comfort, the comfort of find¬
ing in yourselves the evidences of your being
the children of God. Religion, it has been
shown, is the only happiness. It is so for
this simple reason, that happiness consists in
the exercise of right affections, or (which is
the same thing) in true religion. The Gos¬
pel invites _you to this happiness,—it invites
you to x\\q present and actual possession of
it. And you are assured that of this portion
no one can deprive you, if you will but ac¬
cept it. And oh, my friends, all that is im¬
plied in it, when this life is spoken of, is
only a drop, compared with those l( rivers of
pleasures" that flow at God's right hand, with
that ocean of felicity that rolls before his
throne.
It was to purchase this happiness for you
that the Eternal Father so freely gave his
EEL1GI0US JOY.
73
Son to die upon the cross—it was to secure
all this happiness for those who will accept
it, that the benevolent Saviour poured out
his soul unto death and made his life an of¬
fering for sin. It is to seal this happiness
for their possession, that the gracious Spirit
of God is sent down to convince and renew
the fallen children of men. It is to bring
this glad news to your ears that the ministers
of Christ are commissioned and sent abroad.
And your lives have been prolonged to this
hour that you may have another opportunity
to embrace or refuse these unsearchable
riches. Will you then be happy ? Happy
here and happy forever ? i( Life and death,"
my friends, are this day " set before you,
therefore choose life, that your souls may
live." " Turn ye, turn ye, for why will
ye die ?" saith the Lord.
In the invitations of the gospel God has
heaped together all the images that could
exhibit the value of true religion. It is the
pearl of great price, it is a victory, a crown,
a kingdom, it is treasure in heaven, it is life,
eternal life. Shall I point out the contrast
between these descriptions and those which
express the misery of sin, the punishment
of guilt, the ruin of the soul, the loss of all
virtue, peace, and happiness to eternity ?
Fly, my friends, while it is called to-day,
while the arms of hleeding mercy are still
stretched out and open to receive you. To
delay is to refuse, to doubt is lo reject the
Redeemer—the only Redeemer of sinners,
7
74 defects in the character
before whose judgment seat you must soon
appear.
Say then this day, my friends, will you
be happy f Happy now, and happy for¬
ever?
sassrosr sw*
DEFECTS IM THE CHARACTER OF
MORA!* 2YTEN.
MATTHEW XIX. 20.
the young man sa1th unto him, all these
things have 1 kept from my youth up,
what lack i yet ?
A considerable part of every audience we
address is made up of moral men (as they are
called,) people who are honest, civil and
obliging, who live peaceably enough in so¬
ciety, show, as it is commonly said, a res¬
pect for religion, and never do any harm.
They sometimes read the Bible, in many
cases come regularly to the house of God,
often listen very attentively to what is said,
frequently criticise the manner, if not the
matter of the discourse, and sometimes feel
OF MOR^L MEN.
75
considerable interest in those affairs of the
church in which its non-professing support¬
ers can take a share. Their families, when
fhey are men of family, are sometimes very
well ordered, and their own outward con¬
duct not only decent but respectable. Often
they are valuable citizens, and some of them
perform important services to their country.
They now and then utter a casual expression
of thankfulness to God for temporal mer¬
cies, occasionally confess, though indefinite¬
ly and with little feeling, that they are sinj
ners and acknowledge frequently their belief
in the truth of Christianity.
If you descend to particulars indeed, you
will find all this fair outside a mere " whited
sepulchre." In detail, the fundamental
doctrines of Christianity are generally quite
offensive to their hearts, and its grand truth,
(l the record that God has given of his Son,'y
they do not receive. Hence Christians are
frequently led to discuss with them some of
these important topics, such as the necessity
of faith and its efficacy (exclusive of every
thing distinct from or unconnected with it)
in the concern of man's salvation. They
maintain the value of their good lives and
the acceptable nature of their outward con¬
duct in the sight of God. These things the
Christian denies, and urges them to trust in
Christ and in Him alone, solemnly warning
them of their danger. Upon which they
break off the conference, sometimes with de¬
rision, and sometimes with the cavil that if
76 DEFECTS IN THE CHARACTER
the Christian be right in thus preaching
against morality, as they term it, ' they may
as well be immoral.'
All this shews indeed how cautious the
young and zealous Christian should be in
administering his reproofs to his moral but
impenitent friends,—yet it should not dis¬
courage him from acting the only part a true
friend can act who sees their danger and is
anxious for their deliverance. The truth
must be set before them that their regularity
of outward conduct is a bad foundation for
their hopes of heaven, and if they will per¬
vert or abuse it, it is at their peril. As on
the one hand they often hear their character
vaguely and generally censured, so they
learn on the other to adorn it in their own
view with the most flattering colours, and to
ask rather boastingly, like the young ruler in
the text, " What lack I yet ?"
To point out what you do lack, my moral
friends, is my object. I allow you to pos¬
sess useful and amiable qualities. But it is
needless to dwell on the beauties of your
moral picture. This might be pleasing to
you, but you are ready enough of yourselves
to contemplate them. Without blackening
or disfiguring the portrait, I shall honestly
and candidly point out some of its dark
shades and deformities.
I entreat you to listen patiently while I
proceed to mention your principal defects of
moral character.
OF MORAL MEtf. 77
1st. You do not love God. This is a
very great deformity in the character of any
of God's intelligent creatures, that he does
not love his Maker, all perfect and excellent
as He is in Himself, so bountiful to us, so
long-suffering and tender in mercy. This is
a serious charge to make against you, and I
should be very loth to advance it were it not
fully warranted by the word of Him who
knows the hearts of all men, and indeed
clearly proved by actual examination to be
well-founded. Will you deny it? as many blind
and careless sinners do who have not God in
all their thoughts.—I speak now to men and
women who make no pretensions to serious
religion, but value themselves on their good
moral character, their honesty, their harm-
lessness, their generosity. Will you deny,
my friends, the alienation of your hearts
from God? You do not believe that you
have ever undergone the change called in
Scripture regeneration. But you are aware
how plainly the word of God testifies that
the "carnal (or unrenewed) mind is enmity
against God." Instead of multiplying texts
on this point I appeal at once to your con¬
sciences. You know how you feel and act
towards a beloved parent. You know how
those who love God supremely regard Him,
or at least you know how their love to Him
constrains them to live. Do you feel, and
act, and live in this manner? "If ye love
me, keep my commandments." For what
have the followers of Christ and the servants
7*
78 DEFECTS IN THE CHARACTER
of God in all ages endured persecution and
even to this day suffered mockery and deri¬
sion, but for their conformity to His will,
and for preferring His friendship, to the
friendship of the world which is enmity with
God. In them we see that the love of God
is a powerful principle which can stimulate
to action and support under suffering. Now
if you love God you are living in obedience
to His commandments and making sacrifices
to please and honor Him. You disregard
the opinions and the approbation of His ene¬
mies. You take every method to express
your attachment to His cause and service,
you delight in his worship and praise, and
love to approach Him at all times. But alas!
my friends, I need go no further. You see
already that it would be as truly hyprocrisy
in you to pretend to love God, as to profess,
religion by uniting yourself to the church.
The latter you would scorn to do, because
you would not do an insincere thing,—but it
would not be insincere if you truly loved
God. The highest profession any Christian
can make is that he has some love to God,
and if you love Him at all, you have as
good a right to a seat at the Lord's Table as
any communicant on earth. Be not deceived
then any longer with the fond idea that you
love God. How can you love Him, my
friends, when you do not even know Him f
What pains have you ever taken to become
acquainted with Him ? Oh ! could you now
behold His true character as it is, how would
OF MORAL MEN.
79
you shrink in terror from the sight! Were
the veil of mortality which conceals spiritual
things from your view to drop this moment,
you would find yourself surrounded by the
infinite, the holy, the dreadful Jehovah, not,
as you are prone to imagine, altogether such,
an one as yourselves, but arrayed in eternal
justice, the sovereign disposer of your desti¬
nies, a jealous God, who will by no means
clear the guilty, who cannot look upon sin.
Nay would you now faithfully examine and
realize His true character as displayed in.the
Scriptures you would be compelled to^feel,
with anguish unknown hefore, that you do
not love Him in whose hands you are and
will be to eternity.
2. You refuse to believe His testimony
and thus you make Him a liar. Such is the
statement of the Bible concerning you. Has
He not declared that you are in imminent
danger of speedy and final ruin, and assured
you that there is no other name given where¬
by you can be saved but the name of Christ?
Has he not told you that whosoever will may
come to this Saviour and none who come
shall be cast out ? Has He not encouraged
you with the kind declaration that " now is
the accepted time, now is the day of salva¬
tion ?" And how my friends, how have you
received his message P
Surely you have not believed his account
of your danger, for you remain perfectly in¬
sensible when that is set before you. Or if
you hear this, and tremble for a moment
80 DEFECTS IW THE CHARACTER
you please yourself with the notion in direct
contradiction to the word of your Maker,
that you can yet escape by some other means
than those He has provided. Or in spite of
all His warnings and threatenings, you will
believe that you may safely continue longer
in sin, and neglect your souls for many years
to come. Thus you act the very part our
common mother did, who chose to believe
the arch-enemy of mankind rather than God
himself, when in opposition to the divine
decree, (t In the day that thou eatest thereof
thou shalt surely die," the serpent audaci¬
ously declared, <l Ye shall not surely die."
Perhaps, my friends, you think it faith
enough to believe that Christianity is true
and the Bible the word of God. In making
such an avowal of your belief in the truth
of revelation, you will only be condemned
out of your own mouths. Should a son re¬
ceive a letter purporting to be from his fa¬
ther, and pointing out a certain course of
conduct as the only safe and proper one for
Jiim to pursue in order to a most important
end, and should the youth acknowledge it to
be his parent's counsel, but still go on in
ways of his own devising, ' This son*' you
would say at once, < either disbelieves his
father's assurances or disregards him entire-
*y-'
But 3d. You deny Christ before men. I
would not urge you to profess an attachment
to Him, which you did not feel, but if you
cannot sincerely declare that you believe in
OF MORAL MEN.
81
Him as the gospel Requires you to do, you
confess all that I am now alledging against
you. You thus acknowledge that you do
not receive Him as a Saviour, that you re¬
ject all His kind invitations and will not have
Him to reign over you. And in your con¬
duct you openly separate yourselves from
His follcjjyers, and sometimes perhaps you
even ridicule them. Some of you, no doubt,
look down upon them as weak, deluded, or
enthusiastic; but at any rate you all excuse
yourselves from joining their number and
casting in your lot with them. You take
particular care perhaps when religion is the
theme among your worldly companions, to
shew that though strictly moral, you are not
yet so weak, so fanatical, as to be followers
of the despised Nazarene. And when the
evil of unbelief is represented to you, you
are ready to cherish the error already men¬
tioned, that to acknowledge the truth of the
Scriptures is all that is meant by believing in
Christ. But I surely need not.take up your
time, my hearers, in shewing the falsity of
such a notion of faith. 1 need not prove to
you that faith in Christ is a cordial reception
of Him as our Saviour and our only hope,
and implies a total renouncing of every other
thing as the ground of our justification and
acceptance with God. Now if this be a cor¬
rect view of the nature of faith, it is not
enough to believe that there was, and is,
such a person as Jesus Christ, and that He
is the great and only Physician of souls.
82 DEFECTS IN THE CHARACTER
No! if we would be healed of the moral
disease which preys upon our vitals we must
actually apply to Him for medicine, must
confide ourselves to His hands for a cure,
and submit to all His prescriptions. And if
we refuse to do this, or if we deny the reali¬
ty and mortal nature of our disorder, with
what truth can we say we confide in Him as
the great and only Physician of soifls ?
Thus my moral friends, especially you
who rely professedly on your morality, you
reject Him who is appointed by God to be
"the propitiation for our sins, and not for our's
only, but for the sins of the whole world."
4. You grieve the Holy Spirit. This
gracious agent descends to perform a work
the most benevolent and wonderful in the
universe. The new creation of a sinful
mind, the change of a heart naturally prone
to evil, from its state of corruption and mi¬
sery to the favor and the image of God, is
an event that gives joy to angels in heaven.
It is a miracle of mercy the import and the
blessed effects of which eternity itself can
alone unfold. A sinner whose affections are
all grovelling and fixed on the low objects of
this world, who despises the joys of heaven
and all the blessings the favor of God can
give, and is thus treasuring up wrath against
the day of wrath when this affronted Maker
will display the terrors of his justice,—such
a creature is transformed into the likeness of
God and brought into a state of reconcilia¬
tion and peace with Him. The awful pros-
OF MORAL MEN.
83
pects of future destruction which were for¬
merly all he had before him are changed to
the bright and joyful hopes of everlasting
happiness in heaven. It is on such an errand
of renewing mercy that the Spirit of God is
sent when He impresses the word of life on
your consciences and stirs them up to the
sense of guilt and danger. But you will
not yield to these impressions, you will not
cherish these feelings. You labor to get rid
of the painful load, or at least suffer the im¬
pressions to be erased from your minds, and
thus offend the Gracious Messenger of di¬
vine mercy.
Oh! that you could be made to realize
how dangerous it is thus to trifle with the
most awful matter that can concern an im¬
mortal soul, thus to do despite to the Spirit
of God, and bar against yourself the only
door of hope and salvation !
5. You despise the word of God. This
holy book is an epistle of love from our hea¬
venly Father to his prodigal children on
earth. Touched with infinite pity for our
ruined condition and dreadful prospects He
has here communicated all we need to know
for our present and eternal good. To all
who have received it as they ought, it has
been the means of salvation ; it has been a
light to their feet, and a lamp to their path
through this dark wilderness, and opened
views of endless delight beyond the grave.
Hence they have justly valued and loved it?
84 DEFECTS IN THE CHARACTER
they have made it the man of their counsel
and the guide of their lives.
It has been sweeter to their taste than ho¬
ney, or the honey-comb. It has refreshed and
comforted them in their labors and distres¬
ses, and fed them as Manna, as the very
bread of Heaven, in the house of their pil¬
grimage. " O how I love thy holy law,"
says one of God's people, " it is daily my de¬
light. My eyes prevent the morning light,
that I may read thy statutes." And now,
my moral friends, how do those expressions
sound in your ears ? Do they not appear
extravagant, strange, fanatical f What do
you think of a man who is always reading
his Bible, but that he is a dull, lifeless, me¬
lancholy creature ? Do yon not pity him ?
Can you not find many books, much more in¬
teresting, for your own perusal ? Have you
had patience to read it till you understand
it? Do you find no difficulties in it ? Is it
not insipid and dry to you ? Or do you not
read it as a task which you think it best to
perform, but which you are glad to finish;
which contains, indeed, some passages of
sublimity and beauty to interest a critic, but
nothing in its subject to attract your atten¬
tion. Which once a week may help to fill
up the lazy hours not employed in worldly
business, but for which you have no other
time, and which seldom or never occupies
your thoughts except while it is in your
hands ? How wretched would you feel, if
left alone on a desert island with no other
OF MORAL MEN".
book 1 But Oh ! my friends, think what it
is to esteem God's word—His message of
grace to you, proposing a way of salvation—
to esteem such a book dull and uninteresting.
Not to dwell on this topic, I observe,
6. You do not love your fellow men. And
here you will probably feel that I do you
great injustice. A little consideration, how¬
ever, will compel you to acknowledge the
truth of this charge also, and that on princi¬
ples far from being extravagant, I know
that kind, domestic feelings, a zeal for the
public good, humanity to the distressed and
a generous behaviour even to national ene¬
mies are or may be found in many of you.
These, however, are merely social feel¬
ings, and the same might be said of that ex¬
pansive philanthropy, which regards men at
a distance with a sort of inactive good will,
as well as other emotions which every sober
and well-educated man, in a Christian coun¬
try, experiences. They are social feelings,
a part of our human nature ordained by God
for good and useful purposes, which they
completely fulfil. Like the natural affection
of birds and beasts towards their young.
This affection of animals, you know, is a
mere instinct, to which nobody ever thought
of giving the name of virtue. Yet it is of
the same nature with the social affections in
human beings. When you cultivate and con¬
trol these kind instincts, by reason, you act
indeed in a superior capacity, but you deserve
no more credit for feeling them, than the bird
86 DEFECTS IN THE CHARACTER
for loving its young. These instincts are
indeed amiable and useful, and the want of
them is monstrous, is unnatural. If you will
insist on calling them social virtues, be it so,
—they are not commanded by the law of
God, because there was no need to command
them. But " verily, they have their re¬
ward." The proper indulgence of them is
pleasant, and is the source of good, but that
they have no moral nature, is sufficiently
shown by the fact that the brutes possess them
in a measure. But the love which the word
of God requires, is something different
from, and superior to them. You are requi¬
red to love your neighbour as yourself; i. e.
to seek his real and lasting good, as truly as
you ought to seek your own. To seek to
please your neighbour, is what your instinc¬
tive social feeling prompts ; to seek to amend
and save him, is the dictate of true benevo¬
lence. To relieve his bodily or mental dis¬
tresses, is the highest object of the one; to
promote his spiritual good is the chief aim
of the other. I do not deny, that from some
vague sense of the value of Christianity, as it
respects both this world and the next, social
feelings may prompt you to give something
in order to spread the knowledge of it. A
generous scorn of avarice will help to increase
the gift, and the applause of those who may
know how liberal you have been may have
its influence with some. Now far be it from
me to speak harshly of the kind emotions
you feel, I would encourage you, by all
OF MORAL MEN.
87
means, to cherish them. Under the control
of reason, they are amiable and useful. Do
not say, then, "If this be the case, if there be
no virtue, no benevolence in my giving for the
extension of Christianity, 1 will give no
more." By saying so, you will prove your¬
selves deficient in natural affection, in the ve¬
ry generosity, and sympathy, and philanthro¬
py, of which you have just been boasting,
and for which 1 have just been giving you
credit.
Try now your social affections by the des¬
cription St. Paul gives. "Charity, (by which
he means love to our fellow-men) suffereth
long and is kind. Charity envieth not, vaunt-
eth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not be¬
have itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is
not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, rejoic-
eth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth,
beareth all things, hopeth all things, endur-
eth all things. Charity never faileth." "Love
is the fulfilling of the law" "Bear ye one an¬
other's burdens." " To visit the fatherless
and the- widows, in their affliction, and to
keep himself unspotted from the world."
"•This," says St. James, " is pure and unde-
filed religion." He goes on, "my brethren
have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ,
with respect of persons." "But ye have des¬
pised the poor." "If ye fulfil the royal law
according to the scripture, Thou shalt love
thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well; but if
ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and
are convinced of the law as transgressors."
88 DEFECTS IN THE CHARACTER
''Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and
yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
For he that said, Do not commit adultery,
said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit
no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become
a transgressor of the law" of love. " If a
brother or a sister be naked, or destitute of
daily food, and one of you say, Depart in
peace, be ye warmed, be ye filled, notwith¬
standing ye give them not those things which
are needful for the body, what doth it profit?"
Try your benevolence by this standard. To
bring this head to a close, let me remind you
that you shew a want of true love to your
neighbour, whenever you by any means
countenance him in sin, or tempt him to com¬
mit it, or suffer him to do so without faith¬
fully warning him against it. You prove
yourselves destitute of true love to your
neighbour, whenever you discountenance
what may tend to his spiritual good, or ne¬
glect to promote it as far as you can. And
you must not ascribe your kind actions to
true benevolence, when they arise from natu¬
ral feelings, or selfish principles, as they may
often do. Be assured that the benevolence
God requires, dwells in no human heart un¬
til it be renewed by His grace, "from whom
cometh every good and perfect gift." The
first man born in the world, slew his bro¬
ther, and wherefore slew he him ? "Because
his own works were evil, and his brother's
were righteous." So it is now; and I ap¬
peal to you my moral friends, whether you
OF MORAL MEN.
89
love the truly pious, devoted, and engaged
Christian, as much as you do the man of the
world, who is like yourself in character?
What is the reason that some amiable moral¬
ists seem to respect religion so highly, until
by the grace of God, some of their family or
friends are brought to faith and repentance,
and that then they are found fighting against
the truth, constantly disputing with the de¬
serter, and perhaps opposing, or even perse¬
cuting him ? I say, why is this ? But my
friends, why all the war, the piracy, the per¬
secution, the oppression, the devastation, the
fraud, the lawsuits and villainy by which our
race are constantly afflicting each other, if
true love were the inmate of the natural
heart ? True, in this happy community,
there is less temptation to outbreaking vio¬
lence, than in many others ; but the charity
of the gospel, and especially the forgiveness
of injuries, are evidently very remote from
the feelings of most of our moral men. To
conclude the enumeration of the defects of
moral men, I remark,
7. You do not obey one commandment of
God.
