r'.r .v si»n 
 ( ~lWht»cllc 
 
 THE " GREAT MACKINLAY." 
 
 KILMARNOCK'S MOST POPULAR 
 PREACHER. 
 
 By the Rev. D. Landsborough. 
 
 Kilmarnock may have had preachers more able 
 and more learned than Dr Mackinlay, but un- 
 doubtedly he was the most popular. Burns may 
 be adduced as a witness. He styles him the 
 "Great Mackinlay." It may be the poet was not 
 in these words expressing his own opinion, but 
 undoubtedly he was voicing what he believed to be 
 the verdict of the public. 
 
 Last week I was present and conducted the 
 service at the funeral of Miss Mackinlay, the last 
 of Dr Mackinlay's family, also the last of his 
 descendants. His son had a child who died while 
 young. Miss Mackinlay was buried in the High 
 Churchyard in the family burying-place of her 
 brother. She was eighty-two years of ape. It 
 is suitable at such a time to give some 
 reminiscences of the famous Doctor, so long 
 minister of the Laigh Kirk. 
 
 Dr Mackinlay was born at Douglas, in Lanark- 
 shire, in the December of 1756. He was educated 
 by good teachers, which he so improved that when 
 his College course was finished he was qualified 
 for good appointments as a tutor and was so 
 engaged, first in the family of a Mr Logan and 
 next in that of Sir Wiliiam Cunningham, of, 
 Auchenskeigh, Ayrshire. The latter gentleman 
 so spoke in his favour to the Earl of Glencairn, 
 and in 1785 his Lordship presented him to the 
 Second Charge of the Laigh Kirk. The people 
 were delighted, for they knew his pulpit gifts, as 
 his first sermon had been delivered in the Church 
 of Riccarton. Thus all appeared bright. But 
 44 there is often a slip between the cup and the 
 lip." Let us look at the state of the Scottish 
 Church at this time. 
 
 At this period heartless, soulless, and unchristlike 
 Moderatism was at its height. This system seldom 
 showed life save when associating with infidels, 
 consorting with and pleasing patrons, hunting 
 after stipends, and when it had an opportunity 
 of rending and tearing the body of Christ — that is 
 His Church, and trampling it in the mud with its 
 hoof of irou. Does anyone think I express 
 myself too strongly ? — I can scarcely do so. 
 Witness the following quotations from the 
 History of Kilmarnock, Oy its historian, Mr 
 M'Kay. They are made in connection with the 
 forced settlement of the Rev. (?) Mr Lindsay to 
 the Laigh Kirk in 17G4. — "None of the session 
 signed the call ; only three heads of families 
 signed the concurrence; and the elders, twenty in 
 number, presented a remonstrance against the 
 proceedings." The case was carried to the General 
 ,ioly, which reverend (?) Court. "sustained 
 the presentation and ordered the Presbytery to 
 proceed without delay." The settlement Look 
 place amid the greatest riot ever seen in Kil- 
 marnock. For taking part in it " ten of the ring- i 
 leaders were seized, imprisoned and tried." At] 
 the trial "seven were acqutted by the jury, and 
 the first three found guilty a;id sentenced to be. 
 imprisoned fur a month and whipt through the 
 
 ds of Ayr, and to find caution for k. 
 oeace. and a good behaviour for a twelve-month." 
 
the minioter^ 
 
 the SiTC 
 
 ok. 
 The settlement of Dr Mackinlay had a 
 
 accompanied by a second and similar riot. 
 In ti the presentaiioii 
 
 ttlement, the Earl had heard something about 
 jung minister which displeased him. The 
 result wao tnat o. fore 
 
 he gave a second presentation. Tne people did 
 ar of th: ions to the 
 
 :,g of Presbytery. At once aii Kilruarnoek 
 was in commotion. P;ans were matured 
 during the night, and early next morning the 
 people in a mass marched to the gate of the manse 
 and sent a deputation to Mr Rooertson (minister 
 of the First Charge), who it was reported had the 
 presentation to Mr Brown in Ins uossessiou. 
 req - :iim to give up to them that document. 
 
 Mi son, terrified by the sight of the crowd 
 
 at the gate, and overcome by the fears and 
 entreaties of his farnhy, told them that be had not 
 the presentation, and informed them where they 
 might get it, on its way down to Irvine. 
 Accordingly, the people secured the presentation 
 in favour of Mr Brown ere it reached the hands of 
 the Presbytery. Alter tins they sent a deputa- 
 tion to the Earl of Glencairn who, when he 
 saw their determined Boirit, revoked the second 
 presentation.' —M 
 
 The condition of the Laigh Kirk at this time 
 
 was by no means prosperous, is o wonder. The 
 
 violent settlement of 1704 had led to the forming 
 
 of two Secession congregations — Gallows Known 
 
 and Clerks Lan<\ Mr Robertson, the minister of 
 
 the First Charge of the Laigh Kir'. 
 
 been respectable in character, but of him we read 
 
 \u the Memoir— ** Though he had only one sermon 
 
 in k to compose, he had diseours s just 
 
 sufficient to r about three vears, and these 
 
 wei !f an hour in length [thought very 
 
 short in re length of a sermon then 
 
 minutes — D. L.], and read over aud 
 
 In consequence a i 
 
 til number attended the Low Church. Some- 
 
 tiri: none in riea . . . But 
 
 hiurch— the minister of which was the 
 
 1— was rilled, "though it accommo- 
 
 as the stairs to the 
 
 'nireh. \ sages 
 
 re tilled. 
 
 • Cut i the habit of mentioning 
 
 that when lie joined :!)'• ktion, in the time 
 
 Mr Oliphant, 
 
 time get a seat, and 
 
 red l>y a friend, be eat en the gallery 
 
 •nireh, afterwards, |0 give 
 
 to the out 
 
 1 'hat at or r the 
 
 Laigh Kirk ! 
 
 for a year th at the 
 
 ir and I 
 
 more t! 
 
 mu 
 
 mity 
 
 r his 
 
settlement.' A Mr Duncan was to be forced upon 
 Ardrossan parish as minister, and the Presbytery, 
 knowing the views of Dr Mackinlay, resolved to 
 force him to preside at the deed of violence. 
 What was he to do ? In his distress an old minister 
 gave him a shrewd advice: "Go to England, 
 Ireland, or France; but whatever you do get out 
 of the way." The advice was taken. Dr Mac- 
 kinlay had a sympathiser in Mr Russel of the 
 High Church. They procured ponies and met at 
 Ayr, from whence they rode by Dumfries, Carlisle, 
 Penrith to Carleton-upon-Trent. There they left 
 their animals and proceeded by coach to London. 
 The Presbyter) 7 of course sent to Dr Mack^ lo v a 
 letter addressed to Kilmarnock, and again, having 
 discovered that he had gone to London, a second, 
 addressed to a minister whom they considered 
 certain to know where the fugitive was residing ; 
 but the Doctor had so arranged that he got neither 
 of the letters. In London he and his companion 
 met the celebrated John Newton, and also Thos. 
 Scott, the Commentator, and they travelled by 
 coach with Dr Paley. Dr Mackinlay also preached 
 every Sabbath. At the end of two months they 
 returned to Kilmarnock. The Presbytery would 
 havoj -osecutecl Dr Mackinlay, but the settlement 
 at Ardrossan had aroused so much indignation 
 that, like the Jews of old, "they feared the 
 people," and Dr Mackinlay escaped. 
 
 The reason of Doctor Mackinlay's popularity is 
 well stated in the History of Kilmarnock : — " As 
 a preacher few divines have been more generally 
 admired and esteemed. The sweetness and com- 
 pass of his voice imparted charm to all his senti- 
 ments, and the elegance and warmth of his manner 
 marked him as one peculiarly fitted for his sacred 
 calling." A gentleman who has frequently heard 
 the Doctor informs me that his sermons were long, 
 divided into many heads, at times as many as a 
 dozen, and that his applications was often three- 
 fold— (1) to the young, (2) the middle aged, and (3) 
 the old. My late friend, John Parker, Esq., of 
 Assloss, had a great love for what is pointed and 
 pithy, and to him the applications were too 
 general. He said the Doctor had only two classes 
 * — saints and sinners. 
 
 The Doctor was of a retiring disposition, and 
 saw little company, though when he came out he 
 seems to have been able to make himself sufficiently 
 agreeable. He had, of course, many calls from 
 other congregations. These began early. He 
 had only been six years in Kilmarnock when he 
 was chosen to be minister of the New (now 
 Middle) Parish Church, Greenock, and other 
 invitations followed. That to Greenock was 
 tempting, as the church was handsome, the con- 
 gregation large, the town increasing, and the 
 stipend fully a hundred pounds greater than that 
 of the Second Charge, Kilmarnock, or even the 
 First ; yet Dr Mackinlay refused all of them. He 
 gave as his reason that "he had been settled at 
 Kilmarnock by the earnest desire of the people, 
 that to them he was much attached, that it 
 afforded a large field of usefulness, and that his 
 labours had been blessed to not a few." This 
 decision was the more remarkable, as, notwith- 
 standing his great popularity and success as a 
 minister, the First Charge twice became vacant 
 without his being appointed, and it was 
 only when in 1808 it became vacant for the third 
 time he received the presentation, and that as a 
 
result of a petition from the inhabitants. Such 
 was Patronage. Few men would have submitted 
 quietly to such treatment. 
 
 In 1825, the fortieth year of his ministry, his 
 congregation presented him with a handsome 
 service of plate. On completing, in 1836, the 
 fiftieth year, I Rational banquet, attended 
 
 by upward? of five hundred persons, was held in 
 honour of the event. On this occasion a congre- 
 gational library was formed and named "The 
 Mackinlay Library." 
 
 The Doctor was now an old man ; but he was 
 still able to preach. Thi3 year (1836), however, 
 St. Marnock's Church was opened, and the arrange- 
 ment made was that it would be supplied by the 
 ministers of the Laigh Kirk, a collegiate charge. 
 As this implied preaching twice every Sabbath, 
 and both churches were large, it was thought 
 desirable that the Doctor should have an assistant. 
 The person chosen was the Rev. James Stevenson, 
 afterwards minister of Newton, Ayr, who married 
 Dr Mackiulay's eldest daughter. The Doctor him- 
 self still continued to preach "not unfr£*«iently 
 half a day and sometimes even a wh and 
 
 with unabated vigour and liveliness 
 
 I give two anecdotes of his old age which I 
 received from his family. He was so much im- 
 pressed by the increasing number of those who went 
 to no church, and felt so deeply the necessity of 
 seeking to reach them, that he resolved, by preach- 
 ing in the open air, to give such a morement the 
 weight pi his example. This he carried out — I 
 believe at the Cross, of Kilmarnock. The other 
 was somewhat similar. He was so much impre 
 by I in the number of drunkards (a 
 
 thai !i duties having begun to make 
 
 I whisky, and not ale as previously, the national 
 drink (see notices in the Old Statistical Account. 
 — D. L.) that he resolved in no way to give drink- 
 ing the weight of his example. He had during 
 almost all his life been in the habit of taking a 
 tumbler of toddy after supper— latterly giving a 
 glass to each of the memljers of his family and 
 retaining two himself. When eighty-two years of 
 age he gave up the practice. His family ad 
 that they believed, in consequence of his age. 
 Buffered in health from both of th< 
 They all t\ bowed the fervour of his zeal. 
 
 I may add that his BOD wan like-minded with his 
 father. When by w< ak- health compelled I 
 from tli ry at Wellpark he resided for a 
 
 time at Saltcoats. There, in the poorer parts of 
 the town, he conducted weekly evangelistic m< 
 -. At then;-, th. lent, had 
 
 ng, while the ladies of my 
 fathers oongreg d. 
 
 On h of February, 1841, Dr 
 
 l for the last time, doing eo "with 
 •i." On 
 may be mentioned that ! 
 
 n sulti 
 
 of tl ii his | that wli 
 
 ion, all the . 
 
 I hurch. 
 
Man is weak. Dr Mackinlay at the ape of nine- 
 teen entered into a written covenant with God 
 (given fully in his Memoir) and this he renewed at 
 every Communion (then yearly), yet on one 
 occasion he acted so foolishly as almost to 
 create a scandal. Again he refused to accept 
 calls to congregations where his stipend would 
 been much larger than in Kilmarnock, yet he was 
 so parsimonious that the money he left at his 
 death was so considerable that it is said that it 
 amounted to more than all that he had drawn as 
 stipend, apart from interest. 
 
 A volume of Dr Mnckinlay's sermons was pub- 
 lished by his son in 1843 ; but the sermons givei 
 no more idea of his pulpit power than do tne pub- 
 lished sermons of the renowned Whitfield. 
 
 A portrait of the Doctor was painted by Mr 
 Tannock ; an engraving of it is prefixed to the 
 volume of the sermons. 
 
 A sun dial was made, seventy years ago, by Mr 
 Boyd, Kilmaurs. It was purchased by the re- 
 doubtable Hugh Craig and stood for long in his 
 garden at Wallacabank. At the sale after his 
 death it was bought by his neighbour, the 
 late Mr Hamilton, town clerk, and did 
 similar duty in his garden. Latterly it was 
 presented to the town by his son. who was 
 long, like his father, clerk to Kilmarnock. 
 It has been placed in the Kay Park, near Burns's 
 Monument. On it there are several busts cut on 
 the stone. Mr Hamilton informs me that the one 
 facing Kay Park Crescent rep esents Dr Mackinlay. 
 
 The family of the Doctor that lived to maturity 
 were the Rev. James Mackinlay, who was minis- 
 ter of Weil park Free Church, Glasgow, whose 
 widow still survives ; a daughter, who was mar- 
 ried to the Rev. James Stevenson, minister of 
 Newton Free Church, Ayr ; and Miss Mackinlay.. 
 All are now jrone. 
 
 
 
 SQS 
 
 ^YU 
 
urw f It**" 
 
JAMES MACKINLAY.D.D. 
 L avie .KUtnamock 
 
SELECT SERMONS 
 
 BY THE LATE 
 
 REV. JAMES MACKINLAY, D.D., 
 
 MINISTER OF THE FIRSTCHARGE OF THE LOW CHURCH PARISH OF KILMARNOCK. 
 
 MEMOIR BY HIS SON; 
 
 \M> I'l J'.l.l-ll ID i NDBB HI- BUPBRINT1 N l • i 
 
 KILMARNOCK 
 
 .1 OH N D A \ I i:, S3, B \ N K - I B I I I 
 
 M.OOLl . i-\< ii ISQM BQ1 UfcE . \M> 
 \\M. COLLINS, 7. BOUTH PRBDBRK I BTRBB1 <;i. \ 
 
 .1 lOHKSTONB, i.MNUi lain 
 
 Ml), i | Mill 
 
Paisley :— Printed by Nkilson & Murray 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The Discourses which compose this volume, are pub- 
 lished at the earnest request of many who heard them 
 preached with pleasure and with profit, and expressed 
 their conviction, that, by the divine blessing, they 
 were calculated to impress the truths of the gospel 
 upon the heart, and lead sinners to Christ. If, in 
 truth, they prove the means of converting one unre- 
 generate offender, comforting any mourner in Zion, or 
 imparting light to any walking in darkness and per- 
 plexity, they will secure the great object for which they 
 now appear before the world, and for which, we an- 
 persuaded, they were composed* In reference to tin- 
 Memoir, it may be stated, that it was printed before 
 the solemn resolution was formed by so many mini-i 
 of leaving the Established Church of Scotland, provided 
 
 no adequate remedy n nted for tluir grieYam 
 
 We commend the volume to the candid and prayerful 
 
IV PREFACE. 
 
 perusal of those into whose hands it may fall, at the 
 same time expressing our conviction, that the discourses 
 are not presented to them in so perfect a form as they 
 would have assumed, had they been published under 
 the superintendence of their venerable author. 
 
 JAMES MACKINLAY. 
 
 Glasgow, June, 1843. 
 
MEMOIR 
 
 OF THE 
 
 REV. JAMES MACKINLAY, D.D 
 
 The subject of the following memoir was born at Gate- 
 side, in the parish of Douglas, Lanarkshire, December 
 22, 17^6. His fathers name was James Mackinlay, 
 and his mother's Grace Wilson. They had six children, 
 John, Robert, Marion, James, George, and William. His 
 father was an elder of the Church, and both his parents 
 were distinguished for their deep and fervent piety. Hav- 
 ing dedicated their children to the Lord by baptism, they 
 were mindful of their solemn vows, and endeavoured, 
 with the utmost earnestness and perseverance, to instruct 
 their children in the knowledge of the truth, aud instil 
 into their minds the principles and sentiments which 
 alone can guide us safely through time, and bring us at 
 last to glory. All the members of the family were well 
 grounded in the Shorter Catechism, trained to read the 
 Bible, and accustomed, morning and evening, to draw near 
 to the throne of grace. All of them had certain plan 
 either in the house or in the buildings connected with it, 
 to which, by the command of the head <»f the family, 
 they were bound to retire, and poor out at the appointed 
 time their hearts before God, Bach an effect had tin- 
 example and instructions of their employers, that few 
 servants of the family ever left the house without 1>< 
 seriously and deeply impressed with the importance and 
 
10 MEMOIR OF THE 
 
 necessity of minding the one thing needful. They might 
 enter the family careless and indifferent, but such they 
 did not depart. 
 
 The prayerful instructions of his parents had an early 
 and a lasting influence upon their son, James. He never 
 could recollect the time when he was altogether ignorant 
 and regardless of God. From the earliest dawn of reason, 
 he was visited with convictions of sin, and had earnest 
 desires to please God in all his ways. His apprehensions 
 of the mode of salvation were at first erroneous and un- 
 scriptural. He vainly imagined that he could merit 
 salvation by his good deeds, and that if he read his Bible, 
 prayed every morning and evening, obeyed his parents, 
 and spoke the truth, God could not but have mercy 
 and bestow upon him every spiritual and saving blessing. 
 When, however, he was about twelve years of age, he was 
 led to adopt more correct views of the truth, by reading 
 Stoddard's "Guide to Christ," and Guthrie's "Trial of 
 a Saving Interest in Christ." These books, which have 
 been blessed to many, showed him that men are wholly 
 depraved, and dead in sin ; that they can never, by any 
 thing they can do or suffer, merit the least mercy from 
 God ; and that they are saved from first to last through 
 the merits of Christ. Hence, he was led to cast away 
 all hope, and all confidence in himself, and to make 
 Christ his wisdom, and righteousness, and strength. At 
 this early period we are to date the commencement of 
 his life as a true disciple and follower of Jesus. After 
 this, he had no doubt times of spiritual declension and 
 revival, of falling and repenting, but still he held on his 
 way Zionward, striving, with some good degree of suc- 
 cess, to grow in grace, and in the knowledge of Jesus 
 Christ. His experience shows what will be found to 
 hold true universally, that a sinner can never find real 
 peace and pleasure in serving God, till brought by divine 
 grace utterly to despair of ever deserving the smallest 
 
REV. DR. JAMES MACKIXLAY. 11 
 
 mercy from God, and led to depend simply, and with 
 his whole heart, on the infinitely precious merits of Im- 
 manuel. Many there are who work that they may win 
 salvation, who, though theoretically right regarding the 
 mode of a sinner's justification, are practically wrong, 
 going about, in some degree unconsciously and uninten- 
 tionally, to establish by their tears and penitence — their 
 prayers and alms — a righteousness of their own. Such 
 will never be found rejoicing in God, going on with ala- 
 crity and delight in the paths of new obedience, till thev 
 are enlightened to see that their duty is to receive all 
 freely from God in Christ, and in token of their gratitude 
 and love, to devote themselves without reservation to 
 his service. 
 
 The father of the subject of the present memoir beinor 
 in comfortable and easy circumstances, determined to 
 give an opportunity to some of his sons to follow a 
 learned profession. One day, therefore, after thev were 
 in some measure able to judge for themselves, he col- 
 lected them together, stated his intention, and inquired 
 whether any of them were disposed to prosecute their 
 studies. He found only two, James and George, desirous 
 to do so — James expressing his strong desire to become 
 a minister of the gospel, and George being anxious to 
 devote himself to the medical profession. The career 
 of the latter was short and mournful. After complet- 
 ing his studies, and obtaining his diploma, he went on 
 board a man-of-war as an assistant surgeon, and in a 
 few week- caught fever and died; cut down suddenlv, 
 while entering, with all the ardour and hope of youth, on 
 the discharge of the duties of the profession lie had 
 chosen. He Wta I man of respectable talents, runark- 
 ahle for his kind and affectionate di-]M>-iti<>ns, and 
 gieatly beloved by his friends. 
 
 Both James and George were sent to the parish 
 school of Douglas, and thereafter to that of Lanark—* 
 
]2 MEMOIR OF THE 
 
 the latter being then taught (as it was for more than 
 fifty years,) by Mr. Thompson, brother-in-law to the 
 author of "The Seasons," and a celebrated classical 
 teacher in those days. Under him, James, especially, 
 made great proficiency. As a proof of this, it may be 
 mentioned, that he and Sir Henry Stewart, (who after- 
 wards, I believe, published an edition of Sallust,) and 
 Gillies, who became the rector of an academy in Eng- 
 land, always kept at the head of the class. None of 
 these three was ever found below the third place from 
 the head. 
 
 James went to Glasgow College, 8th November, 1 773, 
 and joined the Greek and Logic classes. Mr. Moore, 
 professor of Greek, was at that time unable to teach 
 the class, but his place was supplied by Mr. John 
 Young, a man distinguished for his knowledge of 
 Greek, and his skill in instructing vouth, and who 
 became the successor of Moore. Both of them gave 
 him certificates, bearing ample testimony to his know- 
 ledge of the Greek language, and diligent application 
 to study. Mr. Clow, the same individual who was 
 chosen in preference to the celebrated Edmund Burke, 
 was professor of Logic ; but, during the greater part of 
 the session, his place was efficiently and most ably sup- 
 plied by Mr. Jardine, who succeeded him when he died. 
 Clow does not appear to have been a man of great 
 talent, or of extensive learning ; but his prayers, in 
 opening his class, were serious, fervent, and deeply im- 
 pressive. 
 
 In his second session at College, he joined Dr. Reid's 
 class, November 2, 1774. From the instructions of this 
 justly celebrated man, he derived great benefit, and in 
 after times always spoke of him with the highest venera- 
 tion. He was a man much revered by his students. He 
 was seldom seen to smile, and was often observed pacing 
 up and down between the public library and the profes- 
 
REV. DR. JAMES MACKINLAY. 13 
 
 sors' houses, apparently in profound thought. His ear- 
 nestness at the dispensation of the Sacrament in the Col- 
 lege Hall, at which he once presided, was never forgotten 
 by the subject of this memoir. In his address to the 
 communicants, he seemed to pour out his whole soul; 
 and while speaking of the dying love of Christ, tears 
 were observed running down his cheeks, showing the 
 intensity of his inward emotion. Altogether, he was 
 not only a great man, a patient, modest, and deep 
 thinker, but a man in whom there appeared to be the 
 fear and love of God. 
 
 About this time, while thus prosecuting his studies, he 
 seems to have felt, more than ever, the importance and 
 necessity of devoting himself entirely to God ; for in 
 July, 1775? he made a written covenant with God, 
 which he renewed in July, 1776, and as often as he 
 partook of the Sacrament. The following is the coven- 
 ant which he then made with God : — 
 
 u Lord, I am by nature, and also by innumerable 
 transgressions, a lost and ruined creature. Though I 
 had a covenant with thee sealed by baptism, yet I have 
 lived a long time insensible to my obligations, and, as it 
 were, without God in the world. Blessed be thy name, 
 I have reason to conclude that thou hast made me sen- 
 sible of my state, and of the satisfying relief thou hast 
 provided in Christ Jesus. Thou offerest the same to 
 me freely in thy word, and now thou hast determined 
 my heart to go out after Christ, in the way of this new 
 Covenant. In order that I may attain unto that estab- 
 lishment of mind in this matter, which would be to 
 my unspeakable comfort, and the praise of thy grtee, 
 I, unworthy as I am, do declare, that I believe that 
 Jesus is the Son of God, and only Saviour of unnefffc 
 I desire to acqniesoe in the glorious plan of Baying BIB- 
 Den by him; to accept of reconciliation with God, 
 through him; and to clo>e with thee as my Cod, in 
 
14 MEMOIR OF THE 
 
 him. I resign myself unto thee, desiring to be separ- 
 ated from every thing hateful unto thee. I take all 
 things around me to witness, that whatever I hitherto 
 have been, I do accept of thy offer of peace, through 
 Christ, and take hold of thy Covenant this day, never 
 to be reversed. Having accepted of the offer, I will 
 henceforth wait for thy salvation and live for thy glory. 
 Pardon, O Lord, what may be amiss in my doing this, 
 and accept of me in Christ Immanuel.' , 
 
 This mode of devoting ourselves unto God has been 
 recommended by many eminently holy men, such as 
 Allein, Henry, and Doddrige, and cannot but deepen 
 our seriousness, and impart to us, by the blessing of 
 God, a spirit of unwavering decision in walking with 
 him. A personal covenant with God — drawn out with 
 great deliberation, after serious self-examination and 
 fervent supplications — read over and pondered while 
 kneeling in the presence of God, and there signed under 
 a deep sense of the solemnity of the transaction and the 
 awful majesty and infinite purity of God, with whom 
 we have to do — laid past in a secure place, and renewed 
 from year to year at the table of the Lord, over the 
 sacred emblems of Christ's broken body and shed blood 
 — will, beyond all doubt, enable us, by the blessing of 
 God, to overcome many strong temptations to sin — 
 impart to us humble filial boldness in pouring out our 
 wants before God, and, it may be, cast a ray of heavenly 
 hope and peace over our minds in the awful hour of 
 our departure from this world of sin and sorrow. A 
 Christian who has thus surrendered himself to God, to 
 be his only and for ever, must regard himslf as not his 
 own, but God's, not merely by creation and redemp- 
 tion, but by his own most solemn and oft repeated 
 vows, and so be constrained to walk as seeing him who 
 is invisible, and live perpetually to the glory of his 
 God and Saviour. At the same time, there is great 
 
REV. DR. JAMES MACKINLAY. 15 
 
 danger that he may place too much dependence upon 
 the moral influence such a covenant is fitted to have 
 upon the mind, and be thus drawn away from trust- 
 in or with undivided hope upon the gracious influences 
 of God's spirit, to render him finally and completely 
 victorious. Nothing, indeed, in the Christian life is 
 so difficult as learning to live by faith upon Christ, 
 as resting upon him alone for every spiritual blessing, 
 and complying with that important direction of the 
 great apostle of the Gentiles — "As ye have received 
 Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him." 
 
 On the 6th November, 1775, he joined the Natural 
 Philosophy class, then taught by Dr. Anderson, the 
 founder of the Glasgow Andersonian University. The 
 doctor did not enter deeply into the mathematical 
 department of Natural Philosophy, but his lectures 
 were plain, popular, and interesting, while he himself 
 was exceedingly beloved and respected by his students. 
 
 It was in the following summer that the subject of 
 this memoir first went to Ayrshire, to be tutor in a 
 family of the name of Logan, who, two years after- 
 wards, recommended him to Sir William Cunningham 
 of Auchenskeith, through whose influence he procured 
 the presentation to the second charge of Kilmarnock. 
 The way in which he became tutor in Mr. Logan" a 
 family, was most providential. At the conclusion of 
 the Session, he resolved to go home during the summer 
 months, and there devote himself to private study. 1 1< 
 had his trunk placed upon the vehicle which WW 
 convey him to the place of his destination, and WM 
 just standing in the Gallowgate, about to step up him- 
 self, when Mr Pnmdfoot, the master of the Grammar 
 
 School, happening to pan that way, atked him what he 
 
 intended doing during summer. When informed, he 
 
 told him that Mr. Logan wai deanotu to obtain a tutor 
 for his children daring the summer months, and made 
 
16 MEMOIR OF THE 
 
 him the offer of the situation ; he accepted the offer, 
 and, ordering down his trunk, proceeded in a day or 
 two to Ayrshire. Had not the master of the Grammar 
 School accidentally passed at that time, he would not 
 have been offered the situation, nor, in all probability, 
 would he have been tutor to Sir William Cunningham's 
 family, or minister of Kilmarnock. Man proposes, 
 but God disposes according to his own sovereign will, 
 He guides his servants all through this world — he 
 beholds and overrules the apparently most unimport- 
 ant actions of their life — he arranges all things in 
 such a manner as ultimately to promote their real 
 well-being, and places them in the locality and cir- 
 cumstances where his unerring wisdom discerns they 
 will most effectually promote his glory. The convic- 
 tion of this truth ought to impart a humble and devout 
 tranquillity, so far as this world is concerned, to the 
 hearts of God's people, and lead them to acquiesce m 
 all his dispensations, however dark and distressing, 
 looking for the dawn of that eternal morning which 
 will cast its radiance over the path they have trodden, 
 and show them the dangers, the snares, and foes they 
 escaped, by being led therein by the tender love of their 
 heavenly father. 
 
 In November, 1776, he entered the Divinity Hall, 
 and studied regularly, for two sessions, under the vari- 
 ous professors of the theological classes, none of whom 
 were distinguished in any remarkable manner by their 
 talents or extensive erudition. In November, 1778, 
 lie went to Auchenskeith to reside with Sir William 
 Cunningham, as tutor to his family, where he remained 
 for seven years, until ordained minister of Kilmarnock. 
 By Sir William and his lady he was, from first to last, 
 treated with the utmost kindness. This he forgot not 
 through his whole life, but, to his latest days, spoke 
 with gratitude of the courteous and generous manner 
 
REV. DR. JAMES MACKINLAY. 17 
 
 in which he was treated while residing at Auchenskeith. 
 During his residence there, he had an opportunity of 
 becoming acquainted with the manners and maxims of 
 the world, and was thus, from personal knowledge, 
 enabled in after times to expose their folly more clearly 
 and forcibly than otherwise he could have done. His own 
 observation, and the manner in which he heard many 
 in the higher ranks speaking of those clergymen who 
 were given to hunting and other light amusements, and 
 who courted the favour of the great to the neglect of 
 their parochial duties, led him to the conclusion — a 
 conclusion on which he acted through life — that a 
 minister ought to give himself wholly to his own pecu- 
 liar work ; devote himself as much as possible to reading, 
 meditation, and prayer ; and mingle little in the society 
 of irreligious men. If he act in this manner he may be 
 derided, but he will never in heart be despised, even by 
 men of the world, and will gradually command general, 
 if not universal, esteem and reverence. 
 
 He was licensed, by the Presbytery of Ayr, to preach 
 the gospel, on the 3d day of July, 1J82, and preached 
 his first discourse at Riccarton, on the 28th day of that 
 month. His text was Eph. iii. 8 — u Unto me, who am 
 less than the least of all saints, is the grace given that I 
 should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable 
 riches of Christ." Amongst the clergymen of the Pres- 
 bytery of Ayr at that time, there prevailed consider- 
 able latitudinarianism in their religious opinions. Many 
 of them addressed to their people dry moral harangues, 
 such as any heathen philosopher mi<jht have compose 1 ; 
 and not a few were decidedly heretical in doctrine — 
 holding religious tenetfl directly Opposed to the plan 
 declarations of Scripture, and the standards of our 
 Church, to which they had glYeU their -oleum adherence 
 when licensed and ordained. As a proof of this, it may 
 be mentioned, that a venerable Doctor of Divinity ad- 
 
 B 2 
 
18 MEMOIR OF THE 
 
 dressed him, immediately after his being licensed, in 
 the following manner : — " Come and preach for me the 
 sermon which you have now read, and I'll give you a 
 good dinner ; but remember you must keep out the last 
 sentence of your prayer — c unto the Father, the Son, the 
 Holy Ghost, one God, be glory for evermore ' — for you 
 may just as well say that fifty make one, as that three 
 are one. When a young man, I thought as you do, but 
 I have changed my mind entirely.'' Nor was he the 
 only one suspected, and that justly, of holding, and, at 
 least in private, advocating such erroneous and soul- 
 destroying dogmas. At the same time, many of them 
 were very indolent and inactive — never visited their 
 parishes — and read the sermons of others to their flocks 
 on the Sabbath-day. It was no uncommon thing for 
 a family having a good library, to read out of a printed 
 book in the evening, the sermon their minister had 
 slowly and heavily given forth to them during the day. 
 Their hearts did not appear to be in their work, and 
 their grand object seemed to be to get through their 
 duties as easily as possible, and to do as little as they 
 decently could. Being tutor at Auchenskeith, he was in 
 the habit of calling frequently upon them, and had thus 
 an opportunity of forming a pretty fair estimate of their 
 principles, and their character. One of them, a man well 
 advanced in life, and enjoying a most comfortable bene- 
 fice, apparently moved with compassion for the youthful 
 student, and desirous of imparting unto him that wisdom 
 he had learned only after long and painful experience, said 
 to him one day — " I am going to give you a most serious 
 advice. Don't become a minister ; his is an endless and 
 a heartless work ; he can never make any money by it. 
 Go and become a merchant, save some money, then re- 
 tire, and live at your ease. "Were I young again, that 
 would be what I would do.'' It is no doubt true, that 
 there were at this time sprinkled over the land, shining 
 
REV, DR. JAMES MACKINLAY. 19 
 
 in their own spheres apart, many truly pious ministers, 
 like the stars faintly breaking the gloom of a misty 
 night, but wherever moderatism prevailed, and it then 
 prevailed to a fearful extent, the Church of Scotland 
 seemed spiritually dead, and all living Christianity with- 
 drew from its polluting touch. 
 
 In 1785, the subject of this memoir was presented to 
 the second charge of Kilmarnock, by the Earl of Glen- 
 cairn, in compliance with the earnest request of Sir 
 William Cunningham. This presentation is dated 8th 
 August, 1J85; but a presentation, dated 15th Novem- 
 ber, 17#5, was issued by the patron in favour of Mr. 
 John Brown. What was the reason of this procedure 
 — whether or not the patron wished his first presentee 
 to take the presentation and be ordained on some con- 
 ditions to which he could not submit — does not clearly 
 appear ; but certain it is, that after sending down the 
 presentation fully drawn out, for some reason or other 
 he granted another. Of this second presentation the 
 people of Kilmarnock were not aware, till the night 
 before the meeting of Presbytery at Irvine, when it 
 was to be laid on their table, but imagined that the 
 person first presented was to be their future pastor. 
 When they heard of it that night they were filled with 
 regret and indignation. Next morning, a great multi- 
 tude of them assembled, marched out to the gate of the 
 Manse, and sent down a deputation to Mr. Robertson, 
 who, it was reported, had the presentation to 31 r. Blown 
 in his possession, requiring him to give up to them that 
 document. Mr. Robertson, terrified by the right of the 
 crowd at his gate, and overcome by the fears and 
 entreaties of his family, told them he had not the pre* 
 -•illation, and informed them where they might get it, 
 on its way down to Irvine. Accordingly, the people 
 secured the presentation in favour of Brown ere it 
 reached the hands of the Pre-byterv, and till this day, 
 
20 MEMOIR OF THE 
 
 from its worn and tattered condition, it is evident that 
 it was then read and examined by many.* After this, 
 they sent a deputation to the Earl of Glencairn, and 
 entreated him to appoint his first presentee to be their 
 minister. When he saw their determined spirit, and 
 learned how earnestly they wished to have the services 
 of the preacher he had at the first appointed, he revoked 
 the second presentation, and allowed him to be taken on 
 trial and ordained, on the ground of the former one he 
 had issued. Had not the people acted in this bold and 
 decided manner, Mr. John Brown would have been their 
 pastor, and the man of their choice never been their 
 guide and instructor. 
 
 On the 6th April, 1786, the subject of this memoir 
 was ordained to be a minister of the gospel. It may be 
 mentioned, that the clergyman who presided on that 
 occasion, was one who was intruded upon a people re- 
 claiming almost to a man against his settlement. He 
 continued near fifty years to be minister of the parish to 
 which he was appointed, and though a kind, gentle, and 
 inoffensive man, never secured their confidence; few 
 went to hear him, and he spent his life among them 
 almost in vain. My father saw him on his death- 
 bed, when he was an aged and venerable man, on whose 
 head were sprinkled those hoary hairs that throw 
 around men, far advanced in life, an air of dignity and 
 sacredness. How affecting, how touching, must it have 
 been, thus to have seen him a day before his death, in 
 the near prospect of entering into the presence of God, 
 and rendering in to his master the account of his stew- 
 ardship, and to have heard him say, as he then said, 
 with feeble and faltering voice, while the tears started 
 in his eyes, " My friends persuaded me that the people 
 would soon give up their opposition, and that there 
 was no hazard of my failing to do good amongst them ; 
 * The Author has both these presentations in his possession. 
 
REV. DR. JAMES MACKINLAY. 21 
 
 but oh! had I known then what I know note, no 
 consideration whatever would ever have led me to be- 
 come minister of this parish." Such will be the senti- 
 ments, and the deep regret, sooner or later, of all who, 
 for the sake of worldly gain, thrust themselves upon a 
 Christian people, declaring, in the most solemn manner, 
 that they cannot be benefited by their ministrations, 
 and imploring them to depart to some other localitv, 
 where their services may be more acceptable and useful. 
 When they are settled at first, they may rejoice in spirit, 
 because they have baffled the resistance of the people, 
 set at defiance their earnest remonstrance, and entered 
 into the possession of a comfortable benefice, which 
 may enable them to live at their ease, and bidding 
 adieu to fortune and to hope, quietly to enjoy the 
 pleasures of this present world ; but when they come 
 to the close of life, when the dark shades of the night 
 of death begin to gather around them, and they must 
 quit their hold of this world and go to give in their 
 account, they will be filled with alarm, and deeply 
 regret that, instead of seeking, above all things, the good 
 of their fellow-men, they rather sought their own tem- 
 poral ease and comfort. 
 
 So far as we are aware, only one parish minister of 
 Kilmarnock, before this period, had been distinguished 
 for piety and learning, and that was the Rev. Alexander 
 Wedderburn, who died in lG7b\ A volume of his - 
 mons was printed in 1721, with the following title: — 
 " David's Testament opened up, in forty sermons upon 
 2 Sam. 23 and 5, wherein the nature, properties, and 
 effects of the covenant of grace are clearly held forth, 
 by that eminent servant of JeSQfl Christ, Mr. Alexander 
 Wedderburn, first minister of the gospel at Forgan, in 
 Fife, and thereafter at Kilmarnock, in the W Of 
 
 the subject of the present memoir, it may be said II 
 Wedderburn — "He had the tongue of the learned to 
 
22 MEMOIR OF THE 
 
 speak a word in season to the weary ; he knew when to 
 lance and when to pour in oil; when to dispense a corro- 
 sive and when a cordial ; he was a son of thunder and a 
 son of consolation. As for the accompanying sermons, 
 I hope they will recommend themselves to those who 
 have their senses spiritually exercised. Such will not 
 quarrel with the plainness and simplicity of the style/' 
 In 17^4, AVilliam Lindsay, minister of Cumbrae, was 
 admitted, after very violent opposition from the people, 
 to be minister of the second charge. This was one of 
 these disgraceful intrusions which cast an indelible stig- 
 ma upon the moderate party, and prove that the system 
 of unrestricted patronage is one which ought never to 
 be tolerated, and that, if patronage will not submit to 
 be controlled and limited, it ought to be entirely abo- 
 lished. This intruded clergyman died in 1774, and was 
 succeeded by Mr. John Mutrie, who lived about ten 
 years in the discharge of the duties of the ministry. It 
 was to supply the vacancy created by his death, that 
 the subject of this memoir was presented. Mr. Robert- 
 son was minister of the first charge at this time. He was 
 by no means an active and laborious minister. Though 
 he had only one sermon in the week to compose, he had 
 discourses just sufficient to serve him for about three 
 years, and these were exactly half an hour in length, and 
 read over and over again seriatim to his congregation. It 
 was supposed, some imagine justly, that he entertained 
 the Arian doctrines regarding the person and work of our 
 Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. At all events, he brought 
 forward very inadequate views of the truth, and not a 
 few who sat under his ministration were led to embrace 
 these erroneous and antiscriptural opinions. In conse- 
 quence of such men being the ministers, a very small 
 number indeed attended the Low Church. Sometimes, 
 it is said, there were none in the galleries of the church 
 at all, and that, on one occasion, some boys having 
 
REV. DR. JAMES MACKINLAY. 23 
 
 got up there, employed themselves during sermon in 
 directing the rays of the sun, by means of a piece of 
 glass, upon the face and papers of the officiating clergy- 
 man, till they compelled him to call upon the church- 
 officer to put them out and lock the doors of the gallery, 
 there being no other persons there to be thus incarcerated. 
 But though the Low Church was thus miserably at- 
 tended, the High Church, (then a Chapel of Ease,) built 
 by the inhabitants and town council in 1731, and sup- 
 plied by the two ministers of the parish church, until 
 the violent settlement of Mr. Lindsay, when the proprie- 
 tors called a minister of their own, was filled with a 
 devout and attentive audience. The minister of that 
 church then was the Rev. John Russel, a man thorough- 
 ly imbued with the spirit of the gospel, deeply versed 
 in theology, and zealous in his master's cause. Im- 
 mediately after his settlement there, many conver- 
 sions, especially amongst the young, took place, and 
 several praying societies were instituted. He v. 
 indeed, a great blessing to the town, and many of his 
 people, we have no doubt, will be to him crowns of joy 
 and rejoicing in the great day of the Lord. The subject 
 of this memoir held with him much endearing intercourse 
 and ceased not to declare, until his dying day, that he 
 was indebted to this able and excellent man for many of 
 those sound views of divine' truth he was accustomed to 
 inculcate upon the people of his charge. The discourse 
 which he published on the causes of Christ's agony in 
 the garden of Gethseinane, .shows him to have been a 
 man of no ordinary attainments. Beside the HiL r h 
 Church, there were in the parish, at that time, three dis- 
 senting places of worship, and the population of the 
 town and parish amounted to live thousand people. 
 
 Such was the state <»!' matters in the town of Kilmar- 
 nock at the time of Dr. 3Iackinlay's settlement there. 
 Eke, however, one year had elapsed, the church was 
 
24 MEMOIR OF THE 
 
 crowded with a numerous and attentive audience, 
 amongst whom, it is hoped, much permanent good was 
 done. There was nothing, indeed, like a revival, in the 
 usual acceptation of the term, but many were led silently 
 and unobservedly to come out from the world, and 
 devote themselves unto God. "With them he became 
 acquainted when called to visit them when dying, and 
 he has often been heard to say, that the longer he lived, 
 and the more persons connected with the congregation 
 he saw when on their deathbed, the more rich and ex- 
 tensive did he perceive the blessings to be which God had 
 conferred through his ministrations. The servants of God 
 are apt to be discouraged when little fruit seems to re- 
 sult from their multiplied and earnest labours, and so to 
 become faint and weary in well-doing, but they ought 
 ever to remember that God is sovereign in appointing 
 those who shall be highly honoured in converting sinners, 
 and in choosing the particular localities upon which the 
 influences of his spirit shall be copiously poured out ; that 
 they are now called upon to walk by faith, and not by 
 sight, and that unutterable felicity will be theirs, if, in the 
 heavenly world, when all sorrow and sin are at an end, 
 they meet even with one sinner in glory, converted to the 
 knowledge of the truth, and saved through their instru- 
 mentality. Greater blessedness than the joy that will 
 then be theirs, it is not possible for created intelligences 
 to reach, for it is a joy akin to that for which Christ en- 
 dured the cross, and despised the shame. 
 
 In 1/89, the subject of this memoir took a journey to 
 London, along with Mr. Russel. His object in doing 
 so, was to avoid the violent settlement of Mr. Duncan 
 at Ardrossan. This Mr. Duncan had been presented to 
 the church of Ardrossan, and though the people of that 
 parish were keenly opposed to his settlement, and de- 
 termined, if possible, not to have him as their minister, 
 he was resolved to intrude himself upon them, and 
 
REV. DR. JAMES MACKINLAY. 25 
 
 make himself their spiritual guide and instructor. The 
 minister of the second charge of the Low Church was 
 well known to be strongly opposed to all such intru- 
 sions, yet the Presbytery had no regard for his con- 
 scientious opinions on this important subject, and were 
 fully resolved to appoint him to ordain Mr. Duncan. 
 As he was determined not to ordain a man so dis- 
 agreeable to the people, regarding such a procedure as 
 contrary to the standards of our Church, and the spirit 
 of Christianity, he was involved in great difficulty, and 
 was preparing himself for severe ecclesiastical censures, 
 or expulsion from the Church. A venerable clergyman, 
 however, gave him an advice, by compliance with which 
 he avoided such a painful result. This aged and expe- 
 rienced minister said to him, while they were talking 
 over the difficulties of the case, " My advice to you is — 
 get out of the way ; go for a while to England, or Ire- 
 land, or France, go where you will, but by all means 
 get out of the way of the coming evil." The wisdom of 
 this counsel he perceived at once, and accordingly having 
 hired two ponies, he and Mr. Russel, who kindly agreed 
 to accompany him, set out to ride up to London. They 
 joined each other at Ayr, and rode on by New Cum- 
 nock, Kirkconnel, Dumfries, Carlisle, Penrith, till they 
 arrived at Carleton-upon-Trent, about nine miles from 
 Newark. There they left their two ponies, and went 
 to London in a coach called the Princess Royal, arriving 
 there July 10, 1789. I Nf. Lore, the minister of the S< 
 Presbyterian Cliureh, Artillery Lane, and Mr. Steven, 
 minister of Crown Court, were in waiting to receive them, 
 and gave them a most cordial and hearty welcome. 
 While in London, my father preached t \ < ry Sabbath, 
 in churches beloiiL r inu r to various denominations and en- 
 deavoured to see a< many of the wonders of that ilium 
 
 city as he possibly could. The Presbytery tent a letter 
 
 to his own house, and another directed to him at 
 
26 MEMOIR OF THE 
 
 Mr. Steven's, in London, ordering him to preside at 
 the ordination of Mr. Duncan, but owing to certain pre- 
 cautions he had taken, he never saw either of them, till 
 he found them both awaiting him on his arrival from 
 London. While in London, he met with John New- 
 ton, and Thomas Scott, the commentator, and had with 
 them much pleasant and instructive conversation. He 
 heard both of them preach, and was especially delighted 
 with a sermon Mr. Scott delivered, upon Rom. viii. 1. 
 The closing sentence of that discourse was one that 
 struck him much, and was never forgotten by him. 
 In the application, he earnestly entreated impenitent 
 sinners to return unto God, pressed upon them the ne- 
 cessity of immediate attention to this duty, and, after 
 a solemn pause, concluded by saying, " Sure I am, my 
 friends, it is not now too soon for you to repent, and 
 blessed be God, it is not yet too late." He breakfasted 
 one morning, a little before he left London, with Mr. 
 Newton, whose sight was then failing. He asked him in 
 what part of Scotland he lived, and brought down a map 
 for him to point out the place. Having put his finger 
 at the place pointed out, where it was marked, this 
 excellent man said, " Well, when I travel in spirit, I 
 will not forget my good friends at Kilmarnock." Al- 
 together, he appeared to be a man burning ardently with 
 love to Christ, and sincerely rejoicing to meet with any 
 who preached the truth as it is in Jesus. Mr. Russel 
 and his companion remained in London until August 10, 
 and enjoyed great pleasure and satisfaction in the society 
 of Love, Steven, and Hunter, the great lights of the 
 Presbyterian Church in the metropolis. On that day 
 they set out to return to Carleton-on-the-Trent, and 
 along with them in the coach was the celebrated Dr. 
 Paley, with whom they entered into conversation. They 
 found him not well-informed regarding the constitution 
 of the Church of Scotland, and especially respecting the 
 
REV. DR. JAMES MACKINLAY. 27 
 
 power of the Commissioner in her assemblies. They 
 endeavoured to show him the mistakes into which he 
 had fallen, and gave him some information regarding the 
 state and prospects of our Church. On parting, he said, 
 " I must confess there are many good things connected 
 with your Church, but I cannot bear your Presbyterian 
 parity.' ' At Carleton, they resumed their ponies, and 
 arrived once more in Kilmarnock, Tuesday, September 
 1, 1789. We find, in the conclusion of the small record 
 of the journey kept by the subject of this memoir, the 
 following entry : — 
 
 " Tuesday, September 1 . Arrived at Kilmarnock after 
 an absence of two months and a day. Blessed be the 
 Lord for his protecting kindness, and for rendering this 
 journey not only useful in promoting my health, but in 
 avoiding the violent settlement of Mr. Duncan, at Salt- 
 coats, which took place in my absence. O let goodness 
 and mercy follow me all my days; may I be made the 
 instrument of saving many souls, and be myself saved in 
 the Lord, after finishing my course, with an everlasting 
 salvation." Mr. Duncan, during his absence, was or- 
 dained ; not, however, in the parish church of Saltcoats. 
 So strong was the opposition manifested against him, 
 and such was the excitement prevailing amongst the 
 people, that the Presbytery could not muster up courage 
 to invade the parish, and ordain the intruder before the 
 injured and insulted people, but quietly set him apart 
 to the solemn office of the ministry in their usual place 
 of meeting at Irvine. Having brought great odium upon 
 themselves by such unbecoming conduct, and roused tin- 
 indignation of many to the highest degree, they did not 
 think it prudent to assail the man who had virtually 
 refused to ordain the unacceptable presentee, but allowed 
 him, without ever calling him to account, quietly to re- 
 sume his labours at Kilmarnock. 
 
 Not long after his return from this journey to Lon- 
 
28 MEMOIR OF THE 
 
 don, he was seized upon by a dangerous malady, which 
 brought him nigh to the gates of death. The attending 
 physician told him candidly that he was in very great 
 danger, and he himself was fully persuaded that he was 
 just about to die. His mind, however, was calm and 
 collected, full of humble hope and confidence in God. In 
 referring, as he often did, to this solemn visitation, he 
 said, " I remembered that the High Priest entered into 
 the Holy of Holies once every year, and stood with 
 safety and acceptance before the mercy-seat, because he 
 had the blood of atonement in the one hand, and the 
 incense in the other; and resolving, in like manner, to go 
 into the presence of God, presenting only the blood of 
 Christ shed for sinners, and making his sufferings and 
 death the only ground of my hope, I enjoyed great peace, 
 and felt almost assured of not being rejected. Oh, I 
 wish I may just have the same peace, hope, and joy, 
 when I am actually called upon to die, and stand before 
 God in judgment.' ' Such, very nearly, were his words, 
 the week previous to his death, while speaking of the 
 goodness of God in sparing him so long, and of the cer- 
 tainty that his earthly pilgrimage was very near its close. 
 In 1792, he was chosen to be the minister of the New 
 Parish, Greenock, in a most flattering and pleasing man- 
 ner, and earnestly requested to comply with the call. He 
 received several invitations of a similar kind during his 
 ministry, but he invariably refused to comply with them, 
 assigning as his reasons for so doing, that he had been set- 
 tled at Kilmarnock by the earnest desire of the people, to 
 whom he was much attached, that it afforded a large field 
 of usefulness, and that his labours had been blessed to not 
 a few. He thought that he would not be so useful in 
 any other place as in Kilmarnock, where he had already 
 obtained some tokens of success, and that if thence re- 
 moved, he would be like a forest tree arrived at its full 
 maturity, which, when transplanted, never grows so 
 
REV. DR. JAMES MACKINLAY. 29 
 
 luxuriantly, nor flourishes so beautifully, as it did in the 
 spot wherein it first gathered nourishment and strength. 
 Nor did he ever regret his conduct in thus remaining in 
 the parish to which he was at first appointed. He never 
 regretted that he became a minister of Jesus Christ; on 
 the contrary, after long experience, he was heard re- 
 peatedly to declare, that he did not think any man could 
 be so happy, even in this world, as a sincere and devoted 
 minister ; and he never regretted remaining through life 
 in the same place ; in no part of Scotland did he think he 
 could have done more good, or enjoyed more happiness. 
 It was indeed truly delightful to hear him, in his old age, 
 when wearied in the work, but not of the work, bless- 
 ing and praising God because he had put it into his 
 heart to become a minister of the word, and had so or- 
 dered the bounds of his habitation, that he laboured all 
 his days in Kilmarnock. 
 
 In 1799, his colleague, Mr. Robertson, died after a 
 long and painful illness, having been thirty-four years 
 a minister. The Rev. David Ritchie was presented to 
 the first charge in his room, but he remained only a short 
 time, being translated to St. Andrew's Church, Edin- 
 burgh, in 1801. The Rev. Mr. Grant was appointed 
 to succeed him, and remained about eight year-. 
 
 On Sabbath, the 18th October, 1801, an appalling 
 accident befel the people assembled in the Low Church 
 of Kilmarnock. On the afternoon of that day the 
 church was crowded to excess before the arrival of the 
 minister. About the time when the bell had coined 
 ringing, the end of ;i Beat at the east door cracked; two 
 persons in it immediately exclaimed that the honae Wftfl 
 falling; the alarm communicated like lightning, and every 
 one believed what he heard, and what imagination readily 
 represented. On this, a rush was made by the assem- 
 bled multitudes to get out, leet they Bhould he buried in 
 the ruins; and as the stairs from the galleries led down 
 
30 MEMOIR OF THE 
 
 into the area of the church, the crush was tremendous. 
 Many were thrown down, covered by others cast down 
 in the same way, and trampled upon by multitudes 
 pressing violently to get out. As my father, with the 
 preacher who was to officiate for him that day, was 
 coming up to the church, he saw the people pouring 
 out in crowds, and running forward, inquired the cause 
 at a man who was fleeing at full speed from the scene 
 of danger. This individual replied that the church was 
 falling; and so fully persuaded was he that this was 
 the case, that, as he resumed his flight, he cried "Look! 
 see the steeple itself is beginning to tumble to the 
 ground." Though the steeple was standing as firm as 
 a rock, and stands to this day, his excited imagination 
 led him to think it was bending and about to fall. The 
 spectacle presented in and around the church, on that 
 day, was truly heart-rending — thirty individuals being 
 crushed to death. The alarm was a false alarm, for 
 although, when the church was afterwards examined, 
 it was found the roof was insecure, had the people 
 quietly and calmly retired, no lives would have been 
 lost, nor injury sustained. This calamity created a great 
 sensation throughout the country, and several letters of 
 condolence and sympathy, from various Christian friends 
 at a distance, were received by him whose life we are 
 now recording. We present the reader with the two fol- 
 lowing ; the first from Dr. Balfour, and the other from 
 Dr. Love : — 
 
 " Glasgow, 23d October, 1801. 
 
 " Mr Dear Sir, — I was in Paisley when I first heard of the 
 very awful calamity in your church. I was overwhelmed with 
 concern for the people in general, and especially for you and 
 other worthy friends of my particular acquaintance. Every 
 person in Paisley seemed to feel in the same manner. The in- 
 telligence was too strongly confirmed by different letters to be 
 doubted, yet we were extremely unwilling to believe the whole 
 
REV. DR. JAMES MACKINLAY. 31 
 
 till more fully investigated. I persuaded myself that you would 
 take the trouble of writing me some account of it, and was both 
 grieved and mortified when I returned to Glasgow on Tuesday 
 and found no letter from Kilmarnock. Toward the evening, I 
 was somewhat relieved by the arrival of your letter ; my heart 
 bled with yours, and with the many whose terror, affliction, and 
 death, made the Sabbath and sanctuary, consecrated to solemn 
 joy, a time and place of alarm, and tears, and blood. What a 
 day, my dear Sir, will next Sabbath be to you and your people, 
 if you are fit for duty ; what a difficult and melting service will 
 it be. I pray and hope that your divine and gracious master 
 will stand by you aud strengthen you. O that he may make it 
 a day of his power. Surely on such an occasion they will hear 
 with uncommon seriousness; they will be thoughtful, and their 
 hearts tender ; they will remember their danger, and wonder at 
 their escape ; they must be peculiarly affected with the sudden- 
 ness of death, and the various manner of painful bereavement. 
 Can there be a mind untouched with sympathy ? Can they be 
 unconcerned about eternity, when they think that, instead of 
 hearing a sermon, the word of life, they might, with others, 
 have given in their final account of all sermons they ever heard, 
 or might have heard ? How affecting to see a whole congrega- 
 tion in sackcloth ; to hear them sing of mercy and of judgment ; 
 and to listen to the address of condolence, of warning, of in- 
 struction, and of promise. You will obtain mercy to be faithful 
 and affectionate, and I trust power from on high will accompany 
 the word spoken. What a wonderful change of scene would be 
 exhibited, were you to see recollected and improved desolation 
 the sanctified occasion of spiritual and eternal life to dead souls. 
 ( 'an they live ? Breathe, O Breath, upon the slain, that they may 
 live ! Do you, my dear Sir, speak the word of the Lord, and 
 Israel shall be gathered ; or he shall be glorified, and you shall 
 be accepted. The Lord seems to have an alarming controversy 
 with Kilmarnock, but he has many faithful people there, he will 
 hear their cry, comfort their hearts, and in the midst of wrath, 
 remember mercy ; in the midst of evil days, revive his work, 
 and perhaps make you the honoured instrument. Let not your 
 hands, ray dear Sir, hang down, or your knees be feeble, or 
 your heart faint; as your day is, so shall your strength. Assure 
 yourself, and all my friends, of my poor prayers: indeed, I be- 
 lieve, all the praying people here are deeply interested about 
 
32 MEMOIR OF THE 
 
 you. Mrs. Balfour and family join in tenderest sympathy to- 
 ward you, with your truly affectionate friend and brother, 
 
 " R. Balfour." 
 
 " Anderston, October 23, 1801. 
 " My Dear Sir, — I cannot refrain from expressing, in a few 
 words, my concern and sympathy with you under your late so- 
 lemn visitation, which at this distance hath impressed us with 
 the terrors of the Lord. What must it have been to be in the 
 midst of the awful scene. To rehearse trite and common-place 
 remarks, on such an occasion, would be manifest want of feeling, 
 and to insult the majesty of God displayed in so alarming an 
 approach of his almighty hand. Nor can the best human sym- 
 pathy be of much avail, under sorrows of this magnitude, any 
 farther than it may be instrumental to introduce the presence 
 of that great comforter, whose healing power no form of dis- 
 tress, no hour of darkness, can baffle or resist. I hope your 
 eyes are toward him for personal support and counsel in this 
 time of need. You know the order and manner of his opera- 
 tion to wound, to cast down, and to kill, that he may bring 
 nearer the healing balm of the covenant, and impart the power- 
 ful cordial of heavenly love. But leaving your particular sup- 
 port in the hands of him who hath the tongue of the learned, I 
 am especially anxious, and entertain a degree of jealousy re- 
 specting the right improvement among your people, and through 
 the whole country, of so costly and bitter a mean of awakening 
 and instruction. I tremble at the consequence of trifling or re- 
 maining stupid and rebellious ; or of a slight, carnal, transient 
 concern, in reference to so solemn a flash of divine wrath in the 
 sanctuary. In that case, the things which have happened, 
 dreadful though they are, must be regarded only as a little 
 hand-writing upon the wall, the presage of a heavier train of 
 desolating calamities. Indeed, the wrathful countenance of 
 Deity, in this dispensation, appears to me to have something so 
 decisive in it, that something very momentous must ultimately 
 follow it. O, that it may be a signal, however painful in its 
 nature, of the approach of days of true spiritual reviving, and a 
 stirring of life among the dry bones in this hypocritical and stub- 
 born country, which has held fast deceit in the face of so much 
 mercy and judgment. How wonderful would be the change if, 
 instead of vain oblations and a calling of assemblies, which the 
 
REV. DR. JAMES MACKINLAY. 33 
 
 holy God cannot away with, and the multiplying of vain and 
 unfulfilled professions, there should yet appear among us the 
 true solemnity, beauty, and fruitfulness, of awakened living 
 heavenly assemblies, breathing the odours of the presence of 
 the triumphant Saviour. It is, I doubt not, one important 
 end of your painful calamity, to warn faithful pastors through- 
 out the land to pursue the great ends of their ministry with 
 more pressing earnestness, and fear, and solicitude; and to warn 
 those congregations, especially where the voice of truth is heard, 
 to take heed what they are doing, lest the God of unknown pu- 
 rity, jealousy, and power, break forth upon them, and a worse 
 thing than what they have heard of at Kilmarnock, befal them. 
 O, that the Lord Jesus Christ himself may be, in an especial 
 manner, with your spirit on this trying occasion. May he bring 
 you into the secret of his presence, and into the midst of his 
 marvellous light, that this shadow of death may be turned into 
 the morning, and this valley of Achor may become to you and 
 your afflicted people, a door of hope. I remain, my dear Sir, 
 with affectionate sympathy, yours, 
 
 " John Love." 
 
 On the Sabbath immediately succeeding that on 
 which this mournful catastrophe took place, the con- 
 gregation met, in the middle of the day, in the High 
 Church, when my father addressed to them a discourse 
 upon Luke xiii. 1 — 5 — " There were present at that 
 season some that told him of the Galileans, wli 
 blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And 
 Jesus, answering, said unto them, Suppose ye that tli 
 Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, because 
 they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, 
 except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish," &c. 
 The concluding observations were those that follow : — 
 "The awful scene, so full of dis trO SB and grief, in tlu> 
 place, last Sahhath, must be vividly present to the 
 minds of you all. I have no doubt that it has made a 
 deep impress i on upon your hearts, and will be long 
 remembered by the inhabitants of this town, after we 
 have departed, and have been laid in the grave, with 
 
 c 
 
34 MEMOIR OF THE 
 
 those whom God summoned away so suddenly. Let 
 those who have escaped from danger, or from death, be 
 thankful. You might have been amongst them who 
 were in a moment, without warning, called from the 
 sanctuary to the throne of judgment, and the eternal 
 world. Had this been the case, where would you now 
 have been? Would you have been with Lazarus in 
 heaven, enjoying the felicity of the righteous, or with 
 the rich man in hell, enduring that terrible misery, 
 which shall ever increase, and know no end? Brethren, 
 this is a solemn question, which you would do well 
 seriously to ponder. This calamity has been brought 
 upon us on account of sin — not the sin of one individual, 
 or of a few, but the sins, the ignorance, the unthankful- 
 ness, the injustice, and immorality of many; and there- 
 fore it speaks to me, to you, to all in this neighbourhood, 
 and loudly calls upon us to search our ways, mourn 
 over our sins, and earnestly entreat God that he would 
 not consume us in his hot displeasure. If we persevere 
 in holding fast our iniquity, severe and mournful as this 
 calamity has been, it will be succeeded in a little by one 
 still more destructive. God sent upon the Jews, be- 
 cause of their iniquity, first, a want of bread throughout 
 their land ; then, on account of their continued impeni- 
 tence, the pestilence and the sword ; and because, even 
 then, they returned not to him, he overthrew some of 
 them, as he overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, yet they 
 remained hardened in sin; and hence the Prophet, 
 denouncing against them still more severe judgments, ex- 
 claims, i Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel/ Amos iv. 
 6 — 13. Similar will be God's dealings with us, if this 
 calamity lead us not to return unto him with sincere 
 and godly sorrow. Let them who have been deprived 
 of near relatives by this mournful accident, submit to 
 the will of God, and repair to his word for comfort and 
 support. If you are real Christians, however distress- 
 
REV. DR. JAMES MACKINLAY. 35 
 
 ing the visitation may be, and however much you may 
 feel it, the Scripture points out abundant sources of con- 
 solation. Are any Christian parents lamenting the i 
 of children, to whom their hearts were bound, and 
 whose virtuous conduct gave them great delight ? — let 
 them remember that the Lord will cave them a name 
 amongst his people, better than that of sons and of 
 daughters; and that, although he may remove their 
 children, he will not take away from them that covenant 
 of his love, ordered well in all things, and sure. Are 
 Christian children mourning over the loss of fathers who 
 were wont to guide and instruct them ? — God has re- 
 vealed himself in the amiable and endearing character 
 of the father of the fatherless. Are Christian widows 
 lamenting the loss of their beloved companions, with 
 whom they took sweet counsel, and to whom they looked, 
 under God, for the comforts and enjoyments of life ? — the 
 Lord is the husband of the widow, and it is their duty 
 to trust in him, and cast all their cares upon him who 
 careth for them. Are any left orphans, deprived of a 
 father's protection, and a mother's tender care ? — God is 
 the stay of the orphan, and though father and mother 
 have left them, God will take them up. To such 
 this visitation must be very painful and distressing, yet 
 let them not sorrow, as them who have no hope, but 
 show the reality of their faith, by meek and patient 1 < - 
 signation. 'The Lord is in his holy temple, and let 
 all the earth keep silence before him. The Lord gave, 
 and the Lord hath taken away, and blessed be th 
 name of the Lord.' " 
 
 It is to be hoped that, in consequence of this mourn- 
 ful visitation, many were awakened and constrains !. 
 
 like the Philippian jailer, to inquire after the way of 
 salvation. Were not, indeed, human nature entirelv 
 depraved, not QUO, but all who witnessed the BOSH 
 wo, would have repented, and Bought God with tamest 
 
36 MEMOIR OF THE 
 
 perseverance ; but it requires more than the sight of 
 miracles, or the near approach of death, to change the 
 hard and deceitful heart of man. " Not by might, nor 
 by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts." 
 
 In 1808, the Rev. Mr. Grant was translated to one 
 of the churches of Edinburgh, and on the 1st of Decem- 
 ber, the same year, a presentation was issued by his 
 Grace the Duke of Portland, appointing my father to 
 succeed him in the first charge. This presentation was 
 granted by his Grace in compliance with a petition 
 presented to him by the people of Kilmarnock ; and 
 few would be found regarding patronage as an in- 
 tolerable grievance, were patrons always to act in this 
 becoming and considerate manner. The Rev. Dr. John 
 M'Leod, author of a Gaelic dictionary, and afterwards 
 translated to Dundonald, was appointed to the second 
 charge. In 1810, at the earnest request of many of his 
 friends in Kilmarnock, as well as on account of his re- 
 putation as a theologian of no mean attainments, the 
 subject of this memoir was honoured with the degree 
 of Doctor of Divinity, by the Marischal College of 
 Aberdeen. 
 
 After this period, he appears to have gone on quietly 
 and perseveringly in the discharge of the varied duties 
 of his important and responsible office, striving to im- 
 press the great truths of the gospel upon the minds and 
 hearts of his flock, and to grow in knowledge, grace, 
 and preparedness for heaven. No event worthy of any 
 particular observation took place in his life for some 
 time. It may be stated, however, in this place, that he 
 was accustomed to review his conduct, and examine his 
 progress in the divine life, at the close of every year. 
 On the evening of the last day of every year, he sat up 
 till at least twelve o'clock, examining himself regarding 
 the manner in which he had served God during the 
 year about to close, forming resolutions of future amend- 
 
REV. DR. JAMES MACKINLAY. 37 
 
 ment, and imploring mercy to pardon his sins, and grace 
 to enable him to walk more closely than ever with God. 
 This practice he observed from his earliest days; but 
 we find the first written memorial of the result of this 
 examination in 1812. It is as follows: — u 31st De- 
 cember, 1812. I have been mercifully preserved to see 
 the close of another year. This circumstance awakens 
 in my mind the recollection of past events, and excites 
 fervent gratitude to the Father of mercies, in not cutting 
 me down in my sins, but in preserving me amid manv 
 dangers, and in still causing his face to shine upon me- 
 
 I have not duly considered and improved the dispensa- 
 tions of providence and the means of grace durinor the 
 year which is about to close, and therefore I wish to 
 enter upon this new one with humility, with self-abase- 
 ment, forming purposes of being more watchful, more 
 diligent, and more entirely devoted to the work of the 
 Lord. Perhaps the hand that now writes, before the 
 close of this new year, may be cold and mouldering in 
 its kindred dust. God may be saying to me now, c This 
 year thou shalt die.' I desire, therefore, to take anew 
 a hold of God in Christ as my portion, to cultivate a 
 more close communion with that friend that Bticketh 
 closer than any brother, and who hath graciously said, 
 
 I I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee' " 
 
 All who wish to be followers of Christ ought to give 
 serious and regular attention to the duties of self-examin- 
 ation and meditation upon religion- truth. At the c] 
 of every day, before engaging in our evening devotions, 
 we ought to call ourselves to account, and inquire how 
 we commenced the day — how we have discharged the 
 duties incumbent upon us — resisted temptation — and 
 redeemed the time granted Dfl by God. Such inquiries 
 
 Ought to be more striet and -arching on the evening of 
 the Sabbath, and at the (lose of the year. To this 
 serious scrutiny of our ways and heart, we must join 
 
38 MEMOIR OF HIE 
 
 meditation for some considerable portion of time every 
 day, upon the glorious truths revealed in the Word of 
 God. We ought not merely to read some verses of the 
 Bible, or pages of a pious book, but ponder well what 
 we read, and apply it pointedly and solemnly to our 
 hearts and consciences. Without daily attention to 
 such exercises, as well as prayer to God, we will make 
 no progress in holiness, be easily overcome by every 
 slight temptation, and never find wisdom's ways to be 
 ways of pleasantness and paths of peace. Let us never 
 forget that it is chiefly while in secret and solitude, 
 holding communion with God, contemplating his glory, 
 searching our hearts, and entreating his favour, that we 
 are to obtain that spirituality of mind, and that eleva- 
 tion of soul, which will fit us for taking a part, with 
 unspeakable delight, in the pure and holy exercises of 
 the heavenly sanctuary. 
 
 In 1815, he married Elizabeth Dickie, eldest daughter 
 of Mr. James Dickie, a native of Kilmarnock. She 
 was a very pious and benevolent person, and much given 
 to earnest prayer. In forming this connexion, he mainly 
 considered the fervent piety and Christian character of 
 her whom he took as the companion of his life, and 
 hence they lived together in the fear and love of God, 
 enjoying the greatest harmony and happiness, until 
 God, in his providence, separated them by death. 
 
 In 1825, being the fortieth year of his ministry, the 
 congregation presented him with a handsome service of 
 plate, as a testimony of their gratitude for the ability 
 and faithfulness with which he had discharged the duties 
 nf his arduous office. Such a testimony must be very 
 grateful to a Christian pastor; yet nothing can impart 
 such delight to the faithful and zealous minister of the 
 Cross, as the success of his efforts in winning souls to 
 Christ. Such a man is desirous, even at the peril of his 
 life, to declare the gospel to his hearers, and longs, with 
 
KEV. DR. JAMES MACKINLAY. 39 
 
 jreat earnestness, to behold them going with deep 
 humility and offering their undivided hearts to his 
 glorious Master, in token of their love and gratitude. 
 It is for this he longs, and labours, and prays ; it is this 
 he regards as his joy and reward. "When, then, sinners 
 are converted, and saints edified, — when the spirit is 
 poured out from on high, and a holy harmony and con- 
 cord prevail among his flock — he is full of gladness — 
 his labours and sorrows are forgotten, as waters that 
 have passed away — and he experiences a satisfaction and 
 peace which none can ever know who have not the spirit 
 and love of Christ. 
 
 At the conclusion of this year, in reviewing his life, 
 he wrote the following memorandum : — M Kilmarnock, 
 31st December, 1825. Another year is about to close, 
 and, in reviewing it, I see much cause for deep humility 
 and sorrow upon account of my sins and shortcomings, 
 and much ground also for thanksgiving that I and my 
 family have enjoyed so many mercies. The Lord, dur- 
 ing this year, hath given and taken away — he gave 
 us a little one in April, and in about three weeks 
 took it away. But, blessed be his name for the many 
 mercies and comforts, personal and domestic, that still 
 remain. I am apt to be too much attached to this 
 world ; I have not read and meditated upon the Scrip- 
 tures so carefully and constantly a> I ought to have 
 done; and in prayer I have been often cold and formal. 
 Lord, enable me to be more heavenly-minded ; to be 
 concerned about worldly things; to search the 
 Scriptures with more constancy and attention; and, in 
 secret prayer, to be more earned and importunate for 
 myself and my people — to ask — to seek — to knoek." 
 
 On the 10th Februarjj 1896, after recovering from 
 
 a severe illness, he drew out another covenant, wherein 
 he solemnly devoted himself again unto (l»>d. As it is 
 interesting to compare the first OOVenant which he made, 
 
40 MEMOIR OF THE 
 
 when a young man, with the one he drew out at this 
 time, we present it to the reader entire : — " Kilmarnock, 
 1 0th February, 1 826. O Lord, I have now nearly finished 
 the fortieth year of my ministry in this place — an 
 astonishing instance of sovereign mercy and long-suffer- 
 ing patience ; for, alas ! I am afraid I have been a cum- 
 berer of the ground, and might have been cut down in 
 my sins. I have often resolved to be more circumspect, 
 vigilant, and active, and yet have not acted according 
 to my resolutions. I have often confessed my sins, and 
 yet have not forsaken them and amended my way. 
 Thou hast frequently reproved and corrected me, and 
 yet I have not received correction, but gone on frowardly 
 in my own way, and in the way of mine own heart. 
 But, O Lord, to whom shall a sinner flee but unto thee, 
 the Saviour of sinners. Nothing can save me but the 
 sovereign and almighty exercise of thy grace. To thee, 
 O blessed Redeemer, I flee for relief. I trust to thy 
 perfect atonement for pardon and acceptance, and I 
 give myself up to thee — ignorant, guilty, enslaved, and 
 polluted, as I am — that thou mayest be my wisdom, 
 righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. bestow 
 upon me righteousness, knowledge, purity, and salva- 
 tion, yea, all the blessings of which I stand in need. I 
 hereby again take thee to be my God and portion in 
 time and in eternity. Blessed Saviour, come and visit 
 me with thy salvation ere I die. I give up myself, and 
 my family, and my flock, to thee, encouraged by thy 
 most gracious promise (Gen. xvii. 7), i I w iH establish 
 my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after 
 thee, in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to 
 be a God unto thee, and thy seed after thee/ I desire 
 to take hold of thy covenant, well ordered in all things 
 and sure, and in the strength of thy grace to devote 
 myself unto thee, to be thine wholly, only, and for ever. 
 Accept, Lord, of this dedication of myself unto thee, 
 
REV. DR. JAMES MACKINLAY. 41 
 
 and enable me to walk in thy ways, and to live to thy 
 glory, by doing those things that are pleasing in thy 
 sight." 
 
 On the 3d July, 1828, Mrs. Mackinlay died in peace, 
 and in the hope of eternal life. She was soon followed 
 by the two children to whom she had given birth shortly 
 before, and all the three were interred in the same 
 grave. This was indeed a severe trial, but by the grace 
 of God he was enabled to submit with meek resignation, 
 as the following; memorandum will show : — 
 
 "3d July, 1828. God has been pleased to remove 
 my beloved partner from me in righteousness. It is 
 my duty to submit to his will, and in future to guard 
 against sin, which is the procuring cause of sorrow, 
 suffering, and bereavement. I am too apt to think, 
 how happy should I have been had she been continued 
 with me, had I been cheered with her smiles — favoured 
 with her love and affectionate attention. The joys of 
 former days pass before me, and acquire a new value in 
 mine eyes from the thought that they are gone, never to 
 return. The past seems a scene of unmingled happi- 
 -. Hence arises the wish that the bereavement had 
 not happened ; but this wish is not consistent with 
 unreserved submission to the will of God, for, could 
 I bring her back, it would be my duty not to do it, 
 since it has pleased God to remove her, I hope to a 
 better world. Let me only learn, therefore, wisely to 
 improve this painful trial, hoping that by being suitably 
 exercised under it, the peaceable fruits of righteous. 
 may be produced, and I may Bee that even in this be- 
 r< avement the Lord has done well. Oh sinee he has 
 taken away the desire of mine i y. - with a stroke, inay 
 Christ be more than ever the desire of my heart." 
 
 Afflictions are sent by God Upon his people with tin- 
 view of instructing them, and raising their affections 
 more and more above this present world. Thev come 
 
 c 2 
 
42 MEMOIR OF THE 
 
 to show them the bitterness and evil of sin — the vanity 
 of all terrestrial objects — how little the world can do 
 for them — and how much Christ can do. When in 
 affliction, the Christian learns many a precious lesson , 
 to which, if not visited with trials, he would through life 
 have remained a stranger. " We fear," says Bishop 
 Hall, " our best friends : for my part, I have learned 
 more of God and myself in one week's extremity, than 
 the prosperity of a whole life had taught me before." 
 Certainly the people of God, however severe and pro- 
 tracted their sufferings, or painful their trials be, have 
 no reason to complain — if, while in affliction their faith 
 be strengthened, and their love and humility deepened — 
 if the glorious grandeur of the future world be brought 
 very nigh to their souls — if Christ, instead of being, as 
 formerly, to them as a fixed star, bright, indeed, but dis- 
 tant and obscure, shine in upon them as the sun in his 
 meridian splendour — for then they will be able to say, 
 "It is good for me that I am afflicted — 
 
 "Thou dost but take the lamp away, 
 To bless me with unclouded day." 
 
 In 1832, he was attacked by a severe illness, from 
 which, however, he recovered, though his life was 
 almost despaired of. The following prayer, written by 
 him while labouring under this alarming indisposition, 
 shows what were then his views and exercises : — 
 
 "0 Lord, thou art my God and refuge. I hope 
 through grace I have been enabled to believe in thee, 
 and I desire to live and serve thee with all my heart. 
 I desire to experience brokenness of spirit, and to pros- 
 trate myself at the foot of the throne of grace. I 
 acknowledge my sins. I have sinned often and grievously 
 against thee, and done wickedness, so that wert thou 
 strict to mark iniquity, I could not stand, but be for 
 ever condemned. I hope I have closed with thy offers 
 of mercy, and received the atonement of Christ as my 
 
REV. DR. JAMES MACKINLAY. 43 
 
 only refuge; but this day I desire to make a fresh appli- 
 cation to the fountain opened by Christ — to look up 
 anew to the Saviour upon the Cross, and to confide in 
 him and his finished work. If I perish, it shall be at 
 the foot of the Cross, looking to Jesus for a free, full, 
 and eternal salvation. May thy purpose in sending this 
 affliction upon me be fully answered. May it lead me 
 to a renewal of my repentance, and render my faith 
 more vigorous, and my obedience more cheerful and 
 universal. May it lead me to serious self-examination — 
 that if I am proud, I may be humbled — if selfish and 
 covetous, I may become benevolent and beneficent — if 
 carnal, spiritually minded — and if languid in devotion, 
 may I become more ardent and importunate in this 
 exercise. May it lead me to hate sin with a perfect 
 hatred, and to have my hopes more than ever directed 
 toward that land where there is no sin, and therefore 
 no pain. I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that 
 this corruption shall put on incorruption, and that this 
 mortal shall put on immortality, and that death at last, 
 as to the people of God, shall be swallowed up in vic- 
 tory. Lord, increase my faith, establish my hope, ad- 
 vance my personal holiness and meetness for heaven ; 
 make me more earnest and faithful than ever in exhort- 
 ing and directing the people thou hast entrusted to my 
 charge ; and when I come to the end of my course, and 
 shall be called to leave them and my beloved children 
 behind me, I desire to comply with thy direction, Jer. 
 xlix. 11, 'Leave thy fatherless children, and I will 
 presene them.' And oh, when father and mother 
 leave them, may the Lord take them up, and be their 
 God and father and friend in Christ Je>us. Is. lxiii. 
 i) — 'In all their afflictions he i- afflicted — in hi- love 
 and pity ho redeemed them.' Is. xlvi. 1 — * liven unto 
 old age I am he ; I have made, and I will carry thee in 
 weakness, and I will bear thee up under burden 
 
44 MEMOIR OF THE 
 
 On the 6th of April, 1836, he completed the fiftieth 
 year of his ministry in Kilmarnock. A number of gen- 
 tlemen invited him to a public dinner on that day, to 
 congratulate him upon the occasion; and the week 
 following, a congregational banquet, attended by up- 
 wards of five hundred persons, was held in honour 
 of the same event. On both these occasions, the 
 feelings of respect and attachment, manifested towards 
 him, were highly cheering and gratifying, and his 
 addresses to his assembled friends and people were 
 very touching and serious. The following are the con- 
 cluding sentences of the one he delivered at the congre- 
 gational banquet : — 
 
 " It is said of the Apostle John, when he was old and 
 unable to address an assembly at any length, that he 
 was carried into the church, and said with much feeling, 
 c Christians, love one another/ This exhortation we 
 would now address toward you. See that you live in 
 the bonds of Christian affection, and that ye be of the 
 same mind, and of the same judgment. Guard against 
 divisions and dissensions, jealousies, animosities, and 
 strifes ; and endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in 
 the bonds of peace. Prize and improve time and pri- 
 vileges, mind the one thing needful, and lay hold upon 
 eternal life. From my increasing infirmities and advanc- 
 ed life, I cannot expect to live much longer among you ; 
 but as I have devoted my youth and the vigour of my 
 days to your service, so, while any measure of health and 
 strength remains, I shall continue to officiate and attend 
 to such ministerial duties as I shall be able to perform. 
 And while I request an interest in your sympathy, your 
 charity, and prayers, I shall always remember you 
 in my supplications at a throne of grace, praying that I 
 may stand perfect and complete in the whole will of 
 God, and that you may be kept by the power of God 
 through faith unto salvation. Now, brethren, I com- 
 
REV. DR. JAMES MACKINLAY. 45 
 
 mend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which 
 is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance 
 among all them that are sanctified." 
 
 On this occasion, a congregational library was formed, 
 and called the " Mackinlay Library," which will, no 
 doubt, remain a lasting memorial of his usefulness, and 
 the gratitude of his people. An address was also pre- 
 sented to him, signed by the dissenting clergy of all de- 
 nominations, and their office-bearers, expressing their 
 gratification at his being spared so long and so faithfully 
 to labour in the vineyard of the Lord. As this address 
 breathes a spirit of Christian charity and love, we deem 
 it worthy of being preserved. It is as follows : — 
 
 " We, whose names are undersigned, being persons 
 connected with various congregations of Christians in 
 town, beg leave to present to you our heartfelt congra- 
 tulations on your having completed the fiftieth year of 
 your ministry, and to express our high sense of the evan- 
 gelical zeal, the eminent acceptance, and, we doubt not, 
 the extensive usefulness of your labours during such an 
 unusual period of pastoral duty. 
 
 " While we conscientiously hold opinions different 
 from yours on some points of ecclesiastical order, we 
 rejoice on this occasion to remember only the great 
 and supremely important articles on which we all 
 agree. We desire to be thankful that you have been 
 spared so long to preach and to recommend to your fel- 
 low-creatures the unsearchable riches of Christ ; and we 
 entertain the pleasing belief, that, of the vast multitudes 
 to whom you have proclaimed the glad tidings of salva- 
 tion, many will be to you a crown of rejoicing, and con- 
 tribute to fill up the measure of your gratitude and hap- 
 piness through eternity. It is our heart's desire and 
 prayer that you may long be spared and enabled to de- 
 clare, with your wonted miction and energy, the glorious 
 !>el of the blessed God ; and when your divine Mast* 1 
 
46 MEMOIR OF THE 
 
 shall call you hence, may he, the righteous judge, give 
 you the crown of righteousness which is laid up for all 
 who love his appearing. Permit us to assure you of the 
 sincerity and the cordiality with which we join your 
 own congregation in our thanksgivings and prayers in 
 your behalf." 
 
 Few are spared so long to preach the gospel, and 
 fewer still are blessed, at such an advanced period of life, 
 with that vigour of mind, and strength of body, which 
 the subject of this memoir then, and until his death, en- 
 joyed. His long life and health he was wont to attri- 
 bute, by the blessing of God, to three things — regular 
 exercise, regular diet, and a cheerful, happy, contented 
 mind. Though so long accustomed to preach, he never 
 ascended the pulpit without much fear and anxiety. 
 Experience had only deepened his sense of the responsi- 
 bility of his office, and increased the awe and trembling 
 he felt in the prospect of addressing the people entrusted 
 to his care. Like Luther, he often said, " Though I 
 am an old man, and have preached so long, I never 
 think of preaching without trembling." 
 
 During this year, St. Marnock's, a new church in the 
 Low Church parish, capable of holding upwards of 
 seventeen hundred people, was opened for public wor- 
 ship. The two ministers of the parish were engaged to 
 supply it; and as the subject of this memoir, from his 
 advanced years, could not undertake to preach on both 
 parts of the day every Sabbath, lie procured the services 
 of an assistant, to aid in the discharge of the additional 
 duty to which he was called. His first assistant was 
 the Rev. James Stevenson, a native of Kilmarnock, now 
 minister of Newton-on- Ayr, who was afterwards married 
 to his eldest daughter. He still, however, continued to 
 preach, not unfrequently, half a day, and sometimes 
 even a whole day, with unabated vigour and liveliness. 
 When in the pulpit, he seemed to cast away completely 
 
REV. DR. JAMES MACKINLAY. 47 
 
 the weight of years, and threw so much life and spirit 
 into his discourses, that no one, from hearing him preach, 
 would have imagined that for half a century he had 
 been employed in declaring to sinners the message of 
 salvation. He appeared, also, after this period, to make 
 great advancement in the divine life. Being convinced 
 that he had but a very few years to live in the world, 
 his grand object, even more than formerly, seemed to 
 be, to fix his affections upon heavenly realities, and walk 
 humbly and closely with his God. The following is the 
 latest written memorial regarding his spiritual state and 
 prospects which has been found : — "December 31, 1839. 
 I have, since the 22d, entered upon the 83d year of my 
 life in this world. I endeavoured, this evening, to 
 humble myself before God, to praise him for his sparing 
 mercy, and to renew my acceptance of Christ, and de- 
 pendence upon him for salvation. I prayed that all 
 my past sins might be forgiven, and that I might re- 
 ceive new supplies of grace, to abstain from all sin, and 
 perform all the duties to which I am called in a manner 
 profitable to men and pleasing unto God. Another year 
 is fled and gone for ever, and I am another year nearer 
 the grave ; oh, I hope I can say, nearer heaven. After 
 a few years are come, I shall go the way whence I shall 
 not return. If I live another year, may I live to the 
 Lord ; if I die, may I die to the Lord ; living or dj 
 may I be the Lord's. I believe and trust in his pro- 
 mise, fc I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee ;' and 
 hope that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor princi- 
 palities, nor powers, nor things present, nor thin- 
 come, shall separate me from the love of God, which 
 is in Christ Jesus my Lord." 
 
