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 Good hope through grace 
 
GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE ; 
 
 OB 
 
 DISTINGUISHING TRAITS 
 
 OF 
 
 CHRISTIAN CHARACTER. 
 
 BY GARDINER SPRING, D. D. 
 
 i] yao Kapdla gov ova Ictlv ev-&ela humov tov Qeov. 
 
 A NEW EDITION. 
 
 PUBLISHED BY THE 
 AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY, 
 
 150 NASSAU-STREET, NEW YORK. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Introduction 5 
 
 1. Visible Morality 9 
 
 2. Form of Religion - 15 
 
 3. Speculative Knowledge 25 
 
 4. Conviction of Sin - - - - 30 
 
 5. Confidence in Good Estate 40 
 
 6. Love to God - - 63 
 
 7. Repentance - 82 
 
 8. Faith - - 100 
 
 9. Humility - - - 119 
 
 10. Self-denial --- 137 
 
 11. Spirit of Prayer - 151 
 
 12. Love to the Brethren 164 
 
 13. Non-conformity to the World - 172 
 
 14. Growth in Grace - - - 185 
 
 15. Practical Obedience 198 
 
 Conclusion -' 212 
 
INTRODUCTION, 
 
 There is a hope that is as an anchor to the 
 soul ; and there is a hope that is as the spi- 
 der's web. The former is built on the Eock 
 of ages ; the latter on the sand. The one 
 perisheth when God taketh away the sonl; 
 the other is sure and steadfast, entering into 
 that which is within the veil. 
 
 The hope of the Christian is founded on 
 evidence. The disciple of Jesus is ready to 
 give an answer to every one that asketh him 
 a reason of the hope that is in him. He is 
 born of the incorruptible seed. His hope 
 maketh not ashamed, because the love of 
 God is shed abroad in his heart by the Holy 
 Ghost which is given unto him. 
 
6 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The hope of the self- deceived is founded 
 on presumption. He is ^Tapt up in false 
 secuiity. A deceived heart hath turned him 
 aside. There is a lie in his right hand. He 
 imagines he is right, while he is fatally 
 wrong; he hopes he is going to heaven, 
 while he is in the broad way to hell. 
 
 It is no inconsiderable thing, therefore, to 
 possess the spirit of real rehgion. Multitudes 
 substitute the shadow for the substance, and 
 rest satisfied with a mere name to live. It is 
 indeed no inconsiderable thing to have ac- 
 tually passed from death unto life. Multi- 
 tudes cherish the hope of the di^T.ne favor, 
 who ^ill at last be confounded with disap- 
 pointment, and sunk dee^D in despair. Let 
 the reader therefore sit dovm to the follow- 
 ing pages with this solemn question before 
 him : Am I the friend of God, or am I his 
 enemy ? It will be too late to put this ques- 
 tion by and by. Perhaj)s you fear that you 
 are God's enemy. Perhaps you hope you 
 are His friend. To aid you in deciding this 
 
INTRODUCTION. Y 
 
 interesting point, is tlie design of the follow- 
 ing pages. There are some things that are 
 neither for nor against you ; there are others 
 that are clecisively in your favor. The first 
 five Essays will exhibit several traits of char- 
 acter that cannot be relied on as conclusive 
 evidence of genuine rehgion. The last ten 
 will exhibit several that may be rehed on, 
 without danger of deception. 
 
 The importance of the subject constrains 
 the Tsaiter to use great freedom and plain- 
 ness. The plainness which he has used also 
 constrains him to beg his readers to suspend 
 their decision of the solemn question before 
 them, until they shaU have taken a fiiU view 
 of the subject. If any thing should be said 
 that wounds them, let them remember it is 
 the " wound of a friend." The honor of God, 
 the value of the soul, the awful retributions 
 of eternity, aU make me more solicitous to 
 save you, than to please you. 
 
 Searcher of hearts, send out thy light and 
 thy truth, and let them lead me. Discover 
 
8 INTEODUCTION. 
 
 their deception to the self-deceived, and make 
 thy dear children strong in the gi-ace that is 
 in Christ Jesus. 
 
 New York, October 5, 1813. 
 
GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE, 
 
 1. VISIBLE MORALITY. 
 
 " Man looketh on the outward appearance." 
 It is not by a few that visible morality is view- 
 ed as the " narrow way which leadeth to life." 
 It would be an impeachment of the under- 
 standing of my readers, to say that mere 
 morality is not conclusive evidence of Chris- 
 tian character, were it not for the multitude 
 of hopes that are built upon this crumbling 
 basis. An unblemished moral character is 
 in itself so amiable, that it not only com- 
 mands the respect and esteem of others, bu^ 
 secures the confidence of those who possess 
 it. If a man is honest, industrious, and tem- 
 perate ; faithfal to his promises, and punctual 
 in his engagements ; if he possesses a friend- 
 ly, humane, kind, generous, and noble spirit, 
 he views himself, and is viewed by the world 
 1* 
 
10 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GKACE. 
 
 around him, to be a " good-liearted man," 
 and in a fair way to heaven. If he is correct 
 in his external demeanor; if he avoids all 
 overt acts of immorahty; if he is innocent 
 and harmless ; if his honor is nnsnUied and 
 his name without reproach, though he may 
 confess that he is not so good as he should 
 be, yet he beheves he is much better than he 
 is. He sees nothing to shake his hopes, or 
 alarm his fears. Look abroad into the world, 
 and see the thousands that rest here for eter- 
 nity. Melancholy view! "The heart is" 
 indeed " deceitful above all things," as well 
 as " desperately wicked." 
 
 The man who is merely moral is a stranger 
 to the living God. "While he sustains an un- 
 impeachcd character in the view of the world, 
 he may neither beheve the principles of the 
 gospel, nor practise the duties of piety. He 
 may be invincibly averse to every species of 
 immorahty on the one hand ; but he is equal- 
 ly so to the exactness and spiiituahty of re- 
 Hgion on the other. The infinitely important 
 duties which he owes to God, he keeps en- 
 tirely out of sight. Of loving and serving 
 him, he Imows nothing. Whatever he does. 
 
VISIBLE MORALITY. 11 
 
 or whatever lie leaves undone, he does noth- 
 ing for God. He may be honest in his deal- 
 ings with everybody except God. He robs 
 none but God. He is thankless and faith- 
 less to none but God. He speaks reproach- 
 fully of none but God. A just view of the 
 relation which he bears to God forms no 
 part of his principles, and the duties which 
 result from that relation form no part of his 
 morality. He contents himself with mere 
 external conformity to the duties of the second 
 table. Like the young man in the gospel, he 
 may not have committed murder, nor adul- 
 tery, nor theft, nor perjury, from his youth 
 up; while, hke him, he may have laid up 
 treasures for himself, and not be rich toward 
 God. He is earthly and sensual, rather than 
 heavenly and spiritual. 
 
 In the sight of God, such a character is 
 radically defective. The moral man is Hke 
 Israel of old — an empty vine, because he 
 bringeth forth fruit to himself. He is no 
 better than the unprofitable servant ; no bet- 
 ter than a cumberer of the ground, who will 
 at last be cut down and cast into the un- 
 quenchable flame. 
 
12 GOOD HOPE THKOUGH GKACE. 
 
 Let it not be forgotten, liowever, that no 
 man lias the least claim to Cliristian charac- 
 ter who is not what the world styles a moral 
 man. Yital rehgion is an operative principle. 
 The spirit of piety not only lives in the heart, 
 but flows forth in the life. "A good tree 
 cannot bring forth evil fruit." Whatever 
 may be the pretensions of an immoral man, 
 he is far from the kingdom of heaven. Still, 
 mere moraUty falls far short of the rehgion 
 of the cross. The grand defect is, mere 
 morahty never aims at the heart, and would 
 never touch it, if it should. The natural 
 disjDosition may be very amiable, and the ex- 
 ternal demeanor very blameless, while the 
 " carnal mind is enmity against God." The 
 gospel of Jesus Christ requires men to be 
 moral ; and if this were all that it required, 
 the moral man would be a Christian. But it 
 requires them to be moral from holy princi- 
 ples. The gospel of Jesus Christ requii-es 
 men to be honest, sober, industrious, and 
 munificent ; but it requires them to be hon- 
 est, sober, industrious, and munificent fi'om 
 evangehcal motives. "As a man thinketh 
 in his heartf so is he." The moral quahty of 
 
VISIBLE MOEALITY. 13 
 
 actions lies in the disposition of heart with 
 which they are performed. A man may there- 
 fore be very honest, very humane, and very 
 munificent; but if the disposition of heart 
 with which the acts of honesty, humanity, 
 and munificence are performed be not such 
 as God requires and approves, he has no lot 
 nor part in the portion of God's people. 
 
 There is a wide distinction betweeii moral 
 virtues and Christian graces. Christian graces 
 spring from Christian motives, or such mo- 
 tives as are warranted by the gospel of Christ. 
 They regard, in the first place, the glory of 
 God and the interests of his kingdom ; and 
 then regulate our intercourse with our fellow- 
 men according to the principles of his word. 
 Moral virtues spring from selfish motives. 
 They have no regard for the glory of God 
 and the interests of his kingdom. They go 
 just so far as self-interest leads the way, and 
 there they stop. Such are the virtues of men 
 "dead in trespasses and sins;" such is the 
 morahty of "philanthropists;" such is the 
 morahty of the heathen ; such is the morality 
 of infidels. Eeader, look into your Bible. 
 Will such morality be of any avail in the 
 
14 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GEACE. 
 
 solemn hour that tries the sj^irits of men? 
 " To the laiv and to tJie testimony:''' every page 
 will flash conviction on the conscience, that 
 such spui'ious morality is of no account in 
 the sight of God. I say, in the sigJit of God. 
 The moral man has a higher claim upon the 
 regard and confidence of his fellow-men than 
 the immoral man. He is a better ruler and 
 a better subject, a better parent and a better 
 child, a better master and a better servant, 
 than the immoral man. Other things being 
 equal, he is less guilty in the sight of God 
 than the immoral man. But after all, he 
 wants the one thing needful. He is a child 
 of Tsnrath. He is " ^dthout Christ ; an ahen 
 from the commonwealth of Israel ; a stranger 
 from the covenants of promise ;" and though 
 he may cherish a delusive hoi^e, is without 
 God in the world. 
 
FOBM OF RELIGION. 15 
 
 2. FORM OF RELIGION. 
 
 "Many," says an old writer, "take the 
 press-money and wear the livery of Christ, 
 that never stand to their colors, nor follow 
 their leader." The character of the formal- 
 ist ranks higher in the estimation of the 
 world, than the character of the mere moral- 
 ist. Formalists advance a step further than 
 visible morahty, and maintain the form of 
 religion. They are those who are not only 
 decent in their external deportment among 
 men, but strict in the observance of aU the 
 duties of piety. They put on the appearance 
 of real rehgion : but this is not conclusive 
 e"VT.dence of their Christian character. 
 
 We read of those who have the form of 
 godliness, but who deny the power thereof. 
 Men may maintain the form of godliness 
 from a variety of motives, none of which 
 spring from the operation of grace in the 
 heart. Many persons do it for the sake of 
 reputation. A due regard to the institutions 
 of Christianity forms so essential a part of 
 
16 GOOD HOPE THEOUGH GKACE. 
 
 the character of the good citizen, that among 
 a virtuous people it is difficult to secure 
 esteem and confidence without a becoming 
 observance of the external duties of reHgion. 
 Such is the homage which vice pays to virtue, 
 that in Christian communities, it is a credit- 
 able thing to put on the appearance of reHg- 
 ion. To those who regard the good opinion 
 of the world around them, there are not 
 wanting multiphed motives to appear better 
 than they really are. 
 
 No small portion of those who maintain 
 the mere form of rehgion, do it from the force 
 of education. A religious education cannot 
 fail to have a desirable influence, in a greater 
 or less degTee, upon all, both in restraining 
 them from the commission of crime, and in 
 impelling them to the external performance 
 of duty. It often does have this influence 
 upon many during the whole course of their 
 Hves. It is difficult to break over the re- 
 straints which have been imposed by parental 
 instruction and example, without singular 
 boldness and the most brutish stupidity. 
 Hence you find many who persevere in the 
 usual forms of reHgion to the end of life, who 
 
FOEM OF RELIGION. It 
 
 give you no satisfactory reason to believe 
 tliat their hearts are right with God. The 
 observance of the external services of piety 
 has become a habit ; and they walk the cus- 
 tomary round of duties, because it is a beaten 
 path, rather than because it is a pleasant one. 
 Perhaps a still greater number maintain 
 the appearance of godliness for the sake of 
 quieting the clamors of natural conscience. 
 The inspiration of the Almighty has implant- 
 ed a principle in the human breast which is 
 capable of discerning the immutable differ- 
 ence between right and wrong; of giving 
 men a sense of moral obligation ; and of ap- 
 proving what is right and condemning what 
 is wrong in their moral conduct. There are 
 seasons when the silent voice of that invisi- 
 ble agent who is commissioned by God to 
 record the sins of thought and action, whis- 
 pers that "God is angry with the wicked 
 every day." The implacable foe stings with 
 anguish and convulses with agony. In these 
 seasons of temorse, the carnal heart natu- 
 rally flees to the covenant of w^orks. When 
 the moral principle is awake, there can be 
 nothing that looks hke a compromise betw^een 
 
 Good Hope. 2 
 
18 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 the heart and the conscience, short of a hfe 
 of external godliness. The conscience is so 
 seriously affected with divine truth as often, 
 and for a length of time, not to allow some of 
 the worst of men in the omission of any of 
 the external duties of religion. 
 
 There are also those who maintain the 
 form of religion for the sake of fostering the 
 persuasion of their own good estate. We 
 know that "there is a way which seemeth 
 right to a man, but the end thereof are the 
 ways of death." Men who are experimental- 
 ly ignorant of the nature of real religion, 
 easily substitute the shadow for the sub- 
 stance. Externally the formaHst does not 
 differ from a real saint. He performs all 
 those overt acts of rehgion which he would 
 perform if he were at heart a sincere follower 
 of Christ. Hence the beauty of his exter- 
 nal conduct induces him to imagine that he 
 is so. Thus Paul felt before the law of God 
 came home to his conscience, discovered his 
 guilt, and swept away his carnal hopes. And 
 thus the foolish virgins felt till the midnight 
 cry was given. Behold, the bridegi'oom com- 
 eth. Bather than give up their hope, formal- 
 
rOEM or EELIGION. 19 
 
 ists continue to clierisli their deception by 
 substituting the appearance for the reahtj, 
 till their deception, their hope, and their irk- 
 some forms vanish together, and leave them 
 amid the wailings of the eternal pit. 
 
 There are very many who, from some one 
 of these causes, or all of them combined, 
 carry the form of godliness to every possible 
 extent, and are still nothing more than sound- 
 ing brass or a tinkling cymbal. This was 
 eminently the character of the Pharisees. 
 They were what their name denotes them to 
 have been, separatists, distinguished for their 
 rigid manner of Hfe and great pretensions to 
 sanctity. They fasted often, made long pray- 
 ers, paid tithes with exactness, and distrib- 
 uted alms with Hberahty. As a badge of 
 distmction, they wore large rolls of parch- 
 ment on their foreheads and T\Tists, on which 
 were inscribed certain words of the law. As 
 an exhibition of their ]3urity, they never en- 
 tered theu' houses, or sat down at their tables, 
 without washing their hands. They would 
 not so much as touch a publican, or eat or 
 drink or pray with a man that was "a sinner." 
 But all this was corrupted by an evil heart 
 
20 GOOD HOPE THKOUGH GEACE. 
 
 of iiubelief, and served only to flatter their 
 pride and fill np tlie measure of tlieir iniqui- 
 ty. All tins was consistent with "shutting 
 up the kingdom of heaven ; and neither going 
 in themselves, nor suffering them that were 
 entering to go in." All this was denounced 
 by one woe after another, as the hypocrisy 
 of men who should therefore "receive the 
 greater damnation." 
 
 We need not go far to look for multiplied 
 testimony that there are those in this age of 
 the church who, like the Pharisees, " out- 
 wardly appear righteous unto men, but within 
 are full of hypocrisy and iniquity." It is not 
 difficult "to make clean the outside of the 
 cup and of the platter." Men may read and 
 pray ; they may attend to the duties of the 
 family and the sanctuary, and often to those 
 of the closet ; they may profess to be on the 
 Lord's side, give up their children to God in 
 baptism, come themselves to the sacramen- 
 tal table, and engage in the solemn act of 
 commemorating the love of the Lord Jesus, 
 and yet know no more of real, vital piety, 
 than the prayerless and profane. Especially 
 is this too often true of those who are bap- 
 
FORM OF RELIGION. 21 
 
 tized in their infancy, and educated under 
 the care of those churches who admit them 
 into their communion, for no other reason 
 and with no other evidence of their good 
 estate, than that they have received the " in- 
 itiating seal of the church." But their con- 
 demnation is as sure as their guilt is great. 
 To look for conclusive evidence of Christian 
 character in the mere form of Christianity, is 
 to expect the evidence of purity where there 
 is nothing but the marks of pollution. The 
 mere formahst is exceedingly sinful. No man 
 has a right to be a formahst, whether his 
 formality arises from hypocrisy or self-decep- 
 tion, or both. He has no right to deceive 
 himself, or to deceive others. Every species 
 of mere formahty is viewed by God as no 
 better than detestable. How did he express 
 his displeasure towards his ancient people 
 for this sin ! " This ]Deople," saith he, " draw- 
 eth nigh unto me with their mouth, and hon- 
 oreth me with their Hps, but their heart is 
 far from me." God also demands of his peo- 
 ple, "To what purpose is the multitude of 
 your sacrifices unto me, saith the Lord? 
 When ye come to appear before me, who 
 
22 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 hatli required this at your liauds to tread my 
 courts ? Bring no inore vain oblations ; in- 
 cense is an abomination unto me ; the new 
 moons and sabbaths, the calling of assem- 
 bhes, I cannot away with : it is iniquity ^ even 
 the solemn meeting." God sets the guilt ol 
 formalists in the most striking light by the 
 words of the prophet : " He that Idlleth an 
 ox is as if he slew a man ; he that sacrificeth 
 a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck ; he that 
 offereth an oblation, as if he offered s^dne's 
 blood; he that burnetii incense, as if he 
 blessed an idol." Kilhng an ox in sacrifice 
 was required, but kilhng a man was forbid- 
 den; sacrificing a lamb was required, but 
 sacrificing a dog was forbidden ; oblations 
 were required, but swine's blood w^as forbid- 
 den ; burning incense was required, but bless- 
 ing or worshipping an idol forbidden. Hence, 
 so far is the mere form of devotion from be- 
 ing either acceptable to God, or evidence of 
 our own good estate, that it is no better than 
 if we slew a man or worshipped an idol. 
 
 Be not deceived ; for God is not mocked. 
 All are not Israel that are of Israel. He is 
 not a Jew that is one outwardly. There are 
 
FORM OF RELIGION. 23 
 
 many tliat are called by tlie name of Israel, 
 which swear by the name of the Lord, and 
 make mention of the God of Israel ; but not 
 in truth, nor in righteousness. Like the 
 Pharisees, you may pray long, and fast offc ; 
 and like them, you may be " a generation of 
 vipers," and never " escape the damnation of 
 heU." 
 
 " Their lifted eyes salute the skies, 
 Their bended knees the ground ; 
 But God abhors the sacrifice, 
 Where not the heart is found." 
 
 O how often is this picture presented in real 
 life ! " God, I thank thee that I am not as 
 other men, or even as this pubhcan." "Would 
 that thou wert more hke him. Thy corrupt 
 heart corrupts all the fair forms of thy devo- 
 tion, and " thou art still in the gaU of bitter- 
 ness, and the bonds of iniquity." The hope 
 of formahsts is the offspring of a deceived 
 and a wicked heart. It is an affront to the 
 majesty of heaven ; it is a violation of the 
 laws of his empire ; it gives the he to the 
 author of eternal truth. Hence the state of 
 formahsts is full of danger. They are singu- 
 larly x3rone to cherish their deception. " They 
 
24 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 are taken in their own craftiness." Tliey 
 flatter tliem selves in tlieii- own eyes, till 
 their iniquity be found to be hateful. They 
 rest in a hope that will at last " bite Hke a 
 serpent, and sting like an adder." 
 
SPECULATIVE KNOWLEDGE. 25 
 
 ' 3. SPECULA^TIYE KNOAVLEDGE. 
 
 Speculative knowledge is no less deficient 
 in the testimony which it bears to Christian 
 character, than visible morality or the form 
 of rehgion. Neither is conclusive. 
 
 Speculative knowledge is by no means to 
 be undervalued. Ignorance, in most cases, 
 is far from being venial ; error is always more 
 or less sinful. It is of serious importance 
 that the opinions of men be formed, and 
 formed upon the principles of the unerring 
 standard. There can be no spiritual know- 
 ledge where there is no speculative know- 
 ledge. God cannot be loved where he is not 
 known ; sin cannot be detested where its na- 
 ture is not discerned; Christ cannot be con- 
 fided in when his character and sacrifices are 
 not perceived; duty cannot be performed 
 where the mind does not apprehend its na- 
 ture and obligations. Truth is the natural 
 ahment of all gracious affections. But 
 though there can be no spiritual knowledge 
 where there is no speculative knowledge, there 
 may be much speculative knowledge where 
 2 
 
20 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GEACE. 
 
 there is no spiritual knowledge. Tlioiigh tlie 
 want of speculative knowledge may be deci- 
 sively against yon, the possession of it is not 
 necessarily in your favor. 
 
 We have only to open our eyes to discern 
 the fact that very wicked men are sometimes 
 orthodox in their sentiments. Wicked men 
 as well as good men are endowed with per- 
 ception, reason, and conscience. And they 
 are as capable of applying these faculties in 
 reflecting upon moral objects as upon natu- 
 ral objects. They are not only capable of 
 understanding the truth, but often do under- 
 stand it with accuracy. How many have 
 you seen who were thoroughly versed in the 
 Scriptures ; who had correct theoretical views 
 of the character of God, the character of man, 
 the character and offices of Christ, of the 
 necessity, nature, and cause of regeneration ; 
 who comprehended a connected system of 
 theology, and were distinguished champions 
 for the faith ; who were, notwithstanding all 
 this, strangers to the religion of the heart. 
 " Thou behevest there is one God : thou doest 
 well. The devils also believe and tremble." 
 Satan himself was once an angel of light. 
 
SPECULATIVE KNOWLEDGE. 21 
 
 There is no more studious observer of the 
 character and designs of God than the great 
 adversary of both. There is no greater profi- 
 cient in theological truth than i\iQ father of lies. 
 "There is no want of orthodoxy even in hell." 
 For the existence of this fact we are not at 
 a loss for satisfactory reasons. Speculative 
 knowledge has its seat in the head ; vital re- 
 ligion, in the heart. There is no moral good- 
 ness in the simple assent of the understand- 
 ing to truth. We receive and compound and 
 compare ideas, whether we wish to do it or 
 not. Wlien we see the evidence of a propo- 
 sition to be clear, we cannot withhold our 
 assent to it, while we may hate the truth we 
 receive, and love the error we reject. Be- 
 sides, there is nothing in the nature of spec- 
 ulative knowledge to produce holy affection. 
 The twiUght of reason and conscience, and 
 the clear sunshine of the gospel, are in them- 
 selves ahke unadapted to the causation of 
 hohness. All the light of eternity breaking 
 in upon the understanding of the natural man 
 cannot create one spark of holy love. You 
 may follow the natural man through every 
 possible degTee of instruction ; and though his 
 
28 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 head will be better, his heart will be worse. 
 It is irrational to snj^pose that a dear vieiv of 
 an object that is hated will produce love to 
 the object. If, when the character and truth 
 of God are partially seen^ they are the ob- 
 jects of hatred, when clearly seen they will 
 become the objects of malignity. The un- 
 derstanding therefore may be enhghtened, 
 while the heart remains perfectly vitiated. 
 
 Far be it from us, by these remarks, to 
 exclude from our theology the doctrine of 
 divine illumination. The scrij^tural view of 
 this doctrine will go far towards enabling us 
 to distinguish between those w^ho in truth 
 know God, and those who glorify him not as 
 God. In this great work, the heart, the 
 moral disposition, is changed, and not the 
 head. Without this sj)iritual illumination, 
 the soul ^ill be for ever shrouded in dark- 
 ness that may be felt. The souls of the sanc- 
 tified had for ever remained " without form, 
 and void," totally disordered, a mere moral 
 chaos, merged in shades of thickest dark- 
 ness, had not that "God who commanded 
 the light to shine out of darkness, shincd 
 into their hearts to give the light of the know- 
 
SPECULATIVE KNOWLEDGE. 29 
 
 ledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus 
 Christ. This is a kind of knowledge, how- 
 ever, which is far above mere intellectual 
 speculation. It is not immediately the ob- 
 ject of intellectual speculation, but of gra- 
 cious affections. This is a kind of knowledge 
 which is both of divine original and divine 
 nature. This is the knowledge that edifieth; 
 all other puffeth up. The essential differ- 
 ence between that knowledge which is, and 
 that which is not conclusive evidence of Chris- 
 tian character, hes in this : the object of the 
 one is the agreement of the several parts of 
 a theological proposition; the object of the 
 other is moral beauty, the intrinsic loveliness 
 of God and divine things. The sinner sees 
 and hates ; the saint sees and loves. The 
 prophecy of Esaias is fulfilled in the experi- 
 ence of thousands: "Hearing they shall hear, 
 and not understand; and seeing they shall 
 see, and not perceive." Something more is 
 necessary to make a man a Christian besides 
 the enlightening of the natural understand- 
 ing. Beware of the hope that is built on no 
 firmer basis than a speculative view of the 
 doctrines of the gospel. 
 
30 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 4. CONVICTION OF SIN. 
 
 It is not strange that natural men slionid 
 sometimes be alarmed by a sense of their 
 danger. When they see that the judgments 
 which God has denounced against sin will 
 sooner or later overtake them, that they are 
 rapidly passing to the gates of death, and 
 that they are unprepared for the solemn real- 
 ities of the fiiture world, it is impossible for 
 them to remain immoved. They begin to 
 think seriously of the things that belong to 
 their everlasting peace. They cease to make 
 hght of that which is important, and to view 
 as important that which is lighter than van- 
 ity. They begin to see things as they are. 
 The value of the soul, the indispensable ne- 
 cessity of an interest in the blood of sprink- 
 ling, heaven, heU — these are subjects which 
 engage their most serious reflection, and ex- 
 cite the most fearful alarm. But strange to 
 ttill, how soon does their solemnity vanish ; 
 how often is their alarm momcntar}'. Tlie 
 lapse even of a few weeks ma}' convince you 
 
CONVICTION OF SIN. 31 
 
 that all this is but the " morning cloud, and 
 as the early dew that passeth away." 
 
 A variety of considerations induce us to 
 believe that no degi-ee of conviction for sin 
 is conclusive evidence of Christian character. 
 The simple conviction that I am a sinner is 
 common to all men. That view of sin which 
 arises from its hateful nature as committed 
 against the holy God, is pecuHar to saints. 
 There is a state of mind differing from both 
 these — from the former in degTee, and from 
 the latter in kind — which is designated by 
 the phrase, conviction for sin. 
 
 Impenitent sinners are often brought to 
 see their own sinfulness. God gives them a 
 just view of their character. They are favor- 
 ed v/ith a discovery of the total corruption of 
 their hearts. They see that they have not 
 the love of God in them. They are made 
 sensible that they are under the dominion of 
 the "carnal mind that is enmity against God." 
 The divine law, in all the reasonableness of 
 its precept and all the equity of its sanction, 
 comes home to the conscience with power, 
 and brings with it the knowledge of sin and 
 the sense of guilt. They see its extent and 
 
32 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 spirituality, as well as its righteousness. 
 They feel as Paul felt : when the command- 
 ment came, sin revived, and he died. Sin 
 does actually revive. The law that binds 
 theii' conscience excites the enmity of their 
 hearts. The more clearly they discern its 
 righteousness and sj)ii'ituality, the more vig- 
 orously do they hate its divine author. They 
 begin to learn what kind of hearts they cher- 
 ish. They see that in them there " dwelleth 
 no good thing." In vain do they search for 
 the least hohness or a single duty in all that 
 they have done. " Every imagination of the 
 thoughts of their hearts is only evil continu- 
 ally." All their words and all their actions, 
 all their desires and all their prayers are in 
 direct contrariety to the holy law of God. 
 Now suffer me to ask, is there any religion 
 in all this? There can be none surely in 
 possessing a de]3raved heart, and there is 
 none in merely being sensible that we pos- 
 sess it. In the simple discovery that I am 
 an atrocious sinner, there is no sense of the 
 hateful nature of sin, no sorrow for sin, no 
 desire to be delivered from its power. To 
 see my aggravated sinfulness, and not be 
 
CONVICTION OF SIN. 33 
 
 humbled on accoimt of it, is evidence of im- 
 yielding enmity, rather than a cordial recon- 
 ciliation. If a strong sense, or if you please, 
 the strongest sense of personal sinfulness, 
 were conclusive evidence of personal rehg- 
 ion, every reprobate at the bar of judgment, 
 and all the damned in hell, would be Chris- 
 tians. A sense of their corruption forms no 
 small part of their wretchedness. We know, 
 from the unequivocal declaration of eternal 
 truth, that when "the Lord cometh with ten 
 thousand of his saints to execute judgment 
 upon all," he v.dil " convince all tliat are un- 
 godly among them of all their ungodly deeds 
 which they have ungodly committed." How 
 then can the conviction of ungodliness be the 
 evidence of godliness ? 
 