Choose one which you imagine you obey,
and compare your conduct with the standard
of the gospel. The mere external conformi¬
ty of the conduct, my friends, with the rule
God has given, you are well aware, is not suf¬
ficient. For, though man looks on the outward
appearance, while the Lord alone looks on the
heart, yet even you can distinguish in you?
90 defects in the character
own minds between the formal obedience of
an eye-servant, and the cordial and prompt
obedience of an affectionate child. Now, if
your apparent conformity to the law spring
not from love to God, from a regard to him as
the lawgiver, how can you claim the credit of
obedience ? You have seen that you do not
love God—the coincidence, then, between
your conduct and His law is either acciden¬
tal', or constrained by fear, or the result of
some other selfish motive. Can you expect
God to be pleased with such obedience as
this, not meant for Him, not intended to
please Him at all, or if at all, only because you
think it for your interest not to offend him ?
In attempting to produce instances of obedi¬
ence to the law of God, you must not bring
up to view any actions arising from the mere
kind instincts of nature, nor any which aim
at secular ends, or popular applause; nei¬
ther honesty, nor generosity, nor inoffensive-
ness, can claim the title of obedience. No¬
thing, in short, nothing is obedience, which
is not done with the heart, as to god.
According to this rule, and it is the only
scriptural rule and the only rational rule, no
unrenewed man performs a single duty to
God. How dark then the shades of the mo-
ral picture we are considering !
Believe me, my dear hearers, I take no
pleasure in dwelling on a subject that may
be painful to you. Yet if such defects exist
in the character of those whose souls we love
—whose happiness we are bound to seek,
•OF MORAL MEN.
91
we are guilty of inexcusable neglect if we
fail to point them out. Examine for your¬
selves—the more you search your hearts and
scrutinize your conduct, and compare both
with the Scriptures, the more evident will all
these truths appear. Let us proceed then to
draw one or two inferences from the view we
have taken of this subject.
1. From this view of the character of men,
who make their morality their confidence,
we may learn how Christians are to deal
with them. We are to allow their useful¬
ness to society, their. amiableness, and the
correctness of their outward deportment.
But while we give them credit for all these
things, we must beware how we allow their
claims to the merit of true and genuine mo¬
rality. True morality is nothing less than
moral conformity to the law of God—it is, in
short, the spirit of obedience. To those
then, who boast of their good vvorks, and
ask, like the young man, whose words are
contained in our text—" What lack 1 yet ?"
we must answer, you lack the one thing
needful—you lack true morality, the spirit of
obedience. You do not conform to the law
of God, you do not love His character, you
do not receive His testimony, you do not
yield to the strivings of His Spirit, and instead
of accepting His Son as your Saviour, you
, openly profess your dependence on works,
which not being produced by love, do not
fulfil the law.
92 DEFECTS IN THE CHARACTER
If we answer them in this manner, instead
of having it to say that we preach against
morality they will cry out against the eleva¬
tion, the strictness, and purity of the morali¬
ty we exact, and when they do this, their
quarrel is with the law of God, which needs
no vindication of ours. Let us then walk in
wisdom towards those that are without, and
while we live consistently with our profes¬
sions, we need not fear to do our duty in re¬
proving them for their unbelief, and ex¬
horting them to come to Christ.
Secondly. The merely moral man has no
ground to despise or deride the weakest disci¬
ple of Christ.
We often hear those who yet cannot be
called scoffers at religion, insinuating that
particular Christians are "righteous over¬
much " They are considered weak if they
are frequent in their attendance on extraor¬
dinary means of grace, visionary in their re¬
ligious enjoyments, sanguine in their schemes
for extending the influence of piety, bigoted,
strict and rigid in their views of duty. Yet
the conscience of the moral man is on their
side, unless indeed he be uncommonly igno¬
rant of the nature of religion, and she se¬
conds the reproofs they utter, and the still
more forcible reproofs silently administered
by their conduct. To revenge the pain thus
inflicted, (not by the nominal, but the real
Christian) the moral man watches closely
the defects and failings of professors of reli¬
gion, and often betrays the state of his heart
OP MORAL MEN.
98
by the amusement their weakness, their fa¬
naticism, and their ignorance of the world af¬
ford him. The most exemplary and devoted
Christian will ever be most ready to acknow¬
ledge his imperfections and his sins, and to
lament the injury they do to the cause of re¬
ligion. But are these things matters of
mirth and derision to you, my friends ? Do
you smile with self-complacency, when you
observe one whose general deportment proves
him sincerely devoted to Christ, fall into sin,
through the sudden force of temptation ?
Look within, and see how little ground you
have for triumph. Remember, on such an
occasion, the dark spots in your own charac¬
ter, and be warned by that solemn admoni¬
tion of St. Peter—" If the righteous scarcely
be saved, where shall the ungodly and the
sinner appear ?" But do not mistake me—-
I am erecting no rampart for the defence of
those who profess the form without the pow¬
er of godliness, who dishonour God, and
wound the Redeemer, by lives inconsistent
with their professions. It becomes you, in¬
deed, to be tender to them, as your fellow-
men and fellow-sinners, yet, for my part, I
shall ever consider the extreme vigilance of
the world in detecting, and its severity in
condemning the inconsistencies of professors
of religion, as of great value to the church.
She is "set as a city on a hill"—She is "the
light of the world." She ought to let her
light shine before men. If any of her visible
members give you full proof of their insince-
94 DEFECTS IN THE CHARACTER
rity, brand them as hypocrites, and let them
be"thus distinguished from the true followers
of Christ. In this you will do a great ser¬
vice to the Church—but beware how you
mock or persecute the real child of God—for
he that toucheth him, toucheth the apple of
His eye.
Finally, you cannot in your present
state, be justified in the sight of God. You
have heard, my friends, what conscience
and reason say on this subject; your own
hearts condemn you, but God is greater than
your hearts, and knowetli all things. If the
things we have been contemplating are true,
then the very armour in which you trusted
is stripped off, and you stand naked and de¬
fenceless before His piercing eye and His
avenging sword. It is morality which you
plead, but you are condemned out of your
own mouth—for what morality is therein
being alienated from God, in making him a
liar by rejecting His word, in refusing to lis¬
ten to the Saviour who died for you, in griev¬
ing the divine Spirit, sent to convince and re¬
new the soul, and despising the Holy Scrip¬
tures given by inspiration for the salvation of
men ? What morality in treating your neigh¬
bour as though he had no soul, in countenan¬
cing and partaking in his neglect of God and
Heaven, in giving the weight of your exam¬
ple and influence to the world that lieth in
wickedness, and thus favoring the designs of
the great enemy of God and man, the be¬
trayer of souls, and father of lies ? Hod
OF MORAL MEN.
95
preserve me, God preserve you, my friends,
from trusting to such morality as this ! Such
a plea you may urge now, in the season of
health, and while indifferent to the concerns
of eternity. But were you awakened to see
and know your danger, how quickly would
you abandon this refuge of lies, lest it should
fall and crush you ! At the hour of death,
you will find it capable of giving you but fee¬
ble defence, and it would be the greatest
curse you could suffer, if you should then be
left to so dreadful a delusion. Beware,
therefore how you cherish it in your hearts,
noiv, when it is the accepted time and the day
of salvation—this will be the very way to re¬
duce yourselves to the misery of having no
other dependence on a dying bed.
Whatever reliance you place on it now,
my dear friends, whatever reliance God, in
anger, may suffer you to place on it when you
come to die, be assured that you will never
think of pleading your morality at the bar of
God ! There the holiest saints that ever lived
will join the vilest sinner of our race in confes¬
sing the guilt and pollution of our nature,
and all the world will be compelled to ac¬
knowledge themselves " guilty before God."
The blood of Christ will then be the only
plea that God's most eminent servants will
offer. In Heaven, it is the constant acknow¬
ledgment of the nations who are saved,
£i Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to
God by thy blood, out of every kindred and
tribe and tongue and people." To this foun-
96 sinners unwilling
tain, then, we invite you to fly, that you may
wash and be cleansed. To this my hearers,
whether we profess to have believed or not,
we must daily resort, for the constant remo¬
val of our accumulating guilt. In this'way
may we all be rendered acceptable to God,
that we may all at last be admitted to share
the joy sand praises of the upper temple !
Amen.
auatxtov
SINNERS UNWILLING TO COME
TO CHRIST.
JOHN V. 40.
AND YE WILL NOT COME UNTO ME THAT YE
MIGHT HAVE LIFE,
In the unbounded kingdom of Jehovah, a
fatal and extensive rebellion took place,
which still embraces vast numbers of those
who were created for his service. Had they
continued steadfast, loyal aud obedient, they
would have been happy now and happy for¬
ever. But seduced from their allegiance by
the falsehoods of Hajari, they rashly separa¬
ted themselves from\the faithful subjects of
TO COME TO CHRIST. 97
God, and in immense multitudes have gone
down to final ruin rather than submit to their
lawful sovereign.
The contagion, having reached this world
and seized on our whole race without excep¬
tion, gave the great Ruler of all things, whose
"ways are not as our ways," a glorious occa¬
sion to display His infinite condescension,
grace, and wisdom. With goodness that
ought to melt every rebel's heart into repen¬
tance, and that will forever fill Heaven with
wonder and joy, He made the first overture
to His revolted creatures. In providing at in¬
finite expense the means of reconciliation,
He has shewn His sincerity as well as His
mercy. It would have been easy for al¬
mighty power to destroy the whole of His
enemies and to fill their places with holier and
wiser and happier beings. "Of the stones
of the street," he could "have raised up chil¬
dren unto Abrahamyet to save our sinful
race, " He spared not His own Son, but
freely gave him up for us all."
To this revolted province of the divine
kingdom, the glorious Redeemer came with
ample powers to effect a complete and final
restoration of peace between offended God
and rebellions men. But they for the
most part rejected his mediation with scorn,
and repaid his compassion with cruelty.
"They would not come to him that they
might have-life." If now it fee inquired why
those, of whom Christ complains m the tesxt,
thus rejected Him? we shall-fee compelled
9
98 SINNERS UNWILLING
to answer that, in the first place, their hearts
were too stubbornly rebellious to yield to any
propositions from their lawful governor. Did
they show any symptoms of returning duty
and tenderness? Did any of them say, like
the repenting prodigal, " 1 will arise and go
to my father ?" Did they hail the first pros¬
pect of an accommodation ? No! the first
proposals were made by the offended party.
The first message of peace was sent by the
father, to his absent and self-destroyed chil¬
dren. The same offers of mercy, repulsed
again and again, were renewed by the per¬
severing goodness of Heaven. But the re¬
bels had no wish to be restored to obedience
and peace. Their state of distance and alien¬
ation better suited their taste. And their ob¬
stinacy held out in many cases, until the di¬
vine patience ceased to exert itself towards
them and left them to the ruin they had
treasured up for themselves by their iniqui¬
ties.
In the second place, the terms Christ pro¬
posed were too humbling for their accep¬
tance. When they found that the great me¬
diator brought no concessions from His fa*
ther, thut in fact he was entirely on the side
of the government, that he came to magnify
the law they had hated and broken, and by
becoming an atonement for their sin con¬
demned it in the most emphatic manner*
when they found that there was no delive¬
rance consistent with their remaining in dis¬
obedience and hostility, when they found
to come to christ. 9$
that the very first step was to be a return on
their part to duty by throwing down their
weapons of rebellion, they absolutely refused
even to hear of an accommodation. They
declared war against the mediator himself,
denied his authority, blasphemed his name,
and put him to the accursed death of the
cross.
Now the same causes have ever since pro¬
duced the same course of conduct in sinners
who hear the Gospel. They are not desi¬
rous of a reconciliation with God, nor are
they willing to be reconciled on his terms.
The Gospel therefore, is no l( good news" tcr
them ; for it offers them only this alternative,
—submission or ruin. The first is intolera¬
ble to their pride, and yet nature shrinks from
the latter. In this painful dilemma, unbelief
itself can afford them but partial, temporary,
and broken peace.
Of the pleas to which she resorts for the
purpose of hardening their hearts, grieving
the Spirit of God, and spinning out the sea¬
son of delay until it shall be forever too late
for repentance or salvation, one of the most
notable and fatal is, that if they are lost, it
will not he their fault, but God's, because
they are willing to come to Christ, but can¬
not. The text, in direct contradiction to
this plea, expressly says, "Ye will not
come nnto me." God every where main¬
tains the position taken in those words, (t O
Israel! thou hast destroyed thyself, but in me
is thy help." He repeatedly proclaims in
100
SINNERS UNWILLING
the most solemn manner, " Whosoever will,
let him come,"—" Ho every one that thirs-
teth come ye to the waters."—" All things,"
we are taught, " are now ready" on his part
for the forgiveness and salvation of returning
sinners.
It is an awful thought that his creatures
should require any repetition of an assurance
from Him. It shows their alienation from
God, their want of confidence in him. None
but a most depraved and guilty heart could
conceive of falsehood in Jehovah or dare to
charge Him with it. But the sinr.er pertina¬
ciously insists that he is willing to be recon¬
ciled to God, that he is willing to come to
Christ. Now, my friends, far be the thought
from any of you, that my object is to vindi¬
cate the character of God in this matter, and
far be such presumption from me! No, my
object is to convict the sinner of his obstina¬
cy and unwillingness to come to Christ as
the only Saviour. In attempting this, I ob¬
serve,
First. That the grounds of justifica¬
tion which sinners choose, plainly shew their
unwillingness to come to Christ. To what
absurdities will not men resort in this all-im¬
portant business ! Those who rejected Christ
in person, relied on their being the circumci¬
sed children of Abraham, on their fasts and
tithes and long prayers, on their strict obser¬
vance of days and rites and forms, on their
religious privileges, on their knowledge of
the law, and their rigid attention to ceremo-
TO COME TO CHRIST. 101
nial purity. Nor is the righteousness of
those who now trust in their own good deeds
very different from the "righteousness of the
Scribes and Pharisees."
Multitudes expect to be saved because
they do nobody any harm, many, because they
are generous, numbers because, in their own.
opinion, they do at least as many good actions
as bad ones, while crowds depend on the fact
that they eat and drink in the presence of
Christ. When men resort to such false and
groundless hopes of salvation do they not
give convincing proof that they prefer any
refuge to that set before them in the Gospel?
These dependences are not only false, but
they can be convincingly shewn to be false.
A child can be made to understand the folly
and the guilt of relying on any such notions
as these, yet to these will men resort rather
than come to Christ, and surely there needs
be no clearer proof of their unwillingness to
accept His offer.
Secondly. The sinner's reluctance to
come to Christ, is convincingly shewn by the
powerful motives he has for coming, which
motives fail of their proper effect. The au¬
thority and the benevolence of his offended
sovereign, the voice of Providence, the ad¬
monitions of conscience, the compassion of
the great Redeemer, the motions of the Holy
Spirit, all call upon the sinner to turn and
live. The pangs of guilt oppress him, the
hour of death draws near, the final judgment
with its train of eternal consequences is often
9*
102 stmms trtrwiLLiNo
presented to his view. If he bad any regard
to his Maker and Saviour, any wise refe¬
rence to his own present peace or future hap¬
piness, he could not doubt, he could not he¬
sitate what course to pursue. If then we
measure the strength of his reluctance by the
greatness of the motives he violates, how ob¬
durate must be his will, how insensible his
heart!
Thirdly. The blame of the sinners re-
rejection of Christ must fall either on him¬
self or on God. The declarations of God on
this subject have already been alluded to,
and none in this assembly will have the har¬
dihood to contradict them. I mean in words,
for alas! my hearers, I know full well that
the humau heart is not too good to murmur in
secret its disbelief of the declarations, nay
of the oath of Jehovah. 61 As I live, saith
the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of
him that dieth, but rather that he should
turn from his wickedness and live ; Turn ye,
turn ye, for why will ye die ?" And are
not the proclamations and invitations of
God's word seconded and confirmed by the
gift of his Son ? Had he made no such sa¬
crifice for our sakes, surely he would have
been entitled to our trust and confidence, but
what remaining doubt can be cherished,
when He delivers up even His Son for us
all?
My hearers, if God had not really desired
the salvation of sinners, why should be pro-
tide a Saviour ? This he was under no con-
T& COME TO CHRIST. 105
ceivable obligation to do. Why should he call
or invite men to return to peace and offer
them pardon and eternal life ? What motive
can you imagine God to have for this con¬
duct, if he were not desirous to restore and
save them ? and how can it be supposed that
he would swear that " he willeth not the
death of the sinner," if this be untrue?
What object could he have in view in deceiv¬
ing his creatures? And why are you cal¬
led and invited to be saved, if God is not sin¬
cerely disposed to grant you salvation ? Why
the day of probation lengthened out and the
day of judgment delayed? These questions
you cannot answer.
To conclude this head, by another unan¬
swerable question, since God has provided a
Saviour, since means of grace are afforded
you, and you are, as you say, willing to come
to Christ, what remaining obstacle is there
in the way ? "The harvest is past, the sum¬
mer is ended, and you are not saved," but
God has given a Redeemer " able to save to
the uttermost." Yet the fault, you say, is not
yours, it is God's. Pray then, my hearer,
tell me the obstacle that God has failed to re¬
move ? The blame, you insist, is not yours,
but God's, I beseech you then shew me in
what that blame consists. What has God
done to prevent your salvation, or what has
be neglected to do in order to promote it ?
"What more could be done to my vineyard
that 1 have not done in it, wherefore then,
104 SINNERS UNWILLING
when I looked for grapes, broyght it forth
sour grapes?"
Fourthly. The sinner's plea is unreasona¬
ble, inconsistent with his conduct, and indeed
contradictory to itself.
And in the first place, the sinner asserts
that he is willing to come to Christ. 1 ask
him in reply, why then do you not come ?
While you assert your willingness to come,
you stand aloof, and there you will stand, till
you are made willing, or till you perish.
What, willing to come, yet actually refusing
to do so ? For surely you can come if you
will. Surely there is no obstacle in the way,
God declares there is none. I do feel wil¬
ling, says one, to receive Jesus Christ as my
Saviour, but my heart is so hard and so un¬
believing, that 1 cannot come. Now this
individual is really nearer the truth I am
maintaining than he imagines. He deceives
himself with the expression cannot, and
thinks he puts the blame away from himself
when he lays it on his heart. But your hearty
my friend, is yourself, and when the only
reason why you cannot come is the hardness
of your heart, that is, your own obstinacy or
want of feeling, where does the blame lie ?
But farther, if you are willing to come to
Christ, you will and do actually come. You
have been challenged, and the whole uni¬
verse may safely be defied to point out any
hindrance in the way of the willing sinner,
"What is it to he willing ? Is it not the same
thing as to choose f If you are willing to
TO COME TO CHRISM. 105
have Christ as your Saviour, i. e. if you de¬
liberately, cheerfully and unreservedly choose
him for your Saviour, he is in fact your
saviour.
In the second place, the whole plea is
founded on a false notion of the object in
view. The sinner declares he is willing to
come to Christ, for he knows there is no
other Saviour, and he is anxious to be saved.
All this, I say, is founded on a false notion of
the object in view. The sinner asserts his
willingness in this vague and general way,
but when you propose to his unrenewed heart
any one of the particulars which make up the
object, "it is entirely rejected. The charaQter
of that Saviour to whom he says he is wil¬
ling to come is such that he always has been
"despised and rejected of men" in their na¬
tural state. It is a character which they can¬
not love or confide in, and this constitutes
the very difficulty as the text suggests, " ye
will not come to me." Christ, my hearers,
has ever been considered by the natural heart
"without form or comeliness," and when the
impenitent "see him, He has no beauty that
they should desire Him." His character is
so opposed to theirs, he is so " holy, harm¬
less, undefiled and separate from sinners," so
"meek and lowly of heart," that they feel no
attachment to Him, or to His cause. The
salvation he provides is as far from gaining
their affections as the author of it Himself,
it is a deliverance from sin, the sin they love
and cherish iu their hearts, the sia to which
106 SINNERS UNWILLING
all their habits are conformed and their lives
devoted, the sin that possesses and pollutes
every faculty, and reigns uncontrolled over
the whole man, constituting indeed the cha¬
racter, the very life and soul of the individu¬
al. It is impossible that we should at once
hate and love, renounce and pursue the same
object, it is, therefore, impossible the impeni¬
tent sinner should be willing to come
to Christ, which implies and includes his
abandoning sin, the sin he loves and che¬
rishes.
The end of that redemption too which
Christ works out for his followers, is equally
unsuited to the taste of the unrenewed man.