 His growth in grace and innrnaninfl preparadneai 
 
 heaven were more especially evident during the half 
 
 year immediately preceding his death. Though man 
 lively and cheerful even than his wont, he seemed to 
 
48 MEMOIR OF THE 
 
 have no delight in speaking regarding any subject but 
 the glorious truths of the gospel. In family worship, 
 his prayers were peculiarly earnest and impressive, 
 while not unfrequently they were so long, as well as 
 fervent, that it was manifest he felt the greatest pleasure 
 and satisfaction in this holy and heavenly exercise. 
 His growing spirituality of mind, combined with an 
 unusual degree of vivacity, were frequently remarked, 
 during the period mentioned, by those around him, 
 though without any apprehension that his end was so 
 near. This mournful event took place in a sudden and 
 unexpected manner. He had resolved to preach on 
 Sabbath, the 7th day of February, 1841, and though 
 rather complaining on the Friday and Saturday, and 
 entreated repeatedly to refrain from doing so, he said he 
 would keep by his determination. Accordingly, on that 
 day he preached an excellent and touching discourse 
 from Ps. xciv. 19 — "In the multitude of my thoughts 
 within me, thy comforts delight my soul." He delivered 
 this discourse with great animation, though now and 
 then he seemed to feel considerable difficulty in quoting 
 the texts of Scripture illustrative of his subject, which 
 he was accustomed to do with the greatest accuracy and 
 facility. His object in explaining his text was to show 
 that the consolatory truths of the gospel are sufficient to 
 cheer and support the Christian in the day of trial and 
 distress, and more especially at the hour of death. The 
 following are the observations he made on the power of 
 the gospel to uphold believers, when called to depart 
 from this world : — 
 
 "It is astonishing that though we know that ere 
 long we must die, we think so little of that solemn and 
 momentous event. The only remedy, indeed, which 
 some men have against the fear of death is a total for- 
 getfulness of it; and if, by forgetfulness, they could keep 
 it at a distance, their conduct would not be so much to 
 
REV. DR. JAMES MACKINLAY. 49 
 
 be condemned. It can, however, afford them only a 
 temporary relief, for the time shall soon come when 
 they must think of death, and meet with him, whether 
 they will or not. Such is not the course pursued by 
 believers, for they consider well their latter end. The 
 departure of others, and the experience of personal suf- 
 fering, remind them from time to time, that the earthly 
 house of their tabernacle must soon be taken down, and 
 that the day is fast coming when they must appear be- 
 fore God in judgment. The contemplation of these im- 
 portant and awful truths has filled the hearts of some be- 
 lievers with a fear of death, through which all their life- 
 time they have been subject to bondage. Their fears may 
 be expressed in some such language as the following : — 
 * When we reflect upon the pain and wasting disease 
 that precede death, the separation of the soul from the 
 body, the return of the body to its original dust, the 
 parting with all we hold dear in this world, and espe- 
 cially the appearing before a pure and holy God to be 
 judged, our minds are appalled with the awful pros- 
 pect; and if the prospect be so dreadful, how tremendous 
 must be the reality !' Yet the sublime doctrines of the 
 gospel, revealing, as they do, the gracious character of 
 God, the love of Christ, the blessed resurrection, and 
 glorious immortality of his people, are sufficient to sup- 
 port the Christian in the immediate prospect of death. 
 Christ, by his atoning sacrifice, has deprived death of 
 all power to do his people any nal ur permanent injury. 
 lie encountered him as an enemy, and not only van- 
 quished, but triumphed over him in his own dominion-. 
 Death left and lost his sting in him, for he bore our sins 
 in his own body upon the tree. AY hen the Bting i- taken 
 from a venomous reptile, though its appearance may he 
 repulsive and unsightly, it is quite innocuous; and so, 
 when our sin, which is the sting of death, U taken away 
 by the applied atonement of our great High Priest, it 
 
50 MEMOIR OF THE 
 
 has no power to injure us. God, being reconciled to 
 us, will guide us unto death, guard us over death, and 
 be our portion for ever. Nothing can separate us from 
 the love of God in Christ, which shall follow us through 
 life and through death, and, as a mighty river, flow on 
 with us through everlasting ages in the heavenly world. 
 In dying, our Lord shall be with us, his rod and his staff 
 shall sustain us, and therefore we need fear no evil. As 
 the presence of the sun dispels the darkness of night, and 
 diffuses light over the face of nature, so the presence of 
 Christ, the Sun of righteousness, shall dispel the dark- 
 ness of the valley of the shadow of death, and convert 
 it into the path of light and the gate of glory. Death, 
 indeed, comes as a friend to the Christian. He comes 
 to free him from pain, sin, and sorrow ; he comes as a 
 messenger to call him from the field of conflict, that he 
 may receive the crown of glory : he comes to lay his 
 body in the grave, as in a bed of calm repose, to await 
 the resurrection morn, when it shall be fitted for joining 
 the soul in the pure and delightful exercises of the celes- 
 tial sanctuary. Then shall the Christian appear before 
 the judge of all — be openly acknowledged and acquitted 
 by him — and ascend with his Redeemer into heaven, 
 where his unutterable felicity will be of eternal duration. 
 From this review of a believer's portion you will readily 
 perceive that he has no reason to look forward to the 
 hour of his departure with alarm, and accordingly we 
 find, from sacred Scripture, that some who, through life, 
 were afraid of death, have been enabled, when called to 
 die, to meet him with calmness, while others have done 
 so with triumph and holy joy. Jacob, when about to 
 meet his brother, was afraid of death, but when he 
 came to die, spoke of his departure with serenity — 
 1 Behold I die, but God shall be with you, and bring 
 j'ou again to the land of your fathers/ David once 
 prayed to be spared, and said, Ps. cxix. 120, c My 
 
REV. DR. JAMES MACKINLAY. 51 
 
 heart trembleth for fear of thee, and I am afraid at 
 thy righteous judgments;' yet, when called to die, his 
 words were, c Although mine house be not so with God, 
 yet hath he made with me an everlasting covenant, 
 ordered in all things and sure, this is all my salvation and 
 all my desire.' Simeon could, because he had seen Christ- 
 look forward to death with a holy elevation of soul — 
 ' Now, Lord, lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, 
 for mine eyes have seen thy salvation.' The Apostle 
 Paul desired to depart and be with Christ, as a thing 
 far better than to remain in this sinful and sorrowful 
 world, and could, with well founded triumph exclaim, 
 6 death, where is thy sting ? O grave, where is thy 
 victory? Thanks be to God who giveth us the victory, 
 through our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.' " 
 
 On the Monday succeeding, he went out to attend a 
 funeral, and on Tuesday he visited an aged Christian 
 lady, whose patience, under severe trial, and calm confi- 
 dence in God, he had often spoken of with admiration. 
 She was at that time very ill, and in going out he said, 
 " I am just going away to see Miss Campbell for the last 
 time; she is so very ill, that I do not think I shall ever 
 see her on earth again." Little did he think that this 
 Christian lady was to survive him for some weeks, and 
 ere another day closed, he would himself be in the eternal 
 world. After visiting her, lie returned home, and at 
 dinner appeared quite enlivened and cheered to see his 
 whole family collected round him, for Mr. and Mrs. 
 Stevenson had arrived at the manse, on their road from 
 Glasgow to Ayr. intending to spend the night in Kil- 
 marnock. Having retired to his own room, he was, 
 
 about half-past live, seized with excruciating pain in 
 the region of the stomach, and was found by those who 
 answered his call for help, kneeling upon the floor in gi 
 agony and distress. Having L r "ne to bed, the physician 
 
 was sent for immediately, and the pain, after various 
 
52 MEMOIR OF THE 
 
 means had been used, was greatly alleviated, if not 
 wholly removed, about ten o'clock, and no danger was 
 apprehended. During the night, one of the family sat up 
 with him, lest he should become suddenly worse. All 
 night he lay very calmly — slumbering apparently now 
 and then, and often audibly imploring God to give him 
 grace to look to Christ, and to bear the affliction sent 
 with resignation. Early in the morning, the change 
 upon his appearance was very alarming, and it was 
 therefore thought advisable that the physician should 
 be again sent for to see him. One of the family at 
 this time entering his room, was much struck with the 
 change in his appearance, and asked how he felt him- 
 self. He replied immediately, "01 am greatly better 
 now." She then asked him if he had been comfortable 
 in his mind during the night. " Yes," he replied, " the 
 desire of my soul, O Lord, is to thy name, and to the 
 remembrance of thee. With my soul have I desired 
 thee in the night." Another member of the family put 
 the same question shortly after, and he said in reply, 
 " I am much better ; but here am I, let him do with me 
 as seemeth unto him good." When the doctor arrived, 
 he was quite surprised at the unexpected change for 
 the worse, and resolved to call in an additional medical 
 adviser. After consultation, they declared that there 
 was no hope of his recovery, and that he could not sur- 
 vive the middle of the day. He himself did not seem 
 aware of this ; on the contrary, he imagined that he was 
 much better, and it was therefore suggested that he 
 should be informed of his approaching end. On his 
 being told that he was dying, and could not survive 
 many hours, he was a little startled, and said, " I was 
 not aware of that, but I knew it could not be long, and 
 the sting of death is taken away." On his being asked 
 whether, in accordance with his earnest and often re- 
 peated desire, he had the same peace and hope in the 
 
REV. DR. JAMES MACKINLAY. 53 
 
 immediate prospect of death, that he had when he 
 thought himself about to die in the early period of his 
 ministry, he replied shortly, " Yes, I have." Many 
 appropriate and consolatory passages of Scripture were 
 repeated in his hearing, and earnest prayers offered up 
 to God, in which he sometimes appeared to join. Hi? 
 favourite hymn was repeated, and it seemed to give him 
 great satisfaction. It is as follows : — 
 
 Ah! I shall soon be dying — 
 
 Time swiftly glides away, 
 But ou my Lord relying, 
 
 I hail the happy day. 
 
 The day when I shall enter 
 
 Upon a world unknown, 
 My helpless soul I'll venture 
 
 On Jesus Christ alone. 
 
 He once, a spotless victim, 
 
 Upon Mount Calvary bled ; 
 Jehovah did afflict him, 
 
 And bruise him in my stead. 
 
 Hence all my hope arises, 
 
 Unworthy as I am, 
 My soul most surely prizes, 
 
 The sin-atoning Lamb. 
 
 When these words were repeated, he was aroused from 
 his previous state of apparent insensibility — hea ooc nted 
 to the first line, and his lij»> moved Ifl if attempting 
 L r ive utterance to the words. After this, one of his 
 family addressed him, Baying, *' You arc now apparently 
 paging through the dark valley of the shadow of death, 
 but we trust you fear BO evil, and that to y<>u the 
 sting of death is taken away." He answered, "The 
 Btmg of death is taken away." The Bams peTSOO a_ 
 asked him, u Have you no message which you would 
 wish to communicate to your people — no parting word 
 which you would desire to be addressed to them — Sfl 
 
54 MEMOIR OF THE 
 
 the sum and substance of the instructions which you 
 have been giving them during so many years ? " He 
 did not reply to this, being now very low, but the 
 same question being put to him once more, with a view 
 of getting an answer, if possible, he said in feeble and 
 faltering accents — " What can I say more than I have 
 already said ? The sum and substance of the whole is 
 comprised in this, c This God is our God for ever and ever 
 — he will be our guide even unto death, and over death, 
 
 and ' " here he stopped, being unable to utter the 
 
 words, " our portion through eternity/' which were 
 evidently those he desired to speak. After this, he sank 
 gradually into a state of complete insensibility, and about 
 half past eleven, 10th Feb., 1841, he gently fell asleep 
 in Jesus, illustrating in his death the saying of infinite 
 wisdom — " Mark the perfect, and behold the upright, 
 for the latter end of that man is peace." 
 
 His funeral took place on Tuesday, February 16, 
 1841, and the whole road, from his house to the place 
 of interment, was lined with an immense crowd of spec- 
 tators, while the assemblage of mourners was more nu- 
 merous than any one ever before collected together on a 
 similar occasion in Kilmarnock. We extract from the 
 Kilmarnock Journal the following observations upon 
 this solemn and mournful event : — 
 
 " In our last, we announced the sudden demise of this 
 much-lamented clergyman, and presented our readers 
 with a short sketch of his life and career as minister of 
 the Low Church here, during a period of more than 
 half a century. We believe we express the sentiments 
 of the community at large, when we state, that no in- 
 dividual's decease was ever more universally regretted, 
 or has called forth a stronger manifestation of unaffected 
 sorrow. The spectacle presented on our streets on 
 Tuesday is unexampled in the history of Kilmarnock : 
 it appeared as if the entire population of the district 
 
REV. DR. JAMES MACKINLAY. 55 
 
 had assembled to lament the loss of one, to whose in- 
 structions they had been accustomed to look up as to 
 those of a father. From the assemblage of all classes 
 and persuasions, it was not difficult to perceive, that the 
 simple and unassuming manners of the deceased, and 
 his unwearied zeal in the service of his blaster, were 
 appreciated even by many who had not enjoyed the 
 benefit of his regular ministrations. 
 
 " On Sabbath, no services were performed in the Low 
 Church, nor in St. Andrew's, but the event was suitably 
 improved by the clergymen officiating in the other 
 churches — established and dissenting — and eloquent tri- 
 butes were paid to the eminent qualifications of this 
 distinguished ornament of the sacred profession. On 
 Tuesday, the day of interment, the mourners assembled 
 at the manse shortly before one o'clock, and there never 
 was, perhaps, in Ayrshire such a numerous concourse of 
 mourners as on this occasion. The number computed 
 to be present is fifteen hundred, and the appearance of 
 such a large body in their sable attire was most impos- 
 ing. This was particularly the case on passing along 
 Waterloo Street, where, to the spectators from the win- 
 dows, all within the scope of vision was one dense ma^ 
 of mourners. The a-semhlage is computed at ten thou- 
 sand, as the road from the manse to the Low church- 
 yard was lined with spectators. Tblfl large attendance 
 was partly owing, we understand, to a considerable num- 
 ber of the public works having stopped work for that 
 day, as a mark of respect to the memory of the deoeaf 
 The shops in the principal streets wen closed during 
 the ceremony. Arrived at the Low churchyard, the 
 mortal remains wire committed to the tomb, amid-t 
 the greatest crowd of spectators that we remember to 
 have seen congregated on the same Bpoi tor a similar 
 
 purpose — the burial-ground, its eaolmng walk, the 
 
 windows of the surrounding houses, and every position 
 
56 MEMOIR OF THE 
 
 commanding a view of the scene, being thronged with 
 anxious, silent, and respectful gazers. ,, 
 
 On the Sabbath following, the mournful event was 
 improved to the two congregations whom he was wont 
 to address, by Dr. Stirling of Galston, who had been 
 his colleague for eight years after the removal of Dr. 
 M'Leod to Dundonald, and by Mr Strong, who was his 
 colleague at the time of his death, and has since sue- 
 ceeded him in the first charge. Dr. Stirling selected 
 as his text John xiv. 1 — " Let not your heart be troubled, 
 ye believe in God, believe also in me." In adverting 
 to the character of the deceased, he made the following 
 observations : — 
 
 " I have now had the privilege of knowing him for 
 more than twenty-four years, and the longer I knew 
 him, the more I esteemed him. For a long period I 
 have associated with him in habits of the most unre- 
 served friendship, when he had no reason to suspect that 
 a harsh construction w T ould be put upon his words, 
 or a treacherous use made of his confidence ; and I can 
 truly say, what I have already said to many of you, that 
 I never heard him utter a sentiment that was not highly 
 suitable to the character of a Christian minister and a 
 child of God. On the contrary, every one who en- 
 joyed the privilege of his acquaintance, must have ad- 
 mired the ease, and grace, and frequency, with which 
 he turned the conversation to divine things ; and the 
 delicacy and propriety with which he could blend the 
 objects of Christian faith, and the maxims of Christian 
 holiness, with that rich fund of anecdote, which was the 
 delight of every social circle into which he entered. 
 Such persons must also have remarked how naturally 
 and how joyfully he returned from every place and from 
 every subject to the parish of Kilmarnock, and the 
 spiritual interests of his beloved flock. How did his eye 
 brighten, and every feature beam with delight, when 
 
REV. DR. JAMES MACKINLAY. J~ 
 
 he could state any symptom of improvement in their 
 spiritual condition ! How manifest were the expres- 
 sions of his sincere sorrow when he was forced to take 
 notice of anything of a different nature ! As he obeyed 
 his divine Master, then, in choosing the better part, it 
 pleased that Master to reward him with the possession 
 of almost every object that is truly desirable by man 
 upon earth. Having chosen the clerical profession, 
 there was speedily opened up to him an extensive and 
 interesting field of usefulness ; and he was endowed with 
 talents, animated with zeal, and supported with strength, 
 which enabled him to labour in that field with distin- 
 guished success. I need not remind you of the clearness 
 and force with which he set forth divine truth, or the 
 affectionate earnestness with which he pressed upon 
 your attention the things that belong to your eternal 
 peace ; I need not state here how acceptable was his 
 preaching; I cannot enumerate the many thousands 
 that have eternally profited by it; but I have often 
 been witness of the breathless attention with which you 
 listened to his words, and the tears of sympathy and 
 of satisfaction witli which you received the truth from 
 his lips. The very same truths which, when repeated 
 by others, soon became stale and uninteresting, derived 
 an unfading freshness and an increasing beauty from the 
 simple elegance of his language, and the untiring fer- 
 vour of his delivery. It is not surprising, therefore, 
 that he enjoyed a degree of popularity as a preacher 
 which has seldom fallen to the lot of man. His popu- 
 larity was derived from the most legitimate source, and 
 therefore it was great and lasting. It did not spring 
 from the partialities or prejudices of party, nor from an 
 ostentatious display of his talents in public or distant 
 places. It arose, under the blessing of God, from the 
 unwearied application of a vigorous and cultivated mind 
 to the single purpose of faithfully performing his proper 
 
 D 
 
58 3IEM0IR OF THE 
 
 pastoral duties ; and, therefore, instead of declining or 
 becoming extinct, like the popularity of many others, it 
 kept pace with his increasing years and experience, and 
 continued unimpaired to the very last. It was one of 
 the most enviable circumstances in his lot, and one for 
 which he frequently expressed his gratitude to God, 
 that he was preserved in health and vigour for more 
 than half a century ; and enabled, with very little assist- 
 ance, to perform all the arduous duties of his office. 
 Within three days of his death he enjoyed the luxury 
 of addressing you from this place. He spent his last 
 day in the active performance of his duties — he retained 
 his consciousness to the latest moment of life — and he 
 could not so properly be said to die as to fall asleep with 
 the accents of his Redeemers praise on his tongue, and 
 the hopes and comforts of the gospel glowing in his 
 heart." 
 
 Mr Strong addressed the mourning congregations from 
 Matthew xxiv. 44 ; and in speaking of his departed 
 friend and fellow-labourer said — " He was a man of 
 much intellectual acuteness, with a sprightliness of tem- 
 perament and suavity of address but rarely equalled. 
 His manners were so simple and inoffensive as to disarm 
 hostility ; in private intercourse he could mingle words 
 of pleasantry with words that profit, in a way at once 
 instructive and conciliatory ; and in his public ministra- 
 tions, you can tell how powerful, often how electrifying 
 was the effect of his great acquaintance with Scripture — 
 his correct, but simple and familiar style — his clear ex- 
 position of evangelical doctrine — his faithful expostula- 
 tion with vice, and minute enforcement of duty — his 
 varied, earnest, pious eloquence. At a period when 
 there was much of the leaven of false doctrine abroad, 
 he set forth the pure word of life ; when a better age 
 came, he was still found preaching Jesus Christ and him 
 crucified ; and even on the last Lord's day which he 
 
REV. DR. JAMES MACKINLAY. 59 
 
 spent on earth, you know better than I how he stood in 
 this place as a zealous witness for the truth, and pro- 
 claimed those consolations which delight the believing 
 soul. As in early life, by a written covenant which he 
 often renewed, he had dedicated himself to the service 
 of his God and Saviour, so, acting on this covenant, we 
 may surely say, he was found to the last at his post, 
 preaching the gospel and ministering to the sick. The 
 sudden announcement of his approaching end naturally 
 surprised, but did not disconcert him : his words were, 
 c Death has lost its sting — what can I say more than I 
 have already said ? — the sum and substance of the gos- 
 pel are contained in this, " This God is our God forever 
 and ever, he will be our guide even unto, or even over, 
 death," ' as he delighted to translate it ; and free from 
 pain, bearing his dying testimony to the power of the 
 gospel to console in the hour of death, his spirit passed 
 away so gently that it was like c taking of rest in sleep.' 
 We have laid his head on its low pillow of dust — his 
 voice, which so often by turns aroused and soothed us, 
 shall be heard no more — his body reposes in the narrow 
 bed till the dread morning of the resurrection — then the 
 question will be not, how did wo admire ? but, how did 
 we profit by him ? and happy will it be for us, if, mind- 
 ful of the many paternal instructions of the man of 
 peace, the man of prayer, and faithful unto death, we 
 shall meet him to receive a crown of glory ! " 
 
 From the preceding memoir, we tru-t the reader will 
 have formed a pretty fair estimate of the character of 
 the author of the following discourses. lie Wtt one of 
 
 the evangelical party of the Church of Scotland, and 
 
 joined himself to them wheo they were few in number, 
 and could lift up only an unheeded and unavailing pro- 
 test against the principles and practice of theinodera 
 
 who were then lording it with iron hand over G 
 heritage. He lived, however, to see the time, when 
 
()0 MEMOIR OF THE 
 
 those to whom he thus joined himself increased so much, 
 that they gained the complete ascendancy in the General 
 Assembly, and began to direct their efforts successfully 
 to the reformation and extension of the Church. In his 
 early days, heretical opinions were entertained by many 
 of his brethren ; few of them preached the truth in a 
 pure and scriptural manner ; and nothing was done to 
 provide additional church accommodation for a rapidly- 
 increasing population, even chapels of ease being regarded 
 with suspicion; but before he died, he had the high satis- 
 faction of knowing, as he himself often said, that the gos- 
 pel was upon the whole preached purely and faithfully, 
 and of beholding the Church actively engaged in extend- 
 ing her boundaries, and sending the words of eternal 
 life to the most distant heathen lands. It was his opinion 
 that patronage was anti-scriptural, and one great source 
 of the corruption and deadness which so long reigned 
 in the Church. While he approved of the principle 
 of the veto, and thought it would work well so long 
 as patrons and presentees acquiesced in its provisions, 
 he was, from the very first, afraid of a collision between 
 Church and State, in consequence of the passing of that 
 act, and would far rather have seen a vigorous effort 
 made to get patronage entirely abolished. The uncon- 
 stitutional invasions made by the civil courts upon the 
 rights of the Church, often led him to remark, that more 
 strict attention ought to be given to the licensing of 
 young men. It was his decided opinion, that every 
 young man, when licensed, ought to be required to pro- 
 mise solemnly before God, that he will never go to any 
 civil court to obtain an interdict commanding and astrict- 
 ing the ecclesiastical judicatories to ordain him as the 
 pastor of a people opposed to his settlement. Were this 
 done, he thought that the Church would then be able with 
 safety to set at defiance the interdicts of civil courts, 
 should any ever, in such circumstances, be brought to 
 
REV. DR. JAMES MACK1NLAY. 61 
 
 bear against her ministers and office-bearers. The 
 clergyman or preacher who procured such an interdict, 
 would then be obviously a perjured man. morally dis- 
 qualified for holding the office of the ministry. It was 
 also his serious conviction, that if the spiritual independ- 
 ence of the Church cannot be secured together with 
 the enjoyment of endowments, and if it can be kept 
 in connection with the State only on the grounds ex- 
 plained and laid down by the Court of Session and the 
 House of Lords, that it would be better far to have no 
 establishment, and to have a complete separation between 
 Church and State. He went down to the grave enter- 
 taining very gloomy forebodings regarding the prospects 
 of the Church of Scotland, but we hope we can yet dis- 
 cern in the dark cloud lowering over her, the blended 
 rays of the rainbow of the covenant of God's mercy giv- 
 ing presage of a happier day, when she shall secure the 
 full recognition, by the State, of the principles for which 
 she is now contending, and be established long in purity 
 and peace. 
 
 As a preacher, it is difficult to describe him in a cor- 
 rect and satisfactory manner. He had clear views of 
 divine truth. From his earliest days he took notes of 
 all the sermons he heard; and when in the Divinity 
 Hall, he drew out a short system, in which were state* 1. 
 illustrated, and defended, the great articles of the chris- 
 tian faith. This he found of much advantage, although 
 he often said, that had he to commence his studies 
 again, he would direct his attention more exclusively to 
 the AVord of God. All his sermons and lectures were 
 the result of careful research, and till his Litest days he 
 wrote out one discourse ever)' week ; the la-tone lie 
 addressed to his people being composed the week pre- 
 vious to his death. In consequence of this incessant 
 study, his views of divine truth were correct and ma- 
 tured, and his acquaintance with the Scriptures accurate 
 
62 MEMOIR OF THE 
 
 and extensive. His object was not to exhibit the gospel 
 dressed in gorgeous and lofty phraseology, or to bewilder 
 and amaze by abstract reasonings and metaphysical re- 
 finements, but to express his ideas in a clear, simple, and 
 lively style. His grand aim was to convey the truths 
 of the gospel to his hearers in a style level to the mean- 
 est understanding, and at the same time so correct, as 
 not reasonably to offend the most fastidious. His man- 
 ner of delivery was peculiarly graceful, animated, and 
 energetic. His voice was sweet, yet powerful ; he laid 
 the emphasis always upon the proper word, and his ani- 
 mation went on increasing toward the close of the dis- 
 course. There was nothing like art in his delivery ; all 
 was natural, easy, unconstrained, and unaffected. This 
 imparted a charm, an interest, and a power to his dis- 
 courses, which they never can have when read. It was 
 evident that he was in earnest. Sometimes he entreated 
 sinners, even with tears, to hearken unto the words of 
 life, and flee from the wrath to come. Hence it was, he 
 continued for more than half a century to preach the 
 message of salvation with unabated usefulness and ac- 
 ceptability. 
 
 With regard to his domestic life, we may be permitted 
 to say, that he was a kind, affectionate, and indulgent 
 father, exceedingly interested in all that tended to pro- 
 mote the well-being of his family, and never more cheer- 
 ful and instructive in his conversation than when alone 
 with them. He set before them a pious and consistent 
 example, appearing in his most private hours to be 
 entirely devoted to the great work in which he was 
 engaged. The greater part of his time was spent in 
 reading the Bible and other pious books — in medita- 
 tion, prayer, and preparation for the duties of the 
 Sabbath ; while, in his devotional exercises in family 
 worship, he never forgot to offer up, morning and 
 evening every day, fervent supplication for the peo- 
 
REV. DR. JAMES MACKINLAY. 63 
 
 pie of his charge. They seemed to be ever in his mind, 
 and upon his heart. In holding intercourse with his 
 family, he never conversed with them long without di- 
 recting their attention to religious subjects. He might 
 begin to speak about secular topics, and the news of 
 the day, but he never concluded without speaking of 
 God, and making serious and interesting observations 
 upon important passages of Scripture. In the domestic 
 circle, in a very remarkable and uniform manner, he 
 adorned the doctrine of God our Saviour ; and hence 
 we cannot conclude without expressing our earnest de- 
 sire, that those who knew him, may be stimulated to 
 imitate his example, and become followers of him, so 
 far as he was of the Lord Jesus Christ. " Blessed are 
 the dead that die in the Lord ; yea, saith the Spirit, 
 for they rest from their labours, and their works do 
 follow theni.'' 
 
SERMONS. 
 
 SERMON I. 
 
 GOD'S GRACIOUS SUPPLIES EQUAL TO THE BE- 
 LIEVER'S VARIOUS NECESSITIES. 
 
 Phil. iv. 19. 
 
 " My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in 
 glory by Christ Jesus." 
 
 There is not a more decisive characteristic of a 
 real Christian, than an increasing sense of guilt, of 
 want, and of unworthiness, and a conviction of the 
 absolute necessity of depending upon the grace 
 and strength of Almighty God. In proportion as 
 he advances in holiness, he grows in humility, and 
 feels the necessity of receiving out of the fulness 
 which it hath pleased the Father should dwell in 
 Christ Jesus, and grace for grace. It is very com- 
 fortable for him to reflect, that although bis wants 
 are numerous and great, a fulness adequate to their 
 supply is provided. This is more than the wicked 
 and worldly-minded can boast of; for riches, the 
 confidence of the covetous, may be exhausted ; a 
 large estate, the pride of the possessor, may be 
 spent ; a generous friend, by whom the indigent is 
 supported, may die ; but the Christian's consola- 
 tion is, that his father and friend is immortal, and 
 his fulness inexhaustible. The riches of Christ 
 are unsearchable riches. By them, a countless 
 number have been amply supplied, and Mill there 
 remains more than enough to afford light and lite, 
 consolation and joy unto all his people. Hence 
 
 d2 
 
66 god's gracious supplies equal to 
 
 the Apostle declares, in the consolatory words of 
 our text, " My God shall supply all your need 
 according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." 
 
 These words form an important part of the epistle 
 which the Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians, 
 during his imprisonment at Rome. He had been 
 immediately called by God, as we learn from the 
 Acts of the Apostles, to go over into Macedonia, 
 and preach the gospel at Philippi. This was a city 
 of considerable importance in that country, enlarged, 
 embellished, and fortified by Philip, the king of 
 Macedon, from whom it derived its name. Being 
 directed by God to labour in this place, his labours 
 were crowned with remarkable success. Many by 
 his ministry were effectually called, and a Church 
 was soon collected and organized. Though the 
 nature of his mission would not permit him to re- 
 main long with the Christians at Philippi, yet such 
 was his concern for them, that he visited them 
 afterwards, and rejoiced in their joy. To the in- 
 spired Apostle they evinced a strong attachment ; 
 and as his heart was eminently susceptible of the 
 feeling of friendship, their affection became mutual, 
 and soon acquired uncommon strength. Of this 
 affectionate regard they gave the most solid and 
 convincing proofs ; for they not only once sent 
 seasonable supplies to him at Thessalonica, but 
 now again, hearing he was a prisoner at Rome, and 
 supposing he might be in straitened circumstan- 
 ces, they sent him a present by the hands of 
 Epaphroditus, which, as an expression of christian 
 love, he received with gratitude and joy. This he 
 expresses at the tenth verse of the chapter — " But 
 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last 
 your care of me hath flourished again ; wherein ye 
 were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. ,, 
 " Ye have well done that ye did communicate 
 
THE BELIEVER'S VARIOUS NECESSITIES. 67 
 
 with my affliction," for now, in consequence of your 
 liberal supply, " I have all, and abound : I am 
 full, having received of Epaphroditus the things 
 which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet 
 smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God." 
 Cheerful and liberal charity to the people of God — 
 charity from proper motives and for proper ends, is 
 highly acceptable in the sight of God, and will be 
 sure to meet with a suitable return. Though the 
 persons receiving it may not be able to make the 
 smallest recompense, yet these labours of love shall 
 not be forgotten nor pass unrewarded by a gracious 
 God. The only return which Paul could make to 
 the Philippians for their liberality, was the un- 
 feigned gratitude of his heart, and his fervent prayer 
 to God in their behalf. But although the Apostle 
 could not reward them, that God whom he had 
 chosen as his portion, and served with his spirit in 
 the gospel, was both able and willing to recom- 
 pense them ; and therefore he declares, in the words 
 of the text, " My God shall supply all your need 
 according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." 
 In farther discoursing from these words, the method 
 we propose to observe, in dependence upon divine 
 aid, is to point out — 
 
 I. Some of those things of which Christians, 
 while they are in this world, stand in need. 
 
 II. The grounds of the consolatory declaration 
 made to them. 
 
 III. The manner in which God will supply all 
 their wants. 
 
 I. We shall point out some of those things of 
 which Christians, while they are in this world, 
 stand in need. 
 
 1st. The Christian stands in need o£ temporal 
 
68 god's gracious supplies equal TO 
 
 support. This arises from his frail and perishing 
 body, which, if not daily nourished by the bounties 
 of providence, would soon languish, decay, and die. 
 Those who have left this mortal scene are freed 
 from the feelings of hunger and thirst, and raised 
 above the need of temporal support. But while 
 we continue in this present state, the comforts of 
 life are absolutely necessary. Nature requires a 
 little, and with a little, through grace, she will 
 be satisfied. The multitude, however, run into 
 the opposite extreme. Not content even with the 
 comforts of life, they create a number of artificial 
 wants, and multiply them to such a degree, that 
 by their mode of living they seem to be unable to 
 subsist upon the necessaries of life. This is the 
 effect of abused abundance, of immoderate gratifi- 
 cation, of undue indulgence in luxury. Neither 
 as a man, nor as a Christian, does the believer re- 
 quire these delicacies, nor are they to be reckoned 
 among the necessary articles of life. Food of a 
 plain and salutary, though not of a delicate kind, 
 is all that is necessary or promised. Having this 
 food, with raiment, we ought to be content ; and if 
 we enjoy more, we have the greater reason to be 
 thankful. Of our temporal wants we are all abun- 
 dantly sensible; and it is comfortable for the 
 Christian to reflect, that as his heavenly Father 
 knows his natural wants, so, in the use of appointed 
 means, he will provide for them. This truth 
 our Saviour teaches, when guarding his disciples 
 against distrust and excessive carefulness, Luke 
 
 xii. 29, 30 " And seek not ye what ye shall 
 
 eat, or what ye shall drink," that is, with immo- 
 derate anxiety, " neither be ye of doubtful mind ; 
 for all these things do the nations of the world seek 
 after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need 
 of these things." 
 
tiie believer's various necessities. 69 
 
 2d. The Christian stands in need of spiritual 
 instruction. What a noble field, giving abund- 
 ant scope for our utmost diligence and investigation 
 opens before us in the word and works of the Al- 
 mighty ! The works of nature, the mysteries of pro- 
 vidence, and the wonders of redemption, are all 
 placed before us ; and we are called to read and 
 hear, to learn and search, that we may be wise 
 unto salvation. These are subjects of which Christ- 
 ians have some knowledge, which they study with 
 ardour, and remember with pleasure, but subjects 
 which they cannot search out and understand, with- 
 out a divine teacher to guide them in their inquiries, 
 and to direct them in the path of truth. Of this the 
 most intelligent are always most sensible. Their 
 knowledge leads them to perceive their remaining 
 ignorance, and consequently to desire divine instruc- 
 tion. Does the traveller, passing through a foreign 
 country, require a guide — does the scholar, who 
 has just entered on the study of some difficult 
 science, require the instruction of an able master — 
 and must not the Christian, who is passing through 
 this wilderness, and studying to know the deep 
 things of God, stand in need of a heavenly guide, 
 and a divine instructor? Though he may be dili- 
 gent in the use of mean-, yei of themselves they 
 are insufficient; though, like the Ethiopian eunuch, 
 he may read the Scriptures, yet how can he under- 
 stand, except one should guide him ? The same 
 Spirit who inspired the Bacred volume, alone can 
 open the mind to understand it, and lead the 
 Christian into all the truth. Of thi> the believer 
 is deeply sensible; and hence we find the Psalmist 
 praying unto the Lord, Ps. wv. 4, 5 — " Shew me 
 thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me 
 in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God 
 of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day." 
 
70 god's gracious supplies equal to 
 
 3d. The Christian stands in need of divine pro- 
 tection. While in this world, he is in the country 
 of his enemies, exposed to their fierce and fre- 
 quent attacks, to dangers which he cannot by his 
 own sagacity foresee, or power prevent. Of him- 
 self he is weak and feeble, and amidst so many 
 snares and dangers, entirely unequal to his own 
 defence ; his enemies in secret plot his destruc- 
 tion, and their arrows fly thick around him every 
 day. These would certainly prove fatal, were 
 not God, as his shield, continually to defend him. 
 The wicked and ungodly hate and persecute 
 him, and if not restrained by the grace of God, 
 would accomplish his destruction. A soldier, in 
 ancient times, had not greater need of a shield to 
 defend him from the arrows of the enemy; a feeble 
 flock has not greater need of the watchful care of 
 a shepherd to protect them, nor a flying army of a 
 stronghold to defend them from a pursuing foe, 
 than the Christian has of divine protection, while 
 surrounded and assaulted with so many enemies. 
 Without this defence, he cannot be safe for a sin- 
 gle moment; but enjoying it, he is in security amid 
 numerous surrounding dangers ; for, " as birds fly- 
 ing, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem; 
 defending also he will deliver it; and passing over 
 he will preserve it." Is. xxxi. 5. 
 
 4th, While the Christian remains in this world, 
 he needs the constant communication of spiritual 
 strength. As the ability of which he is possessed 
 was originally derived from God, so its continuance 
 and increase entirely depend upon the promised 
 supplies of divine grace. Unsupported by divine 
 aid, he cannot stand, or perform any duty accept- 
 ably to God ; strength, therefore, must daily be 
 communicated from on high, and, although the mode 
 of its conveyance may be mysterious, its reality is 
 
TriE believer's various necessities. 71 
 
 not to be doubted or denied. As we depend upon 
 the bounties of providence for the bodily vigour we 
 enjoy as creatures, so, as Christians, we equally de- 
 pend upon the grace of God for the maintenance 
 or increase of our spiritual strength. The strongest 
 believer will acknowledge that of himself he is 
 weak and insufficient, unable to perform any duty, 
 to resist any temptation, or to bear any trial, how- 
 ever inconsiderable. Without renewed supplies of 
 the Spirit, the easiest duty will be too difficult, the 
 smallest temptation too strong, and the lightest 
 affliction too heavy for him. This truth the Christ- 
 ian believes, and therefore he exercises a close and 
 constant dependance upon God for the necessary 
 supplies of divine strength. His experience in the 
 divine life convinces him still more of the necessity 
 of this dependance, for although at first he was apt 
 to be self-confident, and, like Peter, to rely upon 
 the strength of his own resolution, yet afterwards he 
 adopts the language of the Apostle, " not that I 
 am sufficient of myself to think any thing as of 
 myself, but my sufficiency is of God." He can 
 now say with the ancient Church, " truly in the 
 Lord alone have I righteousness and strength, 
 and in him will I ever glory, for the Lord God i< 
 my strtnijth and my song, he also is become my 
 salvation." When feeling the power of corruption. 
 and assailed by external roes, sensible of his weak- 
 ness, he will say with Jehoshaphat, 2 Chron. xx. 
 12— " I have no might sgainst this great company 
 that cometh against me ; neither know 1 what t«» 
 do: but mine eyes are upon thee." 
 
 5th. The Christian stands in need of jatlu rhj 
 
 correction. He is, while in this worlds in a slate 
 
 of discipline, training up, lor the inheritance of 
 
 the saints in light. His errors and misconduct, 
 his wayward passions, and frequent disobedience, 
 
72 god's gracious supplies equal to 
 
 render correction absolutely necessary for carrying 
 on this great and important work. His crosses and 
 disappointments are, indeed, as useful as his com- 
 forts, and both of them shall work together for 
 his spiritual good. In the school of affliction 
 he learns some important lessons, which can be 
 taught him nowhere else. There his ear is open- 
 ed to discipline, and he listens to the instructions 
 of heavenly wisdom. His afflictions are necessary 
 to convince him of his sins, to humble his pride, 
 to wean his heart from a present world, to mortify 
 his corruption, to soften his heart and open it to 
 the feelings of sympathy and compassion, to bring 
 into exercise the various graces of the christian 
 life, and to induce him to long for that happy world 
 where affliction shall be unknown, because it shall 
 be unnecessary. In this world, then, correction 
 is absolutely needful for our improvement, and, 
 when accompanied with the blessing of God, is 
 productive of the most salutary and beneficial effects. 
 " Though no affliction for the present is joyous but 
 grievous, nevertheless afterwards it yields the 
 peaceable fruits of righteousness, unto them who 
 are exercised thereby." Of the propriety and ne- 
 cessity of these corrections, the Christian may be 
 insensible; he may ascribe them to the wrath, and 
 not to the love of God, and imagine he could have 
 lone well enough without them; but his heavenly 
 Father, who loves him, sees they are requisite, and 
 therefore will not withhold them — " For whom the 
 Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son 
 whom he receiveth." As every affliction is brought 
 upon the Christian for some necessary purpose, so 
 he shall be a gainer and not a loser by the trial. 
 The furnace is intended to purify, and not to con- 
 sume; and, therefore, he shall lose nothing of his 
 weight or worth, by being thrown into it. He shall 
 
THE BELIEVER'S VARIOUS NECESSITIES. J3 
 
 leave only some of his dross behind him, and come 
 out of it like gold purified and refined. Every 
 trial shall be a triumph to his faith, and promote 
 his progressive sanctifi cation. The rod is not more 
 necessary in the education of a froward child, than 
 correction in promoting the improvement of a real 
 Christian. As it is necessary and useful, there- 
 fore, he should not only submit to it with patience, 
 but receive it with gratitude and joy. Jas. i. 2, 3 — 
 " My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into 
 divers temptations," or trials, " knowing this, that 
 the trying of your faith worketh patience." 1 Pet. 
 i. 6, 7 — " Now for a season (if need be) ye are in 
 heaviness through manifold temptations; that the 
 trial of your faith, being much more precious than 
 of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, 
 might be found unto praise, and honour, and glory, 
 at the appearing of Jesus Christ." 
 
 6th. The Christian stands in need of spiritual 
 consolation under the distresses oflife, and at the 
 hour of death. The numerous afflictions of this 
 life demand abundant consolation, and hence it 
 is that God hath amply provided in the Scrip- 
 tures for the comfort of his people. Without this, 
 the believer could not endure the distresses to 
 which he is exposed. But this upholds his sinking 
 spirits, and preserves him from fainting in the day 
 of his calamity. The consolations of God are pro- 
 portioned to the afflictions of his people ; they are 
 neither few in number, nor small in their efficacy, 
 and have sometimes been felt to be so full and 
 strong, as for a season to banish every sorrow. They 
 have flowed into the hearts of God's people like a 
 copious river, carrying every thing before them; 
 converting their sorrow into joy, their darkness into 
 light, and their grief into gladness. But although 
 
 these consolations are necessary during the distresses 
 
74 god's gracious supplies equal to 
 
 of life, there is a period approaching when they will 
 be found to be still more requisite — we mean the aw- 
 ful hour of death. This period is fixed in the councils 
 of heaven, and every passing moment speeds it on. 
 When it arrives, we shall be more sensible of our 
 need of the supporting grace of God than we can 
 be at present. The world, with all its vanities, 
 shall then retire, and eternity, with its awful reali- 
 ties, open upon our view. We shall then stand 
 upon the verge of time, and the soul shall look 
 forward with trembling expectation to a judgment 
 and eternity to come. In this solemn season, the 
 soul, conscious of its weakness, and concerned for 
 its safety, shall look around for some solid support, 
 some foundation upon which it may rest, and safely 
 enter into the invisible world. What grace and 
 comfort are necessary to support the heart in this 
 interesting period, to preserve the believer's faith 
 from failing, and to enable him to die in such a 
 manner as to glorify God, enjoy peace in his own 
 mind, and edify others around him ! The full need 
 of support in this solemn hour, the dying alone 
 know; nor shall we understand it until we are cal- 
 led to leave this world. With perplexing thoughts, 
 however, about this event, we are not to distress 
 ourselves. Let us only be careful now to live unto 
 the Lord, and we may depend upon his love and 
 faithfulness for giving us dying grace for a dying 
 season. But this naturally leads us to consider 
 
 II. The grounds of this consolatory declaration 
 made to believers : " my God shall supply all your 
 need." 
 
 1st. The Christian may believe that God will 
 supply all his wants, because he is his God and 
 Father in Christ Jesus. It is the distinguishing 
 characteristic of every real Christian, that he chooses 
 
THE BELIEVER S VARIOUS NECESSITIES. >0 
 
 God in Christ, as his sure and suitable, his satis- 
 fying and everlasting portion. While others are 
 loving and pursuing the vanities of this world, and 
 saying to this or the other idol, " Thou art our God;" 
 the Christian says, " The Lord is my God and 
 portion, and I will hope in him continually." God 
 in Christ is the object of his freest choice, of his 
 firmest trust, and supreme delight. He is his God 
 in covenant, and he can rejoice in him in every 
 condition as his father and his friend. He is his 
 father by creation, and by creating him again in 
 Christ Jesus ; a father who loves him with more 
 than parental affection, and who, being good in 
 himself, will give good things unto all his children 
 who ask them of him. He is a friend who sticketh 
 closer than any brother, whose friendship is inva- 
 riable and active. Is this gracious God, then, 
 the Christian's God and portion ? Does he stand 
 to him in such endearing relations ? and shall not 
 the Christian's wants be abundantly supplied ? Is 
 he the God of nature, and does he feed the ravens 
 when they cry? and will he not feed his own 
 people with food convenient for them ? Will he 
 not instruct them by his word and Spirit, defend 
 them by his power, strengthen them by his grace, 
 correct them when they go astray, comfort and 
 support them under all the afflictions of lite, and 
 by his rod and stall' strengthen them in the hour 
 of death, enabling them to recline in peace t heir 
 dying heads upon his loving heart, and to breathe 
 out their souls in the Language of faith and 
 triumph—' 4 Into thine bands we commit our de- 
 parting spirits, for thou bast redeemed as, () God 
 of our salvation " ? Yes, Christian ; that God, 
 who was David's shepherd, Jeremiah's portion, 
 and Paul's God, is also thy God and father in 
 Christ Jesus; and, therefore, lie will assuredly sup- 
 
76 god's gracious supplies equal to 
 
 ply all thy wants according to his riches in glory 
 by Christ Jesus. 
 
 2d. The Christian's wants shall be abundantly 
 supplied, because all fulness resides in Christ 
 Jesus for this great and important purpose. It 
 hath pleased the Father, says inspired wisdom, that 
 in Christ Jesus all fulness should dwell. He is 
 possessed of this mediatorial fulness, that his people 
 may receive from it, and grace for grace. What a 
 comfortable and animating truth is this to real 
 Christians ! How exactly is it calculated to sup- 
 port them under a painful sense of their great and 
 manifold wants ! Though they are nothing, and 
 have nothing that is good of their own, yet in 
 Christ Jesus they have all things — merit to pro- 
 cure the pardon of all their sins, the Spirit to sanc- 
 tify their polluted natures, and grace to help them 
 in every time of need. It is impossible for a Chris- 
 tian to feel any want w T hich the fulness of Christ is 
 not able to supply. As there is a fulness of water 
 in the ocean for the supply of vapour — a fulness of 
 light and heat in the sun for the illumination and 
 benefit of the material world; so there is abundance 
 in Christ Jesus for the supply of the wants of his 
 people during their residence in this world. This 
 is a fulness which, though communicable, is in- 
 exhaustible ; for it is neither lessened by com- 
 munication nor increased by restraint. Will the 
 spring fail that is fed by the ocean ? will the world 
 be involved in universal darkness, while the sun 
 remains in the heaven to enlighten it ? and shall 
 a Christian want, and his wants not be supplied, 
 while Christ Jesus is possessed of fulness for this 
 purpose ? No : it is impossible. From this in- 
 finite treasury, all the necessities of Christians have 
 been supplied, and the store remains undiminished. 
 If Christians, therefore, are straitened, it must be 
 
TIIE BELIEVER S VARIOUS NECESSITIES. / / 
 
 in themselves, and not in Christ Jesus. Let them 
 open their mouths wide, and he will fill them 
 abundantly. 
 
 3d. God shall relieve the wants of Christians, 
 because he hath uniformly supplied the necessities 
 of his own people in every age of the world. His 
 people, considered in themselves, are poor and 
 needy, dependent upon him, not only for the com- 
 mon bounties of his providence, but also for the 
 rich blessings of his grace. This is the character 
 of all believers; not only of those who are mean and 
 indigent, but of such as are raised to rank and opu- 
 lence in life. David declares concerning himself, 
 Ps. xl. 17 — " I am poor and needy; yet the Lord 
 thinketh upon me." What is the history of the 
 saints in sacred scripture, but the history of their 
 wants and weakness, their sorrows and sufferings, 
 their dangers and distresses, and of the manner in 
 which God strengthened and supported them ? 
 Their hearts have been so deeply penetrated with 
 a sense of his goodness, that they have been led to 
 call upon their souls and all within them to magni- 
 fy his holy name. Ps. ciii. 2 — 4 — " Bless the Lord, 
 () my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who for- 
 giveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy 
 diseases ; who redeemed thy life from destruction: 
 who crpwneth thee with loving-kindness and tender 
 mercies." Now hath God in this manner uni- 
 formly supplied the wants of his people — hath 
 he never left them destitute or forlorn — hath he 
 made his grace sufficient for them, so that they 
 have never lacked anything that wafl truly good 
 for them ? Is he the same God still, without anv 
 variableness or the least shadow of turning ? What 
 is the conclusion we are warranted to draw'* Is 
 it not the conclusion of our text, that God will 
 supply all our wants according to his riches in 
 
78 GOD'S GRACIOUS SUPrLIES EQUAL TO 
 
 glory by Jesus Christ ? This inference is strength- 
 ened by the Christian's past experience. When he 
 reviews his byepast life, and the measures of the 
 divine providence and grace, he must acknowledge 
 that goodness and mercy have continued to follow 
 him, and that he has been wonderfully protected, 
 provided for, and supported ; and will not he who 
 has delivered, yet deliver ? he who has relieved 
 all our wants, continue to supply them ? Could 
 we not trust a friend, the sincerity of whose friend- 
 ship we had tried, or depend upon a father whose 
 affection we had long experienced ? and may we 
 not trust to our best friend, and most merciful 
 heavenly father, who hath hitherto supplied all 
 our wants, that he will continue to supply them, 
 and never leave us until he has done us all the 
 good of which he has spoken in his holy word ? 
 But this leads us to observe, in the 
 
 4th and last place, that the Christian's need shall 
 be abundantly supplied, because God hath gra- 
 ciously promised in his word to do this. The pro- 
 mises of God are the great support of the real 
 Christian ; they are the foundation of his faith and 
 patience, and his great encouragement in prayer ; 
 they are firmly believed and fervently pled by all 
 who are exercised unto godliness ; they revive their 
 hearts under spiritual languishment, strengthen 
 them in weakness, and comfort them in the day of 
 distress ; they are found in rich variety through the 
 word of God ; and there is not a situation to which 
 a believer can be reduced, but some corresponding 
 promise may be found in Scripture. Thus, do 
 believers stand in need of temporal support, as we 
 showed you in the preceding part of the discourse ? 
 Then this is graciously promised, and shall be be- 
 stowed, Isaiah xxxiii. 16 — " Bread shall be given 
 him, his waters shall be made sure." Do they stand 
 
TIIE BELIEVER'S VARroUS NECESSITIES. 79 
 
 in need of spiritual instruction ? This also is pro- 
 mised, Ps. xxv. 8 — " Good and upright is the 
 Lord, therefore will he teach sinners in the way." 
 Do they stand in need of divine protection ? This, 
 likewise, is matter of promise, Ps. xci. 4 — " He 
 shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his 
 wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield 
 and buckler." Do they stand in need of an in- 
 crease of spiritual strength ? This blessing is also 
 promised, Zech. x. 12 — " And I will strengthen 
 them in the Lord, and they shall w r alk up and 
 down in his name, saith the Lord." Do they re- 
 quire fatherly correction ? This also is promised, 
 " Ps. lxxxix. 30—32—" If his children forsake 
 my law, and walk not ua my judgments ; if they 
 break my statutes, and keep not my command- 
 ments; then will I visit their transgression with 
 the rod, and their iniquity with stripes." Will they 
 stand in need of consolation and support at the 
 hour of death ? This also is graciously promised, 
 Ps. xxiii. 4 — " Yea, though I walk through the 
 valley of the shadow r of death, I will fear no evil : 
 for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they 
 comfort me ;" and Ps. lxxiii. 26 — " My flesh and 
 my heart faileth, but God is the strength of my 
 heart and my portion for ever." Finally, do they 
 need any other good thing which hath not been 
 mentioned ? Every good thing is included in these 
 comprehensive promises: — Ps. xxxiv. 9, 10 — " O 
 fear the Lord, ye his saints; for there is no want 
 to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, 
 and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord 
 shall not want any good thing." Ps. lxxxiv. 11. 
 — " The Lord God is a snn and shield ; the Lord 
 will give grace and glory : no good thing will he 
 withhold from them that walk upright lv." Are 
 these the promises of the true and faithful God? 
 
80 god's gracious supplies equal to 
 
 and shall they not be accomplished unto those who 
 are in Christ Jesus, in whom they are all yea as 
 to their certainty ', and amen as to their fulfilment, 
 unto the glory of God? Do not these promises 
 lay a solid foundation for the belief of the declara- 
 tion in our text, " My God shall supply all your 
 need according to his riches in glory by Christ 
 Jesus " ? " Hath he said, and shall he not do it ? 
 or hath he spoken, and will he not bring it to pass ?" 
 We now proceed to show you 
 
 III. The manner in which God will supply the 
 Christian's wants — " according to his riches in 
 glory by Christ Jesus." 
 
 1st. God will supply the wants of his people 
 suitably, or in a manner agreeable to their nature 
 and diversified necessities. Much of the wisdom 
 and goodness of God appears in the provision 
 w r hich he has made for the various creatures of his 
 power. As their natures and modes of life are 
 different, so he hath provided sustenance suited to 
 their natures and capacities. The inhabitants of 
 the deep find suitable food in the mighty ocean ; 
 the animals which graze in the fields, find in the 
 grass and herbage with which the earth is clothed 
 and adorned, proper supply ; and man himself, de- 
 pendent also upon the field, is fed with food con- 
 venient for him. In this wonderful provision of 
 providence the wisdom and goodness of God are 
 apparent, and ought to be acknowledged and 
 praised by the sons of men. But the same wis- 
 dom and goodness are displayed, if possible, in a 
 still higher degree, in the suitable supply of the 
 Christian's spiritual necessities. These are nu- 
 merous and diversified ; but as they are all well 
 known to God, so they are amply and properly 
 provided for in the fulness of Christ Jesus. It is 
 
THE BELIEVEU'6 VARIOUS NECESSITIES. 81 
 
 impossible for a Christian to feel any spiritual 
 want, to which this fulness does not afford a 
 suitable supply. Here is milk for babes, and 
 meat for men ; medicine for the sick, and cordials 
 for the comfortless ; strength for the weak, and 
 succour for the tempted ; light for such as are in 
 darkness, and life for the dead. In short, the pro- 
 vision of a wise steward is not more suited to the 
 wants of a numerous family, or the prescriptions of 
 a skilful physician to the situation of his patients, 
 than the communications of Christ Jesus are 
 adapted to the particular cases of all the children 
 of his family. Whatever is good in itself, and 
 suited to their situation, they may be assured the 
 Lord will give, and he will bestow upon them 
 nothing of an opposite nature. In their blind, 
 misjudging minds, indeed, they may imagine that 
 other things are necessary than those which he 
 bestows ; and, like persons under disease, they may 
 desire things that would prove hurtful to them ; 
 but as the Lord is a God of judgment, and sees 
 that they would be injurious to them, in his mercy 
 and love he kindly withholds them. He always 
 consults his people's profit, and not their pleasurt. 
 and will therefore supply their need in a manner 
 that is suited to their situation and circumstances, 
 and calculated to promote their spiritual improve- 
 ment and growth in grace. 
 
 2d. God will supply the wants of his people 
 seasonably, or at such a time as is requisite and 
 proper. The wisdom and goodness of God arc 
 not only conspicuous in providing suitable Ripply 
 for all his creatures, but in bestowing it upon thern 
 in due season. The Psalmist notices this in re- 
 gard to the support of tin 4 interior animals, and the 
 same is observable with respect to the supply of 
 real Christians. Ps. cxlvi. 15 — "The eye> of all 
 
 E 
 
82 god's gracious supplies equal to 
 
 wait upon thee, and thou givest them their meat in 
 due season. ,, God not only gives his people what 
 is suitable for them, but he confers it at the season 
 when it is needful. Were it not bestowed in this 
 manner, it would lose much of its value. Though 
 the bounties of providence are indispensably neces- 
 sary for the support of natural life, yet there are 
 some seasons when they are peculiarly needful, when 
 the cravings of hunger and thirst are so pressing 
 that without some immediate supply, we could not 
 exist. In like manner, although we continually 
 depend upon the grace of God, and the supplies of 
 his Spirit, yet there are some seasons in the Chris- 
 tian life, when they are peculiarly needful. And 
 surely we must have been extremely inattentive to 
 the conduct of providence, if we have not remarked 
 how he hath sent us supplies in time of need. 
 " When I said my foot slippeth, thy mercy, O 
 Lord, held me up." When we have been called 
 to new and difficult duties ; when we have been 
 visited with severe and sharp affliction, and ready 
 to sink under its weight, hath not his grace been 
 sufficient for us, and his mercy come seasonably to 
 our relief ? When Paul was forsaken of all men, 
 the Lord stood by him; when his afflictions abound- 
 ed, his consolations were proportioned; and God 
 was a present help to him in every time of need. 
 The gracious supplies of heaven will not be afforded 
 sooner than necessary, but they will not be deferred 
 a moment longer than they are requisite. God, 
 who is infinitely wise and good, knows the precise 
 time when these supplies are needful, and when 
 this period arrives, he will immediately bestow 
 them. This may teach Christians the propriety 
 of daily depending upon God for the seasonable 
 supplies of his Spirit. For these they must wait 
 upon him with patience ; for, though their prayers 
 
THE BELIEVER'S VARIOUS NECESSITIES. 83 
 
 may be delayed, they are not denied ; and though 
 the promises are not immediately fulfilled, they are 
 not falsified. Hab. ii. 3 — " The vision is yet for an 
 appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and 
 not lie : though it tarry, wait for it ; because it 
 will surely come, it will not tarry." 
 
 3d. God will supply the w r ants of his people 
 abundantly, or in a manner becoming his own rich 
 and glorious grace. This is the circumstance marked 
 in the text — " He will supply all your need ac- 
 cording to his riches in glory," or his glorious riches, 
 " by Christ Jesus." When persons give for the 
 support of the indigent in this world, their liberality 
 bears some proportion to their station and affluence. 
 While the widow throws in her mite, the rich cast 
 in of their abundance. This, indeed, is not always 
 the case ; for the rich are sometimes covetous and 
 worldly-minded, and do not give according to their 
 ability, or the wants of their indigent brethren. 
 This, however, is never the case with the giver of 
 all good, when he supplies the w r ants of his people. 
 As he is infinitelv rich, so he is inconceivablv 
 liberal ; he opens his liberal hand, and abundantly 
 >upplies all their returning wants. Ps. xxxvi. 8 — 
 •* They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fat- 
 ness of thy house ; and thou shalt make them drink 
 of the river of thy pleasure-. Contemplate, 
 Christians, the infinite fulness and glory of God, 
 and you may, in some measure, conceive what 
 your supply shall be. Consider the infinite foun- 
 tain, and you may be enabled to form some idea of 
 the streams. The believer, with regard to temporal 
 comforts, may be poorly supplied; nay, he may 
 sometimes be in straits: but as to spiritual blessing 
 he is never straitened. Does God pardon? 1 1 1 - 
 pardons abundantly. Is. lv. 7 — " And to our God. 
 for he will abundantly pardon." 1 )oes he cause the 
 
84 god's gracious supplies equal to 
 
 Spirit to descend? He sheds him down abundantly. 
 Tit. iii. 6 — " Which he shed on us abundantly 
 through Jesus Christ our Saviour." Is a spiritual 
 feast provided for their entertainment ? It is abun- 
 dant; and hence the invitation, " Eat, O friends; 
 drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved." When 
 he bestows grace, he makes it to abound towards 
 them, and he will minister unto them an entrance 
 abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our 
 Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The Christian, 
 therefore, is straitened only in his own narrow 
 capacity, which, like the widow's vessels, is un- 
 able to contain the abundance ready to be poured 
 into him; and hence God, desirous of commu- 
 nicating more of himself to his people, says, Ps. 
 lxxxi. 10, " Open thy mouth wide, and I will 
 fill it." 
 
 4th. God will supply the wants of his people 
 continually, or without any intermission. As 
 Christians in this world are in perpetual spiritual 
 indigence, so a constant supply is necessary, and 
 shall be conveyed to them. They daily stand in 
 need of the bounties of providence, to support 
 their bodies, and they continually depend upon the 
 influences of the Spirit, to preserve and strengthen 
 the divine life in their souls. Without new com- 
 munications of light and life from above, Christians 
 could not live, and be happy for a single moment. 
 As these continued supplies are necessary, so we 
 are assured they shall be afforded to them; for con- 
 cerning the church it is promised, Is. xxvii. 3, 
 " I the Lord do keep it ; I will water it every 
 moment : lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and 
 day." The resources of the poor in this world may 
 fail, and their temporal supplies may be cut off; 
 a friend who has long supported them by his li- 
 berality may die, and they may be left destitute; 
 
THE BELIEVER S VAKIOUS NECESSITIES. 85 
 
 but this can never be the case with the Chris- 
 tian as to his spiritual support. The fountain 
 whence he is supplied is perennial; and the friend 
 on whom he relies is immortal. The mercy of God 
 shall continue to follow him, as the water did the 
 Israelites in the desert, until he reach the promised 
 land. The love of God to him is everlasting, 
 his goodness endureth for ever. Hence it is pro- 
 mised, Is. lviii. 11, " The Lord shall guide thee 
 continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and 
 make fat "thy bones : and thou shalt be like a wa- 
 tered garden, and like a spring of water, whose 
 waters fail not." 
 
 5th. God will supply the wants of his people ten- 
 derly, or with all the affection of the kindest friend. 
 This adds an unspeakable charm to every favour 
 which they receive. Although the indigent may 
 sometimes obtain supply in this world, yet it is 
 often granted with so much reluctance, and bestowed 
 with so much asperity, as in a great measure to 
 diminish, if not to destroy its value. But all the 
 favours and blessings which God bestows upon his 
 people, are freely conferred and tenderly bestowed. 
 His heart, so to speak, is in his hand, his favour- 
 proceed from affection, and his love is inscribed upon 
 them. A father does not supply the wants of his 
 beloved children with so much tenderness, a- the 
 Father of mercies supplies the necessities of th< 
 who love and serve him. This is the beautiful 
 simile employed by the Psalmist, eiii. 13, c * Like 
 as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitietii 
 them who fear him." In all their afflictions lie is 
 afflicted; the angel of his presence saves them ; in 
 his love and pity he redeems them; and he low- 
 and carries them as in the days of old. Zion, in- 
 deed, in her unbelief, may Bay, the Lord hath i 
 saken me, and my Lord hath forget ten me 
 
86 god's gracious supplies equal to 
 
 Zion's God says, Is. xlix. 15, " Can a woman 
 forget her sucking child, that she should not have 
 compassion on the son of her womb ? Yea, they 
 may forget, yet will I not forget thee." The good 
 Samaritan did not so tenderly bind up the wounds 
 of the man in distress, and generously supply his 
 wants, as the God of consolation binds up the 
 broken-hearted Christian, and comforts all that 
 mourn. In the performance of this service to his 
 people, he feels the greatest pleasure; and hence it 
 is said, Jer. xxxii. 41, that " he rejoices over them 
 to do them good." But in the 
 
 6th and last place, God will supply the wants of 
 his people through Christ Jesus. He is consti- 
 tuted the great and sole medium of communication 
 between God and men. As God is infinitely holy, 
 so he cannot in consistency with his nature and per- 
 fections, maintain any friendly intercourse with 
 sinful creatures, except through a Mediator. 
 Blessed be his name ! a Mediator is provided and 
 revealed for this great and important design ; for 
 as there is one God, so there is " one Mediator 
 betwixt God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who 
 gave himself a ransom for all." It is by Christ 
 Jesus that God reveals himself to sinful men ; and it 
 is through Christ Jesus that sinners must approach 
 to God. He " is the way, the truth, and the life; no 
 man cometh unto the Father but by him." It is by 
 Christ Jesus, as our New Testament altar, that all 
 our services and sacrifices must be offered unto God; 
 and it is through him we must expect to receive 
 from God every necessary and promised blessing. 
 As Christ Jesus purchased all the blessings of the 
 covenant for his people by his most precious blood, 
 so he is employed, as the king of Zion, in dispensing 
 them to the objects of his love. Believers are, 
 therefore, said to be blessed in Christ Jesus with 
 
THE BELIEVER'S VARIOUS NECESSITIES. 87 
 
 every spiritual blessing. In order to receive these, 
 it is necessary to be united to him ; for union to 
 Christ must always precede communion with him. 
 All the mercy and grace which have been bestowed 
 upon sinners since the foundation of the world, have 
 been communicated to them through Christ Jesus, 
 and the happiness of heaven shall flow to them 
 through the same glorious channel. It is through 
 Christ Jesus that Christians in this world obtain the 
 pardon of their sins, and the supplies of the Spirit, 
 grace to assist them, and comfort to support them : 
 it is by him they have access unto that grace 
 wherein believers stand, and rejoice in hope of the 
 glory of God ; and it is through and by him that 
 the crown of glory, and the felicity of a future world, 
 shall be conferred upon them. Eternal life is the 
 gift of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Hence 
 he is represented, in the book of the Reve- 
 lation, as leading and feeding his people in the 
 celestial world. Rev. vii. 17 — " For the Lamb, 
 which is in the midst of the throne, shall feed them, 
 and shall lead unto living fountains of waters ; and 
 God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." 
 
 We now conclude with some application of this 
 subject : and in the 
 
 1st. place, from what hath been said, you may 
 see one leading feature in the character of every 
 true Christian. He is one who is humble and 
 self-denied, and deeply sensible of his spiritual 
 wants. He is one who sees and feels that of him- 
 self he has nothing, and can do nothing, that i^ 
 good, and that it is only by Christ strengthening 
 him he can do all tiling, lie is one, therefore, 
 who is daily growing in humility and in dependaner 
 upon Christ Jesus. He feels and discovers an in- 
 creasing hatred to sin and love to holiness, and de- 
 sires to wait upon the institutions of religion with a 
 
88 god's gracious supplies equal to 
 
 humble and hungry heart. Were Christians pos- 
 sessed of more of this humility and poverty of spirit, 
 they would derive greater benefit from attendance 
 upon ordinances ; for Luke i. 53, " He hath filled 
 the hungry with good things ; and the rich," or the 
 full, " he hath sent empty away." 
 
 2d. From this subject, you may see the absolute 
 necessity of vital union to the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 Without this union we cannot be Christians, or have 
 any part in the blessings of a Redeemers purchase. 
 " If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is 
 none of his." And Christ Jesus must be u in us 
 except we be reprobates." This union is necessary 
 to the conveyance of every spiritual blessing. Can 
 a branch grow that is not in the vine ? Can it de- 
 rive sap and nourishment from the stem ? Must it 
 not, if severed from it, become dry and withered, 
 fit only to be cast into the fire and burned ? Can 
 a professing Christian, if not united to Jesus Christ, 
 derive any saving benefit from him? Upon this 
 union, his justification andsanctification,his progress 
 and perseverance in the christian life, depend ; for 
 union must precede communion, as life does action, 
 or a cause its effect. Alas ! how many professing 
 disciples of Christ are not united truly to him ! 
 They remain like loose stones scattered about, but 
 not built on Jesus Christ, the foundation. They 
 may call themselves Christians, and be so denomi- 
 nated by others, but if they remain thus uncon- 
 nected with him, he will say unto them at last, 
 " depart from me, I never knew you, ye workers of 
 iniquity." 
 
 3d. From this subject, you may learn, that it is 
 the duty of every believer to pray to God for this 
 promised supply. Although God has said that he 
 will supply the wants of his people, yet this de- 
 claration by no means supersedes the necessity of 
 
THE BELIEVER'S VARIOUS NECESSITIES. 89 
 
 fervent prayer. On the contrary, it lays a firm 
 foundation for the performance of this duty. The 
 promises of God are a great encouragement to 
 prayer, and must regulate our petitions at a throne of 
 grace. We must not only pray because he hath 
 promised, but as he has promised, and the prayer 
 of faith shall be heard. Though God promised to 
 his people a new heart, and a right spirit, yet he 
 says, Ezek. xxxvi. 37, " I will yet for this be in- 
 quired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them. " 
 Let Christians, therefore, " be careful for nothing, 
 but in every thing, by prayer and supplication with 
 thanksgiving, make known their requests unto 
 God." 
 
 4th. From what hath been said, we may see the 
 sin and folly of the Christian in departing from 
 God, and going to any other source for those sup- 
 plies which he alone can bestow. Are you in 
 want of any thing that is good for you ? and are 
 not all things to be found in God ? Why, then, 
 should you forsake him ? Let the men of this 
 world, who know not God, go to it for comfort and 
 relief ; but let Christians go to their God in Christ 
 Jesus, who has promised to supply all their want> 
 Apply any where, every where else, and sorrow or 
 disappointment shall attend you. Hos. v. 13 — 
 11 When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw 
 his wound, then went Ephiaim to the Assyrian, 
 and sent to king Jareb : yet could he not heal you, 
 nor cure you of your wound." fcl Behold, there- 
 fore, we come unto thee, (let all real Christians 
 say), for thou art the Lord our God!" 
 
 5th. From this subject you may also learn under 
 what obligations believers are laid, to love and sem 
 the Lord their God. As God is a being infinitely 
 amiable, so he ought to be loved with supreme 
 affection by all his rational creatures ; but he ought 
 
 E 2 
 
90 god's gracious supplies, etc. 
 
 especially to be loved by his people, for what he has 
 done for them, for what he hath promised to do, and 
 shall perform. Are we not bound to love a friend 
 who has generously supplied our wants, and promis- 
 ed still to relieve us in time of need ? and must we 
 not be bound to love our best friend, and bountiful 
 benefactor, who not only does us good himself, but 
 gives ability and inclination to others to assist us ? 
 Yes, we ow 7 e to him the whole love of our hearts, 
 and the entire obedience of our lives. " O love the 
 Lord all ye his saints, because the Lord doth guide 
 and guard the faithful." 
 
 6th. And to conclude, from what hath been said, 
 you may see the peculiar happiness of the people of 
 God, and friends of Jesus. They are happy be- 
 cause all their wants shall be supplied. Perhaps, 
 in the prospect of engaging in duty, and being ex- 
 posed to danger and temptation, they may be dis- 
 couraged, and be led to say, under a sense of their 
 wants and weakness, what shall we do ? The de- 
 claration of the text is sufficient to support them — 
 " My God shall supply all your need." The Lord 
 shall go with his people wherever they go ; his wis- 
 dom shall be their guide, his power their protection, 
 and his fulness their supply. Depend upon his 
 grace, believe his promise, and wait for its accom- 
 plishment. We conclude the whole with the com- 
 fortable assurance, Ps. xxxiv. 10, " The young 
 lions do lack, and suffer hunger : but they that 
 seek the Lord shall not want any good thing." 
 Amen ! 
 
SERMON II. 
 
 THE CHRISTIAN CAUTIONED AGAINST FEAR. 
 
 Isaiah xli. 10. 
 
 " Fear thou not ; for I am with thee : be not dismayed ; for I 
 am thy God : I will strengthen thee ; yea, I will help thee ; 
 yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." 
 
 Fear is an emotion of the mind which arises from 
 the apprehension of threatened or impending evil. 
 Ever since our fatal apostacy from God, it has main- 
 tained its place in our hearts ; and although not 
 always sinful in itself, yet, like shame and sickness, 
 it is one of the sad and mournful consequences of 
 our transgression. Previous to the introduction of 
 sin, man was a stranger to this feeling; for being 
 at peace with God, and having no evil to dread, 
 all was then smooth and smiling without him, 
 as all was peace and harmony within. But 
 fear is now become one of the most powerful prin- 
 ciples in human nature, and has a commanding in- 
 fluence upon our conduct and behaviour, it is highly 
 necessary for our peace and comfort that it be kept 
 under proper regulation. Not to be afraid, indeed, 
 where there is great cause for fear, which is the 
 case with every sinner, is false courage ; but to be 
 afraid when there is no reason, and dismayed when 
 there is no danger, is, in the real Christian, weak, 
 pusillanimous, and hurtful. There is nothing 
 which has a greater tendency to enfeeble and de- 
 tract his mind, to destroy his comfort, and obstruct 
 his progress. Thifl i-> contrary to the nature of 
 the christian religion, unsuitable to hi^ state ami 
 character as a Christian, reflects the neatest dis- 
 honour upon God, who is ^raciou> and alinightv. 
 and deprives his soul of that consolation and M 
 
92 THE CHRISTIAN CAUTIONED 
 
 which he might otherwise enjoy. As this fear, 
 then, when improperly indulged, is hurtful in itself, 
 so it is offensive unto Almighty God, who takes 
 pleasure in the peace and happiness of his people ; 
 rejoices over to do them good, and desires them to 
 place in him the most unreserved trust and con- 
 fidence. Accordingly, we find him, in Sacred 
 Scripture, gently chiding his people for surrender- 
 ing themselves to despondence and deep alarm, 
 and proposing to their faith such considerations 
 as are exactly calculated to remove them. Re- 
 markable in this light are the words which we 
 have just now read as the subject of the following 
 discourse. Under the distressing fears which they 
 felt and discovered from a view of the number, 
 power, and policy of their enemies, their gracious 
 and merciful God thus addresses them, "Fear thou 
 not ; for I am with thee : be not dismayed ; for I 
 am thy God : I will strengthen thee ; yea, I will 
 help thee ; yea, I will uphold thee with the right 
 hand of my righteousness." 
 
 In discoursing on this subject, we humbly pro- 
 pose, through divine aid — 
 
 I. To mention and illustrate some of those 
 things of which even the people of God are apt oc- 
 casionally to be afraid. 
 
 II. To consider and illustrate the comfortable 
 truths which are here suggested to their attention, 
 and show you how they are calculated to remove 
 their fears. 
 
 And O that the Lord may enable us so to speak 
 and hear upon this comfortable subject, that every 
 desponding fear may be dispelled, every doubt re- 
 moved from the minds of his own people, and that 
 we may be filled with joy and peace ! 
 
AGAINST FEAR. 93 
 
 I. Some of those things of which even the 
 people of God are prone to be afraid. 
 
 1st. The people of God are apt to entertain a 
 slavish fear of God himself. A reverential and 
 filial fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, 
 and the foundation of all religion. This is due to 
 him from all his intelligent offspring, and will ever 
 be preserved upon the minds, and apparent in the 
 conduct, of all who know and obey him. " Who 
 shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name, 
 for thou only art holy." " Great is the Lord, and 
 greatly to be feared, and to be had in reverence of 
 all them that are about him." And, therefore, 
 when God is served acceptably, it will be with 
 reverence and godly fear. But the fear of which 
 we are now speaking is of a quite different nature. 
 It is slavish and sinful ; founded upon false or mis- 
 taken views of God ; unsuitable to the Christian's 
 relation to him, and his relation unto his people. It 
 is the dread of him as an avenging and implacable 
 adversary, and causes the Christian to tremble in 
 his presence, to think of him with terror, and 
 to perform all his services to him with consterna- 
 tion and dismay. While the Christian is under 
 the influence of this servile fear, instead of think- 
 ing upon God with pleasure and delight, and ap- 
 proaching to him with humble, filial boldness, be 
 thinks upon him with terror, and dreads die execu- 
 tion of his threatened vengeance. Some such fear. 
 it would seem, was experienced by the pious Asaph. 
 as he himself informs us, Ps. lxxvii. :$, k * I remem- 
 bered God, and was troubled;" and also by David 
 as he declares, Ps. cxix. T20, M My flesh nvmbleth 
 for fear of thee ; and I am afraid 01 thy judgments." 
 
 2d. The people of God are apt to be afraid o( 
 the persecution of wicked men. This is abun- 
 dantly evident from the words of our blessed Lord, 
 
94 THE CHRISTIAN CAUTIONED 
 
 Luke xii. 4, " I say unto you, my friends, be not 
 afraid of them that kill the body, and after that 
 have no more that they can do." Although this 
 is the utmost to which the rage and power of 
 wicked men can go, and although the Christian's 
 better part and dearest interest are safe beyond 
 their reach, yet, as suffering is terrible to humanity, 
 especially when clad in all the horrors which per- 
 secuting ingenuity can devise, it may shake the 
 firmness of the inexperienced Christian, and fill his 
 breast with terror and dismay. The cruel mockery 
 of the world too is hard to be endured, and is, 
 therefore, mentioned as one of the severest trials 
 to which primitive believers were exposed, Heb. 
 xi. 36, " and others had trial of cruel mockings and 
 scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprison- 
 ment." These are apt to intimidate the Christian's 
 mind, and to induce him to make undue compliances 
 in order to avoid them. Hence, the fear of man and 
 the scorn of the world often bring a snare ; they 
 shake the Christian's trust in God, and lead him into 
 the commission of sin. Such seems to have been the 
 situation of Israel in this context, and therefore 
 they are warned of their danger, and cautioned 
 against compliance with the temptation. What 
 though the islands saw it and were moved — what 
 though armies numerous and powerful were assem- 
 bled — what though the heathen should rage against 
 them, and threaten their destruction ? They were 
 not to be afraid. " Fear not," says the Lord, " for I 
 am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God." 
 3d. The people of God are apt to be afraid of 
 the power, the policy, and temptations of the 
 wicked one. That such a powerful and malicious 
 spirit exists, will not be denied by any who believe 
 divine revelation. Therein we are informed that 
 he was the chief leader of the numerous host of 
 
AGAINST FEAR. 95 
 
 angels who, on account of their rebellion, were 
 banished the abodes of bliss, and are now reserved, 
 under chains of darkness, unto the judgment of the 
 great day. Possessed as he is of great power, 
 and stimulated by the fell passions of malice and 
 envy, he is equally an enemy to the counsels of God 
 and the salvation of men. He goes about continual- 
 ly, as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 
 Early he began the work of destruction, and he will 
 continue it until the end. Our first parents he se- 
 duced from their allegiance unto heaven ; he sought 
 the destruction of the patient patriarch Job; he 
 moved David to number the people ; he persuaded 
 Ahab, to his ruin, to fight against the king of 
 Syria ; stood at the right hand of Joshua to oppose 
 him; and urged our Saviour, in the wildnerness, to 
 the horrid crime of self-destruction. Impelled by 
 the same passions, and enraged to see his subject^ 
 rescued from his dark dominion, he is furious and in- 
 defatigable, and the servants of God are the ob- 
 jects of his keenest malice and constant hatred. 
 He wisely suits his temptations to their tempers 
 and dispositions, and uses every mean and method 
 in his power to ensnare and to destroy them. At 
 one time he threatens, at another he allures ; now 
 he tempts to presume, and now to despair. The 
 pleasures of sin he represents as innocent, and con- 
 stant watchfulness as unnecessary anxiety and un- 
 fashionable precision. He knows how to catch 
 their attention and to inflame their desires, to tomm 
 their passions and to take advantage of their weak- 
 nesses, and thus to lead them to sin against 
 God, and wound their own souls. Against tin- 
 crafty and powerful adversary the people of God 
 maintain a daily opposition, for " they wrestle not 
 against flesh and blood, but against principalities. 
 against powers, against the rulers of the darkaeaa 
 
96 THE CHRISTIAN CAUTIONED 
 
 of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high 
 places." But when they consider his power and 
 policy ; when they consider how many strong men 
 have fallen before him, and reflect upon their 
 own weakness, and ignorance, they are apt to be 
 afraid of him — to fear lest he may gain an ad- 
 vantage over them, and they may be left to fall in 
 the unequal combat, to the wounding of their con- 
 sciences, the discredit of religion, and the offending 
 of their God. 
 
 4th. The people of God are apt to be afraid of 
 being again brought under the condemning and 
 reigning power of sin. Sin is indeed the most ter- 
 rible thing in the whole universe of God. It is this 
 which renders God an enemy to man, and man an 
 enemy to himself. It is this which hath armed the 
 creation against us ; which gives affliction its spear, 
 conscience its arrows, death its sting, and hell its tor- 
 ment. It is this which rendered the sufferings of 
 the Son of God in human nature necessary, for with- 
 out the shedding of blood there is no remission 
 of sin. In the day of conviction, the Christian 
 saw himself under its guilt, and was afraid ; 
 he also beheld the Saviour as the propitiation 
 for sin, and as the end of the law for righteous- 
 ness to all who believe and obey him. To Jesus, 
 then, under a sense of guilt, he fled, in him he 
 believed, and through him he obtained the for- 
 giveness of his sins, according to the riches of 
 divine grace. Being found in Christ Jesus, to him 
 there is now no condemnation ; he walks not after 
 the flesh, but after the spirit ; he is washed, and 
 justified, and sanctified, and the power of sin begun 
 to be subdued in his soul, shall never again obtain 
 dominion over him, for he is not under the law, but 
 under grace. He is completely justified in the 
 sight of God, accepted in the beloved, and shall 
 
AGAINST FEAR. 07 
 
 assuredly be kept, by the power of God, from sin, 
 through faith unto salvation. But the reality and 
 comfortable knowledge of this are perfectly distinct ; 
 for although the believer in his justification is freed 
 from condemnation, has actually passed from death 
 unto life, yet he does not always enjoy the imme- 
 diate sense, or comfortable assurance, of this ; nor, 
 though he may, upon some happy occasion, obtain it, 
 and hear the voice of mercy addressing him, " Son, 
 be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven thee," is he 
 able constantly to preserve it. Upon the renewed 
 commission of sin, new guilt is contracted, new 
 fears arise and fill his soul with perplexity and dis- 
 tress. He feels that sin has still an unhappy in- 
 fluence over him, and he questions if such an in- 
 fluence is consistent with a state of safety and ac- 
 ceptance with God. His numerous and aggravated 
 transgressions arise in awful magnitude before him, 
 they set themselves as in battle array against him, 
 and losing sight of the grace and mercy of God in 
 Christ Jesus, he is filled with despondency and dis- 
 tressing fears. Now he is apt to call in question the 
 very foundation of his hope, and to express himself 
 in the mournful language of the prophet personify- 
 ing the Church — Lam. iii. 18, " 1 said, my strength 
 and my hope is perished from the Lord; thy fierce 
 wrath goeth over me, and thy terrors have cut me 
 off." 
 
 5th. The people of God may be afraid in th* 
 prospect of some difficult <luti(s, which they may 
 oi called to perform, or of souk sharp affliction* 
 which they may have occasion to endure* Con- 
 scious of their own weakness, they are sensible thai 
 of themselves they are not sufficient to think a good 
 thought, far less to perform a good action. The 
 easiest duty, if unaided by divine grace, would be 
 too difficult for them, and the lightest load too 
 
98 THE CHRISTIAN CAUTION FD 
 
 heavy. How much more those that are hard and 
 severe, that have hitherto been untried, and from 
 which they have happily been exempted ! In the 
 prospect of engaging in these duties, then — duties 
 solemn and important — they are apt to be dispirited 
 and dejected ; fear may fill their hearts, and they 
 may be led to say, " we know not what to do, but 
 our eyes are towards thee." This fear, too, they 
 are apt to experience in prospect of sharp afflictions. 
 These being contrary to their natural inclination, 
 for no affliction for the present is joyous, but grievous ; 
 being clad, too, in black and awful colours, Chris- 
 tians may wish to avoid. When, therefore, they 
 see them approaching, when, like Paul, they know 
 that bonds and afflictions are awaiting them — afflic- 
 tions tedious and severe in their persons, in their 
 families, or circumstances — they may be intimidated 
 by the dreadful prospect, and afraid that they shall 
 not be able to act in such a manner as shall be 
 agreeable to the will of God, suitable to their Chris- 
 tian character, and have a tendency to promote the 
 glory of the great Lord and giver of all. As a sol- 
 dier who has received a difficult and important 
 charge, may be afraid of his failing in its execution, 
 and his fear produce excessive carefulness and un- 
 manly trembling, so the Christian's fear upon these 
 occasions, may damp his spirits and oppress his 
 mind, when he is called to arise and be doing, to 
 be strong in the Lord and in the power of his 
 might. 
 
 6 th. The people of God may be afraid of final 
 apostacy and of coming short of heaven. Such 
 is the constitution of the human mind, that when 
 the heart is set upon any object of very great im- 
 portance, and of the enjoyment of which it is not 
 absolutely certain, it must always feel a propor- 
 tional degree of fear and of anxiety lest it should 
 
AGAINST FEAR. 99 
 
 lose it. Now as heaven, or the perfect enjoyment 
 of God in a future world, is the great object upon 
 which the heart of every Christian is supremely 
 fixed, it is evident that if he has not obtained and 
 does not enjoy the full assurance of hope, he will 
 experience a distressing fear of finally coming short 
 of it. Nor is this fear altogether sinful or unne- 
 cessary ; on the contrary, it is of great importance 
 in the christian life, as, when kept within due 
 bounds, it excites the Christian to greater diligence 
 and care, and leads him to work out his salvation 
 with persevering earnestness. But the fear of which 
 we now speak is different in its nature, and when 
 cherished is productive of the worst effects. Arising 
 from weakness of faith in the power and promises 
 of God, it damps the Christian's ardour, slackens 
 his diligence, and leads him to view heaven and 
 eternal glory as unattainable by him. Under the 
 influence of this principle he will be apt to express 
 himself in some such language as the following : — 
 " Earnestly do I desire to finish my course, and 
 to attain unto the enjoyment of God in the celes- 
 tial mansions for ever. But then, alas ! I feel so 
 much weakness and opposition, and am so often 
 vanquished by my spiritual foes, that I fear I shall 
 one day fall by the hand of some of them. 
 When I consider what small progress I haw 
 hitherto been enabled to make, how closely my 
 way is beset with snares, enearies, and dangers — 
 how many temptations I have to resist, how many 
 corruptions to subdue, how many painful steps to 
 take, and how many arduous struggles to endure — 
 how much watching, and rigour, and self-denial, 
 are necessary, my mind is overpowered, and I fear 
 that, like Israel of old, I shall fall in the wilderness, 
 and never be permitted to (Miter the heavenly 
 Canaan. Heaven is not to be reached by indolence 
 
100 THE CHRISTIAN CAUTIONED 
 
 and inactivity. The gate which opens to it is strait, 
 the way which leads to it is narrow, and of the 
 great bulk of those who seem to be travelling to- 
 wards it, few, few shall find it. Alas ! I am 
 afraid that, after all, when I come to enter upon an 
 eternal world, when I come to cry, Lord open un- 
 to me, I shall hear that dreadful sentence, " depart 
 from me, I never knew thee." 
 
 7th. The people of God are apt to be afraid of 
 death, judgment, and eternity. These we join 
 together, because they are closely connected, and 
 the moment the first occurs, the others immediately 
 succeed. Death is to all men a serious and im- 
 portant, to most men it is an awful and much 
 dreaded event. In the immediate prospect of dis- 
 solution, there is something extremely amazing, 
 something upon which reluctant nature cannot look 
 unappalled. " When," says the fearful Christian, 
 " I seriously consider death, and look upon this 
 king of terrors in all his awful majesty ; when 
 I view his usual forerunners, pain, sickness, or 
 lingering disease, when my body shall be consum- 
 ed as a moth, when I shall be chastened with pain 
 upon my bed, and the multitude of my bones with 
 strong pain; when I consider him approaching me 
 with unfeeling cruelty, cutting me off from the 
 stage of life, the light of the world, the means of 
 grace, and all the endearments of social intercourse ; 
 when I reflect upon his dissolving this frame by 
 tearing asunder the two constituent parts of my 
 nature, consigning my body to the dark and 
 dreary grave, and sending away my soul to exist 
 separate in unknown regions, and an unknown man- 
 ner — when I seriously reflect upon these things, I 
 tremble at the thought ; and if it is so dreadful in 
 prospect, how dreadful in reality ! How shall I be 
 able to enter the gloomy vale, to bid farewell to 
 
AGAINST FEAR. ]01 
 
 life, to friends, and every earthly joy, to endure the 
 agonizing throes of expiring nature, and all the 
 terrors of my dying day ! But this, though much, 
 is only a part of my fear; 'tis only a part of the 
 awful scene I see full before me. Were death only 
 a departure from this world, a ceasing to exist in 
 this frail, sinful, and imperfect state, methinks I 
 could easily submit to it, and resign myself a wil- 
 ling subject to his dissolving power. But when I 
 consider a judgment to come, when I reflect upon 
 my appearing before the bar of a just, omniscient 
 judge, — a judge who has seen and known all my 
 actions, my most secret thoughts not excepted, — 
 a judge who is just to condemn, and powerful to 
 punish all his enemies, and who will by no means 
 clear the guilty — when I consider this awful ap- 
 pearance and strict account, and that my eternal 
 happiness or misery depends upon the decisive sen- 
 tence, how awful the thought ! How dreadful to 
 appear when God is judge, and when conscious of 
 guilt ! How shall I stand before this impartial tri- 
 bunal ! How look my judge in the face! How hear 
 the sentence pronounced that will fix my happiness 
 or misery for ever! The smallest apprehension of be- 
 ing condemned — and, alas ! I have too much reason 
 to apprehend it — awakens a degree of horror, and 
 fills my soul with dreadful consternation : so that 
 I may well say with the Psalmist, exix. 120 — " My 
 flesh trembleth for fear of God, and of his righteous 
 judgment my soul is much afraid." Thus we 
 have mentioned some of those things of which even 
 the people of God are apt to be afraid, and we 
 now proceed to the second division. 
 
 II. To consider the comfort which God suggests 
 in our text to believers, and show how it is calcu- 
 lated to remove these fears. This comfort natural 1\ 
 
102 THE CHRISTIAN CAUTIONED 
 
 divides itself into three parts, each of which we shall 
 endeavour very shortly to illustrate. The people of 
 God, then, are to dismiss these fears. 1st. Because 
 the Lord is their God. 2d. Because his gracious 
 presence ever attends them, and, 3dly, because he 
 will strengthen and support them with the right 
 hand of his righteousness. 
 
 1st. They are not to be afraid, for the Lord is 
 their God. By creation he is the God of nature 
 and of all the children of men. But this, instead of 
 being of any service to sinners, aggravates their 
 guilt, and insures their misery: for concerning them 
 he declares, he that made them will not have mercy 
 upon them, and he that formed them will show them 
 no favour. He is the God of his own people in a pe- 
 culiar manner, and consequently is the source of their 
 happiness and joy. Concerning them in love he 
 has declared, " ye shall be my people, and I will 
 be your God." Astonishing declaration ! Hearing 
 this in the gospel, the people of God have been 
 led, under the influence of the Spirit, to say, " the 
 Lord is our portion, and we will hope in him con- 
 tinually. ' ' Thus God in Christ becomes the 
 Christian's God, the object of his freest choice, his 
 firmest trust, his supreme delight. The sincere 
 language of his heart is, " ' whom have I in heaven 
 but thee, and there is none upon all the earth my 
 soul desires besides thee.' To thee, O my God, I 
 devote the warmest love of my heart, and the entire 
 and constant obedience of my life. While others 
 trust in vanity, and place their affections upon ob- 
 jects which cannot satisfy, I will trust in the Lord 
 my God; I will love him with all my heart, and 
 fear and serve him all the days of my life." In con- 
 sequence of this, a new and spiritual relation takes 
 place. He becomes theson and child of God through 
 Jesus Christ; God becomes his God, for he is an 
 
AGAINST FEAR. 103 
 
 heir of God, and a joint heir with Jesus Christ. All 
 the persons of the adorable Trinity, and all the per- 
 fections of the divine nature are engaged on his side, 
 and pledged for his happiness. Unto him the Lord 
 stands in every near and endearing relation; he is 
 his father and his friend, so that all that he either 
 is or has shall be enjoyed by him as his inheritance, 
 or blessed to him for his benefit and advantage. 
 The perfections of the divine nature look upon 
 him with mild propitious aspect, declaring that 
 they are engaged in his favour, and will be exerted 
 for his happiness. The power of God, for instance, is 
 the Christian's, to defend him ; the wisdom of God 
 is his, to counsel and direct him ; the holiness of 
 God is his, to sanctify and delight him ; the justice 
 of God is his, to secure his justification through the 
 imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ ; the truth 
 and veracity of God are his, to fulfil all the great 
 and precious promises which he has made ; the ful- 
 ness of God is his, to supply all his returning wants ; 
 his mercy to pardon his sins, and his immutability 
 and eternity to secure the continuance of his hap- 
 piness and the perpetuity of his bliss. Having 
 God in Christ, he has all things, for all things 
 are his. The earth is his, to support him ; the 
 word is his, to instruct and quicken him ; or- 
 dinances are his, to comfort and to refresh him : 
 ministers are his, to edify and instruct him ; pro- 
 vidence is his, to make all things work together for 
 his good ; life is his, to do service unto God, and 
 to finish his work upon earth ; death is his, to de- 
 liver him from a body of sin and death ; and heaven 
 and the glories of immortality are his fair and unfad- 
 ing inheritance, to crown his labours, and to complete 
 his joy. This, nay, more than this, more than we 
 can express or conceive, is included in having God 
 for our God. Is this God then — omnipotent, all- 
 
104 THE CHRISTIAN CAUTIONED 
 
 sufficient, and gracious — the true Christian's God ? 
 Why then should he be afraid ? Nay, rather, why 
 should he not triumph and exult? Afraid he should 
 be, will be, lest he should offend him; but while 
 under his protection, and enjoying his favour, he 
 should banish every sinful and servile fear. He 
 should say with an Apostle, " if God be for me and 
 be my God, who or what can be against me?" 
 " Why art thou cast down, O my soul, and w T hat 
 should discourage thee ? Still trust in God, for I 
 shall yet praise him; for he is the health of 
 my countenance and my God." This was the 
 source of comfort to David in the day of his dis- 
 tress, and may be the spring of consolation and en- 
 joyment to every real Christian. David was greatly 
 distressed, but he encouraged himself in the Lord 
 his God. Let all the children of Zion be joyful 
 in their God and King. Rising above fear, let 
 them adopt the sublime language of an ancient 
 Prophet, Hab. iii. 17, 18 — " Although the fig-tree 
 shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the 
 vines ; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the 
 fields shall yield no meat ; the flock shall be cut 
 off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the 
 stalls : yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy 
 in the God of my salvation." 
 