 In the minds of the unregenerate the sense 
 of personal sinfulness is always accompanied 
 with the apprehension of danger. It cannot 
 be otherwise. Wlien a sense of sin is fasten- 
 ed upon the conscience of the sinner, it can- 
 not fail to throw him into distress. In many 
 cases the distress is great. The "law work" 
 is severe. The unhappy man sees the cor- 
 ruption of his own heart, and therefore gives 
 
34 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 up all hope from liis o^ti rigliteoiisness. Ho 
 sees the corruption of his own heart, and 
 therefore gives up all hope from the prospect 
 of amendment. The law which he has broken 
 sweeps away at a stroke all his righteous- 
 ness, and cuts up his hopes root and branch. 
 All that is past is bad ; all that is to come is 
 no better. He sees that with his present dis- 
 position sin will only revive and increase ev- 
 ery hour that he lives. He is wretched and 
 forlorn. He knows that he is the prisoner of 
 justice, and fears that he is akeady bound 
 over to the curse. He looks around for help, 
 but no kind arm will interpose. He ventures 
 to make a struggle to shake off his bondage, 
 but every effort evinces his weakness, every 
 struggle binds him faster in his chains. " The 
 arrows of the Almighty are within him, the 
 poison whereof drinketh up his spirits." He 
 sees that he is actually going to hell. He 
 knows that nothing he shall ever do will pre- 
 vent his going there. There is but a step 
 between him and the eternal pit, while an 
 invincibly obstinate heart cuts him off from 
 every successful effort to escape it. He is 
 beyond the reach of help on this side heaven. 
 
CONVICTION OF SIN. 35 
 
 No means, no motives can afford him relief. 
 He sees that he is in the hands of a sove- 
 reign God, and that every thing without him 
 and every thing within him is conspiring to 
 increase his guilt and aggravate his condem- 
 nation. And you will now ask. Is there no 
 religion in this ? None. Does vital religion 
 consist in the apprehension of danger, or in 
 the fear that we shall never escape it? Where 
 is the Jioliness of being afraid of hell? ^Tiat 
 Christ-like affection is there either in the hor- 
 ror of a guilty conscience, or the anticipation 
 of the wrath to come ? " These are feeUngs 
 which," as the learned Dr. Owen well re- 
 marks, "belong not to the precept of the 
 law, but to its curse; they are no part of 
 what it requires, but of what it inflicts." 
 
 In the mind of a convinced sinner, ^the 
 sense of personal smfulness is also connected 
 with the sense of ill desert. When a man 
 has a clear view of his own sinfulness, he not 
 only sees that he is exposed to the wrath of 
 God, but that he is justly exposed to the 
 wrath of God. He sees that he deserves the 
 displeasure of the Almighty throughout in- 
 terminable ages. He is stripped of all his 
 
3G GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 thin excuses, and is sensible that his sins are 
 wholly nnjustifiable. As he has before beeu 
 constrained to acknowledge the reasonable- 
 ness of the precept of the divine law, now he 
 is constrained to admit the justice of its pen- 
 alty. He has Yoluntarily and perseveringiy 
 disobeyed a law that is perfectly holy in 
 itself, and clothed with the authority of the 
 holy Grod; and he knows that it would be 
 just, if the penalty should be executed upon 
 him to the uttermost. He knows that the 
 holy God, whose character he regards mth 
 enmity, whose law he transgresses mth im- 
 penitence, whose gospel he rejects with dis- 
 dain, can })e under no obligation to save a 
 "S\Tetch hke him. And you will ask again. Is 
 there no rehgion in this? Again I answer, 
 and the reply is bottomed upon the word of 
 eternal truth, not a icldt. Is this no evidence 
 that I have passed from death unto life ? I 
 answer, it is not conclusive evidence ; and if 
 this is all that you have experienced, it is 
 none at aU. If 3'ou are not sensible that you 
 are so vile as to deserve the everlasting dis- 
 pleasiu'c of God, you are not even a con- 
 vinced sinner ; but if you are sensible of this, 
 
CONVICTION OF SIN. 37 
 
 yoii may not be a converted sinner. Yital 
 religion does not consist in tlie approbation 
 of the conscience to tlie condemning sentence 
 of the law. Does not the conscience of every 
 sinner, whether renewed or unrenewed, tell 
 him that God would be just in abandoning 
 him to misery without measure and without 
 end? Do not the damned in hell feel that 
 they are justly condemned? Was not the 
 man without the wedding garment speech- 
 less? Will not the whole world become 
 guilty before God, at the last day ? 
 
 If the view which we have given of this 
 solemn subject will bear the test of God's 
 word, then the reader has a right to the j)lain 
 result, that no degTee of conviction for sin is 
 conclusive evidence of Chiistian character. 
 Look at the feelings of a convinced sinner, 
 and find, if you can, one spark of genuine 
 holiness ; find, if you can, one Christian 
 grace ; find, if you can, any thing more than 
 all those have felt who have gone down to 
 the pit in their blood. 
 
 But may not these be the feehngs of real 
 Christians ? I answer, they may be ; but 
 they are not the feelings which constitute 
 
38 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GEACE. 
 
 the essential difference between real Chris- 
 tians and impenitent sinners. All that have 
 passed from death unto life have, in a greater 
 or less degree, been convinced of their total 
 corruption, alarmed at their danger, and 
 made to acknowledge the justice of God in 
 the penalty of his law. Indeed it may be 
 said, that the gTeater part of real Christians 
 have never been the subjects of conviction, 
 in the degree which has been here exhibited. 
 Still, every Christian has experienced some 
 of it ; every Christian has felt the same con- 
 ^dction in kind. If therefore you are with- 
 out any thing Hke this conviction, you may 
 be sure that you are without religion. Still, 
 it does not follow, that because you have this 
 conviction, you therefore have real rehgion. 
 It is true, that in the coui'se of God's provi- 
 dence, conviction always precedes conver- 
 sion ; l)ut it is not always true, that conver- 
 sion follows conviction. There is no nec- 
 essary connection between conviction and 
 conversion. A sense of sin and danger does 
 not slay the enmity of the heart. The con- 
 science may be con^inced, while the heart 
 is not renewed. The carnal mind not only 
 
CONVICTION OF SIN. 3& 
 
 may, but does hate what the awakened con- 
 science approves. It is no certain evidence, 
 that because the conscience feels the weight 
 of sin, the heart is humbled on account of it ; 
 that because the conscience approves of the 
 rectitude of divine justice, the heart bows to 
 the divine sovereignty. The most powerful 
 conviction of sin, therefore, is not conclusive 
 evidence of Christian character. 
 
40 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 5. CONFIDENCE IN GOOD ESTATE. 
 
 It is easy for a hj^Docrite to deceive liim- 
 self with "false liojDes and carnal presump- 
 tions." Yon may be strongly persuaded that 
 yon are a Christian ; bnt this persuasion does 
 not make yon so. Yon may cherish the most 
 unwavering confidence of your personal in- 
 terest in the great salvation, while you have 
 no part nor lot in this matter. 
 
 The confidence of a man's own good estate 
 is attained in different ways. Both the con- 
 fidence itself and the mode of attaining it are 
 often scrij)tural. A man may be persuaded 
 that he is a Christian, because he has reason 
 to believe that he possesses the Spirit of 
 Christ. " Hereby know we, that we dweU in 
 him, and he in us, because he hath given us 
 of his Spirit." A man may be persuaded 
 that he is a child of God, because he discerns 
 in himself those graces that are peculiar to 
 the childlike character. He may have "re- 
 ceived the spirit of adoption, whereby he 
 cries, Abba, Father." "The Spirit itself," 
 
CONFIDENCE IN GOOD ESTATE. 41 
 
 saith tlie apostle, " beareth witness with our 
 spirit, that we are the children of God." A 
 persuasion arising from such evidence is 
 well grounded. Such a persuasion cannot 
 be too confident. It not only may, but ought 
 to rise to the full assurance of hope. It did 
 in Job. "I know," saith he, "that my Ee- 
 deemer Hveth; and though after my skin 
 worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh 
 shall I see God ; whom I shall see for my- 
 self, and mine eyes shall behold, and not 
 another." It did in the Psalmist : "As for 
 me, I wiU behold thy face in righteousness ; 
 I shall be satisfied when I awake in thy like- 
 ness." - "Thou shalt guide me with thy coun- 
 sel, and afterwards receive me to glory." It 
 did in the apostle : " I am persuaded, that 
 neither death, nor Hfe, nor angels, nor prin- 
 cipahties, nor powers, nor things present, nor 
 things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor 
 any other creature, shall be able to separate 
 us from the love of God, which is in Christ 
 Jesus our Lord." The comfortable assur- 
 ance of believers enables them both to glo- 
 rify and enjoy the ever-blessed God. It is 
 as honorable to God to trust in his grace, as 
 
42 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 to submit to liis autliority. "Wlien tlie hopes 
 of believers are low and languisliing, tliey 
 know not how deep the shade they cast on 
 the lustre of divine forgiveness, how much 
 they detract fi'om the glory of the cross. 
 The want of a cheerful hope, an humble re- 
 liance on the mercy of Ood, cannot fail to 
 unman the most unwavering firmness, and 
 unnerve the most vigorous exertion. For 
 those who have the witness of their good 
 estate within them, to sink down into a state 
 of darkness that ends in the gloom of soh- 
 tude and inactivity, is sin. Many a good 
 man, by having unhappily imbibed mistaken 
 views of this subject, has rendered himself a 
 mere cipher in the church, and a stumbhng- 
 block to those who are out of it. Real Chris- 
 tians need not be afraid to cherish the full 
 assurance of hope. There is something 
 wrong in the state of that soul that refuses 
 to be comforted. It is the duty of believers 
 to make their calling and election sure. As- 
 sui'ance ought always to exist, and to be 
 supported by corresponding testimony. 
 
 But this is not the vain confidence to which 
 I allude in this essay. It bears no aUiance 
 
CONFIDENCE IN GOOD ESTATE. 43 
 
 to the presumption of the hypocrite and the 
 self-deceived. There is a confidence which is 
 obtained without the aid of God's Spirit, and 
 cherished without the evidence of his word. 
 
 Some rest this presumption on an unwar- 
 rantable notion which they entertain of the 
 mercy of God. They are in the habit of 
 viewing it as a general, indefinite, undistin- 
 guishing attribute. They imagine that be- 
 cause God is declared to be " no respecter of 
 persons," he exercises his mercy indiscrim- 
 inately. They view him as a being so fondly 
 attached to the interest of his creatures, as 
 to pardon them without reference to the 
 terms of the gospel, and save them without 
 regard either to their own moral character, 
 to the honor of his law, or to the well-being 
 of his kingdom. They rely on no promise ; 
 they rest on no covenant ! They are satis- 
 fied with the thought, that God is merciful ! 
 They rest on the phantom, " uncovenanted 
 mercy." Tell them that they are sinners, 
 and they tell you that *' God is not strict to 
 mark iniquity." Tell them that they have 
 incurred the penalty of a righteous law, and 
 deserve to die, and they tell you that they 
 
44 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 Lave never " clone any harm ;" and if tliey 
 have, a merciful God will forgive them. God 
 is too good to send them to hell ! It cannot 
 be that he tvoU cast them off for ever. 
 
 This is the subterfuge of thousands, the 
 miserable hiding-place that must be over- 
 flowed when the billows of divine wrath beat 
 upon this falling world. It is the fatal rock 
 on which thousands have spHt. How many 
 impenitent, Christless sinners liave rested 
 here for eternity ! How many have I seen on a 
 dying-bed, who had not a spark of vital relig- 
 ion, who still indulged the hope that God was 
 too merciful to damn them. My heart bleeds 
 when I think of it. Why do men forget that 
 God is as just and as holy as he is gracious ? 
 All his perfections must be glorified. We 
 cannot be saved at the expense of one of 
 them. God regards his own glory and the 
 interests of his kingdom more than every 
 thing else. To these every thing must bow. 
 If he were not too holy, too just, nay, too 
 good to admit a totally depraved* being into 
 his Idngdom, that kingdom would fall. Un- 
 holy men must be excluded from heaven 
 because they arc not fit for it. To exclude 
 
CONFIDENCE IN GOOD ESTATE. 45 
 
 them is a part of that beneyolent design 
 which is to make, on the whole, the most 
 happy universe. God has the same benevo- 
 lent motive for excluding the unholy from 
 the heavenly state, that he has for admitting 
 the holy. Yes, we hesitate not to say that 
 the benevolent God is too good to admit one 
 unsanctified soul into the pure regions of the 
 blessed. He has too great a regard for the 
 honor of his character and for the excellence 
 of his law ; he loves the angelic host too well ; 
 he loves his people, he loves his Son too well 
 ever to permit the song of the redeemed to 
 feel the jar of one unhallowed tongue. The 
 very thought is reproachful to his glory. No 
 sin is there. The light of heaven shall never 
 be darkened even by the shadow of death. 
 The designs of injQnite benevolence shall 
 never be frustrated by the introduction of 
 one unholy being into the kingdom of God. 
 Where, O where is the delusion of the mis- 
 erable self-deceiver, when justice exacts the 
 uttermost farthing ! 
 
 Others attain this persuasion in a manner 
 still different. They have been taught that 
 mere reformation and morahty will not save 
 
46 GOOD HOPE THEOUGH GRACE. 
 
 them, and they are equally conYinced that 
 the form of religion will not save them. 
 They see the necessity of possessing the real 
 spirit of religion, and they begin to seek 
 after it till they are weary of the search. 
 They become awakened to a sense of their 
 danger, convinced of their ill desert, and are 
 thrown into some distress But at length, 
 through the influence of their own imagina- 
 tions or the artful devices of the old serpent, 
 they are inspired with hope and filled with 
 joy : some enrajoturing vision has discovered 
 to their ^dew the Saviour extended on the 
 cross ; some fancied messenger has announc- 
 ed that their sins are forgiven, and that God 
 is their reconciled Father ; some text of Scrip- 
 ture, unsought, unexpected, and fatally mis- 
 applied, has whispered peace to the troubled 
 conscience, and their souls are filled with rap- 
 tures of joy. They feel a kind of spurious 
 sorrow that they have ever hated so gracious 
 and merciful a being as God. They have 
 been abandoned to the delusion that their 
 opposition to so kind and gracious a being 
 has been owing to some misapprehension of 
 his character. Once they viewed liim as an 
 
CONFIDENCE IN GOOD ESTATE. 47 
 
 " absolute God," as a God wlio was angry 
 with the wicked and angry with them. They 
 viewed him as their enemy, and dreaded the 
 tokens of his dipleasure. But now they view 
 his character in altogether a different Hght. 
 They are persuaded that he loves them ; they 
 are persuaded that he has pardoned their 
 sins, and that it is his good pleasure to give 
 them the kingdom. Now all their enmity is 
 slain ; they feel reconciled to God because 
 they believe God is reconciled to them. Un- 
 der the influence of this pleasing deception 
 they now begin to be happy. EeKgion ab- 
 sorbs all their attention, and the rehgion of 
 the heart is what they think they admire and 
 love. They are full of gratitude^ full of peace 
 and joy in beheving that Christ died for them 
 in particular. 
 
 All this is "rotten at the core." However 
 closely it may resemble the holy gratitude of 
 God's people, it is but the counterfeit of that 
 heavenly grace. It is purely selfish. It is 
 mere mercenary rehgion. The Spirit of God 
 has nothing to do with the root of it, nor the 
 law of God with its fruits. There is not per- 
 haps any error more common and more fatal 
 
45 GOOD HOPE THEOUGH GRACE. 
 
 among the serious part of mankind tlian this. 
 This is the yery religion that is agTeeable to 
 the feehngs of the carnal heart. This was 
 the religion of the impenitent Israelites. At 
 the time of their deliverance from the honse 
 of bondage, and in view of the miracles both 
 of mercy and judgment which had been 
 wrought in their behalf, they sang the mem- 
 orable " Song of Moses" on the banks of the 
 Eed sea. But how soon do you find them 
 murmuring at the waters of Marah and in 
 the wilderness of Sin. The same scene, only 
 in more awful colors, was again exhibited at 
 the foot of Sinai. God appeared in all the 
 greatness of his majesty. "And when the 
 people saw the thunderings, and the light- 
 nings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the 
 mountain smoking, they removed and stood 
 afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak 
 thou with us, and we will hear ; but let not 
 God speak with us, lest we die." Sad re- 
 verse. Scarcely forty days had elapsed, than 
 the very land that just beheld Jehovah de- 
 scending in the cloud, and that trembled at 
 the voice of his thunder, saw the golden calf 
 an idol, and heard the heathenish acclama- 
 
CONFIDENCE IN GOOD ESTATE. 49 
 
 tion, "These be thy gods, O Israel, that 
 brought thee up out of the land of Egypt." 
 The same scene, though in more awful col- 
 ors still, was exhibited in the streets of Jeru- 
 salem. No sooner did the Jews behold the 
 miracles and share in the favor of the prom- 
 ised Messiah, than they overlooked all the 
 humbhng circumstances of his birth, and 
 were anxious to make him their king. They 
 followed him with hosannas ; were impatient 
 to see him enrobed with the badges of roy- 
 alty and seated upon the throne of David his 
 father. But their attachment was soon ^Dut 
 to a test which discovered its selfishness. 
 They early found that the kingdom of the 
 Messiah was a spiritual, and not a temporal 
 kingdom. They soon learned that he was 
 not a Jew who was one outwardly ; and that 
 if they would be the subjects of his kingdom, 
 they must become new creatures, must reUn- 
 quish their attachment to the world, must 
 deny themselves and take up the cross, 
 must become holy in heart and in life, not 
 too proud to rehsh the hiimbling rehgion of 
 a crucified Saviour, nor too righteous to sub- 
 mit to the righteousness of God. Their hopes 
 
50 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 of indiyidual grandeur and national glory 
 therefore withered in the bloom. The prom- 
 ised Messiah became the object of neglect 
 and malignity. No longer did they follow 
 him Avith acclamations of jDraise, but with the 
 hiss of derision and the finger of scorn. No 
 longer did their zeal prompt the cry, "Ho- 
 sanna to the Son of David!" but their disap- 
 pointed and infuriate selfishness instigated 
 the mahgnant shout, " Crucify, crucify !" 
 Such is the religion of sinners. " Sinners," 
 saith the Sa^dour, "love those who love 
 them." "Ye seek me," said Christ, "not be- 
 cause ye saw the miracles, but because ye 
 did eat of the loaves, and were filled." 
 
 Far be it from me to say or to beUeve that 
 all those who inculcate this kind of religion 
 are to be ranked among the hypocrite and 
 the self-deceived. We beheve many of them 
 to be Christians. The religion which they 
 possess is better than that which they teach. 
 Still we do not hesitate to say that those who 
 have no other rehgion, have none at all that 
 will stand the ordeal of the last day. "A 
 deceived heart hath turned them aside." 
 
 On what is such rehgion founded ? There 
 
CONFIDENCE IN GOOD ESTATE. 51 
 
 is no supreme attachment to tlie excellency 
 of the divine character, to the holiness of the 
 divine law, or to the perfection of the divine 
 government. There is no supreme dehght in 
 the glory of the gospel for its own inherent 
 excellence. On what then is such religion 
 founded? Simply on the assumption, alike 
 dishonorable to God and destructive to the 
 souls of men, that there is and there can be 
 no lovehness in the divine nature, no glory 
 in the divine perfections, but what results 
 from God's particular love to them and his 
 designs to save them* A principle so re- 
 proachful to the character of the Deity, so 
 reproachful to the cross of Christ, and so de- 
 structive to the souls of men, has made many 
 a man an enthusiast and a hypocrite, but 
 never yet made one a humble follower of the 
 Lord Jesus Christ. After all the glosses that 
 can be }3ut upon it, the amount of this prin- 
 ciple is just this : Assure me of my salvation, 
 and the God of heaven is amiable and glorious : 
 deprive me of my salvation, and lie is stri^yped 
 of his loveliness and disrobed of his glory. 
 Eeader, does this look like taking your place 
 in the dust, and exalting God on the throne? 
 
52 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GEACE. 
 
 Is tliis being reconciled to the character of 
 God, or being supremely in love mth yoiu*- 
 seH? 
 
 Though selfish piety is naturally bhnd to 
 its own nature, yet the effect of this merce- 
 nary scheme is unequivocal. The gTand sen- 
 timent of the system is, that it is a mark of 
 genuine holiness to be very anxious about 
 your own welfare, but to care very Httle for 
 the honor and glory of God. It is therefore 
 a system that is perfectly compatible with 
 supreme selfishness, and therefore perfectly 
 compatible with total depravity. There is 
 nothing in all this with which the carnal 
 mind is at enmity. If ^dtal godliness consist 
 in such a system of views and feelings, there 
 is no need of a radical change of heart. Let 
 the veriest sinner on earth be persuaded that 
 God loved him with an everlasting love, and 
 from eternity designed to make him an heir 
 of the heavenly inheritance, and his enmity 
 will subside without any change of nature, 
 any alteration in the moral disposition of the 
 soul. 
 
 The presumption on which we have been 
 animadverting is one which any unrenewed 
 
CONFIDENCE IN QOOD ESTATE. 53 
 
 man may clierisli wlio is under tlie delusion 
 of Satan. and liis own wicked heart. It is 
 easy to say, "Pardon. is mine, grace is mine, 
 Christ and all his blessings are mine ; God 
 has freely loved me, Christ has graciously 
 died for me, and the Holy Ghost will assur- 
 edly sanctify me in the behef, the appropri- 
 ating belief of these precious truths." It is 
 no herculean task for a heated imagination 
 and an unsanctified heart to make these dis- 
 coveries. This is a kind of confidence which 
 the subtle deceiver is interested to flatter 
 and strengthen, till the unhappy subject has 
 lost his hold, and the roaring lion is sure of 
 his prey. And the joys and sorrows, the 
 zeal and engagedness which spring from this 
 delusion, form a kind of religion which the 
 blindness and deceit, the self-flattery and the 
 pride of the carnal heart very easily substi- 
 tute for vital godHness. 
 
 Others attain the confidence of their own 
 good estate in a manner still different. This 
 mode of attainment is purely mechanical. 
 According to the views of those who main- 
 tain this confidence, it seems to be "a strange 
 kind of assurance, far different from other 
 
5-1 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 ordinary kinds. "We are constrained to be- 
 lieve other things on the clear evidence that 
 they are true, and wonld remain true, wheth- 
 er we beheve them or no ; biit here onr assur- 
 ance is not impressed on our thoughts by any 
 evidence of the thing, but we must work it 
 out in ourselves, by the assistance of the 
 Spirit of God." The very existence of this 
 persuasion seems to be the sole evidence of 
 the truth of it ; and so the proposition to be 
 believed, namely, "that God freely giveth 
 Christ and his salvation to us in particular, 
 is not true before we believe it, but becometh 
 a certain truth when we believe it."" 
 
 The amount of this is, that a persuasion of 
 your own personal interest in the blessings 
 of the great salvation constitutes the essence 
 of evangelical faith ; that if you can only be- 
 lieve that you will be saved, you are a believer 
 in the gospel sense of the word ; that should 
 you find any difficulty in doing this, you must 
 *' work it out in yourselves by the assistance 
 of the Spirit of God ; and according to your 
 faith, so shall it be unto you."t The per- 
 suasion therefore that you are a Christian, 
 
 * >r:irKliall on Sanctification, p. 157. f Ibid, p. 157. 
 
CONFIDENCE IN GOOD ESTATE. 55 
 
 makes you so; and the confidence that you 
 will be saved, renders "yoiu- calling and elec- 
 tion sure." 
 
 It is hardly necessary to guard the mind 
 against the influence of this delusion. Re- 
 flecting men will not rest the hope of immor- 
 taUty on so treacherous a foundation, unless 
 they dehberately prefer the dreams of the 
 self-deceived to the sober expectations of the 
 real Christian. If there were no difference 
 between being actually interested in the cov- 
 enant of grace, and the persuasion of our 
 own minds that we are thus interested, this 
 scheme might be plausible. Men must he 
 Christians before they can be rationally per- 
 suaded that they are Christians. They must 
 he the children of God before they can ration- 
 ally cherish the confidence that they are so. 
 It is not impossible, nor is it an unusual 
 thing, for a man to be a Christian, and yet 
 not to believe that he is a Christian. Nor is 
 it less impossible and unusual for a man to 
 believe that he is a Christian, and yet not be 
 a Christian. It is to be feared that there 
 will be many at the last day who will say, 
 Lord, Lord ! unto whom the Bridegroom wiU 
 
50 GOOD HOPE THUOUGH GRACE. 
 
 say, "I never knew jou; depart fi-om me, all 
 ye workers of iniquity." There will be many 
 in that day who have confidently believed 
 that God freely gave Christ and his salvation 
 to them in particular, who will not find that 
 it became a certain truth when they behev- 
 ed it. The error is too pal]3able to be en- 
 snaring. 
 
 Let not the import of these remarks be 
 misunderstood. Far be it from me to dis- 
 courage the followers of the Lord Jesus from 
 placing the most implicit rehance on the 
 "Author and Finisher of their faith." Every 
 attribute of his character demands confidence 
 the most prompt and unreserved. But real 
 confidence in God is a thing widely different 
 from a firm persuasion of your personal in- 
 terest in his mercy. The former is your duty 
 at all times. The latter is your duty in the 
 same proportion in which you have evidence 
 that the " love of God is shed abroad in your 
 heart by the Holy Ghost." You have just 
 as much evidence that you are interested in 
 his pardoning mercy, as you have that you 
 are the subject of his sanctifying grace. Sanc- 
 tification is the onlv evidence of conversion. 
 
CONFIDENCE IN GOOD ESTATE. b1 
 
 Tlie assurance of onr acceptance with God 
 depends on the assurance of our possessing 
 the character of those who are accepted. The 
 scriptural mode of obtaining assurance is that 
 pointed out by the apostle : " Giving all dili- 
 gence, add to your faith virtue ; and to virtue, 
 knowledge ; and to knowledge, temperance ; 
 and to temperance, patience ; and to patience, 
 godhness ; and to godliness, brotherly kind- 
 ness ; and to brotherly kindness, charity. For 
 if these things be in you and abound, they 
 make you that ye shall neither be barren nor 
 unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ. "Wherefore, brethren, give diligence 
 to make your calling and election sure ; for 
 if ye do these things, ye shall never fall." 
 " The infallible assurance of faith," says our 
 excellent Confession, '4s founded upon the 
 divine truth of the promises of salvation, the 
 inward evidence of those graces unto which 
 these promises are made, the testimony of the 
 Spirit of adoption witnessing with our spirits 
 that we are the children of God, which Sphit 
 is the earnest of our inheritance, whereby 
 we are sealed to the day of redemption."^ 
 ^ Confession of Faith of the Presbyterian church, 
 
58 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 To clierisli tlie confidence of your otvti good 
 estate when your graces are low and lan- 
 guishing, and while you live in the habits of 
 sin, savors more of presumption than of hu- 
 mility. No man ought to Hve without some 
 doubts of his own good estate, who does not 
 cherish such an abiding sense of divine truth, 
 and live in such prevaiHng exercise of divine 
 grace, as to have the witness within him that 
 he is born of God. It is in the exercise of 
 grace alone that any one ought to expect or 
 even desire to find evidence of his being 
 " accepted in the Beloved." The e^ddence of 
 our good estate rises in proportion to our 
 love, to our repentance, to our humility, to 
 our faith, to our self-denial, to our dehght in 
 duty. Other evidence than this the Bible 
 knows not — God has not given. 
 
 Let the reader beware of these vain confi- 
 dences. When men rest satisfied with these 
 presumptions, they usually rest satisfied until 
 it is too late to be dissatisfied. They see 
 nothing, either within or without, to shake 
 their hopes or alarm their fears. Notwith- 
 
 chap. IS, pp. 85, 8G. Vide also Larger Catechism, pp. 
 211, 212. 
 