Heaven is not a Mahommedan Paradise, it is
not, therefore, likely to gratify the sensual
desires of men. It is not a scene of com¬
merce and traffic, nor a region of agricultural
interest or domestic cares, it will not there¬
fore, suit the taste of the busy, the plodding,
the avaricious, the worldly-minded.
Nor, again, are the impenitent so willing
as they imagine to give up what they have
fixed on as their chief delight and happiness.
What is it, my friends, which engages your
warmest regards, employs most of your
thoughts, and excites most of your wishes ?
Your farm, or your merchandize, your fami¬
ly, or your pleasures, popularity or power,-r-
whatever you have made your chief good,
can you now give it up and subordinate your
regards for it to your duty to God, to the
seeking of His favour, love, and presence, to
TO COME TO CHRIST. 107
the knowledge of His will and the promotion
of His glory ? If not, how can you pretend
that you are willing to come to Christ, which
implies all this ?
I know, my dear hearers, you are willing
in a certain sense to be saved by Christ, but
it is in a very different sense from that which
the Bible affixes to the words. You are wil¬
ling to be saved jrom punishment, and so is
every man. The monster whose malice has
not been satiated by the blood he has alrea¬
dy shed, and who if pardoned, would soon re¬
quire again to be brought to justice, is wil¬
ling, nay anxious to be saved from punish¬
ment. So that there is nothing more in your
case than the instinct of nature in favour of
self-preservation. But, you say, you wish
for Heaven. I believe it—I believe that
when you compare that world of endless hap¬
piness with the lake of fire and brimstonet
which is the seat of the second death, you pre¬
fer the former. You cannot but do this as
sensitive beings. But Oh ! mv friends, I am
sure that if the choice lay between Heaven
and earth, between the place of purity and
holiness, and worship, the scene of divine
glory and communion with Christ, and this
scene of all your cares and joys, your amuse¬
ments and comforts, you would, with your
hearts still unrenewed, infinitely prefer an
eternity here, to an endless Sabbath above.
In short, the only true willingness to come
to Christ, is a willingness to renounce the
sins and pleasures of earth, for the favour of
108 SINNERS UNWILLING
God and the happiness of Heaven. It is a
willingness to receive Jesus Christ as our
only Saviour and to give up every other trust
and dependance, it is a willingness that is ef¬
fectual in bringing us to Him, in other
words, it is true and saving faith. To prefer
Heaven to earth is actually to have a title to
Heaven, to seek the favour of God is to ob¬
tain it, to receive Christ as our Redeemer is
in fact, to be redeemed by Him. So sincere,
so gracious, so rich, so free are the offers of
mercy in the Gospel.
It is not to be concealed or denied that
there are difficulties attending this subject in
many minds. But the perplexities in which
we are apt to be involved in matters ©f this
nature, flow chiefly, if not wholly, from our
pertinacious resolution to maintain the righ¬
teousness of our own cause, and to throw the
blame on God. Satan knows well how to
employ the deceitfulness of sin to entangle
our souls still more closely in his toils, and
with malignant pleasure sees us thus fight¬
ing against God, and wasting the accepted
time, the day of salvation, in fruitless efforts
to prove our Maker insincere.
The doctrine of election is asserted by
some to be directly opposed to the doctrine
we are now maintaining. God, it is said,
invites all to come to Christ, and threatens
eternal misery to those who will not. Yet if
be did not elect me, 1 cannot come. JBut
does this follow ? By no means, what real¬
ly follows is, that you will not. God invites
TO COME TO CHRIST.
109
all, all would forever refuse, but he makes
some willing, the rest remaining unwilling.
The true conclusion then is, not that the rest
cannot, but that they will not come. Thus
it appears as plain as reasoning can make it,
that the divine determinations deprive no
man of his freedom or power to do his duty.
You, my hearers, know that you are free
agents. Your consciousness of this makes
all arguments to prove it needless. In all
things you do as you please, unless you are
under some restraint from without. But
you do not pretend that any being constrains
you to disobey God or reject the Saviour.
No being less than almighty has such a pow¬
er. God onlv can do this, but this He wiM
never do. He cannot, consistently with the
principles of his moral government, consis¬
tently with his own character, consistently
with your constitution. He never forces us
to do any thing, or compels us to abstain
from any thing. Motives exist and influence
us to this or that, but we act not as machines
moved by irresistible impulse, but as volun¬
tary and responsible beings. Just so in hu¬
man governments,—the law declares it crim¬
inal to kill my harmless neighbour, but it
does not prevent my doing it. No! my
hauds are free, my will is free, and I can do it
if I please, but I must take the consequences.
Here the punishment foreseen is a motive to
abstain from violence, and on the same prin¬
ciples the whole government of God pro¬
ceeds. We haye power to do this or that,
10
110 SINNERS UNWILLING
and motives are furnished for doing and refu¬
sing. If we door abstain in conformity to
His law, then we are safe, but if in opposi¬
tion to it, then we must take the consequen¬
ces. Now I appeal to every true disciple of
Christ, whether he was not perfectly free in
choosing Him as his Saviour and devoting
himself to his service. Every Christian will
answer in the affirmative ; but if he was free
in making such a choice, he could just as
freely have refused to come to Christ. There
is no need of arguments to prove that you
are free agents in general. Were you not
conscious of the fact you would never feel
guilty for any thing you should do. You
would be no more blameable than a mere
- machine. And it is only the deceitfulness of
sin which makes men think that, though free
agents in every thing else, they are not so in
coming to Christ.
But it may still be urged, i since none will
ever come to Christ except the father draw
him, unless I am thus drawn I cannot come.'
Rather say, unless I am drawn, I will not
Gome. But why cannot you come ? Do you,
my friend, imagine for a moment that in re¬
generation, any new power is bestowed on
men, so that then they can come, whereas
they could not before f No, their minds,
their powers remain the same, the motives to
come and to stay away are not altered, not
the slightest change is made by the Spirit of
God, but this, the man, before unwilling, be¬
comes willing. This is the great sera in the
TO CCME TO CHRIST. Ill
penitent's existence, on which his eternal
destiny hangs. Now, if you are willing, be
assured you have been made so by almigh¬
ty mercy. You "shall never come into con¬
demnation, but have passed from death unto
life."
This view of the subject will be immedi¬
ately caught at as affording some shelter from
the force of the scripture and the reasoning
adduced before. It will be said,41 am indeed
unwilling, but I cannot make myself wil¬
ling.' In this there is a confusion of lan¬
guage, so that under the appearance of con¬
veying meaning, it actually conveys none. It
is a mere truism, an empty assertion of what
every body knows, hut which does not carry
the discussion forward a single step. We
acknowledge it would be a contradiction in.
terms to say that a man can be unwilling
and yet make himself willing i. e. be unwil¬
ling, and yet will to be willing. Now if any
of my hearers supposes I am exhorting him
to this, he entirely mistakes me ; I do not
urge you to consent to be made willing, but
I exhort you to be willing.
I have already allowed that in view of the
misery to which unbelief will finally bring
the impenitent, i.e. from selfish feelings, you
may be willing, nay anxious to be the sub¬
ject of that influence which changes the
heart and brings sinners to Christ, and yet
you may be unwilling to come to Him that
you may have life on hjs terms,
112
sinners unwilling
If again it be said, ' I am using the means
of grace and waiting God's time,' 1 reply,
God's time is now, if indeed you are willing.
Now He always declares "is the accepted
time, and now the day of salvation." "To-
day,if ye will hear his voice, harden not your
hearts."
Thus it is evident that instead of contradic-
ting.the doctrine of a special divine agency in
renewing sinners, the proposition before us
unites with it and is fitted into it as one piece
of timber into another in a building.
Be prevailed on then, my dear friends,
who are sensible that you have never yet
come to Christ, to feel the deplorable situa¬
tion into which sin has brought you. Real¬
ize that this is the very condemnation under
which you labour, the very thing that ought
to humble you in the dust belore God, that
when the Almighty Saviour stretches forth"
his arms to receive you, you are unwilling "to
come to him that you may have life." The
wretchedness of your case lies in this, that
your unbelief leaves you no excuse but your
guilt,—no defence that will not sink you into
deeper condemnation. Resort to as many
subterfuges of this nature as you may, what
will he the effect but to take you farther from
the only Redeemer ? Can you hope for any
easier way of salvation ? Can you expect
Him to yield to your terms? Can you ima¬
gine that God will allow His creatures to ar¬
raign his ways and cast the blame of their
sins and their destruction upon Him? 0
TO COME TO CHRIST. 113
the deceitfulness and blindness of the carnal
heart, thus to provoke and abuse the unboun¬
ded mercy on which alone our hopes for eter¬
nity can rest!
The only reflection, my Christian breth¬
ren, which I shall add on this occasion, is one
of the highest importance to you and to eve¬
ry child of Adam. How plainly does it ap¬
pear that all our hopes for our own salvation
or the salvation of others depend on the free
and sovereign mercy of God ! Not a sinner
of our fallen race would accept of a Saviour if
left to himself. Every sinner stands out and
boldly vindicates himself to the last, and con¬
tents himself with declaring his willingness to
come, instead of actually coming without de¬
lay to Christ. Thus he continues excu¬
sing himself and accusing God, till he is left
to perish in his vain imaginations, or
brought by a miracle of saving love, to the
foot of the cross in humble and sincere repen¬
tance. We use means, and we are bound to
use means for the purpose of enlightening
and convincing the minds of our fellow-sin¬
ners. We urge the most powerful motives,
—we plead the most melting declarations of
the word of God, and thus we are bound to
do. Hut we use means, we urge motives, we
plead the word of God in vain. In vain, till
He speaks to their consciences, till he opens
their hearts, till he makes them willing, in
the day of his power. Then they drop all
their excuses, they renounce all their vain
confidences, they cease to justify themselves*
114 SENWER9 WWWILL1NS
Instead of insisting t&at they are- willing to
come and cannot, so soon as they are made
willing they come, and never did a sinner
come who was cast out.
It remains then, my brethren, that if you
love the souls of your fellow me% you apply
to him who "hath the residue of the Spirit,"
and " holds the hearts of all men in his
hands."
Many a sinner has had reason to blbss
God for the faithful and earnest prayers of
Christians. It is your privilege to call on
Him in behalf of all around you. it is His
will that you should be thus engaged. His
promises are well calculated to give you the
strongest encouragement. You know that
this is the appointed way, that "all things are
possible with Him," and that Jesus is " able
to save to the utttermost, all that come to
God by Him." On the other hand you
know that any other dependence is ground¬
less. In vain are all the offers and means of
frace; God himself stoops in mercy from
leaven, but stoops in vain to command "all
men every where to repent." The Divine
Redeemer has come and died, but died hr
vain upon the cross, to make the way of sal¬
vation open to all. While all the motive*?
drawn from eternal happiness and misery,
the voice of God, and the blood of Christ anas
presented in vain to the obdurate hearts of
sinners, look, look with joy and confidence
and expectation to the " promise of the Fa¬
ther," "the gift of the Holy Ghost sent down
TO COME TO CHRIST. 115
from Heaven" by our ascended Saviour to
convince the world of sin* of righteousness,
and of judgment." Your feeble arguments
will fail, nay Paul and Apollos may plant
and water in min, but this divine agent
touches and naeka the heart. May His in¬
fluences be poured out from on High this day,
may He subdue every stubborn heart, and
bring every imagination into subjection to
the obedience of faith! May he attend the
preaching of the gospel every where " with
demonstration and with power." For these
blessings let us devoutly and continually
wrestle in prayer. Let it be the constant
subject of our anxieties, our converse and our
efforts. Let our lives be consistent with our
prayers, nor let us forget the interests of Zi-
on till God shall open the windows of Hea¬
ven and pour us out " such a blessing that
there shall not be room to receive it 1"
suastQsr
TBE ONE TALENT.
MATT. XXV. 24, 25.
then he which had received the one talent
came and said, lord i knew thee, that
thou art an hard man, reaping where thou
hast not sown, and gathering where thou
hast not strawed : and i was afraid, anb
went and hid thy talent in the earth :
lo there thou hast that is thine.
The parables of our blessed Saviour, in
consequence of their brevity, their plainness,
their energy, and their aptness, are peculiarly
iit for the purposes of instruction. Scarcely
can a child misconstrue them, while none are
so enlightened as to be above feeling their
force, their truth, and beauty. They clearly
show how well he knew what was in man.
Not only because they exhibit such discrimi¬
nating views of the human heart in the truths
they contain, but because they are so peculiar¬
ly adapted in structure for teaching doctrines
which in a more direct or abstract form would
be scarcely listened to, or would be heard
without conviction or impression. The pa¬
rables carry persuasion along with them, and
silence all cavils, by the strong analogies and
THE ONE TALENT.
i 17
parallels they draw between natural and
spiritual objects, between the common deal¬
ings of Providence and the great dispensa¬
tion about which it is their object to inform
us.
In the parable now before us, our Lord
teaches his hearers a number of most impor¬
tant lessons. The dependence of men on
God, and their accountability to Him for all
their opportunities to serve Him and do
good to others, their degrees of responsibili¬
ty according to their different advantages,
the impossibity of escaping under any frivo¬
lous excuses, the indignation of God against
any imputations on the justice of his dealings,
the weakness of all those pleas by which sin¬
ners attempt to justify themselves, the free¬
dom and richness of the reward finally given
to every faithful servant;—such are some of
the instructions to be drawn from this inte¬
resting passage. That part of the parable
which we shall consider at this time, is the
answer of the slothful servant. The paral¬
lel between that answer and the replies sin¬
ners make against God will then be noticed.
I. In the answer of the slothful servant,
let us examine first, the charge he makes
against his gracious master. " I knew that
thou art an hard master, reaping where thou
hast not, sown, and gathering where thou
hast not strawed."
Now it is manifest how false and groundless
all this was, from the fact that "He gave to ev¬
ery one according to his several ability." He
118
THE ONE TALENT.
afforded every one some opportunity and gave
no heavier charge to any individual than he
was perfectly capa.de of managing; nor was
the return demanded at all disproportioned
to the trust deposited. Again, their Lord li¬
berally and impartially rewarded every duti¬
ful servant according to hi., works. This
fact is a conclusive answer to the accusation
that he was a hard master. What he requi¬
red of them was nothing more than a due ac¬
knowledgment of obligation and affection,
but he did not pass by a single instance of
obedience without tokens of his kind regard.
"Well done good and faithful servant, thou
hast been faithful over a few things, I will
make the ruler over many things: enter thou
into the joy of thy Lord." Such was his
address to everyone who produced the honest
proofs of a just regard to the rights of his
master.
But this guilty man makes the pretended
severity of his Lord, an excuse for his own
supinenessand sloth. "I wits afraid." To this
his Lord most forcibly replies, "Thou knew-
est I was an hard master, &c. thou oughtest
therefore to have put my money to the ex¬
changer's, and then at my coming I should
have received mine own with usury." Fear
of his master never could have produced the
effect of making him indifferent. Had he re*
ally thought him an hard master he would
have made at least some partial and feeble ef¬
forts to escape his anger. But there is in his
conduct much more of the presumption and
THE ONE TALENT,
119
hardihood ofan indulged and favoured domes¬
tic who thinks his master too kind or too weak
to punish him. No doubt the length of time
which intervened between the delivery of the
talents, and his Lord's return to account with
his servants, had encouraged the presumptu¬
ous hopes of evading a future reckoning- Ev¬
en had no salutary fear restrained him, yet the
love he owed would have been sufficient, if
he had felt it, to stimulate him to diligence in
his duty.
But 2d. The falsity and audacity of his
last plea, proves fully the wickedness of his
heart and his total disregard to his master's
interest. He pretends that in returning the
buried talent he gives his Lord all to which
he was entitled—ee Lo there thou hast that is
thine," as if the product of his Lord's pro¬
perty (which he was bound to improve) were
not also his Lord's. He never objected to
the reception of the talent; nor, until the
time of reckoning, to his Lord's right to its
produce. We know not for what selfish pur¬
poses he may have hoarded it; if there were
any such views in his mind, they were pre¬
vented by the arrival of his master. However
that may be, the defence he sets up is such
as betrays a total want of proper regard to
those interests he undertook to manage.
" Lo, there thou hast that is thine." Bold
as this defence was, he was well aware that
his services employed in the increase of what
was committed to him were justly due to his
master. And as he bad made no attempts to
120
THE ONE TALENT.
increase it, his defence was as insincere and
dishonest as it was bold and affronting. And
to conclude this part of the subject, it is wor¬
thy of particular notice how inconsistent his
allegations are with each other. Had his
master been a hard man and had he really
been afraid of him, he would not have dared
to neglect the improvement of his talent.
On the other hand, if he was really prepared
to give him ail that was his, there was no
need of the reproach with which he begins
his address, " 1 knew thee that thou wast an
hard man,'* nor any place for the fear he pre¬
tended to feel,—"I was afraid and went and
hid thy talent in the earth." Finally, such a
fear would have prevented him from that
false and audacious reply, " Lo, there thou
hast that is thine."
II. We are now prepared to advance to
the second thing proposed, i. e. the parallel
between the unprofitable servant's reply in
the parable, and the answer of sinners
against God. Their replies against God,
may be summed up (like his answer to his
Lord) in two distinct but inconsistent decla¬
rations.
1. They declare that God's law makes
unreasonable demands, that the Gospel re¬
quires more than they are able to perform,
that religion involves too great sacrifices,
that the Bible exacts too much strictness of
conduct, that a life of piety is inconsistent
with the proper business and innocent plea¬
sures of life.
THE ONE TALENT.
121
These statements, you observe, are exact¬
ly like the answer of the slothful servant in
the parable in one respect, i. e. they convey
an accusation against God as a hard master,
and the design is, by throwing blame on him,
to exonerate the sinner. Like that wicked
and slothful servant, sinners have received
various talents to be improved for the honor
of their master in Heaven. This they dare
not deny. But like him, they too are found
wanting: no improvement has been made,
and when the produce of the deposit is cal¬
led for, they reply by calling Him who gave
it a hard master for requiring any return.
1 have stated their first reply in various
forms, but these all amount to the same thing.
Yet, as they have much to say for themselves,
let us consider some of these statements se¬
parately for the purpose of obtaining a clear¬
er view of their defence.
They allege, then, that the law of God re¬
quires too much♦ We are, say they, weak
and imperfect beings. Our minds are limi¬
ted, our passions are strong. These passions
were given to be gratified, or else they were
given in vain. Our situation here requires
greater liberty than the law allows, because,
if we are so strictly bound by its requisitions,
other men will have the advantage of us.
Besides, unless we do as others do, we shall
be ridiculed and despised. Such are the
views which many take of the commands of
God.
11
122
THE ONE TALENT.
When a man pleads in justification of his
disobedience that God has given him passions
to be exerted and gratified, he must be re¬
minded that God has also given him reason
to control and govern those passions. When
he urges that he will lose any thing by obe¬
dience to the will of God, we may assure him
that if all would obey there could be no
such loss, and that at all events, he who
obeys will be more than compensated in the
end. But when he refuses perfect obedience
because he is an imperfect creature he means
one of two things :—either that he is natural¬
ly imperfect, i. e. has not natural power to
obey,—or, that he is morally imperfect, i. e.
deficient in moral qualities, in disposition.
If the former be his meaning then we reply
that when he does all he can, he does per¬
fectly obey the law, for the law requires no
more than he can do. The law requires per¬
fect obedience. But to do all we can is per¬
fectly to obey it; for it is suited to our vari¬
ous conditions and capacities. But we must
see to it, that we do truly exert our utmost
powers in obeying the law, for nothing else
will clear us. If we are conscious of not ha¬
ving done our best, then this plea totally fails
us, and we are precisely in the situation of a
criminal who, after being found guilty, has
the presumption to arraign the law and law¬
giver, because the penalty will fall so heav ily
on himself. And let us bew are of urging
this plea unless we are entirely innocent;
because, though it will effectually deliver us
THE ONE TALENT,
12S
from punishment if it be true, yet it is quite
inconsistent with any hope in Christ. He
who claims impunity because he has done
his best, stands on an entirely different foot¬
ing from the man who intreats fcf Christ's
sake the pardon of sins which he confesses and
laments. But if the sinner's meaning be that
he is morally imperfect, that is, deficient not in
natural powers, but in disposition, if this de¬
plorable fact be brought to shew that the law
is unjust in requiring perfect obedience, i an¬
swer, that here the sinner produces as his
excuse what is in reality his crime. The
want which he here confesses of a perfect
heart, a disposition to obey the law entirely,
this is his very fault, the very essence of his
guilt, and turpitude of his character. Now,
my hearers, whatever of this nature may be
said in this life, no such plea will be offered
at the bar of God. No, those who make it
now, while they imagine the punishment re¬
mote and uncertain, will in the great day of
decision, call upon i( rocks and mountains"
to fall on them and hide them " from the
wrath of the Lamb."