 2d. The people of God are not to be afraid, be- 
 cause his gracious presence ever attends them. 
 " Fear not, for I am with you;" I am your God 
 at hand, and not afar off. I surround you with 
 my presence, and will keep you from evil. God 
 indeed is every where present ; he fills all persons 
 and places ; pervades universal space, and is with 
 all the creatures and things which he has made. 
 Struck with this amazing truth, the Psalmist ex- 
 claims, Ps. cxxxix. 7 and 8 — " Whither shall I go 
 from thy Spirit ? or whither shall I flee from thy 
 
AGAINST FEAR. 105 
 
 presence ? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art 
 there : if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art 
 there. If I take the wings of the morning, and 
 dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea ; even there 
 shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall 
 hold me." But this presence of God, necessary to 
 the existence and support of all things, is no source 
 of comfort and consolation to the vicious and un- 
 godly ; on the contrary, it is an object of terror, 
 which they endeavour to banish from their minds, 
 for they cannot bear the reflection of a God present 
 to observe, and just to punish them for their sins. 
 But the gracious presence of God unknown, and 
 not desired by the wicked, is known and prized by 
 all who love his name. To them it is vouchsafed, 
 and by them enjoyed as their privilege and com- 
 fort. Of this they are never entirely deprived, 
 for God continually surrounds them with his favour, 
 protects them by his providence, guides them by 
 his counsel, and follows them with his love. " As 
 the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the 
 Lord is round about his people from henceforth, 
 even for ever." How gracious and condescending 
 in God to assure his people of this, and how may 
 the assurance banish their fears, and inspire them 
 with confidence and joy ! If even in this world the 
 presence of a faithful and powerful friend relieves 
 the timid heart, and inspires us with confidence 
 and hope, how much more may the gracious pre- 
 sence of the Almighty, a friend who sticketh closer 
 than a brother, and who is ready and able to help 
 us in every time of need ! This gracious presence 
 lias attended the people of God in every age, and 
 in every situation, and has wrought for them the 
 most wonderful deliverances. It was with Jacob 
 on his journey, and guided him in the way | it vrafl 
 with Joseph in the prison, and gave him favour 
 
 r 
 
106 THE CHRISTIAN CAUTIONED 
 
 with the keeper and the king ; it was with David 
 in his persecution, and preserved him from the 
 cruelty of Saul ; it was with Daniel in the den, 
 and shut the mouths of the lions ; it was with the 
 children in the furnace, and preserved them from 
 the fury of the fire ; it was with the apostles in the 
 prison, and converted it into a palace ; it was with 
 John in Patmos, and made that desert island blos- 
 som as a rose ; and it was with all the primitive 
 martyrs, comforted them under their severest suf- 
 ferings, led them to welcome the stake, to sing in 
 the flames, and to rejoice in the prospect of eter- 
 nal glory. And this same gracious presence, which 
 attended believers in such a remarkable manner 
 upon former occasions, will attend real Christians 
 still ; for God is still the same gracious and merci- 
 ful God, faithful to his promises, and unchange- 
 able in his love, and will by no means forsake those 
 who love and obey him. His presence shall at- 
 tend them during their sojourning on earth, and 
 will never leave them until they are brought to 
 heaven, the place of his immediate glorious pre- 
 sence, where they shall see his face in righteous- 
 ness, and be satisfied with his likeness for evermore. 
 And is not this sufficient to comfort the sorrowful, 
 and to animate the fearful Christian ? May not 
 this impart firmness to his mind, and confidence to 
 his heart ? May it not raise him above the slavish 
 fear of any, of all his enemies, even of his last 
 enemy, death, and enable him to triumph over 
 their power ? Hear how the faith of this supported 
 David in his distress, and even in the immediate 
 view of dissolution, Ps. xxiii. 4, " Yea, though I 
 walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I 
 will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod 
 and thy staff they comfort me." Concerning the 
 people of God, then, we may say, as Balaam said 
 
AGAINST FEAR. 107 
 
 of Israel, Num. xxiii. 21, " The Lord their God 
 is with them, and the shout of a king is among 
 them." In their way to the heavenly Canaan, 
 they walk as under a rich, refreshing canopy, hav- 
 ing omniscience for their guide, and omnipotence 
 for their guardian ; for the Lord of hosts is with 
 them, the God of Jacob is their refuge, according 
 to that comfortable and comprehensive promise, 
 Lev. xxvi. 1 1, 12, " I will set my tabernacle among 
 them, and my soul shall not abhor them. And 
 I will walk among them* and will be their God, 
 and they shall be my people." 
 
 3d. The people of God need not entertain sin- 
 ful or desponding fears, because the Lord will 
 strengthen and support them. This is expressed 
 by a variety of phrases in our text, all nearly con- 
 veying the same idea, and all tending to give Chris- 
 tians the fullest assurance of support. " I will 
 strengthen thee, I will help thee, yea, I will up- 
 hold thee by the right hand of my righteousness/ 1 
 This, then, enlarges the former ideas, and perfects 
 the whole. A friend in this world may be with us 
 in time of danger and distress, and yet from fear, 
 from weakness, or want of resolution, he may not 
 be able to afford us that assistance which we need, 
 or that support which we require. Indeed, the 
 presence of a friend, though tender and soothing, 
 is often unavailing ; he can only sympathize with 
 us in suffering, and many are the troubles we have 
 to bear, which he can neither alleviate nor remove. 
 But as God is his people's God, and his gracious 
 presence ever attends them, so his love will induce 
 him to impart that support whieli his knowledge 
 sees they need, and his power is able to bestow . 
 They can never be in such a situation that God 
 will be unable to help and deliver them. His grace 
 is always sufficient for them, and shall assuredly 
 
108 THE CHRISTIAN CAUTIONED 
 
 be communicated in the time of need ; for the 
 Lord never beholds his people struggling with sor- 
 rows, or ready to be overcome with trials, without 
 appearing seasonably in their favour, and vouch- 
 safing them suitable support. As his eye is con- 
 tinually upon them, so his ear is open to their cry, 
 and his hand, his righteous and omnipotent hand, 
 is ready to be stretched out for their protection and 
 relief. Like a skilful physician, he knows the cor- 
 dials w 7 hich will prove comfortable and strengthen- 
 ing to them, and knowing these, he will adminis- 
 ter them with tenderness and care. By these they 
 are revived and strengthened, and enabled to go on 
 their way rejoicing; for as we depend upon the 
 bounties of- heaven and the blessing of God for 
 the continuance and increase of our natural strength, 
 so, as Christians, we equally depend upon the 
 communications of the divine grace and Spirit 
 for the continuance and restoration of our spiritual 
 strength ; for " without God we can do nothing/' 
 This the word of God, and the experience of his 
 people, abundantly confirm, Zech. x. 12, "I will 
 strengthen them in the Lord; and they shall walk 
 up and down in his name, saith the Lord." Paul, 
 from his own experience, acknowledges this with 
 gratitude and joy, 2 Tim. iv. 16, 17, "At my 
 first answer no man stood with me, but all men 
 forsook me. Notwithstanding the Lord stood 
 w r ith me, and strengthened me, and I w r as delivered 
 out of the mouth of the lion." By this grace and 
 support Christians acquire a kind of omnipotency ; 
 " For I can do all things," says Paul, " through 
 Christ strengthening me." By this, difficult duties 
 become easy, and painful ones pleasant. By this, 
 strong temptations are easily overcome, and strong 
 corruptions easily subdued. By this, heavy and 
 long-continued trials are borne with patience and 
 
AGAINST FEAR. 109 
 
 silent submission. By this, Christians are carried 
 through every difficulty, and armed against the ter- 
 rors of death. With the assurance of such sup- 
 port, why should the people of God indulge despond- 
 ing and melancholy fears ? Has he not hitherto 
 supported them, and will he not continue to support 
 them ? " According to their day, so shall their 
 strength be." Let Christians, then, wait upon the 
 Lord, and they " shall renew their strength ; they 
 shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, 
 and not be weary, they shall walk, and not faint." 
 Depending upon this gracious aid, let the weak 
 say, they are strong ; for if the grace of God can 
 strengthen them, and his power uphold them, 
 they shall not finally fall, but shall be kept by the 
 power of God, through faith unto salvation. Be 
 not, therefore, too anxious, Christians, what ye 
 shall do upon such an occasion, how ye shall bear 
 such a trial, or face such an enemv. Trust in the 
 Lord, and " his grace shall be made sufficient for 
 you, his strength shall be perfected in your weak- 
 ness," and at the last you shall conquer and 
 triumph. To all the people of God, then, we 
 may, with the greatest propriety, apply that sub- 
 lime description originally addressed by Moses to 
 Israel, Deut. xxxiii. 29, " Happy art thou, O 
 Israel : who is like unto thee, O people saved by 
 the Lord, the shield of thy help, and who is the 
 sword of thy excellency I and thine enemies shall 
 be found liars unto thee : and thou shalt tread 
 upon their high places." 
 
 IMPROVEMENT. 
 
 1st. From what baa been said, you may Bee that 
 
 even real Christians do not enjoy in this world 
 undisturbed peace. No: by faith they enter into 
 rest, and have a tranquillity of mind to which the 
 
1 10 THE CHRISTIAN CAUTIONED 
 
 wicked and ungodly are utter strangers. Yet this 
 is often interrupted : without may be fightings, 
 and within may be fears. While they are in a 
 world lying in wickedness, w 7 hile they are exposed 
 to the temptations of the adversary, while they are 
 weighed down by a body of sin and death, they shall 
 never enjoy perfect peace or undisturbed repose ; 
 but shall be meeting with many things to convince 
 them that this is not their rest, because it is pol- 
 luted. Let such, then, as indulge in false peace — 
 as experience no changes in their frame, but are 
 walking on, fearless, to the eternal world, examine 
 into the grounds of this peace, that they may not 
 be deceived in a matter of everlasting importance, 
 and have to lament their folly when it is too late ; 
 for " there is no peace, saith my God, unto the 
 wicked." 
 
 2d. From what has been said, you may see 
 whence the fears of the people of God in this 
 world originate. They arise from the darkness 
 of their minds, the weakness of their faith, and the 
 inconstancy of their obedience. Were their minds 
 completely enlightened in the knowledge of God 
 and divine things, their faith strong like that of 
 the father of the faithful, and did they walk with 
 God as Enoch, their sinful slavish fears would be 
 dispelled, and, like the baptized eunuch, they 
 would go on their way rejoicing. Persuaded of 
 the power and presence of the Lord, of the faith- 
 fulness of his promises, of the merit of his death, 
 and the efficacy of his grace and Spirit, they would 
 rejoice in him all the day, and give thanks at the 
 remembrance of his holiness. 
 
 3d. From this subject you may also see, that all 
 those who would wish to enjoy much peace and 
 comfort, and to be freed from desponding fears, 
 must be careful to guard against all sin, and to 
 
AGAINST FEAR. 1J1 
 
 keep themselves from their iniquity. Though 
 the sins of believers are forgiven, yet, to enjoy a 
 comfortable sense of this forgiveness, they must 
 study to keep themselves pure, and to avoid every 
 false and wicked way. The habitual sins of the 
 ungodly destroy the foundation of solid hope in God 
 — the occasional and not allowed sins of real Chris- 
 tians shake this hope, and therefore the most holy 
 and watchful Christian generally enjoys the highest 
 degree of peace and comfort, and is the greatest 
 stranger to those fears which we formerly described. 
 Peace and purity are, by the constitution of God, 
 inseparably connected. " Great peace," says the 
 prophet, " have they who love thy law ; and 
 nothing shall oifendthem ;" — " the fruit of righte- 
 ousness is peace, and the effect of it is quietness 
 and assurance for ever." 
 
 4th. From what has been said, you may see 
 the dignity and happiness of the people of God. 
 The saints are the only excellent ones of the earth ; 
 they only taste real happiness here below. Though 
 poor, they are rich — though despised, they are 
 honourable — though having nothing, they possess 
 all things. They are the salt of the earth, the 
 light of the world, beloved of angels, and the 
 jewels of the Lord. Though ignoble in their ex- 
 traction, they are kings and priests unto God ; 
 and though they may be deemed mean-spirited and 
 contemptible in life, they are the only persons on 
 earth who possess true dignity, and are ambitious 
 of true exaltation ; for tiny are possessed of the 
 Spirit of God, and they bound their desires by 
 nothing short of the complete enjoyment of him- 
 self. While here they are nobly attended : angels 
 minister unto them, and God himself condescends 
 not only to come under their lowly roof, but to 
 
112 THE CHRISTIAN CAUTIONED 
 
 come into their humble hearts and take up his 
 abode with them. And what must be the happi- 
 ness that arises from this inhabitation ? Next to 
 the happiness of dwelling with God, is the happi- 
 ness of having God dwelling with us, and being 
 our God : well, therefore, might the Psalmist say, 
 Ps. cxliv. 15, " yea, happy is that people whose 
 God is the Lord." 
 
 5th. This subject may also comfort believing 
 communicants under the prospect of all that is be- 
 fore them.* In the view of going again into the 
 world and encountering its cares, temptations, and 
 trials — in the view of suffering and distress — are 
 your hearts apt to be overwhelmed, and do you 
 feel the rising of sinful fear ? Fear not, believers ; 
 you are indeed going into the world, and in the 
 world ye shall have tribulation. But you go not 
 alone ; you shall not go unsupported. The Lord 
 shall be with you, and being with you, he shall 
 strengthen and support you. Take this promise 
 in your hand as your pilgrim's staff : it is a staff 
 which has been tried, and shall not disappoint you. 
 Walk with it through life, and even in death do not 
 resign it. Approach with it Jordan's stream — the 
 stream shall divide, and you shall enter the hea- 
 venly Canaan, where you shall lay down the pil- 
 grim's staff, and put on the conqueror's crown, — a 
 crown of life which shall continue to shine with 
 increasing brightness, without a pause and without 
 a period. 
 
 6th, and lastly. This subject is also pregnant 
 with terror to all who know not God, and who 
 obey not the gospel of his grace. We have hither- 
 to addressed ourselves to the people of God ; and 
 
 * This Discourse was delivered on the evening of a Sacra- 
 mental Sabbath. 
 
AGAINST FEAR. 113 
 
 would to God that all in this numerous assembly- 
 were of this character ! But, as the most extensive 
 charity forbids this thought, with faithfulness and 
 affection we must now address ourselves to his 
 enemies — to those who despise his grace, and defy 
 his power. And to such we say, and say it 
 solemnly, that this subject which we have been 
 illustrating, and which is so comfortable to the 
 people of God, has no consolation or comfort un- 
 to them : on the contrary, it tacitly reproves them, 
 and, would they listen to its voice, speaks to them 
 the language of terror. Indeed, every promise in 
 Sacred Scripture w T hich is made to the believer, 
 virtually includes in it a threatening to the sinner. 
 The very sources whence the Christian derives his 
 comforts are the very springs whence issue the 
 sinner's misery. Grace received, for instance, is 
 the saint's salvation ; grace despised, is the sinner's 
 condemnation. Justice satisfied, acquits the be- 
 liever ; justice demanding satisfaction, condemns 
 the unbeliever. Faithfulness in God fulfils his 
 promises to his people ; and the same perfection 
 fulfils his threatenings to his enemies. As God 
 is perfect and unchangeable, every sinner must 
 repent or perish ; and, therefore, while the Lord is 
 saying to his people, " fear not, for I am with 
 you," he says to his enemies, " be horribly afraid, 
 for I am your enemy.' 1 O that tearfulness would 
 surprise and awaken every careless and hypocritical 
 soul ! and O that they would listen to the voice 
 of mercy yet addressing them — " let the wicked 
 forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his 
 thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord and 
 he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, 
 for he will abundantly pardon." Then shall yon 
 experience the truth and comfort of this passage, 
 with which, as we began, so we shall now finish, 
 
114 THE CHRISTIAN CAUTIONER ETC. 
 
 this discourse — " Fear thou not ; for I am with 
 thee ; be not dismayed ; for I am thy God : I will 
 strengthen thee ; yea, I will help thee ; yea, I 
 will uphold thee with the right hand of my right- 
 eousness." 
 
SERMON III. 
 
 TIMID DISCIPLES ENCOURAGED TO SEEK A 
 CRUCIFIED SAVIOUR. 
 
 Matthew xxviii. 5. 
 
 u Fear not ye : for I know that ye seek Jesus, who was 
 crucified." 
 
 In the preceding chapter we have an interesting 
 account of the painful sufferings and ignominious 
 death which our Saviour endured in accomplish- 
 ing our salvation and finishing the work his Father 
 gave him to do. When he expired upon the cross, 
 the frame of nature was moved, as with sympathy 
 for its dying Lord. The veil of the temple was 
 rent from top to bottom ; the earth did quake ; 
 the rocks were rent; the sun, as ashamed, hid 
 his face ; and many of the bodies of the saints 
 which slept in the dust arose. But our Saviour's 
 humiliation did not terminate with his death ; for 
 as he died, so he was also buried. On the even- 
 ing of that memorable day, we are informed, 
 Joseph of Arimathea, a rich man and a counsellor, 
 and who was also one of his disciples, asked and 
 obtained of Pilate the body of Jesus, which he 
 wrapped in a linen cloth, laid in his own new 
 tomb, which had been hewn out of the rock, and, 
 after rolling a large stone to the door of the se- 
 pulchre, he departed. Upon this the chief priests 
 and Pharisees, recollecting that our Saviour, dur- 
 ing his life, had declared that he would rise the 
 third day, applied unto Pilate, and having re- 
 ceived authority from him, sealed the stone, and 
 set a watch of Roman soldiers over the sepulchre, 
 
116 TIMID DISCIPLES ENCOURAGED 
 
 to prevent the body from being removed by his 
 disciples. Unto the dust of death the Saviour was 
 now brought, and remained for some time a pris- 
 oner in the tomb. But it was not possible that 
 the Prince of life should be held of death ; for, 
 as he had power to lay down his life, so, having 
 satisfied the demands of law and justice, he had 
 power to take it again. Accordingly, in the be- 
 ginning of this chapter we have an account of his 
 resurrection, and of the miraculous circumstances 
 which attended that glorious event. " In the end 
 of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn towards the 
 first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and 
 the other Mary, to see the sepulchre. And, be- 
 hold, there was a great earthquake ; for, behold, 
 the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and 
 came and rolled back the stone from the door, and 
 sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, 
 and his raiment white as snow ; and for fear of 
 him the keepers did shake and became as dead 
 men." If such an effect was produced upon a 
 military guard — upon men accustomed to scenes of 
 danger — we may well suppose that the women 
 would be filled with the greatest consternation. 
 The angel, however, who came to announce the 
 resurrection of our Lord, while he left the unbe- 
 lieving guard to sink under their fears, revived the 
 spirits of the pious females, by addressing them in 
 the consolatory language of the text — " And the 
 angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not 
 ye : for I know that ye seek Jesus, who was cruci- 
 fied." These words may, with great propriety, 
 be addressed to all timid believers who, though 
 weak in faith, are seeking their crucified Saviour. 
 Viewing them in this spiritual sense, we shall en- 
 deavour, in discoursing from them, in dependence 
 on divine assistance, 
 
TO SEEK A CRUCIFIED SAVIOUR. 1 17 
 
 I. To show you what is implied in timid Chris- 
 tians seeking Jesus, who was crucified. 
 
 II. To mention some of the fears with which 
 those who seek him may be oppressed. 
 
 III. To offer a few directions to such as profess 
 to seek him. 
 
 I. We will endeavour to show what is implied 
 in timid believers seeking Jesus, who was crucified. 
 
 1st. It evidently supposes some previous know- 
 ledge ofhim^ and acquaintance with hi?n. This 
 is evident from the character of the women 
 mentioned in this passage. They did not come 
 to the sepulchre in order to commence acquain- 
 tance with Jesus. This was happily begun be- 
 fore, during his residence among them, when 
 they frequently conversed with him, beheld his 
 glory, and were favoured with the endearments of 
 his presence and love. The same truth is, also, 
 evident from the nature of things ; for an object 
 unknown can never be esteemed, and, if not es- 
 teemed, cannot be pursued with constancy and 
 care. There was a period, indeed, when those who 
 now seek Jesus, like a blind unbelieving world, 
 were entirely ignorant of him. They knew him 
 not in his person, offices, and grace, and had no 
 desire of connection with him. To them he ap- 
 peared to have no form or comeliness; they saw, 
 no beauty in him why he should be desired — no 
 benefit to be derived from him. They were igno- 
 rant of his divine and mediatorial excellences ; for 
 the god of this world blinded their minds, lest the 
 light of the glorious gospel of the Son of God 
 should shine into them. But now a happy revolu- 
 tion has taken place in their views. The eye* of 
 their understandings are opened, and fck they who 
 were once darkness, are now light in the Lord/' 
 
118 TIMID CHRISTIANS ENCOURAGED 
 
 " God, who commanded the light to shine out of 
 darkness, hath shone into their minds, to give 
 them the light of the knowledge of the glory of 
 God, in the face of Jesus Christ. ,, Being the 
 happy subjects of enlightening grace, they are 
 made acquainted with the person and propitiation, 
 with the character and offices of Jesus Christ, 
 They know that he is the Christ, the Son of the 
 living God, uniting in his person the glories of 
 divinity and the beauties of holy humanity — pos- 
 sessed of every excellence that can attract the 
 attention, or engage the esteem of the sons of men. 
 They know that, as our Redeemer, he fulfilled the 
 law, in the place of his people, and made complete 
 atonement for their sins, by giving himself an offer- 
 ing and a sacrifice of a sweet smelling savour. They 
 know that salvation is to be found in him, and in 
 no other ; for " there is no other name given under 
 heaven, among men, by which we must be saved." 
 They know that he is the pearl of great price, for 
 obtaining which they are now willing to part with 
 all. This knowledge induces them earnestly to 
 seek Jesus who was crucified. It is owing to the 
 want of this knowledge that the wicked and un- 
 godly despise and reject him. The rude savage 
 who knows not the value of gold despises it, but 
 the enlightened European who knows its value ap- 
 preciates it, and seeks to obtain it. In like manner, 
 the person who knows not Jesus will always despise 
 him, while those who discern his infinite excellence 
 and amiableness, will highly esteem him, and seek 
 him with their whole hearts. Beholding his trans- 
 cendent glory, their hearts will be delighted with 
 the discovery ; — every inferior object will be dis- 
 missed, every meaner pursuit abandoned, and, 
 captivated with his transcendent worth, they will 
 exclaim with the Apostle, Phil. iii. 7, 8, " What 
 
TO SEEK A CRUCIFIED SAVIOUR. 119 
 
 things were gain to me, those I counted 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 have suffered the loss 
 of all things, and do count them but dung, that I 
 may win Christ." 
 
 2d. To seek Jesus who was crucified, implies an 
 ardent desire to see and enjoy him. There is 
 nothing that more directly tends to ascertain a 
 person's state and character, than the desires and 
 inclinations he habitually feels and discovers : for, 
 as the running of water shows the declivity of the 
 ground, so the current of the desires and affections 
 shows the temper and character of the person in 
 whom they reside. Those who seek Jesus, there- 
 fore, will love him with a supreme affection, and 
 rejoice in his fellowship and favour. The desires 
 of their souls will be constantly towards him, and 
 the remembrance of his grace and name : nor will 
 any circumstances in w 7 hich they may be placed 
 change the current of their affections, or damp 
 their ardour in seeking him whom they love. This 
 strong desire to see and to enjoy the Lord appeared 
 in the conduct of the women mentioned in the con- 
 text. Jesus, crucified and laid in the grave, was 
 still precious in their admiring view. Even then 
 their hearts burned with affection towards him, and, 
 under the influence of this principle, they came to the 
 sepulchre seeking the Lord. Had they not known 
 and loved him during life, when laid in the graw 
 he would soon have been forgotten, or, if remem- 
 bered, they would have sought him no more. But 
 behold their strong affection prevents the dawning 
 of the day, and, prompted by ardent desire, they 
 come to the sepulchre seeking Jesus who wafl 
 crucified. And will not the same desire, so con- 
 spicuous in the conduct of these pious women, like- 
 
120 TIMID DISCIPLES ENCOURAGED 
 
 wise appear in the character and conduct of all 
 those who seek the Lord ? As desire is love in 
 motion, so, wherever Jesus is known and esteemed, 
 this knowledge will not remain dormant or inactive, 
 but discover itself in incessant longings, which 
 nothing short of actual enjoyment can satisfy. The 
 person, therefore, who does not feel this ardent de- 
 sire after Christ — whose soul does not desire him 
 in the night, and whose spirit within him does not 
 seek him early, can have no claim to the character 
 and exercise which our text describes. You are, 
 at same time, to observe that every desire, however 
 faint and languid, is not characteristic of the seekers 
 of Jesus. Your love to him must be supreme, or 
 you do not love him at all ; and your desires after 
 him must be vigorous and active, if they are the 
 desires of the children of God. Hence they are 
 described in Scripture by the strongest feelings of 
 our nature — by appetites which nothing but the 
 enjoyment of a suitable object can satisfy. Can 
 the hungry man be satisfied with any thing but 
 food ? or the thirsty with any thing but a refresh- 
 ing draught ? and can they who pant after God, 
 as the thirsty hart panteth after the water-brooks, 
 be satisfied with any thing short of the enjoyment 
 of the object of their extreme regard ? It was this 
 desire which dictated the sentiment of the Psalmist, 
 Ps. lxxiii. 25, " Whom have I in heaven but thee? 
 and there is none upon earth that I desire besides 
 thee." The same desire gave occasion to the peti- 
 tion of the spouse, Song viii. 6, " Set me as a 
 seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm : 
 for love is strong as death ; the coals thereof are 
 coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame." 
 If you are seeking Jesus, your hearts will burn 
 with ardent and strong desires after him, and 
 you will adopt the language of the Greeks who 
 
TO SEEK A CRUCIFIED SAVIOUR. 121 
 
 came to Philip, saying, " Sir, we would see Jesus." 
 Jesus, to your enlightened minds, will appear in- 
 finitely amiable. He will be all your salvation 
 and all your desire. Even in his lowest state of 
 abasement, whether on the cross or in the grave, 
 he will be admired by you. Far from being 
 ashamed of a crucified Saviour, you will glory in 
 his cross. You will account it an honour to be 
 called by his name, and cheerfully embrace every 
 opportunity of paying respect to his memory, or 
 remembering his dying love. Jesus will reign un- 
 rivalled in your hearts, and your lips and lives 
 will speak his praise. To see and to enjoy him 
 will be your heaven upon earth, and to behold his 
 face in righteousness will be heaven itself, when 
 your desires shall be completely satisfied. 
 
 3d. To seek Jesus also implies a devout and 
 regular waiting upon him in every ordinance of 
 divine institution. As Christians have obtained 
 some knowledge of Christ, and feel the strongest 
 desires after him, so they will employ every ap- 
 pointed mean in order to find him whom they 
 love and esteem. Is there any place where he 
 condescends to dwell, or any institution in which 
 lie promises to meet with his people and to blesq 
 them ? To this place they will repair, and upon 
 this ordinance they will uniformly attend. Even 
 the enemies of Jesus, when they wished to ap- 
 prehend him, sought him in the place to which 
 he usually resorted ; and when the friends of Je<u- 
 desire to find him, they must seek him in the ordi- 
 nances of his own appointment* They will seek 
 him in their closet> by pious meditation and 
 fervent prayer. They will Beek him in searching 
 the Sacred Scriptures, which, like a mirror, reflect 
 his excellence, and testify of him. They will 
 seek him in his sanctuary, in attending public wor- 
 
122 TIMID DISCIPLES ENCOURAGED 
 
 ship, and especially in the sacrament of the Supper, 
 and at his own table, where he comes unto his 
 people and sups with them, and they with him. At 
 same time, it must be observed that ordinances, 
 without the presence of Christ, will not satisfy those 
 who seek the Lord. To those, indeed, who con- 
 tent themselves with a form of godliness, they 
 may afford a temporary satisfaction ; but to such as 
 really seek Jesus who was crucified, they are only 
 valued as means of spiritual enjoyment. They 
 employ these ordinances as Zaccheus did the tree, 
 as proper means for seeing the Lord. Without 
 Christ, however, on whom their glory and useful- 
 ness depend, they are unsatisfactory ; for as soon 
 may a vessel that is empty satisfy the hungry, as 
 ordinances without the presence and enjoyment of 
 Christ please the soul that sincerely seeks him. 
 Such a character, in waiting upon ordinances, will 
 have his heart fixed upon Jesus Christ. " O my 
 soul!" will he say, "wait thou only upon God; 
 for my expectation is from him. How amiable 
 are thy tabernacles ! how lovely is thy dwelling- 
 place ! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the 
 courts of the Lord ; my heart and my flesh crieth 
 out for the living God. One thing have I desired 
 of the Lord, and that will I seek after, that all 
 days of my life I may dwell in the house of the 
 Lord, to behold his beauty, and to enquire in his 
 temple." In waiting upon ordinances, therefore, 
 he will pray with the Psalmist — " O send forth 
 thy light and thy truth : let them lead me, let 
 them bring me unto thy holy hill, where thy dwel- 
 lings are. Then will I go unto the altar of God, 
 unto God, my God, my exceeding joy." 
 
 4th. To seek Jesus also implies that we perse- 
 vere in the pursuit, notwithstanding of every dis- 
 couragement. All who are acquainted with the 
 
TO SEEK A CRUCIFIED SAVIOUR. 123 
 
 nature of the christian life know that believers 
 meet with much opposition in their christian 
 course. No sooner, indeed, do they turn their 
 faces Zionward, and begin to seek the Lord, than 
 they draw upon themselves the malice and oppo- 
 sition of powerful enemies. The world and the 
 wicked one unite their endeavours to ensnare and 
 to destroy them. They throw every possible ob- 
 stacle in their way, and do not allow them to ad- 
 vance with ease, or without molestation. Their 
 sky is, therefore, often overcast, their road rough 
 and rugged, and darkness covers their path. Nay, 
 opposition sometimes arises from a quarter least 
 expected — from our own friends and connections ; 
 for the Christian finds the truth of our Saviour's 
 declaration, that " a man's enemies are sometimes 
 those of his own household." Thus the Christian 
 has to struggle with the opposition of the world 
 and the wicked one, as well as with the secret 
 workings of corruption and unbelief in his own 
 heart. Without are fightings, and within are 
 fears. These discouragements induce many, who 
 once seemed to seek the Lord, to desert him ; for, 
 when persecution or affliction because of the word 
 ariseth, by and bye they are offended. But although 
 this opposition is felt and lamented by such as seek 
 the Lord, yet they are enabled to resist and over- 
 come it. They continue firm to their purpose, 
 and steady in their course, and will not desert the 
 path of duty, though it should be solitary and un- 
 frequented. It is not the ridicule and opposition 
 of the world ; it is not the suggestions of false 
 friends ; it is not the loss of character and reputa- 
 tion with the world ; nor even strong temptations 
 held out to seduce them, and to engage them to 
 desert their well-chosen path, that will be able to 
 induce them to stop short in their christian OQOTe, 
 
124 TIMID DISCIPLES ENCOURAGED 
 
 or, like the Jews, to walk no more with Jesus. On 
 the contrary, they know that these discourage- 
 ments were to be expected, and that this opposi- 
 tion has been encountered and overcome by all who 
 have gone before them ; for all who will live godly 
 in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution. The cross 
 is still the way to the crown ; and through the 
 wilderness the Israelite indeed must travel into the 
 promised land. A conflict must be endured before 
 victory can be obtained, and it is through much 
 tribulation we must enter into the kingdom. In- 
 stead, therefore, of being offended at the cross, the 
 Christian will cheerfully take it up when in his 
 way, and bear it after Christ, who endured a much 
 heavier cross for him than he can be loaded with. 
 While he is struggling with discouragement and 
 opposition in seeking the Lord, and enabled to 
 overcome them, he will console himself with the 
 animating prospect of approaching to him with 
 freedom, and without opposition, when no corrup- 
 tion shall be felt from within, no enemv shall assail 
 from without, nor anything be permitted to annoy 
 the celestial worshipper for evermore. 
 
 5th. Seeking Jesus implies, also, some hope of 
 finding him, and receiving spiritual blessings 
 from him. This is encouraged by the precious 
 promise, " seek and ye shall find." Though Jesus 
 will be desired principally on account of his own 
 intrinsic excellence, yet it is obvious he will also 
 be sought after by his people, upon account of the 
 benefits to be received from him. It is in this 
 view, perhaps, that he at first attracts the attention 
 of the guilty and condemned. It is his priestly 
 character which inspires them with joy and confi- 
 dence, and it is the hope of pardon through his 
 blood, and salvation through his perfect and ac- 
 cepted righteousness, that engages poor and perish- 
 
TO SEEK A CRUCIFIED SAVIOUR. 125 
 
 ing- souls to seek unto him. This is evident, not 
 only from the experience of those who have come 
 to Christ, but likewise from the express declara- 
 tions of Scripture. It is redemption through 
 the blood of Christ that induces sinners at first 
 to seek to the Saviour, and the expectation of 
 receiving spiritual blessings from his hand that 
 engages them constantly to wait upon him. Nor 
 let any imagine that the Christian must on this 
 account be mercenary in his views, or suppose 
 that he can merit these blessings, by seeking 
 them, any more than the mendicant can merit 
 the alms which he humbly solicits. At same time, 
 being convinced that he needs these blessings, and 
 that they are to be found only in Christ, he comes 
 to him asking and desiring to receive them, and to 
 have his necessities supplied according to his riches 
 in glory by Jesus Christ. In this view his expec- 
 tations cannot rise too high ; for it hath pleased the 
 Father that in Christ Jesus all fulness should 
 dwell, that out of it his people might receive, and 
 ^race for grace. Unto Jesus, therefore, all hi< 
 people seek for pardon and peace, for righteousness 
 and strength, for victory over their enemies at pre- 
 sent, and glory when their warfare shall be accom- 
 plished. Convinced that happiness is to be ob- 
 tained only in him, and that they who find him find 
 ///e,and obtain favour from the Lord, they seek unto 
 him as their only Saviour, expecting to receive 
 from him the blessings of grace in time, and a 
 crown of glory that fadeth not away when time 
 shall be no more. We now proceed 
 
 II. To mention some of the fears with which 
 those who seek Je<us may be oppressed, and to 
 endeavour to remove them. 
 
 1st. Persons of this character are apt to expert 
 
126 TIMID DISCIPLES ENCOURAGED 
 
 ence fear, arising from a sense of their extreme 
 unworthiness. Every real Christian is sensible of 
 his unworthiness : he is conscious, that as a crea- 
 ture he stands at an infinite natural distance from 
 God, and that as a sinner he is removed to an 
 infinite moral distance from him, and is alto- 
 gether unworthy of his notice or regard. He is 
 persuaded that a more undeserving creature than 
 himself does not exist upon the face of the earth, 
 that he is the chief of sinners, and less than the 
 least of all saints. He is astonished that he 
 has been spared so long, that he is permitted 
 to breathe the vital air, and to enjoy the boun- 
 ties of an indulgent providence, while he is less than 
 the least of all God's mercies. Though this sense 
 of his own meanness is highly proper, yet it some- 
 times discourages him in his approaches to God, and 
 induces him to imagine that it must be presumption 
 to expect any favour from the hand of God. He is 
 confounded in the divine presence, and is afraid that 
 his unworthiness will deprive him of a gracious re- 
 ception. Thus it discovers itself to be the remains 
 of a proud and legal spirit, and indicates that the 
 person could wish to be possessed of something to 
 recommend him to Christ, or to deserve his notice 
 and regard. But where are such qualifications to 
 be found ? Does God humble himself to behold 
 the things that are in heaven, and is it anything 
 but infinite condescension when he deigns to re- 
 gard sinful creatures upon this earth ? Is not grace 
 the only plea we can urge before God, and does 
 not this in its nature exclude all merit ? However 
 unworthy, therefore, you may be in yourself, let not 
 a sense of this discourage you or make you afraid to 
 seek the Lord. None ever receive more favour from 
 him than those who come with the deepest sense of 
 their unworthiness, of which the penitent publican 
 
TO SEEK A CRUCIFIED SAVIOUR. 127 
 
 and the woman of Canaan are recorded instances. 
 He who knows all things knows you are unworthy 
 of the least crumb that falls from the children's 
 table, and yet he is ready to bestow upon you the 
 children's bread. Arise, then, and come. He call- 
 eth you, saying, " He that hath no money let him 
 come, and buy wine and milk, without money and 
 without price : let him come and take of the water 
 of life freely, for he feedeth the hungry with good 
 things, while the rich he sends empty away." 
 
 2d. Those who seek Jesus may experience fear 
 arising from a sense of their criminal backsliding. 
 Though real Christians shall persevere in a state of 
 grace, yet they are liable to partial apostacy, for 
 there is in them an evil heart of unbelief in depart- 
 ing from the living God. From remaining cor- 
 ruption or sudden temptation they may fall into sin 
 or become remiss in duty to the wounding of their 
 consciences, the sorrow of the serious, the grieving 
 of the Spirit, and the loss of spiritual peace. Thus 
 the things which remain with them may languish 
 and be ready to die. But although the Lord may 
 permit his people to depart from him for a season, 
 he will not allow them to backslide with a perpe- 
 tual backsliding. He will hedge up their way 
 with thorns, so that they shall not find their plea- 
 sure : he will rouse their consciences, and cause 
 them to return unto himself. When Christians arc 
 awakened to a sense of their sin, and of their un- 
 grateful departure from the Lord, what shame, and 
 -orrow, and fear, will fill their hearts ? Are they 
 not sometimes ready to suppose that they hav< 
 far apostatized from God, that it is in vain for them 
 to think of a return, and that pardon will not be 
 extended to such ungrateful backsliders as the\ 
 have been? Now, although the HUM of backsliding 
 believers are attended with peculiar aggravations 
 
128 TIMID DISCIPLES ENCOURAGED 
 
 and ought therefore to be humbly confessed and 
 deeply lamented, yet still they ought not to des- 
 pond or despair, for there is mercy with God that 
 he may be feared, there is plenteous redemption 
 that he may be sought unto. To a speedy return 
 unto the Lord they may be encouraged by his own 
 gracious invitation, Jer. iii. 12, 14, " Go and pro- 
 claim these words toward the north, and say, Return, 
 thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord, and I will 
 not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am mar- 
 ried unto you, saith the Lord." Let the trembling 
 backslider listen to the voice of mercy, inviting him 
 to return, and even dictating a penitential confes- 
 sion, Hos. xiv. 1, 2, " O Israel, return unto the 
 Lord thy God ; for thou hast fallen by thine ini- 
 quity. Take with you words, and turn to the 
 Lord : say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and 
 receive us graciously : so will we render the calves 
 of our lips." Let those who seek Jesus be hum- 
 bled under a sense of their former backslidings ; 
 but let them not despond or despair. The Lord 
 rejoices to see his children returning to him, and, 
 like the father in the parable, he will meet them 
 with love in his heart and a pardon in his hand, 
 saying, Hos. xiv. 4, " I will heal your backsliding, 
 I will love you freely : for mine anger is turned 
 away from you." 
 
 3d. Those who seek Jesus may experience fear, 
 arising from the dead distracted frame in which 
 they are when about to engage in the most solemn 
 duties of religion. In every Christian there are 
 two opposite contending principles — the flesh and 
 the spirit, the new man and the old. These main- 
 tain a constant opposition to one another, and ren- 
 der the christian life one uninterrupted struggle. 
 Though the principle of corruption is still at work, 
 yet its operation is most sensibly felt when the 
 
TO SEEK A CRUCIFIED SAVIOUR. 120 
 
 Christian is to engage in any religious duty. 
 Whenever he would do good, then evil is present 
 with him. When he wishes to be spiritual, and 
 lively in his religious exercises, then a body of sin 
 like a dead weight weighs down his aspiring soul, 
 and quenches the rising flame. This leads him fre- 
 quently to exclaim with the Apostle, " O wretched 
 man that I am ! who shall deliver me from the body 
 of this death ?" The adversary of salvation, too, 
 combines with a corrupt heart to distract the 
 minds of those who seek the Lord. As he threw 
 down and tare the young man, when coming to 
 Christ, so he still endeavours to distress, if he cannot 
 destroy, all those who sincerely seek him. This is 
 the source of much uneasiness and fear unto all who 
 are exercised unto godliness. They are afraid to 
 wait upon the Lord, when their minds are disordered, 
 or divided, and could even sometimes wish to decline 
 duty because they do not find themselves in a com- 
 fortable or devotional frame. They forget, however, 
 that the Lord knows their frame, that he promises 
 them the aid of the Spirit, and that their accept- 
 ance with him in duty depends, not upon their feel- 
 ings or frames, but upon their union with Christ, 
 and their simple dependance upon his merits and 
 mediation. They forget that the preparation of 
 the heart is from the Lord, and that the frames oi 
 his people depend upon the influence of his Holy 
 Spirit. Are your hearts, then, cold and dead — your 
 thoughts unfixed, and your feelings languid? lie 
 to whom you approaeh can soon loose \ our honds. 
 lie can enliven your affections, fix your attention, 
 and soften your Marts. He can inflame your love, 
 and enlarge your desires, so that although just now 
 you may be dull and languid, your souls shall he- 
 come as the chariots of Aminadah. Let not th< 
 then, who seek the Lord he afraid merely upon 
 
 (. 
 
130 TIMID DISCIPLES ENCOURAGED 
 
 account of the uncomfortable frame they may at 
 present experience ; but let them pray to the Lord 
 in the words of the spouse, Song iv. 16, " Awake, 
 O north wind ; and come, thou south ; blow upon 
 my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. 
 Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his 
 pleasant fruits." 
 
 4th, Those who seek Jesus may experience fear 
 arising from views of the majesty and greatness 
 of the Lord, to whom they approach. As Chris- 
 tians have more affecting views of the divine holi- 
 ness and majesty than others, so they are apt to 
 experience a fear to which the wicked and ungodly 
 are utter strangers. Thus, when Isaiah in pro- 
 phetic vision saw the glory of Christ, he exclaimed, 
 " woe is me; for I am undone; for I am a man 
 of unclean lips ; and mine eyes have seen the King, 
 the Lord of hosts." When the disciples beheld 
 the glory of Christ as he was going up to Jerusa- 
 lem, we are told that they followed him with fear ; 
 and when Peter saw the miraculous display of his 
 power, he said, " depart from me, O Lord, for I 
 am a sinful man." In like manner, when Christians 
 reflect upon their impurity and guilt, and obtain 
 affecting views of the glory and greatness of the 
 Lord, to whom they approach in the sacrament of 
 the Supper, they are apt to experience a slavish 
 fear, and to draw nigh with terror, when they 
 ought to come to him with joy, and hope, and 
 trust. He is great indeed, and greatly to be feared, 
 and to be had in reverence by all those that draw 
 nigh unto him ; but he loves to see his people ap- 
 proaching him with the reverence and dignified 
 freedom of sons, and not with the suspicion and the 
 trembling of slaves. God, to whom we come in 
 Christ, is great and gracious, holy and condescend- 
 ing, and we approach to him not upon mount 
 
TO SEEK A CRUCIFIED SAVIOUR. 131 
 
 Sinai burning with fire and surrounded with dark- 
 ness and tempest, but we come to mount Sion, to 
 a throne. of grace, and a God of mercy, Heb. iv. 
 15, 16, " for we have not an high priest which 
 cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmi- 
 ties ; but was in all points tempted like as we are, 
 yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly 
 unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, 
 and find grace to help in time of need." The spirit 
 of the gospel is not a spirit of fear, but of peace, 
 and of love, and of a sound mind. Hence, says 
 the Apostle, Rom. viii. 15, "for ye have not re- 
 ceived the spirit of bondage again to fear ; but ye 
 have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we 
 cry, Abba, Father." Zacharias, too, declares of 
 the reign of Christ, Luke i. 74, 75, " that he 
 would grant unto us, that we, being delivered out 
 of the hand of our enemies, might serve him with- 
 out fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, 
 all the days of our life." Let those who seek the 
 Lord, therefore, dismiss their slavish dread, and 
 cultivate a filial fear ; and while he is saying unto 
 them, " seek ye my face," let their hearts replv, 
 " thy face, O Lord, for ever will we seek." We 
 now proceed, 
 
 III. To give a few directions to such as pro- 
 
 to oeek the Lord. And here, 
 1st. Attend to the principles on which you pro* 
 <l, and the motives by which you are actuated, 
 in professing to seek the Lord. Be sincere and 
 upright in your views and aims. God, we are 
 certain, who knows the heart, principally regards 
 it in all those who draw nigh unto him. He takes 
 notice of the motives by which they are influenced, 
 and the principles upon which they proceed. If om 
 hearts, therefore, are not right with him, all must 
 he wrong, and our external religious conduct, in- 
 
J 32 TIMID CHRISTIANS ENCOURAGED 
 
 stead of being accepted, must be highly displeas- 
 ing in his sight. Hear how he complains of his 
 ancient people ; and may not the same complaint 
 be made of many professing Christians? " This 
 people draw near to me with their mouth, and 
 do honour me with their lips, but their hearts are 
 far from me." If you profess to seek him while 
 you have some other object in view — while you 
 are consulting your own character and credit in the 
 world, and merely conforming to a decent custom 
 which our ancestors have observed and time has 
 rendered venerable, your profession is vain and 
 your conduct reprehensible. You insult the om- 
 niscience of that God to whom you approach, and 
 hypocritically say, by your outward conduct, that 
 you are seeking him, while your hearts are going 
 after your covetousness. Be careful, then, to ex- 
 amine the principles upon w T hich you proceed in 
 your religious conduct, and the motives by which 
 you are influenced in waiting upon God ; for, as 
 an error in the foundation may ruin the superstruc- 
 ture, or as bitterness in the fountain must com- 
 municate itself to the stream, so unworthy motives 
 and improper principles will vitiate and debase the 
 fairest external religious conduct. That question 
 which Christ proposed to those who came out to 
 apprehend him, " whom seek ye ?" is a question 
 which all of us ought to put to ourselves when we 
 profess to seek the Lord. In our religious exer- 
 cises,, let us be sincere, sound, upright, and ear- 
 nest. Let us act from a real and supreme love to 
 Jesus — from a regard to his authority, and a view 
 to his glory. Let us come to ordinances, desiring 
 to see and to enjoy him, saying, Ps. xxvii. 4, 
 " One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I 
 seek after ; that I may dwell in the house of the 
 Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty 
 
TO SEEK A CRUCIFIED SAVIOUR. 133 
 
 of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple." A 
 little of this godly sincerity is more acceptable in 
 the sight of Heaven than the most specious and 
 splendid appearances without it. Ps. cv. 4 — " Seek 
 the Lord," therefore, " and his strength ; seek hi< 
 face evermore." 
 
 2d. Another direction we would give, is to seek 
 him with the greatest diligence and ardour. Deut. 
 iv. 29 — " If thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, 
 thou shalt find him ; if thou shalt seek him with 
 all thine heart, and with all thy soul." Diligence 
 is so necessary in every laudable pursuit, that 
 nothing great or excellent can be accomplished 
 without it. What industry and exertion do the 
 men of the w T orld discover in pursuing their favourite 
 objects ! Nothing can exceed the attention which 
 they give, the prudence they discover, and the 
 assiduity they employ. All of them are fleeing 
 from poverty as the greatest evil, and pursuing 
 after wealth as the greatest good. And shall such 
 exertions be made in seeking the riches or honours 
 of this life, and no diligence be discovered in seek- 
 ing the kingdom of God, and the righteousne^ 
 thereof? As the object in the one case is infinitely 
 more excellent than in the other, so it ought to be 
 sought after with a proportionable diligence and 
 care. And yet what coldness and languor do many 
 discover in seeking the Lord ? They manifest BO 
 little diligence in the use of means, as might tempt 
 even a charitable observer to inspect that thev are 
 indifferent about finding him, or receiving any be- 
 nefit from his hand. Let not the careless how- 
 ever, expect to receive any thing from the Lord, 
 for it is the hand of the diligent that maketh rieh. 
 
 Let all those who profess to seek Jesus, then, do it 
 
 with all their heart. Let them give all diligence 
 
 to be found of him in peace, and to work out their 
 
134 TIMID DISCIPLES ENCOURAGED 
 
 salvation with fear and trembling, knowing that it 
 is God that worketh in them both to will and to 
 do of his good pleasure. Let them seek for him 
 as for hid treasure, and they shall find him, accord- 
 ing to that gracious promise, Prov. ii. 4, 5, " If 
 thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as 
 for hid treasures ; then shalt thou understand the 
 fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God." 
 Faint wishes and feeble endeavours will be of no 
 avail; for "the kingdom of heaven sufiereth vio- 
 lence, and the violent take it by force." Strive, 
 then, to enter in at the strait gate ; for " strait 
 is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth 
 unto life, and few there be that find it." 
 
 The 3d and last direction we shall give is, seek 
 him with constancy. Hos. vi. 3 — " Then shall we 
 know, if w T e follow on to know the Lord, that his 
 going forth is prepared as the morning." The 
 christian life is constant and persevering, and to 
 its various duties a uniform attention must be paid. 
 Instead of slackening in his diligence, the Chris- 
 tian must hold on his way, and endeavour, by wait- 
 ing upon the Lord, to grow stronger and stronger. 
 His goodness must not resemble the morning cloud 
 or the early dew which passeth away ; but his path 
 must be as the morning light, shining more and 
 more unto the perfect day. His attention to duty 
 is not to be confined to times and places, but at all 
 times and in all situations he is to seek the Lord. 
 Like Abraham, wherever he goes, he must erect 
 an altar, and call upon the name of the Lord. He 
 must seek him at home and abroad, in health and in 
 sickness, in prosperity and in adversity. He must 
 seek him not only when the Sabbath or the sacra- 
 ment returns, but every day, and upon every occa- 
 sion. Many professors have the greatest need to 
 pay attention to this direction, as it seems to be 
 
TO SEEK A CRUCIFIED SAVIOUR. 135 
 
 little regarded by them. Their religion is of a 
 temporary and transient kind ; it comes with the 
 occasion, and with the occasion it departs. In the 
 time of personal or domestic affliction, when they 
 have death and judgment before them, they will 
 pray to God and discover some concern about sal- 
 vation ; or when the sacrament is to be dispensed, 
 for a few days before or after the solemnity 
 they may discover more than ordinary seriousness. 
 But, alas ! they soon relapse into their former care- 
 lessness, or do not persevere in their attention to 
 duty. If you wish, however, to seek the Lord, 
 you must be steady and persevering; you must 
 continue unto the end, that you may be saved. 
 You should also learn to wait patiently upon God, 
 and not in your unbelieving haste to imagine that 
 because you have not yet found him whom your 
 souls love, therefore it is in vain for you to wait 
 any longer. The Lord is a God of judgment, and 
 blessed are all they that wait for him. Had Israel 
 waited only one day longer for the descent of 
 Moses from the mount, they would not have fallen 
 into the sin of idolatry; or had the impotent man 
 waited at the pool of Bethesda but one day less, 
 he would not in all probability have met with 
 Christ, or received a cure. Continue then to seek 
 the Lord ; wait patiently upon him, and do not 
 fret, and you may rest assured that though the 
 vision may be for an appointed time, it is your dutv 
 to wait for it, became it will surely come, and will 
 not tarry. Blessed are all they that wait for him. 
 Endeavour then to say with the Church, Is. viii. 
 17, " I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth his 
 face from the hou^e of Jacob, and I will look for 
 him/ 9 It only remains that we conclude with the 
 application of what hath been said. 
 
 And, 1st, from what hath been said, you may 
 
136 TIMID DISCIPLES ENCOURAGED 
 
 be persuaded to examine yourselves, whether or 
 not you really seek Jesus who was crucified, 
 and consequently, whether or not you are prepared 
 for sitting down at the table of the Lord. This is 
 a duty necessary at all times, but especially in 
 view of the solemn service before you. Let a man 
 examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, 
 and drink of that cup. In performing this duty, 
 you may in some measure be assisted and directed 
 by what hath been suggested in the former part of 
 this discourse. Have you acquired a clear spirit- 
 ual knowledge of the person, worth, and work of 
 Jesus Christ, and does he appear to you to be the 
 chief among ten thousand, and altogether lovely? 
 Do you feel the strongest desire to see him, and 
 to enjoy communion with him ? And, prompted by 
 this desire, are you induced to wait upon him in 
 the ordinances of his appointment, and to persevere 
 in the pursuit, notwithstanding of every discour- 
 agement ? Expecting to receive from him spiritual 
 and special blessings, are you regular in the per- 
 formance of commanded duty, and do you wait for 
 him more than they that watch for the morning ? 
 If this is your character and exercise, then we may 
 say, Ps. xxiv. 6, " this is the generation of them 
 that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob." 
 
 2d. From what hath been said, you may also 
 see that there are few only of the great body of 
 professing Christians who are really seeking Jesus. 
 How many are so keen in seeking after this world, 
 that they cannot seek after the next. Their con- 
 stant cry is, who will show us any good ? but they 
 never say, Lord, lift upon us the light of thy coun- 
 tenance, for this will give us more joy than the 
 men of the world ever felt, even when their corn 
 and wine abounded. Christ's flock is but a little 
 flock. Though many are called, few are chosen ; 
 
TO BEBK A CRUCIFIED SAVIOUR. 137 
 
 though many say unto Christ, Lord, Lord, yet few- 
 do the things which he hath commanded. When 
 we look at the roads which lead to the eternal 
 world, is not the broad way full, while the narrow 
 one is almost empty? for " strait is the gate, and 
 narrow is the way, that leadeth unto life, and few 
 there be that find it." Let us all, therefore, give 
 diligence that we may be found amongst this happy 
 few, and make our calling and election sure. 
 
 3d. From this subject you may also see, that 
 while the omniscience of God is awful unto the 
 wicked, it is comfortable unto real Christians who 
 seek him. While the Lord knows the secret sins 
 of the wicked, and their enmity against him, while 
 he knows the deceit of the hypocrite's heart, the 
 Lord also knows them that are his. He sees and 
 knows the secret tendency of their souls toward> 
 him. He knows that they come, seeking Jesus 
 who was crucified, and knowing this, he will meet 
 them in mercy, for he will fulfil the desire of the 
 humble, he will hear their cry, and save them. 
 
 4th. From what hath been said, you may see 
 why so few professors find the Lord, or derive any 
 benefit from instituted ordinances. If you inquire 
 what is the reason, the only answer we can give 
 is, that they do not seek him with their whole 
 hearts. They are not diligent and regular in the 
 
 ose of appointed means, in reading, hearing, and 
 attending upon ordinances; and when they do, 
 
 they are not single and sincere in their views. 
 They have some other end in view than to seek 
 Je8US who was crucified* Now, if they bestow far 
 more pains in seeking after any thing or everv 
 
 thing than in seeking Jesus, i> it any wonder thai 
 
 they do not find him, especially >incv God has de- 
 clared that we lhall only find him when we shall 
 seek him with our whole hearts? 
 
 a 2 
 
138 TIMID DISCIPLES ENCOURAGED 
 
 5th. From this subject you may also see, that 
 real Christians are the only men who are fired with 
 a laudable ambition. Those who set their hearts 
 upon the world, and are eagerly seeking its riches, 
 pleasures, or honours, as their supreme good, are 
 grovelling mean-spirited mortals, who do not con- 
 sult the dignity of their natures, or the happiness 
 of their souls. The Christian, on the contrary, 
 born from above, and enlightened from on high, 
 looks down upon them with a mixture of pity and 
 contempt, and aspires after a portion which this 
 world cannot give or take away. Rising above 
 all that the world deems great or good, their am- 
 bitious souls seek no less a portion than Jesus and 
 immortal glory! Risen with Christ, they have their 
 affections set upon things that are above ; their life 
 is hid with Christ in God, and when he who is 
 their life shall appear, then shall they appear with 
 him in glory. 
 
 6 th, and lastly. From what hath been said, you 
 may see the final misery of all those who seek not 
 Jesus who was crucified. Their misery is so great 
 that it can neither be expressed nor conceived. 
 They do not enjoy any solid or substantial happi- 
 ness in time, and if they seek not Jesus, they shall 
 enjoy none through eternity. In this world they 
 are pursuing shadows which elude their grasp, and 
 vanities which disappoint their expectation. And 
 what is to be the end of this foolish pursuit? Were 
 they only to look forward a little, they might per- 
 ceive it. Stript by the hand of death of all that 
 they now desire, their end must be sorrow, disap- 
 pointment, and despair ! Now they may despise 
 the gospel, and slight the Saviour ; but the day is 
 coming, it is just at hand, when they will see their 
 sin and folly, and would give the whole world if 
 they had it, for an interest in Jesus whom they 
 
TO SEEK A CRUCIFIED SAVIOUR. 139 
 
 now contemn. Then they may seek the Lord, 
 but he will not be found ; they may call upon 
 him, but he will not be near. Then a gracious 
 Saviour will be converted into an avenging judge, 
 and his precious blood, which now speaks better 
 things than the blood of Abel, shall then cry aloud 
 for vengeance. Deplorable situation ! But, blessed 
 be God ! it is not yet yours. The hope of the 
 gospel is still set before you. Now is the accepted 
 time; now is the day of salvation. We therefore 
 conclude this discourse with the seasonable direc- 
 tion of the prophet, Is. lv. 6, " seek ye the Lord 
 while he may be found, call ye upon him while he 
 is near;" with the encouraging promise, Am. v. 4, 
 "seek ye the Lord, and ye shall live." 
 
SERMON IV. 
 
 THE GOSPEL PRODUCTIVE OF GLORY TO GOD 
 AND PEACE TO MAN. 
 
 Luke ii. 14. 
 
 " Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will 
 toward men.*' 
 
 Such is the song of wonder and admiration sung 
 by the heavenly hosts when, over the plains of 
 Bethlehem, they celebrated the Saviour's birth. 
 While some shepherds, according to the custom of 
 their country, were employed in watching their 
 flocks by night, " lo, the angel of the Lord 
 came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone 
 round about them, and they were sore afraid." 
 Every preternatural appearance is an object of 
 terror unto sinful men, and this fact of itself shows 
 in the plainest manner that w T e are in a guilty and 
 fallen state. This blessed messenger of God, 
 however, soon removed their apprehensions by say- 
 ing, " fear not ; for behold I bring you good tidings 
 of great joy, which shall be to all people : for un- 
 to you is born this day, in the city of David, a 
 Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." But although 
 this joyful event was announced only by one angel, 
 it was soon to call forth the astonishment and 
 praise of all the celestial hierarchy ; and, accord- 
 ingly, it follows in the words of the text, " and 
 suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of 
 the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 
 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, 
 good will toward men." These pure and benevo- 
 lent spirits are here introduced as celebrating an 
 
GLORY TO GOD AND PEACE TO MAX. 141 
 
 event in which we are all deeply interested, — an 
 event which involves in it not the transient inter- 
 ests of a small and insignificant fraction of the 
 human race, but the triumphs of redeeming love 
 in the salvation of the sons of men. Such a sub- 
 ject must always be acceptable and pleasing unto 
 real Christians, and it is one which carries us 
 back to the counsels of peace, and forward to the 
 consummation of all things — to the remotest periods 
 of eternity. In farther discoursing from these 
 words, the method which I propose, in reliance 
 upon divine aid, to observe is, 
 
 I. To consider the scheme of our redemption 
 through Jesus Christ, as originating in God's good 
 will to men. 
 
 II. As proclaiming and producing peace upon 
 earth. 
 
 III. As terminating in glory to God in the 
 highest. 
 
 I shall then conclude with some application 
 suited to the subject. 
 
 I. Let us consider the scheme of our redemption 
 through Jesus Christ, as originating in Gtaf* 
 
 good will to men. Although this is the particular 
 mentioned last in our text, vet, according to the 
 natural order of things, it falls first to he consi- 
 dered. 
 
 By the good will of God towards men, we are 
 f<» understand bis tree favour, or sovereign loVi 
 unto them in Christ ,J<^u^. Tins love is absolutely 
 free and sovereign in ttS nature, while it is saving 
 in its effects. Ir springs from the pure benevoleiuv 
 of God, and is unpurchased and undeserved. That 
 the redemption of mankind through JeSUS Christ 
 originates in the good will of God must appear, it 
 
142 TIIE GOSPEL PRODUCTIVE OF 
 
 we consider the character of God in whose heart it 
 arose, and of men who are the undeserving objects 
 of it, as well as the express declarations of Sacred 
 Scripture. When we turn our attention to the 
 character of God, and begin to think of his nature 
 and perfections, our minds are overpowered and be- 
 wildered, and we are forced to say, " who can by 
 searching find out God, who can find out the 
 Almighty to perfection ?" By reason and revelation 
 we are led to regard him as a being who is abso- 
 lutely perfect and independent, who is sovereign in 
 his nature, and who, therefore, does all things ac- 
 cording to the counsel of his own will. Perfectly 
 happy in himself, and altogether independent of 
 his creatures, he can neither be compelled to act 
 contrary to his nature and inclination, nor from any 
 external motive be induced to change the purposes 
 which he has formed. A sovereign in this world, 
 through the solicitation of friends, or from political 
 considerations, may be induced to show favour to 
 some for whom he has no regard ; but such things 
 can never be ascribed unto God, who is indepen- 
 dent of his creatures, and whose kingdom is not 
 supported by the maxims of this world. He can- 
 not act impelled by any motive arising from with- 
 out himself, but is free and sovereign in the whole 
 of his procedure. It is true, mercy is an essential 
 attribute of his nature. But this perfection always 
 acts in accordance with his other attributes— with 
 his justice, holiness, and truth. Were God all 
 mercy, no miserable creature would exist, or were 
 he all justice, no sinful being would be spared for 
 a moment ; but these perfections, instead of coun- 
 teracting or destroying each other, are exercised in 
 perfect harmony with one another. While justice, 
 however, demands the punishment of sin from God, 
 as the righteous ruler of the universe, it is evident 
 
GLORY TO GOD AND PEACE TO MAX. 143 
 
 that his mercy or love unto sinners through Christ 
 Jesus, is free and sovereign, and springs from 
 nothing but his own good wilL This good will 
 was not excited in the divine mind by the solicita- 
 tion of the miserable, nor was it purchased by the 
 sufferings and death of Christ; but it arose 
 from his own self-moving love, and, like himself, 
 derived its existence from no external source. 
 This the perfection of the divine nature teaches 
 us in the clearest manner, and to this conclu- 
 sion we are necessarily led, when we think justly 
 of the Supreme Being — of his character and 
 conduct unto the sons of men. But not to in- 
 sist upon this argument, we observed farther, that 
 our redemption through Jesus Christ w T ould appear 
 to originate from the good will of God, if we con- 
 sidered the character and condition of men who are 
 its undeserving objects. We learn from Scripture 
 that angels as well as men were involved in guilt and 
 misery. These beings of a superior nature,who ex- 
 isted before man was created upon the earth, had 
 risen in rebellion against God, and were therefore 
 banished from the abodes of happiness. Man too, 
 after he was created, disobeyed the commandment of 
 his Maker, and was excluded from the earthly para- 
 dise; and thus both angels and men were sunk in 
 guilt and wretchedness. Now, as angels are beings 
 of a higher order, and nearer unto God in the scale 
 of existence than man, and as their superior power- 
 render them capable of performing a more exalted 
 service, it should naturally have occurred to u>. 
 that if good will were to be shown by God to any 
 of his fallen creatures, it would have been mani- 
 fested to fallen angels, as more worthy of his notice 
 and deserving of his regard. But his thoughts are 
 not as our thoughts, nor his ways as our ways. He 
 passed by angels; though creatures of a higher 
 
144 TIIE GOSPEL PRODUCTIVE OF 
 
 order, he felt and discovered no good will unto 
 them; on the contrary, he reserves them under 
 chains of darkness until the judgment of the great 
 day, while to men guilty and rebellious, and who 
 justly deserved to suffer all the effects of the divine 
 displeasure, he hath manifested his love in Christ 
 Jesus. To what then is this to be ascribed, but 
 to his own sovereign compassion aud distinguish- 
 ing grace, for there was nothing in man that could 
 attract his notice, or merit his regard ? On the other 
 hand, there was every thing in them opposite to 
 his nature, and that can be supposed to provoke 
 his displeasure, and excite his aversion. Their 
 guilt called upon divine justice to inflict merited 
 and threatened punishment, and their moral impu- 
 rity rendered them abominable in the eyes of his 
 holiness. No remaining seeds of goodness were 
 to be found in their hearts, for the imagination of 
 their hearts was only evil, and that continually. 
 This is not the character of a few of the more 
 abandoned of our species, but is given in Scripture 
 as the character of the human race — of all the sons 
 of men in their natural state : " for the Lord looked 
 down from heaven upon the children of men, to 
 see if there were any that did understand, and seek 
 God : they are all gone aside, they are all together 
 become filthy ; there is none that doeth good, no, 
 not one." Unto men thus wholly corrupted and uni- 
 versally depraved — unto men thus mean and mi- 
 serable, the goodwill of God through Jesus Christ 
 is manifested. To what but to his own sovereign 
 good pleasure is this grace to be attributed ? Re- 
 solving it into this principle, we must say, "even 
 so, Father, for so it hath seemed good in thy sight." 
 To no other cause can we ascribe it, for to no other 
 is it attributed in Sacred Scripture. There he dis- 
 covers good will to men, to men in contradistinc- 
 
GLORY TO GOD AXD PEACE TO KAN. ] 45 
 
 tion to angels, and to men of all nations and sta- 
 tions, of all characters and conditions in life; for the 
 gospel is glad tidings unto all people. Thus, the 
 consideration of the character and condition of 
 men, shows that our redemption through Jesus 
 Christ, springs from the mere good pleasure of 
 God, and not from any thing in us, that could in- 
 fluence the divine will. But we said still farther, 
 that this important truth would appear with con- 
 vincing evidence from Sacred Scripture. To the 
 decision of Scripture upon this subject, we must 
 ultimately have recourse, and when we do so, its 
 language is plain and explicit. We cannot men- 
 tion all the passages where this doctrine is taught, 
 but the following are too memorable and impor- 
 tant to be omitted: Ex. xxxiii. 19 — " And I will 
 be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will 
 shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy." This 
 passage is the more remarkable and convincing, as 
 it is quoted by the Apostle Paul in his epistle to 
 the Romans, and applied to prove the same point, 
 Deut. vii. 7, 8, " The Lord did not set his love 
 upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more 
 in number than any people; but because the Lord 
 lotH (I yon." Eph. i. 4, 5 — " According as he hath 
 chosen us in him before the foundation of the 
 world: having predestinated us unto the adoption 
 of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according 
 to the tjood ph sasure of his will" 2 Tim. i. 9 — 
 w * Who hath saved us and called us with an holy 
 calling, not according to our works, but according 
 to his otan purpose ami grate) which was riven era 
 in Christ Jesus before the world began." Tit. iii. 
 
 5 — " Not by works of righteousness which we have 
 done, hut according to his nu TCJf be Bared us." 
 Thus, it is evident from the uniform testimony 
 Sacred Scripture, that the redemption of sinners by 
 
146 TIIE GOSPEL PRODUCTIVE OF 
 
 Jesus Christ is entirely owing to the free favour, or 
 sovereign good pleasure of God. This is the 
 fountain from which all the blessings of salvation 
 flow, "for by grace we are saved through faith; and 
 that not of ourselves: it is the gift of God; it is 
 not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, 
 but of God that sheweth mercy, for grace reigns 
 through righteousness unto eternal life." Here 
 then we are called to contemplate the grace of God 
 appearing in sovereign majesty to the sons of men, 
 and deserving and demanding our wonder, grati- 
 tude, and praise. Here we behold what we shall 
 never be able to comprehend — sovereign grace to 
 sinful men who deserved nothing but tribulation 
 and wrath, indignation and anguish. Lord, what 
 is man that thou shouldest thus have been mindful 
 of him, what the sons of men that thou shouldest 
 thus have visited and regarded them ? 
 
 II. We now proceed to the second part of this 
 sacred song, and observe that, as the gospel pro- 
 ceeds from the good will of God, so it proclaims 
 and produces peace upon earth. 
 
 1st. It proclaims peace with God. When man 
 was created upon the earth he was holy, and there- 
 fore there was no discord between him and his 
 Creator ; on the contrary, the most friendly inter- 
 course subsisted between them. In consequence 
 of sin, however, this holy intercourse was de- 
 stroyed. Man commenced rebel against his 
 Maker, and his posterity by sin still carry on the 
 destructive and ruinous war. They are enemies 
 unto God in their minds, and by wicked works. 
 The holiness of God being thus insulted, and his 
 justice provoked by the disobedience of man, he 
 could easily have crushed the impotent rebellion 
 by consigning them over to everlasting misery. 
 
GLORY TO GOD A.ND PEACE TO MAN*. 147 
 
 He could have caused the earth to open her mouth 
 and swallow them up, as he did with Korah and 
 his company, or he could have overwhelmed them 
 as he did Sodom and Gomorrah, by a deluge of 
 fire. But entertaining good will to men, instead 
 of cutting them off in their rebellion, he commands 
 peace to be proclaimed upon this earth, and offers 
 terms of reconciliation to those whom he might 
 have made the victims of his incensed justice. 
 This proclamation of peace, however, is through 
 the mediation of Jesus Christ, and his undertaking 
 the cause of sinners in the counsels of peace before 
 the world was : for although God the Father enter- 
 tained good will to men, yet this was to be exer- 
 cised in a consistency with his holiness and justice, 
 and with the dignity and equity of his divine admin- 
 istration. Hence it is that some atonement for 
 sin became necessary, though what this atonement 
 should be, reason could never have determined, 
 nor the power of man provided when so discovered. 
 The Scriptures of truth explain this important point, 
 and exhibit Christ as the great propitiation for 
 mm. Him God hath set forth as a propitiation 
 through faith in his blood, that he might be just, 
 and the justifier of all those who believe in Jesu<. 
 When we were at enmity with God, our peace was 
 made with him by the sacrifice of his own Son, who 
 loved us, and gave himself for us, a sacrifice and an 
 offering to God of a sweet smelling savour. By 
 this means sin was expiated, and the law fulfilled, 
 and God is now in Christ reconciling the world 
 unto himself, not imputing unto sinners their tiv— 
 passes. Hence you see Christ is our peace, and 
 hath made peace by the blood of hi- eTOSS, tor the 
 chastisement of our peace was upon him, and it is 
 by his stripes that we are healed. He is God's 
 beloved Son, in whom he is well pleased, lie is 
 
1 48 THE GOSPEL PRODUCTIVE OP 
 
 the Prince of peace, and hath purchased it with his 
 own blood. He has redeemed us unto God with 
 his own blood, and we shall reign with him for ever 
 and ever. Hence it is, that he leaves peace unto 
 his people as his invaluable legacy. " Peace I leave 
 with you, my peace I give unto you : not as the 
 world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart 
 be troubled, neither let it be afraid." As Christ 
 thus purchased peace by his own blood, so he pro- 
 claimed it by his gospel upon this earth, which is 
 therefore emphatically styled, Rom. x. 15, " the 
 gospel of peace." This gospel he preached in per- 
 son while he remained in this world, and this gospel 
 he commands all his servants to publish unto the 
 sons of men, for they are to preach peace to them 
 that are afar off, and to them that are nigh. Hence 
 it is said, Is. Hi. 7, " How beautiful upon the 
 mountains are the feet of him that publisheth peace, 
 that bringeth good tidings of good things, that 
 publisheth salvation, that saith unto Zion, Thy God 
 reigneth ! " God not only declares in this gospel, 
 that, through the sacrifice of his own Son, he is 
 ready to receive and pardon every returning sinner ; 
 but he even commands sinners who are enemies 
 unto him to accept of the benefit of this indemnity, 
 and assures them, if they do so, they shall have 
 peace with him. Is. xxvii. 4, 5 — " Fury is not in 
 me : who would set the briers and thorns against 
 me in battle ? I would go through them, I would 
 burn them together. But let him take hold of my 
 strength, (that is, of Christ who is the power of 
 God) that he may make peace with me, and he 
 shall make peace with me." How welcome should 
 this proclamation and command be unto the chil- 
 dren of men ! and how acceptable w 7 ould it be, had 
 we just views of our own character and condition ! 
 Terms of peace in this world are commonly pro- 
 
GLORY TO GOD AMD PEACE TO MAX. 149 
 
 posed by the party who has been worsted, and who 
 is no longer able to maintain the conflict. But 
 here peace is proclaimed by the party who cannot 
 be hurt by the contest, and who is able to carry on 
 the war to the utter destruction of all his enemies. 
 This is a peace, too, that is safe, honourable, and 
 permanent, that will never be violated on the part 
 of Heaven, that includes in it every blessing", and 
 secures the present and future happiness of all those 
 who accept of it. God is now reconciled through 
 the death of his Son, the tribunal of his justice is 
 converted into a throne of mercy, and holding out 
 the olive branch upon the sceptre of his grace, he 
 invites his enemies to come to touch it, and live 
 for ever. How joyful are the tidings of peace unto 
 a people who have long been at war with a power- 
 ful enemy, and who have almost been destroyed by 
 the unequal contest ! but O, how much more joy- 
 ful and acceptable should this proclamation of 
 peace be unto all the enemies of God who hear it 
 in this world ! and with what alacrity and gratitude 
 ought they to accept of it ! We then are ambas- 
 sadors for Christ, and therefore as if God did be- 
 seech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be 
 ye reconciled unto God. 
 
 2d, In order to persuade you to this, consider 
 that peace with God is always connected with peace 
 of conscience in this workL While men are ene- 
 mies to God, it is impossible they can enjoy anv 
 solid peace of mind. Their corrupt passions and 
 sinful propensities will still prompt them to commit 
 what their consciences must condemn ; and there- 
 fore there is no peace, saith my God, unto the 
 wicked. What a painful disease is to the body, 
 that is sin to the soul ; it di atfCMOl the mind, and is 
 the never-failing source of uneasiness and remorse. 
 Peace of conscience can only flow from peace with 
 
150 TITE GOSPEL PRODUCTIVE OF 
 
 God, and the application of that which satisfies the 
 justice of Heaven. Now, as all men have sinned, 
 so no man by any thing he can do or suffer, can 
 obtain true peace of mind. He can neither make 
 atonement for his past transgressions, nor promise 
 future perfect obedience. It is only what satisfies 
 the justice of God that can satisfy the demands of 
 an awakened and enlightened conscience ; and as 
 the sacrifice of Christ has done the former, the 
 actual application of the blood of Christ by the 
 Holy Spirit can produce the latter. It is by this 
 sacrifice that justice is satisfied, and conscience 
 pacified and purified ; for when the sinner by faith 
 is reconciled unto God, he is also reconciled unto 
 his own conscience, which from an accusing enemy 
 becomes an approving friend. This is the glory of 
 the gospel dispensation, and arises from the perfec- 
 tion of the sacrifice of Christ ; for though the sacri- 
 fices under the law could not make him that did 
 the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience, 
 yet the sacrifice of Christ is sufficient for this pur- 
 pose, and therefore the Apostle reasons in the most 
 conclusive manner, Heb. ix. 13, 14, " For if the 
 blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an 
 heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the 
 purifying of the flesh ; how much more shall the 
 blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit 
 offered himself without spot to God, purge your 
 conscience from dead works to serve the living 
 God? " By this means the guilt of sin is removed, 
 and sin being pardoned, peace is restored to the 
 troubled soul. Thus you see it is by faith in the 
 blood of Christ, that peace with God and peace 
 of conscience are obtained and preserved; for the 
 Christian is filled with joy and peace only in be- 
 lieving. This peace is also increased by the 
 Christian's walking in the way of universal holi- 
 
GLORY TO GOD AND PEACE TO MAX. 151 
 
 ness ; for " the fruit of righteousness is peace, and 
 the effect of it is quietness and assurance for ever/' 
 The conscience, however, of the holiest man upon 
 earth, could not be pure and peaceful without the 
 daily application of the blood of Christ ; for as he 
 is daily falling into sin, he must daily be applying 
 unto this opened fountain for its removal. By a 
 continual application of the blood of Christ, and a 
 steady progression in holiness, this peace of mind 
 is preserved and increased ; the testimony of con- 
 science becomes more pleasing and perceptible, un- 
 til its sentence is confirmed by the approbation of 
 its Lord, " Well done, good and faithful servant, 
 enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." How pre- 
 cious is the blessing of peace of conscience ! Its 
 value is inestimable. Next to peace with God, it 
 is the most important blessing we can enjoy in this 
 world, and the gospel is the only scheme that 
 points out the way in which it is to be obtained ; 
 for, being justified by faith, we have peace with 
 God through our Lord Jesus Christ, and rejoice 
 in hope of the glory of God. By coming unto 
 Christ, we find rest unto our souls, and then the 
 peace of God, which passeth all understanding, 
 keeps the heart and the mind through Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 3d. It is farther to be observed, that the gospel 
 rends to promote peace and hamuaiy among men 
 in this world. This, indeed, has been doubted 
 and denied by some who are enemies to the gos- 
 pel, and who represent it as unfriendly to the peace 
 and good order of society. Our Saviour, they 
 allege, allows this, when he says, Mat. xvi. 34, 
 that he came not " to send peace on earth, but 
 a sword." Now, although we admit that the 
 gospel has been the innoctnt occasion of much 
 eontention and cruelty in the world, yet we deny 
 
152 TI1E GOSPEL PRODUCTIVE OF 
 
 that it ever was, or will be the cause of either. 
 The spirit of the gospel is benevolent and pacific, 
 and tends directly to promote the harmony and 
 happiness of mankind. As it brings good tid- 
 ings of great joy to all people, so it is calculated 
 to unite mankind in the bonds of christian love, 
 and to promote the happiness of the whole human 
 race. Christ, the author of this gospel, was peace 
 manifested and embodied in our nature. When he 
 was reviled, he reviled not again ; and when the 
 sword through indiscreet zeal was drawn in his de- 
 fence, he commanded it to be sheathed. His doc- 
 trines corresponded with his life, for they were the 
 doctrines of peace. He instructed his followers not 
 only to be at peace among themselves, but to love 
 their enemies, and to do good unto those who des- 
 pitefully used and persecuted them. This gospel, 
 therefore, while it restores peace between heaven 
 and earth, and introduces peace of conscience, as 
 we have shown, at the same time banishes from the 
 minds of men all those malignant and turbulent 
 passions which fill the world with mischief and 
 misery. It unites men in one great christian so- 
 ciety. It breaks down that middle wall of parti- 
 tion which separated Jews and Gentiles ; for 
 Christ hath abolished in his flesh the enmity, " for 
 to make in himself of twain, one new man, so mak- 
 ing peace." From its doctrines, when cordially em- 
 braced, the most peaceful effects might naturally be 
 expected, and in fact have been produced, wherever 
 this gospel has been understood, believed, and 
 obeyed. Its spirit has spread through the differ- 
 ent relations of life, and insensibly wrought itself 
 into the frame-work and constitution of christian 
 states. It has restrained the spirit of the prince 
 and the madness of the people — it has given ten- 
 derness to the parent and humanity to the master 
 
GLORY TO GOD AND PEACE TO MAX. 153 
 
 — it has softened the rigours of despotism, and 
 always brought civil liberty in its train ; for it is 
 extremely remarkable that this blessing is enjoyed 
 in proportion to the purity in which the doctrines 
 of the gospel are taught and professed in European 
 states. Where these approach the nearest to the 
 native purity of the gospel, there peace and civil 
 liberty shine forth in their brightest lustre. Man- 
 kind are therefore under infinite obligations to 
 the pacific genius of the gospel, and they cannot 
 promote the interests of society more effectually, 
 than by embracing and obeying it. This gos- 
 pel, when believed, removes the causes of con- 
 tention ; it subdues those evil passions from which 
 public wars and private animosities arise ; it 
 teaches us to love as brethren, to follow peace 
 with all men, to fear God, and to honour the king. 
 If the gospel therefore has not yet produced all 
 those peaceful effects which might have been ex- 
 pected, it is not owing to the gospel, but to the 
 want of it ; to its not being understood or believed 
 by those who hear it. The state of the world, 
 however, by the gospel is evidently meliorating. 
 It has abolished in many places idolatry aud human 
 sacrifices — the rights of conscience and of private 
 judgment are more clearly understood, and more 
 generally acknowledged ; and we are assured the 
 period is approaching when this gospel shall be 
 universally known and believed, and then univer- 
 sal peace and concord shall prevail ; for, in the 
 beautiful language of the prophet, Is. xi. 6 — 9, 
 "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the 
 leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf, 
 and the young lion, and the failing together ; and 
 a little child shall lead them. And the cow and 
 the bear shall feed ; their voting ones shall lie 
 down together : and the lion shall eat straw like 
 
 H 
 
154 THE GOSPEL PRODUCTIVE OF 
 
 the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the 
 hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his 
 hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt 
 nor destroy in all my holy mountain : for the earth 
 shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the 
 waters cover the sea." 
 
 III. We now come, in the third and last place, 
 to consider the scheme of our salvation by Jesus 
 Christ, as terminating in glory to God in the 
 highest. It is here almost unnecessary to remark, 
 that as God is infinitely glorious in himself, so his 
 essential glory is incapable of any addition or di- 
 minution, for he is God over all, and blessed for 
 ever. In Scripture, however, God is said to be 
 glorified either when his glory is displayed before 
 his creatures, or when they are induced by this 
 discovery to ascribe unto him the praise that is 
 due unto his name. " He that offereth praise 
 glorifieth God, and to him that ordereth his 
 conversation aright, will he show his salvation." 
 Now although God is, and will be glorified in 
 all his works, yet as one star differs from another 
 in glory, so more of the glory of God shines 
 in some of his works than in others. But of all 
 the works of God, which come within the sphere 
 of our knowledge, the work of redemption is the 
 most astonishing, for more of the glory of God 
 shines in this work than in all his other works. 
 
 1st. Herein he is glorified in the highest man- 
 ner and degree, for the scheme of redemption 
 through Jesus Christ, displays the glory of all 
 the persons in the adorable Trinity. Though 
 from the light of nature we may be convinced that 
 there is one God, yet it is only from revelation 
 we learn that this God subsists in three persons — 
 Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. For there are 
 
GLORY TO GOD AND PEACE TO MAX. 155 
 
 three that bear record in heaven, and these three 
 are one. The glory of all these three persons 
 appears in the different offices they sustain, and 
 parts which they perform in the amazing scheme 
 of our salvation. Here we see the glory of the 
 Father in devising the stupendous scheme, in ap- 
 pointing his Son to the office of mediator, in 
 giving testimony to him from heaven, in support- 
 ing him in his work, in accepting his sacrifice, 
 in raising him from the dead, and in setting him 
 down at his own right hand in the heavenly world. 
 Here, too, we contemplate the glory of the Son in 
 generously undertaking our cause, in the assump- 
 tion of our nature into personal union with the 
 divine, and thereby becoming God manifest in the 
 flesh ; in the astonishing miracles he performed, 
 in the spotless life he led, in the pure doctrines 
 which he taught, and in his sufferings unto death, 
 when he gave himself for us a sacrifice and an of- 
 fering unto God of a sweet smelling savour. " We 
 beheld," said the disciples, "his glory, the glory as 
 of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace 
 and truth." And here, finally, we see the glory 
 of the Holy Spirit in descending upon Christ at 
 bifl baptism, in coming down in his miraculous 
 gifts on the day of pentecost, and in his coming 
 into the hearts of sinners, enlightening their minds 
 in the knowledge of Christ, in comforting them 
 in sorrow, Strengthening them in weakness, adorn- 
 ing them with his precious fruits, and sealing them 
 unto the day of eternal redemption. " He shall 
 glorify me," said Christ, speaking of the Spirit, 
 6i for he shall receive of mine and show it unto vou." 
 Thus you see that in the plan and exeeution of our 
 
 redemption by Jesus Christ, the glory of all the 
 
 >ns in the adorable Godhead distinctly appears 
 — the glory of a three-one Jehovah, shines forth 
 
J. 56 TI1E GOSPEL PRODUCTIVE OP 
 
 with peculiar splendour, and therefore, in this view, 
 it may well be said to terminate in glory to God 
 in the highest. 
 
 2d. The scheme of our redemption by Jesus 
 Christ terminates in glory to God in the highest, 
 because the glory of all the divine perfections 
 shines forth in it with the brightest lustre, and most 
 beautiful harmony. Although much of the glory 
 of God may be seen in his other works, for the 
 heavens above us display his glory, and the firma- 
 ment shows forth his handy-work ; yet in the face 
 of nature we cannot behold all the divine perfec- 
 tions, for these are onlv to be seen in the face of 
 Jesus Christ. Nature through all her works af- 
 fords us no discovery of divine mercy, or of the in- 
 tentions of God with regard to his guilty creatures. 
 A full and satisfying view of all the divine attri- 
 butes is only to be obtained in the contrivance and 
 execution of the plan of redemption by Jesus 
 Christ. Here we see the glory of divine power 
 made visible in the person of Jesus Christ, in his 
 bearing our sins in his own body on the tree, which 
 would have crushed the strongest created intelli- 
 gence, and in his rising again from the dead, by 
 which he was declared to be the Son of God with 
 power. Here we see the glory of divine wisdom 
 in proposing the best ends, the glory of God and 
 the salvation of sinners, and in accomplishing these 
 ends by the wisest and the best means. How the 
 glory of God should appear in punishing the guilty, 
 or in making the innocent happy, may easily be 
 conceived ; but in what manner it should be display- 
 ed in promoting the good of the criminal, and in 
 bringing peace and salvation from guilt and misery, 
 is a question which the sublimest created intelli- 
 gence could not solve, and to which infinite wisdom 
 alone can give a satisfactory answer. In the 
 
GLORY TO GOD AND PEACE TO MAN. 15/ 
 
 scheme of salvation, then, through Jesus Christ, we 
 have a wondrous display of divine wisdom, for by 
 this plan sin is punished and the sinner saved, the 
 demands of law and justice are answered, and the 
 obedience and salvation of the believer secured. 
 When we contemplate the manifold wisdom of God 
 which this scheme reveals, we must exclaim with 
 the Apostle, Rom xi. 33, " O the depth of the 
 riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God ! 
 how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways 
 past finding out !" Here we see the glory of the 
 divine holiness, and learn from this scheme God's 
 infinite hatred of sin, and that he is so pure that he 
 cannot be approached by sinners but through the 
 sacrifice and mediation of his own Son. In our re- 
 demption by Jesus Christ, God indeed appears glo- 
 rious in his holiness. Here also is seen the glory 
 of divine justice in demanding satisfaction from the 
 surety for the sins of his people, and in not releas- 
 ing him from the prison until he had paid the utter- 
 most farthing. Our redemption by the blood of 
 Christ gives a more awful manifestation of divine 
 justice, than could have been made by the punish- 
 ment of all guilty creatures. How strict that justkv 
 which spared not his own Son, but delivered him up 
 to the death for us all! If justice could have remitted 
 punishment, would not this have taken place when 
 the Son of God was to pay and satisfy? But justice 
 spared him not ; her sword awoke against him and 
 cut him off; and he is set forth as a propitiation 
 through faith in his blood, that God might be just, 
 and thejustifier of all those who believe on Jcmis. 
 Here too the glory of divine goodness shines in all 
 its beauty. This perfection smiles in the works of 
 creation, and is seen in the daily provision of pro- 
 vidence, for in this respect OoO is good unto all; 
 but goodness opens all her treasures in the work of 
 
158 THE GOSPEL PRODUCTIVE OF 
 
 redemption, and bestows upon us the richest gift 
 which God could give, or man receive. Here also 
 we see the glory of divine truth and faithfulness in 
 fulfilling the promise made unto the fathers, and in 
 executing the sentence of the law upon the surety 
 of his people. And here, finally, we behold the 
 glory of that mercy in which God delights. The 
 glory of this lovely attribute would in all probabi- 
 lity have been for ever concealed from our eyes, 
 had it not been revealed to us in the amazing 
 scheme of our salvation by the Saviour. From 
 this plan-, however, we learn that God is merciful : 
 we hear his name proclaimed by himself to be 
 " the Lord, the Lord God merciful and gracious, 
 forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin." The 
 glory of divine mercy sheds a softening light over 
 all the other perfections of God, and unites them 
 in the sweetest bonds ; for here mercy and truth 
 meet together, righteousness and peace embrace 
 each other. Here, in short, the glory of all the di- 
 vine perfections is displayed, and they shine more 
 bright in union than they could do apart. As all 
 the original colours appear in the rainbow, which 
 is therefore allowed to be one of the most beautiful 
 objects in nature, so all the perfections of God 
 meet and shine in the scheme of our redemption, 
 which therefore gives glory to God in the highest 
 manner and degree. 
 