CONFIDENCE IN GOOD ESTATE. 59 
 
 standing there is a wide and essential differ- 
 ence between these iinscriptural confidences 
 and the faith of the gospel ; notwithstanding 
 they have all the necessary means to know 
 their true character, and could not mistake 
 it if they would examine impartially; yet 
 they sport themselves with their own deceiv- 
 ings, and know not what manner of persons 
 they are. You may easily imagine that you 
 are safe, and while the deception lasts it may 
 quiet your consciences and administer a short- 
 lived consolation. But when the veil is dra^Ti 
 aside, when the dreams of time give way to 
 the realities of eternity, these pleasing decep- 
 tions will vanish. There is less of this vain 
 presumption in the hour of death than in the 
 season of health and cheerfulness. There 
 will be none of it at the left hand of the 
 Judge ; there will be none of it in hell. 
 
 The reader has now before him what the 
 author designed to say in the first five essays. 
 How solemnly do these things call upon every 
 one to see whether his heart is right with 
 God. If vital religion does not consist in 
 visible morahty; if it does not consist in the 
 
60 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 form of religion, nor in specnlatiye knowledge, 
 nor in mere conviction for sin, nor in the con- 
 fidence of your own good estate, nor in tlie 
 whole routine of enthusiastic experiences 
 which that confidence inspires, nor in all 
 these things combined, is it not time to look 
 about you? In all that has hitherto been 
 brought into view, there is not one holy 
 exercise of heart, not one feeling that is in 
 the least at war with supreme selfishness. 
 There is not one fact therefore upon which 
 I dare tell you that you may rely for eter- 
 nity, as conclusive evidence of Christian char- 
 acter. 
 
 How many are there who are almost Chris- 
 tians ! As then you review the preceding 
 pages, look with ingenuousness into your 
 OTVTi heart. Men may think they are Chris- 
 tians, and 3'et be in the "gall of bitterness 
 and in the bond of iniquity." You may be 
 almost saved, and yet — perish. You may get 
 very near to heaven, and yet — go to hell. 
 You may advance to the very verge of the 
 better world, and from the threshold of glory 
 fall into the regions of mourning. 
 
 It may be that remarks like these will 
 
CONFIDENCE IN GOOD ESTATE. 61 
 
 wound some of the dear cliildren of God, 
 while they leave the stupid hypocrite wrapt 
 up in false secui^ity, and impenetrable by any 
 thing but the arrows of the Eternal. If the 
 humble child of Jesus is hereby involved in 
 darkness for a moment, his light shall soon 
 break forth as the morning. If for a moment 
 his strength and courage languish, they shall 
 " spring forth speedily ; his righteousness 
 shall go before him, and the glory of the 
 Lord shall be his rearward." The hypocrite 
 will in all probabiHty still cherish his decep- 
 tion; he wiU rest in carnal security till the 
 awful moment when he lies gasping in the 
 arms of death, and is just about to take his 
 flight to the judgment-seat of Christ. Then 
 his refuges of Hes shall be swept away, and 
 his fancied security will only serve to render 
 him the fairer mark of divine vengeance; 
 then he will discover his fatal mistake ; then 
 his heart will tremble; then his hopes will 
 die within him : that which has been hidden 
 shall be made known ; the mask will be torn 
 off ; the secrets of the heart shall be unfold- 
 ed; nothing shall remain unveiled. "There 
 will be no darkness nor shadow of death 
 
62 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 where the workers of iniquity raay hide 
 themselves." " The sinners in Zion shall be 
 afraid; fearfulness shall surprise the hypo- 
 crites. Who among us shall dwell with de- 
 vouring fire? Who among us shall dwell 
 with everlasting burnings?" 
 
LOVE TO GOD. 63 
 
 6. LOVE TO OOD. 
 
 In tlie preceding essays I have exhibited, 
 as I proposed, a variety of views, feelings, 
 and practices which cannot be rehed on with 
 safety as conclusive evidence of Christian 
 character. In the subsequent ones I propose 
 to give a brief view of those which may be 
 rehed on without the danger of deception. 
 
 It is the excellence of the Christian relig- 
 ion that it makes a claim upon the affections. 
 " My son, give me thy heart." " Love is the 
 fulfilling of the law." "Though I give aU 
 my goods to feed the poor, and give my body 
 to be burned, and have not love, it profiteth 
 me nothing." 
 
 At first view there appears to be some dif- 
 ficulty in understanding with clearness what 
 it is to love God. Men are in the habit of 
 placing their affections upon beings that are 
 the objects of sense. God is invisible. To 
 profess to love a being that is not percepti- 
 ble to our senses, appears to some to savor 
 more of the ignorance and wildness of enthu- 
 
64 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GKACE. 
 
 siasm than of tlie sober deductions of en- 
 lightened and sanctified reason. But though 
 no eye hath seen or can see the infinite and 
 eternal Spiiit, yet "he hath not left himself 
 without witness." There is a power in the 
 human mind which enables it to form just 
 notions of persons and things that cannot be 
 perceived by sense. We need no other meth- 
 od of ascertaining the nature of love to God 
 than the nature of love to man. The mode 
 of reflection is in both cases the same. The 
 process of compounding, comparing, and ab- 
 stracting is the same. Seriously considered, 
 there is precisely the same difficulty in con- 
 ceiving of the nature of love to man, that 
 there is in conceiving of the nature of love to 
 God. You know what it is to love your 
 fiiend. And yet it is not the mere external 
 form; it is not the animal, unanimated by 
 the living, acting spirit, that you love. But 
 this is all that is perceptible to your senses. 
 You see the motion, you hear the voice of 
 your friend; and from the nature of what 
 you see and hear, you form the idea of his 
 character. The soul, that which is charac- 
 teristic both of the man and the friend, is 
 
LOVE TO GOD. 65 
 
 invisible. Wliat you see and hear is not tliat 
 which vou love, thoiigh it discovers to you 
 something which is lovely. That which is 
 the object of your senses suggests the exist- 
 ence and character of that invisible, think- 
 ing being which is the object of your affec- 
 tions, and which you either love or hate, as 
 it pleases or displeases you. 
 
 You may as easily know what it is to love 
 God therefore, as you may know what it is 
 to love your friend. The sensible signs by 
 which he has communicated, and is every 
 hour communicating his character, are vastly 
 more significant than*those which manifest 
 the character of any other being in the uni- 
 verse. God is everywhere. The Infinite 
 Mind is ever active. It is the great agent 
 throughout all worlds. "The heavens de- 
 clare the glory of God, and the firmament 
 showeth his handiwork. Day unto day utter- 
 eth speech, and night unto night showeth 
 knowledge. There is no speech nor language 
 where their voice is not heard. Their line 
 is gone out through all the earth, and their 
 words to the end of the world." God has 
 expressed his divine excellence in the work 
 
 Good Hope. 5 
 
G6 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 of Jiis liancls, and lias exliibited the lustre of 
 his glory in the word of his truth. Every 
 act that he has performed, together with 
 every word that he has spoken, is an une- 
 quivocal declaration of his character. It is 
 easy to conceive that this character must be 
 loved or hated, and that the invisible Being 
 which this character unfolds must be the 
 object either of complacency or aversion, of 
 benevolence or malignity. 
 
 Love to God involves complacency in his 
 character, benevolence towards his interest, 
 and gratitude for his favors. 
 
 It involves complacency in his character. 
 You see something in the character of your 
 fi'iend which to you appears pleasing and 
 amiable. You* see something which is love- 
 ly; and this lovehness is the foundation of 
 your attachment. Thus the excellence of 
 God is the foundation of all holy love. True 
 love to God is a firm and steady principle, 
 which draws its motive and its sanction from 
 his own intrinsic loveliness. It is deUght in 
 his excellence. Those who have " put on the 
 new man, which after God is created in right- 
 eousness and true holiness," love God be- 
 
LOVE TO GOD. 6*7 
 
 cause lie is just such a God as lie is ; because 
 liis power is irresistible, his wisdom unerr- 
 ing, his purity spotless, his justice inflexible, 
 his goodness universal, his grace infinite, his 
 designs eternal and immutable. Here holy 
 love begins. 
 
 "Wicked men are apt to consider God "al- 
 together such a one as themselves." They 
 clothe the divine Being with such attributes, 
 and such only, as suit their depraved taste; 
 and then it is no difficult thing to fall down 
 and worship him. But it is not God that 
 they worship ; it is not God that they love. 
 It is an image that bears no resemblance to 
 that glorious Being whom all heaven adores ; 
 it is a mere idol of their own imagination. 
 Genuine complacency in God, therefore, is 
 dehght in his true character. The love which 
 arises from dehght in the character of a false 
 god, is enmity towards the true God. The 
 enemies of God may love him for what they 
 imagine him to be ; none but the real friends 
 of God love him for what he is. 
 
 Supreme attachment to the character of 
 God for his own inherent excellence, draws 
 the Hne of distinction between that love 
 
68 GOOD HOPE THROUaH GEACE. 
 
 wliicli is merely mercenary and that wliicli is 
 disinterested. A man may be supremely self- 
 ish in the exercise of a certain kind of love 
 to God. In all his love he may have no nlti- 
 mate regard except to his own happiness. 
 He may delight in God for what he is to him, 
 while he takes no delight in him for what he 
 is in himself. Such is not the love of the 
 new-born soul. The enmity of his heart 
 towards God is slain. He is reconciled to 
 the divine character as it is. God is the ob- 
 ject of dehghtfid contemplation to his devout 
 mind. In his most favored hours his views 
 are diverted from himself As his eye glances 
 at the varied excellence of the Deity, he does 
 not stop to ask the question whether God is 
 a being who will at all events regard his inter- 
 est. It is enough for him that He will at all 
 events regard His own glory. He beholds a 
 dignity, a beauty in the divine character that 
 fills his soul with high devotion. All things 
 else are atoms, motes, dust, and vanity. The 
 feehngs of the prophet are his: "The desire 
 of my soul is to thy name, and to the remem- 
 brance of thee." The nnchangeableness of 
 the divine Being and the perfections of the 
 
LOVE TO GOD. 69 
 
 cliyine nature, excite the noblest yiews and 
 the most raised affections. The language of 
 the psalmist is his : " Whom have I in heav- 
 en but thee ? and there is none on earth that 
 I desire besides thee." The soul is satisfied 
 with God's perfect excellence, and does not 
 cherish a wish that he should be different 
 from Vv'liat he is. 
 
 True love to God also imphes benevolence 
 towards him and the interest of his kingdom. 
 In the intrinsic excellence of his character, 
 God is the " same yesterday, to-day, and for 
 ever." The fulness of perfection is ahke 
 necessary at all times to his very existence 
 as God. It would therefore be arrogance in 
 the worms of the dust to imagine that they 
 may be profitable to God, as he that is wise 
 may be profitable to himself; but it is pre- 
 sumption for them to imagine that they love 
 him without feeling a friendly interest in his 
 designs, a sincere desire for the advancement 
 of his cause and the glory of his name. Those 
 who love the divine character necessarily 
 deske to promote the divine glory. They 
 regard the honor of God as comprehending 
 every good and as concentrating every wish. 
 
70 GOOD HOPE THEOUGH GEACE. 
 
 In tliis every lioly mind takes supreme de- 
 light. It is the ardent desire, the highest 
 wish of a sanctified heart, that in all his 
 works, in all his plans, by all in heaven, by 
 all on earth, and all in hell, God should be 
 glorified. Those who have tasted and seen 
 that the Lord is good, have found unspeak- 
 able pleasure in beholding his glory, and 
 therefore do sincerely and ardently desire to 
 behold greater and brighter displays of it. 
 This sublime spirit enters into the essence of 
 all genuine love to God. The infinite Being, 
 who is capable of enjoying an infinitely high- 
 er degree of happiness than all created intel- 
 Kgence besides, shares largely in the benevo- 
 lent affections of every devout mind. 
 
 Genuine love also involves the exercise of 
 gratitude. Gratitude to God is the exercise 
 of love to him for the favors which he has 
 communicated to us. The f)i*iniary ground 
 of love to God is the intrinsic excellence of 
 his own character, without regard to any 
 personal interest in his favor. The first exer- 
 cise of love to God is, and must be, antece- 
 dent to the persuasion that God takes com- 
 placency in us. Still it is true, that no man 
 
LOYE TO GOD. Tl 
 
 wlio loves God for tlie amiableness of His 
 own character, can refrain from loving him 
 for the favors which he has communicated to 
 him in particular. The discovery of his per- 
 sonal interest in the favor which God bears" 
 to his own people, will excite the most ten- 
 der and grateful emotions. He cannot con- 
 template the care which has sustained him 
 from year to year, the goodness which encir- 
 cles him every hour that he lives, the word 
 which instructs him, and the discipHne which 
 is preparing him for better enjoyments, with- 
 out some sensations of thankfulness. He 
 cannot call to mind the promises that have 
 supported him, the threatenings that have 
 warned him, and the wonderful grace that 
 has redeemed him, without admiration and 
 love. He cannot look forward to scenes of 
 temptation and sorrow, through which cove- 
 nanted mercy has engaged to bear him to 
 the hour of death and the joys of a future 
 world, without a heart expanding with love 
 to his heavenly Father. That God should 
 show mercy to a wretch like him ! — angels 
 have no such cause for gratitude as this. 
 A distinguishing characteristic of true love 
 
72 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 to God is, that it is suiireme, " No man can 
 serve two masters." There cannot be two 
 objects of supreme regard. "He," saith oiu' 
 Sayiour, " that loveth father or mother more 
 than me, is not worthy of me." ^lien God 
 promised to circumcise the heart of his peo- 
 ple, it was that they might "love the Lord 
 their God with all their heart and all their 
 soul." God neither requires nor "^dll accept 
 of a divided affection. He is a "jealous 
 God." No rival may participate in that love 
 which is due to him. Genuine love to his 
 character is something more than languid 
 esteem, a mere lukewarm affection; some- 
 thing more than a vague, indescribable emo- 
 tion that "j)lays round the head." It is the 
 " ruHng passion," the governing motive. The 
 love of God is j)aramount to every other 
 principle. Every attachment is subordinate 
 to deHglit in his excellence, every desire sub- 
 servient to that of promoting his glory. To 
 a mind that loves him, God is ahke the source 
 and sum of good. 
 
 " Of all thy gifts, thou art Thyself the cro^Mi ; 
 Give what thou wilt, without theo we are poor, 
 And with thee rich, take what thou wilt away." 
 
LOYE TO GOD. T3 
 
 But while we say, that in every renewed 
 heart the love of God is the predominant 
 principle, we ought not to withhold the re- 
 mark, that it exists in ygtj different degrees 
 in different persons, and in the same persons 
 at different times. While the people of God 
 remain in this probationary state, they will 
 be sinners. Their love to God will be very 
 mieqnal at different seasons, and at some, 
 very low and languishing. The best of men 
 have their seasons of sin, as well as their 
 seasons of darkness. Sometimes they are on 
 the mount, and sometimes in the vale. They 
 are prone to forsake God ; Hke Israel of old, 
 they are "bent to backsHding from him." 
 The glory of his character has httle effect 
 upon their hearts, and less upon their con- 
 duct. The honor of his nanie excites no 
 ardent desire to promote it, no anxious con- 
 cern to see it promoted. Other objects em- 
 ploy so much of their time, and engage so 
 much of their affections, that for a while 
 they think more of things that are seen and 
 temporal, than of those that are unseen and 
 eternal. 
 
 But there are seasons also when the child 
 4 
 
74 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 of God, gradually excluding all other objects 
 from his \iew, fixes his mind upon the divine 
 character as the object of his chief dehght, 
 and upon the divine glory as the great end 
 of his being. There are seasons, seasons of 
 inexj^ressible sweetness and dehght, when, 
 like Ehjah on Carmel, Moses on Pisgah, and 
 John in Patmos, he is lost in the contempla- 
 tion of the ever blessed God, and borne aloft 
 to catch a glimpse of that glory that fills the 
 temple above. He beholds the Infinite One 
 arrayed with majesty and excellence, and 
 decked with hght as with a garment. He 
 beholds the bright and brightening displays 
 of His glory, while his bosom expands with 
 holy fervor, and beats high vnth. pure devo- 
 tion. 
 
 It is not necessary to inquire w^hether the 
 state of declension or of vigor be the more 
 desirable ; nor which it is our duty to avoid, 
 and which to cherish and maintain. Both 
 the duty and blessedness of God's peoj)le 
 point to that heavenly precept, " Be ye per- 
 fect, even as your Father in heaven is per- 
 fect." We do not ask the reader whether he 
 possesses that degree of love which he ought 
 
LOVE TO GOD. 15 
 
 to possess ; but whether lie possesses any that 
 is genuine. "I love them," saith the voice 
 of eternal Wisdom, " that love me." The holy 
 God cannot love those who hate him. He 
 cannot regard those with complacency who 
 regard him with aversion. He cannot be 
 reconciled to those who are irreconciled to 
 him. He cannot be reconciled to those who 
 hate him, and who justify their hatred to 
 him. He retains his anger towards them, so 
 long as they retain their opposition and 
 enmity towards him. Hence none have a 
 right to believe that God loves them, unless 
 they love him. And none will beUeve it, 
 without having been "given up to strong- 
 delusion, that they should beheve a lie." A 
 man must be conscious of his love to God, 
 before he can have scriptural evidence of 
 God's love to him. And the evidence which 
 arises from this consciousness is conclusive. 
 We have no more right to doubt of God's 
 love to us, than we have a right to doubt of 
 our love to him. As our love to God grows 
 constant and vigorous, the evidence increases 
 that we are friends to God, and that God is 
 a friend to us. 
 
7G GOOD HOPE THROUGH'SrACE. 
 
 Is then thy heart right with God? Are 
 yon pleased Tvith the di^dne character ? Do 
 you love every part of that character? Do 
 you love God's hoHness as well as his grace ; 
 his justice as Avell as his mercy? Do you 
 love him because he is immutably disposed 
 to hate sin and punish the sinner, or merely 
 because he is disposed to forgive sin and 
 save the sinner? Do you love him because 
 he has a greater regard for his own glory 
 than your happiness ; or because you appre- 
 hend that he has a higher regard for your 
 happiness than for his own glory ? There is 
 a kind of love which flows from a very un- 
 worthy principle. *' If ye love them that love 
 you, what thank have ye ; for sinners also 
 love those that love them." To love God 
 from no higher motive than the persuasion 
 that you are interested in his favor, is su- 
 premely selfish. Those who love God from 
 no higher principle, do not love him at all. 
 This is the affection which might and does 
 reign without opposition in the hearts of 
 thousands who are far from righteousness, 
 and who vnll finally be excluded from the 
 kingdom of heaven. 
 
LOVE TO GOD. 7t 
 
 Are YOU reconciled to that character of 
 God which you see portrayed on every page 
 of his word ? Ai'e you well pleased that God 
 should not only possess that character, but 
 are you well pleased that all his perfections 
 should be under his own direction and con- 
 trol ? Do you love God as a sovereign God ? 
 How do you regard the manifestation of that 
 character in the distinguishing dispensations 
 of grace and justice ? Do you approve it, or 
 do you oppose it ? Do you love it, or do you 
 hate it ? Every thing which God does, every 
 thing which he eternally designed to do, is 
 an expression of what he is. Every thing 
 that he does in fixing the eternal allotments 
 of the righteous and the wicked, is a display 
 of his true character. To be opposed to 
 what he does therefore, or to be opposed to 
 what he eternally designed to do, or to ob- 
 ject to his designing from eternity to do any 
 thing, is to oppose God, and to object to his 
 divine excellence. Whenever any part of the 
 divine character, clearly imderstood, is the 
 object of opposition and hatred, rather than 
 of acquiescence and delight, the opposition 
 is the result of selfishness and mahgnity, and 
 
18 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 those wlio cherisli it have not tlie love of God 
 in tliem. 
 
 Is the cjJorij of God tlie great end of jour 
 being? Do yon sincerely and ardently de- 
 eu'e to see greater and brighter displays of 
 fchat glory ? Do you rejoice that God is un- 
 folding, and will for ever unfold, the excel- 
 lence of his character ? Do you know noth- 
 ing of this benevolent regard for God, and 
 the interests of his kingdom? Do you find 
 your happiness in yourself, or out of yourself? 
 Do you rejoice merely in the hope of your 
 personal interest in God's favor ; or do you 
 rejoice in the hope of his glory? Can you 
 unite your feehngs with his, your joys with 
 the joys of his peojDle, and share in' the bless- 
 edness which results from beholding the evei 
 blessed God completely and for ever glori- 
 fied? 
 
 Wliat has your experience taught you of 
 the love of gratitude to God? Do you be- 
 hold God in all your mercies ? Do you feel 
 that you Hve in God's world, that you breathe 
 God's vital air, that you are upheld by God's 
 powerful hand ? Do you delight to feel the 
 sweet and tender obhgations that bind you 
 
LOVE TO GOD. Id 
 
 to the Lord Jesiis Christ? Have yoti seen 
 the seasons when the abundant goodness, 
 the infinite grace of God towards yon, a 
 polluted sinner, seemed enough for ever to 
 fill your heart with love and your lips with 
 praise ? 
 
 Is your love to God supreme ? Does it rise 
 superior to the attachments of flesh and 
 sense ? What, whom do you love more than 
 the everlasting God ? In whose character do 
 you behold more beauty? Whose blessed- 
 ness is an object of warmer desire or more 
 vigorous exertion ? To whom are you more 
 gratefal ? Do you love God more than " fa- 
 ther or mother, wife or children, houses or 
 lands ?" Do you love him better than yoicr- 
 self? " If any man come to me, and hate not 
 his father, and mother, and wife, and chil- 
 dren, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and Ms 
 own life also, he cannot be my disciple." 
 
 There may be danger, but surely there can 
 be no necessity of being deceived in a case 
 so plain. Supreme love to God is decisive 
 evidence of the renewed heart. Wlien the 
 soul is ushered from the darkness of sin into 
 God's marvellous Hght, it beholds God in an 
 
80 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 infinitely different light from what it ever 
 beheld him before. Now God is everjrv'here. 
 There is an inexpressible beauty, a mild glory 
 in almost every object, because it is the work 
 of his hand, and reflects the excellence of his 
 nature. The language of those who love God 
 is that of the rejoicing church, " I will greatly 
 rejoice in the Lord ; my soul shall be joyful 
 in my God." They think how excellent a 
 being God is, and how exalted would be the 
 happiness to enjoy him to perfection, and to 
 be swallowed up in him for ever. To see and 
 to love that which is infinitely lovely, to be- 
 hold and to adore that which is supremely 
 adorable, is the character and the blessed- 
 ness of the heavenly world. The early dawn 
 of this spiritual Hght, the first glow of this 
 pure affection, is the ghmmering of that sa- 
 cred fire which will burn with a purer and 
 a brighter flame throughout interminable 
 
 Does the reader then Jove God ? If so, the 
 question as to his own good estate is at rest. 
 If you are a friend to God, God will be an 
 everlasting friend to you. Nothing shall sep- 
 arate you from his love. "Neither angels, 
 
LOVE TO GOD. 81 
 
 nor principalities, nor powers, nor things 
 present, nor things to come, nor height, nor 
 depth, nor any other creature, shall be able 
 to separate yon from the love of God which 
 is in Christ Jesus your Lord." 
 
 Good Hope. 
 
82 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 7. REPENTANCE. 
 
 The fall of Adam involYed both himself 
 and his posterity in sin and ruin. From the 
 moment of the first transgression, sin chal- 
 lenged imiversal empire. From that fatal 
 hour it began to assume dominion, with the 
 certain prospect of swaying its sceptre over 
 every clime and every heart. But blessed be 
 God, though its empire is universal, it is not 
 in all its extent everlasting. There is One 
 who "taketh the prey from the mighty." 
 The conqueror is vanquished. Though " sin 
 reigns unto death, grace reigns imto eternal 
 life." 
 
 A mere glance at the ruin and recovery of 
 man is enough to convince us that of the 
 religion of fallen beings repentance forms an 
 essential part. It is ahke significant of the 
 character, and indispensable to the haj)pi- 
 ness of a converted sinner to be penitent. 
 
 In the order of gracious exercises, repent- 
 ance follows love to God. An affectionate 
 
REPENTANCE. 83 
 
 view of God prepares the mind to take a just 
 view of sin. As it is impossible to repent of 
 having sinned against a God that we hate, 
 so it is impossible not to repent of having 
 sinned against a God that we love. When 
 the heart has been renewed ; when the soul, 
 enhghtened by the divine Sj)irit, sees the 
 beauty, the loveliness of the divine charac- 
 ter, it cannot seriously reflect upon a hfe of 
 sin without unfeigned grief. " Godly sorrow 
 worketh repentance to salvation, not to be 
 repented of; but the sorrow of the world 
 worketh death." 
 
 Genuine repentance is that sorrow for sin 
 which arises from a sense of its intrinsic tur- 
 pitude. 
 
 It is essential to the nature of godly sor- 
 row that we possess a settled conviction of 
 the evil of sin. It is not enough to have 
 merely a transient view of our sinfulness ; we 
 must possess a settled conviction of the great 
 evil of sin. The real penitent, though he has 
 reason to lament that he is never so deeply 
 affected wdth the view of his sin as he should 
 be — seldom so much so as he hoped to be — 
 and very frequently not affected at all, yet at 
 
84 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GKACE. 
 
 some favored seasons lie is enabled to view 
 it in a measure as it is. He sees its detest- 
 able nature. He is deeply impressed T\dtli a 
 sense of its turpitude as a violation of law. 
 This is the definition which the a23ostle has 
 given of sin. It is (avofna) the transgression 
 of law. The God who made all worlds, and 
 who alone is quahfied to govern the worlds 
 which he has made, has given a rule of ac- 
 tion to his creatures which is the result of 
 infinite wisdom and goodness. The precept 
 and the sanction of this law are perfectly 
 equitable. The highest authority has pro- 
 nounced them to be holy, just, and good. 
 
 To violate this law is an e^dl. To violate 
 this law is nothing less than an attempt to 
 sunder the bond that holds the moral world 
 together. It is therefore a great evil. Every 
 violation of this law is an effort to resist the 
 salutary effects of a perfect rule of action. 
 It is a virtual opposition to all the good 
 which that rule of action, if obeyed, would 
 eventually secure. Could the evil nature and 
 tendency of sin, therefore, be fiilly expressed ; 
 could this "enemy of all righteousness" be 
 clothed with the energy of omnipotence, aU 
 
REPENTANCE. 85 
 
 that is good, all tliat is liappy would be 
 chased away, and the world that once smiled 
 Tinder the beneficent hand of its Maker, 
 wonld be left bare of the last vestige of bhss. 
 The same accursed foe that huiied the an- 
 gels fi'om the highest heavens; that drove 
 our first parents from Paradise ; that deluged 
 the world by a flood; that laid waste the 
 cities of the plain; that has multiphed its 
 trophies in slaughtered thousands; that has 
 given death its sting and the law its curse ; 
 that has crucified the Lord of glory — would 
 not stay his ruthless hand until he had 
 "rolled the volume of desolation " through the 
 empire of the Eternal, and enjoyed the ma- 
 lignant pleasure of brooding over the ruins 
 of the desolated universe. 
 
 In violating the law, sin also dishonors the 
 Lawgiver. It aims the blow at God ; it rises 
 in rebelhon against his rightful authority; it 
 is contrary to every attribute of his nature ; 
 it is the abominable thing which his soul 
 hateth. To enhance its turpitude, think a 
 moment against luliat a God sin is commit- 
 ted. He is a great God, a God of infinite 
 majesty. He is "decked with majesty and- 
 
86 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 excellence." The " everlasting mountains 
 are scattered" at his approach; the "perpet- 
 ual hills do bow" before him. He is a holy 
 God ; so holy that the " heavens are not pure 
 in his sight," and his " angels are charged 
 with folly." He is a good God. He is love 
 itself. He is a merciful God. " His mercy is 
 everlasting;" it is "great unto the heavens." 
 He is the Being vrhom we are under the 
 greatest obligations to adore, because he is 
 supremely adorable ; a Being whom we are 
 under the greatest obHgations to love, be- 
 cause he is infinitely lovely ; a Being whom 
 we are under the greatest obhgations to obey, 
 because his government is perfect. And yet 
 we rebel. Creatures whose " foundation is in 
 the dust" contend with their Maker! Crea- 
 tiu'es who hang every hour u23on his boiuity, 
 " forget his power, abuse his love !" Sinners 
 who are upheld every moment by his mercy, 
 tread that mercy under their feet! O how 
 great an evil is sin! "If one man sin against 
 another, the Judge shall judgp him ; but if a 
 man sin against God, who shall entreat for 
 him?" 
 