Again, the sinner complains, that the gos¬
pel, in requiring him to believe in the Lord
Jesus Christ, commands him to do ivhat he
cannot. You will hear sinners declare that
they use every means of grace in their pow¬
er, but as " faith is the gift of God," they
cannot make themselves believe in Christ.
Here again occurs the same knot which we
have just untied in considering the sinner's
124
THE ONE TALENT.
ability to obey the law. And the same re¬
marks may be applied here. But, my dear
hearers, I intreat you to reflect impartially on
one question, and on your decision of that I
will hazard the whole cause. Does it not
require the same freedom, the same power,
the same capacity to refuse, as to accept
Christ, to reject as to believe on Him ? But
you do reject, you have power therefore to
accept him. To believe in Christ is just as
easy as to deny him, and if you continue to
defend yourself on no better ground, all you
will gain in eternity by this unavailing plea,
will be the painful recollection that you amu¬
sed yourself with it till the day of merc^was
forever past.
The gospel requires also repentance for
sin, and this likewise the sinner declares is
beyond his power. And can a man be found
in this or any assembly who really thinks it
unreasonable to require repentance of an of¬
fender ? If your son offends you, you offer
to forgive him if he will only exhibit true sor¬
row for having done amiss. He tells you he
cannot repent,—in what light, my friends,
would you view such a son ? Could a wise
lather, anxiousfor the lasting good of his
whole family, forgive the offence ? No!
the more he was sensible of all the motives
that ought to actuate the father of a family,
the more impossible would it be for him to
forgive while the offender continued obdu¬
rate.
THE ONE TALENT*
125
The law and gospel unite in requiring us
to love God with all our hearts, soul,
strength, and mind. The sinner thinks this
hard, and if he does not say like Pharaoh,
"Who is the Lord" that I should love him f "I
know not the Lordneither will I give up my
heart to him• If he does not boldly express
the alienation of his affections in such lan¬
guage as this, yet he feels the requisition un¬
just, because, as he says, he cannot love God.
Now instead of labouring to disprove the
truth of this declaration, let us admit it in all
its length and breadth,—let us pursue it to
its consequences. If the sinner cannot Jove
God, God cannot love the sinner. The ina~
bility is the same, it is as impossible for God
to love sinners as it is for sinners to love God,
and the impossibility is of the same nature
precisely in both cases.* If the sinner can¬
not devote himself to his Maker's service, he
can never see his kingdom. If you cannot
love God, you cannot enjoy his favour : the
one, my hearers, is as much impossible as
the other. Carry the doctrine of inability
through then, when you begin with it, and
whenever you feel that you cannot repent,
cannot believe, cannot love God, realize at
the same time, that you cannot, with the
* The love of God to sinners here denied is a love of
complacency. That ■" God so loved the world as to give
his Son" for men, even while they were yet-enemies, the
Scripture distinctly asserts, but this was an exercise of his
general benevolence, involving no approbation of their cha¬
racter. The love of complacency, on the contrary, implies
approbation*
126
thte OifE' TAtEN*.
same heart, be forgtven or be saved, or enjoy
the bliss of Heaven, even were you admitted
there.
The other statements noticed in introdu¬
cing this head, viz. that religion involves too
great sacrifices, that the Bible experts too
much strictness of conduct, and that a life of
piety is inconsistent with the business and
pleasures of the world, are also intended to
make it appear that God is a hard master.
To confute them, it would only be necessary
to appeal to real Christians, who have tried
both sides, and whose experience ought to be
decisive. But I mention their case only to
show, that these religious sacrifices can be
made, that this strictness of life tan be main¬
tained, that piety does not prevent the proper
business and highest enjoyment of life. Here
are men actually making these sacrifices, you
then could make them. A worldly motive,
the prospect of a large pecuniary reward
would make you sufficiently self-denying, it
actually makes men more self-denying than
religion requires most of us to be. Religion
is not likely to call for your blood, your lives;
but if it did, we see your sins bear full as
hard on you: they require of you the loss of
present peace and the loss of your souls, and
vet you do not shrink. And as to the
strictness the Bible requires, and the incon¬
sistency of piety with the business and plea¬
sures of life, you must be aware that these
things are never a matter of complaint with
Christians, and I leave it to yourselves to
THE ONE TALENT. 127
judge whether the most pious man be not in
effect the most happy man even now; the most
capable of using and enjoying the world to the
greatest advantage. Free from those inward
torments which sinners feel, at peace with
God and man, the Christian has much less to
embitter life to him than the sinner has, and
if he values temporal things less, it is because
at the same time he has beyond them a pros¬
pect so surpassingly bright and joyful.
Thus it appears, even on this slight view
of the subject, how unjust is the accusation
contained in the first part of the sinner's re¬
ply against God, i. e. that his demands are
unreasonable.
2. The second declaration in the sinner's
reply is that he does discharge his duty.
This is parallel with the slothful servant's as¬
sertion, " Lo there thou hast that is thine."
In this declaration, the sinner intimates
that he actually fulfils the law, at least so far
that he does not deserve the penalty. It must
not indeed be forgotten all the while how he
insists in another part of his defence that the
law is to blame because it claims perfect obe¬
dience. But passing over this, if he dis¬
charges his duty, he either perfectly obeys
the law, or he is not bound to obey it perfect¬
ly, i. e. as he imagines, his imperfect obedi¬
ence is a full discharge of his duty. Now if
he perfectly obeys the law he is not a sinner,
and therefore the law finds no fault with
him, nor has the gospel any thing to do with
him, and what fault he should have to find
123 THE ONE TALENT,
with either, I cannot conceive. But then he
cannot belong to that race of whom the scrip¬
tures say "there is not one good,"—that race
for whom Christ died. If on the other hand
iie imagines he is not bound to perfect obedi¬
ence in thought, word and action, I ask, how
can this be ? It is not of the nature of a law to
demand any thing less than perfect obedience.
Even human laws, imperfect as they are, re¬
quire perfect obedience to their demands.
Are you commanded to pay a debt ? The
law exacts payment of the uttermost farthing.
Are you forbidden to rob ? To take by force
the smallest trifle that can be an object of cu¬
pidity* is as severely punished as to seize the
greatest sum of money. Is it a crime to
strike peaceful citizens ? The law will not
excuse you because you only struck one such
person, or because you gave him but a sin¬
gle blow. The law of God is represented in
Scripture as extending to " secret faults," to
sins of the heart, to the imaginations, de¬
vices and thoughts, and as condemning men
for trangressions only intended or cherished
in the mind. So Christ expounds the 6th
and 7th commandments in his sermon on the
Mount, and to this let it be added, as St.
James declares, that t( he who offends in one
point is guilty of all," i. e. he disregards the
authority which not only enjoined one but
all, and therefore would break with the same
temptation, any other or the whole of the
commandments. The amount of the whole
is this, and it may be taken as a paraphrase
THE ONE TALENT.
129
on St. James's words just quoted—Imperfect
obedience cannot be accepted as a discharge
of duty, and he who renders nothing better,
is therefore liable to the penalty of the law.
But this is not all. The sinner, when he
presents his performances as all God has a
right to claim, proceeds on the supposition
that in some things he actually does obey.
This I have hitherto tacitly granted. I now
deny it, following here as before, the gui¬
dance of the word of God. " He who of¬
fends in one point is guilty of all." The want
of holiness which makes it impossible to per¬
form one duty makes it equally impossible
to perform any. External conformity to the
law is not obedience. An action must be
done with the heart as to God,, or in his view
it is not doise at all—no obedience is render¬
ed. Now that God has a right to require
the affections of our hearts, the best, the cor¬
dial, the willing, perfect, cheerful, universal,
perpetual services of his creatures, must ap¬
pear almost too plain to admit of proof.
If he has not such a right, he has no right
at all. At least it is certain, that he demands
this, and declares in the most solemn manner
conceivable, that he will accept nothing less :
nay, that nothing is more odious to him than
any thing less when presented instead of this.
And do not you, my friends, when your deb¬
tor offers you half what he owes you, decla¬
ring that to be the whole, do you not entirely
refuse it, and refuse it with indignation ? and
the more he insists on his having paid you all
130
THE ONE TALENT.
do you not feel the more indignant at his in¬
justice and audacity ?
If we have not mistaken or misrepresented
the replies made against God, it is evident
that the parallel between sinners generally and
the unprofitable servant in the text is very
close and just. And we may proceed to im¬
prove the subject by the following reflec¬
tions.
1. None but wicked and slothful servants
will be found unprofitable. This was the
character of the unprofitable servant in the
parable. His wickedness of heart is plainly
seen in the false and dishonest declarations
he uttered when giving up to his master the
trust consigned to him. Ris indolence wai
manifested in burying his Lord's money.
Now are there not many who are disposed to
plead that " they can do nothing ?" Who de¬
clare their willingness to serve God, but main¬
tain their inability ? Who say that they have
no influence, and would fain believe they have
little or no responsibility ? My hearers, we
have all talents entrusted to us for which we
must account. The man did not escape a
reckoning who had but one committed to his
care. Those who had more committed to
them could indeed do more, but had he not
been a wicked and slothful servant, he might
have improved in proportion. So may we,
and if we do not we must expect to be dealt
with as he was. You can do but little per¬
haps, will you therefore do nothing f If so,
you betray the same wickedness and sloth-
THE ONE TALENT.
181
fulness with the servant in the parable, and
must expect to meet his doom. Do you per¬
form all that little you know you can ? If
sensible that you do not, you may be assu¬
red that the deficiency, therefore, must and
will be charged to wickedness and sloth.
2. None but slothful, wicked, and unpro¬
fitable servants make accusations against
their Master in Heaven. Those who had
two and five talents committed to them, and
who therefore had a greater responsibility
than the ungrateful man whose case is be¬
fore us, had no fault to find with their Lord.
No! fully disposed to do what they could,
they honestly improved their talents and re¬
turned them with interest. They had no
occasion to complain, for all was peace be¬
tween him and them. It was reserved for
the slothful servant, who would not even
leave his Lord's money at the exchanger's,
it was reserved for him to discover the injus¬
tice and severity of their master. Nor does
it appear that he ever thought of making
'Such a charge until he was called to account
for the talent, lust so it is now, so it ever
was, so it ever will be. Who first cast the
imputation of falsehood on God ? was it not
the father of lies, who in Eden contradicted
his word, and said "Ye shail not surely die?"
Who first of our race laid the blame of his
own sin on God ? but the first man that sin¬
ned ? "The woman whom thou gavest me,
she tempted me,"—as much as to say, " If
thou hadst not given me this woman I had
132
THE ONE TALENT.
not sinned." Who said " my punishment is
greater than I can bear," but the first mur¬
derer the earth ever saw ? Who now plead
the unreasonableness of the law, and the im¬
possibility of complying with the gospel, but
those who despise the means of grace, abuse
the mercy of God, reject the Saviour, and
grieve the Holy Spirit ?
3. Responsibility is m proportion to the ta¬
lents entrusted. We have many talents in our
hands. Our privileges are numerous and
precious, our advantages great and distin¬
guished. Of us to whom so much is given,
much will he justly required. Are we then
zealously and diligently improving our op¬
portunities like the faithful servants in the
parable ? Or are we sitting down contented
with the possession of this superiority in cir¬
cumstances, without realizing the superiority
in guilt to which our supineness will advance
us f If we, my friends, who are so favored,
bury our talents in the earth, we shall want
even the poor excuse of the unprofitable ser¬
vant, that he had but one. I say we shall
want even that poor excuse of the jealous,
envious servant, who because he had but one
talent would do nothing to increase it. But
are there any who feel that they have but one
talent f Let them remember it was the least
gifted servant who proved the most unprofi¬
table. If you have less intrusted to you,
your burden of duty being as light in propor¬
tion as that of those who hold most, you will
have as little reason as they to plead inabili-
THE ONE TALENT. 133
ty. If your sphere of usefulness be small,
you can at least, as easily go through it, as
those who belong to a larger circle can move
through theirs. To you then, to all the ser¬
vants of God who have a trust committed to
them, I put the question, What are you dor
ing? Are you, with simplicity, and godly sin¬
cerity, employing your talents for the glory of
God and the promotion of holiness in your¬
selves and others ? If you cannot do much,
are you labouring to deserve the commenda¬
tion given to the poor widow, ' She hath
done what she could' ? Alas! how many
when weighed in the balance will be found
wanting. Are we not this day condemning
in the unprofitable servant, what we are do¬
ing ourselves ? You cannot change your
heart. You cannot work in it that faith
without which it is impossible to please
God. You cannot produce the love of God
in your soul. Be it so. Are you then doing
even what you can ? Are you making your
Bible and other religious books your con¬
stant companions—fixing your thoughts dai¬
ly on spiritual objects,—resorting to faithful
ministers and Christians who will tell you
the truth in these great matters ? Are you
daily spending much time in prayer, do you
avoid worldly entanglements and light com¬
pany ? All this you can do without renew¬
ing grace in your heart. Are you doing
this ? If not, with what face can you plead
inability to do your duty, when you confers
" n
134
THE ONE TALENT.
you are not doing what you might do, and
what is yet far short of the mark ?
4. Lastly, the reward, the gracious reward
will be given according to the improvement
made. It is all of grace; for the talents we
may be rewarded for improving, are not our
own, but kindly lent us for our benefit. The
man who shall produce most with the smal¬
lest original stock will be most richly re¬
warded. But of all, actual produce will be
required. Any thing short of this will not
fail of bringing down the displeasure of our
Lord, when he shall call us before him.
And now let us all remember our responsibi¬
lity and the nearness of that solemn hour
when we shall be summoned to the final
reckoning.
Let us provide for ourselves " a treasure
in the Heavens, where no thief approachetb,
neither moth corrupteth," for where our
treasure is there will our hearts be also. Let
our loins be girded about and our lights bur¬
ning, and we ourselves like unto men that;
wait for their Lord. "Blessed are those sej>.
vantswhom their Lord when he cometh,
shall find watching. Let us therefore, pre¬
pare for the solemn account, for the Son of
man cometh at an hour when men think not."
to*
FAITH.
1 COR. XIII. 13.
and now abideth faith, hope, and charity,
these three j but the greatest of these
is charity.
The three graces here mentioned by the
Apostle are principal ornaments of the
Christian character; not ail indeed of equal
value, but all precious in themselves and de¬
lightful in their effects. It is my design to
consider them separately in the order in
which they stand in the text. Each of them
has already been so largely and so frequent¬
ly discussed, that my hearers may naturally
apprehend a tedious repetition of the same
doctrines and ideas they have often heard
before. But 1 am verily persuaded that these
topics have not been exhausted, and that
much practical instruction may be derived
from another consideration of them. It is
only by repeated and free investigation that
accurate views of any subject have ever been
obtained, or can be obtained. The greatest
sages who have ever blessed the world by
their discoveries, have declared that this was
the result not of sudden flashes of genius but
of patient meditation.
136
FAITH.
Besides, the heart is deep, and there is no
end to the errors and absurdities which
spring from the corrupt dispositions and deep-
rooted prejudices of men. They appear now
in one form, and now in another, and though
again and again confuted, they still rise up
with equal strength and pertinacity. And
while truth is one, errors are innumerable.
That which has been, or seems to be entirely
banished from the world, is succeeded by a
new delusion, more plausible, perhaps, than
any that went before it. From one extreme
we often fly at once to the other, and yet ap¬
proach perhaps all the time no nearer the
standard of truth. These reflections shew
the propriety, nay the necessity of frequently
reviewing our opinions and comparing our
conclusions with the word of God. Let us
then attend on the present occasion, to the
first of the subjects in our text, to wit, Faith.
I shall not here give definitions of the word,
in order to mark the various senses in which
like other words it is legitimately used. It
is sufficient to remark, that throughout this
discourse I speak only ofjustifying faith, that
act or quality which is said in scripture to be
indispensable to salvation.
On this subject we shall first, review some
opinions which have had great prevalence
among men ; and secondly, from this review,
we shall draw one or two inferences of a
practical nature.
I. And first, we shall review some opi¬
nions which have had great prevalence
FAITH.
137
among men. Let me here premise that some
of the erroneous notions I shall mention are
of such a nature as to insinuate themselves
into the minds of many who yet may be rea¬
dy to disclaim them when fully stated in all
their consequences. This appears by the
views which they take of other subjects
when faith is not brought directly to view..
They S^eak on these other subjects in a way
which shews that they have in some way or
other imbibed a wrong notion of Faith.
Thus if you hear a man maintain that a good
life, as he calls it, is every thing, that in short,
as a great poet has expressed it, " An honest
man's the noblest work of God," you may
safely infer that he mistakes the nature of
faith, that, in his view faith is nothing
more than the receiving of certain opinions
into the understanding. But, to proceed on
the plan proposed,
1. Many have thought that Faith consists in
the acknowledgment of the divine origin of
revelation. This acknowledgment often ex¬
ists where doctrines of vital importance are
rejected, and where the very facts revealed
have no effect whatever on the conscience,
the heart, or the life. These great facts,
therefore, cannot in any propriety of lan¬
guage, be said to be believed. I do not
mean that there is any insincerity, any false¬
hood in the professions of the individual con¬
cerned. He has considered the evidences
for the truth and inspiration of the Bible, and
so far as this preliminary and external mat
12*
138
FAITH.
ter goes, he is convinced. He acknow¬
ledges his conviction, he perhaps sees in
some degree the importance of a truly re¬
ligious character. He mistakes, it may be,
the admiration he feels for the word of God,
for the love of its author; and the solemnity
which its dispensation produces, for the feel¬
ings of true devotion. Under these impres¬
sions he may make a profession of faith in
Christ, and if his outward conduct be correct,
may throughout life be considered by all
around him as a Christian. It is true he will
not be very likely to shew any zeal for the
spread of the gospel, the revival of religion, or
the purity of the church, and hence he may be
gradually sifted out and separated from her
lively and spiritual members, by the necessa¬
ry operation of that spirit of active benevo¬
lence which more and more pervades the,
hearts of Christians, and will not suffer them
long to slumber over the dishonor of God,
and the ruin of precious souls. It deserves
particular regard here, that such a faith as
we are describing has no connexion what¬
ever with the affections, and takes no hold at
all on the man. He assents to a narrative
which excites no emotions, he admits the ex¬
istence of transactions in which he feels and
seems to think he has no concern. He be¬
lieves, in short, in the inspiration of the scrip¬
tures just as he believes that the planets
move round the sun, and just where the lat¬
ter belief ends, there the former terminates.
Now the gospel represents faith as having an
FAITH.
139
efficacy, as exerting an impulse on the mind
and heart, altogether beyond this. It does
not indeed define in scholastic terms what
faith is, but it takes, up a great deal of
time and room in shewing its effects. It tells
us how men acted, and felt, and suffered, and
sacrificed under the influence of faith, which
wrought by love and overcame the world.
This remark, my hearers, must at once sug¬
gest to you a great variety of passages to this
effect, and especially the Apostle Paul's rich
display of the power of faith, in the 11th
chapter of Hebrews. But again,
2. Many are inclined to go a step farther
and define faith as the reception of the doc¬
trines of the gospel. To examine these doc¬
trines, and give a full and sincere assent to
them as truths, is indeed the part of a ra¬
tional man, and this as well as the examina¬
tion of the evidences of revelation is prelimi¬
nary to a judicious profession of religion. I
should be inclined with the learned and ele¬
gant writer of a treatise on faith, not long since
published, to define faith in this manner,
were it not that there is great danger of mis¬
taking what is meant. 1 say I should be dis¬
posed to define faith as the reception of the
doctrines of the gospel, but for the danger of
mistake. In defining faith thus, I might be
understood as speaking of the mere abstract
speculative reception of truth, without any
consideration of its effect on the heart. But
this is a contradiction in terms, for though we
can think and speak of such a belief of doc*
140
FAITH.
trines abstracted from its effects, yet there is
no such thing in nature. There is no such
thing as sincerely believing any thing which
vitally concerns us, while we act as if we be¬
lieved it not. We cannot believe the house on
fire over our heads, and yet sit still in security.
We cannot think ourselves falling and not
grasp at some support. So the Scriptures re¬
present the matter—they represent belief as
acting on the very devils.—(i The devils be¬
lieve and tremble"—they believe the truth and
nothing else,—they believe that God is just,
unchangeable, and their eternal enemy, and
that there is no salvation for them, and thus
believing, with all their malice and obdura¬
cy, they tremble. Yet after all that the pi¬
ous and ingenious author alluded to has said
on the subject, I should prefer a definition of
faith which more clearly intimates its con¬
nexion with right affections of heart and
obedience in the life. Such a definition
would accord with the practical view which,
as has been observed, the Scriptures always
present.