 3d. The plan of our redemption by Jesus Christ 
 terminates in glory to God in the highest, be- 
 cause it gives occasion to the ascription of the 
 highest praise unto him by his people in this 
 world, and in that which is to come. Every 
 Christian offers praise unto God continually. In 
 this exercise, however, he is regulated by the 
 various gifts which Heaven bestows upon him, 
 and by the different displays of the divine glory 
 
GLORY TO GOD AND PEACE TO MAN*. L'jO 
 
 which he beholds. When any interposition is of 
 remarkable importance, and the glory of God 
 shines in it with peculiar lustre, his praise will 
 bear some proportion to it, and through grace be 
 more elevated than usual. But as the gift of 
 Christ is unspeakable, and his love in accom- 
 plishing our salvation sheds a lustre upon all the 
 other ways and works of God — as the glory of 
 God shines in this scheme in the highest manner, 
 so it deserves and demands the Christian's highest 
 praise. Accordingly, though he praises God 
 every day for all his mercies, for the wonders of 
 creation and the bounties of providence, yet his 
 most exalted praise is excited and inspired by the 
 riches of redeeming love. When he fixes his at- 
 tention on this wonderful work, and contemplates 
 it under the influence of the Spirit, and in the 
 light of the word, his heart melts with love and 
 gratitude, and his mouth is opened in the prai- - 
 of the Lord. He sings unto the Lord a new 
 song, and rejoices in the salvation of the glorious 
 gospel. To this all the children of Zion are in- 
 vited by the Psalmist, Ps. cxlix. I, 5, " Praise ve 
 the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and 
 his praise in the congregation of saints. Let the 
 saints be joyful in glory. ' This vrat the case with 
 Mary when she said, Luke i. 40, 47, 49, " My 
 soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath 
 rejoiced in God my Savionr. For he that i> 
 mighty hath done to me invat things ; and holy 
 is ln's name." This praise ii comely for the upright, 
 and will be celebrated with the greatest pleasure 
 by all those whose hearts are tired, and rilled with 
 a Knse of redeeming grace. " We will not for- 
 get," they will say, * k all thy benefits, (J Lord; in 
 a peculiar manner we would remember and cele- 
 brate the wonders of thy redeeming love. Blessed 
 
160 THE GOSPEL PRODUCTIVE OF 
 
 be God, who hath visited and redeemed his people, 
 and raised up for them an horn of salvation in the 
 house of his servant David. Bless the Lord, O 
 our souls, and forget not all his benefits : who re- 
 deemeth our lives from destruction, and crowneth 
 us with loving-kindness and tender mercies. ,, In 
 this manner, God will be glorified while he has a 
 Church upon earth, and through the revolutions 
 of eternity he will be praised by the redeemed in 
 strains higher than our present powers can reach, 
 or imaginations conceive. In the highest heavens 
 he will be celebrated in the highest manner, and 
 the subject of this song of praise will be redeeming 
 love. While the glory of God will for ever illum- 
 inate the heavenly temple, the praises of God will 
 be continually sung, for there they cease not, day 
 nor night, in their joyful acclamations and new 
 songs of praise. Then the redeemed will join in 
 one vast assembly, while they sing, and say, 
 " Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, for he hath 
 redeemed us unto God by his own blood." " Unto 
 him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in 
 his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests 
 unto God and his Father, be glory and dominion 
 for ever and ever." Nay, the heavenly hosts that 
 sung so sweetly upon the plains of Bethlehem, 
 with all the angels around the throne, will unite 
 with the redeemed from among men in one full 
 chorus, and swell the song of praise, while they 
 say, Rev. v. 12, 13, with a loud voice, "Worthy is 
 the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and 
 riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and 
 glory, and blessing. Blessing, and honour, and 
 glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon 
 the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever." 
 Now, if they who offer praise glorify God, and if 
 the scheme of salvation give occasion to the as- 
 
GLORY TO GOD AND PEACE TO MAN. 161 
 
 cription of such praise unto God on earth and in 
 heaven for ever, must it not terminate in glory to 
 God in the highest ? 
 
 Having thus finished what we proposed upon 
 this subject, it only now remains that we conclude 
 with some application suited to the subject and 
 the solemn service we have immediately in view. 
 
 1st. From what has been said, we may see 
 the original source of our salvation by Christ. 
 The fountain from whence it proceeds is divine 
 philanthropy, sovereign grace or good will to men. 
 To this source all the blessings of salvation are 
 ultimately to be traced ; and here we are to stand 
 with admiration and joy, and adore and praise 
 what we shall never be able fully to compre- 
 hend. Sovereign and saving grace will be the 
 wonder of eternity, and it will always be the object 
 of the highest admiration to the believer in this 
 world. " Behold what manner of love is this the 
 Father hath bestowed upon us ; for God, even the 
 Father, hath loved us, and given us everlasting 
 consolation and good hope through grace." This 
 love is free, self-moving, and unpurchased, and 
 passeth all understanding. " This is the doing of the 
 Lord, and it is marvellous in our eyes." M Lord, 
 what is man, that thou hast thus been mindful of 
 him, or the children of men, that thou shoulder 
 vMt and regard them." " By grace we are saved, 
 through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is the 
 gift of God, and grace reigns through righteousness 
 unto eternal life? 
 
 2d. If the gospel i< good will to men, then hence 
 you may see a door of hope opened to the cliitf qf 
 sinners. The greatest guilt and unworthiness can 
 be no insuperable bar in the way of pardon and 
 acceptance; for "where sin hath abounded, grace 
 doth much more abound." Although vou have been 
 
 n 3 
 
162 THE GOSPEL PRODUCTIVE OF 
 
 enemies to God, he has manifested his good will 
 to you, in order that you may hear, believe, and 
 be saved. Sinners can have no hope but from the 
 compassionate proclamation issued from a throne of 
 grace. This is so extensive as to bring hope to 
 every soul that hears it. " Unto you, O men, I 
 call, and my voice is unto the sons of men, for the 
 promise is unto you, and to your seed, and to all 
 that are afar off, even to as many as the Lord our 
 God shall call." Let not your impenitence and 
 unbelief then shut this door which mercy hath 
 opened, but enter by faith and you shall be saved. 
 3d. From what hath been said, I would exhort 
 sinners to be reconciled unto God. For this pur- 
 pose peace is now proclaimed on earth by the glo- 
 rious gospel. Consider, I beseech you, the grace 
 of God, your present condition, and the dreadful 
 consequences of despising divine mercy. You are 
 at present the enemies of God, engaged in a war 
 which, if you continue to prosecute it, must termi- 
 nate in your destruction. Although God could have 
 cut you off in a moment, and consumed you from 
 the face of the earth, yet he hath discovered good 
 will towards you, and caused peace by the gospel 
 to be offered you upon safe and honourable terms. 
 Will you not listen to the overtures of grace ? Will 
 you despise this offered mercy ? Are you able to 
 wage war against Heaven w ith success, or have you 
 measured the extent of that power which you dare 
 to defy ? Are you determined to persevere in your 
 infatuated course, until you extort, as it were, de- 
 struction from the Almighty. O, be persuaded by 
 the terrors of the Lord, or rather be allured by 
 the mercy of God, to be reconciled unto him, and 
 to accept of the peace that is now offered unto 
 you. O, that the Lord would touch the hearts of 
 sinners, open their eyes, and snatch the weapons of 
 
GLORY TO GOD AND PEACE TO MAX. 163 
 
 rebellion from their hands, and make them a will- 
 ing people in the day of his power ! 
 
 4th. From what has been said, you may see 
 that all real Christians ought to live in love and 
 •peace with one another. As the gospel brings 
 good will from God to men, so it ought to restore 
 good will to men among themselves ; and it will 
 produce this effect wherever it is known, believed, 
 and felt. Enjoying peace with God, let real 
 Christians learn to be at peace among themselves, 
 and to discover a benevolent and pacific disposition 
 towards all men. That sinners who have neither 
 peace with God nor any solid peace in their own 
 consciences, should live in malice and in envy, 
 hateful and hating one another, is nothing extra- 
 ordinary ; but that Christians, who know and love 
 the truth, and who are all brethren in Christ 
 Jesus, should hate one another, or not be at peace 
 with one another, is astonishing and distressing. 
 Such a temper is opposite unto the christian cha- 
 racter, and incompatible with the acceptable per- 
 formance of the sacred service now before us. If 
 any of us have aught against our brother, we 
 should first go and be reconciled, and then come 
 and offer our gift. Let all real Christians, then, 
 love as brethren. Let them agree to differ upon 
 some points of less importance ; but let not this dif- 
 ference of sentiment occasion any alienation of af- 
 fection. As far as they are agreed, (and all real 
 
 Christians who are taught of God must be agreed 
 
 ... 
 upon the leading doctrines of the gospel,) let them 
 
 walk by the same rule, let them mind the same 
 things. Let them be at peace among themselves 
 and, if possible, live peaceably with all men. By 
 walking in the path of peace, they shall adorn the 
 ^»pel of peace, which they prongs to believe, re- 
 move the unreasonable prejudices of men against 
 
164 GLORY TO GOD AND PEACE TO MAN. 
 
 the truth, recommend the religion of Jesus to the 
 notice and esteem of the world, and promote, in 
 the most effectual manner, the comfort and edifi- 
 cation of their own souls ; for " the fruit of right- 
 eousness is sown in peace of them that make 
 peace." 
 
 5th, and to conclude. From what has been 
 said, let all who love the Lord Jesus Christ, and 
 who are to remember his death at his table, be 
 stirred up to unite with the angels in their anthem 
 of praise, and say, " Glory to God in the highest, 
 peace on earth, and good will towards men." Let 
 them bless God for his sovereign love, and be 
 glad and rejoice in Christ, and give honour unto 
 him, for he is the same to-day, yesterday, and for 
 ever. The voice of saints in heaven is not awant- 
 ing in that full chorus which ascribes glory to 
 him. They cordially unite with angels in their 
 joyful songs. Let us begin in the earthly sanc- 
 tuary the employment of the higher house, and 
 join with angels and saints around the throne in 
 singing a new song of praise unto the Lord. Let us 
 go to his table with hearts warmed with his love, 
 and mouths opened to celebrate his highest praise. 
 Thus let us express our gratitude to God and the 
 Lamb for our redemption, originating in sovereign 
 love, proclaiming peace upon earth, and terminating 
 in glory to God in the highest. What an amazing 
 origin, pleasing progress, and glorious termination ! 
 May the Lord send forth his light and truth to 
 lead and guide us ; then will we go unto the altar 
 of God, unto God, our exceeding joy ! Amen. 
 
SERMON V. 
 
 CHRISTIANS REDEEMED WITH THE PRECIOUS 
 BLOOD OF CHRIST. 
 
 1 Pet. i. 18, 19. 
 
 " Forasmuch as ye know that ye were Dot redeemed with 
 corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain con- 
 versation received by tradition from your fathers ; but with 
 the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and 
 without spot." 
 
 The redemption of sinners by the precious blood 
 of Christ, is the most astonishing event that ever 
 took place in this world, and we have no reason to 
 believe that anything of a similar nature will be 
 exhibited during the ages of eternity. Planned in 
 the councils of heaven, it was typified under the 
 Mosaic economy, was foretold by the ancient pro- 
 phets, and exactly fulfilled in the death of Christ. 
 Upon the redemption of Christ in truth all our 
 hopes as guilty sinners depend, and from it the 
 present sanctification and future prospects of Chris- 
 tians arise. This is the grand doctrine, therefore, 
 which the inspired writers of the New Testament 
 invariably keep in view, and which they bring for- 
 ward upon every occasion to confirm the faith, in- 
 flame the love, and establish the obedience of 
 true believers. From this doctrine, as from a pre- 
 cious treasury, they bring comfort to the afflicted, 
 direction to the doubtful, obligations to duty, and 
 motives to universal holiness. It is therefore en- 
 tirely owing to their ignorance of the nature of this 
 redemption, and their want of interest in the bless- 
 ings which it secures, that the hearts of sinners are 
 so cold and worldly, and their lives so impious and 
 
166 CHRISTIANS REDEEMED WITH 
 
 impure. It is likewise owing to the partial view 
 which even real Christians take of this truth, and the 
 inattention and unbelief with which they survey- 
 it, that their comforts are so scanty, their praises 
 so languid, and their holiness so imperfect. 
 Although the review of this glorious doctrine and 
 the truths which it involves, must at all times by 
 the divine blessing be useful unto a christian audi- 
 tory, yet we hope it will prove peculiarly suitable 
 upon the present occasion when we are met to 
 commemorate the death of our Redeemer, and 
 that through divine influence it will be highly ac- 
 ceptable and useful to every intending communi- 
 cant. In order to direct your views and to assist 
 your meditations upon this subject, all that we pro- 
 pose is, 
 
 I. To consider the situation of men, previous to 
 their knowledge of the redemption of Christ, and 
 their personal interest in its provisions. 
 
 II. To illustrate the nature of this redemption, 
 and the means by which it is accomplished. 
 
 III. To point out the influence which the know- 
 ledge of this redemption, and of personal interest 
 in it, will have upon the hearts and lives of the 
 redeemed in this world. 
 
 I. We are to consider the situation of men pre 
 vious to their knowledge of the redemption of 
 Christ, and interest in its blessings. And here, 
 
 1st. We observe that sinners while in this situa- 
 tion are in a state of the grossest ignorance. 
 That the heathen nations were involved in gross 
 darkness before the appearance of Christ, will be 
 allowed by every one who is acquainted with 
 their history. Their wise men were ignorant of 
 the first principles of religion, and by the mul- 
 
THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST. 167 
 
 tiplicity of their opinions, instead of enlightening, 
 they perplexed the minds of the people. Even 
 those among them who were men of profound 
 intellectual abilities, who cultivated their powers 
 and carried their researches to the utmost, were 
 ignorant of the nature and perfections of God ; of 
 the extent and superintendence of his providence ; 
 of the relations in which we stand to him as our 
 creator, preserver, and judge ; and of the rational 
 worship which, as his intelligent creatures, we are 
 bound to pay him. Their notions of Deity were 
 confused and contradictory; their systems of duty 
 were imperfect and defective ; and their anticipa- 
 tions of futurity were dark and dismal. Of this the 
 wiser among them were so sensible, that they ex- 
 pressed a desire that God would send them a teacher 
 to instruct them in the knowledge of divine truth, 
 as it existed in the divine mind. Now, if this wag 
 the state of religious knowledge among the wise 
 and learned in the heathen nations, who devoted 
 their time and attention to these subjects, what 
 must have been the situation of the great body of 
 the people ? Must they not have been sunk in the 
 gros^t and most deplorable ignorance? Most 
 they DOt have been walking in darkness, and living 
 without God, and without hope in the world ? The 
 Jewish nation before this period, it is true, enjoyed 
 a divine revelation, which preserved among them 
 the knowledge of the first principles of religion ; 
 but even this light had been darkened by the tra- 
 ditions and false interpretations of their elders and 
 taaehen* For the doctrines of revelation they had 
 
 received the eoininandnH'iits of men, and paid 
 greater attention to the oral, than to the written 
 
 law. Even among them the law of God was 
 
 made void, the commandment was of none effect, 
 and their light was turned into darkness. Hence 
 
168 CHRISTIANS REDEEMED WITH 
 
 our Saviour, with just severity, declares, Mat. xv. 
 6, 9, " That by their tradition they had made the 
 commandment of God of none effect ; and that in 
 vain they worshipped him, teaching for doctrines the 
 commandments of men." Thus it is evident, that 
 before the appearance of Christ, and the accom- 
 plishment of his redemption, the whole world was 
 sunk into a state of the grossest ignorance. The 
 world by its wisdom knew not God, for, in the em- 
 phatic language of the prophet, Is. lx. 2, "dark- 
 ness covered the earth, and gross darkness the peo- 
 ple." 
 
 2d. While sinners are without interest in the re- 
 demption of Christ they are in a state of guilt and 
 condemnation. When God created man upon the 
 earth, to direct his conduct he inscribed his law 
 upon his heart. Although, in consequence of 
 our apostacy, this law is much effaced, yet its 
 great and general outlines are still preserved ; for 
 the heathen, who have not the written law, are a 
 law unto themselves, which shows the works of the 
 law to be written upon their hearts, their con- 
 sciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts the 
 meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another. 
 With the transgression of this law of nature, the 
 whole heathen world are justly chargeable. Ac- 
 cordingly they are affected with a sense of guilt, 
 and discover a dread of vengeance from some supe- 
 rior power ; for their consciences tell them they are 
 guilty, and that they deserve to suffer punishment 
 for their sins. Although among the more rude 
 and barbarous this sense of guilt may be more 
 strongly felt when they experience outward calami- 
 ties, such as the horrors of war, and the devastation 
 of famine and pestilence, yet even in the calmer 
 and softer scenes of life, they are not entirely free 
 from a consciousness of transgression. This is evi- 
 
THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CIIRIST. 169 
 
 dent from their continued rites and ceremonies, and 
 from their repeated sacrifices to appease the wrath of 
 an offended Deity. Their religious ceremonies pro- 
 claim a sense of guilt, and their dread of the Deity 
 a consciousness of transgression. If the Gentiles 
 are thus guilty in violating the laws of nature, 
 the Jews, who are favoured with a divine revela- 
 tion, are still more criminal in transgressing the 
 written law. The moral law, which the Almighty 
 with so much solemnity delivered unto them at 
 Mount Sinai, they have not observed, but violated 
 in almost every particular. Thus Jews and Gen- 
 tiles are involved in guilt, and liable to condemna- 
 tion. To prove this melancholy and alarming 
 truth is the great design of the Apostle in the first 
 part of his epistle to the Romans, where, after a 
 train of close and convincing reasoning, he concludes 
 all under guilt. Rom. iii. 19 — "Now we know, 
 that what things soever the law saith, it saith to 
 them who are under the law ; that every mouth 
 may be stopped, and all the world may become 
 guilty before God." Thus, by the accusing voice 
 of conscience, and the condemnatory language of 
 Scripture, the whole world are brought in as guilty. 
 We appear as criminals at the bar of divine justice, 
 and instead of vindicating our conduct, and main- 
 taining our innocence, we must plead guilty ; for 
 all have sinned and come short of the glory of 
 God. If they who offend in one point are guilty 
 of all, and if the righteous sentence of the divine 
 law is, " Cursed is every one that continueth not 
 in all things written in the book of the law to do 
 them;" where is the person that can say lie is 
 innocent, or free from condemnation ? 
 
 3d. While sinners have no inU'ivst in the re- 
 demption of Christ, they MB in a state of slavtrtt 
 mi d mi$( ry. This, indeed, must be the natural 
 
] 70 CHRISTIANS REDEEMED WITII 
 
 consequence of the facts which we have already- 
 stated ; for if mankind are sunk in ignorance, 
 and distressed with a sense of guilt, little liberty 
 or happiness can be enjoyed by them. That 
 this is their real situation, the testimony of Scrip- 
 ture, and the experience of sinners before they 
 come unto Christ, abundantly confirm. " Who- 
 soever committeth sin," saith our blessed Lord, 
 John viii. 34, "is the servant of sin," or the slave 
 of sin, for the service of this master is slavery, 
 and his wages death. Sin not only entails guilt 
 upon the conscience, but it enfeebles and para- 
 lyzes the powers of our mind* It introduces dis- 
 order into our moral nature, and subverts the con- 
 stitution which God had originally established in 
 our hearts. The superior powers of the mind by 
 means of sin become subject unto the inferior, and 
 the sinner becomes the meanest and most unhappy 
 of all slaves, for he becomes a slave to his own 
 corrupt inclinations and criminal desires. Instead 
 of acting according to the dignity and dictates of 
 his rational nature, or finding any liberty and hap- 
 piness in the service of God, he follows the impulse 
 of some corrupt lust or wayward passion, and 
 is a stranger to the felicity which arises from 
 a sense of the favour of God. Liberty and 
 peace are banished from his breast, and anarchy 
 and confusion therein prevail. The wild disorder 
 that obtains in a convulsed state, when subor- 
 dination and regular government are annihilated, 
 or the ravages of a furious and irresistible storm, 
 are but faint emblems of the disorder and misery 
 that reign in the sinner's mind. As the just pun- 
 ishment of his criminal conduct, he is delivered 
 over to the power of the prince of darkness, who 
 rules in the hearts of the children of disobedience, 
 and carries them captive at his will. He inflames. 
 
THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST. ]Jl 
 
 their passions and increases their servitude, and 
 wreathes their galling chains more closely around 
 their necks. He holds them in the basest vassal- 
 age, and employs them in the meanest and most 
 ignoble service. To complete their misery, they 
 are seized with infatuation : they hug their chains, 
 and glory in their slavery and shame. They fool- 
 ishly imagine, with the Jews of old, that they are 
 free, while they are bound in fetters, and hurried 
 onward to everlasting misery. They imagine that 
 they are rich, and increased in goods, and stand in 
 need of nothing ; while in the mean time they are 
 poor, and miserable, and wretched, and blind, and 
 naked, and stand in need of all things. Their 
 imaginary w T ealth is poverty, their fancied freedom 
 is slavery, and their ideal happiness is positive 
 misery. Their souls, in the nature of things, must 
 be strangers to genuine liberty and real rational 
 enjoyment ; for dissatisfaction with present good, 
 a sense of conscious guilt, and a dread of future 
 misery, must scorch their fairest flowers, and blast 
 their fondest hopes. In midst of laughter their hearts 
 are often sad, in midst of their abundance they are 
 in want, and in midst of external peace they feel 
 themselves in a storm. So true is that declaration 
 of God by the prophet, Is. lvii. 21, " There is n i 
 peace, saith my God, unto the wicked/' Unto 
 them we may justly apply these emphatic words of 
 the prophet, Is. lix. 7,8," Their feet run to evil : 
 their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity ; wasting 
 and destruction are in their paths ; the way of 
 of peace they know not." In short, they enjoy no 
 rational freedom or solid satisfaction in this world, 
 and without, interest in the redemption of Christ, 
 
 the chains of darkness and everlasting misery mu-r 
 
 be their certain portion in the world to come. 
 Such, then, is the situation of mankind previous to 
 
1J2 CHRISTIANS REDEEMED WITH 
 
 their saving knowledge of the redemption of Christ. 
 But are sinners to be allowed to remain in this 
 miserable state, without remedy or hope ? Is there 
 no friendly eye to pity their forlorn situation — no 
 powerful arm to bring them redemption and relief? 
 Yes, blessed be God, though sinning angels are 
 in sovereignty allowed to perish, redemption is 
 sent to the fallen sinful sons of men ; for they are 
 redeemed, "not with corruptible things, such as 
 silver and gold, but with the precious blood of 
 Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without 
 spot/' But this naturally brings me forward, 
 
 II. To explain the nature of this redemption, 
 and the means by which it is accomplished. And 
 here let it be observed, that redemption, when 
 applied unto persons, properly signifies to de- 
 liver them from slavery — from punishment, or 
 death, and may be effected either by purchase or 
 by power. The price of our redemption is said in 
 the text to be the precious blood of Christ, which 
 signifies, in the strict acceptation of the term, the 
 merits of his death. Sometimes, however, it is to 
 be regarded as denoting the whole of his work and 
 sufferings as our Redeemer. Thus, Rom. v. 9, 
 believers are said to be justified by his blood, that 
 is, by his obedience and sufferings unto death, which 
 are also styled the redemption that is in Christ — 
 " being justified freely by his grace, through the 
 redemption that is in Christ Jesus." In consider- 
 ing this part of our subject, therefore, though we 
 shall insist more fully upon the leading idea in the 
 mind of the Apostle, we shall not entirely confine 
 ourselves to its illustration, but take a more gene- 
 ral and extensive view of the nature of redemp- 
 tion. And here we apprehend that the nature of 
 this work, and the means by which it is accom- 
 plished, will be better understood, and more clearly 
 
THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST. 1J3 
 
 illustrated, by attending to the miserable situation 
 in which we have seen sinners are all by nature 
 placed. 
 
 1st. Are sinners in the grossest ignorance as to 
 those truths which it is of the greatest importance 
 for them toknow ? — then Christ, as their Redeemer, 
 delivers them from this miserable situation by im- 
 parting unto them, through his word and Spirit, 
 divine and saving knowledge. Although Christ 
 by his word is the light of the world, or of his 
 visible church, which may therefore be called the 
 valley of vision, yet many who enjoy this word, 
 through their own criminal carelessness remain in 
 the grossest ignorance. Light has come into the 
 world, but they love darkness ; nay, light shines 
 in the world, but their darkness comprehends it 
 not. When Christ, therefore, redeems his people 
 from this deplorable situation, he not only reveals 
 the truth externally unto them in his word, but he 
 opens their understanding to know it : he arrests 
 their attention, he removes their prejudices, he 
 directs their powers, and gives them a spiritual 
 faculty to discern the glory, importance, and ex- 
 cellency of divine truth. The entrance of the 
 word by the Spirit now gives light, and makes 
 wise the simple. They see divine truth in a new 
 and interesting light. The gospel appears unto 
 them a wise and a wonderful scheme. They no 
 longer regard it as foolishness, but they consider 
 it as the wisdom of God ; for they have eyes now 
 given them to see, and hearts given them to know 
 the Lord. God, who commanded the light to 
 shine out of darkness, hath sinned into their 
 minds, to give them to see the light of the know- 
 ledge of his glory as it shines in the face of Jesus 
 Christ. Thus he opened the understandings of 
 his disciples to understand the Scriptures. He 
 
174 CHRISTIANS REDEEMED WITn 
 
 opened the heart of Lydia to attend unto the 
 things which were spoken of Paul, and he called 
 the believing Jews, in their dispersion, from dark- 
 ness into his own marvellous light. Those who 
 are thus taught of God to know the truth as it 
 is in Jesus, have a discerning eye, and a distin- 
 guishing ear. They not only know the truth, but 
 they feel it, and feed upon it. They can say, 
 " Thy word was found of us, and we did eat it, 
 and it was unto us the joy and rejoicing of our 
 hearts." In divine knowledge they are making 
 daily progress, and their path in knowledge is like 
 that of the morning light, shining more and more 
 unto the perfect day. Such individuals as these 
 have felt the truth of that consolatory description 
 given of Christ in ancient prophecy, Is. xxxv. 5, and 
 xlii. 6, 7, " Then the eyes of the blind shall be 
 opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped ; 
 for I have given thee for a light of the Gentiles, 
 to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners 
 from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out 
 of the prison-house. " 
 
 2d. Are sinners involved in a state of guilt and 
 condemnation ? — then Christ redeems them from 
 guilt and punishment, by giving his life a ransom 
 for them. As this appears to be the leading idea 
 in the view of the inspired writer, and is the foun- 
 dation of all the other parts of redemption, so it 
 may be proper to consider it with some degree of 
 attention. Let it be remembered, then, that as 
 sinners are guilty in the sight of God, and as the 
 sentence of the divine law is death in all its ex- 
 tent, so God might have in justice inflicted upon 
 them this punishment — " the soul that sinneth, it 
 shall die;" and as we all have transgressed, we 
 deserved to have been doomed to destruction. 
 Suppose even that a sufficient ransom had been 
 
THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST. 1 J5 
 
 found, and a person able and willing to give it, 
 God the Father was under no obligation to receive 
 it, but might in justice have inflicted upon us the 
 penalty of the broken law. It is entirely owing, 
 therefore, to the sovereign good pleasure of God 
 that a redeemer is provided, or a ransom accepted 
 for guilty men. But whence is this redeemer to 
 come, or where is the mighty ransom to be found ? 
 The redemption of one soul is so precious that if 
 no other ransom than what this world can afford is 
 to be found, it must cease for ever. Here, then, 
 let us admire the riches of redeeming love ! Our 
 glorious Redeemer generously interposes, saying, 
 M Save them from going down into the pit. I have 
 found out a ransom. Let a body, or human nature, 
 be prepared for me, that I may at once have the 
 right to redemption, and a ransom to pay, and 
 rather than these shall suffer and die, I will give 
 my life a ransom for them." Justice in union with 
 mercy permits the substitution, and Jesus, in the 
 fulness of time, appears in human nature to pay 
 the price of the redemption of his people, by giving 
 his life for the life of the world. Hence it is that 
 the death of Christ is uniformly represented in 
 Scripture as an atonement for sin, and as the price 
 of our deliverance from guilt and condemnation. 
 He is represented as enduring all in the room and 
 ad of his people, and as redeeming or purchasing 
 them with his own most precious blood. This 
 truth is so clearly and frequently taught in the 
 New Testament, that it requires the boldest and 
 most unnatural perversion of language to make the 
 passages which assort it Bpeak any other doctrine. 
 What, for instance, can be the plain meaning of 
 these decisive declarations ? — " Greater love hath 
 DO man than this, that a man should lay down his 
 life for his friend ; but herein hath God commended 
 
1/6 CHRISTIANS REDEEMED WITH 
 
 his love towards us, in that while we were yet sin- 
 ners Christ died for us. He hath redeemed us 
 from the curse of the law, being made a curse for 
 us." There is one passage, however, viewed in 
 connection with our text, that appears to us to be 
 so decisive upon this point, that we must beg leave 
 to direct your attention to it. 1 Cor. vi. 19, 20 — 
 " What ! know ye not that your body is the tem- 
 ple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye 
 have of God, and ye are not your own ? for ye 
 are bought with a price :" and this price, we learn 
 from the text, is the precious blood of Christ, 
 which he gave a ransom for us. Now it is 
 essential unto the very idea of purchase, that some 
 price or equivalent be given in the room of that 
 which is bought or redeemed. This is univer- 
 sally understood, and is absolutely necessary to 
 constitute redemption by purchase ; and therefore 
 we are taught in this passage with a plainness which 
 no sophistry can evade, that the sufferings and 
 death of Christ were of a vicarious nature, and were 
 a satisfaction for the sins, and a ransom for the 
 souls of his people. These sins he bore in his own 
 body upon the tree, when he suffered, the just for 
 the unjust, that he might bring us unto God. 
 This is the peculiar honour of our Redeemer, and 
 a work which he could not share with any creature, 
 even of the highest order. If to instruct mankind 
 in the knowledge of their duty, to set them an ex- 
 ample of patience and resignation, and to confirm 
 his doctrine by sealing the truth of it with his 
 blood ; nay, if even to assure mankind that God 
 would be gracious, and that upon their repentance 
 and obedience they would be forgiven and received 
 into favour ; — if such was the only way in which 
 Christ was to redeem the sons of men, then there 
 was nothing peculiar in his character, nothing but 
 
THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST. J 77 
 
 what any prophet might have fully performed. In 
 all these respects, the prophets and apostles lived 
 and died for us, and may be said to be redeemers. 
 They by the appointment of God instructed the 
 world in the knowledge of their duty. Their pa- 
 tience is exhibited to us in Scripture for our imita- 
 tion, and the most of them sealed the truth of their 
 mission and doctrines with their blood. They too 
 declared that the Lord God was merciful and gra- 
 cious, slow to anger, and of great loving-kindness, 
 forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin, and that 
 all who turned unto him through Christ should 
 live. But although the prophets and apostles 
 were engaged in this respect in the same work as 
 Christ, yet they never describe themselves as dying 
 for the redemption of sinners ; nay, one of the most 
 distinguished of them declares his abhorrence of this 
 thought, when he says, u Was Paul crucified for 
 you ? " To die as an atonement for the sins of 
 men, to give his life a ransom for them, and to shed 
 his precious blood to deliver us from guilt and 
 misery, must be regarded as the peculiar honour and 
 unrivalled excellence of our dear Redeemer. His 
 name alone is Jesus, and redemption by his blood 
 ifl his undivided glory. It is this that makes his 
 love so wondrous, and that will be the subject 
 of unceasing praise by the redeemed through eter- 
 nity. There they cease not with growing ardour to 
 HOg and say, " Worthy is the Lamb that was slain 
 to receive all power, and riches, and honour, and 
 ^lory, and blessing, for he hath redeemed us unto 
 (lod by his own blood, out of every kindred, and 
 tongue, and people, and nation, and we shall reign 
 with him for ever and ever.'' But a> the price of our 
 redemption is said in the taxt to be the prreious 
 blood of Christ, we must illustrate this important 
 expression. In doing BO Wl rve, that the 
 
 i 
 
178 CHRISTIANS REDEEMED WITH 
 
 blood of Christ is precious, because it is the blood 
 of a person of infinite dignity and excellence. It 
 is a dictate of natural reason that the value of the 
 blood — that is, the obedience, sufferings, and death 
 of any creature rises in proportion to the dignity 
 and excellence of its nature. Thus the blood of 
 any inferior animal is looked upon as of less worth 
 and importance than that of a man. Were an 
 angel to assume our nature, his blood, upon this 
 principle, would be more precious than that of a 
 human being. When, therefore, the Son of God 
 assumes our nature, and thereby becomes Im- 
 manuel, God with us, what must be the worth and 
 merit of his blood ? If dignity of nature give merit 
 and value unto the sufferings and death of him 
 who is possessed of it, surely the blood of Christ 
 must be infinitely precious. His divine nature 
 communicated infinite worth unto his obedience 
 and death ; and hence the absurdity must ap- 
 pear very great, of insinuating or asserting that 
 the merit of the blood of Christ arises solely from 
 the sovereign appointment of the Father and his 
 own perfect innocence. Such an insinuation is 
 equally unphilosophical and unscriptural. It is 
 unphilosophical, because it annihilates intrinsic 
 worth and excellence, by placing the lowest upon 
 the same level with the highest intelligences ; and 
 it is unscriptural, because we are taught in the 
 word, that the merit of the blood of Christ arises 
 from his being a person of divine excellence. This 
 is evident from that memorable expression, Acts 
 xx. 28, " Take heed therefore unto yourselves, 
 and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost 
 hath made you overseers, to feed the church of 
 God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." 
 Had Christ been guilty, his sufferings could have 
 been of no avail unto us. But it is not his inno- 
 
THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CIIRIST. 179 
 
 cence alone that communicates value unto them; 
 for, upon this principle, the blood of a lamb, which 
 is an innocent creature, or the blood of Adam, 
 while in a state of innocence, must have been as 
 precious as the blood of Christ, which is a thought 
 too gross and impious to be once entertained by any 
 Christian. It is in vain to allege that his inno- 
 cence must be the sole cause of the merit of his 
 blood, because he is here compared to a lamb with- 
 out blemish and without spot, as the comparison 
 here is not made so much between the innocence 
 of Christ and that of the lamb, as between the 
 manner in which Israel obtained deliverance by the 
 pascal lamb, and that in which Christians receive 
 redemption through the blood of Christ. They 
 obtained deliverance, it is well known, by the shed- 
 ding of its blood, and its being sprinkled upon the 
 lintels and door posts of their houses; and Christians 
 obtain redemption by the shedding of the blood of 
 Christ, and its being sprinkled upon their con- 
 sciences by the application of the Spirit. Hence, 
 the Apostle observes, that Christ our passover is 
 sacrificed for us, and that we have redemption 
 through his blood, the forgiveness of our sins ac- 
 cording to the riches of his grace. From this, 
 then, we hope it is evident that the blood of Christ 
 is precious, not merely on account of the appoint- 
 ment of the Father and his perfect innocence, though 
 these are not to be excluded, but principally because 
 of the infinite dignity of his person as the only begot- 
 ten Son of God. But again, the blood of Christ is 
 precious when compared with the most valuable 
 things in this world. Silver and gdd are the most 
 valuable articles known among men, and by these 
 we estimate the worth of other things. When 
 these, however, are compared with the blood of 
 Christ, they lose all their value, and sink into 
 
J Hi) CHRISTIANS REDEEMED WITIT 
 
 insignificance and nothing. Nay, this blood is 
 more precious than our very lives — than our health 
 or relatives, and all that is deemed estimable upon 
 earth. None of these could redeem a single soul. 
 Our first-born cannot be accepted for our trans- 
 gression, nor can thousands of rivers of oil ; but 
 this precious blood redeems myriads of sinners. 
 But you must be convinced that the blood of 
 Christ is precious, if you consider farther what 
 it has purchased for us. If we are to judge of 
 the value of anything by the worth of the bless- 
 ings it procures, how precious must be the blood 
 of Christ ! It hath procured for us every bless- 
 ing in time, and purchased an incorruptible, glo- 
 rious, and unfading inheritance in the heavenly 
 world. Hence heaven itself is emphatically styled 
 in Scripture a purchased possession, and all its glory 
 is to be enjoyed by the merit of the blood of Christ. 
 Rev. vii. 14, 15 — " These are they which came 
 out of great tribulation, and have washed their 
 robes, and made them white in the blood of the 
 Lamb ; therefore are they before the throne." The 
 blood of Christ retains its value and virtue for ever. 
 The things of this world, though precious, are 
 perishing in their nature, and hence they are 
 styled in the text corruptible. Every day dimin- 
 ishes their value, and in a very little time they 
 shall be of no importance unto the possessor, for 
 he can derive no benefit from them. Of what 
 avail are riches and honours unto those who have 
 parted with them for ever ? — and of what impor- 
 tance will they in a very little while be unto those 
 whose hearts are now set upon them ? But though 
 the value of all the precious things upon earth is 
 fleeting and transitory, the worth of the precious 
 blood of Christ is permanent and eternal ; nay, its 
 felt value and importance increase with time, and 
 
 
THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST. 181 
 
 will increase through eternity in the estimation of 
 the redeemed. It is as precious unto them now as 
 it was the first moment they fled unto it ; nay, be- 
 holding their growing happiness flowing unto them 
 through this channel, their sense of its value must 
 be increasing, and must make the song they sing 
 ever new, as it will be eternal ! 
 
 3d. Are sinners, before they have interest in 
 the redemption of Christ, involved in a state of the 
 most grievous and disgraceful slavery ? — then Christ 
 redeems them from it by the power of his gract. 
 and the influences of his Holy Spirit. This redemp- 
 tion, which he accomplishes by his power, is equally 
 necessary with that which he effects by purchase. 
 As sinners, the redeemed were not only in a 
 state of condemnation, and exposed to the wrath 
 of God, but they were also held in slavery by 
 their spiritual enemies, who, after the price of 
 their redemption was paid, refused to let them go. 
 Nay, they had no inclination to accept of liberty, 
 when in their offer ; but, blinded by those who led 
 them captive, they were in love with their chains. 
 Christ, therefore, as the Redeemer of his people, 
 binds the strong man armed, who kept them in 
 miserable raasalage, and spoils him of his prey. 
 He delivers them from the tyranny of Satan and 
 the dominion of no ; he makes them willing in a 
 day of his glorious power ; he erects his throne in 
 their hearts, establishes order and subordination 
 among their faculties, and thus introduces them 
 into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. The 
 deliverance of ancient [trad from Egyptian bon- 
 dage was but a faint emblem of this more glorious 
 redemption of the Son of God. Now, it is onlv 
 by the experience of thi> begun deliverance that 
 the redeemed come to know their personal interest 
 in this redemption. That Christ came into the 
 
182 CHRISTIANS REDEEMED WITH 
 
 world to save sinners we learn from the Scriptures ; 
 but it is only by experiencing the commencement 
 of this salvation in our souls that we can ascertain 
 our personal interest in it. The Son of God must 
 make us free, before we know that we are free in- 
 deed. Like Peter, we must be brought out of 
 prison, and feel that we are at liberty, in order to 
 be assured that the deliverance is real and divine. 
 How does the sick man know he is recovered, but 
 by feeling ease and experiencing returning and in- 
 creasing strength ? and how comes the sinner to 
 know that he has been delivered from the hand of 
 his enemies, and from the power and dominion of 
 sin, but by experiencing spiritual rest and holy 
 liberty ? Hence it is that the Apostle in the text 
 addresses believers, to whom he wrote, as persons 
 who knew they had been delivered from a vain 
 conversation — who had been delivered not only 
 from the foolish ceremonies imposed upon them by 
 the tradition of the fathers, and from the grievous 
 yoke of the ceremonial law, but who had, by the 
 application of redemption unto their souls, been 
 delivered from the hands of their spiritual enemies, 
 that they might serve God in holiness and in right- 
 eousness all the days of their lives. What evidence 
 can those persons have of interest in this redemption 
 who are slaves to sin — who are conformed unto 
 the corrupt manners and maxims of a present world, 
 and who uniformly discover that vain conversation 
 which springs from a vain and unrenewed heart ? 
 Of this deliverance all the redeemed have not equal 
 experience, for sanctification is in different stages 
 of advancement in different Christians ; yet every 
 believer will experience something of this nature, 
 and this experience, however small, will lead him 
 to mourn over remaining corruption, to breathe 
 after higher degrees of holiness and spiritual li- 
 
 
THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST. 183 
 
 berty, and to long for their perfection in the world 
 above. 
 
 III. But this naturally brings me to the third 
 and last thing proposed in the method ; namely, 
 to point out the influence which the knowledge 
 and belief of this redemption will have upon the 
 hearts and lives of the redeemed in this world. 
 
 1st. The knowledge and belief of this redemp- 
 tion will lead them to acknowledge and admire the 
 sovereignty and power of redeeming grace. Re- 
 demption springs from sovereign grace, and is 
 accomplished by almighty power. Why are sinful 
 men redeemed, when sinning angels, beings of 
 a superior nature, are allowed to perish ? why 
 doth the light of the gospel shine only upon a part 
 of the human race ? and why are its doctrines, 
 even when they are preached, revealed unto babes, 
 and concealed from the wise and prudent of this 
 world ? Our Saviour answers these questions, 
 when rejoicing in spirit he said, " Even so, Father, 
 for so it hath seemed good in thy sight." What- 
 ever opposition, therefore, the doctrine of divine 
 sovereignty may meet with from an ignorant un- 
 believing world, it will be readily acknowledged 
 by the redeemed of the Lord, for they are living 
 evidences of its truth. They will unite in grate- 
 fully acknowledging that by the grace of God they 
 are what they are, and that this grace alone has 
 made them to differ from the most wicked and 
 worthless of the sons of men. They will acknow- 
 ledge that sovereign grace found them out, and 
 arrested them in their career of folly — that omni- 
 potent grace raised them from death unto life — sub- 
 dued their wills, overcame the enmity of their 
 hearts, broke their chains, and introduced them 
 into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. Did 
 
184 CHRISTIANS REDEEMED WITII 
 
 Israel admire the power and celebrate the praises 
 of God in delivering them from Egyptian bondage, 
 in dividing the sea and destroying their enemies ? — 
 did Peter acknowledge the exertion of divine power 
 in opening the prison and setting him at liberty, 
 saying, " the Lord hath sent his angel and de- 
 livered me?" and will not all who have been 
 redeemed by Christ see and acknowledge the sove- 
 reignty and power of their illustrious Deliverer ? 
 Yes; with adoring wonder they will ascribe the 
 glory of redemption to him while here — and 
 through eternity on high they will sing and say, 
 "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our 
 sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and 
 priests unto God and his Father ; to him be glory 
 and dominion for ever and ever." 
 
 2d. It will induce them to live devoted unto the 
 honour of their Redeemer. Of this effect the 
 Apostle takes notice, 1 Cor. vi. 19, 20, " Ye are not 
 your own ; for ye are bought with a price : there- 
 fore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, 
 which are God's." A sense of redeeming love shed 
 abroad in the heart, is a powerful principle of uni- 
 versal holiness. " The love of Christ constraineth 
 us," said Paul, speaking in the name of the redeem- 
 ed, " because we thus judge, that if one died for all, 
 then were all dead ; and that he died for all, that they 
 who live, should not henceforth live unto themselves, 
 but unto him who died for them, and rose again." 
 This love takes hold of all the powers of the mind> 
 and seizes upon every principle of action, and con- 
 secrates them all to the service and glory of the 
 Redeemer. Truly, will they say, we are thy ser- 
 vants ; for thou hast loosed our bonds, — thou hast 
 delivered us out of the hands of our enemies, that 
 we may serve thee in holiness and in righteousness 
 all the days of our lives. Unto the laws of God 
 
THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST. 1 85 
 
 they pay a constant and cheerful obedience ; to the 
 dispensations of providence they humbly submit ; 
 for the honour of the Redeemer they are deeply 
 concerned ; and the interests of his cause and king- 
 dom they study to promote by every lawful means 
 in their power. They aspire after progress in 
 universal holiness, and study by grace to bring 
 forth much fruit — not to justify their persons be- 
 fore God, but to glorify their Redeemer, to ex- 
 press their gratitude to God for redeeming grace, 
 and to edify and profit their brethren of mankind. 
 Will the doctrine of redemption, then, through the 
 precious blood of Christ relax moral obligation, or 
 injure the interests of morality? or must it not 
 strengthen the one and promote the other ? Yes ; 
 this grace of God, bringing salvation, will effec- 
 tually teach us to live soberly, righteously, and 
 godly in a present evil world. 
 
 3d. It will induce them to be diligent in promot- 
 ing the salvation of others ; especially of those with 
 whom they are connected in life. Happy in the 
 experience of begun redemption in their own souls, 
 they will wish to impart the joys of this salvation 
 to others around them. Genuine benevolence will 
 fill their heart, and christian philanthropy will direct 
 their conduct. Like the Apostle, they will no 
 longer seek their own profit, but the profit of many, 
 that they may be saved. For the salvation of 
 others, they will labour, and strive, and pray ; as to 
 save a soul from death is they know, a more noble 
 achievement than to save a sinking nation, or to 
 conquer the whole world. Although they will 
 discover a concern for the salvation of all around, 
 yet they will be principally concerned for the re- 
 demption of their kinsmen according to the fle^h. 
 Thus Abraham prayed God that fahmael might 
 live before him ; and Paul assnrec us, Horn. ix. 2, 3, 
 
 i 2 
 
186 CHRISTIANS REDEEMED WITH 
 
 that he had great heaviness and continual sorrow 
 in his heart, for his brethren and kinsmen accord- 
 ing to the flesh. As it seldom happens that all 
 the relations of the redeemed discover a concern 
 about salvation, (for the Lord takes two of a family 
 and brings them to Zion) so, like Lot, they will be 
 concerned for the salvation of their connections, 
 and will endeavour to promote this important ob- 
 ject to the utmost of their ability. Natural affec- 
 tion, uniting with christian benevolence, will ren- 
 der them tender and importunate, and engage them 
 to seize every favourable opportunity, and to em- 
 ploy and improve every mean in their power. This 
 concern for the salvation of others is peculiarly 
 characteristic of the ransomed of the Lord ; for to 
 whatever delicate feeling or extensive benevolence 
 others may pretend, they are incapable of this. For 
 the salvation of others the redeemed alone are truly 
 concerned, for they cannot be satisfied with reliev- 
 ing the temporal distresses of their fellow-men, but 
 earnestly desire to be instrumental in bringing sal- 
 vation unto perishing souls. Hence they are ever 
 addressing a careless world, saying, " Come with 
 us and we will do you good, for the Lord hath 
 spoken good concerning Israel. ,, 
 
 4th. It will fill them with humility and holy 
 joy. Astonished at the riches of redeeming grace, 
 and filled with a sense of their own un worthiness, 
 they will exclaim, Lord, what are we that thou 
 shouldest have brought us hitherto ! what are we 
 that thou shouldest have bestowed upon us the 
 smallest favour ! what are we that thou shouldest 
 not have withheld from us the unspeakable gift of 
 thy love! See this illustrated, Psalm cxliv. 1, 2, 3. 
 " Blessed be the Lord my strength, my goodness, 
 and my fortress, and my high tower ; Lord, what 
 is man, that thou takest knowledge of him ! or the 
 
THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST. 137 
 
 son of man, that thou makest account of him ! " 
 When they contemplate the greatness of this re- 
 demption and their own meanness, their souls will be 
 filled with the deepest abasement. This humility 
 will be accompanied w T ith holy joy. Their souls 
 with Mary's will magnify the Lord, and their spirits 
 will rejoice in God their Saviour, for he that is 
 mighty hath done great things for them, and holy 
 and reverend is his name. Their souls will boast 
 in God, and they will be ready to say, " Now we 
 will praise the Lord, for, although he was once an- 
 gry with us, his anger is turned away, and he com- 
 forteth us : behold, God is our salvation, we will 
 trust and not be afraid ; the Lord Jehovah is our 
 strength and our song ; he also is become our sal- 
 vation." 
 
 5th. It will induce them to a frequent and de- 
 vout commemoration of redeeming love. Upon 
 this love they will not only meditate with delight 
 every day, and remember it more than wine, but 
 every time they have a convenient opportunity, 
 they will approach unto the table of the Lord, and 
 over the sacred symbols of his broken body and 
 shed blood, they will devoutly commemorate his 
 dying love. Their frequency and delight in this 
 service will bear proportion to the strength of the 
 love they feel unto their divine Redeemer. Is it 
 possible for a person to know that he is redeemed 
 by the blood of Christ, and not to remember the 
 death of his Redeemer, or to refuse to attend upon 
 that ordinance which he has instituted to perpe- 
 tuate its memory in the world, as well as to be the 
 means of communicating spiritual strength and 
 comfort unto his people? Has he commanded all 
 his disciples to do this in remembrance of him, and 
 can the most extensive charity believe that those 
 are among the redeemed of the Lord, who, instead 
 
\tt?> CHRISTIANS REDEEMED WITH 
 
 of attending upon this ordinance, either flee from 
 the place where it is to be dispensed, or spend the 
 day in indolence at home? Surely the love of 
 Christ is not in the hearts of such persons, else it 
 would lead them to keep this and all his other 
 commandments. But while they conduct themselves 
 in this manner, all who know that they have been 
 redeemed by the Lord, will account it their duty, 
 honour, and privilege to approach unto the altar 
 of God, and while they draw nigh unto him will 
 pray, " O send forth thy light and thy truth : then 
 will we go unto the altar of God, unto God, our 
 exceeding joy." 
 
 6th, and lastly. The knowledge of this redemp- 
 tion will induce the redeemed to long for its per- 
 fection in heaven. Born from above, their treasure, 
 their hearts, and conversation are in heaven. As 
 everything tends to its original, so they naturally 
 desire their native country — that better country, that 
 is an heavenly. There only they know their re- 
 demption shall be perfected. Though they have 
 experienced the pleasure of a begun deliverance, 
 yet still they groan under a body of sin and death, 
 and are often made to exclaim, " O wretched men 
 that we are, who shall deliver us ?" This complaint, 
 however, is not the expression of despair, but of 
 desire ; for they know that the day of their com- 
 plete redemption draweth nigh. This day hath 
 arisen upon them, and the sweetness of the morn- 
 ing dawn leads them earnestly to long for the per- 
 fect day. With strong desire, therefore, they 
 expect that happy period when every remaining 
 fetter shall be knocked off — when every interposing 
 cloud shall be removed — when every defiling stain 
 shall be taken away, and when they shall behold 
 their Redeemer's face in righteousness, and be for 
 ever with the Lord. Particularly upon such an 
 
THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST. 189 
 
 occasion as this, when they may be blessed with 
 sensible communion with the Lord, and when, as 
 from Pisgah's top they are permitted to behold the 
 beauty of the heavenly Canaan, they will feel these 
 desires strong and ardent. Then they may be apt 
 to adopt the language of the spouse, " O when will 
 the day break and the shadows flee away : haste, 
 my beloved, and be as a roe upon the mountains 
 of separation !" But, hark ! the Redeemer says 
 unto such longing souls, " behold, I come quickly." 
 Let them with joy reply, " Amen : even so come, 
 Lord Jesus, come thou quickly." Amen, 
 
SERMON VI. 
 
 CHRIST LOVED THE CHURCH AND GAVE HIM- 
 SELF FOR IT. 
 
 Eph. v. 25 —27. 
 
 " Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it ; that 
 he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by 
 the word ; that he might present it to himself a glorious church, 
 not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing ; but that it 
 should be holy, and without blemish." 
 
 Our holy religion is distinguished, not only by 
 the sublimity of its doctrines and the purity of its 
 precepts, but by the simplicity of its ordinances, 
 and the powerful peculiarity of the motives by 
 which it enforces the practice of personal and social 
 duties. These motives are in general drawn from 
 the principles of the gospel, and are very powerful 
 and persuasive with those who cordially embrace 
 its doctrines. Accordingly, the Apostle having, in 
 the preceding part of this epistle, established and 
 illustrated some of the peculiar doctrines of Chris- 
 tianity, proceeds, in the latter part of it, to enjoin 
 upon those whom he addressed the practice of the 
 personal and relative duties of life, and in doing 
 so he directs their attention to the duties of hus- 
 bands and wives. " Wives," says he, at the 22d 
 verse, "submit yourselves unto your own husbands, 
 as unto the Lord ; for the husband is the head of 
 the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church ; 
 and he is the saviour of the body," or the church : 
 " therefore, as the church is subject unto Christ, so 
 let wives be subject to their own husbands in every 
 thing ;" and then he adds, in the words of our 
 text, " husbands, love your wives, even as Christ 
 
CHRIST LOVED THE CHURCH. 191 
 
 also loved the church, and gave himself for it, that 
 he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing 
 of water by the word." It is our intention in this 
 discourse, 
 
 I. To direct your attention to the special object 
 of the Saviour's love — the church. 
 
 II. To consider the nature of his love to the 
 church, and the manner in which he has mani- 
 fested it : he loved the church, and gave himself 
 for it. 
 
 III. The great and ultimate design he had in 
 view : it was that he might sanctify and cleanse 
 it by the washing of water and the word. 
 
 I. Let us consider the special object of the 
 love of Christ — the church. The term church 
 is used in different senses in the New Testament 
 Scriptures. Sometimes it signifies a place appro- 
 priated to the service of God, and in which pro- 
 fessing Christians meet to perform public worship, 
 to hear religious instruction, and to celebrate the 
 ordinances of their religion. In this sense it seems 
 to be taken when the Apostle says, 1 Cor. xi. 22, 
 " What ! have ye not houses to eat and drink in ? 
 or despise ye the church of God ?" But this, it is 
 obvious, cannot be the meaning of the term in this 
 passage. The term church is often used in the 
 New Testament to signify the visible church, or 
 a society of men who profess faith in Christ, and 
 call him their Master and Lord. In this sense it 
 is evidently taken when we read of the seven 
 churches in Amu, of the churches in Galatia, and 
 of the church in Corinth. But, as many of those 
 who are externally connected with the visible 
 church have no vital connexion with Jesu> 
 Christ, but are only nominal professors, calling 
 
192 dlRIST LOVED THE CHURCH 
 
 him Master and Lord, while they do not the 
 things which he has commanded them, it is evident 
 that this cannot be the meaning of the term in the 
 passage now under our consideration ; for then all 
 professing Christians would be saved, which we 
 know to be contrary to the express declaration of 
 Christ himself. By the church here, then, we 
 must understand the whole body of true believers, 
 considered in their collective capacity, who have 
 lived in the w 7 orld, who are now alive, or who shall 
 exist in it before the consummation of all things. 
 These are styled by the Apostle, Heb. xii. 23, " the 
 church of the first-born, whose names are written 
 in heaven." Now, this church of the first-born 
 was chosen of God, and given to Christ, to be 
 redeemed by his blood, sanctified by his Spirit, and 
 saved by his grace. This is announced by the 
 Apostle, Eph. i. 4, " According as he hath chosen 
 us in him before the foundation of the world, 
 that we should be holy and without blame before 
 him in love." " Thine they were," says Christ, 
 " and thou gavest them to me." This truth is 
 taught us in the thirtieth verse of this chapter, 
 though at first sight it may not be apparent to 
 an ordinary reader. " For we," says the Apostle, 
 (that is, we who are Christians) " are members 
 of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones." 
 Now, in reading this sentence, we must suppose 
 that the word members governs the nouns, body, 
 flesh, and bones, though how Christians are to 
 be in any sense members of the body, flesh, and 
 bones of Christ, is not easy to conceive ; but if 
 we read according to the original, the meaning 
 will be plain and obvious. " For we are members 
 of his body," (that is, of his church) " being out 
 of his flesh and out of his bones," that is, being the 
 fruit or purchase of his sufferings unto death, where 
 
AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR IT. 193 
 
 his flesh or body was broken for us, and his bones 
 were all out of joint. Here, you will observe, 
 there is an obvious reference to a remarkable fact 
 recorded, Gen. ii. 21, " And the Lord caused a 
 deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept : and 
 he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh 
 instead thereof. And the rib, which the Lord had 
 taken from man, made he a woman, and brought 
 her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now 
 bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh : she shall 
 be called woman, because she was taken out of 
 man." Now, as Eve, the spouse of Adam, was 
 bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh, so the 
 church, the spouse of Christ, was the purchase 
 of his death, or was bought by his blood ; and if 
 he had not thus redeemed them with his own most 
 precious blood, he never would have had a church 
 upon the earth. This church has various names 
 by which she is designated in Scripture. She is 
 styled his body, his ransomed people, his sanctified 
 ones, and in Rev. xxi. 9, she is styled " the bride, 
 the Lamb's wife." The true church of Christ, 
 then, is composed of those who are redeemed 
 by his blood, who believe in his name, who love 
 him with supreme affection, and one another with 
 pure hearts fervently, who yield a constant and 
 cheerful obedience to all his commandments, who 
 aspire after increasing personal purity, and who, 
 being social in their dispositions, unite with their 
 fellow Christians in the public worship of God, 
 and in the devout and regular observance of all the 
 institutions of the gospel. This church has existed 
 in the world under different dispensations j she 
 still continues To exist, and, being founded on a 
 rock, her enemies shall never prevail against her, 
 BO as to overturn, extirpate, or destroy her. Though 
 her members at times have been few, and even at 
 
194 CHRIST LOVED TIIE CHURCH 
 
 present are inconsiderable, when compared with 
 the millions of human beings who inhabit our 
 globe, yet she is evidently on the increase ; her 
 boundaries are enlarging, and w 7 ill enlarge, until 
 all the ends of the earth remember and turn unto 
 the Lord — until men be blessed in him, and all 
 nations call him blessed. And when at last all the 
 members of this church are collected, they shall 
 form a multitude which no man can number, re- 
 deemed unto God by the blood of the Lamb, and 
 who shall unite in a new, triumphant, and harmo- 
 nious song, ascribing their complete salvation to 
 God and the Lamb, for ever and ever. Such, then, 
 appears from Scripture to be the true church of 
 Christ, the object of the Saviour's special love — 
 not mankind in general — not all the members of 
 the visible church, but those whom Christ styles 
 his brethren, the members of his mystical body, 
 who are united to him by the spirit of faith, who 
 are under his protection and in his hands, and who 
 hear his voice and follow him. These are the ob- 
 jects of his special regard, and for these, in his 
 astonishing grace, he gave himself : and this nat- 
 urally brings us to consider, 
 
 II. The nature of the Saviour's love unto his 
 church, and the manner in which he has been 
 pleased to express it. 
 
 He loved it, and he gave himself for it. The 
 love of Christ unto his church is astonishing and 
 incomprehensible, and fills the pious reflecting 
 mind with wonder and admiration. It has a breadth 
 and a length, a depth and a height, which pass our 
 knowledge. Whether we think of the dignity of 
 the Saviour's person as Immanuel, as God manifest 
 in the flesh, or of the meanness and misery of those 
 upon whom he was pleased to set his heart — or 
 
AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR IT. 195 
 
 whether we reflect upon the sufferings he endured 
 in accomplishing the salvation of his people, and 
 the invaluable blessings he procured for them, 
 and bestows upon them, we must be struck with 
 the greatness of his love, and in devout admiration 
 exclaim, u Behold, what manner of love is this !" 
 In the history of human affections we find nothing 
 equal to it, or even like it. It is a love altogether 
 singular and incomprehensible ; for it is indeed 
 marvellous, matchless love. It is free and gener- 
 ous, unmerited and unsolicited, and will be perma- 
 nent, immutable, and everlasting. He loved his 
 church with an everlasting love, and therefore with 
 loving-kindness he draws them. When we love any 
 object, it is because we see, or think we see some- 
 thing amiable and excellent in it ; but when Christ 
 loved his church, he loved them not because they 
 were amiable and holy, for he saw them polluted in 
 their blood, and yet his time was a time of love. If 
 we love an unworthy object, it is in general only 
 with a love of benevolence — of pity and compas- 
 sion ; and although Christ loves all men, even 
 his enemies, with a love of benevolence, and 
 accordingly wept over Jerusalem, saying, " oh, 
 that thou hadst known in this thy day the things 
 that belong to thy peace ;" yet his love to his 
 church and people is obviously something more 
 than a love of mere benevolence — it is a peculiar 
 and discriminating love — an ardent, an active, and 
 laborious love — a love that will not cease to operate 
 until it has effectually seeured and finally accom- 
 plished the salvation and happiness of its objects. 
 This love induced him to undertake their cause in 
 the councils of heaven, to M0UBM their nature, and 
 to become their security and substitute. This low- 
 carried him thlOUgh the whole of his sufferings — 
 it did not leave him when he expired on the cross 
 
196 CHRIST LOVED THE CnURCH 
 
 and was laid in the tomb — it rose with him — it 
 ascended into heaven with him — it animates him 
 in his intercession at his Father's right hand, and it 
 w T ill bring 1 him again to this world to raise them 
 from the dead, to acknowledge them as his people, 
 and to carry them in triumph with himself into 
 the heavenly world, to enjoy the happiness which 
 is prepared for them. When the love of Christ, 
 then, to his church is compared with the love which 
 any creature shows to another, it rises infinitely 
 above it, and appears to be transcendant, and 
 matchless, ^nd divine. " Greater love hath no 
 man than this, that a man should lay down his life 
 for his friend; but Christ hath commended his 
 love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners 
 and enemies, he died for us." And this naturally 
 leads us to consider the manner in which Christ 
 has manifested his love to his church and people. 
 He loved them and gave himself for them. The 
 Apostle does not say to what he gave himself for 
 them, because he had expressed his meaning more 
 fully and decidedly in the second verse of this 
 chapter, where he said, " Walk in love, as Christ 
 also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us, an 
 offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling 
 savour." If Christ had not given himself as an 
 atoning sacrifice for the sins of his church and 
 people, his love to them would have been ineffec- 
 tual for securing their salvation ; for he could only 
 save them from their sins by expiating their guilt. 
 Under the law, or legal dispensation, without the 
 shedding of blood there was no remission ; and 
 under the gospel dispensation, moral delinquency 
 must be expiated by nobler blood than the blood 
 of animal sacrifices ; for it is not possible, the 
 Apostle assures us, that the blood of bulls or of 
 goats could take away sin. Accordingly, when 
 
AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR IT. 197 
 
 sacrifices and offerings were of no avail — when no 
 man could redeem himself, or give unto God a 
 ransom for his brother, Christ said, " Lo ! I come : 
 to do thy will, O my God, I take delight. Let 
 a body, or human nature, be prepared for me, that 
 I may have a right to the redemption, and a ran- 
 som to pay ; and rather than these my people 
 should perish, I will give myself a ransom for them, 
 or an atoning sacrifice for their sins, that they may 
 have redemption through my blood." Sacrifices, 
 we find, were instituted by God immediately after 
 the fall, and were offered in faith by his believing 
 people, as typical of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus 
 Christ. This atonement or expiation was also 
 predicted by the ancient prophets, who had foretold 
 that Messiah should be cut off, but not for himself; 
 that he should finish transgression, make an end 
 of sin-offering, and make reconciliation for ini- 
 quity ; and we know from Heb. ii. 17, that these 
 predictions were fulfilled in the reconciliation or 
 atonement which he made for the sins of the peo* 
 pie, and which it behoved him to make in conse- 
 quence of his own voluntary engagements. Some 
 who believe the doctrine of atonement affirm, that 
 the justice of God did not require this expiation, 
 and that, if he had pleased, he might have conferred 
 pardon and eternal life upon sinners of our fallen 
 race without any satisfaction to his justice. It 
 Nirely does not become us to say what God could 
 or could not do; but W€ may certainly reason in 
 the most conclusive manner from what God has 
 done, in as much as whatever he does is done in 
 the wisest and best maimer, and by the wisest and 
 bed means, for accomplishing the end he has in 
 view. Since God appointed the atonement to he 
 made by Christ as the surety and substitute of his 
 people, and accepted of it when it was presented. 
 
198 CHRIST LOVED THE CHURCH 
 
 we may certainly conclude that it was necessary; 
 for if it had not been requisite, and if some other 
 mode would have been equally wise and effectual, 
 he certainly would have spared his own Son the 
 agonies of Gethsemane, the indignities of the 
 judgment-hall, and the sufferings of the cross. 
 Besides, it is a fact that our Saviour prayed re- 
 peatedly and earnestly that, if it were possible, the 
 cup might pass from him ; and as we know it did 
 not pass, may we not conclude that it was not 
 consistent with the purposes of Jehovah that it 
 should pass, but that it behoved Christ to suffer 
 before he could enter into his glory as the living 
 Head of his church — or, in other words, that it 
 was necessary that atonement should be made 
 by his death before the sins of his people could 
 be remitted, in full consistency with the glory 
 of God, the requirements of his laws, and the 
 equity of his moral government. Yes! it be- 
 came him for whom are all things, and by whom 
 are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, 
 to make the Captain of their salvation perfect 
 through sufferings. Accordingly, Christ has mani- 
 fested his astonishing love for his church and peo- 
 ple by becoming their surety — by taking their 
 sins upon him, and by bearing them in his own 
 body upon the tree, that he might expiate their 
 guilt, procure their remission, reconcile them to 
 God, and that they might have redemption through 
 his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the 
 riches of his grace. This important and funda- 
 mental truth of the gospel, is so frequently and 
 unequivocally expressed both in the Old and 
 New Testament Scriptures, that it will not be de- 
 nied by any humble and candid inquirer after the 
 truth as it is in Jesus. Is. liii. 5 — " He was 
 wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for 
 
AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR IT. 199 
 
 our iniquities : the chastisement of our peace was 
 upon him ; and with his stripes we are healed. 
 The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all ; 
 for the transgression of my people was he stricken. " 
 Christ himself declares, that he came not to 
 be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give 
 his life a ransom for many, and that he is the 
 good shepherd who giveth his life for the sheep. 
 John the Baptist says, " Behold the Lamb of 
 God, which taketh away the sin of the world." 
 The Apostle Paul declares, 1 Cor. xv. 3, " I de- 
 livered unto you first of all, how that Christ died 
 for our sins according to the Scriptures ;" for, 
 2 Cor. v. 21, " he hath made him to be sin," a sin- 
 offering, " for us, who knew no sin ; that we might 
 be made the righteousness of God in him." The 
 Apostle Peter declares, 1 Pet. ii. 24, and Hi. 18, 
 " who his own self bare our sins in his own body 
 on the tree, that we, being dead to sin, should 
 live unto righteousness : and by whose stripes ye 
 are healed : for he suffered, the just for us the un- 
 just, that he might bring us to God." All his 
 people, therefore, are redeemed unto God by his 
 blood ; for he hath loved them, and washed them 
 from their sin> in his own blood, and they shall 
 m with him for ever and ever. Though there 
 is infinite merit in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus 
 Christ, and it is sufficient to expiate the guilt of 
 the whole world, and to procure salvation to all 
 mankind, had they been all given unto him, or 
 would they all come unto him : and although upon 
 the ground of this sufficiency of merit, the gospel is 
 preached unto all indiscriminately, and all are in- 
 vited, nay commanded, to believe in the Saviour 
 M-r before them: yet, from the connection in which 
 the deatli of Christ is introduced in this pas* 
 and the express declaration that he loved the 
 
200 CHRIST LOVED THE CIIURCn 
 
 church and gave himself for it, we must conclude that 
 in whatever sense he may be said to have died for 
 all, or given himself a ransom for all, that it was his 
 special purpose and his gracious design to save, 
 by his death, his own sheep, who were given to him 
 by the Father. Objections may be raised and urged 
 against this doctrine, as apparently at variance with 
 human liberty and moral responsibility. But, 
 although we may be unable to show how a limited 
 purpose on the part of God is consistent with an 
 unlimited proclamation of mercy unto all who hear 
 the gospel ; yet they must be consistent, since they 
 are both expressly ascribed to him in Sacred 
 Scripture. Cyrus issued a proclamation, permit- 
 ting all the Jews to return to their own country, 
 and to rebuild their temple at Jerusalem; yet 
 none of them returned or availed themselves of 
 the liberty that was given them, except those 
 whose hearts the Lord had touched, or inclined 
 to return. And in like manner the gospel is 
 preached unto all, proclaiming liberty, and offering 
 salvation to all through the atoning death of 
 Christ, because that death is sufficient to procure 
 salvation unto all, if they will believe in it, and ap- 
 ply it ; but at same time it will be efficient or sav- 
 ing to none, except to those whose hearts the Lord 
 touches, and who are made willing on a day of di- 
 vine power to believe through grace ; for by grace 
 we are saved through faith, and that not of our- 
 selves; it is the gift of God. We now proceed, 
 
 III. To consider the ultimate design which 
 Christ had in view in loving his church and giving 
 himself for it : it was that he might sanctify and 
 cleanse it by the washing of water by the word. 
 These words may be rendered, " that he might 
 sanctify it, having cleansed it through the washing 
 
AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR IT. 201 
 
 of water by the word." Christ Jesus gave himself 
 for the church, not only that he might expiate 
 their guilt, and justify them through faith in his 
 blood, but that he might also sanctify them by the 
 agency of the Holy Spirit, through the instrumen- 
 tality of the word. " He gave himself for them, 
 that he might redeem them from all iniquity, and 
 purify them unto himself, a peculiar people, zealous 
 of good works," Having received them, selected by 
 the Father from the common mass of mankind, and 
 being resolved finally to present them to himself, a 
 glorious church, free from every defilement, it was 
 necessary that the Spirit should be sent into their 
 hearts, to deliver them from the power and pollution 
 of sin, to form them into a resemblance of the divine 
 image, and to make them meet for the inheritance of 
 the saints in light. But if Christ had not laid down 
 his life a sacrifice for sin, to remove their guilt, and 
 procure the influences of the Holy Spirit, no real 
 personal holiness would have been possessed by any 
 of our ruined race. In this case it would have been 
 as inconsistent with the character and perfections 
 of God to give his Holy Spirit to sanctify sinners, 
 as it would have been to pardon their iniquities, or 
 to bestow upon them any spiritual blessing. It is 
 through Jesus Christ, as our great atoning High 
 Priest, that we receive every blessing, and among 
 the rest, the Holy Spirit, to produce personal 
 purity, for he is made of God unto us sanctifica- 
 tion. If Christ had not died and gone to heaven 
 in virtue of his atonement, the Comforter, or the 
 Holy Spirit, would not have come to his people, to 
 abide with them for ever. Accordingly it is re- 
 markable, that, after the sacrifice of Christ had been 
 presented and accepted, and he had gone to heaven, 
 the Spirit was poured out in accordance with hi> 
 promise, in consequence of which, Jews and Gen- 
 
202 CHRIST LOVED THE CHURCH 
 
 tiles were converted unto the Lord. The great 
 design of Christ, then, in giving himself for the 
 church, was to sanctify it, or to cleanse it through 
 the washing of water by the word. Now, let it be 
 borne in mind that in Sacred Scripture the purify- 
 ing influences of the Spirit are frequently repre- 
 sented by the cleansing efficacy of w T ater; for as 
 this element, when applied to the body, removes 
 defilement from it, so the Spirit by the word removes 
 the moral pollution of sin from the soul. Hence 
 it is promised, Ez. xxxvi. 25, " I will sprinkle clean 
 water upon you, and ye shall be clean : from all your 
 filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse 
 you." And again, Is. xliv. 3, " I will pour water 
 upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry 
 ground :" which is explained by what follows — " I 
 will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing 
 upon thine offspring." Christ Jesus therefore 
 cleanses his church by the purifying influences of 
 his Holy Spirit, or by the washing of regeneration, 
 and the renewing of the Holy Ghost. This almighty 
 agent by his powerful energy subdues and mortifies 
 corrupt principles and unholy tempers, and implants 
 and cherishes pious feelings and holy dispositions. 
 But while the Spirit is the great agent in begin- 
 ning and carrying on the work of san education, the 
 word, either read or heard, is the grand instrument 
 by which he operates, and through which it is 
 effected. This word is not only holy in its nature, 
 but, when believed and felt, is the means of promot- 
 ing personal holiness ; for it works effectually in 
 those who believe. They are cast into the mould 
 of gospel truth ; its holy principles sink into their 
 hearts, and purify their temper and conduct ; and 
 thus, in fact, they are sanctified by the same faith 
 by which they are justified. M Now ye are clean," 
 said Christ to his disciples, " through the word 
 
AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR IT. 203 
 
 which I have spoken unto you," John xv. 3 ; and 
 in his prayer to his Father for them, he says, 
 " Sanctify them through thy truth : thy word is 
 truth," John xvii. 17. The more carefully and 
 constantly Christians consult the word of God, 
 and the more regularly and attentively they hear 
 it, when plainly and purely preached, the greater 
 shall be their progress in personal and universal 
 holiness. Though we may profess to believe the 
 great truths of the word of God, and yet remain 
 under the power and continue in the practice of 
 sin ; yet we cannot cordially embrace the doctrines 
 of the cross, without being crucified to the world, 
 and the world crucified to us, or without feeling the 
 power of sin subdued in our souls. When we are 
 convinced of our sin and sinfulness, when we re- 
 ceive the atonement, and rest upon Christ and the 
 work he finished on the cross, for pardon and accept- 
 ance with God, we obtain such discoveries of the 
 evil of sin, the love of the Saviour, and the vanity 
 of this world and all its enjoyments, and the value 
 of the world to come, as lead us to loathe and leave 
 all sin, to love the Saviour with supreme affection, 
 and to mortify the deeds of the body, that we may 
 live. Our old man is crucified with Christ, that 
 the body of sin in us may be destroyed, and that 
 henceforth we may not NTH sin. Being made 
 tree from sin, we become the servants of righteous- 
 
 H — have our fruit unto holiness, and our end ever- 
 lasting life. 
 
 Hut the great design of Christ in loving the 
 church and giving himself for it, was not only to 
 sanctify it, having cleansed it through the washing 
 of water by the word, hut that ultimately he might 
 present it to himself a glorious ehurch, not having 
 BDOt or wrinkle, or any sueh thing ; and that it 
 should be holy and without blame. This language 
 
204 CHRIST LOVED THE CHURCH 
 
 obviously alludes to a practice which prevailed 
 among the Jews and some other eastern nations, of 
 espousing virgins to their husbands before they 
 were actually presented to them, and the marriage 
 ceremony was consummated. Now, in reference 
 to this custom, the Scriptures represent the pro- 
 gressive improvement of Christians in personal 
 holiness, and their advancement to spiritual ma- 
 turity, as preparatory to their final presentation to 
 Christ Jesus, as their Head and Husband. When 
 Christians at first embrace the Saviour, and devote 
 themselves to him as their Lord, they are said to 
 be espoused to him ; and, accordingly, the Apostle 
 (in his first Epistle to the Corinthians) says, of the 
 Christians at Corinth, " I have espoused you to 
 one husband, that ye may be presented as a chaste 
 virgin to Christ.'* The work of preparing the 
 bride for her husband, and the honour of presenting 
 her to him, belonged to the parent, if alive ; but as 
 the church, in her natural estate, is destitute and 
 helpless, so the work of preparation and presenta- 
 tion devolves upon Christ, who must therefore 
 first prepare her, and then present her to him- 
 self, a glorious church, not having spot or w 7 rinkle, 
 or any such thing. While the church is in this 
 world, she is in a state of imperfection — she has 
 her spots, blemishes, and wrinkles. These stain 
 her purity, detract from her beauty, indicate her 
 weakness, or spiritual decay. These are spots, 
 however, which differ from those spots that mark 
 the character of the wicked and ungodly; for she is 
 free from ruinous error in principle, from habitual 
 sin in practice, and final impenitence, or total apos- 
 tacy, for these are not the spots of the people of 
 God. But still she has her spots and wrinkles ; she 
 is not entirely free from sin ; for there is not a just 
 man upon the earth, who doeth good, and sinneth 
 
AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR IT. 205 
 
 not. She feels remaining depravity, or a law in her 
 members warring against the law of her mind, and 
 bringing her into captivity to the law of sin and 
 death ; she is subject to occasional languor and 
 spiritual declension, to a losing of her first love and 
 zeal when the things which remain languish, and 
 seem ready to die. There is still some darkness in 
 her understanding, and some depravity in her heart, 
 and she is sensible that she has not attained nor is 
 already perfect. But when she is to be presented 
 to Christ, she shall be entirely free from sin — from 
 every infirmity and defect — from all error in prin- 
 ciple or aberration in practice — from every thing 
 which can impair her spiritual beauty, or detract 
 from her moral excellence. But she is not only to 
 be presented to Christ free from every imperfection, 
 but in the beauty of perfect holiness ; she is to be 
 presented absolutely immaculate in body and in 
 soul, and exhibiting no blemish to the eyes of 
 him who is the Judge, and the standard of 
 moral excellence ; for she shall see him as he 
 i<, and be like unto him. She shall then ap- 
 pear to be a glorious church — more glorious than 
 the sun itself, which we know has its spots. She 
 shall then appear to be a countless multitude, a 
 number which no man can number — glorious in 
 body, being fashioned like unto the glorious body 
 of Christ — glorious in spirit, by having the image 
 of God completely and perfectly restored — glorious 
 in knowledge, righteousness, and true holine^, 
 having no remaining darkness in their minds, or 
 enmity in their hearts ; but being all glorious within 
 and without, and shining with a radianee which 
 would eelipse the brightness of a thousand suns. 
 Then every individual believer shall shine forth in 
 the kingdom of his Father, as the BOD in his bright- 
 ness I and it each one then shall Bhine as a sun, what 
 
206 CHRIST LOVED THE CHURCH 
 
 must be the splendour of the collected, concentrated 
 glories of innumerable millions of the redeemed, 
 when presented to Christ, and through him to the 
 Father in the heavenly world ! Then the church, 
 glorious within and without, shall be brought into 
 the palace of the King, and there she shall for 
 ever abide, reflecting the glory of her exalted Lord, 
 enjoying a constant sense of his love, and employed 
 in celebrating his praise without weariness, in- 
 terruption, or termination ! 
 
 In conclusion, you may learn from this subject, 
 that although it is proper, and even necessary, that 
 you should be connected with some visible church, 
 some society of professing Christians, that you may 
 observe the ordinances of our holy religion, and en- 
 joy the external privileges of the gospel ; yet you 
 must not be satisfied, as too many are, with this 
 outward connection, as affording undoubted evi- 
 dence of being in Christ Jesus, and being members 
 of his mystical body — the church. Remember 
 that as, under the ancient dispensation, they were 
 not all Israel who were of Israel, so under the 
 gospel dispensation, they are not all Christians who 
 call themselves Christians, and are called such by 
 others. Inquire earnestly, therefore, if you are in- 
 deed the living members of the true church of 
 Christ — if you have been renovated by the Spirit — 
 if you do believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as your 
 righteousness and strength, and rest on him alone 
 for salvation — if you love him with supreme affec- 
 tion, and one another with pure hearts fervently ; 
 and if you demonstrate the reality of your faith and 
 love by your cheerful, constant, and universal obe- 
 dience ; for you are the friends of Christ if you do 
 whatsoever he hath commanded you. 
 
 Let us admire the astonishing love of Christ 
 in giving himself for his church and people, and 
 
AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR IT. 207 
 
 remember it with every grateful emotion, that it 
 may ever be present to our minds, and produce a 
 purifying practical influence upon our dispositions 
 and deportment. It is a love which deserves to be 
 held in grateful and everlasting remembrance. It 
 has been remembered in the church from the be- 
 ginning of the christian era ; it is now remembered 
 by all the faithful upon this earth, and it is never 
 forgotten by the redeemed in heaven. But our 
 Saviour knew how apt his own disciples were to 
 allow his marvellous love to slip out of their mind, 
 and in condescension to their weakness was pleased 
 to institute the solemn ordinance we are this day 
 met to celebrate, and says to all his true disciples, 
 as he said to his immediate followers, while he dis- 
 pensed it to them, " This do in remembrance of 
 me." From a regard to his authority, then, and 
 from love to him as their Lord, let Christians this 
 day go to a communion table to profess their faith 
 in him, and attachment to him, to feed upon him, 
 and the blessings of his purchase, and to dedicate 
 themselves to him as his redeemed property — to be 
 his wholly, only, and for ever. 
 
 Finally, since it was the great design of Christ 
 in giving himself for the church to sanctify it, 
 baring cleansed it by the washing of water by the 
 word, that he might present it to himself a glorious 
 church, let it be our great design, and constant 
 doire and endeavour, in dependence on divine 
 grace, and the supplies of the Spirit, to be improv- 
 ing in personal parity. Having these promises, let 
 us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh 
 and spirit, and be perfecting holiness in the fear 
 of God. Though the sanetirieation and prepara- 
 tion of the church for her final presentation Ik* 
 
 the work of Christ, for he i> made of God unto his 
 people sanetirieation, yet it is also said, liev. xix. 7, 
 
208 CHRIST LOVED THE CHURCH, ETC. 
 
 that " the Lamb's wife hath made herself ready," 
 namely, by attending to all the means of spiritual 
 improvement which the Lord hath appointed, 
 and blesses for this important purpose. While 
 it is God that worketh in us, both to will and 
 to work, we must, as Christians strengthened by 
 divine grace, work out our own salvation with 
 fear and trembling. Instead of imagining we have 
 already attained, either are already perfect, let 
 us forget those things which are behind, and reach- 
 ing forth to those things which are before, press 
 toward the mark for the prize of the high calling 
 of God in Christ Jesus. 
 
SERMON VII. 
 
 THE BREADTH, LENGTH, DEPTH AND HEIGHT OF 
 THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 
 
 Eph. iii. 18, 19. 
 
 M That ye may be able to comprehend with all saints what 
 is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height ; and to know 
 the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge." 
 
 When the gospel of Christ is believed and felt, it 
 inspires the mind with universal benevolence. It 
 not only leads real Christians to wish well unto all 
 men, and to endeavour to promote their temporal 
 and spiritual interests by every lawful mean in 
 their power, but it induces them in a peculiar 
 manner to express their love unto the brethren, in 
 fervent prayer for their progressive improvement 
 and growing experience of the power and comforts 
 of the gospel. But while this desire will be dis- 
 covered by all real Christians, it will especially be 
 manifested by those who hold public stations in 
 the church, and who are called to preach the gos- 
 pel to their brethren of mankind. Accordingly, 
 we 166 this amiable spirit displayed by the Apostle 
 in the context. Having unfolded to the Ephesians 
 the mystery which was hid from ages and genera- 
 tion^, that the Gentiles should be fellow -heirs and 
 of the same body, and partakers of the promises in 
 Christ by the gospel, he shows them that believer 
 under the gospel dispensation have boldness and 
 access with confidence by the faith of Christ. He 
 assures them that he was earet'ul to improve this 
 privilege upon their account, by remembering them 
 in his pravers to the Father of all ; and mention* 
 
 k 2 
 
210 THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 
 
 a part of the fervent, comprehensive request which 
 he offered on their behalf. " For this cause I bow 
 my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is 
 named, that he would grant you, according to the 
 riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might 
 by his Spirit in the inner man ; that Christ may 
 dwell in your hearts by faith ;" and then he adds in 
 the words of our text, " that ye, being rooted and 
 grounded in love, may be able to comprehend," or 
 rather, according to the original, " that ye may be 
 able to apprehend with all saints what is the breadth, 
 and length, and depth, and height ; and to know the 
 love of Christ, which passeth knowledge." As we 
 are this day met together for the solemn purpose 
 of commemorating the love of Christ in dying for 
 his people, we hope these words will afford us a 
 suitable subject for meditation ; and, in farther 
 discoursing from them, all that we propose is, to 
 make a few observations upon the different dimen- 
 sions of the love of Christ enumerated by the 
 Apostle ; and then to conclude with an improve- 
 ment of the subject. 
 
 Following the order adopted by the Apostle, let 
 us first make a few observations upon the breadth 
 of the love of Christ. The love of Christ will ap- 
 pear to be possessed of this property, if we consider 
 the vast variety of persons which it embraces, and the 
 numerous and precious blessings which it bestows. 
 The love of Christ in its breadth extends to all nations 
 upon the face of the earth. God, we are assured in 
 Scripture, hath made of one blood all nations of 
 men to dwell on the face of the earth. As all men, 
 therefore, are of one common nature — as they are 
 children of the same parent, and members of the 
 same family, they ought to love one another, and 
 
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 211 
 
 to promote one another's interest by every means in 
 their power. Our love to our fellow-creatures, 
 however, is often narrowed by national distinction, 
 by local circumstances, by party partial views, or 
 personal connection. We find it difficult at times 
 to rise above these, and to extend our regards, as 
 Christians ought to do, to men of all nations. While 
 our love, however, is thus confined by national dis- 
 tinction, by local situation, or private attachment, 
 the love of Christ knows no such limits ; but rising 
 above all these in a glorious, god-like manner, it 
 extends its influence to men of ail nations upon the 
 face of the earth. It is true, indeed, divine revela- 
 tion was for some time confined to one favourite 
 nation. To preserve the knowledge of himself in 
 the world, God was pleased to select that nation, 
 and to commit to them the oracles of divine truth ; 
 but when the purposes of heaven with respect to 
 this highly favoured nation were accomplished — 
 when the gospel morn began to dawn, every na- 
 tional distinction was abolished, and the Apostles 
 were commanded to go into all nations, and to preach 
 the gospel to every creature. The diffusion of 
 the truth, at first rapid and extensive, has indeed 
 for some time been slow and almost imperceptible : 
 but, though thus slow and silent, it is sure and pro- 
 Htve ; tor men may as soon arrest the sun in his 
 course, or pre vent him from illuminating every region 
 upon the face of the earth, as they may prevent, by 
 all their efforts, the universal spread of gospel light. 
 Christ fa given to be a light tO enlighten the (Ten- 
 tiles, and to he Clod's salvation unto the ends of 
 the earth. The mountain of the Lord's house shall 
 be established on the tops of the mountains, and 
 all nations shall flow into it ; kk for it shall eome to 
 pttt»" siith the Lord, %k that I will gather all nations 
 and tongues, and they shall come and behold my 
 
212 THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 
 
 glory. He shall say to the north, give up, and to 
 the south, keep not back, bring my sons from afar, 
 and my daughters from the ends of the earth." 
 Men, therefore, of every kingdom and kindred, 
 of every tongue and tribe, shall feel the influence 
 of the love of Christ, for men shall be blessed in 
 him, and all nations shall call him blessed. Farther, 
 the breadth of the love of Christ appears in its ex- 
 tending to persons of all ranks and denominations. 
 In every well regulated country, there are dis- 
 tinctions which, like the inequalities or gentle swel- 
 lings upon the surface of the earth, instead of de- 
 forming the face of civil society, add to its beauty 
 and promote its interest. The difference of rank, 
 however, which obtains in civilised life, is rather 
 to be considered as an useful temporary distinction, 
 than as forming any real difference among the sons 
 of men. At same time, our love is extremely apt 
 to be limited by these distinctions, and to be con- 
 fined chiefly to persons who move in our own 
 sphere. But the love of Christ knows no such 
 distinction. It reaches to persons in every con- 
 dition in life — to the high and the low — the 
 rich and the poor — the learned and the ignor- 
 ant — the young and the old. It is true, indeed, 
 not many wise men after the flesh, not many rich, 
 not many noble are called. Yet these are by 
 no means excluded from feeling the influence and 
 enjoying the comforts of the love of Christ. We 
 have several instances in Scripture of exalted sta- 
 tion, connected with exalted piety, and of great 
 wealth, united with real religion and devotedness 
 to the service of God. Abraham and Job, David 
 and Joseph of Arimathea, will readily occur to 
 those who are conversant with the Bible, and, 
 blessed be God ! we have even in our own times 
 some amiable examples of the union of rank and 
 
TIIE LOVE OF CURIST. 213 
 
 riches with real religion, and the felt influence of 
 the love of Christ. This love also reaches to the 
 poor and needy — to men in the lowest walks of 
 life, and raises them to the high honour of being 
 the sons of God, and heirs of that kingdom which- 
 shall never be moved. Thus the love of Christ 
 extends to persons of every condition, and brings 
 some of every order and denomination under its 
 sovereign and saving influence. This love also 
 extends in its breadth to sinners of every class 
 and character. Though all men by nature and 
 practice are sinners, yet it is evident that some are 
 more guilty than others. They have entered ear- 
 lier upon the ways of vice, or continued longer in 
 the practice of iniquity. Their sins have been at- 
 tended with peculiar aggravations, for they have 
 sinned exceedingly before the Lord. Now, it 
 might be imagined, that if the love of Christ were 
 to extend to any of the human race, it would 
 reach only to those who are of decent character, 
 or who are comparatively innocent ; but that 
 great offenders would be excluded from sharing 
 in its saving influence. The love of Christ is 
 so broad, however, that it extends to sinners of 
 every description. None are excluded, that none 
 may despair. It has already selected and saved 
 the chief of sinners, that the chief of sinners may 
 have hope of salvation. Thus, we find a Manas- 
 seh, an idolater and murderer, who made the 
 streets of Jerusalem stream with innocent blood, 
 humbled and pardoned ; Paul too, a blasphemer 
 and persecutor, is brought under the constraining 
 influence of this love ; and many of the Corin- 
 thians, who were the scandal of their country, 
 and a disgrace to human nature, were washed and 
 justified, and sanctified in the name of the Lord 
 Jesus, and by the Spirit of the living God. The 
 
214 THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 
 
 breadth of the love of Christ appears, moreover, 
 in the numerous and precious blessings which it 
 confers. This love bestows not one or two, but 
 all the blessings of the new and everlasting cove- 
 nant. Hence, we find the Apostle, w T hen praising 
 God in the beginning of this epistle, saying, " Bless- 
 ed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, who 
 hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ 
 Jesus." These blessings, indeed, are all inseparably- 
 connected with each other, and are all absolutely 
 necessary to perfect the happiness of believers. 
 The love of Christ, therefore, combines these bless- 
 ings, and confers them all upon true believers. It 
 not only bestows upon them the pardon of their 
 sins and the sanctification of their natures, but it 
 brings them direction in difficulty, consolation in 
 sorrow, strength in weakness, and grace to help 
 them in time of need. As all the blessings of the 
 covenant are the purchase of the Saviour's blood, 
 and secured to his people by his faithful promise, 
 so they shall all be conferred upon them by their 
 living and loving Lord. Were any one of these 
 blessings to be withheld, their happiness would be 
 incomplete ; but his glorious love confers them all 
 upon them, and will not give them the half, but 
 the whole of the kingdom. Christ is made unto 
 all his people wisdom and righteousness, and sanc- 
 tification and redemption ; for, Rom. viii. 30, 
 " whom he did predestinate, them he also called : 
 and whom he called, them he also justified ; and 
 whom he justified, them he also glorified." 
 