 Thoughts in kind like these pass through 
 
REPENTANCE. 87 
 
 the mind of the penitent as he calls to re- 
 membrance his mnltiplied transgressions. 
 No longer does he make hght of sin. He 
 views it in an entirely different Hght from 
 that in which it is viewed by a thoughtless 
 world. To him it is odious ; it is vile ; it is 
 utterly detestable ; nay, more, it is exceedingly 
 sinful. 
 
 In view of the intrinsic tui^pitude of sin, 
 therefore, the penitent mourns. And his sor- 
 row is 
 
 Ingemtoiis : it is not a selfish sorrow. The 
 object upon which the soul fixes her thoughts 
 while indulging her grief, is sin, and not pun- 
 ishment. It is for this that she mourns. This, 
 in the hands of the divine Spirit, is the spring 
 of all godly sorrow. 
 
 The leading principle that makes repent- 
 ance a duty is, that evil has been done, a 
 crime has been committed. To the renovated 
 heart this is also the leading motive to repent- 
 ance. No truth is more clear than that sin- 
 ners ought to be, and that saints are penitent 
 for sin. The inherent odiousness of sin is the 
 object of their sorrow ; and were this the only 
 consideration that could be presented to the 
 
88 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 mind, this alone would be enough to clothe 
 them with eternal mourning and bathe them 
 in ceaseless tears. We cannot refrain from 
 saying that neither the obligation nor the 
 motive to repentance are founded in the hope 
 of mercy or the actual exercise of it, though 
 both are thereby strengthened. Notwith- 
 standing both the obligation and the motives 
 to repentance are vastly increased by the 
 proclamation of mercy in the gospel, yet men 
 must repent, and do repent because they have 
 done wrong, and not because there is or is 
 not a probabihty that they shall escape pun- 
 ishment. The moment that our first father 
 fell, before he heard the voice of God among 
 the trees of the garden, while under the fear- 
 ful apprehension, nay, the certain ex23ectancy 
 of the rigid execution of the curse, he was 
 under the immutable obHgation to repent. 
 The fallen spirits in hell are now without ex- 
 cuse for not humbHng themselves before God. 
 Though bearing the punishment of their ini- 
 quity, yet in view of the intrinsic turpitude 
 of their sin, they ought to be overwhelmed 
 with unfeigned sorrow. 
 
 The reader will perceive that these remarks 
 
REPENTANCE. 89 
 
 are made with tlie design of distinguishing 
 between that "sorrow of the world which 
 worketh death, and that godly sorrow which 
 worketh repentance to salvation not to be 
 repented of." In "the world that heth in 
 wickedness," there is enough of that " sor- 
 row which Avorketh death." There is the 
 sorrow which arises merely from a sense of 
 danger, and the fear of punishment. Such 
 was the repentance of Ahithophel and Judas. 
 But this is at an infinite remove from " that 
 godly sorrow which worketh repentance not 
 to be repented of." It is one thing to mourn 
 for sin because it exposes us to hell, and 
 another to mourn for it because it is an infi- 
 nite evil. It is one thing to mourn for it 
 because it is injurious to ourselves ; another, 
 to mourn for it because it is offensive to God. 
 It is one thing to be terrified ; another, to be 
 humbled. A man may tremble at the ap- 
 prehension of divine wrath, while he has 
 no sense of the intrinsic turpitude of sin, 
 and no true contrition of soul on account 
 of it. 
 
 There is also the sorrow which arises 
 merely from the hope of forgiveness. Such 
 
90 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 is tlie mercenary repentance of tlie hypocrite 
 and the self-deceived. Many, it is to be 
 feared, have eagerly cherished the expecta- 
 tion of eternal life, and here begun and ended 
 their religion. Many, it is to be feared, 
 have eagerly cherished the hope of mercy, 
 and here begun their repentance, who have 
 mourned at the last, and lain cloiun in sorroic. 
 In all this there is nothing that is ingenuous ; 
 no godly sorrow arising fi'om a sense of the 
 intrinsic turpitude of sin. 
 
 Eeal repentance is also deej? and thorough. 
 It is bitter sorrow. It rends the heart. The 
 penitent sees that he is a vile sinner. He 
 sees that he has been his ovm. destroyer. 
 The Spirit of God has taught him that sin is 
 something more than a mere calamity. He 
 feels that he deserves to be blamed rather 
 than pitied. He views his sin as altogether 
 criminal and inexcusable. Though the dic- 
 tates of an evil heart have often prompted 
 him to go astray, yet he knows they have 
 never constrained him contrary to his own 
 choice. That heart, though full of evil and 
 desperately wicked, he has cherished. He 
 sees, therefore, that lie himself is the only 
 
REPENTANCE. 91 
 
 blamable cause of his sinfulness. Tlie great 
 evil of sin is chargeable upon him. He has 
 done it. 
 
 And can the penitent see his own vileness, 
 mthont bowing in the dust before God ? He 
 is ashamed and confounded when he looks 
 back upon his past hfe, and when he now 
 looks into his own heart. He sees that he 
 has broken God's holy law, and resisted the 
 claim of his rightful Sovereign. The thought 
 which most deeply affects him is, that he has 
 sinned against God. In comparison with 
 this, his other crimes vanish to nothing. 
 The language of his heart is, " Against thee, 
 thee only, have I sinned." If he had not 
 sinned against a great and holy and good 
 and merciful God, his sins would not appear 
 so great. But Oh, he has sinned against the 
 God who made him, the God who has pre- 
 served and redeemed him. Creating good- 
 ness, providential care, and redeeming love 
 have been bestowed upon him almost in vain. 
 This is the dart which wounds him. He ex- 
 claims with David, " I have sinned against 
 the Lord. I have committed this great 
 wickedness." He sensibly feels that ho has 
 
92 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 sinned against tlie " God of all grace.'* " He 
 beholds Him whom he has pierced ;" he looks 
 away to the cross of Christ, and there sees 
 what his sins have done ; and is gTieved to 
 the inmost soul. 
 
 The numher of his sins affects him no less 
 severely than the aggravation of them. The 
 penitent sees that he has not only sinned, 
 but sinned in a thousand forms. He sees 
 sin in a thousand things in which he never 
 saw it before. It appears to mix itself with 
 every thing. He gToans under the body of 
 sin and death. At some periods, he goes 
 bowed do^Ti to the earth all the day long. 
 He feels that his " transgressions are multi- 
 plied." Often is his "laughter turned into 
 mourning, and his joy into heaviness." With 
 what a melting, broken heart, does he He at 
 the feet of his injured Saviour, and beg for 
 mercy. He is abased before God. He is 
 ready to cry with the humbled jisalmist, 
 " My sin is ever before me ;" or with the 
 mourning prophet, " O my God, I am asham- 
 ed, and blush to Hft up my face to thee ; for 
 mine iniquities are increased over my head, 
 and my trespass is gro^^Ti up into the heav- 
 
REPENTANCE. 93 
 
 ens." It is enough to break his heart, seri- 
 ously to reflect upon his innumerable trans- 
 gressions. He remembers his own ways, 
 and his doings that w^ere not good, and 
 loathes himself in his own sight for his ini- 
 quities and abominations. 
 
 True repentance is not only ingenuous and 
 deep, it is attended with actual reformation. 
 It exhibits itself in real hfe. The penitent 
 feels the force of considerations which never 
 fail to restrain fi'om sin. He is afraid of sin. 
 He dreads its aggravated guilt. " How shall 
 I commit this great wickedness and sin 
 against God!" The thought is enough for 
 ever to cut him off from all access to the 
 accursed thing. He is a sinner still, but he 
 cannot remain a sinner in the sense in which 
 he was a sinner once. He manifests a desire 
 to honor the God he has so long dishonored; 
 to undo what he has done against the inter- 
 ests of his kingdom, and repair the injury he 
 has caused to the souls of men. There is no 
 genuine repentance where there is no for- 
 saking of sin. Still to go on in sin, to prac- 
 tise iniquity with greediness, with constancy, 
 and with perseverance, is incompatible with 
 
94 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 the nature of that sorrow which is unto sal- 
 vation. 
 
 With these plain principles in view, we 
 think the reader may decide the point as to 
 his own good estate. The preceding obser- 
 vations will go far towards enabhng him to 
 distinguish between the precious and the 
 \i\e. 
 
 If yours is godly sorrow, it is then ingenu- 
 ous. It arises from a sense of the intrinsic 
 turpitude of sin. Eetire into your own bosom, 
 therefore, and ask yourself questions lilve 
 these : Do I possess any settled conviction 
 of the evil of sin? Does sm appear to me, 
 as the " evil and bitter thing ?" Does a con- 
 viction of the evil of it increase ? There are 
 moments w^hen heaven and hell He out of 
 sight : how does sin appear then ? Do you 
 hate it merely because it is ruinous to yoiu- 
 soul, or because it is offensive to God ? Do 
 you hate it because it is sin ? Do you mourn 
 over it because it is wrong ? 
 
 In the sanctified heart, the hatred of sin is 
 supreme. As there is nothing so bad as sm, 
 so there is nothing the penitent hates so 
 much. Is then your repentance deep and 
 
REPENTANCE. 95 
 
 sincere? Is sin prevailingly your greatest 
 grief? Seriously considered, would the de- 
 liverance from any evil be a more joyful 
 event than the deliverance from sin? If 
 there could be no dehverance from sin but 
 at the expense of the choicest comforts, 
 would you cheerfuUy make the sacrifice? 
 Do your misfortunes grieve you more than 
 your sins ; or your sins more than your mis- 
 fortunes ? 
 
 Do your sins appear many and aggravated? 
 Do you see sin in a thousand different forms, 
 and new instances, in which you have not 
 dreamed of it before? Do you mouin over 
 the sins of the heart ? Do you abhor your- 
 self for your innate depravity, as one that 
 was "shaped in iniquity, and conceived in 
 sin ?" Do you mourn over your vain thoughts 
 and carnal affections ; over a life of sin, in- 
 gratitude, and profligacy ; over your unprof- 
 itableness and imfaithfulness ? Does it grieve 
 you that you are worldly, proud, and selfish ; 
 that you have lifted up your soul unto 
 vanity, and panted after the dust of the 
 earth? 
 
 Does it grieve you to the heart, to caU to 
 
96 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 miiid that you have sinned against God? 
 When your eyes " behold the King, the Lord 
 of hosts," are you constrained to exclaim, 
 Woe is me ? When you "look on Him whom 
 you have pierced," are you constrained to 
 cry out, / cim undone ? 
 
 The degree of godly sorrow is by no means 
 to be overlooked in your self-examination. 
 "WTien God touches, he hreaJcs the heart. 
 Where he pours out the Spirit of grace, they 
 are not a few transient sighs that agitate the 
 breast ; they are heart-rending pangs of sor- 
 row. " And it shall come to pass," saith God, 
 " that I will pour upon the house of David, 
 and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the 
 spirit of grace and of suj)plications ; and they 
 shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, 
 and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourn- 
 eth for an only son, and shall be in bitterness 
 for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his 
 first-born. In that day shall there be a 
 great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourn- 
 ing of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megid- 
 don. And the land shall mourn, every family 
 apart ; the family of the house of David 
 apart, and their wives apart; the family of 
 
KEPENTANCE. 97 
 
 the house of Nathan apart, and their Tvdves 
 apart ; the family of the house of Levi apart, 
 and their wives apart ; the family of Shimei 
 apart, and their wives apart; every family 
 apart, and their wives apart." Thus have 
 the Jews mourned, and thus will that de- 
 voted nation mourn again, for crucifying the 
 Lord of glory. Does the reader know any 
 thing of such sorrow as tliis? Can no soli- 
 tary hour, no lonely spot, bear testimony to 
 the bitterness of his grief? What grieves 
 you more, than that you have ten thousand 
 times pierced the heart of redeeming love ? 
 
 Do you ahhor sin ? Do you turn from it ? 
 Do you cherish that regard for the law and 
 character of God, that tender regard for the 
 crucified Saviour which inspires you v/ith 
 fixed aversion to all that, is polluting in the 
 sins of the heart, and all that is injurious in 
 the sins of the life ? Do you feel an increas- 
 ing tenderness of conscience whenever you 
 are tempted to go astray? Are you afraid 
 of dishonoring God, and do you tremble lest 
 you crucify his dear Son afresh ? 
 
 Fellow-sinner, if you know any thing of all 
 this, you are not a stranger to that " godly 
 
 Good Hope. '7 
 
98 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 sorrow which worketh repentance to salva- 
 tion not to be repented of." God has prom- 
 ised to forgive the penitent. He has pledged 
 his word that the act of forgiveness on his 
 part shall follow the exercise of repentance 
 on yours. Eeturning prodigal, pardoning 
 mercy is thine. It is as sure as the sincerity 
 of thy repentance. "Wlioso covereth his sins 
 shall not prosper ; but whoso confesseth and 
 forsaketh them, shall find mercy." His re- 
 pentance shall not jDurchase it ; liis repent- 
 ance does not deserve it. Eepentance has no 
 intrinsic efficacy; it cannot entitle to pardon. 
 It is not the Saviour, though without it we 
 cannot be saved. God dehghts to forgive ; 
 he does forgive, though it cost the blood of 
 his Son. No sooner does the rebel loathe 
 and abhor himself,, than God passes by his 
 transgressions and ceases to retain his anger. 
 " He rejoices over him with joy ; he rests in 
 his love ; he will joy over him with singing." 
 To forgive a hell-deserving sinner, to receive 
 a rebel into favor, to wash away his dee])- 
 stained guilt, and become the everlasting 
 Friend of the friendless, is the highest exer- 
 cise of perfect benevolence. O how gratify* 
 
EEPENTANCE. 09 
 
 ing to tlie "benevolent heart of God to behold 
 tlie returning prodigal, though a great tuay 
 off. His compassions yearn over him ; he 
 longs to receive him into his arms ; he is 
 impatient to press him to his bosom. " He 
 runs ; he falls upon his neck, and kisses 
 him." 
 
100 GOOD HOPE THPtOUGH GEACE. 
 
 8. FAITH. 
 
 The first glimmering of liglit that daT\Tied 
 upon the darkness of the fall was ushered in 
 by an obscure revelation of the coyenant of 
 gTace. This covenant was faintly exliibited 
 to Adam and Eve in the denunciation of the 
 curse upon the tempter. It was made known 
 more clearly to Noah after the flood. It was 
 renewed with Abraham after God had called 
 him from XJr of the Chaldees, with Isaac in 
 Gerar, -with Jacob at Bethel, and with the 
 generation of Israel in the T^dlderness. The 
 liglit of truth rose gradually, and the cove- 
 nant of grace gradually unfolded its bless- 
 ings, till the star of Bethlehem pointed to 
 the Sun of righteousness, and the promise of 
 the covenant was sealed by the blood of its 
 Surety. 
 
 The covenant of redemption was antece- 
 dently necessary to the existence of the cov- 
 enant of grace. It was the perfect accom- 
 plishment of that arduous part which the 
 Bedeemer engaged to bear in the covenant 
 
FAITH. 101 
 
 of redemption, that laid tlie foundation for 
 the covenant of gi'ace. It was this thsiijics- 
 tifiecl God in entering into covenant with be- 
 Hevers, and in engaging to save them through 
 faith in the blood of Jesus. 
 
 The covenant of redemption subsists be- 
 tween the sacred persons of the ever-blessed 
 Trinity, of which the atonement of Christ for 
 the sins of the world is the stipulation, and 
 the salvation of his chosen seed the promise. 
 The covenant of grace subsists between God 
 and behevers, of which faith in Christ is the 
 stij)ulation, and the salvation of behevers the 
 promise. 
 
 The covenant of grace, therefore, in dis- 
 tinction from the covenant of redemption, is 
 nothing more nor less than the promise of 
 God to save all those who beheve in Jesus 
 Christ. The law of God is not now the rule 
 of justification, though it is the rule of duty. 
 We no longer hear the righteous demand of 
 that broken covenant, "This do, and thou 
 shalt hve," but the milder language of gra- 
 cious economy, " Believe, and thou shalt be 
 saved." Of this covenant, faith in Christ is 
 that part which is fulfilled by the behever. 
 
102 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GEACE. 
 
 He believes ; and upon the principles of tliis 
 covenant, tlie first act of faitli gives him a 
 humble claim to the promise. 
 
 Every Christian grace is the effect of the 
 immediate agency and the almighty power of 
 God upon the heart. Faith is expressly de- 
 clared by the apostle to be the gift of God, 
 though it is at the same time the act of the 
 creature. It is uniformly represented as of 
 the operation of God. It is one of the fruits of 
 the Spirit. " The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, 
 long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, /chY/l" 
 "No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, hut 
 by tJie Holy Ghosts It is expressly said of 
 those who behoved on Christ in the days of 
 his humanity, that they " were born, not of 
 blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the 
 will of man, hut of God.'" It is also unequiv- 
 ocally declared, that "whosoever beheveth 
 that Jesus is the Christ, is horn of God'' 
 Faith then is the exercise of the ncio heart. 
 
 It is difficult to give a definition of faith 
 that comprehends all its properties. In its 
 most general character, it is reliance iqjon the 
 testimony of God's word. It is Teceivin{j the 
 truth in the love of it. The apostle Paul uses 
 
FAITH. 103 
 
 the phrase, "received not the love of the 
 truth," as s;)aioiiymous "with the phrase, "be- 
 lieved not the truth." Faith, however, when 
 viewed as that evangehcal grace which is the 
 condition of the new covenant, possesses al- 
 together a pecuhar character. Though the 
 elementary principles of every evangelical 
 grace are involved in that love which is the 
 fulfilling of the law, yet every grace has a 
 specific form. Faith, strictly speaking, is 
 distinct from every other exercise of the re- 
 newed heart. It is not love, nor repentance, 
 nor humility, nor submission, nor seK-denial, 
 nor hope. It is indeed the exercise of a heart 
 that akeady loves God, and that is humbled 
 on account of sin, but it is one which takes 
 that view of the gospel of Jesus Christ which 
 is taken by no other grace. 
 
 One of the best definitions of faith will be 
 found in the Shorter Catechism of the Assem- 
 bly of Divines at Westminster. In answering 
 the question, "What is faith in Jesus Christ?" 
 they say, ^^ Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving 
 grace, luhereby we receive and rest iijpon him 
 alone for salvation, as he is offered to us in the 
 gospeV 
 
104 GOOD HOPE THEOUGH GRACE. 
 
 Faith ill Jesus Christ is a complex act of 
 the miiicl, and comprises several distinct 
 things. One of its properties is a true know- 
 ledge of Christ's character. It is impossible 
 to "receive and rest upon" a being whose 
 character we do not know, and whose char- 
 acter we do not know to be worthy of confi- 
 dence. "I know whom I have beheved," 
 says the apostle. Faith views the Lord Jesus 
 as he is ; it discerns the divine excellence and 
 majesty of his character; it recognizes the 
 child that was born in Bethlehem as "the 
 mighty God, the everlasting Father." The 
 proper divinity of the Saviour's character is 
 one of those plain principles of the gospel 
 that are essential to evangehcal faith. To 
 make an all-sufficient atonement for sin, to 
 soften the obdurate heart, to aid the behever 
 in his trials and sufferings, to defend him 
 fi'om the power and subtlety of his enemies, 
 and to bring him off conqueror at last, would 
 baffle the designs of all but eternal Wisdom, 
 and mock the power of all but an almighty 
 arm. Faith views the Saviour as truly di- 
 vine. None other than the eteenal Woed 
 MiYDE FLESH Can be the foundation of lioj^e, 
 
FAITH. 105 
 
 for none other can be " miglity to save." It 
 is of presumption to profess to know Christ, 
 without acknowledging him as the second of 
 the three coequal persons in the Godhead. 
 
 As the behever discerns the Lord Jesus as 
 he is, he also acknowledges him as a real and 
 proper man. He views him as he is repre- 
 sented by the apostle, to be " the one God 
 and one Mediator between God and men, the 
 man Christ Jesus." It is expressly said that 
 Christ "took not on him the nature of an- 
 gels, but the seed of Abraham." The ac- 
 knowledgment of Christ as man as well as 
 God cannot be separated from the true know- 
 ledge of him as he is revealed in the Bible. 
 There he is represented, and there he must 
 be viewed as encircled with all the majesty 
 of the self-existent God, and all the " milder 
 glories" of the man Christ Jesus. 
 
 The believer regards Christ in his whole 
 mediatorial character. He sees the fulness, 
 the perfection of his work, no less than the 
 divine excellence of his person. He has re- 
 spect to all the offices of Christ. He views 
 him as the Peophet who came to pubHsli the 
 Tvill of God and declare the way of salvation. 
 5* 
 
106 GOOD IIorE THEOUGH GEACE. 
 
 He views liim as the Peeest whom it became 
 God to institute and sinners to possess, as the 
 One " whom God hath set forth to be a pro- 
 pitiation, through faith in his blood, to de- 
 clare his righteousness for the remission of 
 sins that are past, that God might be just, 
 and the justifier of him that believeth in Je- 
 sus." He ^dews him as " the King in Zion, 
 the head oyer all things to his church," the 
 LoED Jesus, the Loed that bought him. In 
 Christ the behever discovers all that can 
 qualify him to be a Saviour, and all that can 
 encourage guilty, miserable man to trust in 
 his grace. In him he beholds One that is 
 eminently all-sufficient. One who is able, will- 
 ing, and faithful " to save to the uttermost." 
 He receives the record which God has given 
 of his Son. 
 
 Sincere love to the character of Christ is 
 also essential to the nature of genuine faith. 
 It is as impossible to "receive and rest upon" 
 a being whom we hate, as it is to " receive 
 and rest upon" one that we do not know. 
 Eaith in Christ is not an exercise of the im- 
 derstanding merely ; it is an affection of the 
 heart. " With the heart man beheveth." "If 
 
FAITH. lot 
 
 tlioii believest luitli all thy heart" said Philip 
 to tlie euniicli, "thou ma jest be baptized." 
 To those who believe, Christ is precious. The 
 excellence which they see both in his person 
 and in his work they love. All that they 
 know of Christ they love. All the truth 
 which is connected with the character and 
 work of Christ they love. They possess spir- 
 itual discernment of his divine excellence. 
 They have the single eye that discovers his 
 moral beauty. They see a lovehness in Christ 
 and his gospel that captivates their hearts. 
 When the wandering spouse was met by the 
 watchmen that went about the city, and ac- 
 costed with the unexpected inquiry, " What 
 is thy beloved more than another beloved ?" 
 the reply was at hand : " My beloved is the 
 chief among ten thousands, he is altogether 
 lovely." Abraham " rejoiced to see Christ's 
 day, and he saw it, and was glad." The pious 
 psalmist was enraptured with a view of his 
 loveliness. " Thou art fairer," says he, "than 
 the children of men ; grace is poured into thy 
 hps, therefore God hath blessed thee for ever." 
 The spirit of this language is not peculiar 
 to Da^id or Abraham. In the dignity, puri- 
 
108 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 ty, and amiableness of Christ's character, in 
 the design of his mission, and in the way of 
 salvation by his cross, every believer sees 
 enough to engage his sweetest and most ex- 
 alted affections. 
 
 With this acquaintance with the character, 
 and this attachment to the person of the Ke- 
 deemer, the believer "receives and rests upon 
 him alone for salvation, as he is offered in the 
 gospel." He makes an impHcit surrender of 
 his immortal soul into his hands, as to one 
 who is both able and faithful to save. The 
 yielding up of the soul to the disposal of 
 Christ, is an act of the mind which cannot be 
 separated fi'om living faith. 
 
 It is of some importance to bear in mind, 
 that faith is the act of a lost sinner seeking 
 dehverance from the power and punishment 
 of sin towards a being who is exhibited in 
 the character of a Deliverer, It cannot there- 
 fore imply less than an application of the soul 
 to him who is the dehvering character, the 
 actual adventuring of this vast concern with 
 him, together with confidence that with him it 
 will be secure. Faith receives Christ; it rests 
 upon Christ for salvation ; it rests upon him 
 
FAITH. 109 
 
 alone for salvation as he is offered in tlie 
 gospel. Sensible of his ill-desert and help- 
 lessness, persuaded of the all-sufficiencj of 
 the Redeemer, the believer therefore makes 
 a voluntary surrender of himself into the 
 hands of Christ, to be saved upon his own 
 terms. He is convinced of the necessity of 
 committing his cause to better hands than 
 his own. He relinquishes his vain confiden- 
 ces, and places all his hopes on Christ. He 
 casts himself into his arms. " Lord, to whom 
 shall I go but to thee ?" 
 
 In the act of surrendering the soul into the 
 hands of Christ, the behever takes a view of 
 the great Deliverer which is as deep as his 
 own wants, and as large as the provision that 
 is made to supply them. He receives Christ 
 as his Prophet, his Priest, and his King. 
 
 Is he ignorant — exposed to wander from 
 the path ? The great Prophet is his Teacher 
 and his Guide. " The meek he will guide in 
 judgment; the meek will he teach his way." 
 
 Is he polluted with sin ? He looks to the 
 blood of the spotless sacrifice to be cleansed 
 from aU sin. Jesus Christ, he knows, gave 
 himself for his church, that he might wash 
 
110 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GEACE. 
 
 and cleanse it. He rests on Mm, and looks 
 for "the sanctification of tlie Spiiit unto obe- 
 dience tKrough the sprinkling of the blood of 
 Jesus." 
 
 Is he guilty and condemned? No longer 
 does he trust to his own righteousness, but 
 looks to Jesus as the " end of the law for 
 righteousness to every one that believeth." 
 He yields a condemned soul to him, to be 
 arrayed mth a righteousness with which a 
 just God has declared himseK to be ever 
 " well pleased." He rests upon him as the 
 sole ground of acceptance. "With all his nat- 
 ural attachment to his own goodness, he 
 counts it loss for Christ. "He counts it but 
 dung, that he may wm Christ and be found 
 in him, not having his own righteousness, 
 which is of the law, but that which is through 
 the faith of Christ, the righteousness which 
 is of God by faith." This is his refuge, his 
 crown of rejoicing. He looks to Jesus, rec- 
 ognizing the high relation in which he stands 
 to his people, and the endearing name by 
 which he is called, "Jehovah our right- 
 eousness." 
 
 Is he weak and helpless ? He engages the 
 
FAITH. Ill 
 
 grace of the Kecleemer as Lis consolation 
 and strengtli. To Jesns does lie surrender 
 himself as the head of all divine influences. 
 "I live; yet not I, but Christ that livetli in 
 me." This is the language of faith. The act 
 of the soul in surrendering itseK into the 
 hands of Christ, forms a connecting bond 
 between him as the Yine and the soul as the 
 branches, which communicates life, strength, 
 nourishment, and beauty. In a word, with 
 a just view of the character, and a supreme 
 attachment to the person of Christ, the be- 
 Hever yields himself into his hands as a full 
 and complete Saviour. Him he receives ; 
 upon him he rests, and rests for time and 
 eternity. "With humble joy will he tell you, 
 " Christ is my all. I want no more. To him 
 do I look to be sanctified by his Spirit, to be 
 governed by his laws, to be protected by his 
 power, to be saved by his death, to be dis- 
 posed of at his pleasure, and to be the means 
 of promoting his glory." 
 
 This is "to receive and rest upon Christ 
 alone for salvation, as he is offered to us in 
 the gospel." This is confidence in Jesus 
 Christ as a divine Saviour. You cannot pos- 
 
112 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 sess tbese feelings without possessing sa^dng 
 faith. This is the " substance of things 
 hoped for," and the "evidence of things not 
 seen." This is the grace which renders invis- 
 ible things visible, future things present, and 
 enstamps the permanent idea of reality uj)on 
 every thing that rests upon the testimony of 
 God. Tliis was the faith of Old Testament 
 saints and New Testament saints. It is that 
 trtist in the Lord of wliich we read so often 
 in the Old Testament, which is nothing more 
 nor less than the confidence of the new-born 
 soul in God, as reconcilable through the 
 Mediator. 
 
 Thus have we seen that faith has proper- 
 ties peculiar to itself. Its character is per- 
 fectly distinct from every other grace. There 
 is no exercise of the renewed heart that views 
 the whole gospel jDlan as it is except this. 
 Faith, from its essential nature, imphes the 
 fallen state of man, while it recognizes the 
 principles of the covenant of grace. It is 
 itseK the condition of that covenant. It is a 
 grace which is alike distinguishable from the 
 love of angels and the faith of devils. It is 
 pecuhar to the returning sinner. None but a 
 
FAITH. 113 
 
 lost sinner needs, and none but a humbled 
 sinner relishes, the grand sentiment of faith, 
 that "gTace reigns through righteousness 
 unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord." 
 Here then let the reader "examine him- 
 self whether he be in the faith." He may 
 possess the faith of devils. He may be fally 
 persuaded that there was such a person as 
 Jesus Christ; that he was "delivered for our 
 offences, and rose again for our justification :" 
 he may possess the vain confidence of the 
 hypocrite, which neither "worketh by love," 
 nor is "of the operation of God;" he may 
 cherish the pernicious hope of the self-de- 
 ceived, while he remains blind to the excel- 
 lence of the divine character, and while enmi- 
 ty to the cross of Christ is the governing 
 principle of his heart and his life. Every car- 
 nal mind, whether sensible of it or not, main- 
 tains the most decided aversion to the person 
 of the Eedeemer, the benefits of his purchase, 
 and the terms upon which those benefits are 
 proffered. The whole character and work of 
 Christ bear so intimate a relation to the un- 
 behever; they so pointedly take the part of 
 God against Mm; they so unequivocally con- 
 
 Good Hope. 8 
 
114 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 demn his character and conduct; tliej will 
 have such a damning efficacy upon Mm 
 throughout eternal ages, that when clearly 
 seen, they cannot fail to draw forth the latent 
 enmity of his heart. 
 