The assent of the mind, we may easily
suppose to be given, on examination, to doc¬
trines not cordially believed, not considered
at all as interesting to us, and therefore nei¬
ther exciting right emotions, nor prompting
right conduct. Nay, a doctrine assented to
may excite evil passions, it may be hated and
opposed with greater virulence, thp more
clearly it is proved.
FAITH.
141
3. Others consider faith as one's belief that
Christ died for him in particular. This er¬
ror is avowed by very few at the present day,
but there is too much reason to think that
it enters into the scheme of many who are
not aware of it. It was formerly made the
special effort of many ministers to persuade
the sinner to believe that Jesus died for him
as one of the elect. If he could prevail on
himlelf to receive this notion into his mind,
and was thereby excited to warm and ani¬
mated feeling^ of gratitude and joy, he was
supposed now to exercise true faith in Christ
and to be a real Christian. The divines who
took this view of the subject, acknowledged
that the sinuer Was here called on to believe
something 'without any evidence from scrip¬
ture, sense, or reason.' Yet they thought
him guilty of unbelief if he rejected it, and
maintained that this want of evidence was
the very trial of true faith which they sup¬
posed to be an implicit and groundless confi¬
dence in the electing favour of God to one's
self. They did not seem to be aware that
the feelings of the carnal heart in this case
would naturally, and without a spark of
true piety, take the shape of gratitude and
joy ; they were not sensible that such feel¬
ings were entirely selfish, or in other words,
quite destitute of holiness. They argued
thus, 4 the gospel is glad tidings to sinners—
but the sinner's nature makes it impossible
he should love or confide in the divine cha¬
racter, until he hears and believes that God
142
fAITH.
has fixed his love on him and jdetermined to
show him special favor. Then he can love
God and be drawn by gratitude to devote
himself to his service.' The fallacy of this
reasoning is manifest, but as I hinted before,
their error or something nearly approaching
it seems to have insinuated itself into the
minds of many even in the present day, who
are not aware of it. Hence the danger of
entertaining vague notions of evangelical
faith. It is hard to bring the mistake of those
who now lean to this error very clearly out,
there is a confused idea in their minds that
confidence in Christ on their part, implies
that he had them specially in view, and they
find or think they find countenance for this
idea in the doctrine of election. But faith in
Christ ought certainly to be distinguished
from a belief in the doctrine of election, or a
belief in our own particular election. The
latter is not revealed, and therefore we are not
called on to believe it. It is no part of God's
word, no part of the glad tidings preached in
the gospel. But leaving this error, which
perhaps, does not deserve at this time and in
this assembly a fuller consideration, I pro¬
ceed to another akin to it, and much more
common.
4. Many imagine that faith consists in be¬
lieving in one's own safety, good estate, or
Christian character. It is incredible to a
man correctly taught in this particular, but
unacquainted with mankind, the different
sects into which they are divided, and their
FAITH.
143
various religious experience, what multi¬
tudes are thus deluded. This error, i. e.
that faith consists in believing one's self a
Christian, without being taught in so many
words, often takes such root in the minds of
many, that it is almost impossible to eradi¬
cate it. It is fostered by a practice once ex¬
ceedingly prevalent among ministers of con¬
demning all doubts of one's interest in Christ,
as exercises of unbelief. Excuse the earnest¬
ness with which I warn all who hear me
against this delusion. It is not faith to think
one's self a Christian. To be a Christian is
to have faith. Surely then it is not faith to
believe we have faith. It is not safety to be¬
lieve one's self safe. It is not wealth to believe
one's self rich, it is not good health to believe
one's self well. But the clearest confutation of
this error may be derived from the argument
already employed against another delusion.
It is no part of the revealed word of God, no
part of the Gospel that you or I am a Chris¬
tian, it may be true or false, and yet thegos-
pel stand forever. No where does the gospel
require us to believe it, as the condition of
eternal life. The belief of it must tend in
many cases, to mischief only, it will close
still more firmly the eyes of the slumbering
sinner, and shut his ear entirely against re¬
proof. The doctrine therefore is unscriptu-
ral, false, absurd, and dangerous. When we
are embarrassed then with doubts about
our state and character, let us beware of
this delusion. That is the moment of dan-
144
FAITH.
ger to us. Should we then be led to think
that these doubts arise from temptations of
Satan, and that faith consists in blind Iy ba¬
nishing them from our minds, we shall acton
the very principle here condemned, and may
go down to destruction with "a lie in our
right hands."
5. Again, extravagant as it may appear,
the faith of some consists in the belief of the
excellencies of some man or men, perhaps
of their minister. Should he go away, or die,
or prove unworthy, we hear no more of their
faith, though they may have formerly made
a solemn profession of it. They begin per¬
haps to doubt all men, and even to demur
about the reality of religion itself. O the
depths of human folly, ignorance, and self-de¬
ceit ! Strange as it may seem, our churches
contain numbers whose faith is precisely of
this stamp, whose religion goes not a jot far¬
ther than a blind, idolatrous attachment to
their pastor,—whose zeal is exerted in
maintaining his superiority to others,—and
who wish to hear the word of God from none
but the object of their preference. Nothing
more is necessary for the exposure of this er¬
ror than a bare statement of it.
6. Others still are persuaded that faith
consists in what we may call a trust in Pro¬
vidence, i. e. a confidence that God will pro¬
vide for our safety and prosperity in this
world. It must be confessed that true faith
implies a confidence in God as the disposer
of all events. It implies a committing our-
FAITH.
J 45
selves to his wise and holy Providence, to do
(what seemeth him good.' But it involves a
confidence in his wisdom and goodness what¬
ever he does with us and a submission to his
holy will in all events, rather than a ground¬
less expectation that he will prosper us here.
We see in fact, God does not prosper all
his children. He often sends them afflic¬
tions to chastise and discipline them, he of¬
ten suffers them to be despised and persecu¬
ted, and sometimes lets them endure the
want of every temporal comfort. In this
manner he tries their faith, perfects their pa¬
tience, weans them from the world, and pre¬
pares them for Heaven. It is evident there¬
fore that such a notion of faith is unfounded
and unjust. But that I may be understood
here, I repeat it, though faith does not con¬
sist in a blind confidence that God will
prosper us in this life, it implies a confidence
in the wisdom, goodness and holiness of all
his Providential dealings, however afflictive.
No doubt the Christian ought to leave the
care of his temporal lot with his Heavenly
Father, and trust his promise that "all things
shall work together for final good to them
that love God," nay, that even afflictions
shall "work out for them a far more exceed¬
ing and eternal weight of glory," but this
does not prove that faith consists in trusting
that all our temporal wants shall be supplied.
7. Once more, many suppose that faith
consists in believing that we shall have what
we pray for. They think that if a man be-
13
140
FAITH-
lieves he shall have the blessing he asks, he
will obtain it, or at least that a body of
Christians praying for spiritual blessings,
with such a confidence, shall obtain them.
They consider a failure as proving want of
faith, i. e. a want of this confidence in some
or all who pray. For my own part, I do not
see how they are warranted thus to distin¬
guish between blessings of a spiritual and
temporaPnature, or between the prayers of
one and those of many for the Spirit. It
will be urged that Christ said to his Apos¬
tles, " Whatsoever ye ask, believe that ye
have it, and ye shall receive it." These
words are evidently capable of .being per¬
verted and abused to mean what our Lord
never could have designed. In their largest
sense they include every thing and every cha¬
racter. They ought therefore to be limited
according to the context, and the analogy of
God's dealings with mankind, just as we
limit the expression " ask and ye shall re¬
ceive." The latter indeed is much more
general, and yet no man supposes that it in¬
volves an unqualified promise that every re¬
quest shall positively be granted. We see
that in fact this is not the case, and we see
too, that men are often very confident they
shall receive what they ask, and yet fail to
obtain it. This then cannot be the meaning
of our Lord in the words quoted. The pro¬
per solution appears to me to be this. He
speaks of those miraculous powers granted to
the Apostles, and of what is called the faith
FAITH.
147
of miracles. It was evidently necessary
they should have such an assurance in many
cases that a miracle would be wrought in an ¬
swer to their prayers, in order to their pre¬
dicting it, or calling for its execution. Thus
Jesus speaking of this species of faith, as¬
sures the twelve that if they had faith as a
grain of mustard seed, they should say to a;
mountain, 'jBe thou removed and cast into the
sea? and it should he done. But with regard to
the promise of the Holy Spirit or other bles¬
sings to those in general who ask them, they
are put on a very different footing. We are
required to feel a filial confidence in the
goodness and wisdom of our Heavenly Fa¬
ther, as children do with regard to favours
from an earthly parent, and we are furnished
with an argument to warrant this confidence
in the general goodness of God. "If ye
then being evil know how to give good gifts
to your children, how much more shall your
Heavenly Father give his Holy Spirit to
them that ask him !" The faith then which
we are called to exercise in prayer is not a
firm expectation that the particular blessing
we ask for will be granted, but a filial confi¬
dence in the wisdom, power, and goodness
of God, to distribute his favours as shall be
most for the glory of his grace. I know it
is sometimes said, that though we should al¬
ways pray for temporal blessings with this
proviso, ' if it be consistent with the will of
God—-if it be for his glory,'-yet we know
that it is the will of God,—that it will be for
148
FAITH.
iiis glory to grant spiritual favours to those
who ask in faith, and to this point it is
thought those passages apply, 61 who will
have all men to be saved," " who willeth
not the death of a sinner." To this 1 reply,
that the same sovereign wisdom, power, and
love is exercised in the distribution of spiri¬
tual as of temporal blessings. As to the pas¬
sages quoted, it is evident on a moment's
reflection, they do not refer to God's purpo¬
ses with regard to the disposal of things. If
they did, then since God's will can never be
frustrated, all men would actually be saved.
These passages plainly teach us, not his in¬
tention to bring about the salvation of any or
of all, but the general benevolence of his na¬
ture. They teach us, that the perdition of
sinners results, not from the severity of their
Creator, but their own obduracy. That he
takes no pleasure in their destruction, but is
ready to deliver them, if they will come unto
him and be saved. A distinction is evident¬
ly to be? made between the general benevo¬
lence of his will or nature, and his particular
intentions, designs, or purposes which dis¬
pose the train of events terminating in the
salvation of a sinner or sinners. In short,
faith does not imply a confident expectation
that-a particular spiritual or temporal bles¬
sing will be granted in answer to prayer.
This expectation may exist in company with
faith or without it. But faith implies a con¬
fidence in the wisdom, power, and goodness
of God, and a submission to his sovereign
FAITH,
149
disposal of all things. This is the temper
we should exercise in prayer for any blessing
however important, however precious, how¬
ever needful it may seem.
The result of this brief review of the va¬
rious notions men have of faithr, is this,—we
see how prone men are to substitute any
thing else in place of that entire surrender of
their hearts which the gospel demands. And
now before 1 dismiss the subject, I would
state what faith is, as I have endeavoured to
show what it is not. It implies a cordial re-
ception of the gospel, not of the external
message or words of scripture, but of the
substance of those " glad tidings" therein re¬
vealed. It is not only hearing the invitation,
but accepting it. It is receiving Christ as
our Saviour, in opposition to every other
hope of salvation. It takes the word of God
as its object, and in his truth and faithfulness
it confides for deliverance in the way of his
appointment. In short, faith is confidence
in God. It implies therefore a view of his
character as worthy of confidence, and pro¬
ceeding on this knowledge of his character,
the soul believes his word, receives his Son,
and casts itself on him as " able and willing
to save to the uttermost all who come unto
God by him."
II. We shall conclude with one or two in¬
ferences from the remarks already made : and
1st. How important the study of experimen¬
tal religion ! We are prone, my friends, to
study every other subject more closely than
13*
150
FAITH.
our own hearts. We read, We converse
about the progress of religion, the signs of
the times, the benevolent operations of the
age, and we ought to do so. But we should
act more wisely if we appropriated more time
to reading the Scriptures, and those old'
fashioned divines who wrote at large on ex¬
perimental religion, and in whose copious
works-every important subject of this nature
is examined to the bottom. Far be it from
me to say any thing in prejudice to the peri¬
odical works which convey to us the delight¬
ful news of the progress of the Gospel.
They are not only interesting but invaluable
in their proper place and proportion. But
they should not constitute all our reading.
Nor should we neglect to converse much
with each other on the feelings of our hearts
and the course of our religious experience.
Such was the practice of the pious in former
ages, and it was and always will be attended
with good effects. And one grand reason
why we should maintain this practice is, that
this is the way to cherish and cultivate the
feelings of true piety. If we never express our
feelings, we shall be apt to suppress them,—
and no wonder then that we become cold and
lifeless in religion. Another reason is, that
by the discussion and comparison of our va¬
rious views, the truth will be most easily
and clearly elicited.
2. Finally, we see wherein consists the
guilt of unbelief. Faith is confidence in the
divine character. Unbelief is the want of
FAITH.
151
this confidence. And can it be innocent to
deny our Heavenly Father, who is love itself
and every way worthy of our unlimited
trust,—to deny him our confidence and shut
him out of our hearts, to doubt his goodness,
to disbelieve his word, and to decline reposing
on that Saviour he offers us ? As if he were
not able to deliver and ready to save, as if
he could deceive or were capable of failing
us. My hearers, such is the enormity of
unbelief-it impeaches the veracity of God
your Heavenly Father—it separates you
from him, the only sufficient good, and thus
it must leave you without hope—nay, must
expose you to his just displeasure, his eter¬
nal wrath. Fly then from the guilty and
perilous situation where you now stand, if
you are living in unbelief and impenitence.
Listen with solemnity and affection to the
words of eternal life. "Awake to righteous¬
ness," and sin no more against the light and
love so long, so abundantly granted you.
And may the Lord open your hearts, and pre¬
pare you for that " salvation which is in
Christ Jesus with eternal glory." Amen.
Till*
HOPE.
1 john, iii. 3.
and every man that hath this hope in him,
purifieth himself even as he also is
pure.
The gospel takes hold of every principle
of our nature. Addressed in the first in¬
stance to the understanding of rational be¬
ings, it sets truth before them in the sim¬
plest terms and in the clearest light. But
God has given us other powers: he has
made us capable of affections far more lively
and influential, and to these, in his word as
well as in his providence, he applies the pro¬
per objects which excite them. It is thus
his vast moral government is carried on : the
influence of hope and fear is constantly ex¬
erted, and by them we are roused to action.
To these great springs of human agency
likewise are applied the objects which hu¬
man government, the faint and imperfect
image of the divine administrations, find it
necessary to make use of in the shape of re¬
wards and punishments. Under the clumsy
management of men, these principles often
seem to act in a manner more injurious than
beneficial; but when directed and controlled
HOPE.
153
by Him who has the hearts of all in his
hands, they are made wonderfully to sub¬
serve the grand purposes he has formed, not
only in consistency with human freedom but
actually by means of it.
It is of some importance to obtain a cor¬
rect understanding of the language used in
the text. Hope is the expectation of pos¬
sessing hereafter any object of desire.* The
object, let it be particularly remarked, must
be desired and must be future. The expec¬
tation does not amount to absolute certainty,
but as it is founded on testimony or probable
evidence, it is capable of various degrees of
assurance according to the evidence in view.
i£ He that hath this hope," &c. i. e. the hope
of the Gospel, the hope that l( when he
shall appear, we shall be like him," as you
have it in the context. The hope of final
deliverance from sin and misery, and of an
entire conformity to the character and will of
God :—this is the hope of which St. John
speaks. It is founded on the promise of God,
given to Christ and his people, and Avould
therefore amount to certainty or knowledge,
were it not tor the remaining doubts they are
generally permitted to feel with regard to their
own character. It is only probable evidence
they attain on the latter subject, and their
hope is or ought to be weak or strong in pro-
* Hope is sometimes more strictly used to denote the
pleasing emotion which results from this expectation, but
they are inseparable, and therefore the common use as ir}
the definition above is correct enough.
154
HOPE.
portion to the evidence they here enjoy. It is
true, from natural constitution, men are liable
to some irregularities in this matter, but wo
may most generally observe some proportion
in Christians, between the evidence of their
piety, as they behold it, and their hope of
Heaven. What a delightful scene is fre¬
quently exhibited in the Christian's dying
hour, when his evidences having been bright¬
ened, confirmed, and brought plainly up to
his view, he sinks in full-orbed splendor, like
the setting sun, soon to rise again in the
morning of a cloudless and eternal day !
When it is said "He who hath this hope
parifteth himself" the words must not be un¬
derstood as asserting our own power or fit¬
ness to cleanse and improve our hearts,
independently of the sanctifying influences of
divine grace. But the Apostle teaches us
that there is an intimate and necessary con¬
nexion between a well-founded hope and the
growth of religion in the heart. The mode
of expression,—" purifieth himself,'7—cor¬
responds as well with the nature and condi¬
tion of man, as with other parts of the word
of God. Even when we are purified by di¬
vine grace, it is not as mere passive ma¬
chines, it is in the active exercise of our fa¬
culties and affections. So with wealth or
wisdom,—though they are to be humbly and
thankfully acknowledged as the gifts of God,
yet a man increases in them by the exertion
of the powers bestowed on him. And thus
St. Paul speaks:—" work out your own sal-
HOPE.
155
vation,"—with which, as you have no doubt
often remarked, he couples the doctrine that
(l it is God who worketh in us to will and to
do." The expression, (t purifies himself as
He (that is, God) is pure," points out not the
degree of purity attained on earth, but the
nature and final result of the work of purifi¬
cation. This agrees with the nature of the
hope as exhibited in the preceding verse,—
" When he shall appear, we shall be like
him," &c. And it teaches us how high is
the Christian standard. No low attainments,
no moderate progress, no short career, con¬
tents him. He aims at a high, a rapid, an
endless flight towards the goal of infinite
perfection in holiness and happiness.
After this brief exposition of the text, let
us now proceed to consider the doctrine it
contains; to wit, The hope of the gospel is
connected with progressive purity of heart
and life. To confirm and illustrate this
doctrine, I subjoin the following remarks.
I. Hope is a powerful motive to action.
On this subject nothing more is necessary
than to look abroad and notice the pursuits
of men. In what employment is the force
of this principle unfelt ? Under what diffi¬
culties and trials does it not encourage the
hardy adventurer by sea and land ? Amidst
the perilous ocean the sailor is buoyed up by
hope. The same principle enables the sol¬
dier to brave the dangers of the bloody field.
The hope of gain carries the merchant far
from home to the most inhospitable climes,
156
HOPE.
where wealth is to be amassed only at the
risk of life. How much the power of
hope depends on the apparent magnitude of
the object to which it is directed, is evident
from the instances already given. When the
object seems important, men we see will risk
even life itself. " They do these things to
obtain a corruptible crown," but before the
Christian is set a prize of unfading glory,—
a treasure incorruptible and eternal in Hea¬
ven.
The hope of the gospel therefore, the object
of which is a state of eternal purity and joy
on high, must be capable of exerting the most
powerful influence. This thought deserves
our serious consideration. What has not
been endured by the followers of Christ in
former ages ! Imprisonment, torture and
death were the common fate of the primitive
disciples, but their hope grew brighter arid
their faith stronger in the dungeon, on the
rack, and at the stake. Despair, on the
other hand, at once unnerves the soul. The
dread of a defeat turns the boldest warrior
pale, and he whose hope of escape from
danger is taken away, becomes unable even
to fly. Why, says the victim of despair,
why should I make a hopeless struggle ? if
I can do nothing by all my efforts, why
should I engage in a fruitless task ? We see
then that hope is a powerful incentive to ac¬
tion, and a powerful support under suffering,
and we see too that no hope can be compa-
HOPE.
157
red with that of the gospel, in the greatness,
sublimity, and duration of its object.
11. The same principles which lead to a
truly evangelical hope, lead also to obedi¬
ence. As this is one of the most important
points of doctrine now to be considered, I
must here request especial attention. I say,
the very same principles which lead to a tru¬
ly evangelical hope, lead also to obedience. It
must be remembered, 1 speak of a true and
well-founded evangelical hope ; not of the
vague expectation which is indulged by those
"who are at ease in Zion," that it shall at last
"be well with them," though they neglect the
great salvation ; nor of the vain confidence
the self-deceiver has in own good estate,
which he expresses by saying, 44 he hopes he
is a Christian." But I speak of the hope of
the gospel, as it has already been defined,—
I speak of the expectation of future and eter¬
nal deliverance from sin and misery, through
the pardoning mercy of God in Christ. This
hope implies the total renunciation of every
other hope. The man who lays hold on
this hope, gives up all thoughts of justifica¬
tion by his own works or merits. He sees
no other way to life but that which Jesus
has opened 44 through the vail." He casts
himself simply and entirely on the free grace
offered in the gospel, and accepts the un¬
speakable gift as a poor, starving, perishing
out-cast. With the views he entertains of
himself, he has no ground of hope except an
unreserved confidence in the goodness and
14
158
HOPE.
truth of Jehovah, and on these glorious at¬
tributes he relies while he indulges this hope.