 2d. We now proceed to make a few observa- 
 tions upon the length of the love of Christ. When 
 the term length is applied to any solid body, it 
 signifies extension from one end to another ; but 
 when used as in the passage before us to describe 
 any disposition of heart, it signifies extent of dura- 
 
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 215 
 
 tion. Now, in contemplating the length of the 
 love of Christ as represented to us in Scripture, 
 we find it rising from an eternity past, running 
 through the whole of time, and reaching to an eter- 
 nity to come. The love of Christ, as described in 
 Scripture, rises from an eternity past. The love 
 which any creature discovers to another, must be, 
 like its nature, limited in its duration. It can 
 be traced to the first moment when it arose in the 
 heart, and it can be frequently followed to its ex- 
 tinction in the soul. Like a river, we can trace 
 it to its source ; and, like a river too, we can see 
 its termination. But the love of Christ unto his 
 people, is, like himself, everlasting. This truth is 
 frequently taught in Sacred Scripture. Thus, 
 Christ, when speaking of himself as the wisdom of 
 God, says, Prov. viii. 23, " I was set up from 
 everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth 
 was ;" verses 30, 31 — " Then I was by him, as one 
 brought up with him : and I was daily his delight, 
 rejoicing always before him ; rejoicing in the habit- 
 able part of his earth ; and my delights were with 
 the sons of men." Jer. xxxi. 3 — " The Lord hath 
 appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved 
 thee with an everlasting love; therefore with loving- 
 kindness have I drawn thee." Hence, we are ex- 
 gyaaoly assured, that grace was given unto us in 
 Christ JeSQf before the world waft. Now, if Christ 
 existed afl the Son of God from eternity, if he was 
 in the beginning with God, and was God, and if he 
 was set upas Mediator from everlasting, as Scripture 
 declares, then it is evident that his love unto his 
 people must have been from everlasting. This 
 love did not commence with his appearance in this 
 world ; for that appearance was the effect of his pre- 
 cious love and agreement to undertake our eaiiM . 
 If Christ, indeed, had no existence prior to his ap- 
 
216 THE LOVE OP CHRIST. 
 
 pearance in this world, as some suppose, then his 
 love may be easily traced to its origin, for, upon 
 this principle, it only commenced about eighteen 
 hundred years ago ; but if Christ existed before he 
 came into this world, and if his goings have been 
 of old from everlasting, then his love must be also 
 from everlasting. Thus, you see that our views of 
 the length of the love of Christ are inseparably 
 connected with our views of his person. If we 
 degrade the dignity of his person, and deny his 
 divinity, we virtually degrade and deny the won- 
 ders of his love ; but as Christ Jesus existed as 
 the Son of God from eternity, and is immutable, it 
 is evident that his love must be from everlasting, 
 and that in tracing its amazing length, we are lost 
 in an eternity past. The love of Christ too, in its 
 
 - n length, reaches through the whole of time. With 
 time it begins to appear and to challenge our at- 
 tention. It appeared in the first promise, not long 
 after time began to roll, and it has kept pace with 
 its progress ever since. It was but faintly dis- 
 cerned, under the ancient dispensation, through the 
 veil of type and figure ; but now, under the gos- 
 pel dispensation, it appears like a mighty river in 
 full view, and runs on with a majestic current. 
 It has been felt by the people of God in all ages, and 
 it will continue to be enjoyed by them while they 
 remain in the world ; for as it runs through the whole 
 of time, so it flows through the whole of a be- 
 liever's life-time in the world. Every real Chris- 
 
 ^ , tian is interested in this love, and cannot be sepa- 
 rated from it; for Christ having loved his own, 
 that are in the world, loves them unto the end. 
 Though, upon account of their sins, Christians may 
 incur his displeasure, and be exposed to his fatherly 
 chastisements, yet these corrections, so far from 
 being inconsistent with this love, are in reality the 
 
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 217 
 
 fruit and expression of it ; for whom the Lord 
 loveth he chasteneth, and seourgeth every son 
 whom he receiveth. Ps. lxxxix. 30 — 34 — " If his 
 children forsake my law, and walk not in my judg- 
 ments ; if they break my statutes, and keep not 
 my commandments ; then will I visit their trans- 
 gression with the rod, and their iniquity with 
 stripes. "Nevertheless, my loving-kindness will I 
 not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithful- 
 ness to fail." As this love is sovereign in its na- 
 ture, so it must be immutable ; and if the sins of 
 the people of God, though foreseen, did not pre- 
 vent his setting his love upon them, so, when com- 
 mitted, they will not be able entirely to deprive 
 them of it. They may lose, indeed, all comfort- 
 able sense of this love for a season ; but even then 
 it is really following them, and will at last appear. 
 It accompanies them through the whole of life — 
 it follows them as the water did Israel through the 
 desert, and it will not desert them when they enter 
 the dark and silent valley of the shadow of death. 
 A stream of this love runs through that valley, and 
 will carry them on its course to the inheritance of 
 flic stinN in light. Hence the Apostle exclaims, 
 Rom* viii. 35, 88, 39, M Who shall separate us 
 from the love of Christ ? For I am persuaded, that 
 neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principali- 
 . nor powt-rs, nor tiling present, nor things to 
 come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, 
 shall be able to separate ns from the love of God, 
 which is in Christ Jesosour Lord/ 1 This love, there- 
 fore, frill be eternal. As Christ will exist for ever 
 in the heavenly world, so he will never cease to love 
 his people. His love having followed them through 
 
 life, and accompanied them through the valley of 
 
 death, will enter heaven with them, and attend 
 them for ever and ever; "for the mercy of the Lord," 
 
218 THE LOVE OF CnRIST. 
 
 says the Psalmist, " is from everlasting to everlast- 
 ing." It rose in the heart of Christ from an eternity 
 past, it has flowed on during the whole of time, 
 and, instead of terminating with its duration, it will 
 enter eternity and flow on through all the inter- 
 minable periods of an endless duration. Thus, we 
 see that the length of the love of Christ is immea- 
 surable — its expansion is infinite. We can neither 
 trace it to its origin nor termination. It stretches on 
 each hand of us, until we lose ourselves in the con- 
 templation, and can only stand and wonder at its 
 infinite extent. It is ancient love, it is present 
 precious love, and it will be everlasting love — per- 
 manent in its duration, and ever-growing in its felt 
 value and importance. 
 
 3d. We now come forward, in the third place, to 
 make a few observations upon the depth of the 
 love of Christ. The depth of anything properly 
 signifies its measure from top to bottom, and is 
 generally applied to the liquid bodies — to rivers, 
 or the mighty ocean. When applied to the love 
 of Christ, it is descriptive of its strength, and leads 
 us to contemplate his astonishing humiliation. 
 The depth of the love of Christ must be esti- 
 mated from the dignity of his person, and the suf- 
 ferings to which he submitted in accomplishing 
 our redemption. Christ Jesus, in the dignity of 
 / . his person, is exalted above our highest conceptions. 
 He is the brightness of the Father's glory, and 
 the express image of his person, upholding all 
 things by the word of his power. He is infinitely 
 exalted above the highest angels, having, by in- 
 heritance, a more excellent name than they ; and 
 when he is brought, as the only begotten Son, 
 into this world, all the angels of God are com- 
 manded to worship him. By the Father himself, 
 he is expressly styled God. Heb. i. 8 — " But 
 
TIIE LOVE OF CHRIST. 219 
 
 unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for 
 ever and ever ; a sceptre of righteousness is the 
 sceptre of thy kingdom. " That a person of such 
 dignity and excellence should discover love to any 
 of the sons of men, is truly astonishing ; but that 
 he should have expressed this love unto them in 
 the manner he did, is, if possible, still more wonder- 
 ful. He assumes our nature into personal union with 
 the divine. This is the first and longest, though not 
 the lowest, step of his humiliation. He assumes this 
 nature, too, not while possessed of its original 
 beauty and excellence, but with all the infirmities 
 arising from the introduction of sin. He does not 
 appear in royal splendour, or princely greatness, 
 but in meanness and in poverty. He is born in a 
 stable, and laid in a manger. His innocence and 
 infancy do not protect him from the cruelty of man ; 
 for to save his life from the designs of a tyrant, his 
 parents are forced to flee with him into lonely 
 exile. For a long period after his return, he sub- 
 mitted, in obscurity, to poverty, to labour, and 
 contempt. When he entered upon his public 
 ministry, his sufferings became more apparent and 
 remarkable ; for although during the whole of life 
 he was a man of sorrows, and acquainted with 
 grief, yet his sufferings gradually increased, they 
 deepened as they flowed, until at last they seemed 
 altogether to overwhelm him. When about to 
 enter upon his work, he is assaulted and harassed 
 by the powers of darknes N and tempted to the 
 commission of the most grievous sins. Through 
 the whole course of his ministry, he struggled with 
 poverty and persecution, with contumely and re- 
 proach. His doetrines are derided, his character 
 is traduced, and even his miraeles of mercy aserihed 
 to the influence of the prinee of darkness. To- 
 wards the close of his life, however, a tremendous 
 
220 TIIE LOVE OF CHRIST. 
 
 scene of sufferings is opened to our view, for then 
 he is brought into deep waters. He is betrayed 
 by one of his disciples into the hand of his enemies, 
 denied by another, and deserted by them all. He 
 is apprehended, bound, and led away as a criminal 
 from Gethsemane to Jerusalem. He is dragged 
 from one part of the city to another, and from one 
 unjust and insolent tribunal to another. He is 
 insulted and buffeted — he is spit upon and scourged 
 — he is crowned with thorns, loaded with his cross, 
 and led away to be crucified with every mark of 
 ignominy and insolence. But although his bodily 
 sufferings were great and acute, the anguish of his 
 soul was still more deep and distressing. He said 
 unto his disciples, while there appeared no out- 
 ward cause for his sufferings, " My soul is ex- 
 ceeding sorrowful even unto death." In his mys- 
 terious agony in the garden, his mental distress 
 was so great, that his sweat was like great drops 
 of blood falling down unto the ground. Thrice 
 he prayed that if it were possible this cup might 
 pass from him ; adding, however, with calm re- 
 signation, "not my will, but thine be done." On the 
 cross, while bearing the punishment due to our 
 offences, and making his soul an offering for sin, 
 he cried out, even in the presence of his enemies, 
 " My God ! my God ! why hast thou forsaken me ? " 
 In his person he was still beloved of the Father, 
 but as the surety of his people he was bearing 
 their sins in his own body on the tree, for it 
 pleased the Father to bruise him. Thus the 
 cruelty of man, and the malice of devils, but above 
 all w T hat he suffered from the hand of his heavenly 
 Father, as the great Judge of all, combined to 
 sink him in an inconceivable abyss of suffering, 
 and to bring him to the dust of death. Well 
 might he adopt the language of ancient prophecy, 
 
THE LOVE OF CIIRT-T. 221 
 
 and say, " Behold and see, all ye that pass by, if 
 there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow. I sink 
 in deep mire, where there is no standing, for deep 
 calleth unto deep, and all thy billows are gone 
 over me. I am a reproach of men, and despised 
 of the people. I gave my back to the smiters, 
 and my cheeks to those that plucked off the hair. 
 I hid not my face from shame and spitting. The 
 plowers plowed upon my back ; they made long 
 their furrows. In my thirst they gave me vinegar 
 to drink ; they pierced my hands and my feet. My 
 strength is dried like a potsherd, my tongue cleav- 
 eth to my jaws, and thou hast brought me to the 
 dust of death." What an astonishing humiliation ! 
 what depth of love is here ! The most exalted 
 greatness in the lowest abasement, perfect inno- 
 cence overwhelmed with suffering, and the Prince 
 of life expiring upon the cross, and descending to 
 the silent grave, to save sinners from everlasting 
 misery. The depth of the love of Christ appears 
 in bringing him who thought it no robbery to be 
 equal with God, into the lowest state of abasement, 
 to raise 01 who wore wretched sinners from an 
 abyss of sin and misery. We were sunk in a 
 horrible pit, and in the miry clay, but this love 
 stoops to rai^e us from this pit, and to rescue us 
 from everlasting d est r u ction. The depth of the 
 love of Christ corresponds to the depth of our 
 misery — it meets and relieves it. The dignity of 
 the Saviour'^ person, and the depth of his suffer- 
 ing, show the amazing strength of his love. tk Ye 
 
 know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, 
 although he was rich, yet for our sikes he became 
 poor, that we through his poverty might be made 
 rich. Greater love hath no man than this, that I 
 man lay down his lite for his friend ; hut herein 
 hath God commended his love towards us, in that 
 
222 TIIE LOVE OF CHRIST. 
 
 while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." An 
 exalted prince enduring the greatest sufferings for 
 the deliverance of rebels against his father's go- 
 vernment from destruction, would manifest a won- 
 derful love — such love as the world never beheld. 
 But even such love cannot be compared with the 
 love of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in dying 
 upon the cross for the salvation of perishing sinners ; 
 for his love in so doing is a love the depth of 
 which has filled heaven itself with wonder. Angels 
 viewed it with astonishment, and it confounded 
 the deeps of Satan, for it overturned the founda- 
 tions of his kingdom. How amazing the condes- 
 cension of the Son of God ! how astonishing the 
 greatness of the love of Jesus ! The dignity of 
 his person, and the degradation and disgrace to 
 which he submitted, are equally beyond our finite 
 comprehension. Our love to our friends is at the 
 best but a shallow stream ; it can do or endure but 
 little ; but his love to his enemies is an unfathom- 
 able ocean. While we stand and contemplate its 
 depth, it overwhelms the mind, and leads us to 
 exclaim, " Behold, what manner of love the Father 
 hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called 
 the sons of God ! What manner of love is this, that 
 he who was in the form of God, and who thought 
 it no robbery to be equal with God, should make 
 himself of no reputation, and take upon him the 
 form of a servant, and be made in the likeness of 
 men ; and that, being found in fashion as a man, 
 he should humble himself, and become obedient 
 unto death, even the death of the cross !" 
 
 4th, We now proceed, in the fourth and last 
 place, to make a few observations upon the height 
 of the love of Christ. The height of any object 
 is its elevation above the surface of the ground, 
 and the idea naturally leads us to contemplate 
 
 
THE LOVE OF CURIST. 223 
 
 the love of Christ, as manifested to his people 
 after his resurrection and ascension into the hea- 
 venlv world. We have just now been consi- 
 dering the depth of that love which he discovered 
 in his humiliation, sufferings, and death ; and now 
 we are to contemplate the height of this love, in 
 his resurrection and ascension into heaven. The 
 height of this love appeared in its rising again with 
 him from the grave. The coldness of the tomb 
 could not damp the ardour of his affection. Ac- 
 cordinglv, after his resurrection, we find him dis- 
 covering the same love unto his disciples which he 
 had manifested before his death. He sends a par- 
 ticular message to Peter, who had denied him, to 
 remove his fears, and to show him that he was still 
 the object of his tender regard. He frequently met 
 with his disciples, and freely conversed with them, 
 instructing them in things which pertained to the 
 kingdom of God. When the time came that he 
 must ascend into heaven, he led them out as far as 
 Bethany, and lifted up his hands and blessed them. 
 His love did not leave him when he left this earth ; 
 it ascended with him into heaven ; for in his glo- 
 rious state of exaltation he still continues to love 
 his people. As he loved them upon this earth in 
 his lowest state of abasement, so he loves them in 
 heaven in his highest state of exaltation. The 
 glory of his exalted station does not in the smallest 
 _rree diminish the strength and ardour of his love. 
 Though when men in this world are raised to digni- 
 fied situation^, to places of power and honour, tney 
 sometimes forget those they professed to esteem 
 Or (ranked to serve: yet this is not the charac- 
 ter of our exalted Redeemer. His love to his 
 people is so high and anient, that amid all the 
 splendours of the celestial world he is still mindful 
 of them and of their concerns. Their names are 
 
224 TIIE LOVE OF CHRIST. 
 
 written upon the palms of his hands, their walls are 
 continually before him, and he employs his power 
 and influence in promoting their interests, and in 
 perfecting their salvation. Nay, even in heaven 
 he sympathizes with them in all their sorrows, he 
 intercedes for them at his Father's right hand, and 
 is as mindful of their concerns as if they were his 
 own. When we look up, then, to the Redeemer, 
 now upon his throne, and still loving his people, 
 we must be struck with the height of the Saviour's 
 love — a love displayed in the highest heaven, and 
 in the highest manner. Like the ladder in Jacob's 
 vision, while its foot is on the earth, its top 
 reaches unto heaven, and keeps open a communi- 
 cation between both. This leads us to observe 
 farther that the height of the love of Christ ap- 
 pears in his conferring, in his exalted state, the 
 highest and most important gifts upon his people. 
 When he ascended up on high he led captivity 
 captive, and received gifts for men. As he re- 
 ceived those gifts to bestow upon his people, so 
 the Apostle Paul, when quoting this prophecy, 
 explains his receiving by his giving, saying, 
 "and he gave gifts to men." These gifts were 
 various and valuable, but there are two of them 
 so important that they deserve to be distinctly 
 mentioned. These are the gifts of the Spirit and 
 a gospel ministry. " If I go not away, the Com- 
 forter will not come ; but if I go away, I will send 
 him unto you." Now, though Christ sent the 
 Spirit in his miraculous gifts to the primitive 
 Christians, to accomplish the extraordinary pur- 
 poses he then had in view, yet he still continues to 
 send him in his ordinary influences upon his people, 
 for he comes to abide with them for ever. The 
 gift of a gospel ministry, also, is another precious 
 gift which the height of the Redeemer's love be- 
 
 
THE LOVE OF CIIRIST. 
 
 stows upon his people. Eph. iv. 11, 12— " He gave 
 some, apostles ; and some, prophets ; and some, 
 evangelists ; and some, pastors and teachers ; for 
 the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the 
 ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." 
 Now, how high is that love which bestows upon 
 the unworthv such precious gifts ! When we con- 
 fer favours, we bestow them upon the deserving, 
 upon those who have served us, and who merit 
 some acknowledgment ; but as Christ bestows 
 these favours upon the unworthy, nay, upon the 
 rebellious, and bestows them, too, from heaven, 
 they display the astonishing height of his love. 
 We may observe still farther that the height of the 
 love of Christ appears in his raising his people even 
 now in this world to the honour of being the sons 
 of God, and giving them a right and title to the 
 heavenly inheritance. John i. 12 — " To as many 
 as received him, to them gave he power to become 
 the sons of God, even to them that believe on his 
 name." He not only introduces them into the 
 family of God, but raises them to the honour of 
 being kings and priests unto God, even in this 
 world. In virtue of his right to the heavenly in- 
 heritance, and by his resurrection from the dead as 
 the head of hi* people, they are begotten again to 
 the living hope of an inheritance that is incorruj)- 
 lible and undefiled, and which fadeth not away. 
 David accounted it an honour to be son-in-law to 
 an earthly king; but what is such an honour com- 
 pared with that of being MNM of God, and joint 
 heirs through Jesus Christ, nay heirs of God hav- 
 ing God in Christ asa sure and satisfying portion, 
 
 and heaven as an everlasting home! But finally, 
 upon this part of the subject, we would observe , 
 that the height of the love of Christ will appear 
 in his raising the bodies of his people from the 
 
 L 
 
220 THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 
 
 grave at the last day, in acknowledging them be- 
 fore an assembled world, and in elevating them to 
 inconceivable heights of happiness, by setting them 
 down with himself upon his throne in the celestial 
 world. His love to his people is so strong and 
 ardent, that it will never be at rest till it has raised 
 them to this astonishing elevation. We may, 
 therefore, say of it, as Naomi to Ruth, concerning 
 Boaz, Ruth iii. 18, " The man will not be in 
 rest until he have finished the thing." Of all that 
 the Father hath given him he will lose nothing, 
 but will raise it up at the last day. Having raised 
 the bodies of the saints from the grave, he will 
 fashion them like unto his own glorious body, and 
 fit them for bearing the splendours, and engaging 
 in the exercises, of the heavenly world. Having 
 stationed them on his right hand, he will say to 
 them, " Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the 
 kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of 
 the world." They shall ascend with him into the 
 heavenly world, where he will raise them to incon- 
 ceivable heights of glory and happiness. " If I go 
 away, I will come again and take you to myself, 
 that where I am there ye may be also." While 
 Solomon testified his love unto his mother, by 
 causing her to sit upon a throne on his right hand, 
 Jesus manifests the height of his love unto his 
 people by causing them to sit with him upon his 
 throne. Thus, in one view, he will raise them 
 above angels ; for, while they are represented as 
 standing around the throne in heaven, his saints 
 are expressly said to sit upon it. But what the 
 height of this dignity and happiness will be we 
 cannot now declare. " It doth not yet appear 
 what we shall be ; this only we know, that when he 
 shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see 
 him as he is." What, then, is the height of that 
 
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 227 
 
 love which raises the redeemed to so high a hap- 
 piness ! What an amazing elevation ! What a 
 wonderful height of love ! How marvellous ! how 
 mysterious ! If, when viewed on this footstool in 
 the light of Scripture, it appear so high that the 
 eye of faith trembles while it views it, and the 
 mind is filled with admiration, how shall we be 
 astonished when in heaven we contemplate its 
 stupendous height in a clearer medium, with 
 stronger faculties, and to greater advantage ! But 
 even in the highest heaven this love will appear to 
 reach far above it ; for its height is infinite, and 
 exceeds the reach of finite minds. But we lose 
 ourselves in this boundless subject, — a subject 
 which eludes the grasp of our finite faculties. Let 
 us learn, then, in humble silence to admire and 
 adore what we shall never be able fully to compre- 
 hend — the breadth and the length, the depth and 
 the height, of the love of Christ, which passeth 
 knowledge. 
 
 We shall now conclude by directing your atten- 
 tion to the practical improvement of what has 
 been delivered upon this subject. 
 
 1 it, In renewing this subject you may see, in the 
 first place, what is one important and distinguishing 
 feature in the character of all real Christians. All 
 true Christians have distinct scriptural apprehensions 
 of the person and love of Christ in dying tor them. 
 They have spiritual views of hit person, offices, and 
 grace, for though once they were dsrkn688, they are 
 now light in the Lord. Hereby they perceive the 
 love of God, because he laid down his life for them. 
 Hence, we find the Apostle in this passage praying 
 in behalf of the Kphesians, that they might, with 
 all saints, apprehend the astonishing dimensions of 
 the love of Christ, plainly intimating that they are 
 
228 THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 
 
 not saints who are destitute of this discernment. 
 The person and love of Christ in dying for the sins 
 of his people, are so far from being speculative 
 points that the scriptural knowledge of them is 
 essential to the existence of a Christian. If it is 
 eternal life to know the only true God, and Jesus 
 Christ whom he has sent, it must be eternal death 
 to remain ignorant of this knowledge. All true 
 Christians therefore know the grace of God and the 
 love of Jesus. Their minds have been enlightened 
 by the word and Spirit, and led to a clear discern- 
 ment of the doctrines of the gospel, of the glory of 
 the Redeemer's person, and the wonders of his love. 
 They have an unction of the Holy One, and know 
 all things ; for all Zion's children shall be taught of 
 God, and great shall be the peace of her children. 
 2d. From what has been said you may see that 
 the Christian's sanctification will bear proportion to 
 his spiritual discernment and experimental know- 
 ledge of the love of Christ. The believing con- 
 templation of the love of Christ will always be ac- 
 companied with a corresponding impression upon 
 the heart, and influence upon the conduct. This 
 love is not set before us in Scripture, or in the or- 
 dinances, to be admired and remembered merely, 
 but also to be felt, and it will be felt by all those 
 who discern its excellence and perceive its amazing 
 dimensions. While the contemplation of Christ, 
 set forth as a propitiation through faith in his blood, 
 leads us to perceive the righteous character of God, 
 and affords hope and confidence in our approaches 
 unto him ; it subdues, at the same time, the love of 
 sin in the heart, and leads to walk in all holy obedi- 
 ence. The law of Christ thus becomes a principle 
 of universal holiness. It deadens and destroys the 
 love of sin in the heart. It shows the evil of sin and 
 the necessity of holiness, and leads to the practice 
 
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 229 
 
 of every duty. Hence the Apostle, who felt the 
 influence of this love, declares, in the name of all 
 real Christians, " for the love of Christ constraineth 
 us; because we thus judge, that if one died for 
 all, then they all have died, that they who live, 
 should not henceforth live unto themselves, but 
 unto him who died for them, and rose again." The 
 true reason, therefore, why sinners still live in sin, 
 is because they have no discernment or experimen- 
 tal knowledge of the love of Christ ; and the rea- 
 son why the holiness of real Christians is so imper- 
 fect, is because their discernment and experimental 
 knowledge of the love of Christ are incomplete. 
 If they wish therefore to grow either in holiness or 
 comfort, it should be their daily prayer unto God 
 that he would shed abroad the love of Christ in 
 their hearts by the Holy Ghost given unto them. 
 3d. From what has been said Christians may be 
 led to examine the nature of their love unto Christ. 
 If your love unto Christ be genuine, it will in some 
 measure correspond with his love unto you — it will 
 be possessed of the same dimensions. Your love 
 unto Christ will have a breadth in it — it will ex- 
 tend to all his offices and relations ; to all his laws, 
 and ordinances, and people. You will love him as 
 your prophet, and your king, as well as your great 
 High Priest, and you will have a respect unto all 
 his commandments. Your love unto him will have 
 a length in it — it will not be a temporary feeling ex- 
 cited by some momentary impulse or impression, but 
 it will be a steady, permanent principle, running 
 through the whole of life, and influencing you in 
 every situation in which you may be placed. It will 
 have a depth in it — it will not float upon the surface, 
 but sink to the bottom of your hearts; it will regfl 
 upon a deepspiritual knowledge, and be strongly felt 
 in your souls. And it will have a height in it. You 
 
230 THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 
 
 will love Christ with a supreme affection, above 
 father or mother, and every thing in a present world. 
 You will love him now in the highest heaven, 
 and you will never be satisfied until you see him 
 as he is. As many are this day to profess love to 
 Jesus by sitting down at his table, they ought 
 seriously to examine the nature of their love unto 
 Christ before they approach unto him. But let a 
 man examine himself, and so let him eat of that 
 bread and drink of that cup. If your love unto 
 Christ be not such as we have described, if it do 
 not correspond in some measure in its dimensions 
 to the love of Christ unto his people, you have 
 reason to fear it is not genuine, and such as distin- 
 guishes all real Christians. This love is absolutely 
 necessary to render you acceptable guests at the 
 table of the Lord ; for if any man love not the 
 Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema maranatha; 
 and while he is thus accursed he cannot come to 
 the table of the Lord and obtain a blessing. Now 
 every person in this assembly is either believing 
 and admiring, or despising and disregarding the 
 love of Christ in dying for sinners. To which 
 of these classes do you belong ? If to the first, you 
 are happy, and shall be welcome guests at the 
 table of the Lord ; if to the latter, you are miser- 
 
 ^■*jMe, and if you live and die in this situation your 
 
 "^nisery will be eternal. 
 
 Lx the last place, from what has been said, you 
 majrsee what ought to be the prayer of every com- 
 municant, in the view of going to the table of the 
 Lord. As the preparation of the heart is from the 
 Lord, so it is unto the Lord we must pray for this 
 preparation. Adopting the prayer of the Apostle, 
 therefore, in this passagfc, let every communicant 
 pray " that he may be strengthened with all might 
 by his Spirit in the inner man," that Christ Jesus 
 
THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 231 
 
 may dwell in his heart by faith, and that, " being 
 rooted and grounded in love, he may be able with 
 all saints to apprehend what is the breadth, and 
 length, and depth, and height, and to know the 
 love of Christ, which passeth knowledge." And let 
 him pray in the language of the Psalmist, with 
 which we shall conclude, Ps. xliii. 3, 4 — " O send 
 out thy light and thy truth : let them lead me, 
 let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy 
 tabernacles. Then will I go unto the altar of 
 God, unto God my exceeding joy." Amen. 
 
SERMON VIII. 
 
 JOB'S DECLARATION OF TRUST IN CHRIST AS HIS 
 LIVING AND ALMIGHTY REDEEMER. 
 
 Job xix. 25, 26. 
 
 " For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall 
 stand at the latter day upon the earth : and though after my 
 skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God." 
 
 Divine revelation is admirably adapted to the state 
 and circumstances of man. Considered as an 
 ignorant and guilty, a miserable and mortal crea- 
 ture, it meets and relieves his various wants. But 
 if there be any situation to which its influence pe- 
 culiarly extends, it is that of affliction. The doc- 
 trines which it promulgates, the promises which it 
 makes, and the prospects which it opens to our 
 view beyond death and the grave, when known and 
 believed, have a powerful effect in supporting the 
 mind under all the calamities of a present life. 
 The truth of this observation is remarkably illus- 
 trated in the character and conduct of the patriarch 
 Job. He was a man who lived at an early period 
 of the world, and was possessed of an amiable and 
 excellent character. As no notice is taken of the 
 Mosaic economy, and as there is no allusion in 
 the book that bears his name to the Jewish history, 
 it may be inferred that he lived prior to Moses. 
 The great age to which he arrived, having lived 
 one hundred and forty years, after returning pros- 
 perity, is a strong additional proof of this assertion. 
 He was a man distinguished by his piety, inte- 
 grity, and beneficence, and who uniformly devoted 
 his time and talents to the service of God and the 
 
job's TRUST IN CHRIST. 233 
 
 benefit of mankind. For the trial of his faith and 
 patience, however, he is suddenly deprived of his 
 temporal comforts, and plunged into the deepest 
 affliction and distress. Of this he gives us an af- 
 fecting representation in the preceding verses of 
 this chapter. Instead of sinking, however, under 
 the weight of his distress, he is supported by faith 
 in the consolatory doctrines of religion, and turning 
 his attention to his great Deliverer, and to the glo- 
 rious termination of all his trials, he exclaims, in the 
 words of the text, " For I know that my Redeemer 
 liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day 
 upon the earth : and though after my skin worms 
 destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God." 
 Your attention has been lately directed to the suf- 
 ferings and death of your Redeemer. You have 
 been contemplating his amazing love in giving his 
 life a ransom for you, and now we would turn 
 your thoughts to him as as your living and exalted 
 Lord, who hath entered into his glory with the 
 peace of an endless life. In treating of this sub- 
 ject, we propose, in reliance upon divine aid, 
 
 I. To state and illustrate some of the important 
 truths which are evidently contained in the words 
 of the text. 
 
 II. To show you that the knowledge and belief 
 of these truths, may support us under all the cala- 
 mities of life, and even in the immediate prospect 
 of dissolution. 
 
 And then we shall conclude with an application 
 of what may be said. 
 
 I. We are to state and illustrate some of the im- 
 portant truths which are evidently contained in the 
 words of our text. 
 
 1st. And here, in the first place, we observe from 
 
 l 2 
 
234 job's trust in christ. 
 
 these words, that God has provided a Redeemer 
 for sinful men, and that every believer may claim 
 interest in him, under this endearing character, A 
 Redeemer is one who delivers from a state of 
 bondage and of misery. Such was not the condi- 
 tion in which man was originally placed. When 
 he came from the hand of his Maker, he was a 
 holy and a happy creature. He had free access unto 
 God as his father and friend, and in his favour he 
 enjoyed the greatest felicity. But man being in 
 honour did not abide. By abusing the liberty 
 which was essential to his moral nature, and to a 
 state of probation, he sinned against God, and in- 
 volved himself in guilt and misery. From that 
 moment, instead of being a son of God, and an 
 heir of glory, he became a child of wrath, and an 
 heir of condemnation ; a slave of Satan, and his 
 own imperious lusts. He lost his innocence, his 
 liberty and happiness, and involved himself in 
 guilt, in slavery, and in wretchedness. Having 
 become by transgression an associate with fallen 
 angels, he might have been permitted to perish 
 with them in their rebellion, and God might have 
 glorified his holiness, his justice, and his faithful- 
 ness in his destruction. But behold with ador- 
 ing wonder the operation of saving, sovereign grace ! 
 While God is pleased to permit sinning angels to 
 perish without remedy or hope, he sends redemp- 
 tion to the fallen sons of men. Their guilt and 
 bondage gave occasion for the discovery of redeem- 
 ing love, which prompted infinite wisdom to devise 
 a plan of mercy for their recovery and redemption. 
 To the proposals of infinite wisdom in the salvation 
 of sinners, our glorious Redeemer readily agreed, 
 saying, " Lo, I come : to do thy will, O my God, 
 I take delight : yea, thy law is within my heart. 
 If they have wronged thee, or owe thee anything, 
 
job's TRUST IN CHRIST. 235 
 
 put that to mine account, I will repay it." What 
 he thus freely undertook in the counsels of peace, 
 he has fully accomplished. When the time fixed 
 by God arrived, he assumed our nature, that he 
 might have a right to the redemption, and a 
 ransom to pay ; and being made under the law, 
 that he might redeem us who were under the law, 
 he not only obeyed its precepts, but suffered its 
 penalty, and never stopped in his course of obe- 
 dience and sufferings, until in triumph he could 
 exclaim, " It is finished ;" for he " came not to be 
 ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his 
 life a ransom for many." Thus, by shedding his 
 own most precious blood, he paid the price of 
 our redemption, or made a complete and accepted 
 atonement for our sins, and now he is possessed of 
 power to deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, 
 that we may serve God in holiness and righteous- 
 ness all the days of our lives. In the gospel, 
 this Redeemer is exhibited, and his redemption 
 offered freely to all men. God hath set forth 
 Christ as a propitiation through faith in his blood, 
 and every sinner, whether sensible of his situation 
 or not, is invited to believe on him, that he may be 
 saved. The gospel is preached to all nations for 
 the obedience of faith ; and it is by believing in this 
 Redeemer that we have personal interest in him, 
 and may without presumption call him ours. The 
 gospel brings near unto us as sinners the righteous- 
 ness and redemption of Christ, to be received and 
 enjoyed by faith ; and therefore, to M as main as re- 
 ceived him, to them gave he power to become the 
 sons of God, even to them that believe on his 
 name." But although every one who believes in 
 Christ, has personal interest in him as his Re- 
 deemer, yet all who enjoy this privilege, are not 
 sensible of it, nor can they at all times adopt the 
 
236 job's trust in ciirist. 
 
 assured language of the text, and call him theirs : 
 on the contrary, their faith may be so weak, and 
 the power of sin so strong, that they may some- 
 times suspect they are still in the gall of bitterness 
 and bond of iniquity. The knowledge of a personal 
 interest in Christ as our Redeemer, in general arises 
 from the application of his redemption, or from ex- 
 periencing its saving and salutary effects upon our 
 hearts and lives. As Peter, from his chains falling 
 off and by finding himself at liberty, knew that the 
 Lord had sent his angel and delivered him, so real 
 Christians, by being delivered from the bondage of 
 iniquity, and enjoying the liberty of the sons of 
 God, know that they are interested in Christ as 
 their Redeemer. If the Redeemer be ours indeed, 
 we must be united to him by the Spirit, who is a 
 spirit of holiness, and be walking in newness and 
 holiness of life ; and hence it is, by our moral 
 purity, that we are to ascertain our interest in 
 him. The Apostle evidently proceeds upon this 
 principle when he says, 1 Pet. i. 18, 19, " Foras- 
 much as ye know that ye were not redeemed with 
 corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain 
 conversation, but with the precious blood of Christ." 
 Every believer, therefore, w T ho has been renewed 
 by the Spirit, has interest in Christ as his Re- 
 deemer, and may say of him, " My beloved is 
 mine, and I am his." Happy will it be for us if 
 we can assert our connection with this Redeemer 
 upon the same solid grounds that Job did in the 
 words before us, or if we can say of him with 
 Paul, Gal. ii. 20, "I am crucified with Christ: 
 nevertheless I live ; yet not I, but Christ liveth 
 in me : and the life which I now live in the flesh I 
 live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, 
 and gave himself for me." 
 
 2d. Another important truth contained in these 
 
job's trust in ciirist. 237 
 
 words is, that this Redeemer who existed as the 
 Son of God from eternity, and who in the fulness 
 of time hath saved his people by his blood, now 
 lives for evermore. From what has already been 
 stated it appears, that in the person of this Re- 
 deemer the divine and human natures are united in 
 a mysterious and incomprehensible manner. Hence 
 he is styled Immanuel, God with us, and God 
 manifest in the flesh. In the Old Testament, the 
 same person is spoken of as Lord, as an angel, and 
 as the Son of man. These various appellations can 
 be applied only to our Redeemer, who by nature 
 is God, by office an angel or messenger, and who 
 appeared to some of the patriarchs in the likeness 
 of a man, as a prelude to his future incarnation. 
 Hence Jacob calls him, Gen. xlviii. 15, 16, the 
 angel before whom his father walked, and who re- 
 deemed him from all evil. Of this same glorious 
 being Job declares, in the words of our text, " I 
 know that my Redeemer liveth, ,, or, as the words 
 might be translated, " is the living one." If 
 this Redeemer be God, or the Son of God, as 
 Scripture declares, then he must have life in 
 himself. He must be the independent Jehovah, 
 deriving existence from no external source. As 
 the highest creature in the scale of being re- 
 ceives its life from God, so it holds that life in 
 continual dependence upon him, for to be a crea- 
 ture, and to be dependent, are synonymous terms. 
 Life in the creature is like water in the stream, 
 but life in the Redeemer is like water in the foun- 
 tain. Hence it is said of him, John i. 4, "In him 
 was life, and the life was the light of men." He is 
 emphatically called the Prince of life, for, John 
 v. 26, " As the Father hath life in himself, so 
 hath he given to the Son to have life in himself." 
 But although the Redeemer, as God, hath life in 
 
238 job's trust in christ. 
 
 himself, yet, in order that he might save his people 
 by his blood, it was necessary that he should die 
 for them. As the divine nature was impassable, or 
 incapable of suffering, that he might be qualified 
 for this work he took our nature into union with 
 his divine person, and gave himself a ransom for 
 many. He substituted himself in the room of his 
 people, and in their nature paid the debt which they 
 had contracted : for he suffered the just for them 
 the unjust that he might bring them unto God. 
 Having died for his people as their surety, he also 
 rose again for their justification. He had power 
 to lay down his life, and power to take it again. 
 Having fulfilled all righteousness, it was not pos- 
 sible that he should be held of death. Having 
 paid the uttermost farthing, it was proper that he 
 should be discharged, and raised to the honour 
 which the Father promised to confer upon him ; 
 and accordingly, on the third day, he rose from 
 the dead, and was thus declared to be the Son of 
 God with power. Now he is exalted to the right 
 hand of the Majesty on high, and, as the Re- 
 deemer of his people, lives for evermore, his life 
 and office being both eternal. He lives in heaven 
 as the head of his people, having right and power 
 to communicate life to them, to preserve this life, 
 and to carry it forward to full perfection. Hence 
 his people are said to be risen with him, to sit with 
 him in heavenly places, his life and theirs being 
 inseparably connected; for, because he lives they 
 shall live also. All these important truths are evi- 
 dently included in that illustrious description which 
 the Redeemer gives of himself, Rev. i. 18, " ' I 
 am he that liveth,' or the living one ; this is spoken 
 of him as God having life in himself; 'and was 
 dead,' or I died in human nature to redeem my 
 people, for the Prince of life was slain, the Lord 
 
job's TRUST IN CHRIST. 239 
 
 of glory was crucified, and ■ I am alive for ever- 
 more, amen.' As the Redeemer, I live for ever ; 
 death hath no more dominion over me ; nay, I have 
 dominion over death, for I have not only power to 
 save from destruction, but to give eternal life to all 
 my people." How consolatory in this dying world 
 to know that this Redeemer liveth ! 
 
 3d. Another truth contained in these words is, 
 that this living Redeemer shall stand at the latter 
 day upon the earth, for accomplishing some great 
 and important purposes. As the word day is not 
 in the original, the Hebrew word may either be 
 translated the last, or, at the last. If we adopt 
 the first of these translations, it will apply to the 
 person of Christ, and characterize him by one of 
 the titles which he sometimes assumes in Sacred 
 Scripture ; for the last is a name given unto 
 Christ, both in the Old and New Testament. 
 Isaiah xliv. 6 — " Thus saith the Lord the King 
 of Israel, and his Redeemer the Lord of hosts ; 
 I am the first, and I am the last ; and be- 
 sides me there is no God." In the book of the 
 Revelations, i. II, we find Christ claiming this 
 character to himself, " I am Alpha and Omega, 
 the first and the last " — the first cause and the last 
 end of all things ; for all things were not only 
 created by him, but for him. According to the 
 
 ond translation, which we are more disposed to 
 adopt, the expression will not apply to the person 
 of the Redeemer, but to the period when the event 
 here mentioned shall take place. lie shall stand 
 at the last upon the earth. In order to understand 
 this expression, it will be necessary to obsei w, 
 that the whole of time in Sacred Scripture is di- 
 vided into three grand periods, The first extends 
 from the creation to the giving of the law ; the 
 second reaches from the promulgation of the law to 
 
240 job's trust in ciirist. 
 
 the appearance of the Son of God in our nature ; 
 and the third includes the whole of time from the 
 appearance of Christ in the flesh to the consumma- 
 tion of all things. Now, it is to be noticed that 
 this period is frequently called in Scripture the 
 last time, or the last days. Many passages might 
 be quoted in proof of this, but the following may 
 suffice : — Is. ii. 2 — " It shall come to pass in the 
 last days." Heb. i. 2 — " God hath spoken unto 
 us in these last days by his Son." From this 
 view, it is evident that the expression " shall stand 
 upon the earth at the latter day," as used by Job, 
 must signify that he knew by divine revelation that 
 his Redeemer would appear at the last to accom- 
 plish the work of redemption, and that he would 
 come at the last day to judge the world in righteous- 
 ness. The Old Testament saints knew more of 
 Christ, and of his appearance in this world, than we 
 are apt to imagine. Abraham, we are assured, 
 John viii. 56, rejoiced, or rather longed to see 
 the day of Christ; " he saw it, and was glad." Nay, 
 we are told, Jude 14, 15, that even Enoch, the 
 seventh from Adam, prophesied of Christ's coming 
 to judgment, saying, " Behold, the Lord cometh 
 with ten thousand of his saints, to execute judg- 
 ment." Job knew that his Redeemer would ap- 
 pear upon the earth at the latter days to give 
 his life a ransom for many, and that, at the con- 
 summation of all things, he would come again to 
 raise the dead, to judge an assembled world, and 
 to render to every man according to his works. 
 At that great day, we are assured in Scripture, he 
 shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the 
 voice of the archangel and the trump of God. 
 The dead shall hear his voice, and shall come forth ; 
 they who have done good to the resurrection of 
 life, and they who have done evil, to the resurrec- 
 
JOli's TRUST IN CHRIST. 241 
 
 tion of condemnation. The dead in Christ shall 
 rise in glory, in consequence of their union with their 
 blessed Redeemer ; while the wicked shall be raised 
 by divine power and justice, and dragged from 
 their graves as from a prison to judgment. The 
 whole human race shall stand before the Judge, 
 for we must all appear. The righteous, placed 
 upon the right hand of the Judge, shall be acknow- 
 ledged and acquitted from every charge, and hear 
 with humility and transport the Judge addressing 
 them, saying, " Come, ye blessed of my Father, in- 
 herit the kingdom prepared for you from the foun- 
 dation of the world ;" while upon the wicked sta- 
 tioned on his left he will pronounce that dreadful 
 sentence, " Depart from me, ye cursed, into ever- 
 lasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." 
 Such are some of the important purposes for which 
 the Redeemer is to stand upon the earth at the 
 last day. The doctrine of a resurrection, a general 
 judgment, and a future state, seems never to have 
 been entirely concealed from the church of God. 
 It was obscurely revealed under the ancient dis- 
 
 f>ensation, and formed part of the faith of true be- 
 vers. The heresy 01 the Sadducees, who denied 
 this doctrine, shows that it was the general belief 
 of the people of God. Life and immortality are 
 indeed brought to light, or illustrated by the gos- 
 pel. Our faith in these doctrines is strengthened 
 and confirmed, and now every believer may sav 
 with confidence, " 1 know that my Redeemer 
 lived), and that he shall stand upon the earth at 
 the latter day, for he will come the second time 
 without sin unto salvation, and then every eye 
 
 shall sre him/' Which leads us to observe — 
 4th and lastly, that although death may oc- 
 ion the destruction of the body, yet InlitVt/s 
 
 in their jiesh shall $ti tkk Redeemer in ylori- 
 
242 job's trust in christ. 
 
 Jied humanity in the heavenly world. Though 
 God is a spirit, and, consequently, invisible ; yet 
 when Christ assumed our nature, he became God 
 manifest in the flesh. Believers in this world then 
 saw his glory, " the glory as of the only begotten 
 of the Father, full of grace and of truth." This was 
 a privilege, however, vouchsafed only to a few ; but 
 all who believe shall in their glorified bodies see 
 the Redeemer as he is. It is true, flesh and blood, 
 or human nature in its present state, cannot inherit 
 the kingdom of God. The bodies of believers, 
 therefore, when raised from the grave shall be 
 spiritual bodies ; yet they shall be material bodies, 
 the same in substance as they are at present, 
 though possessed of much higher qualities. The 
 soul shall, after the resurrection, gather informa- 
 tion by means of the wondrous organization of the 
 body, which will be then strengthened and fitted 
 for the light of heaven. Various objects shall 
 then be presented to the view of the redeemed, 
 and the glorified body of the Redeemer shall » be- 
 come an object of wonder and admiration. As 
 he was seen upon the mount of transfiguration 
 by those who were honoured to attend him upon 
 this occasion, so he shall be seen upon Mount 
 Zion by all his ransomed people, in accordance 
 with his prayer when he said, " Father, I will that 
 those whom thou hast given me may be with me 
 where I am, that they may behold my glory." 
 When he ascended into heaven in our nature, the 
 eyes of Enoch and Elias would be attracted by his 
 glorious appearance, and fixed upon him ; and as 
 Moses appeared upon the mount in his glorified 
 body which had been taken into heaven, so his 
 eyes, too, would be fixed upon the glorified hu- 
 manity of the ascended Redeemer. With what 
 admiration would they see him enter into heaven 
 
job's TRUST IN CHRIST. 243 
 
 in our nature, and with what growing astonishment 
 have they ever since beheld him ! But although 
 this was an honour in some measure peculiar unto 
 them, yet this honour have all the saints — that in 
 their flesh too, in their glorified bodies, they shall 
 see God their Redeemer in our nature. What an 
 astonishing, transporting sight ! The glory of his 
 divinity in this world was veiled by his manhood, 
 and mortal sight could not bear its full splendour ; 
 but then his glory shall shine forth unveiled, with- 
 out obstruction or obscuration, and the eyes of the 
 glorified bodies of the saints shall be strengthened 
 to behold it. The glory of all the divine perfec- 
 tions shall be collected and concentrated in the 
 person of the Redeemer. He shall be placed in 
 wonderful nearness unto the redeemed, and the 
 eyes of their glorified bodies shall be continually 
 directed to him, and view him with wonder, and 
 love, and transport. Many astonishing objects 
 will be seen in heaven ; but the most wonderful 
 object in heaven, and that which shall fix universal 
 attention, will be the glorified body of Jesus Christ. 
 O ! how transporting will it be to behold this Re- 
 deemer, who loved us with an everlasting love — 
 who bought us with his blood — who fed us with 
 Ae bread of life — who led and comforted us in this 
 world, and conducted us in safety to his Father's 
 house. Him having not seen, we now love, but 
 when we shall see him as he is, this love will rise 
 to extasy and transport, and we shall exclaim, how 
 great his goodness, how great his beauty ! With 
 what pleasure would a person who had been pilling 
 under slavery and disease in some foreign land be- 
 hold, for the first time, the man who sent a lar<re 
 sum for his ransom, and proper medicine tor tin- 
 restoration of his health ! but with what higher 
 delight will the redeemed in heaven behold him 
 
244 job's trust in christ. 
 
 who bought them with his blood, and raised them 
 from hell to heaven ! Though their admiration 
 for a moment may prevent their praise, by prevent- 
 ing utterance, yet, seeing him as he is, they shall 
 begin to sing a new song, saying, M Thou art 
 worthy to take the book, and to open the seals 
 thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeem- 
 ed us to God by thy blood. Worthy is the 
 Lamb that was slain to receive power, and 
 riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, 
 and glory, and blessing. Blessing, and honour, 
 and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth 
 upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever 
 and ever." 
 
 II. We now proceed to the second thing pro- 
 posed in the method; namely, to show that the 
 knowledge and belief of these truths may support 
 us under the evils and calamities of life. 
 
 1st. We observe that the knowledge and belief 
 of these truths may support our minds under the 
 distress arising from the dark and perplexing dis- 
 pensations of divine providence. As rational 
 creatures it is evident we are at present living 
 under the moral government of God, and have 
 reason to believe that his providence extends to 
 every event. The present, however, is by no 
 means a state of exact retribution. Such traces of 
 divine justice may be observed as are sufficient to 
 convince us that God governs the world ; and yet 
 so much injustice and oppression are to be seen, as 
 to show us the necessity, and, consequently, the 
 certainty of a future state. All things come alike 
 to all, — nay sometimes the wicked prosper and rise 
 to power, while the good and virtuous are borne 
 down and oppressed. " So I returned," says Solo- 
 mon, " and considered all the oppressions that are 
 
JOBS TRUST IN CHRTST. 245 
 
 done under the sun: and behold the tears of such 
 as were oppressed, and they had no comforter ; 
 and on the side of their oppressors there was power ; 
 but they had no comforter." The deceitful impose 
 upon the honest — the mighty oppress the mean 
 — the wicked persecute the just — and the violent 
 deprive the sober and industrious of their pro- 
 perty or lives. Thus, the Sabeans and Chal- 
 deans took away the cattle of Job, and slew his 
 servants with the edge of the sword. The pro- 
 phets, too, were slain by those to whom they were 
 sent. The honest Baptist is beheaded by the 
 cruelty of a prince whose vices he had reproved. 
 The apostles and primitive Christians were perse- 
 cuted, afflicted, and tormented; and all who will 
 live godly in the world must suffer persecution. 
 The serious contemplation of these things has 
 often occasioned much distress to reflecting minds, 
 and has sometimes led them to call in question 
 the wisdom and equity of the divine administra- 
 tion. Thus, Asaph declares that he was en- 
 vious of the foolish when he saw the prosperity 
 of the wicked, and that he thought he had 
 cleansed his heart in vain, and washed his hands 
 in innocency. Were the present the only con- 
 dition of man — were there no righteous judg- 
 ment, or future state of reward* and punishments, 
 it would be difficult, perhaps impossible, for us to 
 give any satisfactory account of the dispensations 
 of providence, or to justify the ways of heaven to 
 man. But when this doctrine is admitted — when 
 the truths in our text are known and believed, the 
 difficulty immediately vanishes, and we see the 
 wisdom and propriety of such a mixed administra- 
 tion. The unequal distributions of providence are 
 necessary to a state of discipline : they are requisite 
 for the trial of the faith and patience of the saints, 
 
246 job's trust in christ. 
 
 and for training them up for a state of happiness 
 in a future world. For wise ends, therefore, the 
 great Ruler of the universe does not immediately 
 interpose, but allows men to gratify their passions, 
 to follow their own inclinations, and thus to dis- 
 cover their genuine character. He permits the 
 wicked to persecute the just, while the righteous, 
 for the trial and improvement of their virtues, suffer 
 in secrecy or in silence. But matters, we are 
 assured, shall not always proceed in this manner. 
 The triumphing of the wicked is short — the joy of 
 the hypocrite for a moment. The Redeemer shall 
 stand upon the earth as the great Judge of all, at 
 the latter day, and then judgment shall return un- 
 to righteousness. Then a final distinction shall 
 be made between the righteous and the wicked ; 
 the one shall be rewarded, and the other shall be 
 punished. To them who, by a patient continuance 
 in well-doing, have sought for glory, honour, and 
 immortality, he will render eternal life ; but to the 
 contentious and disobedient — to those who do not 
 obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indigna- 
 tion and wrath, tribulation and anguish. It is the 
 belief of this important truth which supports the 
 minds of Christians under all their sufferings from 
 the hands of ungodly men ; and it is often brought 
 forward in Scripture with this view. James v. 
 6, 7, 8 — " Ye have condemned and killed the just ; 
 and he doth not resist you. Be patient therefore, 
 brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, 
 the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of 
 the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he 
 receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also pa- 
 tient ; stablish your hearts ; for the coming of the 
 Lord draweth nigh." Rom. viii. 18 — "For the 
 sufferings of this present time are not worthy to 
 be compared with the glory which shall be revealed 
 
job's trust in ciirist. 247 
 
 in us." 2 Cor. iv. 17, 18 — " For our light affliction, 
 which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far 
 more exceeding and eternal weight of glory ; while 
 we look not at the things which are seen, but at 
 the things which are not seen." 
 
 2d. The knowledge and belief of the important 
 truths we have been considering may support the 
 minds of believers under the languor and deadness 
 which they sometimes experience. Though all 
 real Christians are quickened with Christ Jesus, 
 and endowed with a principle of spiritual life which 
 shall never be entirely extinguished, yet this prin- 
 ciple may at times be feeble, and the exercise of 
 grace may be languid in their hearts. From the 
 power of corruption, the force of temptation, or the 
 temporary suspension of divine influence, they may 
 experience little liveliness in the performance of 
 duty. The things which remain with them may 
 languish, and be apparently ready to die. This 
 seems to have been the case with Job when he 
 >aid, " Oh that it were with me as in months past, 
 when the candle of the Lord shone upon me : Oh 
 that I knew where I might find him, that I might 
 come even to his seat." This spiritual deadness, 
 however, which even true believers may sometimes 
 experience, is totally different from that spiritual 
 death which characterizes the ungodly, who are 
 dead in trespasses and in sins. The languor of the 
 rial Christian is partial and temporary — is felt, 
 lamented, and resisted ; whereas, the deadness of 
 the unholy and impenitent i> total and constant, 
 and is neither felt nor opposed by them. They 
 are quite insensible to their situation — they are 
 neither sorry for it nor desire deliverance from it, 
 being willing to remain under the power of spiritual 
 death. The Christian, on the other hand, feels 
 and laments his spiritual languor, and earnestly 
 
248 JOli's TRUST IN CHRIST. 
 
 • 
 
 wishes to be renewed. How consolatory, in this 
 situation, are the truths of the text, and what relief 
 do they afford to his mourning mind ! Though his 
 heart and affections are dead and languid, yet his 
 Redeemer lives ; and because he lives, he shall 
 live also. As his spiritual life is derived from 
 Jesus Christ, so it shall be preserved, increased, 
 and perfected by him. By his providence he pre- 
 serves his soul in life, and by his power he shall 
 preserve the principle of spiritual life he has graci- 
 ously imparted. " I, the Lord, do keep it, lest 
 any hurt it ; I will keep it night and day." 
 Through the gracious influences of his Spirit he 
 will revive and comfort his people, and raise them 
 to higher degrees of vigour and animation. Though 
 the branch, indeed, connected w T ith the stem may 
 be stript of its leaves, and seem to wither in winter; 
 yet, in consequence of this connection, it shall re- 
 vive in spring — it shall bud and flourish, and may 
 acquire greater strength and fruitfulness than be- 
 fore. In like manner, though the Christian may 
 experience a spiritual winter, when all is cold and 
 dead, he shall also enjoy a spring. Ps. xcii. 13 — 
 " Those that be planted in the house of the Lord 
 shall flourish in the courts of our God." Hos. xiv, 
 5, 6 — " I will be as the dew unto Israel : he shall 
 grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Leba- 
 non : his branches shall spread, and his beauty 
 shall be as the olive-tree, and his smell as Leba- 
 non." Hos. vi. 2 — " After two days will he re- 
 vive us : in the third day he will raise us up, and 
 we shall live in his sight." While the Redeemer 
 lives, his people shall enjoy spiritual life and sea- 
 sonable reviving. Well, therefore, may the believers 
 pray, Ps. lxxxv. 6, " Revive us again, that thy 
 people may rejoice in thee," — " quicken us, that 
 we may call upon thy name." Nay, having thus 
 
job's TRUST IN CHRIST. 249 
 
 prayed unto the God of their life, they may say 
 with the Psalmist, Ps. cxxxviii. 7, " Though I 
 walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me." 
 3d. The knowledge and belief of the truths 
 contained in this passage may support our minds 
 under the loss of near relations, or dear christian 
 friends. The connections of this world are, like 
 the world itself, of a transitory nature. Everything 
 here is in prepetual fluctuation ; and nothing is 
 certain but change. Our dearest joys are but 
 dying joys ; and the tenderest connections of life 
 are often broken by the rude hand of death. Parents 
 who were happy in their children may like Job be 
 deprived of them suddenly and unexpectedly. 
 Friends like David and Jonathan may be divided 
 by death. Aged widows, like her of Nain, may 
 have only sons — the staff of their age, and the hope 
 of their families — torn from their embrace. Those 
 w T ho have long been happy under the care of a 
 faithful pastor, may be deprived of his instructions, 
 and left to lament his loss : for our fathers, where 
 are they ? and the prophets do not live for ever. 
 These are some of the severest trials of life, and, 
 as some of you may have lately felt them in your 
 own experience, we do not wish to open the wounds 
 which may be hardly closed. When Christians 
 meet with these bereavements, they ought to be 
 sensible of them, for they are not to despise the 
 chastening of the Lord. It is therefore noticed as 
 an evidence of the great degeneracy of Israel in the 
 days of Isaiah, that when the righteous perished, 
 no man laid it to heart. But although Christians arc 
 allowed to mourn upon these occasions, they arc 
 not to discover excessive sorrow, or to mourn as 
 Others who have no hope. They are to call to 
 mind the reviving truths of the text, and to be 
 comforted. If parents are deprived of children, 
 
 M 
 
250 job's trust in christ. 
 
 the Lord in the course of his providence can give 
 them others in their stead, as he did unto Job ; or 
 he can give them — in his house, and within his 
 walls — a name and a place, better than that of sons 
 or of daughters — even an everlasting name that 
 shall not be cut off. If an earthly friend or 
 brother is removed by death, there is one who 
 sticketh closer than a brother. He is a father to 
 the fatherless, and a husband to the widow, in his 
 holy habitation. Though faithful servants who 
 have finished their work are taken away, the Lord 
 lives, and he can send forth other labourers into 
 his vineyard. Thus, when an Elijah was re- 
 moved, a double portion of his spirit rested upon 
 Elisha. When Moses died Joshua succeeded him, 
 and led the people into the promised land ; and 
 when Stephen expired under the hands of his per- 
 secutors, Saul is called from among them, and 
 becomes a successful preacher of the gospel he once 
 laboured to destroy. As this Redeemer purchased 
 his people with his blood, so he will give them 
 faithful pastors, who shall feed them with know- 
 ledge and understanding. It is sufficient, there- 
 fore, to comfort Christians under all their bereave- 
 ments, to know that their Redeemer liveth. Who- 
 ever dies, he liveth ; and, therefore, in every 
 situation they may say, " The Lord liveth ; and 
 blessed be our Rock ; and let the God of our salva- 
 tion be exalted." Though the stream may be dried 
 up, the fountain is still full, for Jesus is the same 
 to-day, yesterday, and for ever. If we are real 
 Christians, and our connexions have died in the 
 Lord, we may indulge the pleasing hope of soon 
 being with them, and enjoying in their society 
 consummate happiness. 
 
 4th and lastly. The knowledge and belief of the 
 truths we have been considering may support our 
 
 
job's TRUST IN CHRIST. 251 
 
 minds in the immediate prospect of our own dis- 
 solution. It is appointed for all men once to die, 
 and after death the judgment. Death to all men 
 is a solemn and interesting season ; it is the close 
 of time and the commencement of eternity. It is 
 awful to human nature even in prospect, and when 
 it arrives is apt to fill us with terror and dismay. 
 Although we cannot distinctly apprehend its nature, 
 yet this very circumstance clothes it with additional 
 terror. We are certain, however, that death will 
 strip us of our earthly all — of our wealth, our 
 honour, or temporal delights ; that it will produce 
 a separation between soul and body, sending our 
 >j)irit> into the invisible world, and consigning our 
 bodies to the silent grave. It is no wonder, there- 
 fore, that death should be an object of terror to 
 men, and that a consciousness of guilt, and a 
 sense of responsibility, should increase this fear, 
 and that some timid Christians, through fear of 
 death, should all their life-time be subject to bond- 
 age* But however awful the prospect of dissolu- 
 tion may be, the consolatory truths we have been 
 reviewing are fitted to remove our fears, and even 
 to inspire us with hope and joy. Death to the 
 redeemed U a vanquished foe; he is not the king 
 ot terror, hut the messenger of peace, sent to set 
 the prisoner free. Chrift by dying has disarmed 
 him of his stin^, perfumed the grave, and made it 
 a bed of rest unto his followers ; he has gone be- 
 fore them into the invisible world to prepare man- 
 sions unto all his people ; and he azures them that 
 he bafl the keys of hell and of death. lie is the 
 
 Lord of the invisible world : he will receive the 
 
 departing spirits of his people at death, and render 
 them happy in a separate state : and, although 
 their hodies shall rest for a M M OB in the inave, yet 
 M they Bleep in JeSUS, when the morning of the 
 
252 job's trust in ciirist. 
 
 resurrection shall dawn he will raise them up in 
 glory. He will ransom them from the power of 
 the grave. O death ! he will be thy plague : O 
 grave ! he will be thy destruction. Of all that the 
 Father hath given him he will lose nothing, but 
 will raise it up at the last day. The souls and 
 bodies of the redeemed shall be re-united ; and their 
 bodies being fashioned after the glorious body of 
 Christ shall be possessed of senses qualifying them 
 for looking upon him, and bearing the splendour 
 of his immediate glorious presence. Then in their 
 flesh they shall see God, or their Redeemer, who 
 is God and man in one glorious person. This 
 vision shall be immediate, transforming, and satis- 
 fying. They shall see him for themselves, and not 
 for another ; they shall be formed into a perfect re- 
 semblance unto his image, and they shall be satis- 
 fied when they awake with his likeness. This 
 vision, therefore, shall complete their felicity. 
 Though the glory of the invisible world were con- 
 ferred on the redeemed, yet we have reason to be- 
 lieve, that without the vision of the Redeemer 
 their felicity would be incomplete. The Re- 
 deemer is the sun of the celestial world, and ac- 
 cording to his own declaration, the beholding of his 
 glory is the sum and substance of the heavenly 
 happiness. " Father, I will that those whom thou 
 hast given me may be where I am, that they may 
 behold my glory." The belief of these consolatory 
 truths deprives death of its terror, and removes the 
 gloom of the grave ; nay, it makes it the gate of 
 glory. A ray of light darts into the valley and 
 shadow of death, and makes this valley of Achor 
 a door of hope. With what confidence may 
 real Christians commit their departing spirits into 
 the hands of this living Redeemer, and how cheer- 
 fully may they resign their bodies to the grave, as 
 
 
job's TRUST IN CHRIST. 2.03 
 
 to a bed of undisturbed repose ! If at night we 
 lie down with composure upon our beds, in hopes of 
 arising with bodies refreshed in the morning, and 
 fitted for the labours of the succeeding day, with 
 how much greater serenity may we lay down 
 our bodies in the grave, in the assured hope that 
 sleeping in Jesus they shall be raised in the 
 morning of the resurrection, refined, purified, and 
 strengthened, and fitted for sharing in the service 
 and enjoyments of the heavenly world ! Hence we 
 find the knowledge and belief of these truths 
 enabling believers to meet death not merely with 
 dignity and composure, but with holy triumph ; 
 saving, " O death, where is thy sting? O grave, 
 where is thy victory? Thanks be to God, who 
 giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus 
 Christ. I know in whom I have believed ; and I 
 am persuaded that he is able to keep what I have 
 committed to him against that day. I have fought 
 a good fight ; I have finished my course, and kept 
 the faith : henceforth there is laid up for me a 
 crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the 
 righteous Judge, shall give unto me in that day ; 
 and not only unto me, but unto all them who love 
 his appearing. I have therefore a desire to depart, 
 arid to be with Christ, which is far better." 
 
 Having thus finished what we proposed, it only 
 remains that we conclude with some application of 
 what hath been said. 
 
 1st. From what has been said you may be led 
 to admire the grace of God in providing a Re- 
 deemer for sinful men. This provision springs 
 entirely from divine philanthropy, from pure bene- 
 volence, and is the fruit and evidence of sovereign 
 love. God so loved the world as to give his only 
 begotten and well-beloved Son, that whosoever 
 
254 job's trust in ciirist. 
 
 believeth in him might not perish, but have ever- 
 lasting life. By grace we are saved through faith; 
 and that not of ourselves : it is the gift of God. 
 That God should have so loved us, sinful beings 
 of an inferior order, as to send redemption unto us, 
 while it was withheld from creatures of an higher 
 rank, is astonishing, and must fill the pious mind 
 with wonder and admiration. Behold what man- 
 ner of love is this the Father hath bestowed upon 
 us, that we should be called the sons of God ! 
 Blessed be the Lord God, who hath visited and 
 redeemed his people, and raised up for them an 
 horn of salvation in the house of his servant David. 
 Blessed also be he who came in the name of the 
 Lord to save us. Hosannah in the highest. 
 
 2d. From what hath been said you may see the 
 incomparable excellence of this Redeemer. Every 
 perfection adorns his person, every grace dignifies 
 his character, and every virtue shines in his con- 
 duct. How great and yet how good ! how high and 
 yet how humble ! He is just such a Redeemer 
 as we wish and want, and is able to save unto 
 the uttermost. He is the brightness of the Father's 
 glory, and the express image of his person ; fairer 
 than the sons of men, than the sons of God. He 
 surpasses in personal excellence every created 
 being as far as the brightness of the sun excels the 
 twinkling of the midnight star. He is the chief 
 among ten thousand, and altogether lovely. How 
 glorious is he in his person ; how suitable in his 
 offices ; how condescending in his grace ! Did he 
 not appear amiable in your view while you contem- 
 plated his glory, and remembered his love, at his 
 table ? Did not his glory eclipse all created ex- 
 cellence, and lead you to exclaim, " How great his 
 goodness ! how great his beauty ! " He is worthy 
 of your highest love, your firmest trust, your most 
 
 
job's TRUST IN CHRIST. 255 
 
 exalted praise. You can never esteem him as you 
 ought, and as he deserves. He is an ever-living 
 and ever-loving Redeemer. He will carry on and 
 perfect your redemption, for he ever lives to make 
 intercession for you. O love the Lord, then, all 
 ye his saints ; and give thanks at the remembrance 
 of his holiness. O give thanks unto the Lord, for 
 he is good ; for his mercy endureth for ever. Let 
 the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath 
 redeemed from the hand of the enemy. 
 
 3d. From what hath been said you may be led 
 to inquire if you are interested in this Redeemer, 
 and can call him your own. Many who hear the 
 gospel have no interest in him. They have been 
 invited, indeed, to come to him, but they have not 
 complied with the invitation. Having no sense of 
 their spiritual maladies, they have not come to the 
 great Physician. Have you, then, been aroused 
 from a state of spiritual security, felt your misery 
 as sinners, and your inability to deliver your- 
 selves? Have you obtained any satisfying dis- 
 coveries of the person, and power, and official cha- 
 racter of this Redeemer ? Have you received him 
 in the whole extent of his mediatorial character, 
 88 exhibited to you in the gospel ; and do you rest 
 upon him with undivided confidence for life and 
 salvation? Uo you love him with a supreme af- 
 fection, and hate sin with a perfect hatred? Have 
 you been delivered from a vain conversation, and 
 are you keeping yourselves from your iniquity ? 
 Do you enjoy the liberty of the sons of God, and 
 are you serving God in holiness and ri^hteousii- 
 all the days of your life? Do you with to know 
 the will of God that you may obey it, and are vou 
 more concerned to be holy than to be rich, and 
 great, and honourable, in the world ? Finally, 
 are you daily looking to this Redeemer to subdue 
 
256 job's trust is ciirist. 
 
 your iniquities, to carry on the good work in your 
 souls, and finally to perfect what concerns you ? 
 If this be your character, you have reason to con- 
 clude that you have an interest in this Redeemer, 
 and that with Job in this passage you may call 
 him yours — saying, " My Lord and my God, my 
 Redeemer ; yea, my all and in all." 
 
 4th. From what has been said you may see the 
 misery of those who have no connection with this 
 Redeemer, and the happiness of the redeemed. All 
 those who have no interest in this Redeemer are 
 miserable, in whatever station they may be placed. 
 They are the servants of sin, and the slaves of 
 Satan, and strangers to genuine liberty and real 
 happiness. The Redeemer lives ; but, having 
 no connection with him, they are dead while they 
 live. He shall stand upon this earth at the last day, 
 not to perfect their redemption, but to pronounce 
 upon them a sentence of condemnation, and to exe- 
 cute upon them merited punishment. In their flesh, 
 indeed, they shall see him ; for every eye shall see 
 him ; but they shall see him not as their Re- 
 deemer, but coming in flaming fire to take ven- 
 geance upon them w T ho know not God, and who 
 have not obeyed the gospel of his Son. Their si- 
 tuation is at present deplorable, but it is not yet 
 desperate ; for there is hope in Israel concerning 
 them. This Redeemer is still waiting to be gra- 
 cious ; he is exalted that he may have mercy upon 
 you. Be persuaded, then, to come to him, and to 
 accept of his finished redemption. Then you shall 
 experience a present deliverance in this world, and 
 rejoice in the prospect of eternal redemption in the 
 world to come ; for consider how happy the re- 
 deemed of the Lord are in every situation ; they 
 are happy in time, and they shall be blessed through 
 eternity. When Job was deprived of his worldly 
 
JOB'S TRUST IN CHRIST. 257 
 
 comforts, and suffered the loss of his earthly all, 
 he knew that his Redeemer lived, and he rejoiced 
 in him in the absence of every created comfort. 
 Believers are happier in their worst estate than 
 wicked men are in their best. Their hearts, in- 
 deed, know their own sadness, but a stranger 
 intermeddleth not with their joy. The great 
 truths of the gospel being known and believed, 
 support their souls under the pressure of afflic- 
 tion, and in the prospect of dissolution. They 
 are in a dying world, and they know that in a 
 little they must die ; but they know that their 
 Redeemer liveth, that he shall stand upon the 
 earth at the latter day, and that in their flesh they 
 shall see God. Then they shall lift \fp their 
 heads with joy, for the day of their complete re- 
 demption shall come. Then they shall see their 
 redeeming Lord, whom they loved unseen in this 
 world : and then, in the beautiful language of the 
 prophet, with which we shall conclude, Is. xxxv. 
 10 — "The ransomed of the Lord shall return, and 
 come to Zion with songs, and everlasting joy 
 upon their heads : they shall obtain joy and glad- 
 ness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." 
 Amen. 
 
 M 2 
 
SERMON IX. 
 
 THE HAPPINESS OF THOSE WHOSE GOD IS THE 
 
 LORD. 
 
 Psalm cxliv. 15. 
 " Yea, happy is that people whose God is the Lord." 
 
 The desire of happiness is natural to the mind of 
 man, and discovered by rational creatures in every 
 period of their existence. As all men are in quest 
 of happiness, and the way which leads to it is so 
 plainly pointed out in Sacred Scripture, it may at 
 first sight seem to be astonishing that so few who 
 enjoy divine revelation should obtain it. The 
 reason, however, is abundantly evident. Instead 
 of seeking happiness in the only path in which it 
 can be enjoyed, they pursue after it in an opposite 
 direction ; and, therefore, they are not only disap- 
 pointed in their pursuit, but the farther they ad- 
 vance, the farther they go astray, and must finally, 
 if they persevere, involve themselves in everlasting 
 misery. It is the distinguishing glory of the gos- 
 pel, that it gives a plain and satisfactory answer to 
 the question which perplexed the ancient philoso- 
 phers — " Wherein consists the true happiness of 
 man ?" This inquiry is answered by the Psalmist 
 in the plain and decided language of the text — 
 " Yea, happy is that people whose God is the 
 Lord." In the preceding context he enumerates 
 the temporal blessings which Israel as a nation en- 
 joyed, while they adhered to the service of God ; 
 and he admits, that in this respect they might be 
 said to be happy. Happy is that people that is in 
 such a case — that is, as far as happiness can be de- 
 
HAPPINESS OF THOSE WHOSE GOD IS THE LORD. 259 
 
 rived from the things of this present world. But 
 as these temporal comforts were only typical of 
 the better blessings of the gospel, he subjoins, in 
 the emphatical language of the text, " Yea, hap- 
 py is that people whose God is the Lord." As 
 many of you this day, by sitting down at the table 
 of the Lord, have avouched the Lord to be your 
 God, I hope this subject will be found suitable to 
 your situation ; and in further discoursing from it 
 I propose, 
 
 I. To consider and illustrate the character of 
 those whose God is the Lord. 
 
 II. To show you the happiness possessed by 
 persons of this description. 
 
 Then to conclude with some application of the 
 subject. 
 
 I. I am to consider and illustrate the character 
 of those whose God is the Lord. 
 
 1st. I observe that they are possessed of a true 
 and sariiKj knowledge of God in Christ. That 
 mankind are naturally destitute of this knowledge 
 must be admitted by all who believe divine revela- 
 tion. This is their character as described in 
 Scripture, and it is drawn there in the strongest 
 colours. " The Lord looked down from heaven, 
 to see if there were any that did understand. 
 They are all gone aside." " Having the under- 
 standing darkened, being alienated from the life of 
 God through the ignorance that is in them, be- 
 cause of the blindness of their heart." Some 
 knowledge of God, indeed, may be derived from 
 the light of nature, and the contemplation of the 
 visible creation ; "for the invisible things of him 
 from the creation of the world are elearlv seen, being 
 understood by the things that are made, even hi- 
 
2(50 THE HAPPINESS OF THOSE 
 
 eternal power and Godhead; so that they are with- 
 out excuse." But although men may obtain some 
 knowledge of God from viewing the works of sur- 
 rounding nature — though they may be convinced 
 that he exists, and ought to be worshipped, yet they 
 cannot acquire that knowledge of him which is 
 necessary in order to obtain the pardon of sin, and 
 to enjoy a well-founded hope of future felicity. 
 The true and saving knowledge of God is only to 
 be derived from divine revelation, accompanied 
 with the teaching of the Holy Spirit. It is from 
 divine revelation alone we learn that God exists in 
 three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ; that 
 he is gracious and merciful ; that in Christ Jesus 
 he is reconciling the world unto himself; that there 
 is redemption through the blood of Christ, the 
 forgiveness of all our sins according to the riches 
 of his grace ; and that the gift of God is eternal 
 life through Jesus Christ our Lord. What an ex- 
 pression of the divine goodness unto the sons of 
 men is this revelation ! It is like the sun to the 
 moral world, dispelling spiritual darkness, and is 
 able to make us wise unto salvation, through 
 faith in Jesus Christ. But although the posses- 
 sion of the external revelation of the will of 
 God is an unspeakable blessing, something more 
 is necessary to impart unto us the saving know- 
 ledge of his people. All who are favoured with 
 this external revelation do not know God. Many 
 of them are still in darkness, and love darkness 
 rather than light, their deeds being evil. Many 
 of the Jews who enjoyed this revelation in part 
 were ignorant of God ; and many who enjoy it 
 now, when the canon of Scripture is complete, are 
 in the same situation. The truth is, that, in order 
 to obtain the saving knowledge of God in Christ, 
 we must not only enjoy the external light of divine 
 
WHOSE GOD IS TIIE LORD. 261 
 
 revelation, but the eyes of our understandings must 
 be opened to understand it aright. God, who com- 
 manded the light to shine out of darkness, must 
 shine into our minds, to give us to see the light of 
 the knowledge of his glory, as it shines in the face 
 of Jesus Christ. The true and saving knowledge 
 of God, which all his people enjoy, proceeds from 
 himself, and is imparted to them in the use of 
 means, by the illumination of the Holy Spirit. 
 Yes ; the Father of glory must give unto us the 
 spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge 
 of him, the eyes of our understandings being en- 
 lightened. As this knowledge is promised unto 
 the people of God in Sacred Scripture, so the pos- 
 session of it shows them to be his peculiar people. 
 Jer. xxiv. 7 — " And I will give them an heart to 
 know me, that I am the Lord ; and they shall be 
 my people, and I will be their God." Heb. viii. 
 10, 11 — " For this is the covenant that I will 
 make with the house of Israel, after those days, 
 saith the Lord ; I will put my laws into their 
 mind, and write them in their hearts ; and I will 
 be to them a God, and they shall be to me a 
 people : for all shall know me, from the least to 
 the greatest." Our Saviour proceeds upon the 
 same principle when he says, John vi. 45, " It is 
 written in the prophets, And they shall be all 
 taught of God. Every man therefore that hath 
 heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto 
 me." From these, and many other passages which 
 might be mentioned, it is evident, that all those 
 who have the Lord for their God, must be taught 
 of him, must have an heart given them to know 
 the truth as it is in Jesus — the doetrines of the gos- 
 pel, the mysteries of the kingdom, and the glorious 
 method of salvation through the Buffering! and sa- 
 crifice of the Son of God. Those who are totally 
 
262 THE HAPPINESS OF THOSE 
 
 ignorant of these things, can have no interest in 
 Jehovah as their God. But although all the 
 people of God are possessed of a true knowledge 
 of him, you are not to imagine that this knowledge 
 is in the same degree of perfection in them all. As 
 they are possessed of different powers and faculties, 
 and have enjoyed various opportunities of religious 
 instruction, so spiritual knowledge is in different 
 states of improvement in different Christians. 
 Some of them know more, and others less ; but 
 all of them are taught of God, and made wise unto 
 salvation. This knowledge is not of a speculative, 
 but practical nature ; it does not remain in the 
 head, but descends unto and sanctifies the heart. 
 It is a knowledge which humbles them before God, 
 which is accompanied with diligence in the use of 
 means to grow in knowledge, and which leads 
 them to ascribe all the glory of their illumination 
 to the saving and sovereign grace of God in Christ, 
 saying, " by the grace of God we are what we 
 are !" It is a knowledge which enlightens, com- 
 forts, and quickens them, which gives them just 
 views of truth and duty, and which therefore in- 
 fluences the will and affections. 
 
 2d. This leads me to observe, that those who 
 have the Lord for their God, have turned to him 
 with their hearty chosen him as their portion, 
 and give him the decided preference to every 
 created object and worldly enjoyment. As the 
 understanding is the leading faculty in the hu- 
 man soul, so the will follows its representation. 
 Every thing is chosen or refused by rational 
 creatures, as the mind represents it to be good or 
 evil. The state of the understanding, therefore, 
 forms the character of the man, and gives a deci- 
 sive direction to his conduct in life. From this 
 statement, it is evident, that the corruption of 
 
WHOSE GOD IS TIIE LORD. 263 
 
 our nature may be traced to the blindness of our 
 minds. This is the grand and primary source of our 
 depravity ; for a darkened understanding perverts 
 the will and misleads the affections. But if our 
 depravity and misery originate in a blinded mind, 
 our renovation and happiness must arise from an 
 enlightened understanding. The clouds of error 
 and of ignorance which envelop the understanding 
 must be dispelled, and we must become light in the 
 Lord, As in the first creation, God said, " Let 
 there be light, and there was light ;" so, in the new 
 creation, his first work is the illumination of the 
 understanding. And accordingly when the be- 
 liever is regenerated, he "is renewed in knowledge 
 after the image of him that created him" — Col. hi. 
 10. But when the understanding is enlightened 
 in the saving knowledge of God, and the mind 
 discerns him to be the most excellent of all beings 
 — the fountain of happiness, the standard of per- 
 fection, and the only suitable portion unto the soul 
 of man — the will chooses him as its portion, and 
 gives him the preference to every other object. 
 When the Lord says to his enlightened people, 
 11 choose ye this day whom ye will serve," with 
 ancient Israel they say, but with more humility, 
 '• the Lord i> our God, we will serve the Lord." 
 Hence, we find this choice which the people of 
 God make of him as their portion, expressed in a 
 beautiful variety of language in Sacred Scripture. 
 " O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord he is 
 thy God. Thii God is our God for ever and ever, 
 he will be our guide even unto death* Thou art 
 my ^ure portion whom I did choose, () Lord, I 
 have resolved and said, I will keep thy statin 
 The Lord is my portion, saith my soul, therefore 
 will I hope in him." This choice is not the blind 
 and hasty election of a moment, but the deliberate 
 
264 TI1E HAPPINESS OF TI10SE 
 
 choice of the heart, guided and directed by the 
 light of the mind. Being made in this manner, it 
 is a choice to which the mind adheres in every situa- 
 tion, of which the person never repents, and which 
 reflection and experience tend to strengthen and 
 confirm. The believer, so far from regretting or 
 being ashamed of his choice, glories in it, renews 
 it upon every proper occasion, and is ready to avow 
 it in the most public manner. " One shall say, I 
 am the Lord's ; and another shall subscribe with his 
 hand unto the Lord, and surname himself by the 
 name of Israel." Experience in the christian life 
 confirms this choice, and leads him to cleave unto 
 the Lord with increasing ardour. This choice, too, 
 gives a happy direction to the Christian's choice 
 in other matters, and influences the whole of his 
 conduct. Every thing now is chosen or rejected 
 in connection with God, or as it may be agreeable 
 or displeasing unto him. He chooses the way of 
 truth and holiness, because it is agreeable to God ; 
 he chooses the word of God as his companion and 
 guide, saying, " Let thy hand be upon me, for I 
 have chosen thy precepts." He chooses the people 
 of God as his friends and associates, as the excel- 
 lent of the earth, in whom, next to God, is all his 
 delight. He chooses the house of God for his 
 habitation, where he may see the divine glory and 
 feel the divine power. Ps. xxvii. 4 — " One thing 
 have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; 
 that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the 
 days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, 
 and to enquire in his temple." Upon every occa- 
 sion he chooses rather to suffer than to sin, and 
 therefore he prefers affliction with the people of God, 
 to the enjoyment of the pleasures of sin for a season. 
 This choice which all the people of God make of 
 him as their portion, does not arise from any supe- 
 
 
WHOSE GOD IS THE LORD. 265 
 
 rior wisdom in them ; but is the effect of divine 
 counsel and instruction, which they are ready at 
 all times to acknowledge to the praise of sovereign 
 grace. They love him because he first loved them, 
 and they take him as their God, because they were 
 first chosen of him. He chose them perhaps in the 
 furnace of affliction, into which his love had thrown 
 them ; and then, enlightened by his grace, they 
 chose him as their portion and their all. What 
 Christ therefore said unto his immediate disciples, 
 may be said of all his genuine followers, John xv. 
 16, " Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen 
 you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring 
 forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain. " 
 
 3d. This leads us to observe, that those who 
 have the Lord for their God, love him with a 
 supreme affection. " Thou shalt love the Lord 
 thy God with all thy heart, and soul, and strength, 
 and mind ; this is the first and great command- 
 ment." Love unto God is founded upon his 
 infinite excellence and amiableness, and the rela- 
 tion in which we stand to him as his rational 
 and intelligent creatures. While God continues 
 infinitely amiable, and we are possessed of the 
 powers and capacities of moral agents, we are 
 bound to love him with all our hearts ; nor can 
 any situation in which we may be placed, free 
 us from this obligation. But although all men 
 are indispensably bound to love God, yet few s it 
 Ifl to be feared, pay much attention to this duty. 
 Of how many professing Christians might the 
 great Searcher of hearts say, as he did of the Jews, 
 w * I know you, that the love of God is not in vou." 
 Nay, although love to God is deelared by our 
 Saviour himself to be the first and great eominand- 
 ment, many seem to Suppose there is little crimi- 
 nality in disobeying this precept. They readily 
 
266 TI1E HAPPINESS OF THOSE 
 
 admit, that to withhold from a fellow-creature what 
 is right, is unjust; but they never reflect, even 
 while they claim the character of the righteous, 
 that it is the height of injustice in a moral agent 
 to withhold that love from God which is his due, 
 and to set the heart upon the creature more than 
 the Creator, who is God over all, and blessed for 
 ever. The people of God, as well as others, were 
 once entirely destitute of his love ; nay, they were 
 enemies unto him in their minds, and by wicked 
 works. Being renewed, however, in the spirit of 
 their minds, they are made partakers of a divine 
 nature, and this holy and heavenly affection is 
 implanted in their hearts. Deut. xxx. 6 — " And 
 the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and 
 the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with 
 all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou 
 mayest live." The understanding being enlightened 
 to discover the infinite excellence of God, to see him 
 as the perfection of beauty, and the fountain of 
 happiness, love unto him immediately springs up 
 in the heart ; for it is as impossible to perceive this 
 infinite excellence and not to love it, as it is to be- 
 hold natural beauty and not to admire it. Now 
 they esteem God above every thing, and view him 
 with reverential regard. They esteem him above 
 father or mother, above all that the world calls 
 great or good. They admire his discovered excel- 
 lence, and see that he is infinitely worthy of the 
 esteem and veneration of all his rational creatures. 
 They likewise feel the strongest desires after him. 
 With their souls they desire him in the night, and 
 with their spirits within them they seek him early. 
 They desire to know more of his glory, to be more 
 conformed to his image, and to enjoy more intimate 
 fellowship and communion with him. Nay, they 
 delight in him as their portion and happiness, say- 
 
WHOSE GOD IS TIIE LORD. 26J 
 
 ing, " Our Lord and our God, whom have we in 
 heaven but thee, and there is none upon this earth 
 our souls desire besides thee." Although this love 
 is supreme in their hearts, yet they desire to have 
 it strengthened and increased. For this purpose, 
 they daily meditate upon him and his love, and 
 thus labour to keep themselves in the love of God, 
 looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ 
 unto eternal life. They feel themselves happy in 
 the exercise of this grace, and know that their feli- 
 city will rise in proportion as it advances in their 
 hearts. Sensible that it is weak and feeble, and 
 bears no proportion to the loveliness and love of 
 God, they are grieved that they love him so little, 
 and earnestly desire to love him more. Hence 
 they employ every appointed mean for increasing 
 this divine affection in their hearts, and especially 
 they pray unto God that he would shed it abroad 
 in their hearts, by the Holy Ghost given unto them. 
 Now this love unto God is such an essential ingre- 
 dient in the character of his people, that those who 
 art' destitute of it, cannot be regarded as belonging 
 unto him. They are under the curse : for " if any 
 man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be 
 Anathema Maran-atha." He is at present accursed, 
 and if he remain in this situation, he shall be ac- 
 cursed at the coming of our Lord .K'su< Christ 
 Hut, on the contrary, all tboM whose hearts glow 
 with this sublime affection, are born of God, and 
 belong unto him. Love is of God, and he 
 that loveth is horn of God, and knoweth God. 
 I love them that love nic" sayi Christ, 
 
 speaking in the character of the personal wit- 
 
 (loin of God, PlOVi viii. 17, "and if any man 
 love God," Bays Paul, I Cor. viii. 3, k * the same 
 is known of him ;" is acknowledged by him as one 
 
 of his people, and has interest in him as his God. 
 
 u 
 
208 TIIE HAPPINESS OF THOSE 
 
 This love to God, then, distinguishes the people of 
 God from nominal professors, and it is always ac- 
 companied with piety and universal holiness. 
 