 If it be true, as it unquestionably is, that 
 you may have intellectually some just view 
 of the character of Christ, while you have no 
 love to that character as infinitely deserving 
 your affection, and while you make no sur- 
 render of yourseK into his hands as to one 
 who is supremely worthy of your confidence, 
 it becomes you to inquire whether you love 
 the Lord Jesus in sincerity and truth, and 
 whether you trust in liim as your only foun- 
 dation of hojDe. 
 
 " Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me ?" 
 Apply the question. Do you love Christ? 
 And why do you love him ? Do you love him 
 merely because he died to save you, or be- 
 cause he died to honor God in your salvation ? 
 Do you love him because he descended fi-om 
 heaven to take the part of God against man ; 
 to show the world that in the contest between 
 the creatures and the God that made them, 
 God is right and man is wrong, and with his 
 
FAITH. 115 
 
 own blood to set liis seal to the truth, that 
 the soul that siuneth ought to die ? Or does 
 he appear to jou on this account, " as a root 
 out of a dry ground — as having no form nor 
 comehness, no beauty that you should desire 
 him?" The true behever loves the Lord 
 Jesus because he effects his eternal salvation 
 in a way that harmonizes with the glory of 
 the divine character. To be saved in a way 
 that is in the least reproachful to that glory, 
 would rob heaven of its sweetness. It is for 
 this that Jesus Christ is so precious to those 
 that beheve; in this, that he is eminently 
 " fairer than the sons of men." Do you love 
 Jesus for the divine glories of his person, for 
 the excellence of his hfe, for the benefits of 
 his death, for the prevalence of his interces- 
 sion, for his resurrection, his dominion over 
 the world, and his office as the supreme and 
 final Judge ? Are the feelings of your heart 
 dra^TL out towards Christ as your chief joy? 
 Can you sit down under his shadow with 
 great dehght, and find his fruit sweet to your 
 taste ? Wiien affected with a view of your 
 lost state and guilty character, when bowed 
 down under a sense of sin, does Christ ap- 
 
116 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 pear jrrecious? Is a view of liim refresh- 
 ing? 
 
 Do Yon receive the Lord Jesus and rest 
 upon him alone for salvation ? Can you take 
 the place of a lost and hell-deserving sinner, 
 and vrith. a broken, contrite heart, make an 
 implicit surrender of your immortal soul into 
 his hands, to be saved upon his ovm. terms ? 
 Beloved reader, this is a plain question. 
 Every humbled heart, in the exercise of faith, 
 knows how to answer it. Can you relinquish 
 every other hope? Can you adventure this 
 vast concern with him ? 
 
 Can you receive and rest upon the Lord 
 Jesus as he is offered in the gospel? Are 
 you at heart reconciled to the terms of the 
 gospel ? Are you at heart reconciled to the 
 humbling doctrine of being justified by faith 
 in the righteousness of Christ ? It is a doc- 
 trine which, if correctly understood, wiU be 
 seen to reduce the returning rebel to the 
 lowest point of humiliation. To a heart that 
 is invincibly attached to rebellion, it is hard 
 to bow. To one who is naturally attached 
 to his OT\Ti supposed goodness, it is hard to 
 renounce it aU, and desire and receive mercy 
 
FAITH. in 
 
 only for the sake of Clirist. To a man wlio 
 loves himself supremely, and values himself 
 supremely, who has cherished the most ex- 
 travagant notions of his own importance fi^om 
 the womb, it is hard to he down at the foot- 
 stool of sovereign mercy. It is cutting in- 
 deed to the pride of the human heart to be 
 constrained to feel that we are guilty, and 
 then forced to admit that there is no pardon 
 for our crimes but through the merit of an- 
 other. Say, reader, is thy heart bowed to 
 the humbhng terms of the gospel ? Do you 
 dehght to take your place at the foot of the 
 cross, and while reaching forth the hand to 
 receive the robe of the Saviour's righteous- 
 ness, to shout, Grace, grace! "Not unto me, 
 O Lord, not rmto me, but unto thy name be 
 the glory, for thy mercy and ti'uth's sake?" 
 If so, you beheve. If so, amid all your 
 doubts and fears, you have that faith which 
 is " the gift of God." If so, you may hum- 
 bly claim the promise. Here is your conso- 
 lation, "He that beheveth shall be saved." 
 Yes, sliall he saved ! "What more has God to 
 bestow; what more can the creatiu'e enjoy? 
 Here are blessings as gTeat as the capacity 
 
118 GOOD HOPE THEOUGH GRACE. 
 
 of the immortal soul, as eternal as tlie God 
 that engages to bestow them. In the com- 
 prehensive promise of that covenant to which 
 faith makes you a party, the mysteries of 
 eternity lie concealed. Life and death, earth 
 and heaven, things present and to come, joys 
 high, immeasurable, and immortal — what 
 shall I say? "All are yours; and ye are 
 Christ's, and Christ is God's." 
 
HUMILITY. 119 
 
 9. HUMILITY. 
 
 " In the school of Christ," says the devout 
 Archbishop Leighton, " the first lesson of all 
 is humility ; yea, it is written above the door 
 as the rule of entry or admission. Learn of 
 me, for I am meek and lowly of hearth Hu- 
 mility is a grace that is nearly allied to 
 repentance. Repentance respects the nature 
 and aggravation of sin ; humility respects the 
 person and charaoter of the sinner. Humil- 
 ity consists in a just view of our own charac- 
 ter, and in the disposition to abase ourselves 
 as low as the vileness of our <iharacter re- 
 ciuires. 
 
 A just view of our own character is a view 
 of it as it actually is. The pride of the hu- 
 man heart naturally casts a veil over the 
 character of man, and aims to conceal his 
 worthlessness as a creature, and his deform- 
 ity as a sinner. Tlie humihty of the gospel 
 natui'ally throws aside the veil, and discovers 
 that native worthlessness which ought to 
 sink the creature in the dust, and that moral 
 
120 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 deformity whicli oiiglit to cover the sinner 
 with confusion. Genuine hnmihty is insep- 
 arably connected Tvdth a sense of our depend- 
 ence, of our imworthiness, and of oiu' ill- 
 desert. 
 
 Although dependence, absolute and uni- 
 versal, is necessarily attached to the very 
 being of creatures, yet a sense of this depend- 
 ence is a most unwelcome visitant to the un- 
 humbled heart. The spirit of the carnal 
 mind is an independent spirit. It is a S2:)irit 
 in which the pride of man glories. Though 
 men are creatures of yesterda}^, and know 
 nothing ; though they are upheld by the vis- 
 itation of God's arm, and supplied by the 
 beneficence of his hand, they have no appre- 
 hension that they actually "live and move 
 and have their being in him." An abiding 
 sense of his universal presence is what they 
 cannot bear to cherish. 
 
 But a sense of perfect dependence is a 
 grateful guest to the broken and contrite 
 heart. To a humbled sinner, it is sweet to 
 feel that he is absolutely dependent on God 
 for all that he is and all that he has. He is 
 sensible that he is nothing — that he is "a 
 
HUMILITY. 121 
 
 worm, and no man." He realizes that God 
 is eyeryTv^hiere, and tliat worms and seraphs 
 are ahke at his disposal. He feels with Panl, 
 that " he is not sufficient of himself to think 
 any thing as of himself, but his sufficiency is 
 of God." Does he enjoy signal favors? he 
 calls to mind that he enjoys nothing that he 
 has not received. Life, health, as well as the 
 blessings of both, he sees flowing through a 
 thousand channels from the same exuberant 
 source. As the child hangs upon the kind- 
 ness of its parent, or as the abject poor de- 
 pend on the daily bounty of their fellow-men, 
 so do the poor in spirit, conscious of their 
 helplessness, wait only upon God, for their 
 expectation is from him. 
 
 With a sense of their dependence, the hum- 
 ble unite a conviction of their unworthiness. 
 They are unworthy ; and they feel that they 
 are so. They are sensible that they are sin- 
 ners. They have seen the plague of their 
 own hearts. They know at best they are 
 unprofitable servants ; and at best ought to 
 be for ever overwhelmed with a sense of theii; 
 imworthiness. Merit they have none. De- 
 sert of good is not in all their thoughts. 
 6 
 
122 GOOD HOPE THEODGH GEACE. 
 
 "Who am I," exclaimed the king of Israel, 
 "AVho am I, O Lord God, and what is my 
 father's house, that thou hast bronght me 
 hitherto ? I am not worthy," said the hum- 
 ble patriarch, " I am not worthy of the least 
 of all the mercies, and of all the truth which 
 thou hast showed unto thy servant." The 
 people of God need not be told that they 
 have forfeited every favor. Much as they 
 need the divine compassion, they are sensi- 
 ble that they do not, and cannot deserve it. 
 Often as they seek the divine face and favor, 
 they do not seek them as the reward of per- 
 sonal worthiness. They turn their thoughts 
 inward, and see and feel that they are " less 
 than the least of all saints." They are mere 
 pensioners upon sovereign mercy. There 
 was no distinguishing excellence in them, 
 that made them the objects of favor ; there 
 was not the shadow of difference in charac- 
 ter, which operated as a reason why God 
 should regard them with the sjoecial tokens 
 of his love, rather than the most abandoned 
 Avretch that ever lived. " Behold, I am vile ! 
 Grace hath made me to differ." When they 
 seek the presence of God, they do it with the 
 
HUMILITY. 123 
 
 humble spirit of tlie centurion : " Lord, I am 
 not tfortJiy that thou shouldest come under 
 my roof." When they cast themselves upon 
 the care of their heavenly Father, it is mth 
 the spirit of the prodigal: "Father, I have 
 sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and 
 am no more ivortliy to be called thy son." 
 
 In the humble heart, a sense of depend- 
 ence and unworthiness is also connected 
 with a sense of ill-desert. Humility holds up 
 to view the bright mirror of God's holy law. 
 From this faithful glass, the character of 
 man is reflected in all its native deformity. 
 Here there is no deception. The merit and 
 demerit of character are determinately fixed 
 by this impartial standard. Here God has 
 exhibited his right and our obligation, his 
 righteousness and our ill-desert. Weighed 
 in this unerring balance, the character of 
 man is found wanting. It is the character 
 of a transgressor. It is the character of a 
 rebel against the King of heaven ; a charac- 
 ter which is condemned and cursed, and in 
 its own detestable nature deserving everlast- 
 ing wrath. 
 
 Unfeigned humility prompts a man to view 
 
124 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 his cliaracter as base, and liimself as ill-de- 
 serving, as the law of God views them. The 
 humbled heart knows that " the law is holj, 
 and the commandment holy, just, and good." 
 He not only feels that " the wages of sin is 
 death," but approves the law which threat- 
 ens him with death for every transgression. 
 He not only sees that sin and gTiilt are insep- 
 arably connected, but approves of the Law- 
 giver for hating and punishing sin according 
 to its desert. He prostrates himself in the 
 dust, and exalts God on the throne. He 
 takes his proper place at the footstool of 
 God's amiable and awful sovereignty. He 
 knows that he ought to lie as low as vindic- 
 tive justice can reduce him. He feels that 
 " it is of the Lord's mercies that he is not 
 consumed." Such is his sense of ill-desert, 
 that he not only feels that he is justly con- 
 demned, but magnifies the justice that con- 
 demns him, while he adores the grace that 
 rescues him from the condemnation. 
 
 Such is the view which the humble man 
 takes of his own character. This is to " think 
 soberly of himself, and as he ought to think." 
 This is to have just views of his otvti charac- 
 
HUMILITY. 125 
 
 ter, and voluntarily to abase liimseK as low 
 as the vileness of his character requires him 
 to He. This is the disposition with which he 
 renounces his own righteousness, and rehes 
 on the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 Once the humble man thought little of his 
 own vileness ; now, a sense of his vileness 
 covers him with shame. Once he thought 
 himself " rich and increased with goods, and 
 in need of nothing ;" now, he sees and feels 
 that he is "wretched, and miserable, and 
 poor, and blind, and naked." Once he was 
 too proud to become a beggar ; now, he begs 
 for mere?/— begs with hope and with joy in 
 the name of Jesus. 
 
 This is the disposition that is interwoven 
 with his experience and his conduct. It 
 manifests itself both towards God, and tow- 
 ards man. Especially does it manifest itself 
 towards God. When thinking of God, when 
 beholding his glorious perfections, when re- 
 joicing in the perfection of his government, 
 and in the excellence of his designs, the 
 humble heart adopts the language of Job : 
 " I have heard of thee by the hearing of the 
 ear, but now mine eye seeth thee ; where- 
 
126 GOOD HOPE THBOUGII GRACE. 
 
 fore I ablior myself, and repent in dust and 
 asLes." "^Mien thinking of God, lie feels the 
 weight of obhgation to love and serve him 
 with all the heart. Hence he is borne down 
 under a sense of his inexcusable deficiencies. 
 A view of his corruption keeps him near to 
 the earth. He is ashamed that he is no 
 more holy. How often is he constrained to 
 exclaim, " wretched man that I am ! Can 
 it be that one who knows no more of the love 
 of God, who is no more conformed to his 
 image, is in truth his own dear child?" He 
 desires to divest himself of all his pride ; to 
 empty himself ; to feel as nothing, and be as 
 nothing and vanity. 
 
 In the more immediate presence of God, 
 the humble Christian remembers that he is a 
 redeemed sinner. When approaching the 
 mercy-seat, he takes the place of a broken- 
 hearted beggar. He goes to the God of all 
 grace hke a man who knows that he deserves 
 to sink into hell. He is ready to bow low 
 before Christ; to "wash his feet with his 
 tears, and to wipe them with the hair of his, 
 head." Like the woman of Canaan, he begs 
 for the crumbs of divine mercy. He does 
 
HUMILITY. 12*T 
 
 not desire to plead his own merit, but mtli 
 a bosom bleeding for sin, and an eje cast 
 down to tlie earth, makes mention of the 
 name of Jesus. Though at times he is 
 ashamed to approach the throne — though he 
 hardly dare approach — yet hke the pubh- 
 can, standing afar off and not so much as lift- 
 ing up his eyes to heaven, he " smites upon 
 his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a 
 sinner." His most favored moments are 
 those in which he is enabled to He low be- 
 fore a holy God, and in which he has increas- 
 ing desires to be kept humble to the end of 
 his days. 
 
 This humble temper of mind also naturally 
 flows forth in his intercoiu"se with his fellow- 
 men. It is true, that some good men have 
 vastly more native haughtiness, vastly more 
 of the overbearing spiiit of the carnal man 
 to struggle with, than others. Notwithstand- 
 ing this, real Christians are humble, and their 
 humihty vnR necessarily express itself in the 
 modesty and meekness of their habitual de- 
 portment. "Let nothing," says the apostle, 
 " be done through strife or vain-glory, but in 
 lowliness of mind let each esteem other bet- 
 
128 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 ter than themselves." The spirit of Chris- 
 tianity is congenial vnth. its precepts, though 
 it is not in the present life perfectly con- 
 formed to them. There is such a thing as 
 "in honor preferrmg one another," though 
 we may sometimes be led to imagine that 
 there is not much of it visible. There is 
 such a spiiit, and however those who indulge 
 the hope of theii' good estate may be dis- 
 posed to shrink fi^om the test, such is the 
 spuit of all Christians. 
 
 " Charity," saith the apostle, " vaunteth 
 not itself, is not j)uffed up, doth not be- 
 have itself unseemly." "With a humble frame 
 of mind, a man will set a due value upon his 
 own attainments. He will not be apt to 
 think highly of his o^\ti virtues, nor consider 
 himself injured if he is not highly esteemed 
 by others. It is difficult for an unhumbled, 
 seK-righteous man not to betray his hypocri- 
 sy by being proud of his supposed self-abase- 
 ment. He has much to say of his frames 
 and experiences ; much to boast of the abas- 
 ing views which he has had of himself, and 
 the wonderful discoveries in divine things 
 mth which he has been favored. But the 
 
HUMILITY. 129 
 
 truly Immble soul desires more to be humble, 
 tlian to appear humble. It is no part of his 
 character to make great pretences to humil- 
 ity. There are indeed seasons when he is 
 favored with unusual manifestations of the 
 divine glory, and abasing views of his own 
 vileness. And he sometimes speaks of them. 
 With modesty he may speak of them. He is 
 not freed from the duty, nor dej)rived of the 
 privilege of teUing what the Lord has done 
 for his soul, merely because the world may 
 brand him with the name of Pharisee. But 
 when he does it, it is that he may strengthen 
 the weak, refresh the weary, cheer the de- 
 sponding, and give honor to divine grace. 
 He does it not boastingly, not with the lan- 
 guage, " God, I thank thee that I am not as 
 other men !" but with the spirit that esteems 
 others better than himself. He knows that 
 he has nothing to be proud of; and that if 
 he is made to differ from others, it becomes 
 him to adopt the language of the Psalmist 
 rather than that of the Pharisee : " Not imto 
 me, O Lord, not unto me, but unto thy name 
 give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's 
 sake !" 
 
 Good Hope. 9 
 
130 GOOD HOrE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 Sometliing like tliis is the spirit of the gos- 
 pel. A sense of dependence, of tinwortliiness, 
 and of Ul-desert, manifesting itself both tow- 
 ards God and towards man, is the spirit of 
 humihty. When the Christian, " as the elect 
 of God, pnts on bowels of mercies, kindness, 
 humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffer- 
 ing," then he exhibits the power and sweet- 
 ness of vital rehgion. Seated in the lowest 
 place, and clothed with humility, he exhibits 
 some degTee of the amiableness of his divine 
 ]\Iaster. Well may we call humility a heav- 
 en-born grace. She is indeed the daughter 
 of the skies, the " meek-eyed child of Jesus," 
 and dwells only with him who, Like herself, 
 is born from above. 
 
 Here then you have a rule of trial. The 
 spirit of humihty is conclusive evidence of 
 vital godliness. It enters into the essence of 
 rehgion. Here the new nature eminently 
 discovers itself. The humble spirit is that 
 child-hke, Christ-like temper, which is exclu- 
 sively the effect of the almighty power of 
 God upon the heart. 
 
 Can the reader lay his hand upon his heart, 
 and say that he is conscious of this heavenly 
 
HUMILITY. 131 
 
 temper of mind ? Can he in tlie sincerity of 
 his soul, say that he is conscious of this spirit 
 of voluntary self-abasement? Did he ever, 
 and does he still, take a just view of his own 
 character ; and does he possess the dispo- 
 sition voluntarily to abase himself as low as 
 the vileness of his character requires him 
 to lie,? 
 
 Do you cherish a conviction of your de- 
 pendence ; or do you hve " without God in 
 the world?" Do you live from day to day, 
 and from year to year, reahzing the relation 
 which you bear to the great First Cause? 
 Do you delight to feel that God sees you, 
 and upholds you, and governs you ; or do 
 you banish a sense of your perfect depend- 
 ence upon him, and feel and act as though 
 God had no concern with you, and you had 
 no concern with him ? 
 
 Do you cherish a sense of your great un- 
 worthmess and ill-desert ? Do you feel your- 
 self to be a vile and hateful sinner ? - "What 
 if others should esteem you according to the 
 vileness of your character, would you not 
 view yourself injured ? If God should esteem 
 you and treat you according to the vileness 
 
132 GOOD HOrE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 of your character, would yon not think it 
 hard and unjust? Should you not murmur 
 and complain ? 
 
 Is the humble temper of the gospel inter- 
 woven T\dth your religious experience? A 
 savor of humility is diffused throughout all 
 the Christian graces. " Christian affections," 
 says the immortal Edwards, " Christian iiffec- 
 tions are like Mary's precious ointment that 
 she poured on Christ's head, that filled the 
 whole house with a sweet odor. It was 
 poured out of a hrol'en box ; till the box was 
 broken, the ointment could not flow. So 
 gracious affections flow out of a hroken heart. 
 Gracious affections are also like those of 
 Mary Magdalene, who also pours precious 
 ointment on Christ out of a broken alabaster 
 box, anointing therewith the feet of Jesus, 
 when she had washed them with her tears, 
 and wiped them with the hair of her head. 
 AU gracious affections that are a sweet odor 
 to Christ, and that fill the soul of a Christian 
 with a heavenly sweetness and fragrancy, 
 are broken-hearted affections. A truly Chris- 
 tian love, either to God or men, is a humble, 
 broken-hearted love. The desires of the 
 
HUMILITY. 133 
 
 saints, however earnest, are Inimble desires. 
 Their hope is a humble hope, and their joy, 
 even when it is 'unspeakable and fall of 
 glory,' is a humble, broken-hearted joy, and 
 leaves the Christian more poor in spirit, and 
 more like a Httle child, and more disposed 
 to an universal lowhness of behavior."* 
 
 Is the humble spiiit of the gospel also in- 
 woven with your habitual deportment ? Are 
 you habitually disposed to esteem others bet- 
 ter than yourself ; or to esteem yourself bet- 
 ter than others? Do you rejoice to see 
 others of equal merit with yourself, as much 
 beloved and honored as you are? And if 
 their merit exceeds your own, are you wiUing 
 to see them more beloved and honored than 
 you are ? Or are you for ever restless and 
 dissatisfied because you are not more be- 
 loved and honored than everybody else ? Do 
 you " love the praise of men more than the 
 praise of God ?" " How can ye believe," saith 
 ■the meek and lowly Jesus, " How can ye be- 
 heve, which receive honor one of another, and 
 seek not the honor that cometh from God 
 only?" 
 
 * Edwards on the Afifections. 
 
134 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 In the character of a Christian, humility is 
 the one tldng needful. Where this is wanting, 
 all is wanting. A proud, haughty spirit is 
 inconsistent with the spirit of the gospel. It 
 is the genius of that gospel, it is one grand 
 design of aU the dispensations of grace tow- 
 ards fallen man, to exalt him to glory by 
 first humbhng him in the dust. " He that 
 exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that 
 humbleth himself shall be exalted." 
 
 Does the reader indulge the hope of hav- 
 ing made his peace with God? Let him 
 remember, that God is at peace with none, 
 except the humble and contrite. " He hfteth 
 up the meek, but casteth the wicked do^Ti 
 to the ground." No matter what are your 
 professions ; no matter how high your sup- 
 posed attainments ; if you have never felt 
 the contrition of a broken heart, you have 
 never tasted that the Lord is gracious. Still, 
 you are not to reject the ho23e of your good 
 estate because you find much of the spirit of 
 pride within you. Alas, how much of this 
 detestable spii'it have the best of God's peo- 
 ple ! With this enemy wiU be our longest 
 and severest conflict. It possesses so much 
 
HUMILITY. 135 
 
 of tlie cunning of tlie serpent, that it is per- 
 haps less easily detected than any other form 
 of depravity. When you have mortified it in 
 one shape, you will find that it rises in an- 
 other ; and when you fondly hope it is dead, 
 you will find that it has been secretly gath- 
 ering strength, to commence the attack with 
 new vigor, fresh courage, and perhaps greater 
 success. Pride will live until the Old Man 
 is dead. It is the "ulcerated part of the 
 body of sin and death." It is the main- 
 si^ring to all the obstructions which impede 
 our progress towards heaven. It is the se- 
 cret avenue through which the tempter too 
 often enters and leads the best of men astray. 
 It is the " great inlet of the smoke from the 
 bottomless pit," which darkens the mind, 
 casts a gloom around their fairest prospects, 
 and sometimes leaves them a while in the 
 gloom of despondency. With this enemy 
 will be your longest and severest conflict. 
 Put on therefore the whole armor of God, 
 and watch unto prayer. The clashings of 
 pride and humihty should often drive the 
 Christian to the throne of grace. " Who can 
 understand his errors? Cleanse thou me 
 
136 GOOD HOTE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 from secret faults." Yon may have much 
 pride ; but liave you any humility ? Be not 
 deceived. "Seest thou a man wise in his 
 own conceit ? There is more hope of a fool 
 than of him." "Blessed are the poor in 
 spirit ; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." 
 
SELF-DENIAL. 13t 
 
 10. SELF-DENIAL. 
 
 Feom the formation of the first angel of 
 light, clown to the period when the heavens 
 shall pass away as a scroll, the Creator of 
 the ends of the earth had his eye steadfastly 
 fixed on the same grand object. As all things 
 are of him, so all will be to him. He who 
 made all things for himself, cannot fail to 
 pursue the end for which he made them, and 
 to obtain it at last. When the proceedings 
 of the last day shall have been closed ; when 
 the assembled worlds shall have entered upon 
 the unvarying retributions of eternity ; when 
 the heavens and the earth shall have passed 
 away, and a new heaven and a new earth — 
 the holy city, the new Jerusalem — shall have 
 come down from God out of heaven, "He 
 that sitteth upon the throne shall say. It is 
 done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning 
 and the end." In the winding up of the 
 scene, it will appear that God himself is the 
 first and the last; not merely the efficient, 
 
138 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 but tlie final cause of all things. The vast 
 plan, which has for its object nothing less 
 than the brightest manifestation of the di- 
 vine glorj, has an inahenable right to the 
 most unreserved devotedness of every intel- 
 ligent being. To the advancement of this 
 plan God therefore requires every intelligent 
 being to be voluntarily subser\dent. All the 
 strength and ardor of affection which we are 
 capable of exercising must be concentrated 
 here. Every faculty, every thought, every 
 vohtion, every design, must be devoted to 
 this great cause. The injunction is explicit : 
 " Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or what- 
 soever ye do, do all to the glory of God." 
 Now the heart of depraved man is obsti- 
 nately averse to such a course of feehngs and 
 conduct. Instead of being supremely attach- 
 ed to God and the good of his kingdom, men 
 are by nature " lovers of their ovm selves." 
 Hence there is a controversy between man 
 and his Maker. God requires men to regard 
 his glory as the great object of their affec- 
 tions, and the ultimate end of their conduct ; 
 but they disregard liis requisitions, and in all 
 their feelings and conduct have respect ulti- 
 
SELF-DENIAL. 139 
 
 mateljto themselves. This controversy draws 
 the line of distinction between friends and 
 foes. As the spirit of self-advancement is the 
 root of all sin, so the spiiit of self-denial is 
 the root of all holiness. 
 
 Self-denial consists in the voluntary renun- 
 ciation of every thing which is inconsistent 
 with the glory of God and the highest good 
 of our fellow-men. It does not imply the vol- 
 untary renunciation of good or the voluntary 
 toleration of evil as bemg desirable in them- 
 selves considered, though it does imply both as 
 being desirable, all things considered. There 
 is no absurdity in the proposition that a thing 
 may be very unpleasant in its own nature, 
 but taking all things into view may be very 
 desirable. It is perfectly consistent for men 
 to desire to enjoy themselves, and yet desire 
 to deny themselves ; to hate misery, and yet 
 be wiUing to suffer it. Neither does it imply 
 the renunciation of all regard to one's self. 
 The desire of happiness and the aversion to 
 misery are inseparable from human nature. 
 The natural principle of self-love does not 
 constitute the sin of selfishness. A man may 
 have a due regard to his own happiness with- 
 
140 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 out being supremely selfish. There is no 
 moral turpitude in being influenced by the 
 anticipation of good or the apprehension of 
 e^-il, provided I am not influenced by these 
 considerations supremely. There is no sin 
 in regarding my own interest, provided I do 
 not put a higher estimate upon it than it vdU 
 bear. The evil lies in -sdewing it of greater 
 moment than it is ; in making every thing 
 subservient to myself, and myself subservient 
 to nothing. 
 