This confidence in God as the God of all
grace, and in his Eternal Son as able and
willing to save to the uttermost, is the gift oj
God,—it is the result of the renewing influ¬
ences of His Spirit. But this is the very
source and spring of all Christian tempers
and acts of obedience. This is the very
way in which all dutiful feelings and exerci¬
ses commence, for the heart thus influenced
by the Holy Spirit, is the only fountain from
which can issue wholesome streams. Thus
it is manifest that the Christian hope is con¬
nected with progressive purity of heart and
life, because the same principles which alone
lead to the exercise of an evangelical hope,
lead also directly to a life of Christian purity
and obedience.
HI. The hope of the gospel acts power¬
fully on the mind by exciting gratitude.
The very satisfaction of feeling this hope is
fitted to make the Christian thankful. The
author of every good and perfect gift could
alone enable us to exercise this delightful
emotion. When, in his afflictive Providence,
or his chastising dispensations, he suffers the
gloom of melancholy or depair to spread
around us, how wretched is life, what a bur¬
den is our very existence ! This may and
often does happen under the pressure of
mental or bodily disease. Hope is one of the
most cheering ingredients in the cup of life ;
without it, how tasteless, nay, how bitter is
HOPE.,
159
the draught! The poets delight to represent
hope as the gay painter of enchanting pros¬
pects ; even when these are delusive as well
as distant, they cheer us on to tread the toil¬
some path that seems to lead to them,—=
what gratitude then is due for the capacity
to enjoy a hope that can never deceive !
But it is not the hope itself which excites the
highest thankfulness of the Christian. He
knows that though, when vouchsafed, it is a
blessing, it might in wisdom and love be ta¬
ken away, or clouded over with darkness,
even with respect to the real child of God.
The great blessing, the unspeakable gift, for
which he renders his inadequate thanks now,
and expects to bless God forever, is the
foundation of that hope, and the object on
which it is fixed. In short, he feels grateful
for that eternal life which he hopes to receive
through the merits of Christ, and realizes
how incompetent he is to praise sufficiently
the distinguishing grace which makes him,
an unworthy sinner, the subject of such a
hope. Now to a mind possessed of the least
ingenuousness, no motive can be more pow¬
erful. " Shall we continue in sin that grace
may abound ? God forbid." " I beseech
you," says the Apostle, " by the mercies of
God, that ye present your bodies a living sa¬
crifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is
your reasonable service."
IV. A fourth reason why the hope of the
Gospel has so powerful an influence, is this,
—pit cannot be consistently maintained with
160
HOPE.
out purity. A consistent hope in Christ
cannot be indulged by the man who makes
no effort to purify himself " from the cor¬
ruptions that are in the world." As well
might the farmer sit down and hope for an
abundaftt harvest; as well might the seaman
fold his arms, while his vessel floats at the
mercy of the winds and waves, and yet trust
that he shall arrive at his desired haven. No
temporal or spiritual blessing is promised or
granted to idle wishes. " God gives the in¬
crease," and this is " to the glory of his
grace." But lie does this when Paul plants,
and when A polios waters. The efforts of
the Christian to work out his own salvation
are prompted by the influences of the Holy
Spirit, but they are still his efforts ; and if
he does not make them, his salvation will
not be wrought out. No rational hope can
be entertained of final deliverance from sin,
without suitable efforts ; it is natural and
necessary therefore, to make them if we
would entertain such a hope. But the force
of the principle is not yet fully stated. The
desire of maintaining a hope which has al¬
ready entered the mind and become one of
its principal supports and comforts, has more
effect upon us than a wish to possess such a
hope. Its sweetness is now known, it is
now felt to be indispensable. Greater ef¬
forts will therefore be made, and the longer
it has been felt, the greater will these efforts
be. In the mean time habit will have ren¬
dered the very efforts themselves more easy
HOPE,
161
and pleasant, and thus the Christian's desires
and struggles for purification will become
more and more ardent and unremitting.
Such is a brief and imperfect view of the
influence of a genuine evangelical hope
on the heart and life of the subject of it.
Other considerations might no doubt have
been suggested, but these will suffice for our
present purpose. I shall now take the libera
ty to add some inferences and reflections
drawn from the preceding view of the Chris¬
tian hope. And 1st, we see the impropriety
of the expression, " hoping one is a Chris¬
tian." The error lies here. Hope is an ex¬
pectation of a future good. A man may ra¬
tionally believe himself a Christian on evi¬
dence, but hope is entirely inapplicable to
this matter. This may seem a mere mistake
in words, but much danger arises from this
abuse of terms. Hope is capable of being
applied, and is often applied, to a very faint
expectation of future good. Hence it is used
for a weak belief, so that when a man says
he " hopes he is a Christian," he generally
means he has a weak belief of it. But why is
his belief weak ? Because he is aware that he
has little or no evidence. By using the term
hope, he evades this painful but wholesome
conviction. It is better therefore never to
countenance this use of the word hope,—it is
better to confine it to the scriptural meaning.
In the New Testament it means the expecta¬
tion of hereafter obtaining eternal deliverance
from sin and misery through Christ Jesus
H*
162
HOPE.
oar Lord. Let this therefore be our mean¬
ing whenever we speak of 6 having a hope,'
instead of using that phrase to signify that
one trusts he is a Christian, i. e. is willing to
believe it with little or no evidence.
2dly. We see that a scriptural hope of
Heaven is founded on or connected with
faith. Faith is confidence in God—not in
ourselves ;—our hope then should amount,
not to a confidence in our own supposed safe
condition, but a trust in his infinite goodness
and inercy through Christ.
This essential distinction between a false
hope and a true, is not simply that the latter
,is founded on our Christian character, while
the former vaguely exists without any evi¬
dence in ourselves; but it lies in this,the
false hope has no reference to Christ, be¬
cause the man has no faith in him, while the
true renounces every other foundation but
that which " God has laid in Zion." If our
hope depends only on our view of our own
character, my brethren, what a poor, weak,
uncertain support will it prove ! But if it be
connected with faith, and depend solely on
6i the Lord our righteousness and strength,"
it is an 6' anchor to the soul both sure and
steadfast," amidst all the darkness and storms
- by which we may be surrounded. Hope
then, my friends, in the Lord,—not in your¬
selves. He is your '(strength" and yoqy:
*eshield." If faith exists and be in exercise,
then you will find sufficient warrant in his
glorious character and gracious word to lean
HOPE.
163
on Him in all your weakness, and with all
your burdens. It is not a very common error
among professors ofreligiou to struggle con¬
stantly to fix their hope on themselves ? If
conscience be faithful, no true Christian can
ever succeed in this struggle, but mj^j; al¬
ways live in darkness (as many do) while this
is the course he takes. This leads me to re¬
mark,
3dly. We see why there is so little en¬
joyment of the gospel hope. Though this
hope does not depend on our character, yet
it is inconsistent with a careless life and an
impure heart. It is not a vague tFust or ex¬
pectation that we shall at last be safe from
punishment:—it is a humble confidence that
through divine mercy in Christ we shall be at
last purified from sin, and saved from con¬
demnation. This is not the object of hope
or desire to the unrenewed heart ; but it is
the chief end and aim of every true Chris¬
tian. In other words, the Christian hope
relates at least as much to final purification,
as to freedom from punishment, or even
more. Now a careless life, an impure heart,
is evidently inconsistent with such a hope.
The same principles which lead to such a
hope, lead also to obedience, and the very
hope itself is a powerful motive not only
from its natural encouraging and animating
tendency, but from the gratitude it excites
towards its author, and the care which it
prompts in us to maintain it. Thus it ap¬
pears why there is so little enjoyment of the
164
HOPE.
gospel hope,—to wit, because there is so
little effort used to purify the heart. A care¬
less life,—the consciousness of an impure
heart, will destroy this hope.
4th. Here then is a distinction between
the u hope of the hypocrite," which "is as a
spider's web," and the well-founded hope of
the gospel. The tendency of the self-deceiv¬
er's hope is to set him at ease in sin, it is
not connected with faith, it is not united
with diligent efforts to purify himself. But
a genuine evangelical hope has a purifying
influence. How does it arouse and stimulate
the Christian to do something for that Re¬
deemer who, he trusts, has done so much for
him, and who he expects will yet do so much
more! What lively feelings of devotion
does it excite ! How does it reconcile him
to the loss of all earthly friends, nay, to the
sufferings of death itself! How vast the dif¬
ference then between the Christian's and the
sinner's hope ! The Christian expects a final
deliverance from sin and misery through the
blood of Christ, according to the will of God :
the sinner trusts, in opposition to His word,
that he will yet escape in some way or other
—he knows not, and cares not how—from the
punishment of the sins he loves and cherishes
in his heart.
But again, 5th!y. From the purify ing ten¬
dency of an evangelical hope we learn the
true use of the ^promises. They are kindly
designed to foster the purifying hope of the
gospel, and hence they are precious to all
HOPE.
165
"who have any title to that hope. They re¬
late principally (i. e. so far as they apply to
individuals) to the sanctification and final per¬
fection of the soul, an object not at all suited
to the taste of any but the true Christian,
To the Christian such promises are a rich
and refreshing cordial, " as rivers of waters in
a dry and thirsty land." To apply the pro¬
mises, as they are sometimes applied, in or¬
der to maintain the false confidence of an un¬
holy heart,—to represent them as the pro¬
perty of an unbelieving and impenitent soul,
is to abuse them to the purposes of fatal de¬
lusion. The true use of them is to animate
us to new diligence, to increase our zeal, to
prompt us to more self-denial, to wean us
from the world, and assist us in setting our
affections on things above.
6thly. Hope is justly considered a Chris¬
tian grace. "Now abideth Faith, Hope,
Charity." Here observe again, I speak of a
true, evangelical hope, the expectation of fu¬
ture and eternal deliverance from sin and mis¬
ery, through the free and pardoning grace of
God in Christ. Not of a hope that one is a
Christian—not of a vague dependence on
• the goodness of God to those who are " out
of Christ," but a hope that renounces all
other confidence, that looks away from self,
and anchors the soul " within the vail."
Bear with me, while I repeat so often the
views taken from the text, for if I fail in
communicating clear ideas on this point, my
labour and yours is lost. I say, this hope,
166
HOPE.
according t© St. Paul, is a true Christian
grace, that none but a renewed heart can feel
it, that no hypocrite or unbeliever, (however
confident,) possesses it, that it is our duty to
exercise it, that it is a powerful stimulus to
growth in grace, that it is the earnest of fu¬
ture blessedness, and a foretaste of heaven
itself. And let not these views be rejected or
slighted, my brethren, till they have been
candidly compared with the experience of
God's children and the declarations of his
word.
7thly. Finally, we learn from this subject
that the hope of the Gospel promotes humili¬
ty. The enemies of the truth, in deriding
the peculiar people of God, have generally
shewn their ignorance of the subject they
speak of, by describing the Christian as
made proud by the hope of special blessings
from God. Now we have seen that a genu¬
ine Christian hope proceeds on the total re¬
nunciation of all merit,—it lays hold of a free
gift, as the perishing beggar takes the supply
of his want from the hand of benevolence,—it
confesses absolute ruin and that as most just¬
ly due. The man stands, and must always
stand in the form of a petitioner—a suppliant,,
condemned criminal, who sees the sceptre of
mercy stretched out, and is allowed to touch
and live. And this confirms all that has been
said of the purifying influence of the Chris¬
tian's hope. Destroyed by sin, and humbled
by the very deliverance he experiences, he is
prepared to feel his weakness, to ask strength
HOPE.
167
and grace from on high, and to struggle for
the purification of his soul from that inward
pollution which has so nearly ruined his im¬
mortal hopes.
And now, my hearers, what think you of
the hope of the gospel F Surely it is a hope
that"maketh not ashamed." What would you
give,—what would you not give, my im¬
penitent hearers, to possess it ? It is the
" pearl of great price," it is worth more
than all your gold, and deserves all your
efforts. But glorious and " full of im¬
mortality" as it is, it is freely offered to you
in the gospel. This day you are invited to
come, to come as you are, in all your neces¬
sities and all your sins,—to cast yourselves
on the divine Reedemer, and fix your hopes
on the "rock of our salvation." O what
will you do without this hope ? In the
storms of adversity what will console you ?
In the hour of death what can support you ?
Be wise then, I entreat you, before it is too
late ;—and instead of dreaming of perfect fe¬
licity on earth, or final happiness without an
interest in Christ,—ts flee at once from the
wrath to come," and lay hold this day on
" the hope set before you in the gospel."
IS*
CHARITY.
1 TIMOTHY, I. 5.
NOTV THE END OF THE COMMANDMENT IS CHARITY-
OUT OF A PURE HEART, &C.
No attentive reader of the Scriptures can
fail to observe how prominent a place is there
given to charity. Whatever the word may
signify, the thing is evidently held up to
view as of the first importance, and this fact
may be considered as characteristic of the
system of religion unfolded in this book. St.
Paul, in his first Epistle to the Corinthians,
winds up his admirable description of chari¬
ty in these remarkable words, " And now
abideth faith, hope, charity, these three: but
the greatest of these is charity." The two
former have already been considered in pre¬
vious discourses, and it is now my design to
enlarge a little on the last in that arrange¬
ment, as it is presented in the words before
us: " now the end of the commandment is
charity," &c.
Uninspired men, when preaching on any
Christian grace or duty, no matter what, are
almost always sure to insist on it, that the
one they are considering, is the most im¬
portant that could be selected for discussion.
CHARITY.
169
Thus, at one time faith, at another repen¬
tance, jit a third self-examination is called
the most important of all subjects, and the
inconsistency hardly ever seems to he suspec¬
ted by the preacher. But in the text, as well
as in the passage just quoted from Corinthi¬
ans, we have an inspired decision of the
question 4 which is the most important qua¬
lity or duty that can call for reflection ?' It
is therefore no unmeaning effort to engage
the attention of my audience when I urge the-
importance of Charity, which the Bible it¬
self declares to be greater than faith and
hope, and the very end or object of the great
commandment which God has given.
By the term 4 commandment,'as it is used
in the text, I understand not only the law or
laws given by Moses, but the gospel dispen¬
sation also. It is manifest from the words
of Christ to the Scribe who asked 4 which is
the great commandment in the law ?' that He.
the author of the gospel, considered love to
God and love to man as the sum and sub¬
stance of the divine requirements, and this
love is charity. So, in the Apostoljc wri¬
tings,—44 Love is the fulfilling of the law.'*
And it is to be remembered 44 the Son of man
came not to destroy, (i e. to abrogate) but to
fulfil (i. e. to ratify) the law." The gospel
provides a ransom for those who have bro¬
ken the law,- but it does this in a way which
is designed and fitted <s to magnify the law,
.and make it honorable." " Do we then
make void the law through faith ?" says St.
no
CHARITY.
Paul, "God forbid I Nay, we establish the
law." It is not the mere pardon of past of¬
fences, my friends, which can render a man
happy or acceptable to God. His heart
must be purified, the love of God and man
must be " shed abroad" there by the influ¬
ences of the Holy Spirit, and until this is
done, the great end of the gospel has not been
answered in him. By the term command¬
ment then, as it is used in the text, I under¬
stand all that God has revealed to us as his
will respecting our duty and salvation.
If we suffer the scriptures to speak for
themselves, we shall have no difficulty in dis¬
covering what they mean by the word "cha¬
rity." The word generally and correctly
translated 1 love,' is the very same which is
here translated 1 charity.' Charity is so far
from being limited by the Scriptures to
alms-giving, that it it is carefully distinguish¬
ed in them from that duty. "Though I give
all my goods to feed the poor, and have not
charity (or love) it profiteth me nothing."
But there is another error too common and
prevalent. By many the term ' charity' is
always used to denote a disposition to think
favourably of the religious state and pros¬
pects of others, and that without or even
against evidence. Under the influence of
this sentiment, many affect to think it of no
importance what we believe, or whether we
believe at all what God has revealed. Un¬
der its influence, the difference between sin
and holiness is extenuated, and every fault
CHARITY.
excused as trivial and venial. Finally, un¬
der the influence of this spurious charity, it
is always presumed that those who live free
from flagrant crime, or draw near to death
with apparent calmness and resignation are
secure of final happiness,—especially if they
be professors of religion,—and that no at¬
tempts need be made to enlighten or
reclaim them. But this is manifestly incon¬
sistent with the best interests of our fellow-
men, and whatever charity may mean, it
surely does not signify any thing incompati¬
ble with the most vigorous efforts to do good.
It is true " charity believeth all things," that
is, all things which God reveals as truth, for
surely there can be nothing meritorious or ac¬
ceptable to God in believing what is false, or
in forming any opinion without evidence.
That passage is indeed supposed by some to
teach that charity will dispose us readily to
believe all the good we can of our neighbour,
i. e. all the good for which we can find even
plausible evidence. I am ready to admit
that true charity will incline us to listen with
promptness and satisfaction to the proofs of
our neighbour's virtues, but this is the me¬
dium between the counterfeit charity above
mentioned, and the opposite extreme of de¬
traction and censoriousness. While we are
to know men ' by their fruits,' and must not
lower the divine standard from blind jondness
or sinful complaisance to the guilty, we are
bound to form as favorable a judgment of our
brethren as their conduct will by any means
172
CHARITY".
justify, whenever we are called to form a
judgment. But, in my opinion, we are too
much given to judging, when we are not cal¬
led to it. We are needlessly impatient to
class all who come in our way, on the right
hand or on the left of the last tribunal. We
are too apt to forget that ik to his oWn mas¬
ter every man standeth or falleth," and that
our own case is soon to be decided by Him
who sees our hearts and therefore cannot
mistake our characters. We cannot bear to
be in suspense or doubt about the state of this
or that individual, while we are perhaps un¬
conscious that in surveying our lives, he finds
as much or more to make him feel at a loss
with, regard to us. But we must learn to
content ourselves without a decision of the
state and prospects of all around us ; this is
the prerogative of God, and the fruitless
search after it only draws us off from that
internal examination which it is at once our
duty and our interest to carry on.
The sum is,—charity, though it does em¬
brace the duty of forbearance towards the
imperfections, and readiness to allow all the
merits of another, by no means consists in a
loose and unqualified acceptance of all
around us (or even of all who profess piety)
as good or as safe. It is, I repeat it, love,—
love to God and love,to man. In other
words, it is holiness, for the principle of love
is the only root and spring of a holy life,
whether it be viewed in relation to our Ma-
charity.
173
ker and Redeemer, to our fellow-men, or to
ourselves.
This disposition the text informs us, is
4 the end of the commandment,' i. e. the prin¬
cipal or sum of the things required and the
result aimed at and effected by the revelation
God has made.* It will be my object, in
this discourse, briefly to illustrate and en¬
force the doctrine that love is the essential
at principal part of true religion. And here
I would make a remark, which, though
perhaps unnecessary to the experienced
Christian may not be altogether useless to
others. The remark is this,—that love to God
is by no means a constitutional or animal
feeling such as exists bfetween individuals
composed of flesh and spirit. "God is" alto¬
gether £i a spirit." Love to Him therefore,
must be a moral attachment to his character,
and to His law, which is a transcript or ex¬
pression of that character. Some good en¬
thusiasts have been in the habit of using lan¬
guage on this subject which may easily mis¬
lead the young, the inexperienced, or the
careless, and even divines of considerable re¬
putation have occasionally fallen into the er¬
ror. Hence some gross improprieties of ex¬
pression in devotional poetry. Even Doctor
Watts has occasionally darkened the glory of
the divine nature, and confounded the minds
of worshippers by using in relation to God
* Supreme love to God, and impartial love to our fellow-
men, is the sum of Christian duties no less than of the moral
law or decalogue.