 This leads us to observe in the fourth and last 
 place upon this part of our subject, that all those 
 who have the Lord for their God, will worship and 
 obey him. This must naturally and necessarily 
 follow from the principles we have considered as 
 entering into their character. If we know God, 
 and take him as our portion, if we love him with a 
 supreme affection, and esteem him above every 
 thing in this world, we must be necessarily led from 
 these principles to worship and serve him. That 
 God is to be worshipped must be admitted by all 
 who believe in his existence, for to profess to believe 
 that there is a God, and not to worship him, is to 
 contradict our profession, and to live as practical 
 atheists in the world. That the worship of God 
 should be public and social, as well as private and 
 secret, seems also to be a dictate of reason, and is 
 confirmed by the express authority of Sacred Scrip- 
 ture. Even in heathen countries we behold places 
 of worship dedicated to the service of Deity : we 
 see altars rise, and man meeting to adore some di- 
 vinity. As Christians, we are bound by the com- 
 mand of Scripture to assemble in the name of 
 Christ, and are assured for our comfort, that 
 wherever two or three are met together in his 
 name, there he is in the midst of them, to bless 
 them and to do them good. We are to worship 
 God in secret, by entering into our closets and 
 praying unto our Father who is in secret — we are 
 to worship him in our families, and we are not to 
 forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as the 
 manner of some is. Those who have the Lord for 
 their God will pay attention to all these duties ; 
 they will express their love, and reverence, and gra- 
 
WHOSE GOD IS THE LORD. 269 
 
 titude to God, by engaging in the duties of devo- 
 tion : in these they will be regular, serious, and 
 cheerful; they will guard against formality and 
 sloth, and study to worship God, who is a spirit, in 
 spirit and in truth. They will likewise pay a 
 sacred regard to all his other commandments — they 
 will be afraid of offending him, and desirous to 
 please him, and will hold sin and impiety in the 
 utmost abhorrence. The laws of God will be 
 written upon their hearts, and they will express 
 their love unto him by their cheerful, constant, and 
 universal obedience. Their hearts being enlarged 
 with love, they will run the way of his command- 
 ments, and their duty will become their delight. 
 Their obedience will be constant and uniform ; it 
 will not be confined to times or seasons, but will 
 be exhibited in every place where they reside, in 
 every situation in which they may be found, and 
 in every period of their lives in this world. Being 
 delivered out of the hand of their enemies, they will 
 serve him in holiness and righteousness all the 
 days of their lives. It will be extensive and uni- 
 versal obedience, reaching not to a few, but to all 
 the commandments of God, which they will esteem 
 according to all things to be right. While they 
 do justice and love mercy, they will walk humbly 
 with the Lord their God. Now, this worship and 
 obedience are always represented in Scripture as 
 tential to the character of the people of God. 
 The Lord hath chosen the godly man for himself, 
 and all his people call upon the name of the Lord. 
 Jer. vii. 23 — " Obey my voice, and 1 will he 
 your God, and ye shall be my people/' In vain, 
 therefore, do any of you imagine the Lord is your 
 God, if you do not worship and obey him ; ik for ye 
 are my friends," says Christ, M if ye do whatsoever I 
 command you." This is the law of God that we 
 
270 THE HAPPINESS OF THOSE 
 
 keep his commandments, and his commandments 
 are not grievous. Having thus endeavoured to 
 ascertain and illustrate the character of those whose 
 God is the Lord, we are now brought forward, 
 
 II. To show you the happiness belonging to 
 persons of this character. 
 
 And here, in the first place, we observe that 
 they are happy because, having the Lord for their 
 God, they have in him a suitable and satisfying 
 portion. It is a maxim which will be admitted by 
 all those who are acquainted with human nature, 
 that in order to enjoyment, and consequently to 
 happiness, there must be a correspondence between 
 the faculty and the object. Every creature can 
 receive happiness only from an object suited to its 
 nature and capacity. The inhabitants of the ocean, 
 cast forth on the most verdant plain, could derive 
 no pleasure from its varied beauties, while those 
 who tread the earth, or cleave the air, would die 
 if plunged into the deep. Though we are fitted 
 by our nature to live in this world as at present 
 constituted, yet if transferred to another of the 
 worlds that move round the sun, we would find 
 its arrangements unsuited to our wants and de- 
 sires, nay, to the whole mechanism of our body. 
 Riches cannot still the clamour of an accusing 
 conscience, nor can the most lovely and beautiful 
 scenes of nature satisfy the cravings of the hungry 
 soul. There must be, in short, a correspondence 
 between the faculty and the object, in order to de- 
 rive pleasure from it. Now, although man in the 
 inferior part of his nature is allied to the animal 
 creation, and capable of deriving gratification from 
 sensible objects, yet he is also possessed of an in- 
 tellectual nature, of a never-dying soul, which can 
 find no enjoyment in things that are gross and ma- 
 
WHOSE GOD IS THE LORD. 2J1 
 
 terial. But as God is a spiritual being, and the 
 father of our spirits, so he is possessed of infinite 
 moral excellence, and must be a suitable portion 
 unto the rational and moral nature of man. Light 
 is not more suited to the eye, nor music to the ear; 
 bread is not more suited to the hungry, nor water 
 to the thirsty soul, than God is suited to be the 
 portion of the soul of man : for as he has infinite 
 intelligence to know, so he has infinite fulness to 
 supply all our wants. As God is a suitable, so he 
 is also a satisfying portion to the sons of men. It 
 is evident from observation and experience, that 
 the things of this world cannot satisfy the desires 
 of the human soul. Whatever they may promise 
 before they are enjoyed, experience convinces us 
 of their vanity. Before we obtain them, we ima- 
 gine they are able to make us happy, and give us 
 perfect satisfaction; but we no sooner grasp them, 
 than they wither in our hand, and disappoint 
 our expectation. Inquire into the condition of 
 the most prosperous and successful, who seem to 
 have all the materials for happiness which this 
 world can afford, if they are completely satisfied, 
 and you shall find that there is still something 
 awanting to perfect their happiness. It is not in 
 the power of this world to render those who 
 choose it as their portion perfect and happy. The 
 most affluent and wealthy fed wants which all their 
 wealth cannot supply, sorrows which it cannot 
 soothe, and sufferings which it can neither mitigate 
 nor remove. If one wish is gratified, a new de- 
 mand arises, it' one void is filled, another imme- 
 diately opens : so that it 18 rather the expectation 
 of what we have not obtained, than the enjoyment 
 of what we possess, that occupies and interests the 
 sons of men. As the objects of this world are be- 
 neath the dignity of the human soul, so God has 
 
272 THE HAPPINESS OF THOSE 
 
 wisely mixed them with vanity, that we may not 
 choose them as our portion. The eye is never sa- 
 tisfied with seeing, nor the ear with hearing, nor is 
 it in the power of any, nay, of all the things of this 
 world to satisfy the heart of man. As no other por- 
 tion but God is suited to the nature, so no other is 
 satisfying to the desires and commensurate to the 
 duration of the human soul. Give a man all that 
 this world can bestow ; load him with riches, crown 
 him with honour, surround him with pleasure, and 
 invest him with absolute dominion ; in midst of all, 
 he shall find it to be vanity ; and that without in- 
 terest in God as his Lord, he cannot be happy. 
 But the satisfaction which the soul cannot find in 
 the world, it finds in God ; for he who made the 
 heart can fill it, and render it as happy as its finite 
 nature will permit. When the soul returns unto 
 God through Jesus Christ ; when it is enlightened 
 in his knowledge, and chooses him as its portion ; 
 when it is brought to love God with a supreme 
 affection ; then it enters into rest : for then, like the 
 dove returned unto the ark, it finds that peace 
 which it can nowhere else obtain. " We who have 
 believed," says the Apostle, " do enter into rest ; 
 we are filled with joy and peace in believing." 
 The soul finds the infinite fulness of God more 
 than sufficient to supply all its wants, to be all its 
 salvation, and all its desire. It can no longer 
 doubt either as to the fountain of felicity, or as 
 to the sufficiency of God completely to satisfy it. 
 More of God, indeed, the soul may desire to enjoy ; 
 but more than God it is impossible to wish for, or 
 enjoy. The soul no longer thirsts immoderately 
 after the things of this world ; nor does the believer 
 envy the men of the world, who know not God. 
 On the contrary, he pities them and prays for them, 
 and wishes them to share in that happiness which 
 
WHOSE GOD IS THE LORD. 2J3 
 
 he now enjoys. O, how happy are the persons 
 whose God is the Lord ! They have in him a 
 suitable and satisfying portion, and their happiness 
 rests upon the most solid foundations ; for, 
 
 2d. They are happy, because all the divine per- 
 fections shall be exerted in promoting and per- 
 fecting their felicity. God is a being possessed of 
 infinite perfection. All his attributes are amiable 
 and glorious, and all of them shall be employed in 
 advancing and establishing the happiness of his 
 people. He finds the greatest satisfaction in exert- 
 ing them for their benefit, for while the face of 
 God is said in Scripture to be against the wicked, 
 he looks upon the righteous with a pleasant coun- 
 tenance, and rejoices over them to do them good. 
 If we survey all the perfections of Deity, whether 
 natural or moral, we shall find that they open so 
 many sources of happiness to his people. His 
 power shall be exerted in defending them from the 
 dangers to which they are exposed, in supporting 
 them under the afflictions with which they are 
 visited, and in preserving them in the way ever- 
 lasting ; for they shall be kept by the power of- 
 God through faith unto salvation. His wisdom 
 shall be employed in guiding them through thi> 
 wilderness, and in conducting them through even- 
 dark and difficult step of their journey through 
 life : for he will guide them by his counsel while 
 here, as well as afterwards iveeive them to his 
 
 glory. His goodness shall open its treasures t<> sup- 
 ply all their wants, and bestow upon themeverv thing 
 necessary for their comfort ; tor lie will make all 
 his goodness to pass before them ; nay, lie will 
 
 make his gOodne88 to follow them all the days 
 of their lives in this world. I lis holiness shall 
 
 sanctify their natures, and be a perpetual souree of 
 purity to their hearts; for as he i> the Lord thai 
 
 N 
 
274 THE HAPPINESS OF THOSE 
 
 sanctifies them, so they shall be holy even as he is 
 holy. His justice shall plead their cause, avenge 
 the wrongs they may suffer, and justify them 
 through the righteousness of Christ imputed unto 
 them; for he is just, and the justifier of all those 
 who believe in Jesus. His truth and faithfulness 
 shall fulfil unto them all the great and precious 
 promises which are written in his word ; not one 
 of them shall fail of final accomplishment, for they 
 are all in Christ Jesus yea and amen unto the 
 glory of God the Father. And his mercy shall 
 pity them in their calamities, pardon their sins, 
 and deliver them from their distresses ; for he will 
 keep his mercy for them for ever ; in his love and 
 in his pity he will redeem them, and bear them, 
 and carry them, as in the days of old. His gracious 
 presence shall be with them in every place where 
 they may reside, and in every situation to which 
 they may be reduced ; for as the mountains are 
 round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about 
 his people from henceforth and for ever. His 
 omniscience shall watch over all their concerns, 
 attend to the minutest circumstances that relate to 
 them, and provide for their support in every situa- 
 tion. They have no reason, therefore, to be 
 anxious about temporal comforts, for their heavenly 
 Father knoweth that they need all these things. 
 His immutability shall secure the continuance of 
 their happiness, and his eternity shall render it 
 everlasting. Thus you see that all the perfec- 
 tions of God are engaged in promoting the happi- 
 ness of his people. A being possessed of these per- 
 fections must not only be able to make them 
 happy, but when they are exerted for their benefit 
 this happiness must be enjoyed by them. Every 
 perfection opens up a separate source of happiness ; 
 and the streams flowing from all these sources, 
 
WHOSE GOD IS TTIE LORD. 275 
 
 when collected, must swell into a glorious river, to 
 gladden the city of our God, and to bless its inha- 
 bitants with abundant and perpetual comfort. 
 Well may we apply, then, unto the people of God 
 the sublime language of Moses to ancient Israel, 
 when describing their happiness, u Happy art thou, 
 O Israel : who is like unto thee, O people saved 
 by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and who is 
 the sword of thy excellency ! and thine enemies 
 shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread 
 upon their high places. The eternal God is thy 
 refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms : 
 and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee, 
 and shall say, Destroy them." 
 
 3d. Those who have the Lord for their God 
 must be happy, because their felicity is indepen- 
 dent of this world, and may be enjoyed in every 
 condition and situation of life. The happiness 
 arising from this world, is, like the world itself, of 
 a transitory nature. It is not only short in its 
 duration, but extremely uncertain in its continu- 
 ance. Nothing is certain in this world but change: 
 the seeds of alteration are everywhere sown around 
 us, and the sunshine of prosperity commonly acce- 
 lerates their growth. Worldly happiness, there- 
 fore, is transitory, and man changes of himself. 
 He loses those faculties of enjoyment which aiv 
 necessary to relish worldly pleasures for the years 
 soon draw nigh when he says, I have no pleasure 
 in them. Besides, the sources of earthly joy may 
 suddenly dry Up, and although the power of enjoy- 
 ment remains, the means of gratification may be re- 
 moved. Riches make to themselves wings and flee 
 away, as an eagle, towards heaven : honour is often 
 blasted in the bud, and succeeded by degradation 
 
 and disgrace; and all violent pleasures are short- 
 lived and uncertain. Who can say, My mountain 
 
276 THE HAPPINESS OF THOSE 
 
 stands strong, I shall never be moved ; or, To-mor- 
 row shall be as this day, and much more abundant? 
 When any one imagines he has much goods laid 
 up for many years, and that he may take his ease, 
 eat, drink, and be merry, the Lord may say to 
 him, " Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be re- 
 quired of thee: then whose shall those things be 
 which thou hast provided ?" But the happiness of 
 those who have Jehovah for their God is independent 
 of this world, and may be enjoyed in every condition 
 of life. It may be enjoyed by the poor as well as 
 by the rich, by the old as well as by the young, by 
 the unfortunate as well as by the prosperous, by 
 the afflicted and distressed as well as by those who 
 are in health and ease. It springs from a higher 
 source than this world, and rests upon a firmer 
 foundation than it can lay. It flows from a hea- 
 venly fountain, and is therefore permanent ; it is 
 founded upon the Rock of ages, and is therefore 
 secure. It can not only be enjoyed in the season 
 of health and prosperity, when it adds an unspeak- 
 able relish to all our outward comforts; but it does 
 not w r ither in the winter of adversity, for it then af- 
 fords a most seasonable shelter. While it supports 
 the falling, it improves the most flourishing state 
 of man. When every earthly prop is removed it 
 remains, and inspires the soul with a firmness which 
 affliction cannot shake, nor death destroy. No dis- 
 tance can remove us from it, no enemy can deprive 
 us of it, no time can make it tasteless, nor can any 
 situation render it unseasonable. It accompanies 
 the believer into solitude and exile ; it smooths and 
 softens the bed of affliction, and even strips death 
 of all its terrors ! It accompanied the Apostle 
 John into the solitary isle of Patmos ; it was with 
 Paul and Silas in their prison, and inspired their 
 midnight song of praise, which was heard with 
 
WHOSE GOD IS TIIE LORD. 2, t 
 
 astonishment by their keepers ; it was with the 
 Apostle when persecuted, afflicted, and tormented, 
 and in view of death it made him say, " I know 
 whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is 
 able to keep that which I have committed unto him 
 against that day." It is a happiness which can 
 support the soul in absence of all earthly comforts : 
 for the believer can say, " Although the fig-tree shall 
 not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the 
 labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall 
 yield no meat ; the flock shall be cut off from the 
 fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls : yet I 
 will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of 
 my salvation." Now, how great must that happi- 
 ness be, which is independent of this w T orld, which 
 is not subject to any mutation, which can be 
 enjoyed in youth and in old age, in prosperity 
 and in adversity, in life and at the hour of death ! 
 How precious must that happiness be, which is 
 not affected by the changes or storms of life, which 
 lives when other comforts die, and affords relief 
 unto the heart when nothing else can support 
 it ! When deserted or forgotten by every other 
 friend, his people are remembered by the Lord, his 
 far is open to their cry, and his hand stretched out 
 tor their comfort and assistance. When they are 
 about to enter into the dark and silent valley of the 
 shadow of death, they shall fear no evil, for he will 
 be with them, and his rod and staff shall comfort 
 them. Then they shall find this happiness strong 
 in death, for though their heart and ftVh shall then 
 faint and fail them, God will he the strength of 
 their heart and portion for ever. But this leads 
 
 me to observe, 
 
 4th. Upon this part of the subject, that thev 
 who have the Lord for their God must he happy, 
 
 because their felicity shall b< sternal. Though 
 
278 THE HAPPINESS OF THOSE 
 
 the happiness arising from this world were com- 
 plete, perfectly suitable unto the nature, and 
 satisfying unto the souls of men, yet it would 
 soon come to a period ; and hence it is that the 
 men of the world complain so frequently of the 
 shortness of human life. It is a happiness bound- 
 ed by the grave, and which cannot exceed the 
 fixed period of our continuance in this world. 
 With many, however, it is of far shorter duration, 
 and is always extremely transitory in its nature. 
 Indeed, if the period of infancy, when no rational 
 happiness can be enjoyed ; of sickness and distress, 
 when it cannot be tasted ; and of old age, when it 
 is no longer relished, were deducted from the life 
 of man, the time of our enjoying worldly happiness 
 must be confined to very narrow limits. This con- 
 sideration, if duly attended to, might be sufficient 
 to show us the vanity of worldly happiness. But 
 the happiness of those who have Jehovah for their 
 God, is not of a temporary nature. It lasts 
 through time, but it is not terminated by it ; it 
 enters into eternity, and shall endure for ever ; for 
 the people of God shall obtain salvation with eter- 
 nal glory. Were the most distant suspicion to 
 enter into the minds of the redeemed that their 
 happiness might come to a period, this thought 
 would damp their spirits and diminish their joys; 
 but they who possess this happiness know that it 
 shall be everlasting, for as God in his infinite grace 
 hath prepared it for them, so he hath assured them 
 that it shall be eternal : for "the gift of God is eter- 
 nal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." " These," 
 says our blessed Redeemer, speaking of the right- 
 eous, Mat. xxv. 46, " shall go away into life eter- 
 nal !" The riches, the honours, and the pleasures 
 of this life are uncertain, but the treasure laid up 
 for the righteous in heaven is "an enduring sub- 
 
WHOSE GOD IS THE LORD. 2J9 
 
 stance," Heb. x. 34, an eternal weight of glory. 
 There moths do not corrupt, nor can thieves break 
 through to steal. Their inheritance is incorruptible, 
 undenled, and it fadeth not away. The honours 
 of this world are fleeting and transitory, but the 
 crown of glory which shall be placed upon the 
 heads of the saints in light, fadeth not away, and 
 the kingdom which they shall inherit can never be 
 moved. The pleasures of this world are short- 
 lived and uncertain, but the pleasures which the 
 redeemed shall experience in heaven are as per- 
 manent as they are pure. The sun which enlight- 
 ens them shall never go down, the song they sing 
 shall always be new, their capacity for enjoyment 
 shall suffer no decay, and the pleasure they experi- 
 ence shall be increasing and eternal ! All tears 
 shall not only be wiped from their eyes, but they 
 shall sit down by rivers of pleasure, and drink of 
 them for evermore ! They shall enjoy a happiness 
 which shall satisfy every desire, silence every com- 
 plaint — which shall be glorious in its nature and 
 everlasting in its duration I When millions of ages 
 have rolled away, this happiness shall only be com- 
 mencing — a happiness large as their wishes, and 
 lasting as the throne of God, from whence it pro- 
 ceeds. 
 
 It now only remains, that we conclude this sub- 
 ject with some application. 
 
 1st. From what has been said we may be led 
 to inquire whether or not we are among the num- 
 ber of those whose God is the Lord. All who 
 hear the gospel, and who profess themselves to be 
 Christians are not of this number ; for they are not 
 all Israel who are of Israel. Now, in making this 
 inquiry, we may be directed and assisted by what 
 has been said in the former part of this discourse. 
 
2o0 THE HAPPINESS OF THOSE 
 
 Are we possessed, then, of a true and saving know- 
 ledge of God in Christ, of a knowledge derived 
 from the word and Spirit of God, which humbles 
 us before him, makes us diligent in the use of 
 the means of grace, and is accompanied with a 
 corresponding practice ? Under the influence of 
 this knowledge have we chosen God in Christ 
 for our portion, and do we give him the de- 
 cided preference to every other object or enjoy- 
 ment ? Do we love God with a supreme affection, 
 and is he the object of our highest delight ? Can we 
 say in truth, " Whom have we in heaven but thee, 
 and there is none on earth we desire besides thee ?" 
 And are we expressing this love unto God by our 
 devout worship and cheerful obedience? If our 
 consciences tell us that this is our genuine charac- 
 ter, then as we possess the peculiar characteristic 
 feature of the people of God, we have reason to 
 conclude that we belong unto him, and that the 
 Lord is our God. 
 
 2d. From what has been said we may see how 
 much they are mistaken who never take God into 
 the estimate they make of happiness. As God is 
 not in all the thoughts of the wicked, so in reckon- 
 ing up the materials which in their apprehension 
 are necessary to happiness, they never take the Su- 
 preme Being into the account. They imagine that 
 the pleasures, riches, or honours of this world would 
 make them happy, never considering that without 
 interest in the favour of God through Jesus Christ, 
 it is impossible that the possession of all these things 
 could give them satisfaction. His favour alone is 
 life, and his loving-kindness is better than life and 
 all its enjoyments. Let the men of the world, 
 then, learn to correct their mistake in this matter, 
 while they may derive benefit from this correc- 
 tion. Let them consider that if they wish to be 
 
WHOSE GOD IS THE LORD. 281 
 
 happy, happiness is only to be found in God ; the 
 surest and shortest way to happiness, therefore, is 
 to choose God in Christ as our portion, to delight 
 in him continually, and never to imagine that any- 
 thing else is necessary to our felicity. 
 
 3d. From this subject you may see that the peo- 
 ple of God ought not to envy the wicked of this 
 world, even when they enjoy the greatest pros- 
 perity and abundance. This is a sin into which 
 good men are apt to fall, and from which the Psal- 
 mist was not exempted, Ps. lxxiii. 3, 5, 12, "For I 
 was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity 
 of the wicked;" for " they are not in trouble as other 
 men ; neither are they plagued like other men. 
 Behold, these are the ungodly who prosper in the 
 world ; they increase in riches." A similar temper 
 may have been felt by some of you who are the 
 people of God, especially in the time of your afflic- 
 tion and distress. It is a sinful disposition, how- 
 ever, and ought by no means to be indulged. 
 Ps. xxxvii. 1 — " Fret not thyself because of evil- 
 doers, neither be thou envious against the workers 
 of iniquity : for they shall soon be cut down like 
 the grass, and wither as the green herb." God, 
 in giving you himself as your portion, has given 
 you more than if he had bestowed upon you the 
 whole world. Wicked men have their part in this 
 life, and shall you envy them this portion, while 
 you are in possession of one infinitely superior ? 
 Why should you envy that prosperity which de- 
 stroys them, or be displeased with that adversity 
 which promotes your sanetirication and salvation ? 
 Are not poverty and affliction with the presence of 
 God and a good conscience preferable to wealth 
 and health without them? Instead, therefore, of 
 envying the wicked when prosperous and suc ces s < 
 ful, be thankful unto God who hath shown you 
 
 M 2 
 
282 THE HAPPINESS OF THOSE 
 
 the vanity of this world, and of all its enjoyments, 
 and who hath enabled you by his grace to choose 
 that good part which shall not be taken from you. 
 " Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him : 
 and he shall bring forth your righteousness as the 
 light, and your judgment as the noon-day." 
 
 4th. From this subject you may see the misery 
 of those who have not the Lord for their God. 
 If those are happy whose God is the Lord, they 
 must be miserable who have no interest in him. 
 Many of this character have no sense of their 
 wretchedness, they are so stupified and brutalised 
 with the pleasures of this world. They remain in- 
 sensible to their situation, by banishing considera- 
 tion and reflection. Thev dare not think of God, 
 of death, or of eternity. If a wandering thought 
 upon these subjects come into their minds, it 
 damps their spirits, throws a gloom upon their 
 countenances, and occasions a momentary melan- 
 choly. But they shall not always be able to live in 
 forgetfulness of these things. Affliction will come 
 and rouse them to reflection. In that season they 
 will be destitute and forlorn, for they are strangers 
 to the comforts of religion, and they have no shelter 
 which can stand the storm of affliction, or afford 
 them consolation in time of need. They cannot 
 look to God as their protector ; for they behold 
 in him, not a friend to whom they can flee for suc- 
 cour, but a judge clothed in terror, and ready to 
 punish them for their crimes. In this disconsolate 
 situation death approaches them, and when they 
 stand upon the verge of time and look forward in- 
 to eternity, they shudder at the dark and dreadful 
 prospect. Then they feel the insufficiency of ail 
 earthly comforts, and wish to look up to God as 
 their friend, when they are conscious by their 
 crimes they have made him their enemy. Fear in 
 
wnoSE GOD IS THE LORD. 283 
 
 this awful hour alarms them, terror agitates them, 
 and despair overwhelms them. O that they were 
 now sensible of their situation, that they might 
 flee to that Saviour who is a refuge from the storm 
 and a covert from the tempest — the consolation of 
 Israel, and a present help in time of trouble ! 
 
 5th. To conclude. From this subject you may 
 see the necessity of Christians acting suitably to 
 their profession, their privileges, and prospects. 
 The people of God are often highly culpable in this 
 respect. Their temper and conduct but little corres- 
 pond with the privileges they enjoy, and hopes they 
 entertain. Let them listen, then, to the exhorta- 
 tion of the Apostle, 1 Thess. ii. 12, see that ye 
 M walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his 
 kingdom and glory." Do you profess to be the peo- 
 ple of God ? Is that God whom the heavens cannot 
 contain, and all their brightness but faintly repre- 
 sents, your God and portion ? Is his power your 
 guardian, his wisdom your guide, and his fulness 
 the treasury from whence you draw your supplies ? 
 Do you entertain the well-founded hope of seeing 
 his face in righteousness, and of being happy with 
 him for ever in the future world ? What dignity 
 of character, what elevation of sentiment, and what 
 purity of conduct ought you then habitually to 
 discover? A cheerful, thankful, and contented 
 frame of mind highly becomes you. Study to live 
 as the sons of God, and the heirs of an heavenly 
 inheritance. Let your lives be adorned with even 
 christian grace and amiable virtue, especially with 
 kindness and beneficence. Endeavour more and 
 more to resemble the Lord you love, to be grow- 
 ing up unto Christ in all things, and to be perfect 
 even as your Father who is in heaven is perfect. 
 Press after higher degrees of holiness in heart and 
 life ; for, if God is holy, how can you enjoy him 
 
284 HAPPINESS OF THOSE WHOSE GOD IS THE LORD. 
 
 without resembling him in holiness ? Meet every 
 event with calmness and composure. Be not 
 elated in prosperity, or dejected in adversity ; but 
 in your patience possess your souls. By your 
 obedience and resignation, your peaceableness and 
 meekness, your humility, contentment, and bene- 
 volence, and beneficence, show that you are the 
 children of God, and happy in him as your Lord. 
 By following him fully, let it appear that another 
 spirit is in you than in the men of the world. 
 Cleave unto him, and cultivate a growing acquain- 
 tance with him ; and, under all your discourage- 
 ments and fears, hear and believe his consolatory 
 declaration, with which we conclude this discourse, 
 Is. xli. 10, " Fear thou not; for I am with thee : 
 be not dismayed ; for I am thy God : I will 
 strengthen thee ; yea, I will help thee ; yea, I 
 will uphold thee with the right hand of my right- 
 eousness." Amen. 
 
SERMON X. 
 
 THE DAUGHTER OF ZION AND JERUSALEM CALLED 
 UPON TO REJOICE GREATLY AT THE APPROACH 
 OF HER GLORIOUS KING. 
 
 Zech. ix. 9. 
 
 " Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shont, O daughter 
 of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, 
 and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon 
 a colt the foal of an ass." 
 
 The coming of Christ into this world, as the Re- 
 deemer and King of his people, is the most joyful 
 event to which the attention of mankind can be 
 directed. Like the rising of the sun after a long 
 night of darkness and tempest, this advent has 
 diffused light, joy, and gladness, throughout the 
 world. Prior to this period, Zion was obscured 
 with clouds, and oppressed with enemies, but 
 her hope w 7 as supported with the promise and 
 prospect of a glorious Prince, who should reign 
 in righteousness, and bless her with salvation. 
 During the period of her distress, and even when 
 she seemed to be on the decline, and about to be de- 
 stroyed, her King was still upon his way, and the 
 providence of God was overruling the revolutions of 
 the nations for introducing his peaceful and happy 
 reign. Accordingly, the prophet Zechariah does not 
 coldly inform her of this event, hut rapt into future 
 times, and standing as it were upon Mount Olivet, 
 beholding his approach, he addresses her in the ani- 
 mated and cheering language of the text, ki Kejoice 
 greatly, O daughter of Zion ; shout, O daughter 
 
286 THE DAUGHTER OF ZION 
 
 of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: 
 he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding 
 upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass." 
 Although these words originally refer unto Christ's 
 entrance into Jerusalem in the manner recorded by 
 the evangelists when he approached that metropolis 
 in humble majesty, yet we are not at present to con- 
 sider them in this limited light, but to view them 
 in a more extended sense, as applicable unto the 
 coming of Christ in the gospel, with the glad tid- 
 ings of salvation unto every sinner, and especially 
 unto his coming to the believer in the day of his 
 power, when he enlightens his mind, purifies his 
 heart, and fills him with joy and peace in believing. 
 In farther treating of this subject, we propose, 
 
 I. To inquire who it is that is here addressed — 
 the daughter of Zion and of Jerusalem. 
 
 II. To consider the duty which she is called 
 upon to perform — she is to rejoice greatly and to 
 shout. 
 
 III. To illustrate the arguments by which the 
 performance of this duty is enforced — " behold, thy 
 King cometh unto thee, who is just, and having 
 salvation." 
 
 We shall then conclude with some application of 
 the subject. 
 
 I. We are to inquire who it is that is here ad- 
 dressed — the daughter of Zion and of Jerusalem. 
 
 In general, then, let it be observed, that in the 
 language of Scripture the daughter of any city 
 signifies its inhabitants of every sex and condition. 
 Upon this principle, the daughter of Zion or of 
 Jerusalem, w T ill signify the inhabitants of that cele- 
 brated metropolis, or the Jewish nation in general. 
 This is plain from Lam. ii. 13 — " What thing shall 
 
CALLED UPON TO REJOICE. 287 
 
 I equal to thee, O virgin daughter of Zion ? for 
 thy breach is great like the sea ; who can heal 
 thee?" It was in this sense, also, that Christ said 
 unto the Jewish women who followed him in tears, 
 when he was going to be crucified, " Daughters of 
 Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, 
 and for your children." But as the Jewish nation 
 were a typical people, so Jerusalem was a typical 
 city, and is frequently used in Scripture to repre- 
 sent the church of Christ in this world. This is 
 not only evident from many passages which might 
 be mentioned in the Old Testament, but from the 
 two following in the New, which seem to put the 
 matter beyond all reasonable doubt. Thus, the 
 Apostle to the Hebrews, speaking of the privileges 
 which Christians enjoy in consequence of their 
 connection with Christ, says, Heb. xii. 22, " But 
 ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of 
 the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem ;" that is, 
 through faith in Christ we are brought to spiritual 
 communion with the New Testament church, 
 which may be styled mount Zion, or the city of the 
 new Jerusalem, which came down from heaven. 
 Compare this passage with Gal. iv. 20, and you 
 shall see the same sentiment illustrated and con- 
 firmed : " but Jerusalem which i> above is free, 
 which is the mother of us all." Here the church 
 of Christ is styled Zion and Jerusalem, and real 
 Christians her sons and daughters. By the 
 daughter of Zion or of Jerusalem, therefore, we 
 are to understand those who are connected with 
 the visible church in this world, especially those 
 who are born again, and made partakers of a divine 
 nature, and who are seeking to be justified by faith 
 in Christ, and not by the works of the law. All 
 inch feel ardent love unto Christ, and like affec- 
 tionate children are interested in the peace and 
 
288 THE DAUGHTER OF ZION 
 
 prosperity of their mother, preferring the interests 
 of Zion unto their chief earthly joys. Although, 
 upon account of the situation of the church, and 
 their own personal sins, they may experience days 
 of sorrow and distress, yet they have cause at all 
 times to rejoice, and to this joy they are invited in 
 the text. But this naturally leads us, 
 
 II. To consider the duty which the daughter of 
 Zion is called upon to perform — she is to rejoice 
 greatly and to shout. 
 
 The christian system has been represented by 
 its enemies as joyless and severe — as imposing un- 
 natural restraints upon its votaries, and depriving 
 them of innocent pleasures and rational enjoyment. 
 No representation, however, can be more false or 
 unfounded, for spiritual joy is essential unto the 
 christian religion, and naturally springs from it. 
 It is the spirit which the gospel inspires, as well 
 as the duty which it enjoins, and is therefore 
 equally the privilege and duty of every believer. 
 The gospel is the glad tidings of great joy unto 
 all people, and the kingdom of God is not meat 
 and drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy, 
 in the Holy Ghost. The children of Zion, indeed, 
 are not permitted to indulge in sinful pleasures, or 
 sensual delights, because these are noxious in their 
 nature, and destructive of personal happiness. But 
 they are allowed, nay commanded, to rejoice in 
 Jesus Christ and in God through him, by whom 
 they have now received the atonement. This joy 
 is a pure and permanent principle. It enlarges the 
 heart and enlivens the affections, and is necessary 
 unto the proper performance of every duty. It 
 makes obedience cheerful, supports our minds in 
 the hour of sorrow, and strengthens our hearts to 
 do or suffer the w T hole will of God. Hence the 
 
CALLED UPON TO REJOICE. 289 
 
 joy of the Lord is emphatically styled in Scripture 
 our strength. Though this joy is not always 
 lively, yet it always lives, and sometimes rises to 
 extacy and transport ; so that the daughter of 
 Zion, with Mary, magnifies the Lord, and her 
 spirit rejoices in God her Saviour. Under the in- 
 fluence of this principle, she is enabled to say, 
 " Although the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither 
 shall fruit be in the vines ; the labour of the olive 
 shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat ; the 
 flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall 
 be no herd in the stalls : yet I will rejoice in the 
 Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation." 
 But in order to distinguish this joy, the privilege 
 and duty of the Christian, from the joy of the 
 hypocrite and ungodly, it may not be improper 
 shortly to contrast them. 
 
 1st. The joy of the real Christian is founded in 
 spiritual knowledge, whereas that of the hypocrite 
 and ungodly is supported by the grossest igno- 
 rance. An accurate knowledge of the doctrines 
 of the gospel, especially of the person and pro- 
 pitiation of Jesus Christ, is the source of the purest 
 and most rational joy unto the minds of Christians. 
 Without this knowledge, they must be oppressed 
 with fears, or perplexed with doubts, but its light 
 will remove them, and diffuse serenity and glad- 
 ness over all the powers of the mind. I cannot 
 better illustrate this sentiment than by calling 
 your attention to the situation of the Ethiopian 
 eunuch, prior unto Philip's joining him in his 
 chariot. Though he was then employed in reading 
 the Old Testament prophecies, yet having none to 
 
 guide him, he was in the dark. No sooner, how- 
 ever, did the light of the gospel shine into his 
 mind, than it revived and cheered his heart. Tin,' 
 clouds of ignorance which obscured his view were 
 
290 THE DAUGIITER OF ZION 
 
 dispelled, a cheerful day dawned upon his mind, 
 a new sun seemed to arise, a new glory shone 
 around him, every object brightened to his view, 
 and we are told, Acts viii. 39, that " he went on 
 his way rejoicing." Thus you see that the Chris- 
 tian's joy is founded in spiritual knowledge ; while, 
 on the contrary, the joy of the hypocrite and un- 
 godly is supported by the grossest ignorance. 
 Though they may be men of profound intellectual 
 abilities, and extremely intelligent upon various 
 other subjects, yet, untaught of God, they must 
 remain ignorant of him, and of the glorious and 
 peculiar doctrines of the everlasting gospel. The 
 cross of Christ, therefore, will appear unto them 
 as it did unto the learned Greeks, to be foolish- 
 ness, and its mysteries to be irrational and absurd. 
 Though the gospel is revealed and preached, it 
 will be hid unto them : for the god of this world 
 blinds the minds of those that believe not, lest the 
 light of the glorious gospel should shine unto them. 
 If such persons, therefore, upon any occasion ex- 
 perience a kind of joy, it must arise from ignorance 
 of God, of themselves, and the gospel, and conse- 
 quently be entirely different from the joy of the 
 Christian, which is built upon spiritual knowledge. 
 Concerning such persons w T e may justly say, in 
 the words of the Psalmist, Ps. lxxxii. 5, " They 
 know not, neither will they understand; they walk 
 on in darkness." 
 
 2d. The joy of the Christian springs from a 
 firm faith in Christ and the doctrines of the gos- 
 pel, whereas that of the hypocrite and ungodly 
 arises from presumption and unbelief Faith, 
 which is a fundamental principle in the christian 
 religion, is the source of the purest joy to the mind 
 of the believer in every scene of sorrow. In order 
 to derive comfort from the doctrines of the gospel, 
 
CALLED UPON TO REJOICE. 291 
 
 it is not only necessary that they be known ; it is 
 also requisite that they be firmly believed. With- 
 out this faith, indeed, we may amuse ourselves 
 with empty speculations concerning them, but we 
 can derive no solid consolation from them. Hence 
 it is that in Scripture the Christian s joy is em- 
 phatically styled, Phil. i. 25, the joy of faith ; and 
 when the Apostle prays for this blessing unto the 
 Romans, he prays for it as the fruit of faith, saying, 
 Rom. xv. 13, "Now the God of hope fill you 
 with all joy and peace in believing.'' The Apostle 
 Peter expresses the same sentiment w T hen he says, 
 1 Pet. i. 8, " Whom having not seen, ye love ; 
 in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believ- 
 ing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of 
 glory." The Christian's joy, therefore, springs 
 from faith, and bears an exact proportion unto its 
 strength in the heart. The false joy of the nominal 
 professor, on the contrary, arises from presump- 
 tion or unbelief. Boldly applying the promises of 
 the gospel unto himself, while he disbelieves its 
 doctrines or disregards its precepts, and feeling, 
 perhaps, some temporary emotion and delight on 
 hearing the word or attending upon ordinances, 
 he hastily concludes that his state must be good 
 because his feelings are ardent and lively. Let us 
 always, therefore, suspect that joy which does not 
 spring from the faith of the gospel, which separates 
 duty and privilege, and which, although it may 
 engage the affections, neither purities the heart nor 
 sanctifies the life : which naturally leads me to ob- 
 serve, 
 
 3d. That the joy of the people of God is asso- 
 ciated with godly sorrow^ d<tj> k*mility % and 
 cheerful obedience^ while that of the nominal 
 
 Christian flows from a hard la art, and is iu>t un- 
 
 frequently attended with spiritual pride, and ha- 
 
292 THE DAUGHTER OF ZIOX 
 
 bitual disobedience. Godly sorrow is so far from 
 being inconsistent with spiritual joy, that it is 
 always associated with it : so the tears of this sor- 
 row are the seeds of sacred joy, for they who thus 
 sow in tears shall reap in joy. While this joy 
 humbles the people of God, and fills them with 
 admiring views of the divine condescension, it, at 
 the same time, strengthens and enlarges their 
 hearts to run the way of his commandments. On 
 the contrary, the joy which a nominal professor or 
 hypocrite may experience, leaves the heart as the 
 water did the rock in the wilderness — cold, hard, 
 and impenitent. It is, moreover, a joy accom- 
 panied with pride and self-confidence, and never 
 excites to cordial and universal obedience. The 
 person who feels it has a high opinion of his own 
 knowledge, experience, and attainments, and in 
 his heart is apt to despise the humble and mourn- 
 ing Christian. This false joy is perfectly consis- 
 tent with secret sin, with neglect of duty, and 
 disobedience unto the laws of heaven. From what 
 has been stated, you may easily distinguish be- 
 tween that spiritual and genuine joy which is the 
 privilege and duty of the real Christian, and that 
 false delight or elevation of mind which is compe- 
 tent unto the hollow and hypocritical professor. 
 The former springs from spiritual knowledge, true 
 faith, and godly sorrow, and is always accompan- 
 ied with humility and obedience ; while the latter 
 is founded upon ignorance, presumption, and unbe- 
 lief, and is generally attended with pride and dis- 
 obedience. The Christian's joy, therefore, is pure 
 and rational, is strong and permanent, and pos- 
 sesses the nature of the joys of heaven. It is a 
 joy of which no distress can deprive him, and from 
 which no distance can remove him — which no time 
 can weaken, and which death cannot destroy. 
 
CALLED UPON TO REJOICE. 293 
 
 When every earthly joy shall die this spiritual joy 
 shall live ; nay, the death of other joys frequently 
 tends to strengthen and exalt it. Under affliction 
 and persecution it is often most sensibly felt ; it 
 then rises to extacy and transport, affording a 
 pleasing anticipation of the joys of heaven, being 
 a joy unspeakable and full of glory. 
 
 III. We now proceed to illustrate the arguments 
 bv which the performance of this duty is enforced : 
 she is called upon to rejoice, because her King 
 cometh unto her, who " is just, and having salva- 
 tion. 
 
 1st. The daughter of Zion is to rejoice, because 
 her King cometh unto her. We are assured in 
 Scripture that Zion was to have her king, and that 
 unto this dignity he was appointed by God himself, 
 who declares, Ps. ii. 6, " 1 have set my King upon 
 my holy hill of Zion, ,, and he shall reign even in 
 the midst of his enemies. Prophets, too, in the 
 name of the Lord had announced his approach, 
 and Zion, therefore, had long expected his appear- 
 ance, and waited for his coming. At last the 
 destined period arrives — and, lo! this King appears, 
 not surrounded with external pomp and splendour, 
 as some had vainly expected, but with the humble 
 majesty of the Son of God. His birth is announced 
 by the message of an angel, and celebrated with 
 the songs of a heavenly host. Wise men, guided 
 by a star, came from the east to worship him, and 
 to make him presents ; and his birth and appear- 
 ance were matter of joy unto all who looked for 
 redemption in Israel. When he entered upon the 
 public execution of his office be spent his life in 
 delivering men from the powei of ignorance ; and, 
 
 when he came at last into Jerusalem in the humble 
 
 majesty represented in the text, we are told that 
 
294 THE DAUGHTER OF ZION 
 
 the multitude that went before and that followed, 
 cried, " Hosanna, blessed is he that cometh in 
 the name of the Lord." But if the approach of this 
 King unto Zion was the occasion of so much joy, 
 what gladness will be felt and discovered by his 
 people when as their heavenly King he makes a 
 spiritual approach unto them — opens the doors of 
 their hearts, the eyes of their understandings being 
 enlightened and opened to receive him as their 
 Saviour ! What joy will they experience when he 
 comes unto them, imparting just views of God 
 and divine truth, and diffusing new light over all 
 the powers of their mind; when he comes unto 
 them, discovering himself as the only sacrifice for 
 their sins ; and when he approaches them as their 
 glorious King, subduing the enmity of their hearts, 
 and making them willing to submit to his right- 
 eousness, laws, and government, and to his autho- 
 rity founded on his perfect sacrifice ! This spiritual 
 approach of Christ, the King of Zion, unto his 
 people, is the foundation of the purest and most 
 elevated joy ; for the day of their espousals is the 
 day of the gladness of their hearts, and every new 
 approach, after a partial or temporary departure, 
 will occasion a new and increasing joy. 
 
 2d. The daughter of Zion is to rejoice, because 
 this King who cometh unto her is just, perfectly 
 holy in his nature, and righteous in the whole of 
 his administration. By this honourable title he 
 is frequently characterized in Sacred Scripture. 
 " Behold, the days come," says Jeremiah, " that 
 I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a 
 King shall reign and prosper, and this is his name 
 whereby he shall be called, the Lord our 
 Righteousness." Peter styles him, Acts iii. 
 14, "the Holy One and the Just;" and Ste- 
 phen, with his dying breath, emphatically calls him 
 
CALLED UPON TO REJOICE. 295 
 
 the " Just One." He is holy, harmless, and unde- 
 nted, separate from sin or sinners ; for though he 
 conversed with a sinful world, he contracted no 
 pollution by his intercourse with it, but, like the 
 light, passed through it with perfect purity. Now, 
 in the spotless purity of Christ, the Christian has 
 reason to rejoice, because, without this, he could 
 not have been qualified to answer the demands of 
 law, and to redeem his people by his blood. The 
 regal power of Christ is founded upon his priestly 
 character ; for, according to the tenor of the cove- 
 nant, it behoved him to redeem by his blood those 
 subjects he was to rule and govern by his word 
 and spirit. But how could he have effected this 
 purchase unless he had been perfectly holy ? Had 
 he been unjust or guilty, his obedience or suffer- 
 ings unto death would have been of no avail — they 
 could not have atoned for his own sins, and far 
 less could they have merited redemption for the 
 sins of his people. But being the Holy One and 
 the Just, and being made voluntarily under the 
 law for his people, he obeyed its precepts in its ut- 
 most extent, and bore the penalty due unto the 
 sins of his people, by suffering the just for them 
 the unjust, that he might bring them unto God. 
 And is not this matter of high joy unto the daugh- 
 ter of Zion ? Here she beholds a righteousness 
 wrought out by the Holy One and the Just, magni- 
 fying unto the law, and satisfying unto the justice 
 of God, and " which is unto all and upon all them 
 that believe ; for there is no difference." When this 
 righteousness is apprehended by faith and imputed 
 by grace, the believer is justified in the Bight of 
 God, and can say with the ancient church, kfc In 
 the Lord have I righteoUSDQM and Strength, and 
 in him will I ever glory." What j<>\ must this oc- 
 casion unto the believing soul ! Docs the debtor 
 
296 THE DAUGHTER OF ZION 
 
 rejoice in having his debts cancelled ? do the naked 
 rejoice in being clothed ? do the guilty rejoice in 
 being freely pardoned ? and must not the Christian 
 rejoice in being justified freely by grace, through 
 the redemption that is in Christ Jesus ? Re- 
 joicing in the person and righteousness of the 
 Just One, will he not express the feelings of his 
 heart in the language of the church, Is. lxi. 
 10, "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my 
 soul shall be joyful in my God ; for he hath 
 clothed me with the garments of salvation, he 
 hath covered me with the robe of righteousness ? " 
 But we observe that the term just might also in- 
 timate that Christ, as the King of Zion, is right- 
 eous in the administration of his government. 
 Zeph. iii. 5 — " The just Lord is in the midst of 
 her ; he will do no iniquity ." As the King of 
 Zion, he prescribes just laws for the regulation of 
 his people's conduct ; he governs his subjects with 
 equity, and will reward or punish them according 
 to their character and works. The measures of 
 his administration are just and righteous ; he exer- 
 cises no unnecessary severities ; when he corrects, 
 it is in mercy ; when he punishes, it is less than is 
 deserved ; and when he restrains, it is only from 
 those evils which are hurtful unto the individual 
 and pernicious unto society. Allegiance unto his 
 government, therefore, is attachment to our own 
 interest ; and submission to his will is the way to 
 life and happiness. If we have had fathers ac- 
 cording to the flesh who corrected us, and we gave 
 them reverence, shall we not be in subjection unto 
 the Father of spirits, and live ? Injustice and op- 
 pression of every kind are repugnant to his nature, 
 and inconsistent with his government. He con- 
 demns them in others, and he will not practise 
 them himself. Although some of his subjects, 
 
CALLED UPON TO REJOICE. 297 
 
 therefore, in their ignorance or unbelief, may 
 think or say that their way is hid from the Lord, 
 and their judgment passed over from their God, 
 yet they shall be obliged at length to acknow- 
 ledge that justice and judgment are the habitation 
 of his throne, and that mercy, accompanied with 
 truth, continually go before his face. May not, 
 must not the daughter of Zion, then, rejoice in her 
 Lord and King. If it is a peculiar felicity to live 
 under the government of a just and righteous 
 prince, who rules according to law, and w T ho in- 
 variably consults the good of his subjects, what 
 must be the happiness of living under the adminis- 
 tration of the righteous Ruler of Zion, who is just 
 in all his ways, and holy in his works ! Rejoicing 
 in this King, may not the daughter of Zion, even in 
 this world, adopt the song of Moses and the Lamb, 
 saying, Rev. xv. 3, " Great and marvellous are thy 
 works, Lord God Almighty ; just and true are thy 
 ways, thou King of saints I" 
 
 3d. The daughter of Zion is to rejoice because her 
 King who cometh unto her is not only just, but like- 
 wise has salvation. This is an astonishing union, 
 which may well excite the wonder and the joy of 
 every believer. A just God, and a Saviour ! Sal- 
 vation not only consistent with justice, but dis- 
 pensed in such a manner as to display its brightest 
 glory ! Salvation is a deliverance from danger, or 
 from death, and always has a reference unto a prior 
 state of guilt and misery. In this situation, all the 
 sons of men are unhappily involved, and the 
 daughter of Zion in common with others. Before 
 she actually came unto Christ, therefore, she not 
 only stood in need of this salvation, hut even after 
 this period fresh communications of grace an 
 necessary that without them she could not live 
 and be happy a single moment. Here, then, is a 
 
 o 
 
298 THE DAUGHTER OF ZION 
 
 sure ground of joy unto her heart. Christ Jesus 
 her glorious King has all that salvation which she 
 needs or can desire. He has it as the sole pro- 
 prietor of it, in consequence of his own purchase ; 
 he has it as appointed by the Father to dispense 
 it unto the sons of men, and he has it, as there are 
 inexhaustible treasures of mercy and grace in his 
 hand to supply the wants of all his people. Let 
 us illustrate each of these ideas a little. First, we 
 say Christ has salvation because he is the sole 
 proprietor of it, in consequence of his own pur- 
 chase. By sin, we have not only forfeited every 
 favour, but exposed ourselves to the divine dis- 
 pleasure. Although salvation originates in the 
 sovereign love of God, which cannot be purchased 
 by us ; yet, according to the divine constitution, 
 all the blessings of salvation were to be purchased 
 for us by the death of Christ. By sin and dis- 
 obedience they were lost; by the obedience and suf- 
 ferings of Christ, even unto death, they were to be 
 regained. The death of Christ, therefore, may be 
 considered in two very important points of view. 
 It may be regarded not only as a complete atone- 
 ment for sin, but as an invaluable price by which 
 he ransomed his people from destruction, and pro- 
 cured for them every necessary and spiritual bless- 
 ing. Both of these arise from the infinite dignity 
 of his person, and the merit of his sufferings, even 
 unto death. His death, or blood, is the price he 
 paid for the blessings of salvation, and therefore 
 they may with great propriety be said to be his 
 property. This sentiment might be illustrated and 
 confirmed by taking a short review of these bless- 
 ings, and by showing you that they are all received 
 and enjoyed by the believer as the purchase of 
 our Saviour's death. Are his sins forgiven ? and 
 is not pardon purchased by the blood of Christ ? 
 
CALLED UPON TO REJOICE. 299 
 
 H In whom," says the Apostle, " we have re- 
 demption through his blood, the forgiveness of 
 our sins, according to the riches of his grace." 
 Does he enjoy peace with God, or peace of con- 
 science ? This too is the fruit of our Saviour's 
 purchase. He made peace by the blood of his 
 cross, and left it as a precious legacy unto his peo- 
 ple. u Peace I leave with you, my peace I give 
 unto you : not as the world giveth, give I unto 
 you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let 
 it be afraid." Is he delivered from the power 
 of all his enemies, and will he be ransomed from 
 the power of his last enemy, death, and have a 
 way opened from the grave to glory ? This is 
 also the effect of his Saviour's death, for by dying 
 he has destroyed death, and him that had the 
 power of it. Finally, will the believer at last 
 be admitted into heaven, and obtain salvation 
 with eternal glory ? He shall enter there through 
 the merit of his Saviour's blood, for eternal life 
 is the gift of God through Jesus. Now, if all the 
 blessings of salvation are purchased by the death 
 of Christ, as from this short review is evident, and 
 if purchase is always connected with property, then 
 must it not follow that salvation with great justne^- 
 may be said to belong unto Christ, or that he has 
 it as his property, in consequence of this purchase ? 
 Yes, he has salvation as the sole proprietor of it. 
 It is of the Lord, and belongs unto him. He has 
 it, not for his own benefit or advantage, for in this 
 respect he has no need of it, but he has it freely to 
 bestow upon all his subjects and servants ; for the 
 gift of God is eternal life, and this life is in his 
 Son. But this naturally leads us to the second 
 idea suggested by this expression — he has salvation : 
 namely, that he has it, inasmuch as he is appointed 
 by the Father to dispense it unto the BO&fl pf men. 
 
300 THE DAUGHTER OF ZION 
 
 As Christ Jesus has purchased the blessings of 
 salvation by his blood, so it seems to be highly 
 proper that he should be employed in conferring 
 them upon the objects of his love. Accordingly, 
 we are taught in Scripture that he is exalted as 
 a Prince and Saviour, to give repentance unto 
 Israel and the remission of sin. He is constituted 
 the great and sole dispenser of all purchased bless- 
 ings, for we are blessed in Christ Jesus with every 
 precious and spiritual blessing. Upon this princi- 
 ple he declares concerning himself, — " I give unto 
 them eternal life, and they shall never perish ; nor 
 shall any pluck them out of my hand." As Joseph 
 not only purchased the corn from the people in the 
 land of Egypt during the years of plenty, but was 
 appointed by Pharaoh the sole distributor of these 
 treasures unto his subjects; so Christ Jesus, our 
 spiritual Joseph, not only purchased salvation by 
 his death, but lives to confer upon his people the 
 blessings he purchased by his blood. This honour 
 is conferred upon him, and belongs unto him. He 
 is the only channel of divine communication, and 
 from his heavenly hand we must receive every good 
 and spiritual gift. As the Egyptians were desired 
 in their straits to have recourse unto Joseph, who 
 would supply all their wants ; so sinners, who are 
 poor and needy, are directed to apply unto Christ, 
 who is constituted by God the dispenser of the 
 blessings of grace unto all who come unto him. 
 He is the way, the truth, and the life ; to him we 
 must come to obtain the supply of all our wants, 
 for it is out of his fulness alone that we can receive, 
 and grace for grace, and this grace is still sufficient 
 for us. But this naturally leads us to the third 
 idea included in this expression — he has salvation ; 
 namely, that there are inexhaustible treasures of 
 mercy and grace in his hand to supply the wants 
 
CALLED UPON TO REJOICE. 301 
 
 of all his people. It has pleased the Father that 
 in Christ Jesus all fulness should dwell ; a fulness 
 of merit for the forgiveness of all our sins — of the 
 Spirit, for thesanctification of our natures — of grace, 
 for assistance in duty, or support under trial — and 
 of glory, to render his subjects happy in time and 
 through eternity. This fulness is absolutely inex- 
 haustible. It is neither diminished by communi- 
 cation, nor increased by restraint, but remains in- 
 variably the same, and perfectly adequate to supply 
 all our wants. This fulness is not deposited in 
 him for his own benefit or happiness, but is in- 
 tended to afford suitable supplies unto the spiritual 
 wants of all his subjects. As there is a fulness of 
 light in the sun for the illumination and benefit of 
 the material world, which is not impaired by the 
 rays he has emitted since placed by the Creator in 
 the firmament of heaven — as there is a fulness of 
 water in the ocean for the supply of rain to 
 refresh and fertilize the earth ; so there is a fulness 
 of spiritual blessings in Christ for the comfort and 
 salvation of all his people. From this inexhausti- 
 ble treasure thousands have received mercy and 
 salvation, and it is still as full as the first moment 
 it was opened unto the sons of men. His mercy 
 is as rich to pardon, and his Spirit as powerful to 
 sanctify, and his grace is as sufficient to help, as 
 the first moment they exerted their energy in the 
 salvation of the sons of men. Still it is true, and 
 how comfortable is the truth, that there is mercy 
 with him that he may be feared, and plenteous re- 
 demption that he may be sought unto. His richefl 
 are unsearchable riches, and open a door of hope 
 unto every sinner. If any dinner then perish 
 under the gospel, it is not because the blood of 
 Christ is unable to save him, but because be tram- 
 ples this blood under foot, and accounts it an un- 
 
302 THE DAUGHTER OF ZION 
 
 holy thing. " Ye will not come unto me," said 
 Christ unto the Jews who despised him, " that ye 
 may have life ;" and the same language may be ap- 
 plied unto all those who only hear the gospel to des- 
 pise it. If sinners remain under guilt and pollution 
 — if they continue naked and miserable — it is not 
 because no fountain has been opened for sin and 
 for uncleanness, or because there is no provision 
 made for their being clothed and made happy ; but 
 it is because they will not be counselled by Christ 
 to buy of him gold tried in the fire that they may 
 be made rich, and white raiment that their naked- 
 ness may not appear; it is because they despise 
 and neglect his great salvation. Christ still has sal- 
 vation to bestow ; he is able to save unto the utter- 
 most, and is more ready to give than any are to 
 ask of him. He has salvation ! What a source 
 of joy unto the daughter of Zion ! Salvation from 
 every evil, in every season, and through every 
 age. She was in need of salvation when she first 
 came to the Saviour, she still needs it, and she re- 
 joices that her Lord and King has it to bestow 
 upon her in its utmost extent and perfection ; for 
 Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlast- 
 ing salvation ! 
 
 4th and lastly. The daughter of Zion is to re- 
 joice, because this King who cometh unto her is 
 lowly and condescending. Humility is allowed to 
 be an ornament in every character, especially w r hen 
 it is displayed by persons of exalted dignity and 
 rank. When we think of the lowliness and humi- 
 lity of Christ, our minds are overpowered, for we 
 are unable to form adequate conceptions of their 
 greatness and excellence. In order to have as just 
 conceptions of them as possible, we must think of his 
 original and essential dignity — of the assumption of 
 our nature into union with his divine person — of his 
 
CALLED UPON TO REJOICE. 303 
 
 condescending conduct while he tabernacled upon 
 this earth, and of his sufferings even unto death. 
 His humility is beautifully expressed and contrasted 
 with his original dignity by the Apostle, when he 
 says, Phil. ii. 5 — 8, " Let this mind be in you, 
 which was also in Christ Jesus : who, being in the 
 form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal 
 with God ; but made himself of no reputation, and 
 took upon him the form of a servant, and was made 
 in the likeness of men : and being found in fashion 
 as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient 
 unto death, even the death of the cross." Happy 
 in himself and in his Father's love, how astonishing 
 his condescension in assuming our low nature, with 
 all its sinless infirmities ! " Verily he took not on 
 him the nature of angels ; but he took on him 
 the seed of Abraham, that he might be a merciful 
 and faithful high priest in things pertaining to 
 God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the peo- 
 ple." But if he had determined to assume our na- 
 ture, and to appear in this world, might he not 
 have assumed it in some superior station, and ap- 
 peared, at least, in royal dignity ? He appears, 
 however, in a mean and suffering form. No out- 
 ward splendour attends his entry upon life : he is 
 born in a stable, he is laid in a manger, and po- 
 verty and reproach continually followed him. His 
 humble soul possessed no aspiring or ambitious 
 views ; for when the people, struck with his mira- 
 cles, would have come by force and made him a 
 king, he went away into a desert place. In the 
 whole of his deportment during life be was lowly 
 and condescending. He did not court the society 
 of the great, but condescended unto men of low 
 estate. He converged freely with all who came 
 unto him, and despised not the meanest of the 
 people. Far from discovering that stern and 
 
304 THE DAUGHTER OF ZIOX 
 
 haughty temper which despises poverty and for- 
 bids access, he invited the poor and the mean to 
 come unto him, and showed them the greatest 
 kindness and condescension. He was more kind 
 and condescending than his disciples, for he re- 
 ceived those whom they rejected or forbade to draw 
 near unto him. Thus, when they reproved a poor 
 blind man who cried after him, " Lord, thou son 
 of David, have mercy on me," he stops in his 
 journey, commands him to be brought into his 
 presence, and with condescending benevolence 
 asked him, " what w r ilt thou that I should do unto 
 thee?" Thus, he was great in his humility, and 
 humble amid his greatness ! But not only to the 
 world in general, but to his disciples in particular, 
 he discovered the most striking proofs of humility 
 and condescension. He treated them with the 
 utmost gentleness ; his reproofs were mild, when 
 their provocations were great. He bore with their 
 ignorance and prejudices, and even deigned to 
 wash their feet, hereby setting them an example 
 of humility and condescension. His last entrance 
 into Jerusalem affords another striking instance of 
 his lowliness and humility. Instead of approach- 
 ing that celebrated capital with the pomp of great- 
 ness, or the ensigns of majesty, he came in the 
 humble manner represented in the text, fulfilling 
 the Scripture, and accomplishing the salvation of 
 the sons of men. He permitted himself to be ap- 
 prehended, and to be led away by the meanest of 
 the people. With mute humility he stood before 
 his august judge, and calmly submitted to every 
 insult which the malice of men could offer him, and 
 at last finished his course, by humbling himself, 
 and becoming obedient unto death, even the death 
 of the cross ! Say now, is not this King of Zion 
 lowly and condescending? and what reason has 
 
s 
 
 CALLED UPON TO REJOICE. 305 
 
 the daughter of Zion to rejoice in him ! Some 
 princes are surrounded with such splendour, and 
 assume such state, that they cannot be approached 
 by the meanest of their subjects; and others are 
 so high and haughty, that they refuse to listen to 
 the just complaints of their people. But Christ, 
 the King of Zion, is humble and accessible. He 
 stoops from his throne to listen to the dwellers in 
 the humblest cottage. He admits the meanest of 
 his subjects into his presence, hears their com- 
 plaints, listens to their sighs and groans, nay, with 
 unparalleled condescension, comes to dwell in their 
 hearts. " For thus saith the hi^h and loftv One 
 that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy : 
 I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also 
 that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the 
 pirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the 
 contrite ones." And that this description applies 
 unto Christ is evident from his own words, John 
 xiv. 23, " If a man love me, he will keep my words : 
 and my Father will love him, and we will come 
 unto him, and make our abode with him." Happy 
 the soul in which Christ dwells in this world ! Its 
 happiness shall be progressive, and shall be consum- 
 mated in dwelling for ever with the Lord in the 
 world that is to come. 
 
 It only now remains that we conclude with 
 some application of the subject. 
 
 1st. From what has bean said you mav see 
 cause for joy unto all the hearers of the gospel. 
 You have reason to rejoice, sinners, that Christ 
 comes unto you to-day in the gospul. and that he 
 has salvation freely to bestow — a salvation suited 
 unto your misery, and calculated to render you 
 completely happy. But, oh, consider that ChflStfa 
 having this salvation will be of no avail unto you. 
 if it become not vours by receiving it, for it i< 
 
 o 2 
 
306 THE DAUGHTER OF ZION 
 
 only to as many as receive him, that he gives power 
 to become the sons of God, even unto those that 
 believe on his name. If you will not accept of 
 this salvation, you are guilty of cruelty unto your- 
 selves, ingratitude unto your benefactor, and rebel- 
 lion against your Lord; and how shall you escape 
 if you neglect so great salvation ? Behold, now is 
 the accepted time, now is the day of salvation; now 
 Christ has salvation to bestow, but if you despise 
 it to-day, you may fall under condemnation to- 
 morrow ! 
 
 2d. From this subject you may be led to in- 
 quire whether or not you are the spiritual children 
 of Zion. You are connected with the visible 
 church, and, in consequence of this connection, are 
 entitled to external privileges. But are you born 
 again, and born of God, and connected with his 
 holy and happy family ? Has Christ come unto 
 you as your prophet, priest, and king ? Has he 
 made you willing in a day of his power to submit 
 unto him as your Lord ? have you received him 
 with humility and gratitude ? and was this accept- 
 ance entire and unreserved ? Did it extend unto 
 all his offices ? and do you now rejoice in him, not 
 only as your teacher and atonement, but also as 
 your King ? Do you feel the power of his grace 
 subduing your corruptions, and bringing every 
 thought into obedience to his will ? Do you love 
 him with supreme affection, and all his people with 
 pure hearts fervently ? Are you dutiful and loyal 
 subjects unto the King of Zion — attached unto his 
 person, government, and laws, and preferring Jeru- 
 salem unto your chief earthly joys ? If this be 
 your character and these your dispositions, then 
 you have reason to believe that you are the sons 
 of God and the spiritual children of Zion, and 
 may be assured that he who has begun the good 
 
CALLED UPON TO REJOICE. 307 
 
 work will perfect and carry it on to the day of 
 Christ. 
 
 3d. From what has been said you may see 
 something of the glory and excellency of Jesus 
 Christ. He is so glorious that no language can 
 describe his majesty, nor can any mind but his 
 own conceive it. In his person how amiable, in 
 his offices how suitable, and in his conduct how 
 gracious and condescending ! In him are united 
 a majesty and mildness — a greatness and goodness, 
 which are peculiar unto him, and which render 
 him the chief among ten thousands, and altogether 
 lovely. He is a just God and a Saviour; higher 
 than the heavens, and yet, for the suffering of 
 death, made a little lower than the angels. How 
 excellent is his name in all the earth, and how 
 good is it before the saints ! What king is like 
 unto him in the greatness of his power, the depth 
 of his wisdom, the extent of his kingdom, the 
 equity of his government, the number of his sub- 
 jects, the nature of his conquests, the splendour of 
 his court, the magnificence of his palace, and 
 amid all this greatness in the lowliness and humi- 
 lity of his mind ? Let all the children of Zion be 
 joyful in this King, and give thanks at the remem- 
 brance of his holiness. 
 
 4th. From what has been said you may see the 
 peculiar happiness of all the inhabitants of Zion, 
 and the subjects of Christ's spiritual kingdom. 
 With much greater propriety it may be said of 
 them than it was said by the queen of Sheba of 
 Solomon's servants, 1 Kings x. 8, " Happy are 
 thy men, happy are these thy servants, which 
 stand continually before thee, and that hear Un- 
 wisdom." In whatever >ituation they may be 
 placed as to this world, they may always trust and 
 triumph in Christ Jesus. Zion which they inhabit 
 
308 THE DAUGHTER OF ZION 
 
 is a fair and blessed city, the joy of the whole 
 earth. Her habitations are palaces, and all her 
 inhabitants princes. The influences of heaven, 
 like the morning dew, descend upon her silent 
 and refreshing. The streams of the river of God 
 gladden this city — the divine presence fills it with 
 glory, and divine providence, like a wall of fire, 
 continually surrounds it. In the courts of Zion 
 this heavenly King meets and blesses his people, 
 and there his glory shines. There he is found of 
 those that seek him — there the light of divine 
 truth goes not out, and there the bread of life is 
 exhibited for the nourishment and support of all 
 its inhabitants. May we not say then of all the 
 inhabitants of Zion, what Moses said of Israel of 
 old, Deut. xxxiii. 29, " Happy art thou, O Israel : 
 who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord, 
 the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of 
 thy excellency ! and thine enemies shall be found 
 liars unto thee ; and thou shalt tread upon their 
 high places.'' 
 
 5th. To conclude. From what has been said 
 you may also learn what is the duty to which the 
 children of Zion are this day called — they are to 
 rejoice greatly in their King. " Rejoice in the 
 Lord, ye righteous, and be glad in him, all ye up- 
 right in heart." This is indeed their duty and 
 privilege every day, but especially upon a com- 
 munion sabbath, when they are permitted to draw 
 near unto him, and to behold his glory. To-day 
 you are invited to come into his presence-chamber, 
 and to go unto his table to remember the wonders 
 of his love. He who now rules you by his power 
 redeemed you by his blood, and this redemption 
 you are to remember till he come again. He who 
 is dead is now alive, and behold he lives for ever- 
 more, having the keys of hell and death. Did you 
 
CALLED UPON TO REJOICE. 309 
 
 not rejoice when he first came into your hearts and 
 erected there his throne ? Since that happy period 
 has he not often blessed you with bright discoveries 
 of his grace? and, behold, to-day he comes into his 
 banqueting-house and invites you with joy to ap- 
 proach unto him. And shall you not comply with 
 his gracious invitation ? shall you not put honour 
 on your Lord, and with pleasure approach unto 
 him as your King ? shall you not now declare 
 in the most public manner that Jesus, the King of 
 Zion, is the source of your joy, and the subject of 
 your triumph — that you glory in his cross and in 
 his crown, in his person and in his government — 
 and that he is your light and life, your consola- 
 tion, and joy, and all ? And while you remember 
 the wonders of his love, you are permitted to look 
 forward with transport to that happy period when 
 he shall come without sin unto your complete sal- 
 vation. Then he will be glorified in his saints, 
 and admired of all them that believe. Then all 
 his loving subjects shall press around his standard, 
 and the ransomed of the Lord shall return and 
 come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon 
 their heads, and so they shall for ever be with the 
 Lord. Amen. 
 
SERMON XL 
 
 THE GLORIOUS INHERITANCE OF THE PEOPLE OF 
 JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 1 Pet. i. 3—5. 
 
 " Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 which, according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us again 
 unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from 
 the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and 
 that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept 
 by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be 
 revealed in the last time." 
 
 The evidence which unassisted reason affords for 
 the existence of a future state is at least doubtful 
 and unsatisfactory. When we consider the nature 
 of the human soul, and its noble powers and facul- 
 ties, which seem to be capable of endless improve- 
 ment ; when we advert to the moral government 
 of God in the world, and compare it with his attri- 
 butes of justice and benevolence, and especially 
 when we reflect upon the natural desire of immor- 
 tality implanted in our minds by the Author of our 
 being, it seems reasonable to conclude that there 
 will be a future state, where this desire* will be 
 gratified, and where God shall render to every 
 man according to his works. Accordingly, we find 
 that a belief of this kind has in some measure pre- 
 vailed in all ages and nations upon the face of the 
 earth. But although the belief of future existence 
 has generally obtained in the world, yet reason 
 alone is unable to ascertain its absolute certainty, 
 and disperse the darkness resting upon it. It re- 
 mained therefore for the discoveries of the gospel 
 
INHERITANCE OF CHRIST'S PEOPLE. 311 
 
 to remove the obscurity in which it was involved, 
 and to bring- life and immortality clearly to light. 
 The Sun of righteousness has now arisen, dis- 
 pelling the clouds which the eye of reason could 
 not penetrate, and shedding light upon the regions 
 beyond the grave. These disclosures have not 
 only ascertained the reality of a state of future hap- 
 piness, but exhibit to us the character of those who 
 shall finally enjoy it. When Christians contem- 
 plate these important truths, so essential to their 
 comfort and happiness in this world, and when 
 they have a well-founded hope of personal interest 
 in the heavenly inheritance, their hearts must be 
 warmed with lively gratitude, and they will express 
 their pious feelings in the animated language of 
 our text — " Blessed be the God and Father of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, which, according to his abun- 
 dant mercy, hath begotten us again unto a lively 
 hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the 
 dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and unde- 
 nted, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven 
 for you, who are kept by the power of God through 
 faith unto salvation." The illustration of the pas- 
 sage leads us, 
 
 I. To contemplate the nature and qualities of 
 the Christian's future inheritance. 
 
 II. To state the grounds upon which he rests 
 his hope of enjoying this inheritance. 
 
 III. To show you the evidence of his posse^. 
 ing this lively hope. 
 
 We shall then conclude with some improvement 
 of what may be advanced. 
 
 I. Let us contemplate the nature and quali- 
 ties of the Christian's future inheritanee. With 
 respect to the nature of this inheritanee, or wherein 
 
312 THE GLORIOUS INHERITANCE OP 
 
 in general it consists, it may be observed that the 
 inheritance is God himself, with the happiness he 
 has prepared for his people in a future and eternal 
 world. Ps. xvi. 5 — " The Lord is the portion 
 of mine inheritance and of my cup." What a sa- 
 tisfying portion ! what a rich and glorious inherit- 
 ance ! But this will be more apparent if we 
 attend to the distinguishing qualities of this inherit- 
 ance. 
 
 1st. With this view, then, we observe, in the first 
 place, that it is heavenly and secure. It is an 
 inheritance in heaven, and it is reserved for the 
 righteous. It is an inheritance consisting in no- 
 thing that is gross and earthly. It is true, all 
 things are theirs — they inherit all things, and all 
 things shall work together for their good, for they 
 have the promise of the life that now is, as well as 
 of that which is to come, and a blessing rests upon 
 all they possess. But still their future inheritance 
 is not of this world, nor does it consist of earth- 
 ly perishing possessions. W T ere the Lord to give 
 them the whole world for their inheritance, it would 
 neither be suitable to their nature, nor satisfying 
 to their soul. It is therefore a heavenly inherit- 
 ance, consisting in spiritual blessings and future 
 celestial enjoyments. It is, moreover, as safe as it 
 is excellent ; for it is reserved in heaven for them. 
 In this world, we see that uncertainty is connected 
 with all earthly possessions. Riches are uncer- 
 tain — they make unto themselves wings and fly 
 away, as an eagle toward heaven. Wealth and 
 large possessions may be acquired by persevering 
 industry, and secured to heirs by every method 
 which ingenuity can devise or prudence employ ; 
 and yet, after every precaution has been used, 
 they are precarious and uncertain. Fraud and in- 
 justice may deprive us of them, or the strong hand 
 
TIIE PEOPLE OF JESUS CrTRIST. 313 
 
 of power may wrench them from us ; a fire may 
 consume them, the flood may overflow them, or 
 a revolution may remove them from us, and con- 
 fer them upon others. If none of these things 
 should take place, the heirs themselves, being mor- 
 tal, may be arrested by the hand of death, and 
 summoned into the eternal world before the time 
 fixed for their entering upon them has arrived. 
 How many instances of this nature are we con- 
 stantly witnessing, convincing us, if we would be 
 convinced, of the precarious nature of all earthly 
 property, possessions, and enjoyments ! But the 
 heavenly inheritance which belongs to the children 
 of God, and which they are destined to enjoy, is 
 as safe as it is excellent. It is reserved for them 
 in heaven, it is laid up for them there, and there- 
 fore is beyond the reach of every accident, and the 
 power of all their enemies. No thief can break 
 through to steal it from them ; no fraud or violence 
 can wrest it from them ; no fire can consume it ; 
 nay, the flame which shall burn up the earth and 
 the works which are therein, shall not destroy it. 
 The combined power of all hostile creatures can- 
 not overcome the power of the Almighty, and 
 therefore it is an inheritance as safe as omnipotence 
 can make it. But it must be borne in mind, thai 
 the inheritance is not only reserved for the heir, 
 but the heir is also kept by the power of God for 
 the inheritance ; and death which removes worldly 
 men from their pOMewionfl shall only transmit tin* 
 children of God to the heavenly world, to enter 
 upon the full possession of their celestial inherit- 
 ance. 
 
 2d. This inheritance is incorruptible. Every 
 tiling we behold in this world being material, is 
 corruptible, or liable to a dissolution of its paste. 
 All compound bodies are subject to this general law . 
 
314 THE GLORIOUS INHERITANCE OF 
 
 Some of them dissolve sooner and others of them 
 more slowly, but none of them are free from cor- 
 ruptibility and decay. The visible heavens them- 
 selves are not exempted from this natural ten- 
 dency ; and, accordingly, the inspired penman 
 writes, saying, Ps. cii. 25, 26, " Of old hast thou 
 laid the foundation of the earth ; and the heavens 
 are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, 
 but thou shalt endure ; yea, all of them shall wax 
 old like a garment : as a vesture shalt thou change 
 them, and they shall be changed." The hardest 
 substances may be dissolved or dissipated, plants 
 and vegetables soon begin to corrupt, and all 
 the animals that live in the earth or seas are 
 subject to dissolution. Every material body is 
 perishing, everything that grows declines, and 
 everything that lives dies. Here moth and rust do 
 corrupt, and therefore all worldly objects and pos- 
 sessions are susceptible of destruction, and perish- 
 ing in their nature. But the inheritance of the 
 saints in light is possessed of a nobler quality ; for 
 it is absolutely incorruptible, or not subject to any 
 dissolution of its parts. God, who is the inherit- 
 ance of his people, is the incorruptible God. The 
 mansions they inhabit, the objects they behold, and 
 the blessed society with which they mingle, are all 
 incorruptible, and eternal in the heavens. As the 
 heavenly inheritance in itself is incorruptible, so 
 nothing that can impart corruptibility shall ever 
 be introduced, or even permitted to approach the 
 blessed abodes of the righteous. The souls of the 
 saints, before they enter upon this inheritance, 
 shall be made perfect in holiness, and their bodies, 
 at the resurrection, shall be made spiritual bodies ; 
 for flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of 
 God, neither doth corruption inherit ineorruption. 
 This corruptible, therefore, shall put on incorrup- 
 
THE PEOPLE OF JESUS CHRIST. 315 
 
 tion, and this mortal shall put on immortality ; 
 and then shall be brought to pass the saying that 
 is written, M death is swallowed up in victory." 
 Blessed inheritance, and happy abode ! Here the 
 inheritance and the heir, the house and the inhabi- 
 tant are both corruptible ; but in heaven the in- 
 heritance and the heir, the house and the inhabi- 
 tant are incorruptible, and therefore immortal and 
 eternal. They are free from every principle of 
 dissolution, and therefore they must be everlast- 
 ing in their duration. 
 
 3d. It is another distinguishing property of this 
 inheritance that it is undejiled. This world was 
 originally the abode of innocence and of purity, 
 but it is now stained with sin, and polluted by 
 iniquity. Sin is moral pollution ; and this pollu- 
 tion has defiled not only the whole man, but the 
 whole world. Man being a sinner carries defile- 
 ment with him wherever he goes. Whatever he 
 touches he taints. He breathes infectious air, and 
 he carries contagion with him into every place he 
 visits, and into every society with which he 
 mingles. What is the multiplication of our spe- 
 cies, or what the intercourse of human society, but 
 the propagation and extension of the empire of 
 impurity ? The world, therefore, is defiled by the 
 sins of those who dwell upon it. Our earthly 
 possessions and enjoyments are contaminated and 
 debased by moral pollution, and are therefore be- 
 come vain and unsatisfactory. Hence, we are 
 admonished in Scripture, Mic. ii. 10, to arise and 
 depart from this world, for it is not our rest, being 
 polluted, and because if we cleave to it as our 
 portion it will destroy us with a sore destruction. 
 But although sin pollutes and poisons all our 
 earthly pleasures and enjoyments, yet the inherit- 
 ance of the righteous in a future world is of a dif- 
 
316 THE GLORIOUS INHERITANCE OF 
 
 ferent character, for it is pure and undefined. 
 God who dwells there, and is the portion of his 
 people, is the Most High and Holy God. The 
 objects which are presented to their contemplation 
 are undefiled objects, the inhabitants with whom 
 they associate are holy inhabitants, the exercises 
 in which they engage are holy exercises, and the 
 pleasures which they taste are pure and unmingled 
 pleasures. The inheritance in itself is not only 
 undefiled in its nature, but nothing that defileth 
 shall ever be permitted to enter into the abodes of 
 the blessed, for, Rev. xxi. 27, " There shall in 
 no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, 
 neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or mak- 
 eth a lie ; but they which are written in the 
 Lamb's book of life ;" and all who are registered 
 in that book are holy. Though believers in this 
 world are sanctified, their purification is imperfect, 
 they still feel remaining defilement within them, 
 and they meet with pollution from without, and 
 are therefore ever ready to fall into the commis- 
 sion of sin. But in heaven they shall not only be 
 made perfectly holy in their own persons, but they 
 shall be freed from all external defilement which 
 can have the smallest tendency to lead them to 
 any sinful indulgence. Though the serpent was 
 permitted to enter the earthly paradise, and to 
 seduce our first parents from their allegiance to 
 their Maker and Ruler, yet no seducer shall be 
 allowed to enter the abodes of the blessed, to intro- 
 duce defilement into the inheritance of the saints 
 in light. Though ancient Israel, when introduced 
 by a train of stupendous miracles into the earthly 
 Canaan, soon defiled by their idolatry that pleasant 
 and promised land, yet when the children of God, 
 his true Israel, enter upon their heavenly inherit- 
 ance, the celestial Canaan, they shall be confirmed 
 
THE PEOPLE OF JESUS CHRIST. 317 
 
 in a state of perfect purity. They shall never de- 
 file, by any sin, the holy land. They shall shine 
 for ever in the beauties of perfect holiness, and 
 the stream of their felicity shall flow pure, and full, 
 and uninterrupted through the ages of eternity. 
 
 4th. Another ennobling quality of the Christian's 
 future inheritance is, that it is unfading, or unde- 
 caying. We find that everything in this world is 
 fading and transitory in its nature. The most 
 beautiful objects which meet the eye are frail and 
 fading; nay, the fairer any object is, the more 
 fadinof it is found to be. This is the case with the 
 flowers which adorn our gardens — they are the 
 gayest and most attractive objects we behold, and 
 they are, at same time, the most tender and transi- 
 ent. The various plants, also, which beautify and 
 enrich our fields, soon languish and decay ; and 
 even those which are the strongest and hardiest 
 wither, decline, and die away. The trees, like- 
 \vi>e, which form our forests and decorate the face 
 of nature are subject to decay — even the tall and 
 sturdy oak, the monarch of the wood, which for 
 ages has adorned the mountain's brow, and with- 
 stood the fury of many a storm, at last begins to 
 yield to the hand of time, withers and decays, and 
 falls to the earth from which it sprung. Man him- 
 self, the lord of this lower world, is subject to this 
 general law : — he grows up, decays, and fades. 
 " He cometh forth as a flower, and is cut down : be 
 fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth Dot." He 
 i> either suddenly cut down by disease or accident. 
 or in the course of nature he begins to decline. The 
 bloom of youthful beauty fades on his countenance, 
 the flush of health leaves hk cheek, the eye which 
 sparkled with vivacity lose! in light and lustre, 
 and the strength and vigour of manhood are suc- 
 ded by the feebleness, and decrepitude of old 
 
318 THE GLORIOUS INHERITANCE OF 
 
 age. All our earthly joys are, moreover, dying 
 joys : they soon cease to delight, and at length 
 become tiresome and disgusting. The toys which 
 pleased us in childhood do not give satisfaction 
 when we become men, and the pursuits and active 
 employments * of manhood cannot be followed or 
 relished in advanced life. The charm of novelty, 
 so necessary to give a relief to all worldly plea- 
 sures, is soon lost, and the longer they are enjoyed 
 and the more frequently they are repeated, the 
 more tasteless and insipid they become. But 
 while all earthly objects and enjoyments are fading 
 and transitory, the Christian's heavenly inheritance 
 is unfading and eternal. It possesses perpetual 
 beauty and undecaying verdure, and is calculated 
 to impart increasing pleasure and fresh delight. It 
 is subject to no change, liable to no diminution, 
 and susceptible of no decay. There the sun never 
 goes down, nor does the moon withdraw her 
 shining, and therefore no night comes in to close 
 their splendid day. Their seasons do not succeed 
 one another in rapid succession. No clouds darken 
 the glory of summer, no frost destroys the buds and 
 blossoms of spring, no cold blasts the riches of 
 autumn, and no winter interrupts the eternal spring 
 imparting perpetual beauty and growing freshness 
 to the heavenly country. There the flowers never 
 fade, the plants of paradise never decay, the tree of 
 life never withers, and the pure stream springing 
 from beneath the throne of God and the Lamb, and 
 which gladdens the celestial city, is never diminished, 
 but flows on with a full and perpetual current. The 
 riches of this country are durable riches, its honours 
 are unfading honours, and all its pleasures are pure, 
 permanent, and satisfactory; the longer they are 
 enjoyed, the sweeter they become; they satisfy, 
 but never cloy. The scenes and objects of this 
 
TT1E PEOPLE OF JESUS CHRIST. 319 
 
 world are presented to the view of the inhabitants 
 in perfect, unfading beauty, and they are all so 
 combined, adjusted, and modified, as to afford per- 
 petual pleasure and new delight; there is no decay 
 in the celestial beauty, and no abatement in the 
 heavenly enjoyment. Here the verdure of spring 
 and the glory of summer, the murmuring of the 
 stream and the music of the grove, the waving 
 of the forest and the swelling of the mountain, 
 the richness of the plain, the expanse of the ocean, 
 and the varied canopy of heaven, are all so mixed, 
 blended, and diversified, as to yield perpetual plea- 
 sure, increasing delight, and ever growing trans- 
 port. The longer they look upon the heavenly 
 objects, the more delighted they are with the con- 
 templation; the longer they listen to the heavenly 
 music, the more charmed they are with its delightful 
 harmony ; the more they mingle with the society 
 of heaven, the more pleased they are with their 
 kindness and intercourse, and the longer they 
 engage in the various exercises of heaven, the 
 more transporting they become ; their faculties be- 
 ing enlarged and strengthened, and their senses 
 being adapted to the distinct perception of the ob- 
 jects presented to their view, they delight, without 
 dazzling them with their overpowering splendour, 
 and keep alive their wonder, adoration, and praise. 
 Although millions of ages run their round, their 
 inheritance shall be as fresh and fragrant its when 
 they first entered upon it, and eternity, as it roll> 
 on, shall only disclose to them new beauties, and 
 impart to them unceasing satisfaction and delight. 
 They shall continue in their own persons to flourish 
 ID immortal youth and beauty, and they shall enjo\ 
 an inheritance which is incorruptible, undefiled, un- 
 fading, and everlasting. 
 
320 THE GLORIOUS INHERITANCE OF 
 
 Having thus contemplated the nature and qua- 
 lities of the heavenly inheritance, we now proceed, 
 
 II. To state the grounds upon which Christians 
 entertain a lively or living hope of enjoying it. 
 And these appear from the text to be chiefly two : 
 first, the abundant mercy of God, even the Father; 
 and secondly, the resurrection of Christ from the 
 dead. 
 
 1st. The first ground which the text sets before 
 us of the Christian's lively hope of enjoying the 
 heavenly inheritance, is the abundant mercy of 
 God the Father. Mercy is that amiable attribute 
 of Deity by which he is disposed to pity the miser- 
 able and to pardon the guilty, and even to re-admit 
 them into his favour, in consistency with the rights 
 of justice and the dignity of his moral government. 
 As the objects of divine mercy are the miserable 
 and guilty, so it excludes every idea of merit ; for 
 merit and mercy are quite inconsistent, to merit 
 mercy being a contradiction in terms. The mercy 
 of God is nearly of the same import with his grace 
 or unmerited favour; and it is upon this revealed 
 mercy and grace of God, in the promise of the gos- 
 pel, that Christians found their hope of future feli- 
 city, for, Ps. cxlvii. 11, "The Lord taketh plea- 
 sure in them that fear him, in those that hope in 
 his mercy ." From the works of nature we may 
 learn that God is good, but from this volume alone 
 we cannot be assured of his gracious designs to the 
 guilty, or be convinced that he is ready to forgive 
 them, and to re-admit them into his family and 
 favour. This consolatory truth, however, is clearly 
 revealed to us in Scripture, for there we learn with 
 a certainty and precision proportioned to its vast 
 importance, that the name of Jehovah, as proclaim- 
 
 
THE PEOPLE OF JESUS CHRIST. 321 
 
 ed by himself, is " the Lord, the Lord merciful 
 and gracious, slow to anger, and of great loving- 
 kindness, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and 
 sin." Thus we are assured that he is great and 
 abundant in mercy — that his mercy triumphs over 
 all our guilt, and his grace over all our unworthi- 
 ness — that his mercy sent Christ, the son of his 
 love, into this world to atone for our offences, and 
 to render the exercise of mercy consistent with the 
 claims of justice, that he might be just, while he 
 justifies the ungodly who believe in Jesus, the 
 mercy promised to the fathers. This mercy is 
 abundant; it provides for all our wants, for the par- 
 don of all our sins, and holds out to us, in great 
 and precious promises, every blessing of which we 
 stand in need. Where sin hath abounded, grace 
 much more abounds, for it reigns through right- 
 eousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our 
 Lord. " The wages of sin is death ; but the gift of 
 God is eternal life through Jesus Christ;" for "this 
 is the promise he hath promised us, eternal life, 
 and this life is in his Son." Now, every Christian 
 cordially embraces these promises, and he entertain* 
 
 I well-founded hope of enjoying their accomplish- 
 ment in a future world. He rejoices in hope of 
 eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised 
 before the world began. It is obvious, therefore, 
 that his hope of the heavenly inheritance does not 
 rest upon any meritorious services which he can 
 perform, but is founded simply and solely upon the 
 mercy and grace of God manifested in the free pro- 
 mise and the unspeakable gifts of his love. It 
 must, therefore, ever be borne in mind that it is not 
 in the absolute mercy of God that Christians hope 
 for the heavenly inheritance, but only in his mercy 
 M manifested and glorified through Jesus Christ; 
 
 II for he that spared not his own Son, but delivered 
 
 r 
 
322 THE GLORIOUS INHERITANCE OF 
 
 him up to death for us all, how shall he not with 
 him also freely give us all things ?" Christians do 
 not attempt to purchase what mercy promises and 
 offers to bestow. They thankfully accept of the in- 
 valuable boon, and never expect to enter upon the 
 heavenly inheritance as the reward of their own 
 services or sufferings, but they look for the mercy 
 of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Mercy, 
 free, sovereign, and abundant, is the source of our 
 salvation as sinners, for it is according to this mercy 
 he saves us by the washing of regeneration, and 
 the renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he sheds 
 on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Sa- 
 viour, that, being justified by his grace, we should 
 be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 
 Christians therefore embrace this mercy held forth 
 to them through Christ in the gospel, and they 
 look forward with confidence to the fulfilment of the 
 promises which the God of mercy makes to them, 
 for he is faithful who hath promised. This humble 
 trust in the abundant mercy of God, through the 
 merits of the Saviour, is honourable unto God, 
 and profitable to themselves. Let Israel then 
 hope in the Lord, for with him there is mercy — 
 plenteous, abundant, sovereign, and saving mercy — 
 and let them say under all their discouragements 
 and fears, " Why art thou cast down, O my soul ? 
 and why art thou disquieted within me ? hope in 
 God ; for I shall yet praise him, who is the health 
 of my countenance, and my God." 
 