 Self-denial is diametrically opposite to su- 
 preme selfishness. " Selfishness," says Dr. 
 Owen, "is the making a man's self his own 
 centre, the beginning and end of all that he 
 doeth." It is difficult, with the Bible in our 
 hands, or upon the principles of sound phi- 
 losophy, not to acknowledge the distinction 
 between affections that are supremely selfish 
 and truly disinterested to be both plain and 
 important. There is no need of the aid of 
 metaphysical discussion to establish the prop- 
 osition that no man ought to regard his own 
 happiness more than every thing else, and 
 that the man who does possesses none of the 
 spirit of the gospel. The affections of men 
 
SELF-DENIAL. 141 
 
 must be placed on some one object that is 
 paramount to every other. Two objects of 
 supreme delight there cannot be. Two par- 
 amount principles of action there cannot be. 
 There is no intermediate object between God 
 and self that can draw forth the highest and 
 strongest affections of the soul. As there is 
 "no such thing as a creature's going out of 
 himself without rising as high as the glory 
 of God," so there is no such thing as a crea- 
 ture's going out of God without descending 
 as low as himself. Other objects may be 
 loved ; but if they are not loved merely as 
 the means of self-gratification, they are not 
 loved supremely. Affections that do not 
 terminate on God, terminate on self. Men 
 who do not " seek the things that are Jesus 
 Christ's," seek their oivn. Inordinate self- 
 love is the ruling passion of their hearts and 
 the governing principle of their lives. They 
 love themselves, not as they ought to love 
 themselves, but supremely. They set up 
 their own private good as the highest object 
 of desire and pursuit. Their affections oper- 
 ate in a very narrow circle. They have no 
 ultimate regard but to themselves. They 
 
142 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 have but one interest, and that is tlieir own. 
 A supreme regard to tlieir own liappiness is 
 the mainspring of all that they do for God, 
 of aU that they do for themselves, and all 
 that they do for their fellow-men. 
 
 It is needless to say that with this spirit 
 Christian self-denial has no communion. The 
 nature of this heavenly grace is expansive. 
 It is the result of a supreme attachment to a 
 higher interest than our own. It Hghts on 
 self, but does not terminate on self. It stops 
 at nothing short of the highest good ; and in 
 pursuing that, terminates on an object large 
 enough to gratify the strongest desires of the 
 most benevolent mind. He who is not a 
 stranger to the spirit of self-denial, has 
 learned to make his own interest bend to the 
 interest of God's kingdom, and that from su- 
 preme regard to the interest of God's king- 
 dom, and not from supreme regard to him- 
 self. The glory of God is the great end of 
 his conduct. It is his great concern that God 
 should be glorified, that his laws should be 
 obeyed, his gospel loved, and the highest in- 
 terest of his infinitely extended kingdom pre- 
 vail and triumph. Once he denied Christ for 
 
SELF-DENIAL. 143 
 
 liimself, now he denies himself for Christ. 
 Once he lived to himself, now he lives to 
 God. No duty is so hard that he is not will- 
 ing and resolved to perform, no sin so sweet 
 that he is not willing and resolved to forsake. 
 He takes np the cross at the hazard of ever}' 
 thing. Nothing is too dear to give to Christ, 
 nothing too great to be cheerfully sacrificed 
 for the promotion of his glory. Such is the 
 disposition of good men, that they place their 
 happiness in the glory of God and the pros- 
 perity of his kingdom. They delight in this, 
 in itself considered. They love and pursue 
 this for what it is in itself considered, and 
 not merely for the happiness which will re- 
 sult to them from pursuing it. And the S23irit 
 of disinterestedness will irresistibly impel 
 them to do so. The glory of God the Chris- 
 tian must seek. Seeking this, he cannot be 
 miserable; not seeking this, he cannot be 
 happy. He knows he is but a point in the 
 universe of God, "an atom in the sum of be- 
 ing," a single member of Christ's mystical 
 body, and is willing that God should hft him 
 up or cast him down at his pleasure. His 
 own advancement is as a feather, a nothing, 
 
144 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 when put iii the balance against the honor of 
 Christ and the good of his kingdom. 
 
 Such is the spirit of seK-denial. It is the 
 result of a calm, dehberate, invincible attach- 
 ment to the highest good, flov^-ing forth in the 
 voluntary renunciation of every thing that is 
 inconsistent mth the glory of God and the 
 good of our fellow-men. 
 
 That this is the scriptural idea of self-de- 
 nial, it would be easy to illustrate by a mul- 
 titude of examples. This is the elevated 
 spirit that prompted the father of the faith- 
 fal to offer up the son of -promise, that bore 
 the three worthies of Babylon to the burning 
 fiery furnace, and that led the apostles and 
 martyrs to glory in tribulation. It has borne 
 the test of ridicule and reproach, stood un- 
 daunted before the scourge and the prison, 
 triumphed amid the light of the fagot, and 
 smiled at the point of the sword. This is the 
 spirit which shone Tvdth such signal lustre in 
 the sufferings and death of our blessed Lord. 
 It was eminently the characteristic of this 
 divine personage, that in all he did and suf- 
 fered "he pleased not himself." He sought 
 "not his own glory," but the glory of the 
 
SELF-DENIAL. 145 
 
 Father who sent him. " Though he was rich, 
 yet for our sahes he became poor, that we 
 through his poverty might become rich." He 
 often anticipated the day of his death, and in 
 itself considered, earnestly desired to be de- 
 livered from that fatal hour. He knew the 
 malice of his enemies, and expected to feel 
 the weight of it in his last sufferings. He 
 foresaw all the circumstances that would add 
 poignancy to his anguish, and foresaw them 
 with distress and agony. But does he shrink 
 from the dreadful undertaking? You see him 
 steadfastly setting his face to go to Jerusa- 
 lem ; you hear him teUing his disci^Dles that 
 he must go, he must suffer, he must be killed ; 
 but do you hear him complain ? Go to Geth- 
 semane, and there behold the Son of God 
 under the most clear and awful view of his 
 approaching crucifixion, and learn what it is 
 to deny yourself for the sake of advancing 
 the Father's glory. Listen to the language 
 of a heart already broken with grief : " I am 
 poured out like water, and all my bones are 
 out of joint : my heart is like wax ; it is melt- 
 ed in the midst of my bowels. This body 
 sweats as it were great drops of blood. The 
 
 Good Hope. JQ 
 
146 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 hidings of my Fatlier's face are enough to 
 bmy me in eternal darkness. The gnilt of 
 this falling world will sink my feeble frame 
 to the grave. O my Father, if it be possible, 
 let this cup pass from me. But now is my 
 soul troubled. The hour is come, and what 
 shall I say ? Father, save me from this hour. 
 But for this cause came I to this hour. Fa- 
 ther, GLORIFY THY NAME !" This was carrying 
 seK-denial to its highest pitch. So pure was 
 the disinterestedness of the Saviour, that the 
 sweetest feelings of his heart would have re- 
 mained for ever ungratified without the priv- 
 ilege of expiring on the cross. 
 
 This too is the spirit which is no less 
 strongly enforced by precept than example. 
 How often are believers exhorted not to seek 
 their own ; not to live unto themselves ; and 
 whether they live, to live unto the Lord ; 
 or whether they die, to die unto the Lord. 
 That charity which the apostle represents as 
 the distinguishing characteristic of behevers, 
 is self-denjdng ; it " seeketh not her own." 
 "If any man," saith the divine Saviour, "will 
 come after me, let him deny himself, and take 
 up the cross and follow me. Whosoever will 
 
SELF-DENIAL. 14*7 
 
 save liis life, shall lose it; and whosoever 
 shall lose his life for my sake, shall find it." 
 
 One would think it difficult, after such an 
 exphcation, to be long in doubt as to the na- 
 ture of one of the most decisive evidences of 
 real rehgion. We can hardly turn to a page 
 in the Bible without being convinced that 
 the grand distinction between true religion 
 and false is, that the one is disinterested, the 
 other is supremely selfish. " For whether we 
 be beside ourselves," says the apostle to the 
 Corinthians, " it is to God ; or whether we be 
 sober, it is for your cause. For the love of 
 Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge, 
 that if one died for all, then were all dead; 
 and that He died for all, that they which Hve 
 should not henceforth live unto themselves, 
 but unto him which died for them and rose 
 again." Those who are in the flesh, unbe- 
 lievers, live unto themselves ; those who are 
 in the Spirit, believers, live unto Christ. 
 There are but two moral characters that are 
 essentially different, and this is the radical 
 difference between them. 
 
 Here then you have another criterion of 
 Christian character. It is not supposed that 
 
148 GOOD HOPE THEOUGH GRACE. 
 
 in tlie present state we shall find seK-denial 
 unaUoyed with selfishness. There is not a 
 just man upon earth that doeth good and 
 sinneth not. Still, in the affections and con- 
 duct of every child of God the spirit of self- 
 denial is the prominent feature. He who 
 possesses most of this spirit, possesses most 
 of the spii'it of his divine Master. In the 
 same proportion in which the glory of God 
 and the welfare of his kingdom take the place 
 of personal advancement, does vital religion 
 predominate in the soul. 
 
 I wish I could press tliis point upon the 
 conscience as closely as its importance de- 
 mands. The end of the Christian in the 
 exercise of gi'ace is the glory of God, and not 
 merely his OTvn ]3resent or futui^e hapj)iness. 
 The object at which he aims rises far above 
 any thing that is confined within the limited 
 circle of which his httle self is the centre. 
 Let the reader call in his wandering thoughts, 
 and inquire. Have I ever been taught to fix 
 my heart on any thing infinitely more impor- 
 tant than myself? Do all my rehgious affec- 
 tions spring from some selfish motive? Is 
 the desire of self-advancement, or the desire 
 
SELF-DENIAL. 149 
 
 to advance the glory of God, the paramount 
 principle of my feelings and conduct ? 
 
 The monastery and the cloister are not the 
 only e\T.dences that there is much of the show 
 of self-denial where there is none of its spirit. 
 "We must look dihgently into the nature of 
 our religion, if we would not be deceived. 
 Men may deny themselves in a thousand in- 
 stances from no other motive than that they 
 expect to be the gainers by it. "And no mar- 
 vel ; for Satan himself is transformed into an 
 angel of Hght." You cannot know whether 
 your self-denial is genuine or whether it is 
 spurious, without knowing whether it is found- 
 ed upon a supreme attachment to the glory of 
 God. To deny yourself from a supreme re- 
 gard to a higher interest than your own, is to 
 possess the spuit of the gospel. Is this then 
 the principle which regulates your conduct 
 both towards God and towards man ? "Which 
 do you pursue most, your interest or your 
 duty? Which do you think of most, your 
 interest or your duty ? Can you sell all for 
 the pearl of great price ? Can you renounce 
 your ease, your profit, your honor, when they 
 come in competition with your duty? Can 
 
150 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GEACE. 
 
 7011 renounce every thing wliicli is inconsist- 
 ent with the glory of God and the highest 
 good of your fellow-men? Are these the nat- 
 ural breathings of your heart, " Thy kingdom 
 come; thy will be done?" Is the highest 
 interest of this kingdom identified with the 
 object of your highest vdsh. and your most 
 vigorous exertion? Is the cause of Christ 
 your concern, the dishonor of Christ your 
 affliction, the cross of Christ your glory ? If 
 so, you are not strangers to the sj^uit of self- 
 denial. You are not without conclusive evi- 
 dence that you are born from above. The 
 more you forget yourselves in a sujDreme 
 regard for God's glory, the more '^ill you 
 advance your own interest both in this world 
 and that which is to come. But the more 
 you seek a selfish, private, separate interest 
 in ojDposition to the glory of God, the more 
 are you seeking an interest which God has 
 determined to destroy. 
 
SPIRIT OF PRATER. 151 
 
 11. SPIRIT OF PRAYER. 
 
 Saul of Tarsus was once a hardened, ob- 
 stinate sinner. He styled himseK the chief 
 of sinners, a blasphemer, a persecutor, and 
 injurious. But he was a chosen vessel. It 
 pleased God, who separated him from his 
 mother's womb, suddenly to arrest him in 
 his career ; and near the spot where he had 
 anticipated the success of a commission arm- 
 ed with the most unrelenting virulence against 
 the trembling Christians, to humble him to 
 the dust. He had in all its strength and 
 prominence borne the image of the earthly, 
 but now he bears the image of the heavenly. 
 " Behold," saith the testimony of the faithful 
 and true witness, " behold, he prayeth." He 
 is not now the persecuting Saul, but the heav- 
 en-born, praying Paul. The proud Pharisee 
 has become the humble supj)Uant; the stub- 
 born rebel, the meek child of Jesus. "No 
 sooner is the soul born, than it breathes ; no 
 sooner is Paul converted, than behold, he 
 prays." 
 
152 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 Wlien we say tliat the spirit of prayer is 
 conclusiye eyidence of Christian character, 
 we feel under obligation to point out wherein 
 that spirit consists. We are not to forget 
 that there is snch a thing as " drawing nigh 
 unto God with the mouth, and honoring him 
 with the hps, while the heart is far fi*om him." 
 The hearts of men may be as stupid and un- 
 feeling, as proud and as self-righteous — they 
 may be in the exercise of as sensible opposi- 
 tion to the character of the Most High, to the 
 law and the gospel — while offering up the most 
 solemn exj^ressions of homage, as they are 
 when God is not in all their thoughts. But 
 it is not so with the righteous. His prayer 
 " goeth not forth out of feigned hps." With 
 the spiritual worshipper the heart feels what 
 the Hps express. 
 
 The spirit of prayer is humble. It flows 
 from a broken and contrite heart. The pub- 
 lican " could not so much as lift up his eyes 
 to heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, 
 God be merciful to me a sinner." Before 
 Him who is so great that the nations are as 
 the drop of the bucket in his presence, and 
 so holy that the heavens are impure in his 
 
SPIEIT OF PEAYEB. 153 
 
 sight, tlie suppliant feels as a man of unclean 
 lips. Every sentiment of liis heart constrains 
 him to make the affecting confession, " O my 
 God, I am ashamed, and blush to lift up my 
 face to thee, for my iniquities are increased 
 over my head, and my trespass is grown up 
 unto the heavens." Sometimes a sense of 
 guilt so overwhelms the soul as to prevent 
 its free access to the throne. " Mine iniqui- 
 ties have taken hold upon me," says the 
 psalmist, " so that I am not able to look up ; 
 they are more than the hairs of my, head; 
 therefore my heart faileth me." 
 
 The spirit of prayer is also believing. Nu- 
 merous and aggravated as his sins appear, 
 much as they attempt to discourage the be- 
 liever from duty, he does not yield to the dis- 
 couragement. He has respect unto the sac- 
 rifice of the Son of God. He beheves that 
 God is, and that he is a rewarder of all 
 who dihgently seek him. He looks to Jesus, 
 the Mediator of the better covenant, as the 
 way of access to the Father. The efficacy of 
 his blood, the virtue of his righteousness is 
 his only plea. He has an unshaken confi- 
 dence that God can glorify himself by an- 
 
154 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 swering liis requests for Christ's sake, and 
 he is therefore emboldened to press them in 
 Christ's name. Though he has a lively sense 
 of his own unworthiness, yet he knows that 
 he has " a great High-priest that has passed 
 into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, who 
 is touched with a feeling of his infirmities," 
 and he therefore " comes boldly to the throne 
 of grace, that he may obtain mercy, and find 
 grace to help in time of need." Until the 
 work of redeeming grace shall cease, until 
 the Farther shall forget the Son of his love, 
 until the name of Christ shall cease to be 
 precious, and his intercession shall be no 
 longer prevaihng, faith in the blood of the 
 spotless sacrifice will appertain to the nature 
 of prayer. 
 
 But the spirit of prayer is also submissive. 
 The suppliant prefers God's will to his own. 
 This was the disposition which our blessed 
 Lord manifested in the garden. It was an 
 awftd thought to him to die ; but it was a 
 still more awful one, that his Father's ^yi\l 
 should not be accomplished. Though Christ 
 viewed the death of the cross as in its own 
 nature dreadful, yet he viewed the will of his 
 
SPIBIT OF PRAYER. 155 
 
 Fatlier delightftd. He cliose that his Fa- 
 ther's will should be done rather than his 
 own. " The cup which my Father hath given 
 me, shall I not drink it?" His will y^sls ab- 
 sorbed in the will of God. " O my Father, 
 if it be possible, let this cup pass from me ; 
 nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done " 
 This, in a greater or less degree, is the spirit 
 of every genuine suppliant. He pours forth 
 the fulness of his heart in the affectionate 
 language of a child, and the submissive lan- 
 guage of a servant. He is prepared to be 
 accepted or to be rejected in his petitions. 
 He approaches the mercy-seat with the de- 
 sire that God would exercise his wisdom and 
 grace in granting or denying his requests. 
 
 This is the spirit of prayer — sincere, hum- 
 ble, beheving, submissive. Other prayer than 
 this the Bible does not require — God will not 
 accept. This is the spirit of genuine devo- 
 tion — a spirit which you cannot be conscious 
 of possessing, without the consciousness of 
 3^our reconcihation to God. " Because ye are 
 sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his 
 Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." 
 If you possess this Spirit, though it be in a 
 
156 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 very imperfect state, yon enjoy tlie liigh priv- 
 ilege of being adopted into God's family, and 
 of occupying the place, not of strangers, not 
 of foreigners, not merely of servants, bnt of 
 children, heirs of God, and joint heirs with 
 Jesns Christ. "When "the Spirit bears wit- 
 ness with onr spirits that we are the chil- 
 dren of God," how high the pleasure to iitter 
 our acknowledgments, to lisp our praise, to 
 breathe forth our complaints towards heaven. 
 What tongue can express the sweetness of 
 these seasons of refreshing! How is the 
 heart enlarged! "Where the Spirit of the 
 Lord is, there is hberty." No slavish fear 
 perplexes the mind ; no frown of divine dis- 
 pleasure guards the throne of mercy. The 
 children of the common Father come near, 
 even to his seat. There they taste and see 
 that the Lord is gracious ; there they are 
 assimilated into the likeness of the Holy One ; 
 there they see the clearest manifestations of 
 the divine beauty ; and " beholding as in a 
 glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into 
 the same image, fi*om glory to glory, even as 
 by the Spirit of the Lord." 
 
 Does the reader possess the spirit of pray- 
 
SPIKIT OF PRAYER. 15T 
 
 er? Is it liis meat and liis drink to liold 
 communion witli God — throngh. Christ, to 
 have access by one Spirit unto the Father ? 
 Is it his greatest pleasure to be near to God, 
 and his greatest grief to be far from him? 
 If so, however great his fears, he may hope. 
 His privilege is the privilege of sons; his 
 consolations, those hidden joys mth which a 
 stranger intermeddleth not ; his seasons of 
 refreshing, foretastes of the river of life, v/hich 
 flows from the throne of God and the Lamb. 
 
 It may not be amiss, while we are upon 
 this subject, to spend a few minutes in look- 
 ing at the question. What evidence does the 
 long continued practice of the external duty 
 of prayer afford of the existence of vital re- 
 ligion in the heart? "We do not mean, by 
 this statement, necessarily to exclude the 
 spirit from the form of prayer. If we did, 
 the question would be at an end. Wliat evi- 
 dence does the long continued practice of the 
 external form afford of the existence of the 
 internal spirit ? It is a question of moment. 
 
 Men may pray much, and yet not be Chris- 
 tians. They may pray in public, and in their 
 families, and still not be Christians. Tliis 
 
158 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GEACE. 
 
 tlaej may do to gratify tlieir pride ; to be 
 seen of men ; to maintain tlie character of 
 Christians in the yiew of the world. They 
 may pray in secret and not be Christians : 
 but whether men persevere in the habitual 
 practice of secret prayer without good evi- 
 dence of Christian character, is a question 
 which I dare not answer in the negative. 
 Neither would I venture to answer it unhes- 
 itatingly in the affirmative. This much the 
 Bible will surely warrant us to say : " Men 
 who are not Christians will be exceedingly 
 apt to neglect, and in the end, wholly to neg- 
 lect the practice of secret prayer." Men do 
 not act without motive. Now what motive 
 can induce a man w^ho is dead in trespass- 
 es and sins, whose carnal heart is enmity 
 against God, to persevere in the habitual 
 practice of secret prayer? Is it to silence 
 the clamors of a guilty conscience? To do 
 this, he Tvdll pray, and often pray in secret. 
 But will he always call upon God ? The im- 
 penitent are sometimes the subjects of much 
 seriousness ; they are convinced of their duty, 
 and alarmed at their danger ; and while they 
 remain in this state, they are compelled to 
 
SPIEIT OF PRAYER. 159 
 
 admit the truth and importance of religion, 
 and dare not omit the duty of secret prayer. 
 But when they lose their convictions and 
 forget their danger, the duties of the closet 
 gradually become irksome. At length they 
 are a weariness. Conscience ceases to gov- 
 ern, and almost to accuse. Her monitory 
 voice is silenced; and it becomes less and 
 less difficult to " cast off fear, and restrain 
 prayer" before God. 
 
 There is another motive which will induce 
 the impenitent to maintain the practice of 
 secret devotion for a considerable length of 
 time. When once they have wrought them- 
 selves into the persuasion that they are Chris- 
 tians, and have cherished the hope that they 
 are interested in the blessings of the gospel 
 salvation, they relinquish the persuasion and 
 abandon the hope with singular reluctance. 
 They will do much to entertain and defend 
 them. They are too selfish to omit a duty, 
 the omission of which bears on its very face 
 convincing evidence that they are hypocrites. 
 They will rather practise the most self-deny- 
 ing duties, even long after they have lost 
 their borrowed sweetness, for the sake of the 
 
160 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 testimony which tliey derive from this source, 
 that they are the children of God. This 
 motive no doubt operates in many instances 
 powerfully, and for some time ; but does it 
 operate uniformly, and to the end of Hfe? 
 With persons of this description, the omis- 
 sion of secret -prajer is at first occasional; 
 then more or less frequent, as other avoca- 
 tions demand; till at length the cares of 
 the world, the temptations of the Adversary, 
 and the allurements of sin so far bhnd the 
 •understanding and stupefy the conscience, 
 that the most hp.rdened sinner still cherishes 
 his vain confidence, while he closes his eyes 
 upon the last ghmmering of evidence that 
 that confidence is scriptural. 
 
 But though men may pray, and pray some- 
 times in secret, they will be exceedingly apt 
 to neglect this duty if they are not Chris- 
 tians. "Wherever you find the habitual per- 
 formance of secret prayer for a long course 
 of years, there is some reason to beheve you 
 find the breathings of the new-born soul. 
 There you may hope that there are hun- 
 gerings and thirstings after righteousness. 
 There you will usually discover a heart that 
 
SPIRIT OF PEAYER. 161 
 
 is not in pursuit of hope merely, but grace ; 
 not safety only, but holiness. There you v/ill 
 usually, if not always, discover one, not mut- 
 tering over a few unmeaning sentences as 
 devoid of life as a loathsome carcass is of 
 the life-giving spirit, but one whom the 
 Spirit of God has taught to pray because he 
 is weak and needs strength, because he is 
 tempted and needs support, because he is in 
 want and needs supply, because he is a sin- 
 ner and needs mercy. 
 
 If these remarks are just, it is not imperti- 
 nent to ask the reader whether he practises 
 the duty of secret prayer ? We do not ask 
 whether he prays in secret now and then ; 
 whether he performs this duty on the Sab- 
 bath, or some occasional seasons of unusual 
 alarm or solemnity? Is this his liahUual 
 practice ? Has it been his habitual practice 
 ever since he hoped he vras brought out of 
 darkness into God's marvellous light? No 
 matter how punctual you are in other duties ; 
 no matter what evidence you have of your 
 conversion from any other quarter; if you 
 have not this, you may set all other down for 
 naught. The want of this is decisive evi- 
 
 Good Hope. 1 1 
 
162 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 dence against you, even if the possession of 
 it is not decisive evidence in your favor. 
 Prayer has been often styled the " Chris- 
 tian's breath." It is eminently so. A pray- 
 erless Christian ! No, it cannot be. It is a 
 mark of the highest delusion, of the grossest 
 stupidity, to cherish the hope of having made 
 your peace with God, and at the same time 
 to live in the neglect of secret prayer. Wlio 
 that has the least pretension to rehgion, can 
 presume to live without seeking the favor, 
 without deprecating the wrath, and without 
 reahzing the presence of Him in whom he 
 lives and moves and has his being? To 
 live without prayer, is emphatically to hve 
 " \sdthout God in the world." 
 
 Before I conclude this essay, I would give 
 one caution to a certain class of readers. 
 There are not wanting those who live in con- 
 stant doubt and trembling, because they do 
 not enjoy the constant presence of God, and 
 the uniform fervency of affection in their re- 
 tirement. Ileal Christians have seasons of 
 coldness which chill the spirit of .devotion. 
 Such is the power of indwelHng sin ; so great 
 is the influence of the world, the flesh, and 
 
SPIRIT OF PEAYEE. 163 
 
 the cTe^dl, that even God's own clear cliildren 
 are sometimes carried too far down the cur- 
 rent. Yes, to the shame and guilt of God's 
 people, we are constrained to make this 
 affecting acknovvdedgment. Still, this humil- 
 iating truth does not militate against our 
 general principle. Eeal Christians cannot 
 live in the neglect of prayer ; nay, more, 
 those who do not possess the spiiit, and who 
 do not hve in the habitual performance of 
 the duty, are " in the gall of bitterness, and 
 in the bond of iniquity." The moment a man 
 begins to live in the neglect of prayer, that 
 moment he should take the alarm. 
 
 May it then be said of you as it was of 
 Saul of Tarsus, "Behold, he prayeth?" If 
 so, then you Hke him may be a chosen ves- 
 sel. Maintain a constant and uniform inti- 
 macy with the throne of grace, and for the 
 sake of our great High-priest, God " will put 
 his fear into your hearts, that you shall not 
 dex3art from him." Draw nigh unto God, 
 and he wiD. draw nigh unto you. Keep near 
 to the fountain-head, and luith joy shall you 
 draiv water out of the luells of salvation. 
 
164 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 12. LOVE TO THE BRETHREN. 
 
 The eminent Dr. Owen, speaking of tlie 
 primeval state of man, remarks, tliat "tlie 
 whole beauty of the creation below consisted 
 in man's lo^dng God above all, and all other 
 things in him and for him, according as they 
 did participate his glory and properties." 
 That was a hopeless hour when the golden 
 chain that boimd God to man, and man to 
 God and to each other, was broken. "Adam, 
 where art thon?" Adam heard, and was 
 afraid. The earth was cnrsed, and refused 
 to yield her strength. Sin polluted all the 
 ioys of Paradise; apostate man became the 
 heir of misery, and henceforth dwelt in dark- 
 ness, cherishing the seeds of mahce and envy, 
 hateful, and hating one another. 
 
 Upon this dismal gloom not a ray has 
 da^vned but from the cross of Clmst. It is 
 the prerogative of the gospel of Jesus to pub- 
 lish the "glad tidings of great joy ;" and while 
 it proclaims, " Glory to God in the highest," 
 to restore " peace on earth, and good will to 
 
LOVE TO THE BEETHEEN. 165 
 
 men." This gospel breathes the spirit of 
 love. Love is the falfilling of its precepts, 
 the pledge of its joys, and the evidence of its 
 power. "We know," saith the apostle, "that 
 we have passed from death unto hfe, because 
 we love the brethren." 
 
 The love of the brotherhood is not one of 
 the native affections of the carnal mind. This 
 cold, degenerate soil bears no such heavenly 
 fruit. The affection which Christians exer- 
 cise towards each other as Christians, is the 
 offspring of a brighter world. It is a princi- 
 ple of celestial birth. " Love is of God; and 
 every one that loveth is born of God and 
 knoweth God." 
 
 Brotherly love is an affection which is lim- 
 ited to particular characters. There can be 
 no doubt but the children of God are kindly 
 affectioned towards all men. Christian be- 
 nevolence runs parallel with rational being. 
 Genuine love to our neighbor is extended to 
 all, according to their character and circum- 
 stances. It blesses those who curse us, and 
 does good to those who hate us. This, how- 
 ever, is not the distinguishing nature of broth- 
 erly love. Brotherly love differs materially 
 
166 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 £i*om tlie love of beuevolence. It is tlie love 
 of good men, and for tlieir goodness only. 
 It extends only to the followers of Christ. 
 It is an affection which is directed towards 
 the excellence of religion. It is complacency 
 in holiness. 
 
 There is something in the character of ev- 
 ery child of God that reflects the image of 
 his heavenly Father. It is this that attracts 
 the eye and wins the heart. There is some- 
 thing which is amiable and lovely. And it is 
 this loveliness that gives a spring to the affec- 
 tions and draws forth the hearts of God's 
 people towards each other, as they are drawn 
 forth towards God himself. The children of 
 God are partakers of the divine nature. From 
 bearing the "image of the earthly," they now 
 bear " the image of the heavenly." God has 
 imparted to them a portion of his own love- 
 Hness. He has formed them new creatures. 
 Of his free and distinguishing grace he has 
 made them, as they are styled by the wise 
 man, " more excellent than their neighbor." 
 Hence they are lovely; they are the excel- 
 lent of the earth. God loves them, Christ 
 loves them, the Holy Spirit loves them, an- 
 
LOVE TO THE BRETHREN. 16t 
 
 gels love tliem, and tliey love each otlier. It 
 is around them that the virtues cluster, from 
 them that the graces of heaven are reflected, 
 though shaded and very often darkened by 
 the most debasing and reproachful sins. 
 