15*
174
CHARITY.
and the Saviour, expressions suited only to
convey the idea of personal fondness between
human beings. Hence too, much darkness
and difficulty in self-examination. \\ hen
the question arises in the Christian's mind,
4 do I love God?' he is sometimes apt, I fear,
to look for a warmth of constitutional ten¬
derness like that he is conscious of towards
fellow-creatures. But as this can have no
place in the nature of things, he must either
feel needlessly distressed for the want of it,
or delude himself with a vain imagination
that he possesses it: whereas if he did, it
would not be love to God, it would have no
moral character, and therefore no moral
worth. Love to God is a moral attachment
to his character, and while I attempt to dis¬
tinguish it from any imaginary tenderness
like the constitutional feelings we are made
capable of towards our fellow creatures, I
would not be understood on the other hand
to signify, that it is only a cold, indifferent
state of the mind, a mere speculative appro¬
bation of his moral attributes as right and
good. No, it is capable of rising to ardour,
it implies zeal for his honor, it produces a
course of conduct so decided, persevering,
and self-denying, as to prove the sincerity
and strength of our regard. "If ye love me,
keep my commandments."—Not,—" If ye
love me, retire and try to inflame your minds
into emotions of imaginary warmth and ten¬
derness, without any real object or aim," but
" if ye love me, keep my commandments."
CHARITY.
175
But charity includes also love to men. It
is an impartial desire for their best good, in¬
clining us to steady and consistent efforts to
promote it, a real satisfaction in their virtu¬
ous enjoyments, and a cordial complacency
in their piety. The charity we speak, of,
views all men as the offspring of God, and
capable of eternal progress in holiness and
happiness. It looks with delight on the
image of Him who is the object of its supreme
regard, wherever that image is to be found.
It is as much opposed to sin, at it is attached
to holiness. It views sin as the only cause
of misery, nay, so closely connected with it
as almost to be identified. It considers spi¬
ritual ailments, wants and defects as more to
be lamented than any bodily distresses or ca¬
lamities. It desires for its object an eternal
state of pure and perfect enjoyment in the
presence of God, where neither sin nor sor¬
row, nothing that can afflict, nothing that
can pollute, shall ever be permitted to enter.
This heavenly disposition, produced in
man only by the new creating energies of the
Holy Ghost, is declared in the Scriptures to
be the sum and essence of religion, the ob¬
ject of the law, and the end of the gospel.
And the following reflections will suggest
some good reasons for giving it so prominent
a place in the system of truth.
1. It constitutes the character vff God him¬
self. " God is love." Not all mercy and
indulgence to sinners :—i£ A God all mercy
were a God unjust," No, love we have
176
charitt.
said, implies opposition and hatred to sin. It
is because God loves his intelligent creatures
that he forbids and punishes sin, which has
introduced disorder and misery among them.
Not only in the dealings of his Providence
and the provisions of the gospel, but in the
sanction of his law likewise, is this truth,
that "God is love," most clearly seen. It is
too common to oppose the law to the gospel,
as though in the former there were arrayed
nothing but restriction, and terror, and ven¬
geance ; and in the latter, nothing but peace,
and tenderness, and pardon. But nothing
can be more erroneous. The same God fra¬
med both, and the same attributes are ex¬
pressed in both. It is infinite love, which in
the one forbids and threatens sin as the
greatest enemy of good, and in the other al¬
lures its votaries back to God, and holds out
the offers of pardon. The same motives ac¬
tuated Jehovah in opposing and discounten¬
ancing sin, which induced him to provide a
ransom from its power and condemnation.
And both the law and gospel utter the same
awful prohibitions and threatenings against
it. The character of God thus displayed in
Scripture, is the standard of perfection. To
it we are commanded to conform our hearts.
Godliness, you know, (that is, likeness to
God) is a term used in Scripture, for the cha¬
racter we are commanded to assume. It is
the godly, that is, tho.se who are like God,
to whom all the promises are made ; and the
highest promise of felicity in the gospel, to
CHARITY.
177
those who strive to do his will is, that they
i{ shall be like him" when they " shall see
him as he is." It is no wonder then that
love is made so prominent in the gospel, since
it is the very character of God himself, Tut
2. It is the renewed character. It is the
disposition implanted by the Holy Ghost in
regeneration. The character of every man,
before this event, is the very opposite of cha¬
rity or love. " The carnal mind is enmity
to God," and the same heart which " fears
not God, regards not man," i. e. notwith¬
standing any natural amiable disposition or
social good qualities, instinctive or constitu¬
tional, no unregenerate man possesses any
sincere, expanded or genuine benevolence
towards his fellow-men. This will need no
proof to those who have attended touhe dis¬
tinction already drawn between true charity
(or love) and those qualities which often
usurp its name. But when " the old man
which with his deeds is corrupt," begins to
die, and "the new man which after God is
created in holiness and righteousness," be¬
gins to live and grow within us, " the old
leaven" of uncharitableness, malice, hatred,
and selfishness is purged out, and feelings
not only of love to God, but of love to men,
unfelt before, are exercised. The man now
sees God in every thing, and sees him with
reverence, admiration and delight. This
world is God's world, and men are his im¬
mortal offspring, destined to live forever.
Happiness is now seen to be intimately con-
178
CHARITY*
nected with holiness, and both to be of infi¬
nite value. Every intelligent being is thus
made valuable in his eyes, and he longs to see
all blessed, and blessed forever.
3. Again, Love, thus created in the re¬
newed heart, is " the fulfilling of the law."
This disposition by itself is a sufficient motive
to obedience. The want of love to Gqd and
man is the grand obstacle to the discharge of
every duty to either. Hut whenever this
feeling really exists in the heart, it will result
in cheerful obedience. It becomes the man's
meat and drink, to do God's will, and to do
good. He no longer aims at purchasing fa¬
vour by the discharge of duty, but the spon¬
taneous impulse of his soul is in this direc¬
tion ; the performance of every relative duty
is but the expression of this internal feeling.
And no other disposition ever produces the
cordial, steady, and universal obediencq
which God requires, while the want of love
is the fruitful source of all unrighteousness.
4. But a fourth reason for the prominence
given to charity in the gospel is, "itabi-
deth." t{ Whether there be prophecies—
they shall fail, or tongues—they shall cease,
or knowledge—it shall vanish away." The
work of grace is not only begun but carried
on by the Spirit of God, and we are encour¬
aged by his word to believe that wherever
his love is implanted, it shall grow and con¬
tinue unto the end. But it is not only the
perseverance of any single mind in the re¬
newed character which is here in view.
charity.
179
Charity will always be required by the law
of God, it will always exist in the universe.
When this dispensation of things shall have
passed away, when faith shall end in vision,
and hope in enjoyment, the love, which is
created in every renewed heart, will be in¬
dulged forever by " the nations of the sa¬
ved."
5. But this leads me to observe, in the last
place, that this disposition is the only happy
one. Not only is it the only disposition to
which the rewards of the gospel are promis¬
ed, but it is the only one capable of being
happy. Happiness consists principally in
the exercise of right feelings. The exercise
of love to God and man, therefore, makes
us happy in ourselves, whatever may be with¬
out. It defies time, and accident, and death
itself. All other things, if this be wanting,
may be possessed, and still we may be
wretched even in this life. But this dispo¬
sition is present happiness, and constitutes in
itself positive and indestructible enjoyment.
God himself is infinitely happy, only be¬
cause (with reverence be it spoken) He is in¬
finitely benevolent,—because He is love.
Nor can he make a creature happy in any
other way, than by giving him a heart to
love his Maker and his fellow men. The
happiness of Heaven consists, and will for¬
ever consist in exercising this disposition, i. e.
in perfectly loving the God who there mani¬
fests his glorious presence, and communing
in holy affections with the 'innumerable
180
CHARITY.
company of angels,' and 6 spirits of just men
made perfect.' Such is the happiness we
should pant after, the heaven we should
strive to enter,—and there, if we are indeed
the children of God, we shall at last sit down
with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, in His eter¬
nal kmgdom.
1. From this view of the subject, we see
the justice of the Apostle's conclusion, "The
greatest of these is charity."
Faith, indeed, is of vast importance, em¬
bracing as it does the revealed truth of God;
but that truth was given, not simply to be be¬
lieved, or received into the understanding.
" It is icith jhe heart man believeth unto
righteousness." The affections must be ac¬
ted upon and brought under the direction of
the truth, and then the petition of Christ
"sanctify them through thy truth, thy word
is truth," will be realized. Then, the man
will begin to love God supremely, and his
neighbour as himself. Hence orthodoxy in
religious matters may be and often is over¬
rated. It may exist in combination, not with
charity, but. that fiery spirit of controversy
which has in all ages afflicted the church.
The truth is, short-sighted man would have
ordained an entire uniformity in religious
opinions. We see what efforts have been
made, what libraries written, what wars
have been waged, and how much blood has
been shed to bring it about,—and all in
vain. In the wisdom of God, it has appear¬
ed better that all men should not agree in
SHAR1TY.
181
opinion. Thus a check has been put to the
corruption of the records of truth, and to the
reception of errors, which otherwise might
have become universal. The difference of
sentiment excites interest in the subject of
dispute, and causes much searching of the
scriptures and much effort to support religion
which would not otherwise have taken place,
and which are so directed and governed as to
turn out a great blessing to the church and
the world at large. No doubt, by being thus
divided, the church has embraced larger
numbers than she otherwise would have
done.
But this is far from being all. A field for
the most noble efforts of charity, especially
as it consists in brotherly love, or love to
Christians, has been opeued by these divi¬
sions ; and we see, in the present age, the
blessed and delightful effects. In the grow¬
ing triumphs of that " one faith" which is
held by true Christians of every name,—tri¬
umphs produced in a great measure by means
of this very union of heart,—we see the dis¬
tinctive nature and the heavenly power of
Christian charity. It is not uniformity of
opinions, but union of heart, (best shown
where opinions differ.) Let us then study to
exercise this temper to all who love the Lord
Jesus Christ in sincerity, b\ whatever name
they may he called, and instead of persecuting
those w ho differ from us, or being forward to
enter into controversy, let us remember the
16
182
CHARITY,
exhortation, i( He that is weak in the faith
receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.'*
2. This view of the subject suggests a
most effectual proof of the reality oi religion,
and of the truth and inspiration of the scrip¬
tures. We have seen that the sum and es¬
sence of the religion of the gospel is love,—
love to God, and love to man. Such is the
admirable simplicity of the divine plan, that
this one pervading principle, like gravitation
in matter, sets in motion the whole system.
It constitutes the character of God,—which
is our standard of perfection, the foundation of
onr hope, and our eternal theme of rejoicing.
It is the only character required of us, the on¬
ly effectual motive to duty, the only bond of
union among intelligent beings, the only cha*
racter that is capable of enjoying happiness
in itself, or of producing it in others. Such
a system speaks for itself,—such a system
declares, in plainer language than the sun,
moon and stars can utter it, that the hand
which made it is divine." Compare the
boasted schemes of religion and philosophy
with this—no ! they cannot be compared,—
but they maybe contrasted. In all human
systems selfishness is the ruling principle,
and in them all, as experience has shown, it
prod«ices its own genuine effects, corruption
and misery. These systems have all disap¬
pointed the hopes of their miserable votaries,
and while deluding them with the vain show
of liberty and pleasure, have oidy made them
slaves of sin and shut them up in despair.
CHARITY.
188
The fact then, that charity is the sum of evan¬
gelical religion is perfect internal evidence
of the truth and inspiration of the Scriptures.
But I have anticipated in some degree a
succeeding remark, to wit,
3. That from the preceding reflections,
we may learn in what the essence of sin
consists ; to wit, in selfishness. If is surely
no crime to love ourselves, to promote our
own real interests, but if it be our interest
to be happy,—happy now and happy for¬
ever, and if happiness principally consists
in the exercise of the holy emotions we
have been considering, then it is our true in¬
terest to love God supremely, and our fellow
men impartially. But selfishness inverts the
order of things,—it represents one little in¬
dividual as of more importance than the
whole universe besides. It falsely sets up
the interests of this one in opposition to those
of all other beings, whereas we have seen
that it is the individual's real interest to de¬
sire and promote the good of all the rest. A
colour is given to this delusion by substitu¬
ting in place of his real and permanent good
some deceptive and transitory object, which
is in itself incapable of producing extensive
happiness,—and which, even if it could
make him happy for a short period in the bo¬
dy, must soon fail to supply the wants of his
immortal soul. But if charity or love be true
religion, then, by the simplest of all rea¬
soning, sin must consist in that odious dis¬
position, selfishness. In every respect is the
334
CHARITY.
one the very opposite of the other. Is cha¬
rity conformed to the character of God ?—
selfishness is directly the reverse. Is love
the fulfilling of the law?—selfishness is the
grand motive to disobedience. Is benevo¬
lence the source of happiness within the soul
which it inhabits?—selfishness perpetually
disquiets the mind with vain desires, and in¬
ward storms of passion and conscious guilt.
Is charity the source of good to all around ?
—selfishness never voluntarily produced one
feeling of happiness in the breast of a fellow-
creature? Is love the cause of the bliss of
Heaven—a cause that will forever be in ope¬
ration ?—selfishness reigns and will forever
reign in hell. There it actuates, and will al¬
ways actuate daemons and lost spirits to rage
in impotent rebellion, while the chains of
eternal darkness that bind them shall last.
The interest they have set up in opposition to
the glory of God and the happiness of his
universal kingdom will forever be crushed by
the weight of Almighty power, and in its
endless ruin these conspirators against the
general good must be involved. Selfishness
then is sin,—the sum and essence of disobe¬
dience to the law and gospel, as truly as love
is the end and fulfilling of both.
4. These remarks may teach us the im¬
portance of the relative duties of life, and "id
us in judging of our own character and con¬
duct. It is perhaps a natural mistake to sup¬
pose, when the internal feelincs of true pie¬
ty are discussed, that we include all religion
CHARITY.
m
in mere emotions. Religion indeed consists
in right affections, bat the only proof of the
existence and rectitude of affections must ap¬
pear in the life and conduct. That is no love
to our neighbour which seeks to do him no
good. Love is the "end of the commandment"
and "the fulfilling of the law." Let us try our
supposed external obedience by this test.
Does it proceed from love ? for love and no¬
thing else fulfils the law. Or is it an extor¬
ted service,—done to quiet conscience, to be
seen of men, or purchase favor with God ?
And on the other hand, let us try our sup¬
posed love by the corresponding question,—
does it produce right conduct ? for love is the
fulfilling of the law. Or does it evaporate in
idle wishes,—-consist with sloth and self-in¬
dulgence at the expense of the general good,
—and allow us to imagine that our real inte¬
rests clash with the interests of others?
Surely, my Christian friends, it becomes us
to bring our affections and our conduct to
this only true standard. Here let us try
whether our religion be genuine or false.—
You see how the matter is all brought to a
point, according to the view we have taken
of this subject. True religion consists in be¬
nevolence, (that is, supreme love to God and
impartial love to men) while selfishness is
the very essence of sin. Are we then the
subjects of the former character, or do we
exhibit in our lives the latter odious disposi¬
tion ? Do our affections rise spontaneously
towards the character aud law of our God antf
16*
186
CHARITY#
Redeemer? Are these the subject of our night¬
ly thoughts and our daily aspirations ? And
is the honour of our Master, and the spread
of his kingdom ever near our hearts, ever sti¬
mulating our hands to active exertion ? Do
we love our neighbour as ourselves ? Do
we sincerely desire and pray for the lasting
good of all ? And do we prove the sincerity
of our desires and prayers by seizing every
opportunity to do good to those within our
reach ? Do we not neglect the humble, the
ignorant, the abandoned ? Do we take de¬
light in doing good in secret, and not only to
the bodies but the souls of men ? Do we
consider their immortal interests as of the
first importance, nay, of infinte value, and
do we know by experience, that it is more
blessed to give than TO receive"? can
we take pleasure in denying ourselves that
others may be benefitted ?
But are there not some of my hearers who
are conscious on the first glance at their
hearts and lives, that they are still alienated
from God, and destitute of evangelical love
to men ? What a humiliating discovery, my
friends, do you make, whenever you survey
yourselves in the mirror of divine truth !
Love is the only true beauty of the mind.
But in the image of yourselves here presen¬
ted to you, there is no flattery. Here you
see yourselves displayed in all the deformity
of selfishness,—a temper that makes you as
unlike God as you can be, that sets you in
opposition to him and to the good of the
CHARITY.
187
whole universe, nay, to your own eternal hap¬
piness :—a temper that completely insulates
you from all your fellow-beings, and pre¬
vents their benefitting you, as well as your
doing good to them,—a temper that would
poison to you the very atmosphere of Hea¬
ven, and force you to seek the company of
congenial spirits in the world of guilt and
misery.
If it be " more blessed to give than to re¬
ceive," he who never desires nor strives to
promote the good of others must voluntarily
choose to be inferior in dignity and en¬
joyment. Will you then choose to pursue
forever, and forever to pursue in vain, a se¬
parate good, when you might promote a ge¬
neral, a vast, an infinite, an eternal sum of
happiness,—a happiness which becomes
greater to every individual, the more there
are to enjoy it. Behold the turpitude and
wretchedness of living without God, and in¬
dulging a selfish disregard to others, and be
persuaded, before it is too late, to repent of
your sin and folly; and to fly to the only re¬
fuge that you may live forever!
USE OF PROPERTY.
haggai, ii. 8.
THE SILVER IS MINE, AND THE GOLD 13 MINE;
SAITH THE LORD OP HOSTS.
The subject now to be presented before
you, my hearers, is commonly reserved for
those occasions when contributions are soli¬
cited to promote charitable objects. The ar¬
guments and motives which are urged in
such cases maj indeed do much good. They
may increase the liberality of those who
come prepared to give; they may reprove
the niggardliness of those who attend with no
such design ; they may be remembered and
produce an effect for the future on many who
hear them. But there are numbers and those
pretty regular, or at least frequent in their at¬
tendance at church, who never hear sermons
intended to aid the funds of charitable insti¬
tutions. May there not be some present to¬
day, who would not have attended on an an¬
niversary discourse, delivered perhaps at
night, and followed by a collection ? My
design is not to promote any single charita¬
ble object, but to lay down the scriptural
doctrine of property in general, and thence
to infer our duty, with regard to charitable
VSE OF PROPERTY.
189
objects in particular. The words before us
are part of a message from God to the Israel¬
ites concerning the building of the second
temple. Oppressed, degraded and impove¬
rished as they had been during the long capti¬
vity from which they were just brought back,
they had it in view to erect a house of prayer,
but from the pressure of poverty and other dif¬
ficulties, they were almost ready to give ifp
the object in despair. To encourage them
in their design, to chide their delays, to raise
their hopes and enforce their duty, was Bag-
gai sent, and the declaration in the text
made. This declaration embraces the fol¬
lowing propositions.
I. God has a superior title to all the pro¬
perty of his-creatures.
II. He distributes property among men,
and directs the disposal of it.
III. It is to be employed for him, i. e. ac¬
cording to his requirelhents, and for his glo¬
ry-
I. God has a superior title to all the pro¬
perty of his creatures. This will be evident
if we consider for a moment that He created
it, and that it was formed for the same great
end which he had in view in bringing intel¬
ligent beings into existence. There is an
unspeakable difference between the claim of
a creator, and that which any creature can
make. We are capable of no other proper¬
ty in any thing, but that which consists in
using it; and when our enjoyment of what
falls to our share is inconsistent with ano-
190 USE OF PROPERTY.
ther's enjoying it, our right to it simply
amounts to a prohibition of his using it. Our
use is limited in time, and we can obtain
property only by our labour, or the free gift
or consent of others. But God's title is the
same, whoever may now be the occupant ;
and as no diminution of his possessions, or
his rights, can take place, so no addition can
he made to them.
But farther, the great proprietor of all
things is in as strict a sense the owner of his
intelligent creatures, as he is of whatever they
possess. All they are, and therefore all they
have is his. And in the gospel, this is repre¬
sented bv the parable of the taknis, in which
the property entrusted the servants is de¬
clared to be their Lord's. Thus David
teaches us, " the earth is the Lord's and the
fulness thereof,—for he hath founded it upon
the seas and established it upon the floods
And so the prophet in the text and context;
44 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine,
saith the Lord—who made all these things."
II. He distributes property among men,
and directs the disposal of it. Since all that
men call their own, is in a much fuller and
higher sense His, they can only occupy
w hat he allows, they can enjoy only what he
provides, they can use only what he lends.
When 44 riches take to themselves wings and
fly away," it is at his command. "The Lord
gave," said Job, " and the Lord hath taken
away ; blessed be the name of the Lord !"
And the measure of wealth is fixed by him
USE OF PROPERTY. 191
,as well as the possessor of it. In his myste¬
rious wisdom, he adds to one what he tales
from another, prospers the labors of this man,
while lie blasts the fields of his~ neighbour,
and sends to that an unexpected treasure,
amassed in other climes by some distant
connexion whom the inheritor has never
seen. By appointing the birth of an indivi¬
dual in a given family, he ordains what his
condition in life shall be in this as well as
in all other respects. In controlling the af¬
fairs of nations, the varying times and sea¬
sons, the action of the winds and waves, he
determines what opportunities and advanta¬
ges whole classes of men in every country
shall have for acquiring that wealth which
they are so prone to boast of as the product
of their own enterprise, skill, and industry.