 2d. Another ground on which the hope of 
 Christians is founded, is the merit of the Saviour's 
 death, attested by his resurrection from the 
 dead. Though, in the words of our text, the re- 
 surrection is only mentioned, yet this fact evidently 
 presupposes his previous death ; for if he had not 
 been delivered for our offences, he could not have 
 
THE PEOPLE OF JESUS CIJRIST. 323 
 
 been raised again for our justification. Though 
 God in his abundant mercy purposed to bestow 
 the heavenly inheritance upon the objects of his 
 love, yet he resolved to confer it in such a manner 
 as to testify his displeasure against their sins, sup- 
 port the honour of his law, and vindicate the equity 
 of his moral government. Guilt exposes the trans- 
 gressor to condemnation, and until this be removed 
 a holy God cannot admit condemned criminals to 
 maintain friendly intercourse with him. It was an 
 established maxim under the Mosaic dispensation, 
 that without the shedding of blood there was no 
 remission ; and if ceremonial guilt could not be 
 forgiven without the death of a typical sacrifice, 
 we may be assured that moral guilt under the gos- 
 pel dispensation cannot be forgiven but through 
 faith in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The 
 law denounces death against every transgression, 
 and the justice of God demands satisfaction for our 
 offences ; and therefore, if the Son of God had not 
 become our surety, and made complete atonement 
 for our sins, we have reason to believe that no wav 
 of access would have been opened unto the presence 
 of God, nor could we have entertained any well 
 founded hope of enjoying the heavenly inheritance. 
 The sword of justice would have guarded the 
 entrance to the heavenly paradise, which, in tktt 
 case, must have been for ever inaccessible to sin- 
 ners of the human race. But our gracious and 
 glorious Redeemer has removed every obstruction. 
 and opened the way into the holiest of all. He 
 has fully satisfied the claims of divine justice — re- 
 conciled us unto God, by giving himself' for us a 
 sacrifice and an offering unto God of a sweet smel- 
 ling savour. The way to heaven is now opened 
 up through his atoning blood, and having received 
 from the Father the promise of the kingdom, he 
 
324 THE GLORIOUS INHERITANCE OF 
 
 bestows it upon all his people, saying, " I appoint 
 unto you a kingdom, even as my Father hath ap- 
 pointed unto me a kingdom. I give unto you eternal 
 life, and you shall never perish, neither shall any 
 pluck you out of my hand." But although Jesus 
 Christ by his atoning death removed the guilt of 
 our sins, and opened a way into the heavenly in- 
 heritance, yet the evidence of this truth would have 
 been incomplete if he had not been raised from the 
 dead. His resurrection, therefore, is a satisfying 
 proof not only of his true divinity, but also of the 
 perfection and acceptableness of his atoning sacri- 
 fice for all the purposes for which it was presented 
 unto God. We learn from the gospel history that 
 Christ was condemned to death by the Jews for the 
 alleged crime of blasphemy, or for calling himself 
 the Son of God ; but his resurrection was a decla- 
 ration from God himself that their charge was un- 
 founded, and a public refutation of their impious 
 calumny : and hence it is said, Rom. i. 4, that he 
 was " declared to be the Son of God with power, 
 by his resurrection from the dead." Besides, it is 
 to be borne in mind that as Christ suffered under 
 the character of his people's surety, or substitute, if 
 he had not been raised from the tomb, we might 
 have justly suspected that his satisfaction was in- 
 complete, and that he had failed to discharge the 
 debt of those whom he had engaged to redeem. 
 But in the resurrection of Christ, we have the most 
 convincing evidence that his sacrifice was accepta- 
 ble, and a satisfactory proof of the future resurrec- 
 tion of all his people, and their final enjoyment of 
 the heavenly inheritance. Christ is raised from the 
 dead; our hopes therefore, if we are Christians, are 
 not vain. We are not in our sins, but we rose with 
 him to the certain expectation of a blessed resur- 
 rection and a glorious immortality. This truth is 
 
THE PEOPLE OF JESUS CHRIST. 325 
 
 stated with great force and fulness by the Apostle 
 in the fifteenth chapter of his first epistle to the 
 Corinthians, where the resurrection of Christ is 
 represented as the pledge and proof of the resur- 
 rection of all who are connected with him. Christ 
 rose from the dead, not as a solitary isolated indi- 
 vidual, nor did he ascend into heaven in this capa- 
 city ; but he rose as the head of his people, he 
 ascended into heaven as their illustrious forerunner 
 and representative, to take possession of the heaven- 
 ly inheritance ; and to secure their admission into 
 those mansions he has gone before to prepare for 
 them. If the head thus rose, and lives, and reigns, 
 the members shall be raised, and live, and reign 
 with him. If Christ had remained in the tomb, 
 the hopes of his followers would have been buried 
 with him ; but now that he is risen from the 
 dead, they rise with him to a living hope of an 
 inheritance that is incorruptible, undefiled, and 
 that fadeth not away. Nay, so intimate is the 
 connection between Christ the living head and 
 all the members of his mystical body, that, in 
 the language of Scripture, they are said to be 
 risen with him, and actually to sit with him in 
 heavenly places. Memorable to this purpose are 
 the words of the Apostle, Eph. ii. 6, u And hath 
 raised us up together, and made us sit together in 
 heavenly places in Christ Jesus. ,, It is on these 
 principles the Apostle says, Rom. viii. 34, " Who 
 is he that condemneth ? It is Christ that died, 
 yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the 
 right hand of God, who also maketh intercession 
 for us." Such then are the solid grounds upon 
 which the hope of Christians rests oi enjoying the 
 heavenly inheritance — the abundant mercy of God 
 in Christ Jesus expressed in his gracious promises, 
 and in the gift of his Son, and the infinite merit 
 
326 THE GLORIOUS INHERITANCE OF 
 
 of the Saviour's death attested by his resurrection 
 from the dead. These are two immovable pillars, 
 sufficient to support the hope of every Christian, 
 especially where this hope is seen to produce its 
 appropriate and corresponding effects in the Chris- 
 tian's temper and deportment. 
 
 III. This leads us to show you the evidence of 
 Christians being possessed of this living hope. 
 
 1st. All who are possessed of this living hope 
 have been renovated by the word and Spirit of 
 the living God, and accordingly they are said in 
 our text to be begotten again to this hope. It is 
 not in consequence of their natural birth they en- 
 joy this hope, for "by nature they were the children 
 of wrath, even as others " — living without God and 
 without hope in the world. But it is in conse- 
 quence of the supernatural and universal change 
 they experienced, when they passed from death 
 unto life and became new creatures in Christ 
 Jesus, that this living hope sprung up in their 
 minds, and began to cheer their hearts. This re- 
 novation of nature is noticed by our Apostle at the 
 23d verse of this chapter, where he says of Christ- 
 ians that they were " born again, not of corrupti- 
 ble seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, 
 which liveth and abideth for ever." While men 
 remain unregenerate, they are destitute of the 
 Spirit, consequently of all the graces of the Spirit, 
 and of hope among the rest; for Christians abound 
 in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost. 
 But when they are born again, they are quickened 
 by the Spirit — their minds are enlightened, their 
 wills are renewed, and from their new nature they 
 begin to experience new desires and dispositions, 
 new hopes and fears. They are taken into the 
 family of God, and inspired with the hope of his 
 
THE PEOPLE OF JESUS CHRIST. 327 
 
 children. Now, this renovation of nature is an 
 evidence of our possessing this living hope, because 
 it is inseparably connected with it, and therefore 
 Christians are said to be begotten again unto this 
 hope. 
 
 2d. Another evidence of our possessing this liv- 
 ing hope, is a firm faith in the truths of the 
 gospel, and a constant dependence upon Jesus 
 Christ. Accordingly, Christians are said, in this 
 passage, to be kept by the power of God through 
 faith unto salvation. Faith is a belief of the truth 
 on the divine testimony concerning Christ, a cor- 
 dial acceptance of him in all his offices, and an 
 humble confidence in him and his great atonement 
 for pardon and eternal life. While faith embraces 
 the promises of the gospel as true, hope looks out 
 for the good contained in the promises; hope there- 
 fore springs from faith, as faith itself is the result 
 of a renovation of nature. Faith is the effect and 
 evidence of regeneration ; for none will believe in 
 Christ, who have not been renewed in the spirit 
 of their minds. This truth is distinctly stated, 
 John i. 12, " But as many as received him, to 
 them gave he power to become the sons of God, 
 even to them that believe on his name :" it is 
 added, " which were born, not of blood, nor of the 
 will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of 
 God." Renovation of nature is connected with 
 faith in Christ, and this faith is an evidence that 
 we are possessed of true christian hope. In- 
 fidelity is a gloomy hopeless system, and therefore 
 it is no wonder that a celebrated infidel, when 
 dying, declared a little before his death, that he 
 had but little hope. If he had been pooessed 
 of the faith of the gospel, he would have felt the 
 hope of the gospel, even the living hope of a future 
 glorious and incorruptible inheritance. 
 
328 TIIE GLORIOUS INHERITANCE OF 
 
 3d. Ardent gratitude and cordial thanksgiving 
 is another evidence of our possessing the living 
 hope of the gospel. Hence, all Christians who 
 have this hope are introduced in the words before 
 us as saying, " Blessed be the God and Father of 
 our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath begotten us again 
 to this living hope." Christian hope is a pleasing, 
 animating principle, and as its objects are the most 
 sublime and interesting which can be set before the 
 human mind, it is no wonder it should excite them 
 to lively gratitude and animated praise. The more 
 steadfast our hope is of enjoying the heavenly in- 
 heritance, and the nearer we approach the com- 
 pletion of our desires and expectations, the more 
 constant and cordial we shall be in this delightful 
 exercise. We shall begin to breathe the Spirit, and 
 engage in the work of the heavenly inhabitants, 
 saying, " Blessing, and honour, and glory, and 
 power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, 
 and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever." 
 
 4th. Spirituality of mind is an evidence that we 
 are possessed of this living hope. If we have interest 
 in the heavenly inheritance our treasure is in 
 heaven, and our hearts will be also there. Our 
 affections will be set on things that are above, 
 and we shall be spiritually-minded, which is life 
 and peace. We shall delight in spiritual exercises, 
 in meditation, prayer, and praise ; and we shall be 
 frequent in them, because we find them pleasing 
 and delightful. We shall discover a noble supe- 
 riority to this present world, being neither too 
 much elevated by its gains or honours, nor too 
 much depressed by its losses and disappointments. 
 Like Moses, we shall prefer affliction with the 
 people of God to all the pleasures of sin, which 
 are but for a season. We shall suffer as seeing 
 God who is invisible, because we have a respect to 
 
THE PEOPLE OF JESUS CHRIST. 329 
 
 the recompense of reward ; or, like the primitive 
 persecuted Christians, we shall take joyfully the 
 spoiling of our goods and the loss of our earthly 
 all — knowing that we have in heaven a better, 
 even an enduring substance. 
 
 5th. An ardent desire after personal and uni- 
 versal holiness is an evidence of our possessing 
 the living hope of true Christians. 1 John iii. S 
 — " Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth 
 himself, even as he is pure." The inheritance 
 which the Christian hopes to enjoy is undefiled, 
 and therefore it is obvious that he must aspire after 
 increasing purity, and growing conformity to the 
 image of God, for without this he can neither have 
 any evidence of interest in the heavenly inherit- 
 ance, nor any meetness for enjoying it ; as without 
 holiness no man shall see or can see the Lord. 
 There is nothing of which a Christian is more 
 desirous than improvement in personal purity ; he 
 is more anxious to be holy than to be wealthy and 
 honourable in this world, and therefore he is dili- 
 gent in the use of all appointed means to have sin 
 subdued and mortified, to have holy dispositions 
 strengthened and confirmed, and even to perfect 
 holiness in the fear of God. The more he ad- 
 vances in holiness the happier he becomes, and the 
 more meet for enjoying the inheritance of the 
 saints in light. 
 
 Finally. Diligence in the discharge of every 
 duty, and zealous persevering tffcrte topromeU 
 the ylory of God, the honour of t lie Redeemer^ 
 and the best interests of mankind, form a decisive 
 evidence of our being inspired with the tiring hop*' 
 of the gospel. Hope i> a lively, animating, and 
 active principle, and when it exists in the heart it 
 must excite to the most vigorous exertions to ob- 
 tain its object. The heavenly inheritance, though 
 
 P 2 
 
330 THE GLORIOUS INHERITANCE OF 
 
 a reward of grace, is not to be expected by the 
 careless, the indolent, and inactive, who do not 
 occupy with those talents they have received. The 
 slothful servant who binds up his master's talent 
 in a napkin is a wicked and unprofitable servant, 
 and has nothing to expect from his lord but repre- 
 hension and condemnation. The expectant of the 
 heavenly inheritance, therefore, must be unwearied 
 and indefatigable in his Master's service. His hope 
 of the heavenly inheritance must prompt him to 
 the cheerful and vigorous performance of every 
 duty incumbent upon him in the station he oc- 
 cupies, and sphere in which Providence has ap- 
 pointed him to move. He will awake from sloth 
 and carnal security, and by a patient continuance 
 in well-doing he will seek for glory, honour, and 
 immortality. He will be steadfast and immovable, 
 always abounding in the w r ork of the Lord ; know- 
 ing that his labour shall not be in vain in the 
 Lord. He will add to his faith fortitude, know- 
 ledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly 
 kindness, and universal benevolence ; and these 
 things being in him and abounding, he shall be 
 neither idle nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, and so an entrance shall be 
 ministered unto him abundantly into the everlasting 
 kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 
 
 From what has been said, inquire whether or 
 not you have interest in the heavenly inheritance, 
 and a living hope of finally entering upon its pos- 
 session. This examination is the more necessary, 
 as it is to be feared that many deceive themselves 
 to their eternal ruin. They hope to arrive at 
 heaven, and yet their hope is not the living hope 
 of the Christian, but the hope of the hypocrite, 
 w r hich shall perish. What has been stated in this 
 
THE PEOPLE OF JESUS CHRIST. 331 
 
 discourse may assist you in conducting this neces- 
 sary self-scrutiny. Does your hope of heaven rest 
 simply on the abundant mercy of God, through 
 the atoning death of our divine Redeemer, attest- 
 ed by his resurrection from the dead. Is it found- 
 ed on the promise of eternal life embraced by a 
 lively faith, and are you possessed of the eviden- 
 ces of being animated by this living hope which 
 we have set before you ? Have you been begot- 
 ten again to this hope, and is it the effect of a re- 
 novation of nature by the influence of the Holy 
 Spirit through the word ? Does it spring from a 
 living faith in Christ, and an humble dependence 
 upon him as your Saviour ? Does it excite you to 
 daily praise unto God, and cordial thanksgiving 
 unto him ? Does it lead you to spirituality of 
 mind, and heavenly desires and dispositions ? Does 
 it induce you to pursue after personal holiness ? 
 And, finally, does it make you diligent in the per- 
 formance of every duty, and zealous in promoting 
 the glory of God, and the good of mankind? If 
 your hope rests on these foundations, and produces 
 these happy effects, then you have reason to con- 
 clude on scriptural grounds, that it is the living hope 
 of true Christians, and that you shall receive the 
 end of your faith and hope, even the salvation of 
 your souls. 
 
 We shall conclude this discourse with an address 
 to three classes, which must include the whole of 
 our present audience. 
 
 1st. We shall address those who are animated 
 with the living hope of the gospel, and who have 
 good hope through grace. He humble, for it i^ 
 owing to the graee of Ciod, and not to any worthi- 
 ness of your own, that you have been brought 
 into your present happy condition. It is Ciod who 
 
332 THE GLORIOUS INHERITANCE OF 
 
 gives you everlasting consolation and good hope 
 through grace. Beware, therefore, of pride and 
 self-confidence, and guard against everything that 
 might darken your evidences, or deaden your 
 hope. Be not high-minded, but fear; entertain 
 lowly sentiments of yourselves and your services, 
 and do not think of yourselves more highly than you 
 ought to think ; for if your heart be lifted up, you 
 are near a fall. Let a lively sense of the divine 
 grace and goodness ever dwell upon your minds, 
 and let your gratitude to God be expressed in songs 
 of praise and thanksgiving. Make sweet melody 
 in your hearts unto the Lord, and call upon your 
 souls and all that is within you to bless and mag- 
 nify his holy name. Be comforted under all the 
 sorrows and sufferings of a present life — by the con- 
 viction that they shall all work together for your 
 good. You may be poor and afflicted, and have 
 no earthly possession you can call your own, 
 but if you have an inheritance in the heavens, 
 which is incorruptible, undefiled, and fadeth not 
 away, you have durable riches, and are happier 
 than if you could call the whole world your own. 
 Labour by every means in your power to bring 
 others, and especially kindred according to the flesh, 
 to the Saviour, that they also may be fellow heirs 
 with you of the future heavenly inheritance. By 
 your instructions and advice, your example, influ- 
 ence, and prayers, endeavour to bring them to the 
 knowledge and belief of the truth, that they also 
 may rejoice in hope of the glory that is yet to be 
 revealed. 
 
 2d. We shall address a few words to those who 
 are indifferent about their eternal interests, and 
 have no well-founded hope of future happiness. 
 The only things which engage your attention, or 
 interest your hearts, are the wealth, the pleasures, 
 
THE PEOPLE OF JESUS CHRIST. 333 
 
 and pursuits of this present world. You may in- 
 deed feel some desire after future felicity, but it is 
 not a desire for the holy happiness of heaven ; for 
 happiness arising from the favour and likeness, the 
 love and praise of God — for such happiness you 
 have no relish, and consequently can feel no desire. 
 You have set your hearts upon this world, and 
 have chosen ic as your portion, and are you satis- 
 fied with it, and feel you no desire after anything 
 more noble and permanent than it can bestow ? 
 Are you willing always to be children, and to de- 
 light in the toys of childhood, having no desire to 
 attain the perfection and happiness of your nature ? 
 What would you think of a child who should be 
 willing always to be a child, and had no desire to 
 be a man, to taste manly pleasures, and to engage 
 in manly exercises and pursuits ? and what shall 
 we say of those mean and ignoble spirits who 
 cleave to the dust, and never aspire after glory, 
 honour, and immortality. There is a meanness 
 in their desires, and there is misery connected with 
 this meanness, for no rational creature can be 
 happy but in the favour and likeness of God, or 
 in enjoyment of that inheritance which is incor- 
 ruptible, undenled, and fadeth not away, O be 
 no longer indifferent about the one thing needful, 
 do not prefer earth to heaven, or time to eternity, 
 but, turning away your eyes from viewing vanity, 
 divert them to the glorious realities of a future 
 w r orld. Choose God in Christ as your inheritance 
 and the portion of your cup, and then, when the 
 earthly house of your tabernacle shall be dissolved, 
 you shall have a building of God, a house not made 
 with hands, eternal in the heaven^. 
 
 Lastly. We shall conclude with an address to 
 those who, after all that lias been raid, are still 
 doubtful whether or not they have an interest in 
 
334 THE GLORIOUS INHERITANCE OF 
 
 the inheritance of the saints in light, and are pos- 
 sessed of the living hope of the gospel. They are 
 at a loss what judgment they ought to form of their 
 state and character in the sight of God. They 
 have their hopes, but they have also their fears, 
 and they are destitute of that full assurance of hope 
 which others have enjoyed. As this, probably, is 
 a pretty numerous class in every congregation, an 
 address to them must be somewhat pointed and 
 particular. To remove all ambiguity, let it be 
 recollected that in Scripture we read of the full 
 assurance of faith and the full assurance of hope, 
 and there seems to be a distinction between those 
 two, by not attending to which, confusion has been 
 introduced into the subject, the comfort of Chris- 
 tians diminished, and the perplexity of the doubt- 
 ful increased. The assurance of faith is a full per- 
 suasion of the truths of the gospel, particularly of 
 the accepted sacrifice of Christ, simply upon the 
 testimony of God in his word, and this assurance 
 is essential to the nature of faith, for, unless we 
 are fully convinced of the truths which God has 
 testified concerning Christ, we do not believe, we 
 are in fact unbelievers, and make God a liar. 
 Hence Christians draw near unto God in the full 
 assurance of faith in the perfect sacrifice of Jesus 
 Christ. Heb. x. 22. But the full assurance of 
 hope, or of personal interest in the blessings of the 
 gospel and the inheritance of the saints in light, is 
 founded on the evidence we possess of having 
 believed in the Saviour, or on the effect which this 
 faith produces on our temper and deportment. 
 In proportion, therefore, as we improve in humility 
 and holiness, our victory over sin, self, and a pre- 
 sent world, the evidence of the reality of our faith 
 brightens, and our hope of interest in Christ is con- 
 firmed. Every person, therefore, who believes the 
 
THE PEOPLE OF JESUS CHRIST. 335 
 
 truths of the gospel, with an assured faith in the 
 testimony of God, has not the full assurance of 
 hope, because this can only be attained by holy 
 diligence, and humble, self-denied obedience. If 
 these fruits are not apparent in our conduct, we 
 may doubt of the reality of our faith, and others 
 will doubt of the soundness of our profession and 
 the safety of our state. Thus we find Paul stood 
 in doubt of some professors in the church of Gala- 
 tia ; and surely, in such circumstances, those indi- 
 viduals might have doubted of themselves. If 
 any of us, therefore, have become remiss and 
 negligent, if we have left our first love and zeal, 
 if we are in a declining backsliding condition, we 
 ought not to dismiss our doubts as altogether 
 groundless ; but, on the contrary, we ought to be 
 jealous of ourselves, we ought to repent and to 
 do our first works, and by holy self-denied obedi- 
 ence, by walking more closely with God, by 
 watching against sin and attending to every duty, 
 we should endeavour to recover the evidences of 
 the reality of our faith, in order that we may main- 
 tain an assured hope of our interest in the heavenly 
 inheritance. The substance of what we have said 
 in this exhortation is contained in the two follow- 
 ing passages, with which we shall conclude this 
 discourse : — 2 Pet. i. 10 — " Wherefore the rather, 
 brethren, give diligence to make your calling and 
 election sure." lleb. vi. 11 — " And we desire 
 that every one of you do shew the same diligence, 
 to the full assurance of hope unto the end." And 
 now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and 
 peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope 
 through the power of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 
 
SERMON XII. 
 
 THE KING IN HIS BEAUTY AND THE LAND THAT 
 IS AFAR OFF. 
 
 Is. xxxiii. 17. 
 
 " Thine eyes shall see the King in his beauty ; they shall be- 
 hold the land that is very far off." 
 
 When an individual is renovated by the Spirit of 
 God, and his understanding opened to a perception 
 of the truth as it is in Jesus, the most glorious and 
 attractive objects are presented to his view. He 
 is brought as it were into a new world, he perceives 
 beauties and experiences pleasures which he neither 
 saw nor felt before. He not only discerns the 
 truth, connexion, and excellence of the doctrines of 
 revelation, but he is struck with the discovery he 
 obtains of the King of Zion — of the dignity of his 
 person, the extent of his kingdom, the happiness 
 of his subjects, and the glorious and incorruptible 
 inheritance he has secured for them in a future 
 world. This is the important blessing promised to 
 every believer in the words of our text, where it 
 said, that " thine eyes shall see the King in his 
 beauty, and the land that is very far off." It is 
 our intention in this discourse, 
 
 I. To consider the character of the person who 
 is here introduced and addressed. 
 
 II. Some of the discoveries with which he shall 
 be favoured. 
 
 III. Some of the effects which these discoveries 
 never fail to produce. 
 
THE KING IN HIS BEAUTY. 337 
 
 I. Let us consider the character of the person 
 who is here introduced. And we observe that he is 
 one who has been enlightened in the knowledge of 
 the great and leading doctrines of the gospel. We 
 learn from Scripture, and may know from expe- 
 rience, that as sinners we are involved in gross 
 moral darkness. We are ignorant of God, of our- 
 selves, and of the way of salvation by the Re- 
 deemer ; nor are we able by any effort of our own 
 to remove this spiritual ignorance. All Zion's 
 children, however, are taught of God, for he who 
 at first commanded the light to shine out of dark- 
 ness, shines into their minds to give them to see 
 the light of the knowledge of his glory as it shines 
 in the face of Jesus Christ, and thus they are trans- 
 lated from the kingdom of darkness, introduced into 
 the kingdom of his dear Son, and made wise unto 
 salvation. They are taught in a peculiar manner 
 to know the truth in reference to the person and 
 worth of the Redeemer, and the method of salvation 
 through him as exhibited in the gospel. This 
 knowledge, it is true, is not acquired all at once, 
 but is gradual and progressive, and always awakens 
 a serious concern about our eternal interests. It 
 is a knowledge connected with saving faith, for the 
 person here addressed, not only knows the truth, 
 but cordially believes it. He credits the testimony 
 of God concerning his Son our Saviour, and re- 
 nouncing every other ground of hope, relies upon 
 him and his perfect atonement for pardon, accept- 
 ance, and eternal life. He rests on him as the 
 foundation God hath laid in Zion, and, with the 
 ancient church, says concerning him, M Truly in 
 the Lord alone have I righte0U8I16M and strength, 
 and in him will I ever rfoiy. w But as faith works 
 by love, and love is the keeping of the command- 
 ments, he attends constantly to the duties of right- 
 
338 THE KING IN HIS BEAUTY 
 
 eousness and integrity, and therefore he is repre- 
 sented in the fifteenth verse of this chapter as one 
 who walketh righteously and speaketh uprightly. 
 His conduct is regulated by the law of the Lord, 
 the perfect rule of rectitude ; he renders to every 
 one his due, and pays a sacred regard to truth and 
 justice in his intercourse with his brethren of man- 
 kind. He gives unto God the glory that is due 
 unto his name, for he loves, fears, and serves him ; 
 he does unto others in every respect as he wishes 
 that they in similar circumstances should do unto 
 him ; and in reference to himself, he is sober and 
 temperate, and never wilfully nor habitually trans- 
 gresses the laws of christian moderation. His 
 righteousness is not occasional and temporary, but 
 uniform and persevering, for he walketh in the 
 way of righteousness, and advanceth in this path 
 to the end of his course. But the man is not 
 merely righteous and upright ; he is also humane 
 and benevolent ; he abhors cruelty and crimes, and 
 cannot look with approbation upon that which is 
 evil. Accordingly it is said of him in the preceding 
 context, that he stoppeth his ears from hearing of 
 blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil. 
 While religion sanctifies, it softens the heart, and 
 makes it sensitive to the woes and wrongs of others. 
 To the feelings of humanity, it superadds those of 
 christian benevolence, and is always accompanied 
 with a hatred of vice and a love of virtue. The 
 appearance of severity and oppression gives great 
 pain to the Christian, and he will not listen to the 
 language of impurity or calumny. While he sym- 
 pathizes with the sufferings and privations of his 
 brethren, he endeavours to the utmost of his power 
 to mitigate or remove them. In the beautiful lan- 
 guage of Scripture, " he draws out his soul to the 
 hungry, and satisfies the afflicted soul; when he 
 
AND THE LAND THAT IS AFAR OFF. 339 
 
 sees the naked he clothes them, and hides not him- 
 self from his own flesh. He is eyes to the blind, 
 feet to the lame, and the cause of the poor and 
 needy he searches out." He endeavours, in a word, 
 to the utmost of his ability, to diminish the mass 
 of human misery, and to augment the sum of 
 human happiness. Such is a brief outline of the 
 character of the person who is here introduced, and 
 to whom the promise of the text belongs. 
 
 II. Let us now proceed to consider the dis- 
 coveries with which persons of this character are 
 favoured ; " they shall see the King in his beauty, 
 and the land that is very far off." By the king 
 in this passage, some understand King Hezekiah, 
 who after the destruction of the Assyrian army, 
 was magnified in the sight of the surrounding na- 
 tions, who brought him presents and showed him 
 the greatest respect. But we apprehend that a 
 greater than Hezekiah is here. We are persuaded 
 that by the king in this verse we are to understand 
 our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of Zion and the 
 Lord of glory, who " hath on his vesture and on his 
 thigh a name w T ritten, King of kings, and Lord of 
 lords." Of this King, it is obvious the prophet 
 speaks in the beginning of the preceding chapter, 
 when he says, " Behold, a king shall reign in 
 righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment, 
 and a man (or rather the man) shall be a hiding- 
 place from the wind, and a covert from the tem- 
 pest, and U tin' ihadow of a great rock in a weary 
 land." The same illustrious personage is intro- 
 duced at the fifth and sixth verses of this chapter, 
 where it is said, t% He shall be exalted and dwell on 
 high, and fill Zion with judgment, and righteous- 
 ness, and wisdom, and knowledge shall be the sta- 
 bility of his times. The Lord is our judge, the 
 
340 THE KING IN HIS BEAUTY 
 
 Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king, he will 
 save us." From this, it is evident that the King, 
 whose beauty and excellence all true believers be- 
 hold, is our Lord Jesus Christ, who is set on the 
 holy hill of Zion, and who rules in Jacob, and unto 
 the ends of the earth. Now in addition to the many 
 advantages which persons whose character we have 
 considered enjoy — such as their dwelling on high, 
 their defence being the munition of rocks, bread 
 being given them, and their water being made sure 
 — it is promised to them, that their " eyes shall see 
 the King in his beauty, and the land that is very 
 far off." 
 
 1st. They shall see the King in his personal 
 beauty and transcendent excellence. The person 
 of Jesus Christ is the most glorious and amiable 
 object in the universe. He is the brightness of 
 the Father's glory, and the express image of his 
 person. He is Emmanuel, God with us, God mani- 
 fest in the flesh, combining all the perfections of 
 divinity with all the virtues of pure and perfect 
 humanity. All the rays of glory scattered through 
 the visible creation are collected and concentrated 
 in him, the Lord of glory ; and all the beauty, 
 whether natural or moral, which in this world we 
 admire, is but a faint emanation from him, the Sun 
 of righteousness and the light of the world. He 
 is the light and life of both dispensations and 
 both worlds, uniting heaven to earth, and man to 
 his Maker. They who are blind to his excellence 
 are still involved in gross moral darkness, for the 
 light shineth in darkness and the darkness com- 
 prehends it not. Though during his sojourn here 
 in this world his glory was veiled with the robe of 
 humanity, yet some rays of it burst at times from 
 under this covering, to the admiration and delight of 
 those who beheld them, and now his glory shines in 
 
AND THE LAND THAT IS AFAR OFF. 341 
 
 the heavenly world with unveiled splendour, for the 
 Lamb is the light thereof. The personal beauty 
 of Christ is perceived by every believer, with the 
 eye of faith, in this world ; and in the world to 
 come he shall obtain a full and satisfying vision of 
 this glory, for the prayer of the Redeemer shall 
 then be realized — " Father, I will that they also 
 whom thou hast oriven me be with me where I am, 
 that they may behold my glory." But who can 
 describe the beauty and excellence of our Saviour's 
 person ? Who can add brightness to the light, or 
 whiteness to the driven snow? Even they who 
 have beheld the beauty of the King of Zion in the 
 word and ordinances upon earth are unable to de- 
 scribe its transcendent excellence, and can onlv 
 adopt the admiring language of the prophet, and 
 exclaim, " How great his goodness, and how 
 great his beauty ! One thing have we desired of 
 the Lord, and that will we seek after ; that all the 
 days of our lives we may dwell in the house of the 
 Lord, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to in- 
 quire in his temple." Solomon, when seated on his 
 splendid throne, and arrayed in his royal robes, 
 must have been a dignified and imposing personage: 
 but Solomon in all his glory is no more to be com- 
 pared with the King of Zion, than the twinkling of 
 the midnight star is to be compared with the splen- 
 dour of the meridian sun. 
 
 2d. Believers shall also behold the King of 
 Zion in the excellence of his official character. 
 Our Saviour, we learn from Scripture, is anointed 
 to execute three important offices, and in his offi- 
 cial character is wisely and wonderfullv adapted to 
 our wants and weakness, and qualified to remo 
 our ignorance, our guilt, and our miserv. As our 
 heavenly instructor he not only ^ets before us the 
 truths of the gospel, but by the influence of the 
 
342 THE KING IN HIS BEAUTY 
 
 Spirit he enlightens the minds of his people to 
 see them in their connection and excellence. As 
 the light of the world he shines into their minds, 
 dispelling the clouds of darkness and ignorance, 
 and introducing a bright and cheerful day of light 
 and spiritual discernment. He opens blind eyes, 
 and brings forth the prisoner out of the prison, 
 and them that sit in darkness out of the prison- 
 house. Thus they who were once darkness are 
 made light in the Lord — they are translated from 
 the kingdom of darkness, and introduced to the 
 kingdom of God's dear Son. But his people are 
 also guilty, and their sins must be expiated by an 
 adequate atonement, in order to their being for- 
 given. With this view, as their great high 
 priest, he gave himself for them a sacrifice and an 
 offering unto God for a sweet smelling savour. 
 He bore their sins in his own body on the tree, 
 and by one offering has for ever perfected them 
 who are sanctified. In virtue of this sacrifice he 
 entered into the heavenly world, appears in the 
 presence of God, and ever lives to make interces- 
 sion for his people, and is therefore able to save 
 to the uttermost all that come unto God by him. 
 Believers then behold him as a priest upon his 
 throne, reigning as a sovereign over those he re- 
 deemed with his blood. The regal office of Christ 
 is the one which is expressly mentioned in our 
 text, and deserves our particular attention. It 
 must be evident to those who peruse the Scrip- 
 tures, that the sacred writers frequently style 
 Christ a king ; nay, we find him sometimes claim- 
 ing this character to himself. Thus, when Pilate 
 asked him, while standing before him in judgment, 
 " Art thou a king ?" his reply was in effect the 
 following : — " Thou sayest that I am. I am pos- 
 sessed of that office, and for this end was I born, 
 
AND TIIE LAND THAT IS AFAR OFF. 343 
 
 and for this cause came I into the world, that I 
 might bear witness to the truth ; and however 
 mean and contemptible I may now appear in your 
 presence, hereafter ye shall see me coming in my 
 glory, and sitting upon my throne." As his sub- 
 jects in this world, in their natural estate, were his 
 enemies, he exerts his regal power in subduing 
 them unto himself; not, however, by compelling 
 them to yield a reluctant submission to his autho- 
 rity, but by making them willing, in a day of his 
 power, to claim him as their rightful sovereign, and 
 cordially to obey his most holy law. He governs 
 his subjects by his word and Spirit, writes his law 
 upon their hearts, protects them from the dangers 
 to which they are exposed, and, subduing the power 
 of their enemies, destroys them, and thus saves 
 them with an everlasting salvation. How amiable 
 is Christ in his regal character, and how happy 
 are all they who are subject to his authority ! He 
 is infinitely superior to the greatest sovereign who 
 ever reigned in this world. They are only frail 
 and feeble mortals, but he is the mighty God, the 
 Lord from heaven, and the King eternal. Other 
 kings are limited in their authority, but his domin- 
 ion is universal ; for all power in heaven and in 
 earth is committed unto him. Other sovereigns 
 may sit on magnificent thrones, be dressed in royal 
 apparel, and crowned with costly diadems, but 
 Christ sitteth upon a throne of glory, is clothed 
 with the garments of salvation, and has upon his 
 head many crowns. The treasures of other sove- 
 reigns may be spent in schemes of mad ambition 
 and personal aggrandizement, but the riches of the 
 King of Zion are unsearchable and inexhaustible, 
 and are employed in promoting and pe rfe c ti ng the 
 happiness of his subjects. The victories of other 
 sovereigns are frequently gained with the loss of 
 
344 THE KING IN IIIS BEAUTY 
 
 much blood and treasure, and often accompanied 
 with the degradation or destruction of the van- 
 quished, but the victories of the King of Zion are 
 bloodless and peaceful victories : they are the vic- 
 tories of truth over error — of knowledge over ig- 
 norance, and are always connected with the liberty 
 and happiness of the conquered. The attendants 
 of earthly sovereigns are a few titled mortals, who 
 are often unable to protect them from the dan- 
 gers which surround them, but the King of Zion 
 is attended with myriads of superior beings, 
 angels who excel in strength, and are ever ready 
 to execute his commands. Other sovereigns are 
 haughty, and will not listen to the petitions of 
 their people ; but Christ is a kind and condescend- 
 ing sovereign, who hears and answers the suppli- 
 cations of those who apply unto him for aid or 
 relief. Other sovereigns sometimes become cruel 
 and tyrannical, unjust and oppressive, and, in the 
 administration of their government, deprive their 
 subjects of their rights and privileges ; but Christ 
 Jesus reigns in righteousness, and for the good of 
 his subjects, for the sceptre of his kingdom is a 
 right sceptre. Other sovereigns being mortal, 
 leave their thrones, and after a few years are laid 
 in the dust with the meanest of their subjects, but 
 Christ is an immortal King who lives and reigns 
 for ever, and because he lives and reigns, his 
 people shall live and reign with him. How 
 amiable then is Christ in his royal character, 
 and what reason have all the children of Zion 
 to be joyful in their King ! They see abun- 
 dant reason for the injunction of the prophet, 
 Zech. ix. 9, " Rejoice greatly, O daughter of 
 Zion ; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem : behold, 
 thy King cometh unto thee : he is just, and having 
 salvation ;" for he has eternal life to bestow upon 
 
AND THE LAND THAT IS AFAR OFF. 34.") 
 
 all his subjects in a future world — in that better 
 country, which is an heavenly. 
 
 3d. This leads us to observe, that persons of 
 the character we have described shall also see the 
 land that is a very far off. With respect to the 
 locality of this land, we have reason from Scrip- 
 ture to believe that it is at an immense dis- 
 tance from this earth, but we ought to be more 
 attentive to its nature and excellence than to its 
 local situation. In Scripture it is said to be the 
 paradise of God, an incorruptible inheritance, a 
 better, an heavenly country, wherein dwelleth 
 righteousness. Believers behold this land, not 
 with the bodily eye as Moses saw the land of 
 Canaan from the top of Mount Nebo, nor as Paul 
 saw it when he was caught up into paradise. 
 They have no immediate discovery of heavenly 
 glory while they remain in this world ; they ?ee it 
 only by faith receiving the divine testimony con- 
 cerning it ; and this is undoubtedly a sufficient 
 ground for our belief in the reality of its existence, 
 for, if we receive the testimony of man, the testi- 
 mony of God is greater or more worthy of credit. 
 We believe in the existence of many lands which 
 we have not seen, simply upon the testimony 
 of Othen who have visited them. It is upon 
 this ground we believe in the existence of the land 
 of Palestine, and of many islands scattered over 
 the surface of the vast Pacific Ocean : and if we 
 believe in the existence of these lands upon the 
 testimony of man, shall we not believe in the exis- 
 tence of this land that is a very far off, upon the 
 
 -timony of God who cannot lie? But believers 
 are not only convinced of the reality of this hind — 
 they also see it in its glory and excellence. The 
 
 beauty and excellence of this land are represented 
 in Scripture by every figure which CU give us an 
 
 Q 
 
346 THE KING IN HIS BEAUTY 
 
 idea of its riches and happiness ; and yet, after all, 
 we are able to form but very inadequate concep- 
 tions of its glory. We know, however, that it is 
 free from all the evils which adhere to the best 
 countries upon the face of the earth — sin, suffering, 
 and death, and that its good things are superior to 
 the best things which are to be found in the most 
 favoured countries upon this globe. In this happy 
 land there is no sin, for its inhabitants are perfectly 
 holy, and nothing that defileth can enter into it. 
 In this land there is no sorrow, for all tears are 
 wiped away from the eyes of the happy inhabitants ; 
 and in this land there is no death, for its inhabitants 
 are immortal, and can die no more. Its riches are 
 durable riches, its honours are unfading, and its 
 pleasures are pure and permanent. Here we may 
 be oppressed with poverty, but there they have 
 constant abundance : here we may be exposed to 
 dishonour, but there they wear for ever a crown of 
 glory : and here our pleasures are transitory and 
 unsatisfactory, but there are fulness of joy and 
 pleasures for evermore. The productions of this 
 land that is a very far off, are more precious, and its 
 society more select and improving, than any to be 
 found in this world. There grows the tree of life, 
 bearing twelve manner of fruits ; there flows the 
 river of life, proceeding from the throne of God and 
 the Lamb, and there dwell all the excellent ones of 
 the earth who have gone before us — the patriarchs, 
 prophets, and apostles, and holy men, of whom this 
 world was not worthy. But believers not only see 
 the transcendent excellence of this far distant land; 
 they behold their right to the enjoyment of it 
 secured by the death and resurrection of Jesus 
 Christ, and by his entering upon the possession of 
 it as their illustrious forerunner. They have also, 
 through grace, obtained a meetness for the hea- 
 
AND THE LAND THAT IS AFAR OFF. 34/ 
 
 venly inheritance, and, by the inhabitation of the 
 Spirit, they have a present earnest of it, while in due 
 time they shall enter upon it. Though this land, 
 indeed, is at present a very far off, yet this shall not 
 prevent them from entering upon its possession im- 
 mediately after their departure out of this world; for 
 if a ray of light travels at the rate of two hundred 
 thousand miles in a second, why may not the soul of 
 a Christian, which is spiritual, pass in a few mo- 
 ments into this far distant land? Did not an angel 
 come from heaven to Daniel during the short time 
 of his supplication ? and did not our Saviour say to 
 the penitent thief upon the cross, " To-day shalt 
 thou be with me in paradise?" When Christians 
 are absent from the body, they are present with the 
 Lord ; and whenever they pass the Jordan of death 
 they enter the heavenly Canaan. Accordingly, an 
 eminent saint declared, a little before his death, to 
 those who stood around him, " Hitherto I have 
 viewed heaven as a fixed star, bright, indeed, but 
 distant ; but now it seems to come near to me, and 
 to be full in my view : its glory beams upon me, 
 its breezes fan me, its odours are wafted to me, and 
 its sounds fall on my ear as the sweetest music. 
 Nothing separates me from this land but the river, 
 or rather rill, of death, which appears so small that 
 I think 1 could cross it at a single step. But 
 what shall I say ? my words are swallowed up — 
 I desire to depart and to be with Christ, which i^ 
 far better." 
 
 III. Let us now proceed to advert to some of the 
 effects which the discoveries we have considered 
 never fail to produce. 
 
 1st. These discoveries must produce tin most 
 ardent love ami the highest <st<tm. Love, we 
 know, always arises from the perception of real or 
 imaginary excellence. When we behold natural 
 
348 THE KING IN niS BEAUTY 
 
 beauty we admire it, and when we discover moral 
 excellence we esteem it : those, therefore, who see 
 the King in his beauty and excellence must love 
 and esteem him. When their minds are enlightened 
 to perceive his divine and mediatorial glory ; when 
 they see him in the dignity of his person and the 
 suitableness of his official character, love must fill 
 their hearts, and he must become the object of 
 their highest esteem, their constant desire, and 
 their supreme delight. They will say of him, Whom 
 have we in the heavens but thee, and there is none 
 upon all this earth we desire besides thee, or in 
 comparison with thee. If, therefore, you have 
 seen the King in his beauty, you will love him with 
 supreme affection, and every new view you obtain 
 of his loveliness and love will increase this holy 
 affection, and make it burn with growing ardour. 
 
 2d. These discoveries will produce increasing 
 conformity to Jesus Christ. Beholding his glory 
 as in a glass, we shall be changed into the same 
 image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of 
 the Lord. The power which the constant contem- 
 plation of a beloved object has to transform us into 
 its own likeness is known to all who are acquainted 
 with human nature. We are insensibly assimilated 
 to those we dearly love and daily admire ; we 
 imbibe their spirit, form upon their manners, and 
 imitate their deportment. This is so much the 
 case, that accurate observers of men and manners, 
 from the behaviour of any individual, can pronounce 
 with considerable certainty with whom he has in 
 general associated. Christians, therefore, who 
 behold the beauty of the King of Zion, and main- 
 tain constant fellowship with him, will grow up 
 unto him in all things, and become the living visi- 
 ble image of him they love. Every new discovery 
 of his beauty and excellence will leave some addi- 
 
AND THE LAND THAT IS AFAR O^F. 349 
 
 tional traces of his likeness, and thus they will be 
 gradually assimilated unto him, until at last they 
 see him as he is, and be for ever with the Lord. 
 
 3d. The discoveries we have considered will also 
 increase our spirituality of mind, and our delight 
 in the holy duties and institutions of religion. A 
 sight of the beauty of Christ, and of the heavenly 
 country, will elevate our minds above the vain 
 transitory objects of this world, and raise our af- 
 fections to the things which are above. Unre- 
 generate men never saw anything better than this 
 world can bestow, and therefore their hearts are 
 set upon it, and they seek for happiness in its 
 pleasures and enjoyments ; but, when their minds 
 are opened to perceive the reality and superior ex- 
 cellence of the heavenly world, the glory of this 
 world is obscured, and they cease to love it with 
 immoderate affection. We may admire the beauty 
 of the moon and stars, but it is only during the 
 night, for when the sun rises their glory disappears, 
 and we rejoice in the lustre of that glorious lumi- 
 nary. In like manner we may love and admire 
 this world, but it is only during the night of our 
 spiritual darkness, for when the light of the Sun of 
 righteousness shines upon us the world ceases to 
 be the object of our love and ardent admiration, 
 while Christ becomes our all in all. We shall 
 then delight in religious duties, in reading, medi- 
 tation, and attendance upon instituted ordinance 
 we shall be diligent in searching the Scripture-, 
 because they testify of Christ, and exhibit to u> 
 the happiness of the heavenly world ; we shall be 
 regular and devout in the services of the sanctuary, 
 and regard them not merely as our duty, but. 
 our honour and our privilege ; we shall be 
 glad when it is said unto us, (Jo ye up unto the 
 house of the Lord, and in going to it we shall Bay 
 
350 THE KING IN HIS BEAUTY 
 
 with the Psalmist, Ps. lxiii. 1,2, " O God, thou 
 art our God ; early will we seek thee : our souls 
 thirst for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no 
 water is ; to see thy power and thy glory, so as we 
 have seen thee in the sanctuary." 
 
 4th. These discoveries will produce an ardent 
 longing to behold Christ in his glory , and to enter 
 upon the enjoyment of the celestial Canaan. Per- 
 ceiving the excellence of Jesus Christ, and dis- 
 covering by the eye of faith the land that lies be- 
 yond the Jordan of death, we will feel a desire to 
 depart and to enter upon the better country, that is, 
 an heavenly. As Moses, perhaps, never felt a 
 stronger desire to go over to the earthly Canaan 
 than when he viewed it from the top of Nebo, so 
 the Christian never feels a stronger desire to enter 
 the heavenly world than when by faith he sees the 
 King in his beauty, and the land that is a very far 
 off. The discovery must excite desire, and desire 
 longs for enjoyment. This world at best is a dry 
 and thirsty land, in which there is no water : it is 
 a land polluted by sin, shaded by sorrow, and 
 darkened by death ; but the land of promise is a 
 land of perfect purity, fulness of joy, and deathless 
 life. Here we have sin remaining in us to distress 
 us, but there perfect holiness shall adorn our 
 nature ; here we are assailed with temptation, but 
 there no tempter shall enter to seduce us from the 
 path of duty ; here we live in a land of distance 
 from Christ, and of darkness, but there we shall 
 be near unto and ever with the Lord. It is no 
 wonder, therefore, that believers in Christ should 
 long to quit these regions of sin, of shadows, and 
 of sorrow, and to enter upon the land of purity, of 
 light and joy, where, free from every evil, and in 
 the possession of a satisfying good, they shall see 
 the unveiled beauty of the Redeemer, and be for 
 
AND THE LAND THAT IS AFAR OFF. 351 
 
 ever with the Lord. " O, when shall the day break, 
 and the shadows flee away ! haste, my beloved, 
 and be like a roe or a young hart upon the moun- 
 tains of Bether." " Behold,'' says the Saviour, 
 u I come quickly," — " Amen," replies the longing 
 Christian ; " even so come, Lord Jesus." 
 
 1st. From what has been said in illustrating this 
 subject, you may see what are the great outlines of 
 the true Christian's character. All real Christians 
 believe the truths and practise the duties of our 
 holy religion. They walk in all the command- 
 ments and ordinances of the Lord, studying to be 
 blameless. They combine piety with justice, and 
 righteousness with humanity and christian kindness. 
 They have seen the glory and excellence of Jesus 
 Christ, and of the land that is a very far off, and 
 these discoveries have produced their appropriate 
 effects upon their temper and conduct. They love 
 Christ with supreme affection, they are formed into 
 a resemblance of his image, their hearts are detached 
 from this world and set on things above. They at- 
 tend upon ordinances, to see the glory of Christ and 
 maintain intercourse with him, and they long in- 
 cessantly to see Christ as he is — to behold his 
 glory unveiled, and to be for ever with the Lord. 
 If, upon serious examination, you find that this is 
 your genuine character, and these are your pious 
 feelings and desires, you have reason to conclude 
 that you are true Christians, and that, having seen 
 the King in his beauty, and the land that is afar 
 off, by faith upon this earth, you shall see Christ 
 in all his glory, and dwell for ever with him in the 
 heavenly world. 
 
 2d. From what has been said, you may learn 
 the superior spiritual discernment and happiness 
 of the righteous, and the mental blindness and 
 increasing misery of the wicked and ungodly- 
 
352 the king in nis beauty 
 
 Though believers may not be possessed of superior 
 talents or scientific acquirements, yet they have 
 been taught of God to know the truth, to discover 
 the glory and excellence of the Saviour, and to 
 rely upon him for life and salvation. Their illu- 
 mination and happiness are progressive, and in 
 this respect they resemble a person ascending a 
 mountain with a beautiful variegated landscape be- 
 fore him. As they advance, new objects burst upon 
 their view and delight their sight, until, having 
 reached the summit, they wing their way to the 
 celestial world, when the objects which delighted 
 them in distant prospect are seen invested with hea- 
 venly radiance, and fill them with astonishment and 
 rapture. How blind then must they be who are des- 
 titute of spiritual perception, and how miserable 
 while involved in moral darkness ! As holiness 
 and happiness spring from spiritual discernment, 
 so impurity and misery are associated with mental 
 blindness. To behold the beauty of the Saviour, 
 and the reality and excellence of the heavenly 
 world, and discern our interest in both, is celestial 
 happiness begun ; and to see it in perfection shall 
 be happiness consummated. But to be blind to 
 the excellence of Christ and the glory of the hea- 
 venly inheritance, is hell begun ; and if we remain 
 in this state our mental darkness shall deepen until 
 it terminate in the blackness of darkness for ever. 
 Lastly, from this subject we may see with what 
 desires and dispositions Christians should attend 
 upon the ordinances of our religion. They are 
 the means of exhibiting the glory of Christ, 
 and directing our views to the heavenly world. 
 " In all places where I record my name will I 
 come, and I will bless you." " Where two or 
 three are met together in my name, there am I in 
 the midst of them." Depending upon these pro- 
 
AND THE LAND THAT IS AFAR OFF. 353 
 
 mises and gracious assurances, which have been 
 realized in the experience of many, Christians 
 should attend on public ordinances with earnest 
 desires and enlarged expectations — with a regard 
 to the authority of the King of Zion in appointing 
 them, and a desire to see his glory and to feel his 
 power as they have been seen and felt in the 
 sanctuary ; and, sensible of their need of the reviv- 
 ing influences of the Spirit to bring holy disposi- 
 tions into lively exercise, they ought to pray in 
 the words of the Psalmist, Ps. xliii. 3, 4, " O send 
 out thy light and thy truth : let them lead me, let 
 them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy taber- 
 nacles. Then will I go unto the altar of God, un- 
 to God my exceeding joy : yea, upon the harp 
 will I praise thee, O God, my God." Amen. 
 
 u 2 
 
SERMON XIII. 
 
 THE GOOD WORK BEGUN AND CARRIED ON UNTIL 
 THE DAY OF THE LORD. 
 
 Phil. i. 6. 
 
 1 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath be- 
 gun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Jesus 
 Christ." 
 
 Confidence in subjects of a doubtful nature has 
 generally and justly been considered as an evident 
 mark of ignorance and folly. Were we duly sen- 
 sible of our limited capacities — of the weakness of 
 our understandings, and our liableness to be de- 
 ceived by false appearances, we would be extremely 
 diffident in judging of facts or opinions, when the 
 evidence in the smallest degree is imperfect and 
 defective. Some truths, indeed, are so plain and 
 obvious, that to dispute or deny them, would argue 
 the greatest degree of obstinacy and incredulity, 
 and show that we had imbibed the principles of 
 scepticism and infidelity. There are other truths, 
 however, which, though not discovered by the light 
 of nature, yet being clearly revealed in Scripture, 
 must be admitted as facts by all those who do not 
 deny divine revelation. Although some of these 
 rest only upon the authority of Scripture, yet they 
 are accordant with right reason, and admit of such 
 an appeal unto her impartial decision, as tends 
 directly to strengthen and confirm them. Of this 
 nature, we apprehend, is the important sentiment 
 contained in the words of our reading, and which 
 is to form the subject of our present meditations. 
 In prosecuting this subject, the method we propose 
 to observe is, 
 
THE GOOD WORK. 355 
 
 I. To show you what we are to understand by 
 the good work, and why it is thus denominated. 
 
 II. To illustrate the character of those in whom 
 this work is begun. 
 
 III. To lay before you the grounds upon which 
 they may be confident that this work shall be 
 brought to a happy and glorious consummation. 
 
 And then we shall conclude with some practical 
 improvement of what may be delivered. 
 
 I. We are to show you what we are to under- 
 stand by the good work, and why it is thus deno- 
 minated. And here in general we observe, that 
 by this good work we are evidently to understand 
 that saving operation of sovereign grace in the 
 soul, which renders the person who is the happy 
 subject of it a new creature in Christ Jesus. It is 
 a work wholly of an internal nature, produced in 
 the heart by the power of divine grace, and con- 
 sists in nothing that is outward and visible. This 
 is evident from the words of the text : " he who 
 hath begun a good work in you." The soul of 
 man in its natural state may be justly compared to 
 a building laid in ruins. In its original formation 
 it was a fair and beautiful temple, sacred to the resi- 
 dence and consecrated to the service of God ; 
 but now by sin, as by the hand of an enemy, it is 
 defaced and destroyed. All its powers and facul- 
 ties are weakened and disordered, covered with 
 darkness, and stained with guilt; so that, like the 
 Jewish temple when destroyed, we may say con- 
 cerning it, "the Mones are poured out, the altar 
 thrown down, the holy tire extinguished, and the 
 
 glory of God departed.' 1 This good work in the 
 
 soul then consists in rebuilding this temple, and in 
 
 fitting it for the habitation and service of God. 
 The foundation is laid in renewing us in the spirit 
 
356 THE GOOD WORK. 
 
 of our minds, in deep humiliation upon account of 
 sin and lively faith in Jesus Christ, and the super- 
 structure is raised amid much opposition in increas- 
 ing knowledge, holiness, and spiritual joy. The 
 soul once dead in trespasses and sins is quickened, 
 the person once ignorant of God is made wise unto 
 salvation, and he who once was serving divers lusts 
 and pleasures, aspires after nobler enjoyments, 
 being formed to the love and likeness of God. In 
 short, being born again, he becomes a new crea- 
 ture in Jesus, all old things passing away, and all 
 things becoming new. Let none imagine, there- 
 fore, that this work consists in temporary impres- 
 sions, in ardent feelings, or partial reformation ; for, 
 however lively your feelings at times may be, or 
 however far you may go in the externals of reli- 
 gion, if no saving change be produced in your 
 hearts, if you are not renewed in the spirit of your 
 minds, you are strangers to this good work, and 
 are still in the gall of bitterness and bond of ini- 
 quity. This work, which we have shortly consi- 
 dered, may certainly with high propriety be deno- 
 minated good, and that upon the two following 
 accounts : — 
 
 1st. It may be styled a good work, because God, 
 ivho is infinitely good, is the great and sole 
 author of it. Eph. ii. 10 — M We are his work- 
 manship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works." 
 Although God may employ means and subor- 
 dinate instruments in accomplishing this work, 
 yet as these are appointed by him, and derive all 
 their virtue and efficacy from him, he is justly 
 considered as the great author of the whole. Now, 
 if this be a work of God, must it not be good? 
 Can any thing of an opposite nature come from 
 his holy hand ? When he created this world and 
 all things in it, he saw and said that they were 
 
THE GOOD WOKK. Oi / 
 
 good ; and when he works this work in the soul of 
 man, it must bear his image and partake of his na- 
 ture, and therefore with great propriety is deno- 
 minated good. 
 
 2d. This work may be styled good, because it 
 renders those in whom it is produced truly good, 
 and qualifies them for the performance of those 
 works which deserve to be called good. Whatever 
 ideas some may have of the dignity and excellence 
 of human nature in its fallen state, one who was well 
 acquainted with it under the influence of the Spirit 
 declares, " in me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no 
 good thing." Although the hearts of worldly and vi- 
 cious men in w 7 hom this work is not begun, may, in 
 the fashionable and flattering style of modern times, 
 be called good, yet in the just and accurate language 
 of Scripture they are said to be little worth. Some 
 men, indeed, from their natural constitution, may 
 discover more sweetness of temper and humanity 
 than others ; but no man by nature, and before 
 this good work commences in his soul, is possessed 
 of the graces of the Spirit, of that love and benevo- 
 lence, that humility and meekness, which the gospel 
 requires. It is this work alone that renders a man 
 
 »<1, benevolent, and divine, that gives him new 
 principles and dispositions, that makes him a new 
 creature, and qualifies him for the performance of 
 those works which are pleasing unto God, as w T ell 
 as profitable unto men. However much, there- 
 tore, some men may contend for the goodness of 
 their own actions, and press others who are dead in 
 
 trespasses and sins to the performance of good 
 
 works; the declaration of Scripture upon this 
 point is BS plain Bfl it is decisive, that we must be 
 created anew in Christ Jesus unto these good 
 works. Until we experience this changes we are 
 BS incapable of performing Works that are good in 
 
358 THE GOOD WORK. 
 
 the estimation of God, as a dead body is of per- 
 forming the ordinary duties of life. Action neces- 
 sarily supposes life, and good actions a good heart 
 from whence they proceed, for actions are to the 
 heart what fruit is to the tree, or streams to the 
 fountain — they show it to be good or bad, but they 
 make it neither. When God, therefore, performs 
 this good work in the soul — when he accomplishes 
 that gracious promise, " a new heart also will I 
 give unto you, and a right spirit will I put within 
 you" — then the person becomes good, amiable, and 
 excellent, partaker of a divine nature, and possessed 
 of those principles and dispositions which are ne- 
 cessary to the performance of good works. 
 
 II. We now proceed to illustrate the character 
 of those in whom this work is begun. 
 
 1st. We observe that persons of this character 
 will be sensible of some difference between their 
 present and their former condition. We do not 
 affirm that every individual of this description must 
 be able to ascertain the period of his conversion, 
 or to explain the manner in which it commenced. 
 Few real Christians, we believe, are capable of 
 doing either. The work of the Spirit is myste- 
 rious and inexplicable, for the wind bloweth where 
 it listeth, and we hear the sound thereof, but can- 
 not tell whence it cometh, or whether it goeth : so 
 is every one that is born of the Spirit. That there 
 will be a perceptible difference, however, between 
 their former and present state, seems to be evident 
 from Scripture and the experience of the people 
 of God. They are said in Scripture to be brought 
 from darkness to light, from bondage to liberty, 
 from sickness to health, and from death to life. 
 The transition here is so great and remarkable, 
 that it can hardly be supposed to take place with- 
 
THE GOOD WORK. 359 
 
 out the perception of some sensible change. Al- 
 though the precise moment when it commenced 
 cannot be ascertained, yet, from the effects they 
 will be led to say, one thing we know, that, whereas 
 we were once blind, now we see. Whereas sin 
 was formerly the object of our desire and delight, 
 it is now become the object of our hatred and 
 aversion. Unto holiness we once discovered an 
 irreconcilable hatred, but now we perceive its 
 excellence, and esteem and pursue it with the 
 greatest eagerness. Christ formerly appeared unto 
 us as a root out of a dry ground, having no 
 form or comeliness wherefore he should be de- 
 sired ; but now we see him to be the chief among 
 ten thousands, and altogether lovely. Once we 
 were careless of our souls, and neglected their 
 salvation, while death, judgment, and eternity were 
 seldom in our thoughts ; but now we see in some 
 measure their inestimable value, and are concerned 
 for their eternal welfare. In religious duties, such 
 as prayer and praise, we formerly had no delight : 
 but now they are pleasant and agreeable, and from 
 their performance we derive the greatest pleasure 
 and the greatest comfort. Once we were careless 
 of our company, prodigal of our time, and vain, if 
 not vicious, in our conversation ; but now we asso- 
 ciate with the serious, we improve our passing 
 moments, and study, in our conversation, sobriety 
 and usefulness. Once, in short, we had no relish 
 for the word of God, and therefore read it with in- 
 difference, or heard it with inattention : but now 
 it is the very food of our souls, and sweeter unto 
 our taste than honey from the comb. Now we 
 know that man does not live by bread alone, but 
 by every word that proeeeileth from the mouth of 
 God) and now we ean Bay with the ancient church. 
 Thy word was found of us, and we did eat it, and 
 
360 THE GOOD WORK. 
 
 it was unto us the joy and rejoicing of our heart. 
 Thus, in general, it will be found that persons in 
 whom a good work is begun, will be sensible of 
 some difference between their present and their 
 former state. There is one obvious exception, 
 however, from this general rule, which, for the sake 
 of those to whom it may apply, w r e shall briefly 
 mention. It is this. When persons are sanctified 
 from the womb, and early called by divine grace, 
 they may be unable to remark any difference of 
 this nature : they cannot recollect a period when 
 they committed sin with greediness, when religious 
 duty was neglected, or when the Saviour was not 
 precious to their souls : from their earliest years 
 they have known the Scriptures, attended unto 
 duty, and felt some delight in the service of God. 
 Now, it would be highly improper in such persons 
 to conclude, that because they perceive no dif- 
 ference between their present and their former 
 state, they are therefore strangers to a good work, 
 and have never tasted that the Lord is gracious. 
 If they see sin to be the greatest evil, and holiness 
 to be the health and happiness of the soul; if 
 they feel supreme love unto God, and joy in 
 him through Christ Jesus, by whom we have re- 
 ceived the atonement, they may safely conclude 
 that this work is begun in their hearts, although 
 they cannot say when, or how, it commenced. 
 
 2d. Those in whom a good work is begun, will 
 ascribe the undivided glory of its production unto 
 the power and grace of the Lord their God. 
 This is a work which, they are sensible, by their 
 own power and wisdom they never could have ac- 
 complished. " Can the Ethiopian change his skin, 
 or the leopard his spots ? then may ye who are ac- 
 customed to do evil, learn to do well." To enlighten 
 the mind and purify the heart, to implant new 
 
THE GOOD WORK. 
 
 301 
 
 principles and to excite new desires, is a work 
 which almighty grace alone can accomplish, and 
 therefore this grace deserves all the praise. Hence 
 it is that we find in Scripture the regenerate ascrib- 
 ing such grateful praise unto the grace of God : 
 w not unto us, not unto us, but unto thy name be 
 all the praise. Tsot by works of righteousness that 
 we have done, but according to his mercy he saved 
 08 by the washing of regeneration, and the renew- 
 ing of the Holy Ghost." While those who are 
 living in sin, and consequently strangers to the 
 operation of this grace upon their souls, have high 
 ideas of their own natural ability, and imagine they 
 can at pleasure renew their hearts and reform 
 their lives, those who are really sanctified by di- 
 vine grace, disclaim all pretensions of this nature, 
 and ascribe the glory of their begun salvation unto 
 saving and sovereign grace. They acknowledge, 
 with the Apostle, Phil. ii. 13, that it is God 
 who worketh in them, both to will and to do of his 
 good pleasure. Struck with the riches of his dis- 
 tinguishing love unto their souls, they begin the 
 Bong of Zion in this distant land, saying, " Unto 
 him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in 
 his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests 
 unto God and his father; to him be glory, and 
 dominion, for ever and ever. Amen." 
 
 3d. The persona in whom this good work is be- 
 gun, will discover the greatest loVi unto tin mtdns 
 
 appointed by infinite wisdom Jbr carrying it on 
 in their souls. Of these means, none who are ac- 
 quainted with the first principles of Christianity can 
 
 be entirely ignorant. They are such as reading 
 
 and hearing the word, attending upon ordinances, 
 
 Stated and solemn prayer and meditation, self-e\- 
 
 amination and religions conference* These are 
 
 means of divine institution, and which are 
 
362 TI1E GOOD WORK. 
 
 admirably calculated, by the blessing of God, for 
 promoting the good work, and carrying it forward 
 to full perfection. By the regular use of these 
 means, the principles implanted in the hearts of 
 the children of God, are exercised and strengthened, 
 their knowledge is increased, their holiness ad- 
 vanced, and their edification and comfort greatly 
 promoted. These are the appointed channels by 
 which God communicates grace and comfort unto 
 their hearts, and therefore they love them and wait 
 upon them. Hence it is, that we find all those 
 whom the Scripture describes as persons in whom 
 this work had commenced, paying the greatest 
 attention to the means of grace. The Bereans 
 searched the Scriptures daily, and David and 
 Daniel prayed several times a day unto God. 
 Isaac went out to meditate at the evening tide, and 
 they that feared the Lord in the days of Malachi, 
 spake often one to another, and a book of remem- 
 brance was written. But it is carefully to be ob- 
 served, that the children of God not only use, but 
 love the means of divine appointment. It is this 
 which, in a peculiar manner, distinguishes them 
 from nominal Christians and formal professors. 
 Many, it is to be feared, attend upon some of 
 these means, without any love unto them or unto 
 God in their hearts. They wait upon them to 
 silence the clamours of an accusing conscience, 
 and maintain an external decency of character 
 among Christians. But these means, while they 
 wait upon them, they do not love ; they do not 
 esteem them as institutions of heavenly wisdom, 
 nor do they attend upon them with a single and 
 sincere desire to receive spiritual benefit and 
 growth in grace. This is the character of the 
 children of God, and distinguishes them from spe- 
 cious hypocrites of every description. They love 
 
THE GOOD WORK. 363 
 
 the means, as institutions of heavenly wisdom, 
 and attend upon them for the great and important 
 purpose for which they were appointed. They 
 desire the sincere milk of the word, that they may 
 grow thereby, and go unto the altar of God, and 
 unto God, their exceeding joy. With conscious in- 
 tegrity they can say with the Psalmist, Ps. lxxxiv. 
 1,2, " How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord 
 of hosts ! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for 
 the courts of the Lord ; my heart and my flesh 
 crieth out for the living God." Ps. xxvii. 4 — 
 " One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will 
 I seek after ; that I may dwell in the house of the 
 Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty 
 of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple. 5 ' 
 
 4th. Persons of this character will maintain a 
 constant conflict with the remaining depravity of 
 their hearts. It is evident from Scripture, that 
 two opposite principles are found in the regenerate 
 in this world, the flesh and the spirit, the new man 
 and the old. It is this circumstance which dis- 
 tinguishes them from angels and saints in heaven, 
 and impenitent sinners upon this earth. The 
 former are perfectly holy, the latter wholly cor- 
 rupt; but the regenerate are neither, being sanctified 
 only in part. The principles of grace and corrup- 
 tion therefore oppose each other, and occasion a 
 constant and violent struggle. The flesh lusteth 
 against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, 
 and these being contrary, the one to the other, 
 they cannot do the things that they would. The 
 conflict which Christians fed in this situation, is 
 perfectly different from that straggle which is 
 sometimes experienced in the blClflt of sinners who 
 have just entered upon a vicious course. This i< 
 a Stru<ro-le between natural conscience and corrupr 
 inclinations, but that a conflict between the prinei- 
 
3()4 THE COOD WORK. 
 
 pies of grace and the power of remaining corruption 
 in the heart. These principles may at times be so 
 equally matched, that the Christian may be at a 
 loss what judgment to form of his spiritual state; 
 nay, upon some occasions, the power of corruption 
 may be so strongly felt, that he may be afraid it is 
 about to regain its dominion, and bring him under its 
 detested sway. This may induce him to exclaim, 
 in the plaintive language of the Apostle, " I see 
 another law in my members warring against the 
 law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity 
 to the law of sin which is in my members. O 
 wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me 
 from the body of this death?" Now the feeling 
 of the power of remaining corruption, and the 
 maintenance of a constant opposition unto it, 
 prove incontestibly that a principle of divine life 
 is implanted, and a good work begun in the 
 soul. Those who do not feel this power are dead, 
 and those who do not struggle against it are com- 
 pletely under its dominion. With this secret enemy, 
 whose strength cannot be wholly discovered, and 
 into whose recesses we cannot enter, the regenerate 
 maintain a constant warfare. They watch over 
 his motions, they resist his attacks, and study by 
 every means to weaken and subdue him. In car- 
 rying on this contest, they are sensible of their own 
 inability, and therefore they earnestly solicit divine 
 assistance, by which they may be enabled to mor- 
 tify the deeds of the body and live ; for if we live 
 after the flesh, we shall die : but if we through the 
 Spirit mortify the deeds of the body, we shall live. 
 5th. Those in whom a good work is begun, will 
 long for its consummation in the celestial world. 
 As the progress of this work is attended with grow- 
 ing pleasure, so every addition that is made to it, 
 is an accession to their happiness. Though in some 
 
THE GOOD WORK. 36") 
 
 Christians it has attained a considerable height, yet 
 in all the children of God in this world it is in a state 
 of imperfection. Their knowledge, love, and holi- 
 ness, are imperfect, and therefore their happiness 
 cannot be complete. Feeling still the power of sin 
 in their souls, harassed with temptations and the 
 allurements of this world, they ardently desire its 
 rapid progress and speedy consummation, when they 
 shall be satisfied with the likeness, and filled with 
 all the fulness of God. Would not the Israelites, 
 when they saw the second temple advancing amid 
 such opposition, earnestly desire its completion, 
 and look forward with joy to the period when the 
 last stone should be laid on that sacred edifice, and 
 an end put to their toils and labours? and must not 
 every Israelite indeed, in whom a good work is 
 begun and carried on amid much opposition, long 
 for that period when it shall be perfected, and 
 when the top-stone shall be brought forth with 
 shouting, crying grace, grace unto it? " We that 
 are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened : 
 not that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, 
 that mortality may be swallowed up of life." " Not 
 as though I had already attained," says Paul, 
 " either were already perfect ; but this one thing I 
 do, forgetting those things which are behind, and 
 reaching forth unto those that are before, I press 
 toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of 
 God in Christ Jesu-. ,, " My soul," Bays the 
 Psalmist, " tbirsteth for God, for the living God; 
 when shall I come and appear before God ?" 
 
 " When will the day break." lays the longing 
 spouse, "and the shadows Bee awav P haste, my 
 beloved, and he as a roe upon the mountains of 
 
 Bether." Thus, from the uniform language of the 
 
 saints in Scripture, it is evident that they earnestly 
 desire the consummation of this good work in their 
 
366 THE GOOD WORK. 
 
 souls. When Christ therefore says, " Behold, I 
 come quickly," they joyfully reply, " Amen, even 
 so come, Lord Jesus." 
 
 III. We now proceed to lay before you the 
 grounds upon which they may be confident that 
 this work shall be brought to a glorious consum- 
 mation. He who hath begun the work will per- 
 form it to the day of Christ ; that is, either to the 
 day of the believer's death, when Christ will receive 
 him to himself, and unite his soul unto the spirits 
 of the just made perfect, or to the last day, called 
 the day of the Lord, when he will raise and glorify 
 his body, re-unite it to his happy soul, and render 
 him in his perfect nature completely blessed. Let 
 us consider the grounds, then, upon which believers 
 may be confident that this good work, which he 
 hath begun, shall be consummated. 
 
 1st. We observe that they may be confident 
 this will be the case, because the work is a work 
 of God. He it is who hath begun it, and there- 
 fore he will also finish it. God " is the rock, and 
 his work is perfect " — Deut. xxxii. 4. Accordingly, 
 in all his operations we observe a gradual progress 
 and tendency to perfection. In the work of crea- 
 tion, though the first principles of all things were 
 made in a moment, yet six days were employed 
 in reducing the chaotic mass to order, and in 
 perfecting the beauty and harmony of the visi- 
 ble world. The same observation applies to the 
 animal and vegetable kingdoms. The child grows 
 and attains to perfect manhood ; the seeds spring 
 up and arrive at full maturity. If God, there- 
 fore, has begun this work, from his own char- 
 acter and the analogy of nature we may con- 
 clude that it will arrive at full perfection. If a 
 person of common prudence, before he begins to 
 
THE GOOD WORK. 367 
 
 build, calculates his resources, and estimates his 
 power, and we conclude from his known wisdom 
 and ability that he will finish his undertaking, 
 with how much greater certainty may we not rest 
 assured that God, who is infinite in wisdom and 
 almighty in power, will complete the work he has 
 once begun ? To leave it unfinished, indeed, would 
 reflect dishonour upon all his perfections, and show 
 that he was either weak or unwise. This at least 
 would be considered as a mark of weakness or of 
 folly among men, and we can never reasonably sup- 
 pose that it is possible with a wise, perfect, and omni- 
 potent being. As God is an all-wise and absolutely 
 perfect being, his works must partake of his nature, 
 and be perfect also. And if some of them do not 
 arrive at perfection in this world, but are gradually 
 advancing towards it, we may be confident that 
 they will be carried to perfection in the world that 
 is to come. God will not leave his work incom- 
 plete. He will finish what he begins ; he will per- 
 fect what concerns his people ; he will work, and 
 none can let him ; for his counsel shall stand, and 
 he will do all his pleasure. 
 
 2d. Real Christians may be confident that the 
 good work shall be continued and perfected, from 
 the incorruptible nature of that seed which is 
 sown in their hearts by the hand of Heaven, 
 1 Pet. i. 23 — " Being born again, not of corrup- 
 tible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of 
 God, which liveth and abideth for ever. ,, When 
 Christians are born again, a principle is implanted 
 in their hearts of an immortal nature, and an im- 
 pression made upon their minds that cannot be 
 effaced. Hence John expressly declares, 1 John 
 iii. !), that he that is born of God sinneth not, that 
 is, habitually, because his seed remaineth in him. 
 Between this argument for the permanent nature 
 
368 THE GOOD WORK. 
 
 of religion, drawn from the living principle in the 
 heart of the believer, and the argument for the 
 soul's immortality drawn from its spiritual nature, 
 it must be allowed, there is some analogy. If we 
 conclude from the spiritual nature of the soul that 
 it is destined to an eternal existence, and is immor- 
 tal, may we not, upon the same principle, conclude 
 from the incorruptible nature of the seed sown in 
 the heart of the Christian, that it shall exist and 
 flourish for ever ? No creature, it is true, is inde- 
 pendent of God, or can exist without his support- 
 ing energy ; but as we have no evidence that God 
 will annihilate any creature, we cannot imagine 
 that he would implant this principle with the one 
 hand, and destroy it with the other. On the con- 
 trary, from Scripture we learn that it will be pre- 
 served and perfected ; for believers are not only 
 said to have eternal life abiding in them, but 
 our Saviour assures us that the water he gives 
 unto his people, shall be in them a well of water 
 springing up unto everlasting life — John iv. 14. 
 This well may appear for a season to be obstructed, 
 but the spring is permanent, and possessed of an 
 internal energy, and shall work its way through 
 every obstruction until it spring, and rise, and run 
 into everlasting life. Thus, it is evident from the 
 nature of the principle implanted in the soul, as 
 well as from the intimation of the word, that it 
 shall abide and increase until it arrive at full per- 
 fection. 
 
 3d. Christians may be confident that the good 
 work, when begun, shall be carried on and perfected, 
 from the many gracious promises which God 
 has been pleased to make. It will be unneces- 
 sary for me to recite a great variety of promises ; 
 but as the word of God will always be sweet unto 
 his people, we shall mention the few following : — 
 
THE GOOD WORK. 3G;) 
 
 Job xvii. 9 — " The righteous also shall hold on his 
 way ; and he that hath clean hands shall be 
 stronger and stronger." Ps. lxxxiv. 7 — " They go 
 from strength to strength ; every one of them in 
 Zion appeareth before God." Ps. xcii. 12 — \5 
 — " The righteous shall flourish like the palm- 
 tree ; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. 
 Those that be planted in the house of the Lord 
 shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall 
 still bring forth fruit in old age ; they shall be fat 
 and flourishing ; to shew that the Lord is upright." 
 Hos. xiv. 5 — " I will be as the dew unto Israel : 
 he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his root» 
 as Lebanon." Matt. xii. 20 — " A bruised reed 
 shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not 
 quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory." 
 John x. 28 — " I give unto them eternal life ; and 
 they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck 
 them out of my hand." 1 Pet. i. 5 — "Who are kept 
 by the power of God through faith unto salvation, 
 ready to be revealed in the last time." We shall 
 finish this collection of promises with that remark- 
 able declaration, Rom. viii. 30, " Moreover, whom 
 he did predestinate, them he also called ; and 
 whom he called, them he also justified ; and whom 
 he justified, them he also glorified." Here we 
 behold the different stages of the good work con- 
 nected with a golden and indissoluble chain, and 
 therefore those who have experienced the com- 
 mencement of this work, and who have been called 
 
 by divine grace, may be ensured that it shall be 
 carried on until perfectly consummated in glory; 
 
 tor faithful is he who has promised, who also will 
 do it. 
 
 4th. They may be confident the good work 
 
 shall be carried on, from the tmekangeabli natun 
 
 of the lure of God towards t lit in. Man, indeed, 
 
 B 
 
3J0 THE GOOD WORK. 
 
 is a being mutable in his nature and changeable in 
 his affections, but God is unchangeable in his na- 
 ture and immutable in his love. As his love unto 
 his people flows from his own sovereign pleasure, 
 and not from any merit or excellence which they 
 possess, so it is permanent and immutable ; for he 
 loves them with an everlasting love. Although, 
 on account of sin, they may experience severe 
 chastisements ; though he may visit their trans- 
 gression with the rod, and their iniquity with 
 stripes ; yet his loving-kindness will he not utterly 
 take from them, nor suffer his faithfulness to fail. 
 To their ungrateful and unbelieving complaints 
 upon this head — that God has forsaken them, and 
 their God forgotten them, he replies, " Behold, I 
 have graven thee upon the palms of my hands : 
 thy walls are continually before me. Since I spake 
 against you, I do earnestly remember you still; 
 1 will therefore surely have mercy upon you,*saith 
 the Lord." Now this unchangeable love which 
 the Lord bears unto his people may assure them 
 that the good work shall be carried on and per- 
 fected. Will this love leave the work unfinished, 
 especially when connected with almighty power ? 
 Will it not rather make all things w ? ork together for 
 its gradual completion ? Yes ; even when it seems 
 to be shaken and they fear its fall, this love is at 
 work in secret, strengthening its foundations, and 
 beautifying its borders, according to the elegant 
 description of the evangelical prophet, wherein the 
 perpetuity of divine love and the progress of this 
 work are closely connected. Is. liv. 10, &c. — 
 " For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be 
 removed ; but my kindness shall not depart from 
 thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be 
 removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee. 
 O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not 
 
THE GOOD WORK. 3J1 
 
 comforted ! behold, I will lay thy stones with fair 
 colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires, and 
 all thy borders with pleasant stones. In righteous- 
 ness shalt thou be established : for this is the heri- 
 tage of the servants of the Lord ; and their right- 
 eousness is of me, saith the Lord." 
 
 5th. Real Christians may be confident that the 
 good work shall be carried on and perfected from 
 the prevail nt intercession of Christ, founded upon 
 the merit of his sacrifice. The intercession of 
 Christ is a doctrine replete with comfort unto every 
 Christian, as it not only encourages him in his 
 daily approach unto a throne of grace, but assure^ 
 him of progress in sanctification. This interces- 
 sion consists in his actual appearance before God 
 in the name and nature of his people, in a declara- 
 tion of the merit of his blood, and a pleading, 
 upon this ground, for the bestowment of every 
 purchased blessing upon his people. By this 
 means they receive such supplies of grace and 
 strength as are necessary to fortify them against 
 temptation, and to preserve the life of grace in 
 their souk. Even before Christ left this world 
 we find some examples of his intercession for h\< 
 people, and in heaven this work is not discontinued. 
 Unto Peter, when he foresaw his fall, he said, 
 •• Simon, Simon, Satan hath sought to have thee. 
 that he might M thee as wheat, but I have 
 prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not." And be* 
 
 e he left this world, he said in his address to his 
 Father, " I pray not that thou shouldest take them 
 out of the world, but that thou >houldest keep them 
 from the evil. Father. I will that they also whom 
 thou hast given me be with me where I am ; that 
 they may behold my glory." This int Cl C Cl MOa ifl 
 
 manent and prevalent ; for him the Father 
 
 ueth always. [l it not, then, evident from the 
 
372 THE GOOD WORK. 
 
 intercession of Christ, that the good work shall be 
 carried on and perfected ? Will it cease to ad- 
 vance, when such a glorious intercessor is inter- 
 ested in its progress, and pleads with never-failing 
 power to this effect ? Did Artaxerxes at the in- 
 tercession of Nehemiah dispatch him with autho- 
 rity to carry forward the building of the walls of 
 Jerusalem, and shall not the intercession of our 
 blessed Lord at his Father's right hand secure the 
 progress and perfection of this building of grace ? 
 Yes ; we may be assured that he is able to save to 
 the uttermost, or perfectly, as the original word 
 might have been rendered, all that come unto God 
 by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession 
 for them. 
 
 6th and lastly, upon this branch of the subject. 
 Christians may be confident that the good work 
 shall be carried on and arrive at perfect consum- 
 mation, from the evidence they have of its being 
 gradually consummated in the souls of thousands 
 who are now in heaven. All the saints who are 
 now in glory had this good work begun in their 
 souls while upon this earth — it was gradually car- 
 ried on amid much opposition, much weakness, 
 ingratitude, and unbelief, on their part. Being 
 the work of God, however, it could not be over- 
 thrown, — it rose and triumphed over every oppo- 
 sition, until their souls being dismissed from this 
 earthly tabernacle joined the spirits of the just 
 made perfect, and they now rejoice with them in a 
 finished salvation, and unite with them in casting 
 their crowns before the throne, and ascribing glory 
 unto God and the Lamb for ever and ever. Here, 
 then, Christians have evidence from the experience 
 of all who have gone before them, that a good work 
 in them shall be carried on and completed. This has 
 been the case, without a single exception, with a 1 
 
THE GOOD WORK. 373 
 
 the saints in heaven ; and can any Christian upon 
 earth doubt that it shall be so with him ? Though 
 he is not yet perfect, he is on his way to perfec- 
 tion ; though the work is not completed, it is car- 
 rying on, and, under the care of the heavenly builder, 
 shall arrive at perfection. Even in this world, 
 had you observed an architect finish all the buildings 
 which he had begun, you could not entertain a 
 doubt that he was able to perfect one or two which 
 had lately commenced under his care, and yet every 
 earthly architect may die and leave his plans and 
 works unfinished. Surely, then, as the author of this 
 good work is wise, almighty, and immortal, his plans 
 shall be accomplished, his building of grace com- 
 pleted to the glory of his name, and the eternal sal- 
 vation of those that believe. Lift up, then, your heads 
 and hearts with confidence, ye saved of the Lord ! 
 Only be followers of those who through faith and 
 patience are now inheriting the promises, nor doubt 
 that the good work begun shall be carried on and 
 consummated, and that the top-stone shall be 
 brought forth with shouting — crying, grace, grace 
 unto it ! Then this finished work shall fill you 
 with wonder, joy, and praise ; for then your faith 
 shall terminate in vision, and hope in enjoyment, 
 while love, ever growing with the ages of eternity, 
 shall burn with ardour and delight toward your 
 redeeming God ! 
 
 Having thus finished what was proposed, we 
 shall now conclude with some practical improve- 
 ment of what has been delivered. 
 
 1st. From what has been delivered you max 
 the propriety and necessity of inquiring whether 
 
 or not this work ifl begun in your hearts. This 
 
 is an inquiry of neat importance, which, if you 
 
 have hitherto neglected, should be no longer de- 
 
3J4 THE GOOD WORK. 
 
 layed. In prosecuting an inquiry of this nature, 
 you may be assisted and directed by attending to 
 what was stated when we endeavoured to draw the 
 character of those in whom the good work was be- 
 gun. Are you sensible of any difference between 
 your present and former state — between what you 
 were by nature, and what you are by grace ? Do 
 you ascribe the undivided glory of the production 
 of this work unto the power and grace of God, 
 saying, " by the grace of God we are what we 
 are ? " Do you discover an ardent love unto the 
 means of grace, and do you carefully and con- 
 stantly employ them for promoting the progress of 
 this work in your souls ? Do you feel an incessant 
 internal struggle between the flesh and the spirit — 
 between the power of corruption and the principles 
 of grace in the heart ? Are you really concerned 
 to grow in grace, and more ambitious to be holy 
 and humble than to be great or prosperous in this 
 world ? Are you looking forward with ardent de- 
 sire and earnest longing for the completion of 
 this work, saying, O when will the day of our 
 complete redemption come, when we shall be 
 perfected in holiness, and enter into rest ? If you 
 are conscious that this is your character, then you 
 have reason to conclude that the good work has 
 actually commenced in your hearts ; and it is your 
 duty to praise God for what he has wrought for 
 you, and to wait upon him for the accomplishment 
 of what he has promised to perform ; for he who 
 hath begun a good work in you will perform it 
 until the day of Christ. 
 
 2d. Learn that this doctrine tends to comfort 
 believers under all their struggles, and to excite 
 them to work out the work of their salvation with 
 fear and trembling. This doctrine tends to com- 
 fort real Christians under all the opposition they 
 
THE GOOD WORK. 3J5 
 
 meet with in the christian life. Their conflicts 
 may be sharp, but they shall terminate in victory — 
 the opposition may be great, but it shall finally 
 be overcome — for the building of grace shall ad- 
 vance in the use of means in spite of all opposi- 
 tion, and arrive at a perfect and glorious consum- 
 mation. The full persuasion of this important 
 truth comforts their hearts, and induces them to 
 persevere in the path of duty. The doctrine oi 
 the perseverance of the saints, therefore, is not un 
 friendly to active virtue. Did the assurance given 
 to Joshua, the illustrious leader of Israel, that he 
 should drive out the Canaanites, and introduce the 
 chosen tribes to the promised land, make him care- 
 less and indolent, or did it not encourage him to un- 
 dertake the arduous task, to seize every favourable 
 opportunity, and to fight in assured confidence 01 
 victory ? Did the knowledge that Daniel had from 
 the inspired records, that the Lord would accom- 
 plish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem, 
 render him careless and secure ? Did it not en- 
 courage him to set his face to seek the Lord bv 
 prayer and supplication, and to beseech him to turn 
 away his anger and fury from the city Jerusalem ? 
 Did the assurance which Paul received, that all in 
 the ship should be given unto him, and that DON 
 of them should be lost, induce him to be inatten- 
 tive to the use of those means which might con- 
 tribute to their safety ? Would the assurance 
 victory, unto soldiers engaged in the heat of action, 
 repress their courage, or make them drop thei: 
 armour? Would it not, on the contrary, inspire 
 them with fipcsh spirit) and excite them to the 
 fttest exertions of heroic valour? Must nor. 
 then, the assurance riven unto the Christian, that 
 the good work shall be carried on to perfection, 
 engage him to persevering diligence in the use 
 
376 THE GOOD WORK. 
 
 means, and to unremitting exertion in the discharge 
 of duty ? Yes, he knows, he feels the force of 
 that encouraging exhortation, Phil. ii. 12, 13, 
 " Work out therefore the work of your salvation 
 with fear and trembling : for it is God who worketh 
 in you, both to will and to do of his good plea- 
 
 ure." 
 
 3d. and last. From what has been delivered, 
 you may also see the folly and danger of all those 
 who are no way concerned to experience the com- 
 mencement of this work in their souls, or to pro- 
 mote in the use of means its gradual progress. 
 Some of these may be accounted the wise of the 
 world, and be extremely attentive unto the duties 
 of their secular callings. They may be diligent 
 labourers, ingenious mechanics, industrious farmers, 
 or intelligent manufacturers, and their honest in- 
 dustry may be crowned with success. But, O ! 
 remember, that while this good work is not begun, 
 the great business of life is neglected. Without 
 this, all your other labours are but laborious idle- 
 ness, for you are spending your money for that 
 which is not bread, and your labour for that which 
 satisfleth not. This work is the one thing needful, 
 to which every other employment must yield ; for 
 what is a man profited though he should gain the 
 whole world and lose his own soul, or what can a 
 man give in exchange for his soul ? This work 
 must commence in time, or it never shall begin ; 
 for there is no work, wisdom, nor device in the 
 grave, whither we all hasten apace. O, then, let 
 all those who have hitherto neglected this work, 
 and who are conscious to themselves that it is not 
 begun in their souls, begin no other work while 
 this work is disregarded and forgotten. Let them 
 now begin to work for their souls and salvation. 
 Sure I am it is not now too soon, and, blessed 
 
THE GOOD WORK. 3J7 
 
 be God ! it is not yet too late. O that this 
 might be the blessed and happy day when many 
 who have hitherto been labouring merely for the 
 body and the meat which perisheth, might begin 
 to labour for that which endureth unto everlasting 
 life, according to the direction of our Lord unto 
 persons of this character, with which we shall 
 conclude this discourse, John vi. 27, " Labour 
 not for the meat which perisheth, but for that 
 meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which 
 the Son of man shall give unto you : for him hath 
 God the Father sealed. " Amen. 
 
 B 
 
SERMON XIV. 
 
 LOOKING FOR THE GLORIOUS APPEARANCE OF 
 OUR GREAT GOD AND SAVIOUR. 
 
 Tit. ii. 13. 
 
 " Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing 
 of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." 
 