 Love to the brethren is also an affection 
 which rests upon the union which believers 
 sustain with Christ. The Lord Jesus, to- 
 gether with all true believers, forms one mys- 
 tical body. Christ is the head, and they are 
 the members. From him " the whole body, 
 fitly joined together and compacted by that 
 which every joint supplieth, according to the 
 effectual working in the measure of every 
 part, maketh increase of the body iinto tlie 
 edifying of itself in love'' This union is rep- 
 resented by the apostle not only as the foun- 
 dation of that communion which believers 
 maintain Vvdtli Christ, but of that which ex- 
 ists between believers themselves. The same 
 bond which unites believers to Christ, binds 
 them to each other. The love which is exer- 
 cised towards the Head extends to the mem- 
 bers. The union itself necessarily involves 
 a union of affection. Those who love Christ, 
 love those who are hke him and those who 
 
168 GOOD HOPE THEOUGH GRACE. 
 
 are beloved by liim. Here all distinctions 
 vanish. Name and nation, rank and party 
 are lost in the common character of believ- 
 ers, the common name of Christian. Jew 
 and Gentile, bond and free, rich and poor, 
 are one in Christ Jesus. They have "one 
 Lord, one faith, one baj)tism, one God and 
 Father of all, who is above all, and through 
 all, and in them all." Actuated by the same 
 principles, cherishing the same hopes, ani- 
 mated by the same prospects, laboring under 
 the same discouragements, having the same 
 enemies to encounter and the same tempta- 
 tions to resist, the same hell to shun and the 
 same heaven to enjoy, it is not strange that 
 they should love one another sincerely, and 
 often " with a pure heart fervently." There 
 is a unity of design, a common interest in the 
 objects of their pursuit, which lays the foun- 
 dation for mutual fiiendship, and which can- 
 not fail to excite the "harmony of souls." 
 The glory of God is the grand object which 
 commands their highest affections, and which 
 necessarily makes the interest of the whole 
 the interest of each part, and the interest of 
 each part the interest of the whole. They 
 
LOVE TO THE BRETHREN. 169 
 
 rejoice in each otlier's blessedness. There are 
 no conflicting interests, and there need be no 
 jarring passions. In a common cause, in a 
 common cause which in point of importance 
 takes the place of every other and all others, 
 the affections of the sanctified heart are one. 
 Love to the brethren, thongh in practice 
 not always distinguished, yet in theory is 
 easily distinguishable from all those affec- 
 tions and attachments that are purely natu- 
 ral. Men may love Christians merely because 
 they imagine that Christians love them. This, 
 like every other affection that is purely self- 
 ish, is unworthy of the Christian name. They 
 may love particular Christians, because they 
 are of their party and imbibe their senti- 
 ments. This too is nothing better than that 
 friendship of the world which is enmity with 
 God. They may esteem Christians merely 
 from the force of education and habit. The 
 people of God may not be the objects of con- 
 tempt or aversion, and still they may not be 
 the objects of complacency. Indeed our con- 
 sciences may constrain us to respect them, the 
 habits of early education may lead us often 
 to associate with them, while we have no af- 
 
170 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 fectionate regard for tlie excellence of their 
 character. 
 
 That love T\iiich is excited towards Chris- 
 tians as Christians is a constituted proof of 
 saying grace. The reader will do well, there- 
 fore, to examine his ovni heart, and see 
 whether he is conscious of cherishing love 
 towards the people of God because they are 
 the 2^eople of God. Does he love thern because 
 he discovers in them the amiableness of that 
 divine religion which is altogether lovely? 
 Does he love them not merely because they 
 love him or have bestowed favors upon him ; 
 not because they are of his party, but be- 
 cause they bear the image of his heavenly 
 Father ? Is his love active ? Is it a princi- 
 ple that Hves, that manifests itself by all 
 those methods whereby the good of the 
 brotherhood may be advanced? Does it dis- 
 cover itself in the dehght which it takes in 
 the company and conversation of the Lord's 
 people, and in every opportunity which he 
 has to exchange the tokens and strengthen 
 the bonds of mutual affection ? Can he from 
 the heart adopt the resolution of Euth, 
 " Whither thou goest, I will go ; and where 
 
LOVE TO THE BEETHREN. ITl 
 
 thou locTgest, I will lodge ; thy people shall 
 be my people, and thy God my God?" Tell 
 me, do you feel towards the children of God 
 as towards the children of one common Fa- 
 ther and the brethren of one common fami- 
 ly? Do you love them because they bear 
 the image of the common Father ? And do 
 you love them in proportion to the degree in 
 which they bear the image? Can you bear 
 and forbear with them ? Can you forget their 
 infirmities, or do you rejoice to magnify them? 
 Can you cast the mantle of charity over their 
 sins, and pray for them, and watch over them, 
 and pity and blame and love them still? And 
 can you feel thus and act thus towards the 
 poorest and most despised of the flock, and 
 that because he is a Christian ? If so, here 
 is your encouragement: "He that lovetli is 
 born of God." Yours is the spirit of a better 
 world. The Paradise you lost by Adam you 
 shall regain by Christ. Allied to spirits born 
 on high, you shall ascend to purer regions and 
 breathe a purer air. Far from the tumult of 
 this apostate earth, you shall yet rest beneath 
 the peaceful ^shades of Eden, where blooms 
 immortal amaranth " fast by the tree of Hfe." 
 
172 GOOD HOPE THIIOUGH GRACE. 
 
 13. NON-CONFORMITY TO THE 
 WORLD. 
 
 Saints are expectants of glory. Tliey are 
 born fi'om above, and bave no borne beneatb 
 tbeu- native skies. Here tbej are strangers 
 and pilgrims, and plainly declare tbat tbey 
 seek a better country. It is tbeir avowed 
 profession tbat tbeir bappiness and bopes 
 are neitber in nor from tbe present world. 
 Tbeir treasure is in beaven. Mucb as tbey 
 are influenced by tbe spirit, governed by tbe 
 maxims, awed by tbe frowns, and seduced by 
 tbe flattery of tbe world, tbey are so far aloof 
 from all its corrupting influence, tbat between 
 tbem and tbe world tbere is a distinct line of 
 demarcation. Perfectly aloof from tbe cor- 
 ruptions of tbe world tbey are not, in tbe 
 present bfe; but tbey are sufficiently so to 
 make tbeir non-conformity a disting-uisbing 
 trait in tbeir cbaracter. Tbey bave come 
 out, and are separate. Tbey are on tbe 
 Lord's side. Tbey are a city set on a bill ; 
 
NON-CONFOEMITY TO THE WOELD. 173 
 
 SO far raised above the common level of tlie 
 world that thej cannot be hid. They are 
 not of this world, even as Christ was not of 
 this world. Such is the excellence of their 
 character and the purity of their conduct, 
 that the world is constrained to " take know- 
 ledge of them that they have been with 
 Jesus." 
 
 The spirit of the world is incompatible 
 with the spirit of the gospel. It is the spirit 
 of pride, and not of humility — of self-indul- 
 gence, rather than of self-denial. Kiches, 
 honors, and pleasure form the grand object 
 of pursuit with the men of the world. World- 
 ly men are solicitous to lay up treasures for 
 themselves, and are not rich towards God. 
 Their great inquiry is, "Who will show us 
 any good? What shall we eat, what shall 
 we drink, or wherewithal shall we be cloth- 
 ed?" They are "sensual, not ha^dng the 
 Spirit." Regardless of every thing but that 
 which is calculated to gratify a carnal mind, 
 they "lift up their souls unto vanity, and 
 pant after the dust of the earth." Their 
 thoughts and their affections are chained 
 down to the things of time and sense. In 
 
114: GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 these they seem to be irrecoverably immers- 
 ed. They seldom think but they think of the 
 world; they seldom converse but they con- 
 verse of the world. The world is the cause 
 of their perplexity and the source of their 
 enjoyment. The lust of the flesh, the lust of 
 the eye, and the pride of life close every ave- 
 nue of the soul to the exclusion of every holy 
 desire, I had almost said, every serious reflec- 
 tion. 
 
 This spirit the Christian has mortified. 
 " Now we," saith the apostle, " now we have 
 not received the spiiit of the world, but the 
 Spirit which is of God." The heavenly mind 
 looks down on the things of the world as 
 "lying vanities that cannot profit." The 
 disciple of Jesus, as he has nobler affections 
 than the worldhng, has a higher object and 
 more elevated joys. "What things were 
 gain to me, those I count loss for Christ ; yea, 
 doubtless, and I count all things but loss, for 
 the excellency of the knowledge of Christ 
 Jesus my Lord ; for whom I am ready to suf- 
 fer the loss of all things, and do count them 
 but dung, that I may win Christ." "Wliile 
 the wise man glories in his wisdom, while 
 
NON-CONFOEMITY TO THE WOR^D. Ho 
 
 the mighty man glories in his might, and the 
 rich man glories in his riches, it is his privi- 
 lege to glory in the Lord^-to glory in noth- 
 ing save "in the cross of onr Lord Jesns 
 Christ, by whom the world is crucified to 
 him, and he to the world." The character 
 and cause of the blessed Eedeemer lie so 
 near his heart, that in comparison with these 
 every thing else vanishes to nothing. He 
 views the world by the eye of faith. He 
 sees it in a Hght that reflects its intrinsic 
 importance, the hght of eternity. There the 
 world shrinks to a point; the fashion of it 
 passeth away. "All flesh is grass, and all 
 the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the 
 field." Compared with durable riches and 
 righteousness, its highest enjoyments are 
 trifles hght as aii\ "Yanity of vanities," 
 saith the preacher, "vanity of vanities; all 
 is vanity." 
 
 As the spirit of the world is not the spirit 
 of God's people, so the men of the world are 
 not then- companions. The saints are a pe- 
 culiar people. The church is uniformly rep- 
 resented as a society that is distinct fi'om the 
 world. " We know that we are of God," saith 
 
It6 G^OOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 tlie apostle, " and the T7liole world lietli in 
 T^dckedness." Between tlie people of God 
 and tlie men of the world there is an essen- 
 tial difference of character. The views, the 
 desires, and the designs of the children of 
 God are diametrically opposite to the views, 
 the desu'es, and the designs of the men of the 
 world. The one loves what the other hates ; 
 the one pursues what the other shuns. Saints 
 are passing the narrow way which leads to 
 life ; sinners, the broad way which leads to 
 death. Hence there is no common bond 
 between them. The dissimilarity of charac- 
 ter, the diversity in the great objects of pur- 
 suit, naturally draw them asunder. If there 
 were no other ground for the expectation, 
 therefore, than the common principles of hu- 
 man nature, we might look for dissension 
 rather than unity between the disciples of 
 Christ and the men of the world. " How can 
 two walk together, except they be agreed ? 
 What fellowship hath light with darkness? 
 or what concord hath Christ with Belial?" 
 The same principles which prompt the men 
 of the world not to select the people of 
 God for their familiar companions, also in- 
 
NON-CONFORMITY TO THE WORLD, lit 
 
 cluce tlie people of God to choose otlier com- 
 panions tlian tlie men of the world. There 
 is an irreconcilable spirit between them. 
 " The fi'iendship of the world is enmity with 
 God." Many as may be the mutual tokens 
 of respect, civility, and kindness — and many 
 there should be — bety/een Christians and the 
 men of the world, they are notwithstanding 
 two distinct classes of men. Much as Chris- 
 tians esteem the men of the world as good 
 members of civil society ; much as they re- 
 gard their happiness, and endeavor to ad- 
 vance it ; much as they compassionate their 
 depra^dty, and deplore their prospects ; much 
 as they are conversant with them in the ordi- 
 nary calls of duty, still, they are not their 
 chosen companions. They cannot court their 
 friendship, because they are afraid of it. 
 "Evil communications corrupt good man- 
 ners." " He that walketh with wise men shall 
 be wise; but a companion of fools shall be 
 destroyed." 
 
 Those who have mortified the spirit, and 
 who stand at a distance from the men of the 
 world, are also in some good degree above 
 its corrupting influence. The claim which, 
 
 Gooa Hope. 12 
 
178 GOOD HOPE THEOUGH GRACE. 
 
 from tlieir numbers and strength, tlie world 
 are apt to consider tliemselves as warranted 
 to make upon the opmions and practices of 
 God's people, is habitually resisted. Though 
 good men may be often seduced by the smiles 
 and awed by the fr^owns of the world, it is no 
 part of their general character to conform 
 either to its pleasure or displeasure. They 
 act from higher motives, and maintain a 
 more consistent character, than to give way 
 to indulgences merely for the sake of pleas- 
 ing the world, or to avoid duty merely through 
 the fear of offending it. Wliile they regard 
 the fear of God more than the fear of man, 
 they will not dishonor God to please the 
 world; and while they regard the favor of 
 God more than the favor of man, they will 
 not purchase the favor of man at the expense 
 of the favor of God. An habitual regard to 
 the will and the favor of God is an effectual 
 secuiity against the smiles of the world. The 
 gi'eat object of the Christian is duty ; his pre- 
 dominant desire, to obey God. When he can 
 please the world consistently with these, he 
 will do so ; otherTN^se it is enough for him 
 that God commands, and enough for them 
 
NON-CONFOEMITY TO THE WORLD. 179 
 
 that lie cannot disobey. Tlie same spirit is 
 also an effectual security against the frowns 
 of the world. Eeal Christians cannot be 
 more afraid of the' displeasure of the world 
 than of the displeasure of God. While they 
 dread to offend God, they cannot tamely bow 
 to the frowns of men. " Whether it be right 
 to hearken unto men, rather than unto God, 
 judge ye." This was the spirit of the early 
 disciples ; and this w^ill be the spirit of every 
 disciple down to the latest period of time. 
 So far as he manifests the spirit of Christ, 
 wherever he is, whatever he does, the fear of 
 God uniformly predominates over the fear of 
 man ; and the love of God, rather than the 
 love of the world, bears uncontrolled sway 
 over his affections and conduct. 
 
 There would be no difficulty in pointing 
 out the path of duty upon this general sub- 
 ject ; but there is some in saying how far 
 men may swerve from this path, and yet be 
 Christians. One thing is plain: Christians 
 cannot be worldlings. They cannot be lovers 
 of pleasure more than lovers of God. He who 
 fixes his liighest affections on wealth, honor, 
 business, sensual pleasures, gay amusements, 
 
180 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GEACE. 
 
 and the varions pursuits of tlie present scene, 
 cannot fix tliem supremely on God. "No 
 man can serve two masters ; for either he will 
 hate the one and love the other, or else he 
 will hold to the one and despise the other. 
 Ye cannot serve God and mammon." 
 
 Nor is the character of the vast multitude 
 who attempt to make a compromise between 
 God and the world, better than that of the 
 mere worldhng. " Ye are of your father the 
 de^dl, and the lusts of your father ye will 
 do." The mere fact that they are for ever 
 balancing between a life of devotion and a 
 life of pleasure, that they design now to }deld 
 the empire to God and then to the world, 
 decides the question against them. 
 
 We must not deny that the children of 
 God are sometimes guilty of awful defection 
 from the standard of Christian character in 
 their intercourse with the world. But after 
 all, their prevailing feehngs and conduct are 
 not those of conformity to the world, but of 
 habitual non-conformity. The principles of 
 the new man are at war with the principles 
 of the world. True believers have " put off 
 concerning the former conversation the old 
 
NON-CONFORMITY TO THE WOELD. 181 
 
 man, wliicli is corrupt according to tlie de- 
 ceitful lusts, and have put on tlie new man, 
 wiiich after God is created in rigliteousness 
 and true lioliness." " This I say then," saith 
 the apostle, " walk in the Spirit, and ye shall 
 not fulfil the lusts of the flesh." We cannot 
 walk after the flesh y/hile we walk after the 
 Spirit. While the love of God is the reign- 
 ing affection of the heart, it will turn away 
 with disgust from the allurements of the 
 world. The spirit of Christians is a heaven- 
 ly spmt. They " look not at the things that 
 are seen, but at those that are unseen; for 
 the things that are seen are temporal, but the 
 things that are unseen are eternaL" They 
 " set their affection on things above, and not 
 on things on the earth." 
 
 This subject presents a number of solemn 
 questions to every one who is anxious to as- 
 certain whether his heart is right in the sight 
 of God. It is a great point with all of us to 
 know whether we are spiiitually-minded or 
 worldly-minded ; whether we are " conformed 
 to this world," or "transformed by the renew- 
 ing of our minds;" whether the objects of 
 faith or of sense, things present or to come, 
 
182 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 liave the preclominating influence oyer our 
 liearts. 
 
 TVTiat shall we say of those, and of those 
 professing Christians too, who exhibit to 
 themselves and to others all the traits of 
 character which belong to worldly men? 
 "What of those who pursue worldly things 
 with all that ardor, all that intemperate zeal 
 which enters into the pursuits of worldly 
 men ? Is there not reason to fear that they 
 are supremely attached to earth, and are as 
 yet aliens from the commonwealth of Israel? 
 
 "\Miat shall we say of those who love the 
 circles of fashion more than the associations 
 for prayer, and who court the friendship of 
 the rich, the gay, and the honorable, more 
 than that of the humble discij)le of Jesus? 
 "What of those " who send forth their little 
 ones like a flock, and their children dance; 
 who take the timbrel and harp, and rejoice 
 at the sound of the organ?" Was Job un- 
 charitable when he ranked persons of this 
 character with those who "say unto God, 
 Depart from us, for we desire not the know- 
 ledge of thy ways ?" 
 
 "Wliat shall we say of those who are for 
 
NON-CONFORMITY TO THE WORLD. 183 
 
 ever varying from the path of duty, lest it 
 should be unpopular ; who never hsp a sylla- 
 ble or Hft a finger for the honor of God, lest 
 they should displease the world ? What, but 
 that " they love the praise of men more than 
 the praise of God?" 
 
 Conformity to the world is to be expected 
 from the professed worldhng. It is the char- 
 acter of the worldling. But is it to be ex- 
 pected fr'om the professed disciple of Jesus ? 
 Is it the result of the habitual determinations 
 of a heavenly mind ? Is it the character of 
 one who looks on things that are unseen and 
 eternal, of a stranger and sojourner; of one 
 who sets his affections on things above, and 
 not on things on the earth ? How many, Hke 
 the young man in the gospel, exhibit a de- 
 cent and regular outward profession, who are 
 wholly devoted to the world. Here their af- 
 fections centre. From this polluted fountain 
 all their joys flow. They had been Christians 
 but for the world. But the world is the fatal 
 snare. They have plunged down the preci- 
 pice, and drifted almost beyond the hope of 
 recovery. 
 
 " If any man love the world, the love of the 
 
184 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 Fatlier is not in liim." The expression of tlie 
 apostle is not too strong : " To be carnallj- 
 minded is death.'" Show me the men who 
 imbibe the spirit of the world; who choose 
 the company of the world; who imitate the 
 example of the world, conform to the maxims 
 of the world, are swallowed up in the gajety, 
 fashions, and amusements of the world — "be- 
 hold, these are the nngodlj, who are brought 
 into desolation as in a moment." " I have 
 seen the wicked in great power, and spreading 
 himself like a green bay-tree. Yet he j)assed 
 away, and lo, he was not ; yea, I sought him, 
 but he could not be found." " Surely thou 
 didst set them in slippery places ; thou easi- 
 est them down into destruction." 
 
GROWTH IN GRACE. 185 
 
 14. GROWTH IN GRACE. 
 
 How beautiful is tlie liglit of the morning! 
 Behold it hovering over the distant edge of 
 the horizon, and shedding its cheerful beams 
 upon the hills. It is a "morning without 
 clouds." But how soon is the prospect over- 
 cast. The atmosphere is obscured by vapors, 
 and the sun is darkened hj a cloud. Again 
 the mists are fled, the clouds have passed 
 over, and the sun is still advancing in his 
 course. Thus he rises; now behind the cloud, 
 now in all the gTeatness of his strength, shin- 
 ing "brighter and brighter unto the perfect 
 day." Such is the path of the just. In the 
 present vv^orld good men are. very imperfect. 
 The best of men have reason to complain bit- 
 terly of the body of sin and death; and the 
 best of men too have the most ardent desires 
 that the body of sin and death may be " cru- 
 cified with Christ." The highest point of 
 Christian experience is to press forward. It 
 is a distinguishing trait in the character of 
 every good man, that he groivs in grace. 
 
186 GOOD HOrE THEOUGH GEACE. 
 
 There are various similitudes used by tlie 
 insj)ired Tviiters that are significantly ex- 
 pressive of the advancement of Christians in 
 knowledge and in piety. The young convert 
 is Hkened unto one that is newly born. There 
 is a point of time in which he begins to hve. 
 At first he is a babe, then a chikl, till he 
 finally attains unto the " measure of the stat- 
 ure of the fulness of Christ." The kingdom 
 of heaven is also compared to " seed which 
 is cast into the ground." Fu'st cometh up 
 the tender blade, then the thriving stalk, then 
 the ear; after that the fuU corn in the ear, 
 ripening for the harvest and preparing for 
 the garner of the husbandman. It is also 
 compared to a " well of water, sjDringing up 
 into everlasting life." No imagery in nature 
 can more fully illustrate the gi'owth of grace 
 in the heart. " The righteous," said Job, 
 "shall hold on his way, and he that hath 
 clean hands shall wax stronger and stron- 
 ger." This is the prominent feature in the 
 character of the good man: he shall hold on 
 Ms woTj. " The youth," saitli the evangelical 
 prophet, " the youth shall faint and be weary, 
 and the young men shall utterly faU ; but 
 
GKOWTH IN GEACE. 187 
 
 tliey tliat wait Tipon the Lord shall renew 
 their strength ; they shall mount up with 
 wings as eagles, they shall run and not be 
 weary, and they shall walk and not faiut." 
 With inimitable beauty is the good man de- 
 scribed by the psalmist: "And he shall be 
 like a tree planted by the rivers of water, 
 that bringeth forth his fruit .-in his season ; 
 his leaf also shall not ^dther, and whatsoever 
 he doeth shall prosper." Grace in the heart 
 as certainly improves and advances, as a tree 
 thrives in a kindly and well-watered soil. " It 
 flourishes in immortal youth, and blooms for 
 ever in unfading beauty." 
 
 The certainty of the believer's progress, 
 however, rests on a surer foundation than 
 either the degree or the nature of his relig- 
 ion. "We are not sufficient," says the apos- 
 tle, " to think any thing as of ourselves, but 
 our sufficiency is of God." That the people 
 of God will grow in the divine life till they 
 reach the stature of perfect men, and " are 
 meet for the inheritance of the saints in 
 light," is beyond all controversy. But the 
 reason, and the sole reason of this is, that it 
 is " God that worketh in them to will and to 
 
188 GOOD HOPE TnEOUGH GFlACE. 
 
 do of Lis good pleasure." Covenanted grace 
 is the support of the believer through every 
 step of his pilgrimage. There is nothing in 
 the nature of holiness that is incapable of 
 corruption. Adam fell ; angels fell. And such 
 is the awful depravity of the human heart, 
 that left to himseK, the holiest saint on earth 
 would draw back unto perdition. Still he 
 shall progress in hohness throughout inter- 
 minable ages. It is the economy of di^dne 
 grace, where God has begun a good work, to 
 carry it on; where he has given one holy 
 exercise of heart, to give another and an- 
 other, until the subject is ripened for glory. 
 The hypocrite, when once he imagines him- 
 self to be a Christian, views his work as done. 
 He is satisfied. He " is rich, and increased 
 in goods." But it is otherwise with the ti'ue 
 Christian. Conversion is but his first step. 
 His work is all before him. His graces are 
 increasingly constant and increasingly vigor- 
 ous. The more he loves God, the more he 
 desires to love him. The more he knows of 
 his character, the more does he contemplate 
 the manifestations of his glory with rising 
 dehght. " As the hart panteth after the wa- 
 
GROWTH IN GEACE. 189 
 
 ter-brooks, so dotli Ms soul pant after God." 
 Ha^vdng once "tasted tliat the Lord is gra- 
 cious" is not enough to satisfy him. He will 
 ever remain unsatisfied till he reaches the 
 fountain-head, and drinks to the fall of " the 
 river of hfe, which flows from the throne of 
 God and the Lamb." The more he sees of 
 the eYiL of sin, the more he desu-es to see. 
 The more he hates it, the more he desires to 
 hate it. The more he sees of himself, the 
 more he abhors himself, and the more does 
 he desire to abhor himself. The more he is 
 emptied of himseK, the more does he desire 
 to be emptied of himself, the more he de- 
 sires to become poor in spirit, to feel that he 
 is cut off from every hope, and to rest on 
 Christ alone. The more he is engaged in 
 duty, the more dehght he finds in performing 
 it. The more severe his conflict with the en- 
 emy, the harder he presses it, and the more 
 vigorous his resolution to maintain it to the 
 last. 
 
 There are some things in which the in- 
 crease of grace is more visible, both to the 
 world and the subject, than others. Partic- 
 ularly have the people of God less and less 
 
190 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 confidence in tliemselves. Tliey clierisli an 
 increasing sense of tlieir dependence. Tliej 
 have been so often disappointed in tlieir false 
 confidences, tliat tliey have in some good 
 measure become weaned from tliem. Tliey 
 know by bitter experience tlie folly of trust- 
 ing to themselves. They have learned that 
 "the way of man is not in himself;" that "it 
 is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." 
 The independent, self-sufficient spirit of the 
 carnal heart is broken down. They " walk 
 by faith, and not by sight." They daily taste 
 the sweetness of that heavenly precept, " In 
 all thy ways acknowledge Him, and he shall 
 direct thy paths. Cast all your care on the 
 Lord, for he careth for you." 
 
 They are more and more patient in suffer- 
 ings. The more they are accustomed to the 
 yoke, the less do they repine under the weight 
 of it. 
 
 They are also more and more charitable 
 in theii- opinions of others. Young Chris- 
 tians are too often uncharitable and censori- 
 ous. They are more apt to take notice of 
 the infirmities of their brethren than their 
 graces, and the infirmities of others than 
 
GEOWTH IN GRACE. 191 
 
 their own. Bnt tlie more they know of them- 
 selves, the more reason do they see to exer- 
 cise charity towards others. They fear to 
 judge, lest they themselves should be also 
 judged. They walk " with aU lowHness and 
 meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one 
 another in love." 
 
 They have also the more full government 
 of their passions. They are " slow to wrath." 
 
 They are more and more punctual in the 
 performance of the relative duties. Young 
 Christians are apt to neglect them. They 
 suffer the duties they owe immediately to 
 God to swallow up those that belong to their 
 neighbor. But as they advance in the divine 
 hfe, they become more uniform in the exer- 
 cise of grace, and more punctual in the dis- 
 charge of all duty. They do not love God 
 less, but they love their fellow-men more. 
 As they grow more fervent and more con- 
 stant in their devotional exercises, so they 
 become more circumspect and unexception- 
 able in their intercourse with the world. 
 
 Perhaps there is no one point in which 
 growth in grace is more visible, than in that 
 harmony and consistency of character which 
 
192 GOOD HOPE THEOUGH GIIACE. 
 
 are too often wanting in yonng Cliristians, 
 but wliicli sliine with so much beauty in those 
 who are advanced in the Christian course. 
 
 In every thing that belongs to the excel- 
 lence of real religion, the true believer is in 
 a state of progression. He seeks and strives, 
 he ^Testles and fights. He is ever aiming at 
 the prize. View him in the early part of the 
 divine life, follow him through the various 
 stages of his progress, and you will find that, 
 notTvdthstanding all his doubts and declen- 
 sions, he makes a gradual advance. He does 
 not feel, he does not act " as though he had 
 abeady attained, either were abeady perfect ; 
 but he follows after, if he may apprehend that 
 for which also he is apprehended of Christ 
 Jesus." 
 
 " This one tldncj I do," says Paid : "forget- 
 ting the things that are behind, and reach- 
 ing forth to those that are before, I press 
 towards the mark for the prize of the high 
 calling of God in Christ Jesus." Where is 
 the Christian that does not make the spirit 
 of the apostle his own? Tell me, ye who 
 have just begun the heavenly race ; tell me, 
 ye who are verging towards the goal, was 
 
GROWTH IN GEACE. 193 
 
 there ever a Christian that felt satisfied with 
 present attainments? Is not the unvarying 
 voice, both of early and long-tried piety, 
 responsive to the language of Paul? Yes, 
 it is both the highest point of Christian ex- 
 perience, and the clearest evidence of Chris- 
 tian character, to press forward. The disci- 
 ple of Jesus desires to be perfect — to be more 
 and more conformed to the image of Christ. 
 He presses after this. It is his grand inqui- 
 ry, how to be and how to live more Hke a 
 chHd of God. 
 