And God determines the disposal of proper¬
ty bv this very distribution of it. When he
intends that good institutions shall flourish in
a community, he gives a suitable proportion
of wealth to men disposed to favour such es¬
tablishments. ThenchureheS rise, hospitals
are founded, colleges are erected, and socie¬
ties formed for the alleviation of every hu¬
man suffering, and the increase of human
happiness Thus "the/ silver and the gold"
are the Lord's, who distributes them and di¬
rects their disposal.
III. Property is to be employed for him,
i. e. according to his requirements, and for
his glory. If all we possess be His, who
made us and ail things, and who gave us
192 tfSE CM PKOFEUT*.
whatever we enjoy, if the talents we are per¬
mitted to occupy are but entrusted to us by
our Heavenly Master, the obligation to dis¬
pose of them for the purposes he had in view is
complete. Those purposes he only can make
known, but they are all included in the end
for which hp made all things,—the glory of
his name Nor can we always be sure of at¬
taining this end, unless we are taught by him
what means are bpst suited to it. Let no
man therefore say he will do as he pleases
with his own, with an intention of denying
God's superior claim to all he has,—or with a
resolution to disregard that claim. His title to
cur property and ourselves is absolute and in¬
defeasible. His right to direct the disposal
of every emit, both as to the- object and the
way, r, perfect. In his word he has given
directions explicit enough on this subject,
and in bis Providence he often furnishes us
with opportunities of honoring him with our
increase. When he presents at your door an
object of charity,—a wretched, starving out¬
cast,—he calls for a portion of what you can
very well spare, and reminds you that (l he
who giveth to the poor, lendeth to the
Lord." When you are called upon to aid in
making the gospel known to those who are
now involved in the gloom of savage igno¬
rance, can there be a doubt what is your du¬
ty, if von are blessed with such a compe¬
tence thai you can spare any thing p I say
nothing ol the leeling (or r.thri the want of
feeling) you betray in refusing; I speak not
USE OF PROPERTY.
193
of your mistrust of Him whose providence
feeds the raven, and watches over the spar¬
row:—I simply urge the right which He has,
as the great proprietor of all things, to direct
the disposal of all. And the requirement
is, i( give as God hath prospered."
By this, it is not meant that all we have
over a bare subsistence is to be devoted to
charitable uses. All that is proposed is, that
out of our abundance, whether that be less
or more, we make some systematic and pro¬
portionate appropriation, which we should
consider as a sacred fund, not to be touched
for any worldly purpose. When the neces¬
saries and comforts of life have been suppli¬
ed to ourselves and takmr families, when we
have provided for the education of our chil¬
dren, the support of government, and our own
share of religious privileges, we, or most of
us, have still something left, and though the
sum be small, it is always accepted "accord¬
ing to what a man hath, and not accord¬
ing to what he hath not." God loveth a
cheerful giver, and the poor and pious wi¬
dow's mite was a more precious offering than
all the ostentatious or hard-wrung gifts of
purse-proud worldlings. In choosing among
the objects of benevolence, as well as in de¬
termining how much of our income we can
spare for benevolent purposes, we must ho¬
nestly judge as well as we can on scriptural
principles. If we are able to give something
for every good work, will it not be a blessed
privilege? And if unable to give for every
17
194
USE OF PROPERTY.
good work, will not a truly benevolent man
rejoice to aid in as many such works as he can?
We are bound then to employ our proper*
ty according to.the directions of God, and
lor his glory. The silver is mine, and the
gold is mine, saith the Lord of Hosts."
''Will a man rob God ? yet have ye robbed
me," saith the Lord, to his rebellious people
of old. i( But ye say wherein have we rob¬
bed thee ?"
This brief view of the doctrine contained
in the text, on which it is unnecessary to en¬
large, suggests the following reflections.
1. We are bound to feel the most perfect
contentment with all the allotments of divine
Providence, as to our external circumstances.
If all we are, and all we have, belong to
God, how dare we quarrel with his disposal
of us and of it ? May he not do what he
please with his own ? The distribution he
has made must be not only just, because he
has a right to dispose of it, but wise, because
he leaves nothing to the power of chance.
Firmly grounded then in the belief that
(l the silver and the gold are the Lord''swe
shall be satisfied with his distribution of it,
and thankfully receive the portion he permits
us to enjoy.
2. For the use of all we possess we are
responsible. As the servants of God, in¬
trusted with his goods, we must give an ac¬
count at last. Whether it be what is given
us for the support of our families, for the
maintenance of public institutions, or the re-
USE OF PROPERTY.
195
lief of suffering humanity, whether it be ours
according to human law, or public property
which we manage, or charity funds which
we are to distribute, we are bound to employ
them to the best advantage for the objects to
which lie has assigned them, in order to pro¬
mote his glory, and produce the good which
they are capable of effecting.
If our money be his, we must lay it out to
the best advantage, in accordance with his
plans and objects, and never forget the reck¬
oning which is one day to take place. No
waste on the one hand, no selfish hoarding
on the other, can accord with his plans and
objects; no unhallowed worldly policy, no
dishonest schemes of money-making, can
be safe from his keen inspection now, or his
awful frown at last.
3. Farther, these views of property will
tend to make us liberal. If our money be
his, we have no right to withhold it when he
calls for it. It is a privilege to act for him,
to he the minister of his bounty, the steward
of his property ;—it is a privilege to accept
and honor his draughts, and thus to transact
business for the King of kings ; promoting
the accomplishment of his gracious purposes
and the extension of his kingdom over this
rebellious world.
4. From the doctrine of our text, we learn
to e'stimate the manner in which men act
with regard to property. Compare the con¬
duct of men in this particular, with the prin¬
ciples we have deduced from the text, and
196 use of Property.
what is the result ? The man who keejps all
he gets, and gets all he can, cannot, accord¬
ing to the text, be trul y called an honest man.
If in their dealings, men do not absolutely
defraud their neighbours, they count them¬
selves honest, and boast of their integrity. 'An
honest man,' they will tell you, (and by this,
so low is their standard, they mean no more
than one who does not actually cheat,) 'An
honest .man's the noblest work of God.' But
if the "silver and the gold are the Lord's,"
he who feels he has a right to apply it all to
his own selfish purposes,—he who says he
will do as he pleases with his own, and per¬
haps resents an application for charity, whe¬
ther he be avaricious or prodigal, cannot be
esteemed honest in the ey e of God's law.
No disposal of property which does not fully
recognize it to be God's, intrusted with us to
be employed to the best advantage for the
objects He would have it promote, and to be
accounted for at last, can be considered as at
all justifiable.
Men often meet the solicitations of bene¬
volent institutions with contempt, they often
give a harsh denial, they even dare to com¬
plain as if there were some dishonorable de¬
sign cherished by the charitable to deprive
them of their property. But those who act
thus treat the claims of God with contempt,
they refuse him what is his own, and* find
fault with him for presenting his just de¬
mands. Of course, my friends, you will
understand me to speak of such benevolent
tJSB OF PROPERTY* 197
institutions as Rro judicious and scriptural in
their object and operations, such as commend
themselves to every good man's conscience,
when I make such declarations in their be¬
half. But, with these qualifications, we
need not hesitate to declare that the calls of
benevolence are the calls of God, for God is
benevolence itself.
Nor do i here intend to applaud that in¬
discriminate and inconsiderate generosity
which is the pride of many an unregenerate
man, and of which the people of this region
are peculiarly apt to make their boast. How
often will you hear it extolled as if it were
virtue itself, and better than even the piety of
the gospel. 1 acknowledge, my friends, that
piety without true generosity, (if we could
suppose such a monster to exist) would be
like the sun shorn of its beams. It is not the
piety which it is the privilege of a minister of
Christ to spend his life in recommending.
But in what does this so much boasted ge¬
nerosity consist ? Simply in this, a man of
warm natural sympathies, who perhaps ne¬
ver laboured to earn a dollar in his life, but,
may be, supported by the labour of others,
and therefore knows little of the value of mo¬
ney, supposing himself, and not God, the
absolute master of wiiatever he possesses, and
without taking the trouble to examine the
degree or reality of the suffering he is called
on to relieve, opens his purse, upon solicita¬
tion, and this is called generosity, and is es¬
teemed highly acceptable to God. But if the
1 7*
198 USE OP PROPERTY.
" silver and the gold be the Lord's," how
false is the common estimate of this supposed
virtue! Leaving out of view the fact that
it is rather a weakness, and often the subject
of ridicule to the very persons who profit by it,
it is plainly seen in the light of our text to
be sinful. It is not true benevolence, it has
no love to God and no judicious love toman
in it. It does not acknowledge God's right
nor our responsibility. We have no right
thus inconsiderately to throw to the winds
what belongs to God, and what he has or-
flained to be employed systematically and
carefully for his purposes. We are bound to
keep for better uses what is not really wan¬
ted by any pretended object of compassion,
to regulate the disbursement according to
our means, and the necessity where it really
exists, and to consider well before we appro¬
priate a cent, since for every cent we must
account.
Thus, we learn from our text how to esti¬
mate the manner in which men dispose of pro¬
perty. We learn to consider the boasted ho¬
nesty of those who never give, and the vaun¬
ted generosity of those who never refuse, as
equally inconsistent with the duty of faithful
stewards for God.
5. If "the silver and the gold is the Lord's,"
there is no room for valuing ourselves on our
charities. This, it is often said, is the age
of benevolence. I am unwilling to deny that
the liberality of Christians in the present age
has been on the increase,—at any rate that
t?S£ OF PROPERTY.
199
greater sums of money have been spent with¬
in the last twenty five years for benevolent
purposes than were formerly spent in the
same way. Let us not, however, glory in
this. Our resources, it ought to be remem¬
bered, are greater, and our increase in bene¬
volence is not, 1 fear, more noticeable than
our growth in luxury and dissipation. Our
information with regard to the condition of
the world, and with regard to our duty of
evangelizing it, is far superior to that posses¬
sed by Christians in former days. But
when we compare all the expenditures of
the present age for benevolent objects, with
what we owe to God,—and this is the just
standard,—how trifling an acknowledgment
do they amount to of the obligations we are
under to devote ourselves and our all to him !
When we compare them with the sums spent
in vice and war, how small do they appear !
The expenditures of some single campaigns
would almost feed the hungry, clothe the
naked, and furnish all necessary religious in¬
struction, throughout half the globe.
My friends, let us bring the .subject home
to our ourselves. Can we boast of our libe¬
rality, if we remember the great principle of
the text? Do we honestly devote all that
with which God has intrusted us to the pur¬
pose he has in view ? Do we apply such a
share of our property as we conscientiously
believe he approves to benevolent objects ?
Do we rejoice to do this, and count it a. privi¬
lege f JDo we give liberally and cheerfully,
2100 USE OF PROPERTY.
and without solicitation? Do we never give
with a grudging, stinting hand, as if it
were a punishment, as if we were suffering
extortion, as if we feared we should lose
by it, as if we were doing God or those
who solicit it a great favour ? Do we ne¬
ver say what is calculated to. wound the
feelings of those who propose a benevolent
object to us ? Do we never show that
we intend to stipulate for giving as small a
sum as we think it all decent to give ? Do
we ever set ourselves to think what-and how
much good we can do with our money ?
Do we estimate how much we can spare for
benevolent purposes ? Do we never make
the gifts of others our standard ? If we can¬
not answer these questions satisfactorily, how
groundless is our boast of generosity ! How
many are disposed to value themselves on
the number of their benefactions, especially
when urged to another which they design to
refuse ! When therefore it is said 4 this is
the age of benevolencef I answer, it is the
age of boasting. • How opposite is this self-
applause for doing most meagerly and reluc¬
tantly only a small portion of our duty, to the
spirit of that command which enjoins us not
to do our alms to be seen of men, yea," not to
let our right hand knoiv what our left hand
doeth!
6. From the text we learn farther, the ab¬
surdity and the guilt of the excuses often
made for not giving. I speak all along, my
friends, of those icho can afford to give, and
USE OF PROPERTY.
201
not of those who in the providence of God
are allowed to he in want themselves, or
can obtain bv their labour no more than the
%/
necessaries of life. Of the latter class I do
not speak. But there are numbers who
plead poverty whenever they are asked to
contribute to benevolent objects, numbers
just as sincere, just as.honest in making this
plea, as the man who declares to his credi¬
tors in the day that he cannot pay them and
yet is seen at night in a theatre. Those who
plead poverty when God demands a portion
of his own, a small amount, from what he has
committed to their care, to be occupied for
him till he shall come, approach much near¬
er than they are aware of to the sin of Ana¬
nias and Sapphira;—I had almost said they
" lie unto the Holy Ghost." They may de¬
ceive men, but they cannot deceive that God
whom by so flimsy a pretext they would de¬
fraud of his own; they can never enjoy the
blessedness ol the poor widow, whose two
mites were so graciously acknowledged by
our Saviour, nor will they be likely to hear
that testimony of Christ at last,—" I was
hungry aud ye gave me meat, thirsty and ye
gave me driuk, sick and ye visited me, in pri¬
son and ye came unto me :—inasmuch as ye
did it unto one of tlse least of these my breth¬
ren, ye did it unto me."
And are there any who fear to give for
charitable purposes, lest they should sink into
poverty ? Any, I mean, who are sensible
they can now afford to give, but fear that
202
USE OF PROPERTY,
giving what they do not want now, will
bring them to future want? Such feelings
are not only contrary to the confidence in
God which our Saviour enjoins upon us, but
inconsistent with the views enforced in the
text. " The silver and the gold" to which
you cling so earnestly, is not jour own,—it
" is the Lord's." If He calls for it now,
dare you withhold it on such a plea ? If you
do, well may you fear He will withdraw the
deposit you thus prove yourself so unworthy
to be entrusted with, and make you an ex¬
ample of the truth of that proverb, u There
is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it
tendeth only to poverty." But the grand, I
had almost said universal excuse for not giv¬
ing, is yet to be considered. "There are so
many calls." Ask for what you will, how¬
ever small the sum solicited, in comparison
with the estate of the person,—however great
the necessity of the case, however important
the object, howeyer imperative the duty,—
this is the answer you receive, " There are
so many calls." This is as good an answer
to one application as to another,—it is equal¬
ly good for any number of calls. It is a
more frequent answer from the man who
does not give on any application, than from
him who gives on many occasions. How
many make it a reason for not giving to a sin¬
gle one that there are so many ! This excuse
seems to carry evasion on its very face. The
person who makes it, insinuates that because
he cannot give to so many objects, therefore
USE OF PROPERTY.
203
he cannot give to any one ; an argument he
would not offer in direct terms. Such is the
miserable sophistry contained in the language
itself. But when we weigh it in " the ba¬
lance of the sanctuary," when we compare
it with the doctrine of the text, how sinful
as well as weak does it appear! God's
property, with which I am intrusted, is by
him intended to be appropriated to different
purposes,—a part, first, for the necessaries
and conveniences of life, a part for the car¬
rying on of business, a part for benevolent
objects; I am to ascertain as well as I can
how large, these several portions are, and I
am bound moreover, to distribute according
to my best judgment, among benevolent ob¬
jects, that amount which justly accrues from
the property committed to my care. The
simple question to be asked, when a cb 11 is
made, is this,—' Is there any thing now in
my hands appropriated by God to benevo¬
lent purposes?' and if so, do other benevolent
objects, according to my best judgment, de¬
mand it all ? If so, then I am not at liberty
to give. But if not, I am bound to do it
cheerfully and readily. I am bound to give
not as giving my own, but as cheerfully pay¬
ing over for God what he has put into my
hand for this very purpose. I am bound to
count every call a privilege, in which I am
permitted to do something for God, to act as
He acts, for He always gives and never re¬
ceives. 1 ought to find a heavenly pleasure
in communicating good—iike him who
204 USE OF PROPERTY.
" though he was rich, yet for our sakes be¬
came poor:" I must remember that what
we retain without His approbation, becomes
an unhallowed possession, and mav justly be
followed with His curse, and that we, are not
sure of having it if we keep it back from him,
who not only can take away our idols from
us, but can take us away in His wrath from
our idols. Instead of feeling that a personal
favour is asked of us on such an occasion, we
ought to feel that an honor is conferred upon
us, and that all we have to do, is, as honest
stewards, to dispose of a trust for him who
gave us all. Let us be thankful, my friends,
that sc many good designs are progressing,
and pray that every such design ma_y be suc¬
cessful. That every device of Satan may be
counteracted, every province of his empire be
invaded, and the kingdom of God extended
on every hand.
7. But the text not only reproves the nig¬
gardly giver or denier of charity—it con¬
demns the means too. often used by Chris¬
tians for the promotion of benevolent objects.
Too often are men of every description soli¬
cited in terms which seem to admit that the
"silver and the gold" is theirs and not "the
Lord's." Too often it seems to be granted
that they have a right to withhold it all. Too
often are those who cannot be thought to
feel any interest in the Redeemer's cause,
complimented with high stations in our cha¬
ritable societies, to gain their patronage, their
condescending notice, or their pecuniary aid,
HSE OF PROPERTY.
205
or by way of acknowledging their past fa¬
vours. Too often do we hear the term beg¬
ging applied to the business of urging men to
u render unto God the things which are
God's,"—and indeed the manner of those
who engage in this work is too often that of
mendicants, who might be thought to beg
money for their own personal advantage.
But what an insult is this to the great Pro¬
prietor of all things, to,our great and gracious
benefactor, to our Almighty Redeemer and
Judge ? It is high time, Christian brethren,
to remember the doctrine of our text, and to
act accordingly. It is high time we should
learn to pray to Him, whose are the silver
and the gold, for the means to carry on His
work. He can prosper the liberal, or "open
the hearts" of the wealthy, and thus abun¬
dantly furnish the treasury of Christian be¬
nevolence. And while we raise our eyes
and lift our hearts to Him, we do no more
than our duty to God and our neighbour, in
proposing to all who are able to come and
unite with us, and contribute for the glory of
His name, and the promotion of virtue and
happiness in the world.
8. W e see the need of a great increase of
true piety,—the genuine benevolence of the
gospel. In what a languishing state are ma¬
ny of our benevolent institutions, my hear¬
ers ! Some of the most important among
them, through want of means, are capable of
doing little or nothing for the cause they are
intended to promote. Nothing but the genn?
^06 USE OF PROPERTY.
ine benevolence of the gospel (in other words,
true piety, or love to God and man,) leads
men to act with regularity and system on this
subject, according to the spirit of the text.
None but a pious man feels that himself and
all that he has belongs to God, and must be
employed for Him. No wonder then while
we have so little piety among us, that there
is so little willingness to make sacrifices and
undergo privations for the promotion of holi¬
ness among men. What a striking proof of
the need of a great increase of pure and un-
defiled religion is found in the apathy
generally felt with regard to the cause of
Christ,—the fewness of those who usually
assemble when charitable objects are to be
attended to,—and the stinted contributions
received for these purposes. When Zac-
cheus was brought to repentance for his sins
and faith in Christ, the first proof that he
gave of the change that had taken place in
his heart was, that that heart was delivered
from " the love of money, which is the root
of all evil," and opened to feel the happiness
of doing good.
But finally, we need not fear the final fai¬
lure of benevolent designs for want of the
means to carry them on. t( The silver and
the gold are the Lord's." He distributes
property and controls the disposal of it for
His own glory. If we will not employ it for
the purposes He approves, He can take it
from us and give it to those who will. If we
do not feel the same benevolent impulse
USE OF PROPERTY. 207
which moved the glorious Redeemer to pity
and save us, God " who has the hearts of all
men in His hand," not only can but will ex¬
cite others to imitate his example. We may
be willing to give up the honor and the de¬
light of sharing in the promotion of His
cause, we may be so deluded as to think we
lose nothing by this,—nay, we may imagine
we gain; but His great designs will not be
frustrated by our neglect and indifference.
Our true wisdom lies in securing to ourselves
the honor and the happiness of being (i work¬
ers together with God." How will it conse¬
crate and .sweeten all the temporal enjoy¬
ments we derive from our property to realize
that it is His, given us for purposes kind to
us and benevolent to others,—intended to
promote our highest enjoyment, not in the
pride of independence, or the indulgence of
sloth and extravagance, but in the luxury of
doing good. May God diffuse the spirit of
enlarged benevolence among us, and may we
all know by happy experience that " it is
more blessed to give than to receive."
THE END.