 " Mark the way of the upright." As you 
 trace his steps through this dreary pilgrim- 
 age, sometimes he wanders fi'om the path, 
 sometimes he halts and tires. His progress 
 is far from being uniformly rapid, and often 
 far from being perceptible either by himself 
 or others. Sometimes his motion is retro- 
 grade. There are seasons when, instead of 
 advancing, he is the subject of great defec- 
 tion. Still it is true that on the whole he 
 advances. If you compare his present state 
 and character with what they were a consid- 
 erable length of time past, you will find that 
 he has made gradual progress. I know there 
 
 Good Hope. 1 5 
 
194 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 are seasons, dark and gloomy seasons — sea- 
 sons of gtdlt and declension — when tlie real 
 Christian tstII make this comparison at the 
 expense of his hopes. Be it so. Seasons 
 of gnilt and declension ought to be seasons 
 of darkness. I know too that there are sea- 
 sons when he is liable to discouragement 
 because he does not always experience that 
 light and joy which crowned the day of his 
 espousals. This is a serious error. There is 
 a glow of affection, a flush of joy, which is 
 felt by the young convert as he is just usher- 
 ed into the world of gi'ace, which perhaps 
 may not be felt at any future period of life. 
 And you cannot from this di'aw the inference 
 that he has made no advance. All this may 
 be true, while there is a power of feeling, a 
 strength of affection in the saint who has 
 passed through the wilderness and knows the 
 trials of the way, to which the young con- 
 vert is a stranger. As he ascends the mount 
 his eye is fixed, his step is more ^^igorous, 
 and his path brighter and brighter. He 
 remembers his devious steps, and how he 
 traced them back with tears. But the trials 
 of the way are forgotten. He is rising to that 
 
GROWTH IN GRACE. 195 
 
 brightness of purity wliicli " sheds the histre 
 of eternity" on his character, and aiming at 
 the croTvn of righteousness which fadeth not 
 away. 
 
 Here then is another test of the genuine- 
 ness of your rehgion. I am aware that it is 
 a severe one ; but it is one which bears the 
 seal of truth, and we must not shrink from it. 
 Professing Christians are apt to place too 
 much confidence on their past experience, 
 and think httle of the present — to think much 
 on what they imagine to have been their con- 
 version, their first work, and then give up 
 the business of self-examination, and allow 
 themselves to droop and decline. But the 
 question is. What is your irresent character ? 
 " Grace is the evidence of grace." I know it 
 is true, that he who is once a Christian is 
 always a Christian; but it is also true, that 
 he who is not noic a Christian, 7iever teas a 
 Christian. Examine yourself therefore, and see 
 ichether you he in the faith. The best evidence 
 in the world that you are is that you grow 
 in grace. 
 
 Now apply the principle. Have you on the 
 whole, since you fii^st began to hope that you 
 
196 GOOD HOPE THEOUGH GRACE. 
 
 were united to the Lord Jesus Christ, been 
 growing in grace? The question is plain 
 and decisive. 
 
 Do you never "hunger and thirst after 
 righteousness?" Do you never see the sea- 
 sons when you are conscious of the most sen- 
 sible desii'es after increasing conformity to 
 God? 
 
 Do you never feel the burden of remaining 
 corruption, and ardently desire to be dehv- 
 ered from its power? Do you never find 
 your heart drawn out in fervent supplication 
 for sanctifying grace as well as pardoning 
 mercy ? 
 
 Do you now desire to press forward, to 
 renounce every thing, and to take God for all 
 your portion ? Do you strive to live nearer 
 to him, and are you resolved to persevere to 
 the end in a hfe of faith in Him "who loved 
 you and gave himself for you ?" 
 
 If you can ingenuously answer these ques- 
 tions in the affirmative, you are not destitute 
 of evidence that you "have passed from death 
 unto life." But if you know nothing of all 
 this, cast away your vain confidence. No 
 man living in spiritual sloth, and making no 
 
GROWTH IN GRACE. 197 
 
 new advances, ouglit to flatter himself tliat 
 lie is interested in the blessings of the great 
 salvation. The man who is satisfied because 
 he thinks he is safe, who feels that he has 
 rehgion enough because he thinks he has 
 enough to save him from hell, is as ignorant 
 of the power as he is a stranger to the con- 
 solation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 
 
198 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 15. PRACTICAL OBEDIENCE. 
 
 You have no right to call me, "Lord, 
 Lord," saith the Sa^vionr, " unless you do the 
 things which I say. If ye keep mj com- 
 mandments, ye shall abide in my love, even 
 as I have kept my Father's commandments, 
 and abide in his love." Yon cannot claim 
 the character, you cannot share the privi- 
 leges of my people, without yielding a cor- 
 dial, an habitual, and persevering obedience 
 to the divine commandments. 
 
 After all that can be said of the nature of 
 the Christian graces, after every effort to dis- 
 criminate between true religion and false, the 
 spirit of obedience to the divine commands 
 is the grand test of the genuineness of our 
 faith. "By their fruits ye shall know them." 
 The plain and decisive question wliich should 
 be often pressed upon the conscience is this : 
 Is the spirit of the gospel expressed in my 
 habitual deportment ? 
 
 There is a wide difference between that 
 obedience which the gospel requires, and that 
 
PEACTICAL OBEDIENCE. 199 
 
 which is practised by the most advanced 
 Christian that ever lived. That obedience 
 which, through the grace of God, the behev- 
 er is enabled to attain in the present Hfe, 
 and which may be viewed as conclusive evi- 
 dence of Christian character is. 
 
 In the first place, cordial. It flows from 
 the heart. " God be thanked," says the apos- 
 tle to the Romans, "that ye were the ser- 
 vants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the 
 heart that form of doctrine which was deliv- 
 ered you." Evangelical obedience expresses 
 not merely the form, but the power of godli- 
 ness. Every thing short of that obedience 
 w^hich proceeds from the heart is disobedi- 
 ence. God neither requires nor will accept 
 of obedience which does not spontaneously 
 flow from supreme love to himself. The 
 moral quality of all actions lies in the dispo- 
 sition of heart with which they are perform- 
 ed. Actions that are apparently good may 
 flow from a very bad heart, and in the sight 
 of God are as corrupt as the heart from 
 which they flow. 
 
 "We read of those who followed our Lord 
 with great zeal for a time, but who at length 
 
200 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 " went back and walked no more with liim." 
 And what was the reason ? " The love of 
 God was not in them." Their hearts, like 
 that of the young man in the gospel, did not 
 enter into the spiiit of the duties which they 
 practised. They did not love the duties 
 themselves, nor desire to glorify God in them. 
 Men may practise the duties of piety from 
 some mercenary end. Ealse motives entwine 
 themselves into all the external duties of the 
 hypocrite. Not so the obedience of the true 
 Christian. That is deep and thorough. It 
 proceeds from the inmost soul. There is a 
 purity of design in all. " This is the love of 
 God, that we keep his commandments ; and 
 his commandments are not grievous.^'' It is no 
 task to the Christian to obey the command- 
 ments of God. It is his highest pleasure. 
 He delights in being devoted to the ser\dce 
 of a Being whom he supremely loves. "It 
 is his meat and his drink to do the wiU of 
 Him that sent him, and to finish His work." 
 It is with heartfelt pleasure that he conse- 
 crates his time, his talents, and his privile- 
 ges to the dehghtful w^ork of glorifying God. 
 The glory of God is the gi-eat end of his 
 
PRACTICAL OBEDIENCE. 201 
 
 being. The lionor of liis name is a motive 
 paramount to every other principle ; the pre- 
 cepts of his law a guide paramount to every 
 other rule of duty. The " love of Christ con- 
 strains him." When he contemplates his 
 duty, he feels the spirit of holy enterprise ; 
 when he looks at the work which God has 
 given him to do, he is animated with pious 
 zeal, and is constrained to exclaim, "I de- 
 light to do thy win, O God ; yea, thy law is 
 within my heart.'''' He therefore who obeys 
 God at aU, obeys him from the heart. He 
 obeys internally as well as externally. His 
 is cordial obedience. 
 
 But the obedience of God's people is also 
 habitual. There are some passages of Scrip- 
 ture which at first view appear to inculcate 
 the idea that the obedience of the new man 
 is universal. Caleb and Joshua are said to 
 have "ivholly followed the Lord." Job is 
 caUed ^^s^ perfect and an upright man." Zach- 
 arias and Anna are said to have been "right- 
 eous before God, walking in all the command- 
 ments and ordinances of the Lord hlameless.^^ 
 "Whosoever abideth in Christ," saith John, 
 ^^sinneth not.'' And again, "Whosoever is 
 9^ 
 
202 GOOD HOrE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 born of God doth not commit sin ; for liis seed 
 remainetli in him, and lie cannot sin, because 
 he is born of God." And thus our Saviour: 
 "Ye are my friends, if ye do ivhatsoever I 
 command you." But if we would make the 
 Bible consistent with itself we must give 
 these passages some latitude of meaning. 
 The experience of the Avorld and the declara- 
 tions of eternal truth assure us that "there 
 is not a just man upon earth that sinneth 
 not." We must not root out all religion from 
 the earth because we do not find perfection 
 in men. Moses sinned, Samuel sinned, Paul 
 sinned, Peter sinned ; and yet they were all 
 fervently pious. The melancholy fact is, that 
 the best of men do sin greatly. They are 
 sometimes the subjects of the most awfid 
 defection. 
 
 It is needless to conceal the truth, that the 
 sins of good men are of an aggravated char- 
 acter. It is in vain to say that they do not 
 sin knoiuingly. They are indeed often sur- 
 prised into the commission of sin ; but they 
 often commit it with calmness and dehbera- 
 tion. They often commit it in defiance to 
 the sober dictates of reason, and in defiance 
 
PEACTICAL OBEDIENCE. 203 
 
 to the most powerful conviction of their con- 
 sciences. It is in vain to say that they do not 
 sin voluntarily. No man was ever constrained 
 to sin. Sin cannot be forced upon men con- 
 trary to their own inclination. The children of 
 God often complain that their hearts prompt 
 them to sin, but their hearts never constrain 
 them to act contrary to their inclination. 
 
 The children of God do sin ; they sin know- 
 ingly ; they sin voluntarily ; but they do not 
 sin habitually. It is not the prevailing habit 
 of their lives to disobey the commandments 
 of God. This cannot be. " Sin does not 
 reign in their mortal bodies, that they should 
 obey it in the lusts thereof." Between the 
 old man and the new, there is an unceas- 
 ing conflict. " The flesh lusteth against the 
 Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh ; and 
 these are contrary the one to the other, so 
 that they cannot do the things that they 
 would." StiU,. in the new-born soul, the 
 flesh has not the ascendency. "The old 
 man is crucified with Christ, that the body 
 of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth 
 we should not serve sin." This is most 
 surely true of every behever. It is the pre- 
 
204 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 vailiug habit of liis life to obey the com- 
 mands of God. He is solicitous to perform 
 whatever God requires, and watchful to avoid 
 whatever he forbids. No true Christian can be 
 habitually more engaged in the service of the 
 world and of sin, than in the service of God. 
 His obedience, though not perfect, is habitual. 
 
 It may also be added, that that conformity 
 to the precepts of God's word upon which we 
 may safely rely as a test of character, is per- 
 severing. The disciple of Jesus Christ per- 
 severes in his course to the end of life. He 
 holds on his way. It is the characteristic, as 
 weU as the blessedness of those who " trust in 
 the Lord, that they are a-s Mount Zion which 
 cannot be removed, but abideth for ever." 
 
 The apostle John speaks of a class of pro- 
 fessing Christians, that were somewhat mul- 
 tiplied even in those early days of the Chris- 
 tian church. He says, " They went out from 
 us, but they were not of lis ; for if they had 
 been of us, they would no doubt have con- 
 tinued with us ; but they went out that they 
 might be made manifest that they were not 
 all of us." The true disciple " endures to the 
 end." Though he foresees that his path is 
 
PEACTICAL OBEDIENCE. 205 
 
 beset with obstructions on every side, still 
 lie goes forward. Tliongli dangers may 
 threaten and trials discourage him, leaning 
 upon the Beloved, he goes forward. His 
 most vigorous resolutions terminate upon his 
 duty. He goes forward with a firm and Yig- 
 orous step. No matter how rough the way, 
 with an eye fixed on the " Author and Fin- 
 isher of his faith," he goes forward with un- 
 abated ardor, leaving the earth behind him, 
 and animated with the prospect of heaven 
 and glory before him. He is aiming at " the 
 prize of the high calling of God in Christ Je- 
 sus." No difficulties are so great, no fatigue 
 so severe, as to divert him from his design. 
 Perfection is his object. He cherishes no 
 present intention to disobey at all. From 
 the heart he desires and intends to yield a 
 compliance, not merely to this or that requi- 
 sition, but to all the divine requirements, 
 without distinction, and without exception. 
 
 Yfe have the highest warrant to believe 
 that obedience thus cordial, habitual, and 
 persevering, is conclusive evidence of our 
 good estate. There are none but real Cluis- 
 tians who thus persevere in the sincere and 
 
206 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 habitual practice of godliness. " The ways 
 of the Lord are right, and the just shall 
 walk in them, but the transgressors shall fall 
 therein." The way of the Lord is a high 
 way ; it is called " the way of hohness, and 
 the unclean shall not pass over it." 
 
 The Scriptures uniformly represent a hfe 
 of practical godliness as a decisive test of 
 Christian character. A holy life is the grand 
 mark of distinction between the children of 
 God and the children of the devil. " Li this 
 the children of God are manifest, and the 
 children of the devil : Whosoever doeth not 
 righteousness is not of God." " Little chil- 
 dren," saith the same apostle, "let no man 
 deceive you : he that doeth righteousness is 
 righteous ; he that committeth sin is of the 
 devil." And again, " Hereby do we know 
 that we know him, if we keep his command- 
 ments." 
 
 It is difficult to conceive how it can be 
 otherwise. There is an inseparable connec- 
 tion between a holy heart and a holy life. A 
 holy life can no more proceed fi'om an unholy 
 heart, than a pure stream can flow from an 
 impure fountain. Wherever we find cordial, 
 
PKACTICAL OBEDIENCE. 20*1 
 
 habitual, persevering obedience to tlie divine 
 commands, there we have reason to believe 
 the love of God dwells in the heart. Show 
 me a man who makes the law of God the 
 rule, and the glory of God the end of his 
 conduct ; who is habitually devoted to the 
 duties of piety and charity ; and I will show 
 you one whose heart has been sanctified by 
 the Spirit of grace. On the other hand, show 
 me a man who, in the general course of his 
 life, pays no regard either to the divine law or 
 the divine glory ; who neither denies himself, 
 nor exerts himself for the honor of God and 
 the good of his fellow-men ; and I will show 
 you a man who, notwithstanding all his hopes 
 and his professions, has never felt the power, 
 nor tasted the sweetness of genuine rehgion. 
 The truth is, men sincerely and habitually 
 act as they love to act. In forming a judg- 
 ment concerning our own character, we have 
 no right to view our practice better than our 
 principles, nor our principles better than our 
 practice. 
 
 At the future judgment, there will be a 
 pubhc trial of human character. The grand 
 question then to be decided will be, Are you 
 
208 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 a child of God? Are you a believer in tlie 
 Lord Jesus Christ? This question will be 
 decided by evidence. And the evidence 
 which the righteous Judge will view as con- 
 clusive, will be a life of practical godliness. 
 The Father, without respect of persons, will 
 judge according to every man's tvorJc. When 
 John, in the vision of Patmos, " saw the sea 
 give up the dead which were in it, and death 
 and hell give up the dead which were in them, 
 they were judged every man according to his 
 work." In looking forward to the process 
 of that day, the reader may anticipate this 
 grand rule of trial. If he leads a life of 
 evangelical obedience, though that obedience 
 is not the ground of his acceptance, it is evi- 
 dence that he is accepted. And this is evi- 
 dence that comes without looking for it. A 
 life of humble, holy, Christ-hke obedience, 
 carries hope and faith and comfort along 
 with it. It is conclusive evidence that " the 
 love of Christ constraineth you," and is not 
 long maintained without filling the heart 
 with Hght and joy. 
 
 Come then and try your heart by the same 
 rule whereby God tries it. God has given, 
 
PRACTICAL OBEDIENCE. 209 
 
 or he will give you, a fair opportunity of 
 proving your religion by bringing it into 
 action. He proved Abraham, and the trial 
 issued in the clearest evidence of Abraham's 
 reHgion. He proved the young man in the 
 gospel, and the result of the trial was, that 
 he loved the world more than God. What 
 is the issue of the trial in your case ? Frames 
 and experiences and professions and hopes 
 are nothing without Hves of practical godli- 
 ness. "He that hath my commandments 
 and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me." 
 
 The plain question which was stated at 
 the beginning of this essay, is a very impor- 
 tant one. Does your religion express itself in 
 your liahitual dejjortment — in prosperity, in 
 adversity, in the family, in the world, among 
 friends and foes ? Kemember, " he that hath 
 the hope" of the gospel, "purifieth liimself 
 even as Christ is pure." Does your love to 
 God prompt you to a devout attendance upon 
 all his institutions? Does it animate you 
 with increasing attachment to his word and 
 his service? Does your love to man lead 
 you to " do justice and love mercy," to " live 
 in peace with all men?" Does it make you 
 
 Good Hope. 14 
 
210 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GEACE. 
 
 tlie better husband, or the better wife ; the 
 better parent, or the better child ; the better 
 master, or the better servant; the better 
 magistrate, or the better subject ; the better 
 friend, or the better citizen ? 
 
 The rehgion of Jesus Christ is not a sys- 
 tem of empty speculations, designed to have 
 no practical influence. It is not the offspring 
 of ^ild enthusiasm, that exhausts all its force 
 in feehng, and leaves none for action. "A 
 good man out of the good treasure of the 
 heart " necessarily " bringeth forth good 
 things." Experience without practice is 
 nothing ; and practice without experience is 
 no more. Experimental rehgion consists in 
 the reahty of the Christian graces, and in 
 their due effect upon the life and conversa- 
 tion. If you are an experienced Christian, 
 you feel the power of rehgion in your heart, 
 and exhibit it in your hfe. " The life of Jesus 
 is made manifest" in some good degree "in 
 your mortal flesh." You feel and act in some 
 measure as Christ felt and acted. You dis- 
 cover his Spirit; you imitate his example; 
 you exhibit a firm and bold attachment to 
 his cause. 
 
PEACTICAL OBEDIENCE. 211 
 
 But with all tliy short-comings, "with all 
 thy gross violations of duty, is such the ha- 
 bitual course of thy hfe? Is thine a hfe of 
 devotion, of meekness and humility; of su- 
 jDreme attachment to heavenly and divine 
 things; of self-denial, and of universal be- 
 nevolence? Try your heart by your prac- 
 tice, and your practice by your heart. If, 
 after candid examination, you find reason to 
 hope that you are one of God's dear chil- 
 dren — washed with the blood, sanctified by 
 the Spirit, clothed with the righteousness of 
 the Well Beloved — cherish that hope as the 
 gift of heaven. Dismiss your fears; bind 
 yourself to be the Lord's in an everlasting 
 covenant ; think less of yourself, and more 
 and more of the name, the cross, the glory of 
 your Kedeemer. Henceforth " let your light 
 shine.'' " Seek ye first the kingdom of God 
 and his righteousness, and all things shaU 
 be added unto you." Or in other words, 
 serve God, and God will take care of you. 
 Submit to his will, trust in his grace, and 
 resign yourseK uito his hands, mth the as- 
 surance that " the Lord is tvell i^leased with 
 those who liope in Ms mercy'' 
 
212 GOOD HOrE THROUGH GKACE. 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 Let the reader review tlie preceding pages 
 in tlie fear of God. The subject is of eternal 
 moment. A mistake here is a mistake for 
 eternity. Under a deep sense of his need of 
 the searching influences of the divine Spirit, 
 let him, as he reflects upon what he has read, 
 adopt the language of the psalmist : "Search 
 me, O God, and know my heart ; try me, and 
 know my thoughts ; and see if there be any 
 wicked way in me, and lead me in the way 
 everlasting." 
 
 " He that is not with me," saith the Sav- 
 iour, "is against me." There is no principle 
 within the whole compass of morals that 
 admits of more strict demonstration than 
 this, that there can be but two moral charac- 
 ters that are essentially different. There 
 must be necessarily in every intelligent being 
 a conformity to the will of God, or the want 
 of it. It is as impossible that a man should 
 be neither right nor wi'ong, as it is that a 
 portion of matter, at any given period, should 
 
CONCLUSION. 213 
 
 be neitlier at rest nor in motion. It is ab- 
 surd to suppose that he is neither a saint nor 
 a sinner, neither penitent nor impenitent, 
 neither a beHever nor an unbeliever. So 
 long as men possess any moral character, 
 they must view themselves, and be viewed by 
 others, either for God or against him. In the 
 great contest which enhsts the feelings and 
 the power of three worlds, it is impossible 
 that there should be a neutral. One side or 
 the other will claim every intelligent being in 
 heaven, on earth, and in heU. And it is right 
 they should do so. If the Hue should now 
 be drawn by the invisible hand of the great 
 Searcher of hearts, on the one side would be 
 the friends of God, on the other his enemies. 
 Suffer me then, beloved reader, before I 
 take leave of you, plainly, solemnly, and 
 affectionately to ask the question. On ivliicli 
 side do you stand ? K you possess nothing 
 more than mere visible morahty, nothing 
 more than the naked form of religion, noth- 
 ing more than a speculative knowledge of the 
 system of revealed truth, nothing more than 
 simple conviction for sin, nothing more than 
 a vain confidence of your own good estate, 
 
214 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. 
 
 connected witli some apparent zeal for tLe 
 cause of God, and a few transient and spuri- 
 ous affections, Low can you be one of tlie 
 children of the everlasting Father? If you 
 are a stranger to God, to repentance for sin, 
 to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, to evangel- 
 ical humility, to genuine seK-denial, how can 
 you cherish the hope that you are a Chris- 
 tian? If you know nothing of the spirit of 
 prayer, nothing of the love of the brother- 
 hood, nothing of mortifying the spirit of the 
 world, nothing of growth in grace, of cordial, 
 habitual, persevering obedience to the divine 
 commands, hoAV can it be that you have been 
 "brought nigh by the blood of Christ?" If 
 these things are so, " thou hast neither part 
 nor lot in this matter, for thy heart is not 
 right in the sight of God." 
 
 Does this agitate you? The ^mter of these 
 pages takes no pleasiu'e in exciting needless 
 alarm. But how can he raise the unhallowed 
 cry, Peace, peace I when the eternal God saith, 
 There is no p)^(^'Ce ? How can he raise the 
 unhallowed cry, when every note of the syren 
 song would only lull the hypocrite into a 
 more death-hke security, and every sentence 
 
CONCLUSION. 215 
 
 prove the blow to sink him deeper into the 
 eternal pit ? Poor self-deceived man, who 
 vainly imaginest that thou art in the w^ay to 
 heaven, while tlion art in the way to hell, 
 rather than amuse thee with tame, smooth, 
 pretty things. Oh that I could raise a voice 
 that would make thee " tremble, even in the 
 grave " of trespasses and sins ! Be entreated 
 to dismiss thy deceptions, to give up thy de- 
 lusive confidence. Cast not the anchor of 
 hope upon a shore so yielding that the final 
 blast will break its hold. However hard the 
 struggle, despair of mercy without being 
 washed in the blood of Jesus. Cherish not 
 a delusion which the king of terrors will tear 
 from thy heart. 
 
 But shall I presume that all my readers 
 are hypocrites ? No ; many of them, I trust, 
 are the dear people of God. Some of them 
 may be weak in faith and weak in hope. 
 Beloved Christian, I would not lisp a sylla- 
 ble to rob thee of thy confidence. Though 
 weak and trembling, there is every thing to 
 encourage and strengthen thee. It cannot 
 discourage you to examine closely whether 
 the foundation of your hope be firm, whether 
 
216 GOOD HOPE THROUGH GEACE. 
 
 your confidence is built upon tlie sand, or 
 wlietlier it rest on the Rock of ages. Feeble 
 Christians are called upon to mourn over 
 their weakness. Their want of strength is 
 their sin. Their graces may be well com- 
 pared to the " dimly smoking flax." They 
 emit Httle that warms and enhghtens. Theii* 
 love is cold, their joys barren and poor. God 
 hides his face, and they are troubled. Toss- 
 ed like Peter on the tempestuous sea, they 
 have hardly faith even to cry, " Lord, save, 
 or I perish." Still they may rejoice. The 
 Angel of the everlasting covenant lives. That 
 precious covenant itself recognizes the heart- 
 reviving principle, "Redemption through the 
 blood of Jesus, forgiveness of sins according 
 to the riches of his grace." Well then, be- 
 liever, may est thou rejoice even in the midst 
 of trembling. What though thou art bowed 
 down under the weight of guilt ; what though 
 poor in spirit, filled with apprehension, and 
 almost hopeless; what though thou art like 
 the "bruised reed" — frailty itself still more 
 frail, ready to fall by the gentlest breeze : 
 "A bruised reed shall he not break, and 
 smoking flax shall he not quench." No, 
 
CONCLUSION. 217 
 
 never. It shall not be broken, but support- 
 ed, clierislied ; yea, by a hand that is omnip- 
 otent transplanted to the garden of the Lord, 
 and flourish in the courts of our God. The 
 great Head will never disregard the feeblest 
 members of his own body. 
 
 There is a pecuHar adaptedness in the 
 character of our Lord Jesus Christ to the 
 weakness and fears of his people. Early was 
 he designated as one who should "bear our 
 griefs and carry our sorrows," commissioned 
 to "bind up the broken-hearted" and to 
 " comfort all that mourn." The man Christ 
 Jesus is " touched with the feeling of our in- 
 firmities ; he knoweth our frame ; he remem- 
 bereth that we are dust." The Shepherd 
 of Israel will " gather the lambs in his arms, 
 and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead 
 those that are with young." It is he that 
 " giveth power to the faint ; and to them that 
 have no might he increaseth strength." 
 
 Oh behevers, that we aU might learn to 
 fasten our affections, to rivet our hopes on 
 the cross of Christ! Here is our comfort. 
 We must tlihik much and make much of Christ. 
 In him all fulness dwells. He is the Captain 
 10 
 
218 GOOD HOPE TIIEOUGH GRACE. 
 
 of jour salvation. He is a fountain for your 
 uncleanness, and a light for jour waj. It is 
 lie that is of God made unto his people wis- 
 dom and righteousness and sanctiiication and 
 complete redemj)tion. No matter how great 
 jour guilt, rest on him, and he will be increas- 
 inglj preciou.s — precious in life, precious in 
 death, precious for ever. "While jour " Hfe is 
 hid with Christ in God," however languid the 
 throb, it shall never expire. 
 
 Come then, "lift up the hands that hang 
 down, and confirm the feeble knees." The 
 heavens and the earth shall sooner crumble 
 into their native nothing, than the feeblest 
 lamb of the Shepherd's fold stumble and 
 finallj fall. "Loose thjself," therefore, "fi'om 
 the bands of thj neck, O captive daughter 
 of Zion." If thou hast seasons of trial, be 
 not alarmed ; if thou hast moments of de- 
 spondencj and weakness, be not dismajed. 
 " Fear not, thou w^orm Jacob, for thou shalt 
 thrash the mountains and beat them small. 
 Thj Kedeemer is the Holj One of IsraeL 
 He will strengthen thee ; jea, he will help 
 thee ; jea, he will uphold thee bj the right 
 hand of his righteousness." Saj, is it not 
 
CONCLUSION. 219 
 
 enougli ? " Thanks be imto God for liis un- 
 speakable gift." 
 
 I close then by beseecliing tlie reader to 
 devote himself unreservedly to the Lord. 
 "What, know y6 not that ye are not your 
 own ? for ye are bought with a price ; where- 
 fore glorify God in your body and your spir- 
 it, which are his." "Eender unto God the 
 things that are God's." What liigher delight, 
 what greater privilege can you enjoy, than to 
 consecrate all that you are and all that you 
 possess to God? Come then and make a 
 voluntary surrender of every thing to him, and 
 choose his service as your highest delight. 
 
 Henceforth let it be your greatest care to 
 honor the Lord who has bought you. "As 
 you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so 
 walk in him, rooted and built up in him, and 
 estabKshed in the faith, as you have been 
 taught, abounding therein with thanksgiv- 
 ing." Yes, blessed Eedeemer. " Other lords 
 besides thee have had dominion over us ; but 
 by thee only will we make mention of thy 
 name." O thou eternal, incarnate God, I am 
 thine, doubly thine, wholly thine — thine for 
 ever. Amen. 
 
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DATE DUE 
 
 
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