 It is one of the great excellencies of our holy 
 religion, among many others of which it is pos- 
 sessed, that it sets before us the certain hope of a 
 blessed resurrection and a glorious immortality. 
 In this respect it is distinguished from every other 
 religious system which in any age or nation has 
 appeared in the world. Heathen nations, being 
 destitute of divine revelation, were either entirely 
 ignorant of a future state, or their hopes in refer- 
 ence to it were doubtful and uncertain, being 
 rather the wishes of nature than the assurance of 
 truth. Though some of the sages of antiquity 
 considered the immortality of the soul as highly 
 probable, yet of the resurrection of the body and 
 the pure and perfect happiness of heaven they had 
 not the slightest idea. It is true, to the Jews un- 
 der the ancient dispensation the knowledge of a 
 future state was partly revealed, and hence our 
 Saviour infers its existence from the declaration 
 made unto Moses, " I am the God of Abraham, 
 of Isaac, and of Jacob." Under that introductory 
 economy, however, it was but darkly revealed, 
 being left rather to be inferred from some general 
 assertions and prophetic predictions, than clearly 
 announced in any express and positive promise. 
 But now, under the gospel dispensation, life and 
 
OUR GREAT GOO AND SAVIOUR. 379 
 
 immortality are brought to light and set before us 
 in open day. Christ has dispelled the darkness 
 which covered the invisible world, and revealed its 
 glory unto the sons of men. He taught the doc- 
 trine of a state of rewards and punishments with a 
 plainness proportionate to its vast importance — he 
 laid it down as a certain principle, and all his other 
 doctrines and precepts proceeded on the absolute 
 certainty of this momentous truth. The believer, 
 therefore, in this world has a hope full of immor- 
 tality — a hope sustaining him under all the crosses 
 and calamities of life, which prompts him to the 
 performance of arduous duties, excites him to the 
 cultivation of personal purity, and cheers him in 
 the hour of dissolution ; for, in the words of our 
 text, he looks for the blessed hope, and the glo- 
 rious appearing of the great God and our Sa- 
 viour Jesus Christ. The illustration of this passant 
 leads us, 
 
 I. To consider the object of the Christian^ 
 hope. 
 
 II. His exercise in reference to it — he looks for. 
 
 III. The blessedness he shall enjoy when this 
 bope is realized. 
 
 I. Let as consider the object of the Christian's 
 hope — the glorious appearance of tl: it God 
 
 and our Saviour, the Lord Je8IU Christ* By hope 
 here it i- obvious we are not to understand tin 
 graa of bope a- existing in the heart of a believer, 
 but the object of hope — tlu* glorious appearance of 
 the great God and our Saviour JeMi«> Chru 
 
 Now, it ifl remarkable that in Scripture we nei 
 t of the personal appearance of God the Path 
 though we frequently read of the appearance of 
 
 God in the person of th 8 Thus, we find he 
 
380 THE GLORIOUS APPEARANCE OP 
 
 appeared to the patriarchs and prophets under the 
 Old Testament dispensation as a prelude to his 
 future incarnation ; and when the fulness of time 
 was come, he actually appeared as Immanuel, or as 
 God manifest in the flesh. Yes, M the Word was 
 made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld 
 his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the 
 Father, full of grace and truth." But as the Son 
 of God came into this world to instruct mankind 
 in the knowledge of divine truth, to set them an 
 example of all righteousness, and to give himself 
 a ransom for many, so he rose again from the dead, 
 and ascended into the heavenly world, whence we 
 are assured he will come again with power and 
 great glory to raise the dead, to judge an assem- 
 bled world, and to render unto every man accord- 
 ing to his works. This, it is obvious, is a work 
 which none but a divine person can perform ; and 
 therefore Christians are said, in the passage under 
 consideration, to look for the great God and our 
 Saviour, Jesus Christ. Though an unlearned 
 reader might be led to think that in this passage 
 the great God and our Saviour are two different 
 persons, yet it ought to be translated, " the great 
 God even our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ;" and 
 thus the passage affords us a plain proof of our 
 Lord's divinity. When he appeared in this world, 
 he was God manifest in the flesh, and when he 
 comes again, he shall appear as the great God and 
 our Saviour, to perfect the redemption and to com- 
 plete the happiness of his people. His appearance 
 then will be a glorious appearance. Of this we 
 must be convinced, if we consider, 
 
 1st. The end for which he shall appear ', name- 
 ly, to judge the assembled world. When he came 
 at first into the world, it was not to judge, but to 
 save the world, and accordingly he finished the 
 
OUR GREAT GOD AND SAVIOUR. 381 
 
 work his Father gave him to do. He went about 
 preaching the gospel, healing the sick who applied 
 to him for healing, and after making atonement 
 for sin by the sacrifice of himself, he rose from the 
 dead, and gave commandment to his apostles to go 
 unto all the world, and to preach the gospel to 
 everv creature, assuring them that whosoever be- 
 lieved this gospel should be saved, and whosoever 
 believed not should be condemned. Now we are 
 permitted to hear this gospel, and to enjoy many 
 privileges, and are entrusted with various talents, 
 for the use of which we are responsible, and we 
 must all give an account for the reception we have 
 given to the gospel message, and the use we have 
 made of the talents entrusted to our care, and with 
 which we ought to occupy till our Lord and Maker 
 come and call us to account ; for we must all stand 
 before the judgment-seat of Christ, and every one 
 of us must give an account of himself unto God. 
 Is our Lord Jesus Christ then appointed to be the 
 judge of the quick and dead ? Is he to come again 
 for this important purpose, and must not his ap- 
 iranee be great and glorious, corresponding to 
 bis character and the work he comes to perform ? 
 When judges are deputed by their sovereign to 
 hold an assize, do they not appear with a pomp 
 and splendour suited to their character and worth ? 
 When the high priest was to present the anniver- 
 sary sacrifice of expiation under the law, he was 
 -imply attired in his sacerdotal dress: hut after he 
 had presented the sacrifice and came out to bless 
 the people, he appeared in his pontifical robes of 
 i^lory and of beauty. In like manner, our illus- 
 trious bigh priest, having made in his state of hu- 
 miliation expiation tor nn by the Sacrifice of him- 
 self, entered the true holy of holies by his own 
 blood, and having laid aside the garments of humi- 
 
382 THE GLORIOUS APPEARANCE OF 
 
 liation, he will appear at last in the majesty and 
 glory of a judge to bless his people and perfect 
 their redemption. Yes, such an assize was never 
 held before, and such a judge was never seen to 
 fill a throne before, and therefore his appearance 
 shall be incomparably and inconceivably glorious 
 and magnificent. His appearance at the giving of 
 the law was glorious and terrific, but his appear- 
 ance when he comes as our righteous judge, to call 
 us to account for the manner in which we have 
 obeyed his law and his gospel, will be still more 
 illustrious and tremendous ; for it was only a small 
 nation that appeared before him at the giving of 
 the law from Mount Sinai, but then all nations 
 shall be gathered before him, to hear from his 
 mouth the sentence which shall seal their future 
 destiny for ever. 
 
 2d. This must be a glorious appearance, if we 
 consider that Christ Jesus will then display the 
 glory of his divine perfections to the admiration 
 and delight of his friends, and the terror and de- 
 struction of his enemies. Every object, or every 
 individual, is glorious in proportion as they display 
 the glory of God. Our Saviour existed as the Son 
 of God, and the second person of the Godhead, 
 before he assumed our nature into union with his 
 divine person, and by this assumption of our na- 
 ture he did not, and could not divest himself of his 
 divine perfections. These perfections he possessed 
 while he tabernacled in this world, though they 
 were veiled under the robe of his humanity, and 
 the humiliation to which he voluntarily submitted. 
 Though he was in the form of God, and thought 
 it not robbery to be equal with God, yet he made 
 himself of no reputation, and took upon him the 
 form of a servant, and became obedient unto death, 
 even the death of the cross, and was crucified in 
 
OUB GREAT GOD AND SAVIOUR. 383 
 
 apparent weakness. In the stupendous miracles 
 he performed, he displayed divine power, and in 
 his transfiguration on the Mount, some rays of his 
 glory beamed from under the robe of his humanity ; 
 but this display was partial and temporary, and in- 
 tended chiefly to prepare the minds of his disciples 
 for witnessing his approaching agony. But when 
 he comes again, he will manifest his divine glory 
 and perfections in such a full, and striking, and 
 public manner, as shall convince all who behold 
 him, that he is a divine person, the Son of God, 
 and the Lord of glory ; for then they shall see that 
 none else is judge but God. He will then come 
 in his own glory, or manifesting the glory of his 
 power, his wisdom and omniscience, his holiness and 
 his justice. He will display his almighty power 
 in raising the dead, and calling them before his tri- 
 bunal ; for his powerful voice shall be heard by all 
 who are in their graves, and they must obey it and 
 come forth. He will then display his omniscience 
 and infinite wisdom in the perfect knowledge he 
 lias of all human character, and of all their modifi- 
 cations of goodness or of guilt, and in the exact 
 discrimination he shall make in separating tin- 
 righteous from the wicked. He shall display tin 
 glory of his holiness in his marked disapprobation 
 <>t Mil, and of impenitent and unbelieving sinners, 
 who shall be unable to Maud before liiin. And In- 
 
 shall display the glory of his justice in the sentence 
 
 he pronounces upon the righteous, and the punish- 
 ment he awards to the wicked. Besides, a Visible 
 
 glory shall radiate from the glorious body of the great 
 
 Judge of all, and a glory shall result or emanaU 
 
 from the manifestation of his divine person at tin 
 
 day of judgment, which shall impart an inconceiv- 
 able splendour, majesty, and magnificence to the 
 
 transactions of this great and tefribledayoftheLord. 
 
384 THE GLORIOUS APPEARANCE OF 
 
 3d. This appearance must be glorious, if we ad- 
 vert to the various externalmarks of grandeur with 
 which it shall be accompanied. Some of these 
 are revealed to us in Sacred Scripture, but many 
 of them must remain unknown till the day itself 
 declare them. We learn from Scripture that when 
 Christ comes to judge the world, he shall descend 
 from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the 
 archangel and the trump of God. As he ascended 
 unto heaven in a bright cloud, so it is probable 
 that he may come in clouds. He shall be seated 
 on a great white throne, more magnificent than any 
 earthly monarch ever filled. He shall come at- 
 tended with an innumerable company of angels, or 
 with all his holy angels. Heaven for a time shall 
 be emptied of its angelic inhabitants, when they 
 shall be called to attend the grand assize of the 
 human race, and to take part in the transactions of 
 that solemn and decisive day. If an earthly judge 
 is attended with a numerous and splendid retinue 
 to give dignity to his approach, how much greater 
 splendour and magnificence must the attendance of 
 all the holy angels, dressed in their richest robes 
 of glory, add to the appearance of the great Judge 
 of all ! If the countenance of a single angel sent 
 to roll away the stone from the door of our Sa- 
 viour's sepulchre shone like lightning, and his 
 raiment was white as snow, what must be the splen- 
 dour of all the holy angels when come to attend 
 their Lord at the last day ! The splendour of a 
 thousand suns is not to be compared to it. Be- 
 sides, it must be a glorious appearance when the 
 whole human race — all who have existed, who now 
 exist, or shall be found alive at the coming of our 
 Lord — shall stand before his dread tribunal, to re- 
 ceive a sentence which shall either raise them to 
 the heights of happiness, or sink them into the 
 
OUR GREAT GOD AND SAVIOUR. 385 
 
 depths of everlasting misery. Then the saints of 
 the Lord shall shout for joy, for the day of their 
 complete redemption is come ; and then the wicked 
 shall cry for fear, for the day of their final ever- 
 lasting destruction has arrived. The glory of the 
 second advent of Christ is described in Scripture 
 in language the most sublime. Dan. vii. 9, 10 — 
 " 1 beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the 
 Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white 
 as snow, and the hair of his head was like the pure 
 wool : his throne was like the fiery flame, and his 
 wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and 
 came forth from before him : thousand thousands 
 ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten 
 thousand stood before him : the judgment was set, 
 and the books were opened. ,, Matt. xxv. 31, 32 
 — " When the Son of man shall come in his glory, 
 and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit 
 upon the throne of his glory : and before him shall 
 be gathered all nations." Rev. xx. 11 — 13 — 
 " And I saw a great white throne, and him that 
 sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven 
 fled away ; and there was found noplace for them. 
 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before 
 God: and the books were opened; and another 
 book was opened, which is the book of life : and 
 the dead were judged out of those things which 
 were written in the hooks, according to their 
 works. And the sea gave up the dead which were 
 in it ; and death and hell delivered up the dead 
 which were in them: and they were judged every 
 hi according to their work-." Now, it is this 
 glorioUfl appearance of the great God, even our 
 
 Saviour Jesus Christ, which i< the object of the 
 Christian's hope, apd to which he looks forward 
 with anxious expectation. 
 
386 THE GLORIOUS APPEARANCE OF 
 
 II. This naturally brings us forward to the 
 second topic we were to consider, namely, the 
 Christian's exercise in reference to this object of 
 his hope — " he looks for it." 
 
 1st. This exercise obviously implies a firm con- 
 viction of its reality. It is the believer only who 
 looks for the glorious appearance of the great God, 
 even our Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ, for he is 
 as much convinced of its reality as if he saw it with 
 his bodily eyes. His faith is the substance of 
 things hoped for, and the evidence of things not 
 seen. When we look for an event, that very look- 
 ing supposes a conviction on our part that the event 
 shall take place, for without this conviction we 
 would not expect it. Thus, if we look for the sun 
 rising to-morrow, it supposes we are persuaded 
 that this glorious luminary shall arise ; if, during 
 winter, we look for the return of spring, it sup- 
 poses we are persuaded that this reviving season 
 shall return ; or, if we look for the arrival of a 
 friend, it supposes that he has given us ground to 
 expect his coming at the time appointed. When 
 Christians, therefore, look for the appearance of 
 the Saviour, it supposes that he has promised he 
 will appear, and that, believing his promise, they 
 look for him — for he is faithful who has promised. 
 When he left this world, he promised to his dis- 
 ciples, " If I go away, I will come again, and re- 
 ceive you to myself, that where I am there ye may 
 be also." He instituted the sacrament of his sup- 
 per, not only as a standing memorial of his death 
 and sufferings, but as a pledge of his second ad- 
 vent, and his disciples accordingly are enjoined to 
 show forth his death until he come again. All 
 true Christians, then, receiving the divine testi- 
 mony, and embracing the divine promise with 
 
OUR GREAT GOD AND SAVIOUR. 387 
 
 ured faith, look for the second glorious com- 
 ing of Christ with the utmost confidence — with 
 a confidence free from all doubt and uncertainty. 
 The time will come when the sun shall no more 
 arise, when seasons shall cease to revolve, and the 
 frame of nature shall be dissolved ; but with respect 
 to the second coming of Christ there is nothing 
 within the range of possibilities that can prevent 
 its fulfilment. All power is committed to him in 
 heaven and on earth, and therefore his faithful pro- 
 mise affords absolute security for its accomplish- 
 ment. Has he said it, and shall he not do it ? 
 Has he spoken it, and shall it not come to pass ' J 
 No ; heaven and earth may pass away, but his 
 word shall not pass without its full and final ac- 
 complishment. 
 
 2d. This exercise also implies an intense una 
 longing desire for the glorious appearance of our 
 Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. All true Chris- 
 tians are represented in Scripture as experiencing 
 this feeling, and the Apostle declares that they all 
 love his appearing. Abraham and other Old 
 Testament believers desired to see the day of 
 Christ : they saw it and were glad : and if these 
 ancient worthies longed to see the day of the Son 
 of God being manifested in the flesh to take awav 
 the sins of the world, Christians under the gospel 
 dispensation must look forward with desire to - 
 him coming the second time without sin unto sal- 
 vation. While scoffing infidels may say in the 
 last time, where is the promise of his coming, and 
 while nominal professors and hollow-hearted hypo- 
 crites may wish he would nerer appear again, Chris- 
 dans who love the Saviour long for his triumphant 
 octant, because it is associated with their oompieto 
 redemption. While they fee] the power of re- 
 maining depravity in themselves, and contemplate 
 
388 THE GLORIOUS APPEARANCE OF 
 
 the desolationswhich death is effecting around them, 
 and the miseries which sin and oppression occasion 
 in this world, and when they advert to the happi- 
 ness they then hope to enjoy, they may well say, 
 M Why is thy chariot so long in coming ? Haste, 
 O thou beloved of our souls, and be like a roe on 
 the mountains of Bether." The traveller arrested 
 by the shades of night longs for the dawn of the 
 coming morn, when the darkness shall be removed, 
 and the Christian, whose body is about to be de- 
 posited in the grave, longs for the second coming 
 of the Saviour, to ransom his body from the grave, 
 and raise him in his whole person to heaven and 
 everlasting happiness. 
 
 3d. This exercise also implies a patient waiting 
 for the second coming of the Lord. Though 
 Christ has promised that he will come again, yet, 
 as he has not mentioned the precise period of his 
 advent, Christians patiently wait for its arrival. 
 Unbelief is hasty, and ready to conclude that if the 
 promise is not soon fulfilled it will never be real- 
 ized ; but true faith is not precipitate, but patiently 
 waits, and quietly hopes for complete redemption. 
 Though they dwell in an evil world, are surrounded 
 with numerous enemies, and are borne down with 
 heavy trials, yet they do not murmur or complain, 
 knowing that their light afflictions, which are but for 
 a moment, shall work for them a far more exceeding 
 and eternal weight of glory, and that he who shall 
 come, will come, and will not tarry. " God is a God 
 of judgment, and blessed are all they that wait 
 for him." Though the vision may be for an ap- 
 pointed time, yet at the end it will come, and 
 therefore they hold fast the beginning of their 
 confidence firm unto the end — knowing that unto 
 them that look for him will he come the second 
 time, without sin, unto salvation. 
 
OUR GREAT GOD AND SAVIOUR. 389 
 
 4th. This exercise implies habitual diligence in 
 the use of all appointed ?neans, in order to be- 
 actually prepared for the second coming of our 
 Lord. Christians are enjoined, 2 Pet. iii. 14, to 
 be diligent, that they may be found of him in peace, 
 without spot and blameless. When we expect the 
 arrival of a much esteemed friend to whom we are 
 under great obligations, we are careful to have 
 every thing in order, that we may give him a pro- 
 per reception. Is Christ, then, our true friend and 
 most generous benefactor, gone to heaven, and do 
 we look for his coming, when he will receive us to 
 himself, and shall we not be anxious to be ready 
 and prepared for his arrival ? He has prescribed 
 to his servants a series of important duties to per- 
 form, and entrusted to them various talents with 
 which they are to occupy ; and must they not, 
 therefore, if they look for his appearance, be dili- 
 gent in the discharge of these duties, and in im- 
 proving their talents, that their Master, when he 
 comes, may approve of their conduct, and receive 
 them into the presence and joy of their Lord ? 
 Sensible that in the time that is past they have 
 been remiss and indolent, must not the reflection 
 excite them to double their diligence, and to labour 
 assiduously to redeem the time as they see the day 
 approaching? Must they not be up and doing 
 while it is called to-day, and give all diligence to 
 make their calling and election sure? Yes, for- 
 getting things that are behind, and pressing for- 
 ward to those that are before, they will add to their 
 faith fortitude, patience, temperance, hrotherlv- 
 kindness, and universal benevolence, knowing that 
 if these things be in them and abounding tliev shall 
 neither he idle nor unfruitful in the good work of 
 the Lord. As they know neither the day nor the 
 hour when the Son of man coineth, thev will be 
 
390 THE GLORIOUS APPEARANCE OF 
 
 careful not to allow themselves to be wholly en- 
 grossed with the concerns of a present life, lest that 
 day come upon them unawares. They study to 
 have their loins always girt, and their lamps burn- 
 ing, and to be like men waiting for the coming of 
 their Lord. This unwearied diligence in the work 
 of the Lord — this habitual vigilance and circum- 
 spection — this holy conversation and godliness, is 
 the only decisive and satisfactory evidence which 
 we can give that we are really looking for the com- 
 ing of the Lord ; without this all other evidence 
 must be doubtful and unsatisfactory. 
 
 III. Let us now proceed to consider the bless- 
 edness which believers shall enjoy when their hopes 
 are realized at the second appearance of their Lord. 
 
 1st. When Christ appears they shall be blessed 
 because he shall raise their bodies in glory from, 
 the grave. If Christ shall come to judge the whole 
 human race for the deeds done in the body, then 
 the bodies of the sons of men must be raised from 
 the dead. Accordingly, the doctrine of the resur- 
 rection is a peculiar doctrine of the gospel, for 
 although, when revealed, it harmonizes with the 
 analogy of nature, and we have an emblem of it 
 in the seed dissolving in the ground, and springing 
 up and appearing anew in autumn, yet its cer- 
 tainty rests upon the divine testimony, and is 
 confirmed by the fact of our Saviour's resurrection 
 from the dead. The resurrection of the body, 
 however, it must be borne in mind, is only a pri- 
 vilege to the believer ; for to the wicked and un- 
 godly it is a prelude to their future more severe 
 punishment. When death comes to a Christian it 
 is naturally dreadful, because it makes a separation 
 between his soul and body, consigning the one to 
 the silent grave, there to be reduced to its original 
 
OUB GHEAT GOD AND SAVIOUR. 391 
 
 elements; but this separation, we learn from Scrip- 
 ture, is not to be eternal, for the bodies of believers 
 shall be raised from the dust, and re-united to their 
 glorified spirits, and by the new qualities of which 
 they shall be possessed, they shall be fitted for the 
 exercises and enjoyments of the heavenly world. 
 Bodies such as believers now 7 possess, must be in- 
 capable of engaging in the occupations, or shar- 
 ing in the pleasures of the celestial world, for 
 flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of 
 God, neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 
 The bodies of believers, therefore, must be taken 
 down and dissolved before they can have a build- 
 ing of God eternal in the heavens. Death, there- 
 fore, comes to a Christian, not as a punishment, 
 but as a privilege, for to him to die is gain — gain 
 not only to his soul, which immediately enter- 
 into glory and joins the spirits of the just made 
 perfect, but gain as to his body, which is then 
 freed from pain and suffering, and is laid in the grave, 
 as in a bed of undisturbed repose, till the morning 
 of the resurrection, when it shall be raised in 
 glory, conformed to the glorified body of the Re- 
 deemer, and fitted for enjoying the felicity of a 
 future state. As true Christians have been re- 
 deemed in their whole persons through the blood 
 of the Lamb, so our Saviour shall lose no parr 
 of his redeemed property, but shall raise it up hi 
 the last day. Hos. xiii. 14 — " J will ransom them 
 from the power of the grave ; I will redeem them 
 from death : O death, I will be thy plagues ; O 
 grave, I will be thy destruction : repentance shall 
 be hid from mine eyes." John vi. 99 — M This is 
 the Father's will which hath sunt me, that of all 
 which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but 
 should hum ir up again at the last day. 91 This 
 comtbrtablc truth is clearly taught and distinctly 
 
392 THE GLORIOUS APPEARANCE OF 
 
 proved in the 15th chapter of first Corinthians, 
 where the inspired Apostle compares the body of 
 a believer laid in the grave to seed sown in the 
 earth, destined to spring up in new forms of glory, 
 the same in substance, but differing as to the qua- 
 lities of which they shall be possessed. " It is 
 sown," says he, " in corruption, it is raised in in- 
 corruption : it is sown in dishonour, it is raised in 
 glory: it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power : 
 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual 
 body," refined and purified, and fitted for the exer- 
 cises and enjoyments of the better country, that is, 
 an heavenly. This truth is confirmed by the resur- 
 rection of Christ from the dead ; for his resurrection 
 is the pledge, and proof, and pattern, of the resur- 
 rection of all his followers. He is risen as their head 
 and representative, and become the first fruits of 
 them that slept, and all his members shall in due 
 time and order rise and reign with him. He shall 
 change their vile bodies, that they may be fash- 
 ioned like unto his own glorious body, according 
 to the working of that mighty power by which he 
 is able to subdue all things to himself. The bodies 
 of believers, therefore, after the resurrection, shall 
 not only be free from disease, infirmity, and pain, 
 but they shall be glorious and immortal — raised 
 above the possibility of decay or dying ; for death 
 shall be swallowed up in victory, and mortality 
 shall be swallowed up of life. What a blessed 
 doctrine is the resurrection to a real Christian, and 
 how admirably calculated, where cordially em- 
 braced, to cheer his mind in the immediate pros- 
 pect of dissolution ! He can then lay his body in 
 the grave as in a bed of rest, where it shall sleep 
 in Jesus till the morning of the resurrection, when 
 it shall be awakened and raised in glory, to partake 
 of the honour and share in the triumphs of that 
 
OUR GREAT GOD AND SAVIOUR. 393 
 
 last, that great and glorious day. It is this which 
 strips death of its terror, the grave of its gloom, 
 and causes the Christian to look forward to the 
 coming of his Saviour with joyful anticipation ; for 
 he knows that the day of his complete redemption 
 shall arrive. 
 
 2d. Believers shall be blessed at the second ap- 
 pearance of Christ, because he shall then acknow- 
 ledge them as his faithful followers, and pro- 
 nounce a solemn sentence of acquittal upon them, 
 saying, " Come, ye blessed of my Father, and in- 
 herit the kingdom prepared for you from the foun- 
 dation of the world." When believers embrace the 
 testimony of God concerning Christ, and repose on 
 his finished work for salvation, they are justified 
 by faith, have peace with God, and there is to 
 them no condemnation. But the sentence passed 
 upon them in their justification, is a sentence 
 unknown to the world, and perhaps at times un- 
 known to themselves. Even true Christians feel 
 so much remaining depravity, are conscious of so 
 many failings, and chargeable with so many sins, 
 that they often condemn themselves, and may fear 
 that the Lord may ultimately condemn them. Be- 
 sides, being not men of the world, the world na- 
 turally hates them, and says all manner of evil 
 
 linst them falsely. Their characters may be ca- 
 lumniated, their good deeds ascribed to unworthy 
 motives, their failings may be represented as griev- 
 ous faults, and their follies magnified into crimes, and 
 because they are not angels the world may not allow 
 them to be Christians. Many hard speeches may be 
 uttered against them, and much ridicule cast open 
 them, by the impious and ungodly ; but when the 
 LCreat God and righteous Judge shall appear, they 
 shall be seen in their true colours and genuine 
 character. Then it shall appear that they w 
 
 s 
 
394 THE GLORIOUS APPEARANCE OF 
 
 real Christians, and that their hearts were right with 
 God. They shall not appear as persons who were 
 perfectly innocent, but as purchased believers, as 
 saved and sanctified sinners, who by the tenor of 
 their conduct had evinced the soundness of their 
 profession, and the sincerity of their faith. Then 
 their prayers and tears, their acts of kindness and 
 of christian liberality, shall be brought forward as 
 satisfactory evidence of their connexion with Christ, 
 and being possessed of the spirit of their Master. 
 This truth is distinctly stated by Christ himself, 
 Mat. xxv. 34 — 36, " Then shall the King say un- 
 to them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my 
 Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from 
 the foundation of the world : for I was an hunger- 
 ed, and ye gave me meat : I was thirsty, and ye 
 gave me drink : I was a stranger, and ye took me 
 in : naked, and ye clothed me : I was sick, and ye 
 visited me : I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 1 ' 
 What happiness must this public approbation, this 
 recognition of them as the friends of Jesus and the 
 blessed of the Father, afford them who had been 
 defamed and despised in this world ! How may 
 it comfort and support them under all the ca- 
 lumnies and contempt the world can cast upon 
 them ! Let the world condemn, if the Judge of all 
 acquits; let them call Christians deceivers and evil- 
 doers, if Christ shall say to them, " Well done, 
 good and faithful servants, enter ye into the joy of 
 your Lord." 
 
 3d. This leads us to observe, that Christians 
 shall be blessed when their Saviour shall appear, 
 by their being admitted, in their whole persons, 
 to enjoy the happiness of the heavenly world, 
 for they shall go away into life eternal. But who 
 can express, or even conceive, the happiness in- 
 cluded in this expression — " It doth not as yet 
 
OUR GREAT GOD AND SAVIOUR. 395 
 
 appear what we shall be ; but we know, that 
 when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for 
 we shall see him as he is." They shall be 
 delivered from all evil, both natural and moral. 
 Every pain shall cease, and every sorrow shall be 
 unknown. No heart shall be sad, no tongue com- 
 plain ; no tears shall fall from weeping eyes, and no 
 sigh shall heave any labouring breast; there shall 
 be an end to all suffering, because there shall 
 be no sin. Though the happiness resulting from 
 a removal of all evil may seem to be of a negative 
 kind, yet by persons acquainted with suffering, even 
 this must be highly appreciated. But how must 
 the happiness be enhanced when it is accompanied 
 with the greatest positive enjoyment, when the 
 powers of their minds shall be invigorated and en- 
 larged, when the most delightful objects shall be 
 presented to their contemplation, when they shall 
 obtain satisfactory discoveries of the works and 
 ways, the perfections and providence of God, par- 
 ticularly of the astonishing work of our redemption, 
 vhen they shall be completely formed into a resem- 
 blance of their divine Master, and in his light shali 
 light clearly ! Then all the senses of the glori- 
 fied bodies of the saints, and all the faculties of 
 their purified spirits, shall have appropriate objects 
 let before them, from which they shall derive di- 
 vine and exquisite delight ; they shall be as sensi- 
 ble of the glorious presence of God as they are of 
 the sun at noon-day ; the light of his countenance 
 shall beam upon them, and their intercourse with 
 him shall be immediate and uninterrupted. Thev 
 shall be employed in a course oi the most pleasing 
 and delightful service, tor there his servants serve 
 him and see his face. Their happiness shall be en- 
 joyed in the most a greea ble and improving society) 
 in the company of angels, and the redeemed from 
 
IVJ6 THE GLORIOUS APPEARANCE OF 
 
 among the sons of men, of patriarchs and prophets, 
 of saints and martyrs, of all the excellent that have 
 lived on the face of the earth, or shall live in it to 
 the end of time. All these shall be called into one 
 happy, harmonious society ; a society into which no 
 enemy shall enter, and from which no friend shall 
 depart ; a society which shall enjoy so much as shall 
 satisfy every desire, silence every complaint, and 
 render them completely happy in the presence, and 
 love, and service of the Lord their God. And to 
 complete their felicity, this happiness shall be ever- 
 lasting ; for they shall obtain salvation with eternal 
 glory ; they shall have a day without a night, joy 
 without sorrow, and happiness without interruption 
 or termination. 
 
 1st. You may learn from what has been said, 
 the transcendent excellence of true christian hope. 
 This hope is superior to the hope of worldly men 
 in the object to which it looks, the basis on which 
 it is built, and the happy effects which it never fails 
 to produce. The object of a believer's hope is the 
 glorious appearance of the great God, even our Sa- 
 viour, the Lord Jesus Christ. The foundation on 
 which it rests is solid and immoveable, being the 
 promise of the true and faithful Witness who cannot 
 lie, his resurrection from the dead, and the power 
 with which he is invested, and which enables him 
 to realize his promises. The effects which this hope 
 produces on the Christian's heart and life are the 
 most important, — it cheers, comforts, and sancti- 
 ties him; for every one who hath this hope in him, 
 purifieth himself, even as he is pure. If worldly 
 hope, or the hope of worldly men for the enjoy- 
 ment of worldly and perishing objects, be com- 
 pared with this hope, how insignificant does it 
 appear! Its objects are not suited to the dignity of 
 our nature as rational, moral, and immortal crea- 
 
OUR GREAT GOD AND SAVIOUR. 3^7 
 
 tures — its basis is uncertain, and its effects are in- 
 toxicating and deleterious ; while the objects of 
 christian hope are suited to our nature, and satis- 
 factory to our souls. Cherish then, Christians, 
 this enlivening, sanctifying, and saving principle. 
 Be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, 
 but hold fast the beginning of your hope and con- 
 fidence unto the end, and you shall assuredly receivv 
 the end of your faith and hope, even the salvation 
 of your souls. 
 
 2d. From what has been said you may obtain 
 an excellent test of character, by which you may 
 examine your state and prospects. Are you really 
 looking for the glorious appearance of the great 
 God, even our Saviour? Have you a firm faith in 
 its reality ? Do you desire it, and long for it ? Are 
 you patiently waiting for it, and are you diligent 
 in preparing for it? If this be your character you 
 are happy now, and you shall be happy for ever. 
 You have before you the brightness and blessedness 
 of christian hope, and you may rejoice in hope, for 
 he who comes to be your judge is your friend. He 
 redeemed you by his blood, and after acquitting 
 you, and pronouncing you blessed of his Father, he 
 will bring you to inherit the heavenly kingdom 
 prepared for you. But if, on the other hand, you 
 doubt or disbelieve the gospel, feel no desire for the 
 glorious appearance of Jesus Christ, and are discov- 
 ering no diligence in the use of means, no preparing 
 for his appearance, then you must be miserable 
 now, and have nothing before you but the black- 
 ness of darkness for ever, for you are living with- 
 out God and without hope in the world. But al- 
 though your present condition is deplorable, it is not 
 desperate. The hope of the gospel 18 Still Bel be- 
 fore you, and the way to the city of refage is still 
 open to you. O be persuaded then to flee instant- 
 
398 THE GLORIOUS APPEARANCE OF 
 
 ly for refuge to this hope — embrace the Saviour — 
 rely upon his obedience and blood for pardon, ac- 
 ceptance, and eternal life. Love him, and live to 
 him, and you shall find faith in Jesus to bring peace 
 to your conscience, and purity to your hearts, and 
 then, when Christ your life shall appear, you shall 
 also appear with him in glory, and be for ever with 
 the Lord. 
 
 3d. You may see from this subject how the doc- 
 trines and discourses of the gospel are admirably 
 suited to comfort Christians under all the distres- 
 ses and calamities of a present life. These, indeed, 
 are numerous and oppressive, and without the con- 
 solations of the gospel would be overwhelming. But 
 Christianity is the religion of the afflicted; she opens 
 abundant sources of consolation to suffering be- 
 lievers, so that if our afflictions abound, our conso- 
 lations by Christ Jesus also abound. Christ is the 
 consolation of Israel, and although as to his bodily 
 presence he has left the world, he has not left his 
 followers comfortless in it. He comes and blesses 
 them with his gracious presence, he renews them 
 with the influences of his Spirit, and he not only 
 gives them promises of present support, but the 
 assurance of future and complete deliverance. He 
 informs them that all their afflictions are necessary 
 to promote their spiritual improvement, and that 
 they shall all work together for their good, and 
 that the sufferings of this present time are not 
 worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be 
 revealed in them. Their bodies at the resurrection 
 shall be conformed to his glorious body, and shall 
 become inlets to the purest and most refined de- 
 lights. Then those eyes which often in this world 
 shed tears of penitential sorrow shall not only 
 have them wiped away, but shall behold the bright- 
 ness and beauty of the heavenly world. Those 
 
OUR GREAT GOD AND SAVIOUR. 399 
 
 ears which often in this world heard the sounds of 
 sorrow and the voice of lamentation, shall hear the 
 new song of praise and the shout of triumph. 
 Those hands which often hung down with grief. 
 or were lifted in prayer, shall hold the palm of vic- 
 tory, or the harp of praise. Those feet which often 
 visited the abodes of distress, or trode the courts 
 of God's sanctuary on earth, shall walk the streets 
 of the New Jerusalem, or stand before the throne of 
 God and the Lamb ; and those heads which were 
 bowed down with grief, or were bent under the 
 weight of years, shall be lifted up with joy, and be 
 adorned with crowns of glory which never fade 
 away. Let Christians then be comforted under all 
 their sufferings, their sorrows, and bereavements. 
 Let them not sorrow as others who have no hope, 
 but let them be exceedingly joyful under all their 
 tribulations. Let them lift up their heads with 
 joy, for the day of their complete redemption 
 draweth nigh. Let them look to him and for him, 
 for he that shall come will come, and will not tarrv, 
 and blessed are all they that wait for him. It was 
 the hope of the second appearance of the Saviour 
 which the primitive Christians cherished with pe- 
 culiar delight, w r hich filled them with joy under all 
 their tribulations, inspired them with invincible 
 fortitude, and made them meet death without ter- 
 ror ; and real Christians still have the same in- 
 terest in this glorious event ; yet if we do not con- 
 stantly keep it in view by the exercise of a lively 
 faith, it will not have the same practical influence 
 on our temper and deportment as it had upon theirs 
 4th and lastly. This lead* in to observe that you 
 may see from this subject ichut powerful * << th- 
 an nt it (/(fords to (tiliffi nee and deficit if in the dis- 
 charge of christian duties, and the cultivation ot 
 
-JOG THE GLORIOUS APPEARANCE OF 
 
 holy and heavenly dispositions. Do we look for 
 the dissolution of this world, and the glorious ap- 
 pearance of the great God, even our Saviour ? 
 Then what manner of persons ought we to be in all 
 holy conversation and godliness, looking for and 
 hasting unto the coming of the day of God. How 
 regular and indefatigable ought we to be in the 
 performance of all personal, domestic, and social 
 duties, and how pure, holy, and elevated ought we 
 to be in our views and feelings, desires and disposi- 
 tions ! To look for the blessed hope of the glori- 
 ous appearance of our Saviour, is a most delightful 
 prospect, which must strengthen us under tempta- 
 tion, soothe us under sufferings, and not only disarm 
 death of terror, but even make it desirable, because 
 it comes to a Christian as a messenger of peace, 
 calling him away from a land of darkness to a land 
 of light, from a vale of tears to a place of joy, and 
 from a field of conflict to the crown of victory. 
 Were we only to realize the present inspection 
 and the future advent of our Lord, our duties 
 would not be performed in the cold and careless 
 manner in which we too often discharge them, nor 
 would our pursuit of worldly objects, and pleasures, 
 and enjoyments, be so ardent and unremitting ; on 
 the contrary, it would become our supreme desire 
 and constant endeavour to be actually prepared for 
 the coming of our Lord. We would account no 
 solicitude too great, no effort too arduous, and no 
 sacrifice too expensive to secure this happy result'. 
 Let Christians, then, learn to call into operation all 
 the energies of their renovated nature, and live in 
 the constant exercise of every grace, and the faithful 
 discharge of every duty, and to be always like men 
 waiting for the coming of their Lord ; for blessed 
 are those servants who, when their Master cometh, 
 
OUR GREAT GOD AND SAVIOUR. 401 
 
 shall be found watching. Thus, they shall comply 
 with the injunction of the Apostle, 1 John ii. 28, 
 " And now, little children, abide in him ; that, 
 when he shall appear, we may have confidence, 
 and not be ashamed before him at his coming." 
 Amen. 
 
 82 
 
SERMON XV. 
 
 THE MANNER IN WHICH PASTORS OUGHT TO FEED 
 THE FLOCK OF GOD. 
 
 1 Peter v. 2. 
 
 " Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the over- 
 sight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly ; not for filthy 
 lucre, but of a ready mind." 
 
 The work of a minister of the gospel must be al- 
 lowed, by all who understand it, to be honourable, 
 arduous, and important. To the faithful discharge 
 of the various duties of the sacred office no man with 
 any natural or acquired abilities is equal ; but in 
 humility he must adopt the language of the Apostle, 
 " who is sufficient for these things ?" It must, 
 therefore, be of the greatest importance for those 
 who enter upon this office, to be satisfied that they 
 have been called of God, in order that, in the use of 
 means, they may lay claim to that encouraging pro- 
 mise, ;i Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end 
 of the world." In the church of Christ, as in every 
 well regulated society, a proper order is established, 
 which, if carefully maintained, and uniformly ob- 
 served, tends to promote the peace, harmony, and 
 happiness of the whole. She is not left to be mo- 
 delled according to the humour or fancy of men, or 
 to be entirely governed by the maxims of human 
 policy and prudence ; but certain laws are enacted, 
 and directions given in Sacred Scripture, which are 
 carefully to be observed, and constantly followed, 
 and to the neglect of which the disorders and divi- 
 sions which prevail in the christian church are in a 
 great measure to be attributed. These rules, plain 
 
PASTORS OUGHT TO FEED THE FLOCK OF GOD. 403 
 
 and simple like the gospel itself, are apt to be des- 
 pised by men of worldly wisdom, who, by substi- 
 tuting the maxims of human policy in place of the 
 directions of inspired wisdom, have manifested their 
 ignorance and folly, and loaded the church with a 
 burden which she is unable to bear. The church 
 being a society closely connected is evidently in- 
 terested in the conduct of all her members, espe- 
 cially in the character and conduct of those who 
 fill places of public trust and authority. As in civil 
 society the interest of the community at large in 
 a great measure depends upon the ability and in- 
 tegrity of those who hold public stations, and to 
 whom the execution of the law is committed ; so 
 in the church of Christ the interest of religion and 
 the peace of the christian community in a great 
 measure, under God, depend upon the ability and 
 fidelity of those who rule, and are appointed the 
 public guardians of virtue and religion. Aware of 
 this important truth, the Apostle having in tht 
 former chapter exhorted Christians in general to at- 
 tend to the duties of their station, and to be holy 
 in all manner of life and conversation, in the be- 
 ginning of this chapter addresses the public teachers 
 of religion, and exhorts them to be faithful and 
 diligent in the discharge of their duty. " The elders 
 which are among you I exhort, who am also an 
 elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and 
 also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed." 
 Then follows the solemn charge, " Feed the flock oi 
 God which is among you, taking the oversight 
 thereof, not by constraint, but willingly: not 
 filthy lucre, but of a ready mind/ 1 In treating this 
 Subject it is proposed, in humble dependence upon 
 divine aid, 
 
 I. To show what we are to understand by tin 
 flock of God. 
 
404 THE MANNER IN WHICH PASTORS 
 
 II. To consider the duty to which those who 
 have oversight are exhorted — they are to feed the 
 flock of God. 
 
 III. To illustrate the motives by which they 
 ought to be influenced in undertaking, and ani- 
 mated in discharging the duties of their important 
 office. 
 
 I. We are to show what we are to understand by 
 the flock of God, and why they are thus denomin- 
 ated. Here it must be observed, that, in the early 
 ages and eastern countries, the pastoral life was 
 more common and honourable than in modern times. 
 As their wealth was then principally derived from 
 their flocks, or rather consisted in their number and 
 increase, men of affluence did not deem it below 
 their dignity to be employed in tending them, and 
 their language was formed and their manners regu- 
 lated by their employment. Hence it is that in 
 Scripture the pastoral style is so frequently intro- 
 duced, and our Saviour is compared unto a shep- 
 herd, and his followers to his flock, Is. xl. 11, " He 
 shall feed his flock like a shepherd ; he shall ga- 
 ther the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his 
 bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with 
 young." Our blessed Lord, when he appeared in 
 this world, claimed this amiable character, when he 
 said, John x. 11, " I am the good shepherd : the 
 good shepherd giveth his life tor the sheep." As 
 the sheep of Christ are distinguished in Scripture 
 from the rest of the world, so by this term we are 
 not to understand professing Christians in general, 
 but true believers who are possessed of the spirit 
 and temper of Christ — who imitate his example and 
 obey his laws. These are different from the rest 
 of the world in their principles and conduct, and 
 they stand in a peculiar relation to Jesus Christ. 
 
OUGHT TO FEED THE FLOCK OF GOD. 40.1 
 
 For them he lived, died, rose again, and lives for 
 evermore, and conducted by his unerring hand they 
 shall finally be brought into the fold of heaven. 
 It is true, indeed, those who have the oversight of 
 the church in this world, have persons of mixed and 
 opposite characters under their care. The good 
 and the bad are here blended together; the sheep 
 are mingled with the goats ; wicked men and hy- 
 pocrites assume the christian name, join the chris- 
 tian church, and frequently sit before God as his 
 people sit. To persons of this character the ser- 
 vants of God are not to be inattentive ; for their 
 conversion and salvation they are earnestly to la- 
 bour ; they must faithfully warn them of their duty 
 and danger, that, if they are not happily instrumen- 
 tal in saving their souls, they may at least deliver 
 their own. Characters of this complexion, how- 
 ever, notwithstanding of their profession, do not be- 
 long to the flock of God, nor can they be ranked 
 among the sheep of Christ. With a very different 
 master they stand connected, and to a different fold 
 they must belong. If they continue in this con- 
 nection, though for a season they may associate with 
 the flock of Chri-r. j r a final and everlasting se- 
 paration, we are assured, shall take place. By the 
 flock of God, then, we are to understand real Chris- 
 tians — persons to whom the character drawn by 
 Christ applies, M My sheep hear my voice, and I 
 know them, and they follow me." They are styled 
 a flock, because they are of a social disposition : 
 they delight to meet in a public manner to worship 
 the Lord God of their fathers, and to hear the 
 words of eternal life. Powcsocd of a divine nature, 
 and united by one spirit, they are averse to conten- 
 tion or separation, and desire to live in love and con- 
 OOtd with one another, preserving the unity of the 
 spirit in the bond of peace. As they are all agreed 
 
4U6 THE MANNER IN WHICH PASTORS 
 
 upon the great and leading doctrines of religion, it 
 is not every little difference of sentiment upon other 
 points that will produce any difference of affection. 
 As brethren they will live together in unity, and 
 rejoice to feed together upon the green pastures, 
 or to lie down beside the still waters. They are 
 a flock too, because in age, strength, and ex- 
 perience there is a natural and beautiful diversity 
 among them. In this society there are little chil- 
 dren, young men, and fathers ; or, to preserve our 
 Saviour's pastoral style, sheep and lambs. Here 
 we find persons of different standing and of differ- 
 ent strength. Some, just born again, are weak and 
 feeble, beginning to tread the green pastures with 
 trembling steps ; while others, advanced in know- 
 ledge and experience, are strong in the Lord and 
 the power of his might. And, finally, they are a 
 flock, because of themselves they are w r eak and de- 
 fenceless — unequal to their own direction or support. 
 Their safety consists in flying by prayer unto him 
 who is the chief shepherd and bishop of their souls, 
 and whose name is a strong tower to which the 
 righteous may run and be safe. Feeble and de- 
 fenceless however of themselves, they are the flock 
 of God. In this consist their honour, their safety, 
 and happiness. Unto them the good shepherd ad- 
 dresses these animating words : " Fear not, little 
 flock, it is your Father's good pleasure to give you 
 the kingdom." They are the flock of God, as they 
 were chosen of him in Christ Jesus before the world 
 was. Eph. i. 4 — " According as he hath chosen us 
 in him before the foundation of the world, that we 
 should be holy and without blame before him in 
 love." John vi. 37, " All that the Father giveth me 
 shall come to me." They are his flock because 
 they were purchased with the blood of the Son 
 of God. Hence the emphasis of that solemn 
 
OUGHT TO FEED THE FLOCK OF GOD. 4(>7 
 
 charge given unto the Ephesian elders, Acts xx. 
 28, " Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to 
 all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath 
 made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which 
 he hath purchased with his own blood." They are 
 the flock of God, moreover, because, being redeemed 
 with the precious blood of Christ, they are his pe- 
 culiar or purchased people, and the objects of his 
 special care. His eyes are continually upon them, 
 his ear is ever open to their cry, and his hand i* 
 ready to be stretched out for their deliverance or 
 defence. He constantly superintends all their con- 
 cerns, watches over them with unremitting atten- 
 tion, and is their refuge and strength in the day of 
 trouble, and at the hour of death. In faith of this 
 the pious Psalmist triumphs when he says, " The 
 Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh 
 me to lie down in green pastures : he leadeth me 
 beside the still waters." As a proof of his concern 
 for their interest he has appointed an order of men 
 in his church, to whose care his sheep are com- 
 mitted, and for whom they are to be accountable in 
 the day of the Lord. 
 
 II. But this naturally leads us to consider tin- 
 duty to which those who have the oversight are 
 exhorted by the Apostles — they are to feed tin- 
 flock of God which is among them. This ■ 
 duty of great extent and vast importance, including 
 a variety of branches the chief of which may be 
 comprehended under the three following particular^. 
 
 1st, Those who have the over>i^ht must \\'v<\ 
 
 the flock of God, by teaching them tin truth as it 
 is m J(sks, and preaching tin doctrine* nj tin 
 glorious (mil * /•< / lasting gowfi /. Mankind being 
 at p res e n t in a lapsed ^tate. an naturally ignorant 
 
 of God and of the knowledge of his will. A- 
 
408 THE MANNER IN WHICH PASTORS 
 
 knowledge is the foundation of all religion, so the 
 Almighty has been pleased not only to favour 
 us with a divine revelation, but to appoint an order 
 of men to be public teachers of his people, to in- 
 struct them in the knowledge of divine truth, to 
 inform their understandings and direct their judg- 
 ments by bringing the truths of God from the sa- 
 cred treasury, and placing them before them in the 
 clearest and most impressive light. The character 
 of faithful pastors in this respect is beautifully 
 drawn by the ancient prophet, speaking in the 
 name of the Lord. Jer. iii. 15 — " I will give you 
 pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed 
 you with knowledge and understanding." The 
 ignorant are to be instructed in the first principles 
 of religion, and the people of God, who know in 
 part, are to be taught more perfectly, and to have 
 knowledge communicated unto them suited to their 
 capacity and experience. Spiritual knowledge is the 
 food of the soul, and with this aliment the flock of 
 God must be fed ; it is not therefore with any other 
 species of knowledge that they are to be entertained 
 by their public instructors, it is not with vain spe- 
 culations, with philosophical essays, with pompous 
 declamation, or loose harangues upon some dry and 
 uninteresting subject, that the sheep of Christ are 
 to be fed. With these, indeed, foolish teachers may 
 feed their own vanity, but they can never edify the 
 people of God; they are neither suited unto their 
 spiritual taste nor calculated to promote their edifi- 
 cation ; on the contrary, the flock of God must be 
 fed with solid and substantial gospel truths, with 
 the knowledge of Christ and him crucified, in whom 
 are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 
 Christ is the bread of life, and the only suitable 
 food unto the children of his family. The stewards 
 of his household, therefore, must imitate the con- 
 
OUGHT TO FEED THE FLOCK OF GOD. 4*)9 
 
 duct of one who well knew his duty as a public- 
 teacher, and who, although he was a man of learn- 
 ing and ability, determined not to know anything 
 among his hearers, but Christ and him crucified. 
 The cross of Christ is the sum and substance of 
 Christianity. With this subject, viewed in its proper 
 extent, all that is essential to salvation is connected. 
 Here the divine nature and perfections are illustri- 
 ously displayed, the ruin and remedy of man are re- 
 vealed, the infinite evil of sin and the greatness of the 
 love of God are exhibited, and therefore, in connec- 
 tion with it, every doctrine of Christianity is to be 
 taught, for edifying the body of Christ, humbling 
 human pride, and showing the hearers of the gospel 
 where righteousness and salvation can only be ob- 
 tained ; for other foundation can no man lay than 
 that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. If Christ crucified 
 be not taught, Christianity reverts to the religion of 
 nature, and is deprived of its distinguishing excel- 
 lence and peculiar glory. We do not mean, how- 
 ever, that public teachers are to dwell perpetually 
 upon the doctrines and comforts of the gospel : 
 the whole counsel of God is to be declared, divine 
 truths are to be taught in their mutual connection 
 and dependence, and in connexion with the grace 
 of God, reigning through righteousness unto eter- 
 nal life. Every revealed truth is to be brought in- 
 to view, the terrors of the law with the comforts of 
 the gospel, the threatening* of the word with tin- 
 promises of grace, the duties of the christian with 
 the privileges of the believer. The practical in- 
 fluence of the i^reat doctrines of the gospel is to be 
 shown, and these doctrines are to be exhibited ;h 
 the true sources of christian morality. From thi^ 
 connected view of the scheme of divine truth, our 
 hearers will learn it! excellency and importance: 
 they will see what is prepared for the sinner, R8 well 
 
410 THE MANNER IN WHICH PASTORS 
 
 as promised unto the saint. Christ, however, is 
 still to be kept in view, for the different lines of 
 divine truth meet in him as in their common centre. 
 Thus it is, that those who have the oversight must 
 feed the flock of God, by rightly dividing the 
 word of truth, and giving to every one his portion 
 of meat in due season. They must follow the ex- 
 ample of Paul and his fellow labourers in the 
 gospel; of whom he declares, Col. i. 28, " Whom we 
 preach, warning every man, teaching every man in 
 all wisdom ; that we may present every man perfect 
 in Christ Jesus." 
 
 2d. Those who have the oversight must feed 
 the flock who is among them, by dispensing the 
 ordinances of divine appointment, superintending 
 their morals, exhorting them to the practice of 
 duty, and reproving or rebuking them for the sins 
 into which they may occasionally fall. The posi- 
 tive institutions of our religion are few in number, 
 simple in their nature, and significant in their exter- 
 nal signs. Their administration is committed unto 
 the ministers of the gospel, who are to dispense 
 them in their original purity and simplicity, by 
 carefully guarding against corruption or profanation, 
 whether by popish addition or promiscuous parti- 
 cipation. The nature and intention of these or- 
 dinances are to be explained, the character of 
 those who may worthily partake of them is to be 
 drawn, the friends of Jesus are to be encouraged to 
 wait upon them, and his enemies warned of their 
 danger if they impiously approach unto the table of 
 the Lord. For this purpose, pastors must superin- 
 tend and examine the flock, that, as far as human 
 knowledge can reach, they may distinguish between 
 the ignorant and intelligent, the precious and the 
 vile. They must study to be acquainted with the 
 state and general character of their flock, with 
 
OUGHT TO FEED THE FLOCK OF GOD. 4 I 1 
 
 their knowledge or ignorance, their tempers and 
 passions, with their temptations and dangers. From 
 this knowledge the faithful pastor will derive un- 
 speakable advantage. He will be able to teach in 
 a more close and appropriate manner, and his public- 
 discourses, as well as private exhortations, will be 
 discriminating and applicable. His acquaintance 
 with their diseases, will enable him to direct to the 
 remedy ; his knowledge of their tempers and ruling- 
 passions will open his way to the heart, and lead 
 him to address them with closeness and effect. By 
 this means he will be enabled more effectually to 
 obey the apostolical direction, to warn the unruly, 
 to comfort the feeble-minded, to support the weak, 
 to succour the tempted, and to be patient towards 
 all men. This superintendence of the flock, however, 
 is to be exercised with the greatest delicacy and pru- 
 dence. It is not to be maintained by the public 
 teacher to manifest his authority, or to gratify an 
 idle curiosity, and far less to indulge a censorious 
 temper of mind; but, like the inspection of an indul- 
 gent parent over a large and numerous family, it 
 must be blended with love and compassion, and 
 accompanied with a sincere desire to instruct or 
 reclaim. While the faithful pastor is thus employed 
 in watching over his flock, he will no doubt haw 
 occasion to observe with regret, that, notwkhstand 
 ing of all his care and instruction, some of them will 
 be going astray, being unhappily seduced into the 
 paras of error, or allured into the ways of vice. If 
 their offences are of a private nature, private admo- 
 nition is to be used; but if they are public and 
 scandalous, from false delicacy lie is not to be Silent, 
 or with criminal partiality to pa^s them without no- 
 tice, but by the regular exercise of discipline he is 
 to endeavour to bring them to a 161186 ofrheir sin, and 
 to lead them to repentance and amendment of life. 
 
412 THE MANNER IN WHICH PASTORS 
 
 This duty is not of easy performance, and the proud 
 spirit of some professing Christians increases the 
 difficulty ; but the faithful pastor is not to be so far 
 discouraged, as upon that account to decline or ne- 
 glect it. The command of God must be obeyed, 
 and the direction of the Apostle followed, 2 Tim. 
 iv. 2, " He must reprove, rebuke, and exhort with 
 all long-suffering and doctrine/' 
 
 3d. Those who have the oversight must feed 
 the flock, by exhibiting, in their own conduct, an 
 example of universal holiness. There is nothing 
 more amiable and attractive than a holy and well 
 ordered conversation. Its influence, especially in 
 those who fill superior stations, is powerful and 
 persuasive, and therefore, though every Christian 
 should study in his place to be exemplary, yet, 
 in a peculiar manner, this is incumbent upon the 
 public teachers of religion. Their Lord and Mas- 
 ter expressly requires this, the world expects it, 
 and they are bound to shine as lights in the world. 
 Hence they are enjoined in the verse immediately 
 following the text, "to be ensamples to the 
 flock ;" and how this example is to be exhibited, 
 another Apostle more fully declares, 1 Tim. iv. 
 12, "Be thou an example of the believers in 
 word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, 
 in purity." Pastors therefore are not only bound 
 to instruct their hearers in the doctrines and duties 
 of religion, but they are to practise in their own 
 lives the duties they enjoin. Without this they 
 will not be able to command general esteem, nor 
 will their labours and instructions be attended 
 with much success. In vain will they explain the 
 doctrines of the gospel, or enforce its precepts, if 
 they do not exhibit to their hearers the sanctifying 
 influence of the one, and a sacred and uniform 
 obedience to the other. Mankind are so consti- 
 
OUGHT TO FEED THE FLOCK OF GOD. 413 
 
 tuted, that they will always be more disposed to 
 believe what they see, than what they hear, and 
 therefore when they observe the life and doctrine 
 of their teachers to be at variance, they will readilv 
 conclude that they do not believe what they teach, 
 and that their characters are hollow and hypocriti- 
 cal. As our blessed Lord, who was the great and 
 good shepherd, not only instructed men in the 
 knowledge of their duty, but set them an example 
 that they might follow his steps, so those who are 
 employed under him in the work of the ministry, 
 are to combine example and precept in the discharge 
 of their duty. They are to exhibit the beauty and 
 excellence of religion in their own conduct, to be 
 patterns unto their people in all holy conversation 
 and godliness, that in some measure they may sav 
 with the Apostle, be ye followers of us, even as we 
 also are of Christ. In the whole of their beha- 
 viour they must be blameless and harmless, their con- 
 duct must correspond with their characters, and be 
 calculated to edifv the flock of God. From them a 
 higher degree of holiness is expected than from the 
 rest of the world. Their station requires it, for 
 their behaviour will be observed with minutene>-. 
 and examined with severity. Allowances that will 
 be made for other men will not be granted unto 
 them — the eyes of their people will be continually 
 upon them, and therefore it concerns them to be 
 eautious and circumspect in the whole of their con- 
 duct. They must not only abstain from all po>i- 
 tive evil, but even avoid the least appearance of it. 
 They must not venture to approach the doubtful 
 limits, but to the conviction of every candid ob- 
 server keep themselves unspotted from the world. 
 Far from being intemperate, they must be remark- 
 able for sobriety ; far from being rigorous or unjust, 
 they must be generous and forgiving : and instead 
 
414 THE MANNER IN WHICH PASTORS 
 
 of being guilty of any indecency or levity, they 
 must rather lean to the safer extreme of gravity 
 and reserve. Nay, even in things indifferent, and 
 that would offend the flock, lest they should hurt 
 their usefulness among them, they are to abstain. 
 Thus they are to be blameless and harmless, the 
 sons and servants of God without rebuke, shining 
 in the beauties of holiness as lights in the world. 
 This purity of conduct will impart dignity to their 
 characters, and add weight unto their public in- 
 structions. Their flock will listen to them with 
 pleasure, being convinced that they speak from the 
 heart, and their exhortations or reproofs will be 
 received with attention and acceptance. Without 
 this exemplary conduct their characters will never 
 rise to such a degree of respectability as to com- 
 mand esteem, nor acquire such authority as to give 
 weight to their instructions. They may, without 
 this, indeed, be regarded as men of learning and 
 genius, and be coveted as gay and agreeable com- 
 panions, but they will always be looked upon by 
 the sober and discerning as persons destitute of 
 religion ; and for the want of personal religion no 
 learning or genius in the clerical character can 
 compensate. 
 
 III. Having considered the duty to which those 
 who have the oversight are exhorted, we now pro- 
 ceed to illustrate the motives by which they ought 
 to be influenced in undertaking, and animated in 
 discharging, the duties of their important office. 
 They are to take the oversight, not by constraint, 
 but willingly ; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready 
 mind. By taking the oversight, we may either 
 understand their compliance with the call of the 
 church, and being regularly ordained to this sacred 
 office, or rather, as the original word seems to sig- 
 
OUGHT TO FEED THE FLOCK OF GOD. 415 
 
 nify, the doing the works of faithful pastors, in the 
 regular discharge of all the important duties in- 
 cumbent upon them. Both of these ideas we shall 
 keep in view — they are so closely connected that 
 they run into one another ; for the same motives 
 which ought to induce men to undertake the one, 
 should likewise prompt them to perform the other. 
 1st. Pastors are not to take the oversight with 
 reluctance and aversion, or perform their duty 
 through constraint and necessity. In the early 
 ages of the Church, when the minds of Christians 
 were deeply impressed with a sense of the impor- 
 tance of the pastoral office, and when the public- 
 teachers of Christianity were exposed to many hard- 
 ships, and to violent persecution, it was with dif- 
 ficulty that persons, properly qualified, could be pre- 
 vailed upon to take charge of particular churches. 
 Much entreaty was often found necessary to induce 
 them to accept of the pastoral office. Necessary, 
 however, as such persuasion might be at some 
 former periods, there is no occasion for it in modern 
 times. Now some appear to take the oversight 
 so very willingly that they do it in direct opposi- 
 tion unto the declared inclination of the flock. Bur 
 whether this willingness arises from a just and 
 increasing sense of the importance of the office, or 
 from the want of any sense of it at all, we shall not 
 presume to determine. One thing, however, we 
 may safely affirm, that the diffidence with which 
 young men undertake the work of the ministry and 
 the care of souls, will always be in proportion to 
 the sense they entertain of its importance, and that 
 although they will not be inattentive to the call of 
 providence, and the voice of the nock, yet they 
 will wait this call, knowing that if they run unsenr 
 they cannot expect to profit As they are to take 
 the oversight, not by constraint, but willinirly and 
 
41() THE MANNER IN WHICH PASTORS 
 
 of a ready mind, so they are to perform the duties 
 of their office with cheerfulness and alacrity. Their 
 service must not be the reluctant service of a slave, 
 but the free and cheerful service of a son. Thev 
 are not to regard their duty as a drudgery, as a 
 task to which they submit with the utmost aver- 
 sion, and in the performance of which they have 
 no pleasure. The dead-weight of necessity must 
 not compel them to go the dull round of ex- 
 ternal duty, nor must they be influenced by the 
 fear of censure, or the apprehension of worldly 
 consequences, but they must enter into the spirit 
 of their work, and esteem their duty their honour 
 and delight. 
 
 2d. They are not to be influenced by the desire 
 of worldly gain, or, as it is expressed in the text, 
 by the love of filthy lucre. Gain, or the immo- 
 derate love of money, is a root of all evil. From 
 this, as from a copious fountain, flow many of the 
 streams that defile both Church and State. This 
 sordid desire has the most pernicious influence upon 
 society, and is more extensively hurtful than we 
 are apt to imagine. It is this that renders the 
 statesman covetous and intriguing, the trader frau- 
 dulent, the judge unjust, and the churchman am- 
 bitious. Nay, this principle has induced some 
 men to desert Christianity altogether, and to attach 
 themselves to a society where gain is of easier and 
 more instant acquisition. " Demas hath forsaken 
 us," saith the Apostle, "having loved a present 
 world ;" and Demas has not been the only charac- 
 ter whose love to the world has produced infidelity or 
 occasioned a total apostacy. Now, though the wis- 
 dom of God has appointed that they who preach 
 the gospel should live by the gospel, yet this living 
 surely ought not to be the leading motive by 
 which its ministers should be influenced in preach- 
 
OUGHT TO FEED TfTE FLOCK OF OOP. 41 7 
 
 ing it. They are to be animated by a much more 
 noble and disinterested principle, that they may be 
 able to say in sincerity to their flock, " We seek 
 not yours, but you." How humiliating is the charge 
 that the Lord brings against the pastors in his an- 
 cient Church, by Micah, when he says, Micah iii. 
 11," The heads thereof judge for reward, and the 
 priests thereof teach for hire." With a purity of 
 intention, therefore, incompatible with worldly 
 views, and an elevation of sentiment becoming 
 their sacred character, pastors should be willing, 
 when called to take the oversight, to do every- 
 thing in their power to promote the glory of God 
 and the salvation of the souls of men. 
 
 3d. This leads me to observe, that they ought 
 to be influenced by a single and supreme regard 
 unto the honour and glory of God. This motive 
 should animate Christians in the whole of their 
 conduct, for whatever we do we are to do all to 
 the glory of God. Can a nobler motive influence 
 the minds of men, or a higher animate the saints and 
 angels in heaven ? They can aim at nothing 
 greater, and therefore it must be true greatness to 
 keep this in view. Although the force of this mo- 
 tive will be felt by every Christian, yet in a pecu- 
 liar manner it ought to operate upon the faithful 
 pastor, and excite him to the greatest exertions in 
 the service of God. He is the devoted servant of 
 the Lord, and for the glory of his Master he must 
 earnestly labour. To manifest the glory of God 
 in the salvation of men is the great design of the 
 gospel he preaches, and shall he not keep this 
 grand object invariably in view ? It is not to seek 
 his own glory, or to gratify his vanity and ambi- 
 tion, that he should desire to be en<ra<£ed in this 
 service; but he must come with all the desire oi 
 his mind, willing that hi-- own honour be laid in 
 
 T 
 
418 THE MANNER IN WHICH PASTORS 
 
 the dust, if thereby the glory of God be displayed 
 and placed upon the throne. This glory must be 
 dearer unto him than any earthly joys ; nay, 
 dearer unto him than his own life. To promote 
 this, he must deem it life to live ; and to declare it, 
 he must be willing to die, accounting not even his 
 own life dear unto himself, that he may finish his 
 course with joy, and testify the gospel of the grace 
 of God. 
 
 4th. They must be influenced by a sincere and 
 ardent love unto Jesus Christ. This divine prin- 
 ciple is necessary to animate them in their services, 
 and to give life and energy to their public labours. 
 Upon those who are strangers to the love of Christ 
 we can have no dependence for continuing and 
 abounding in the work of the Lord. The want of 
 this will cramp their exertions, or give them a 
 partial and confined direction. Faithful pastors, 
 therefore, must feel something of that love, the 
 wonders of which they unfold to others ; they must 
 be able in some measure to say with the Apostle, 
 2 Cor. v. 14, " For the love of Christ constraineth 
 us/' This heavenly principle will fill their hearts 
 with every generous emotion, and induce them 
 with ardour and alacrity to discharge the most diffi- 
 cult duties. As the Saviour from self-moving 
 love came to accomplish the salvation of men, so 
 he wishes that from love to him men should preach 
 this wonderful salvation to their brethren. As love 
 unto a master is necessary in a servant in this 
 world, to engage him to perform his duty with 
 cheerfulness and care, so love to our Great Master 
 is equally necessary in the professed servant of 
 Christ, to engage him to attend unto his duty with 
 pleasure and edification. This is evident from the 
 memorable question our Lord put to Simon — 
 " Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?" When 
 
OUGHT TO FEED THE FLOCK OF GOT). 419 
 
 that disciple, appealing to the omniscience of his 
 Master, could reply, " Lord, thou knowest all 
 things ; thou knowest that I love thee ?" the so- 
 lemn charge immediately followed — " Feed my 
 lambs; feed my sheep" — John xxi. 15 — 17. 
 Unto the hearts of his servants our heavenly 
 Master principally looks — the labours he loves are 
 labours of love — services flowing from love unto 
 him as their fountain, and directed to the glory of 
 God as their ultimate end. Without this love 
 unto Christ, the services of pastors will be re- 
 strained and partial, and the labour and fatigue 
 attending the performance of their duty will be a 
 weariness and burden; but, animated by this soul- 
 transporting motive, they will be ready to encoun- 
 ter every danger, and to endure every hardship, 
 never imagining they can do or suffer too much 
 for him who accounted not his own life dear unto 
 himself, but willingly gave it a ransom for theirs. 
 
 oth and lastly. This leads us to observe, that 
 those w ho have the oversight of the flock ought to 
 be influenced by an ardent concern for the salva- 
 tion of the souls of men. Impressed with a deep 
 sense of the worth of their own souls, and con- 
 cerned for their salvation, they must feel the most 
 tender concern for the salvation of the souls of 
 others. Next unto his own glory, the salvation of 
 men was the great object God had in view in con- 
 triving and executing the scheme of redemption. 
 It was to bring many sons unto glory. This end, 
 therefore, must be invariably kept in view, and 
 give a decisive direction to the whole of a pastor's 
 conduct. To gain subjects to the Redeemer's 
 kingdom, to save souls from death — this must be 
 the motive by which he is to be influenced in un- 
 dertaking, and animated in discharging, the duties 
 of his office. And can a more honourable and 
 generous motive actuate the human mind ? This 
 
420 THE MANNER IN WHICH PASTORS 
 
 is christian charity — this is divine benevolence ! To 
 save a soul from death is a more noble achieve- 
 ment than to save a sinking nation or to conquer 
 the world ! What a divine — for it is truly a god- 
 like — employment ! This is an office in which the 
 Son of God held it honourable to appear. A 
 saviour of souls he lived, died, rose again, and lives 
 for evermore, and is with his faithful servants unto 
 the end of the world. This is a service in which 
 angels would engage with ardour, triumph if they 
 succeeded, and if they did not, triumph in having 
 attempted it ! This is a service in which the 
 ministers of Christ are honoured to be employed, 
 and surely they ought to engage in it with ardour 
 and enthusiasm. The soul of man surpasses in 
 dignity and excellence the visible creation. Though 
 many of our brethren seem to have no more sense 
 of the worth of their souls than the mountain has 
 of the gem it covers, yet every man shall know its 
 value either in being lost or saved for ever. A 
 sense of the worth of souls, and an ardent desire to 
 promote their salvation, should incite every pastor 
 to the utmost diligence and most vigorous exertion. 
 He should feel, in some measure, their misery if 
 they perish, their felicity if saved, and his own if 
 he saves them. He should never forget that his 
 care or neglect of the souls committed unto him 
 shall be unto him matter of eternal joy or everlast- 
 ing sorrow. With the most tender concern, there- 
 fore, and unwearied diligence, he should travail as 
 in birth, until Christ be formed in the souls of his 
 people the hope of glory. And if he is the happy 
 and highly-honoured instrument of saving one soul, 
 how rich the prize ! how certain and glorious the 
 reward ! "He that converteth a sinner from the 
 error of his ways shall save a soul from death and 
 hide a multitude of sins. They that be wise shall 
 shine as the brightness of the firmament ; and they 
 
OUGIIT TO FEED THE FLOCK OF GOD. 421 
 
 that turn many to righteousness, as the stars for 
 ever and ever !" 
 
 Thus I have finished what was proposed upon 
 this subject. I am sensible that my youth and 
 inability would have rendered it more becoming in 
 me to have occupied the place of a humble hearer, 
 than to have appeared as a public instructor to this 
 venerable auditory.* The duty, however, was 
 neither of my choice nor desire, bat having been 
 officially called unto it, I have represented a few 
 things which appeared to me to be of some impor- 
 tance, and I shall be extremely happy if I be the 
 only person in this assembly who has any occasion 
 of being reminded of them. Having said so much 
 with regard to the pastoral office, it will be unne- 
 cessary for me to make any formal address unto you. 
 My reverend fathers and brethren, let us all attend 
 unto the duties of our station. Let us be careful 
 to teach our people the truth as it is in Jesus, to 
 watch over them with unremitting care, and to be 
 holy and exemplary in the whole of our conver* 
 sation. In our doctrine let us show uncorruptness, 
 sincerity, gravity, sound speech that cannot be 
 condemned. Let us invariably act with a new to 
 the glory of God and the good of souls, and re- 
 member that while we have the oversight of the 
 flock, there is One who is over us as our Master, 
 and to whom in a little we must all give account. 
 Laying aside, therefore, all party or interested 
 views, let it be our only study and strife who shall 
 be most holy and humble, most faithful and dili- 
 gent in the di>eliar<re of his duty. Thus let Qfl 
 take heed unto ourselves and our doctrine, for in 
 doing this we shall both save ourselves and tli> 
 that hear u>. 
 
 * This Sermon ran delivered before the Svnod of Glasgow 
 
 and Avr, < fotober 1791. 
 
422 THE MANNER IN WHICH PASTORS 
 
 With respect unto you, the christian people and 
 members of the flock of God, let me exhort you to 
 live in peace and concord with one another. Be- 
 ware of dissension and debate ; for if ye bite and 
 devour one another, beware that ye be not con- 
 sumed one of another. As the elect of God, 
 therefore, holy and beloved, put on bowels of 
 mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, forbearing 
 one another, and forgiving one another ; if any 
 man have a quarrel against any, even as Christ 
 forgave you, so also do ye. Listen to the instruc- 
 tions of your teachers with candour and humility 
 of mind, and with a sincere desire to know the will 
 of God, in order to practice. Attend unto your 
 duty as Christians, and improve your privilege as 
 Protestants, by searching the Scriptures daily whe- 
 ther the things you hear be agreeable unto the 
 word of God. Receive no doctrine upon the au- 
 thoritv of the teacher who delivers it, but examine 
 what you hear by what you read, that you may 
 obey our Saviour's direction, who charges all his 
 followers to take heed not only haw they hear, 
 but what they hear. Beloved, believe not every 
 spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God, 
 because many false prophets are gone out into the 
 world ; for as there were false prophets also among 
 the people, even so there shall be false teachers 
 among you, who privily shall bring in damnable he- 
 resies, even denying the Lord that bought them, 
 and bring upon themselves swift destruction; and 
 many shall follow their pernicious ways, by reason 
 of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 
 Beware, therefore, lest, being led away with the error 
 of the wicked, ye fall from your stedfastness. Re- 
 member that your safety and protection are from 
 the Lord, and never expect from the servants what 
 the Master alone can confer. Know them who 
 
OUGHT TO FEED THE FLOCK OF GOD. 4 23 
 
 labour among you and admonish you, and esteem 
 them very highly in love for their work's sake. 
 Let the elders who rule well be accounted worthy 
 of double honour, especially those who labour in 
 word and doctrine. Be regular in your attendance 
 upon public ordinances. Wait upon them, not to 
 have your ears amused with strange novelties, or 
 charmed with the elegance of composition and the 
 graces of a studied oratory, but to have your under- 
 standings enlightened, and your hearts brought un- 
 der the sanctifying influence of the gospel. Lav- 
 aside all malice, and guile, and hypocrisies, and en- 
 vies, and evil-speakings, and as new-born babes de- 
 sire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow 
 thereby. Bear with the infirmities of faithful pastors, 
 and do not expect from them the perfection of angels, 
 when you know they are but men. Show your 
 love unto them, not only by giving them all due 
 encouragement in the discharge of their duty, but 
 by earnestly praying for their direction, assistance, 
 and success. To this, your own benefit, the com- 
 fort of your teachers, and the enlargement of the 
 kingdom of Christ, all powerfully incite you. By 
 this means you shall be mutual comforts unto each 
 other in this world, and have the pleasing hope of 
 rejoicing together in the world that is to come, 
 when faithful pastors and believing people shall be 
 led and fed by the Lamb that is in the midst of 
 the throne, and when he shall not only wipe away 
 all tears from their eyes, but remove every source 
 of sorrow from their hearts. Heb. xiii. 20, 21 — 
 " Now the God of peace, that brought again 
 from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd 
 of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting 
 eovenant, make you perfect in every good work to 
 do his will, working in you that which is well- 
 pleasing in his right, through Jesus Christ; to 
 whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen/' 
 
SERMON XVI. 
 
 THE RANSOMED OF THE LORD RETURNING AND 
 COMING UNTO ZION. 
 
 i 
 Is. xxxv. 10. 
 
 M And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion 
 with songs, and everlasting joy upon their heads : they shall 
 obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee 
 away " 
 
 To persons who groan under the bondage of cor- 
 ruption, and are earnestly desirous of enjoying the 
 freedom and felicity of the future world, the truth 
 contained in the words which we have just now 
 read, must be exceedingly soothing and consolatory. 
 Although the passage may have a primary refer- 
 ence to the return of the Jews from the Babylonish 
 captivity, yet, as this return was not accompanied 
 with songs and everlasting joy, but with the mingled 
 sounds of grief and gladness, we are warranted to 
 conclude, that it is ultimately designed to describe 
 the return of the true Israel of God to the celestial 
 Zion after the resurrection, and at the consumma- 
 tion of all things. The illustration of the passage, 
 you will observe, naturally leads us, 
 
 I. To consider the character of the persons who 
 are here introduced — " the ransomed of the Lord." 
 
 II. To inquire what we are to understand by 
 Zion, and to notice the beauty and propriety of the 
 figure. 
 
Till: RANSOMED OF THE LORD. 425 
 
 III. To show you the certainty and the manner 
 of the redeemers return to Zion — they shall return 
 " with songs, and everlasting joy upon their heads." 
 
 IV. To direct your attention to the happiness 
 which they shall there enjoy — " they shall obtain 
 joy and gladness, and sorrow and signing shall flee 
 away." 
 
 After we have made a few observations on each 
 of these points, we shall conclude with some im- 
 provement of the subject. 
 
 I. We are to consider the character of the persons 
 here introduced — " the ransomed of the Lord." 
 This character obviously supposes that, in common 
 with others of the human race, they were involved 
 by sin in a state of moral slavery and misery, from 
 which they were totally unable to extricate them- 
 selves. If this truth be not taken for granted, it is 
 impossible to give any rational account of the 
 scheme of redemption by Jesus Christ, for to speak 
 of redeeming persons who are free and happy, is a 
 manifest absurdity. The ransomed of the Lord, 
 therefore, were once the slaves of sin, of Satan, and 
 their own corrupt propensities. He who committeth 
 sin, is the servant and slave of sin, for the service 
 of sin is slavery, and its wages death. In this 
 situation they were the prisoners of divine justice, 
 exposed to all the wretchedness of the basest ser- 
 vitude, and to worse than Egyptian bondage. 
 But shall the prey be taken from the mighty, 
 the lawful captive delivered ? Yes, for the Lord 
 pitied them in their miserable condition, and pur- 
 posed that they should be redeemed. But, although 
 God was willing that sinners of mankind should be 
 redeemed, he resolved that this redemption should 
 be accomplished in a manner consistent with the 
 glory of all his perfections! and the honour of bis 
 
 i 2 
 
42(5 the ransomed of the lord 
 
 law and moral government. The character presented 
 to us in our text, therefore, supposes, that a redeemer 
 has been provided, an adequate ransom paid and ac- 
 cepted for their release. As no rational creature, 
 however, can redeem himself, or give unto God a 
 ransom forhis brother, where is this mighty redeemer 
 to be found, and how is this ransom to be provided ? 
 The Son of God generously undertook our cause, 
 saying, "Lo, I come; to do thy will I take delight." 
 Let a body, or human nature be prepared for me, 
 that I may have a right to the redemption, and a 
 ransom to pay, and to rescue them from their miser- 
 able condition, I will give my life a ransom for 
 them. Accordingly, in the fulness of time, the 
 Son of God appeared in our nature, was made un- 
 der the law, that we might receive the adoption of 
 sons. Our sins, with his own consent, were laid 
 upon him, and he bore them in his own body on 
 the tree, for he came not to be ministered unto, but 
 to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. 
 The eternal Father, as the great Judge of all, tes- 
 tified his acceptance of this ransom, by raising the 
 Redeemer from the dead, setting him down at his 
 right hand, and investing him with power and au- 
 thority to complete the redemption of his people, by 
 giving eternal life unto as many as he had given 
 him. The ransomed of the Lord, who believe in 
 Christ as their only Redeemer, obtain deliverance 
 from the condemnation of the law, from the do- 
 minion of sin, from conformity to the world, and 
 the tyranny of the wicked one, and shall finally be 
 rescued from the power of the grave, and raised to 
 the enjoyment of immortal happiness. Though 
 sin itself continues to exist, and operate within them, 
 and they feel a law in their members warring 
 against the law in their minds, yet sin shall not 
 have the dominion over them, for they are not un- 
 
RETURNING AND COMING UNTO ZION. 42J 
 
 der the law, but under grace. Their old man is 
 crucified with Christ, that the body of sin in them 
 may be destroyed, that henceforth they should not 
 serve sin. Though they may be tempted by the 
 adversary of their salvation, he shall not be per- 
 mitted to rule over them, and God shall bruise him 
 under their feet shortly. Though their bodies at 
 death shall be laid in the grave, and remain for 
 si season in the house appointed for all living, yet 
 being the redeemed property of the Lord, they 
 shall be raised in glory, tor Jesus is the resurrec- 
 tion and the life. He will ransom them from the 
 power of the grave. O death, he will be thy 
 plague ; grave, he will be thy destruction. As the 
 whole of this work is accomplished by the suf- 
 ferings and death of the Redeemer, so the ran- 
 somed feel a deep sense of obligation to him as 
 their Lord, and ascribe to him the glory due to his 
 name. They are emphatically styled the ransomed 
 of the Lord. No creature could have undertaken 
 and accomplished this arduous work. Angels who 
 excel in strength were unequal to the task. Whe- 
 ther we consider the weakness of the creature, the 
 magnitude of the work itself, or the express decla- 
 rations of Scripture, we must acknowledge that re- 
 demption is of the Lord. Yes, it is the Lord that 
 redeems the souls of his servants, and none perish 
 that trust in him. Christians know that they have 
 been redeemed, not with corruptible things, such 
 as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of 
 Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without 
 BDOt. With hearts, therefore, warmed with love to 
 the Redeemer, they ascribe unto him the glory of 
 their redemption on earth, and hope to unite with 
 the ransomed in heaven in Baying, Rev. v. 9, 
 M Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open 
 the seals thereof: for thou wast *dain, and East 
 
428 THE RANSOMED OF THE LORD 
 
 redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kin- 
 dred, and tongue, and people, and nation ." 
 
 II. We now proceed to inquire what we are to un- 
 derstand by Zion, and to show you the beauty and 
 propriety of the figure. And here it is to be observed, 
 that Zion was the name of a mountain, or rather part 
 of a mountain at Jerusalem, on which the temple of 
 the Lord w T as built. It is said to have been exceed- 
 ingly beautiful, not only in its natural appearance, 
 but upon account of the magnificent buildings with 
 which it was adorned. " Beautiful for situation is 
 Mount Zion on the sides of the north, the city of 
 the great King." The term Zion, in Scripture, 
 has various significations. Sometimes it denotes 
 that part of the mountain upon which the temple 
 was built, the temple itself, or the whole city of 
 Jerusalem ; and sometimes the church of God on 
 this earth, or the church triumphant in heaven. In 
 this last acceptation it is used by the Apostle, Heb. 
 xii. 22, " But ye are come unto Mount Sion, and 
 unto the city of the living God, the heavenly 
 Jerusalem, and unto an innumerable company of 
 angels, to the general assembly and church of the 
 first-born, which are written in heaven, and to God 
 the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men 
 made perfect." Christians on earth are already 
 connected with this glorious society, and in a little 
 shall return and come to the heavenlv Zion in the 
 manner represented in this passage. It is, there- 
 fore, we apprehend, to the celestial Zion we must 
 direct our attention, if we would bring out the full 
 meaning of this passage. But if by Zion here we 
 are ultimately to understand the heavenly state, 
 let us now inquire with what propriety heaven 
 may be represented under this emblem. 
 
 1st. Here, we observe, that heaven may be called 
 
RETURNING AND COMING UNTO ZION. 429 
 
 Zion because there the glory of God teas visibly dis- 
 played. Although God is omnipotent, and fills 
 heaven and earth with his glory, yet we know that he 
 is pleased to manifest different degrees of his glory 
 to different individuals and in different places. But 
 of all the places upon this earth, Zion of old seem> 
 to have been the most distinguished. The temple, 
 indeed, was built upon it by divine appointment, to 
 be a sacred receptacle for the divine Majesty, where 
 he might come and dwell in visible glory amono- 
 his people. Accordingly, we find that the temple 
 was no sooner built by Solomon, and by prayer 
 and costly sacrifice dedicated to the service of 
 Jehovah, than the fire of the Lord came down 
 from heaven, and the glory of the Lord filled the 
 house. There he exhibited the symbols of his 
 gracious presence ; for, during the standing of the 
 first temple at least, the shekinah, or cloud of 
 glory, covered the mercy-seat, and Jehovah dwelt 
 between the cherubim, as in the plaee of his de- 
 lightful residence. Ps. exxxii. 13 — " For the Lord 
 hath chosen Zion ; he hath desired it for his habi- 
 tation." In this respect, then, the earthly Zion 
 becomes a beautiful and significant emblem of the 
 heavenly Jerusalem, of the Zion that is above. 
 There the glory of the Lord fills the house of the 
 Lord, and shines with a splendour which mortal 
 eyes cannot behold. In this world his glory is but 
 obscurely discerned. We see it only as through a 
 glass darkly ; but in heaven the glory of the Lord 
 II unveiled, and this glory illuminates the heavenlv 
 world — for the Lamb is the light thereof. There 
 he displays his glory — there he dwells among the 
 redeemed in endearing friendship, assuring them of 
 liis love, discovering unto them his transcendent 
 
 excellence, and rendering them completely happy 
 
 in his fulness and favour; for, having guided them 
 
430 THE RANSOMED OF THE LORD 
 
 by his counsel, he afterwards receives them into 
 glory. " Father, I will that they whom thou hast 
 given me may be with me where I am, to behold 
 my glory." 
 
 2d. We observe that heaven may be represented 
 under the emblem of Zion, because there all the 
 people of God shall at last assemble to serve him 
 in perfect purity and social harmony. We learn 
 from Scripture that all the males from among the 
 children of Israel w T ere to meet three times in the 
 year, before the Lord at Jerusalem, to celebrate 
 the sacred festivals of their religion. To this com- 
 mand, even when they had lost the power of vital 
 godliness, they were exceedingly attentive ; and it 
 must have been an interesting spectacle to behold 
 the chosen tribes travelling from the most distant 
 parts of the country, and meeting in one vast 
 assembly for public worship at Mount Zion. In 
 this respect Zion becomes a beautiful and striking 
 emblem of heaven, the place where all the true 
 Israel of God are collected. Countless multitudes, 
 through much tribulation, have already entered in- 
 to this habitation ; many, we trust, are now upon 
 the way with their faces Zionward, and many more 
 shall arise after we have gone the way of all the 
 earth, and enter upon the path that conducts to 
 glory. All of them shall at last meet in one vast 
 and glorious society, not to remain together for a 
 few days, or months, or years, but to be for ever 
 with one another, and to be for ever with the Lord. 
 Glorious place ! blessed society ! Do not our 
 hearts exult in the prospect of soon joining this 
 innumerable multitude, and uniting with them in 
 celebrating the praises of redeeming love. 
 
 3d. Heaven may be represented under the em- 
 blem of the earthly Zion, because there the praises 
 of God were regu'nrly and constantly celebrated. 
 
RETURNING AND COMING UNTO ZION. 431 
 
 i; Blessed are thev," savs the Psalmist, " that dwell 
 in thy house, for they will be still praising thee.'' 
 In the earthly Zion the various services enjoined 
 by the law were not only regularly performed, but 
 the praises of God were daily sung in delightful 
 harmony. Persons were appointed for this pur- 
 pose, and the psalms or songs composed by inspired 
 writers, were delivered unto the chief musician, in 
 order that they might be sung in the praises of 
 God during the day. Nay, we have reason to be- 
 lieve that the priest and ministers of God who were 
 appointed during night to order the lamps and to 
 perform the service of the sanctuary, would not be 
 silent during their nightly vigils, but would comply 
 with that sacred injunction, Ps. cxxxiv. 1, " Be- 
 hold, bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord, 
 which by night stand in the house of the Lord. 
 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the 
 Lord." Was the worship of God performed by 
 day and by night in the earthly sanctuary en 
 Mount Zion? What a lively emblem in this re- 
 spect does it become of the heavenly Zion ! There 
 the praises of God are continually celebrated, — 
 they serve him day and night in his temple, and 
 he who sits upon the throne shall dwell among 
 them. 
 
 III. We now proceed to show you the certainty 
 and manner of the redeemed's return to Zion — they 
 shall return M with songs, and everlasting joy upon 
 their heads." 
 
 1st. They may be certain they shall return and 
 come to Zion because their Redeemer^ />// his suj- 
 ferings and deaths has procured for them this 
 J'( licit if* and has opt 111 d tin /rat/ to it, which tin ir 
 sins had shut. By his death, JeMtt not only pur- 
 chased his people, but secured for them even 
 
432 THE KANSOMED OF THE LORD 
 
 blessing. He hath redeemed them to God by his 
 own blood, and secured for them the enjoyment of 
 the heavenly inheritance. Is eternal happiness 
 procured for believers by the death of Christ, and 
 shall not the redeemed enter upon the full posses- 
 sion of it ? Were they not, it would render the 
 death of the Redeemer inefficacious and unavailing. 
 We may be certain, therefore, that all that Christ 
 has procured for his people is secured unto them, 
 and shall be enjoyed by them as the fruits of his 
 purchase; and this circumstance must enhance their 
 heavenly enjoyments. When they behold all their 
 happiness flowing unto them through the channel of 
 redeeming blood, how will it inflame their love, and 
 with what joy and transport will they sing and say, 
 " Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive 
 power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and 
 honour, and glory, and blessing : for thou wast 
 slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, 
 out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and 
 nation !" 
 
 2d. The redeemed may also be certain that they 
 shall return and come unto the heavenly Zion, be- 
 cause the Redeemer has gone before them to take 
 possession of it in their name and nature. Chris- 
 tians derive solid comfort from every view they 
 take of the Saviour's character and work, and from 
 every step he takes in accomplishing their redemp- 
 tion. They not only derive consolation from his 
 birth and life, his death and resurrection, but like- 
 wise from his glorious entrance into the heavenly 
 world as their head and representative. The as- 
 cension of Christ becomes exceedingly interesting 
 unto real Christians, because he did not ascend as 
 a private individual, but as a public person to take 
 possession of heaven as the forerunner of his people. 
 Hence the Apostle, when speaking on this subject, 
 
RETURNING AND COMING UNTO ZION. 433 
 
 says, Heb. vi. 20, " Whether the forerunner is for 
 us entered, even Jesus." As the Redeemer by his 
 death opened the way to heaven, so he has gone 
 before to secure admission to all his people, and 
 to prepare mansions of glory for them in his 
 Father's house. Has he gone to prepare these 
 mansions, and shall they after all remain empty '. J 
 Is the head in heaven, and shall the members be 
 excluded ? Is the master there, and shall not 
 the servants accompany him, especially when he 
 assures us " that where he is there shall his ser- 
 vants be ?" No ; his return to Zion after he had 
 finished his work is the pledge of the return of all 
 his people, after they have fought the good fight of 
 faith, and finished the work which is assigned them 
 to do. Nay, so intimate is the connexion which 
 subsists between Christ and all true Christians, 
 that the redeemed are represented in Scripture as 
 being in some sense in heaven already. Remark- 
 able to this purpose are the words of Paul, Eph. 
 ii. 4 — (?', " But God, who is rich in mercy, hath 
 quickened us together with Christ, and hath raised 
 us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly 
 places in Christ Jesus." Christians are risen with 
 Christ, and have their citizenship already in heaven. 
 3d. The redeemed may be certain they shall 
 return and come to Zion, because in the yijl of 
 the Spirit which they all receive they have tin 
 earnest of their heavenly inheritance* The pos- 
 session of the Spirit of Christ with his various 
 graces is essential to the character of every Chris- 
 tian, for if any one have not the Spirit of Christ he 
 is none of his. But the Spirit i^ given as an ear* 
 nest or part of the heavenly happiness, Eph. i. 14, 
 M which is the earnest of our inheritance;" and 
 therefore from the present possession of this parr. 
 they may certainly expect the future enjoyment of 
 
434 THE RANSOMED OF THE LORD 
 
 the whole, for the gifts and calling of God are 
 without repentance. Their right to heaven flows 
 originally from the gift of God, but the manner in 
 which they come to be entitled to it is by their 
 vital connexion with Jesus Christ; if children, 
 then heirs of God, and joint heirs with Jesus 
 Christ; and the Spirit is sent into their hearts, 
 sealing their adoption, and consequently sealing 
 them to the day of redemption. 
 
 4th. We observe that the ransomed of the Lord 
 may be certain they shall return and come to Zion, 
 because the Redeemer has promised to be with 
 the?n, to lead them in the right way — to remove 
 every obstruction, to defend them from all their 
 enemies, and to keep them by his power through 
 faith unto salvation. " All my sheep are in my 
 hand, and they shall never perish, neither shall any 
 pluck them out of my hand." The redeemed in 
 this world are sometimes ignorant of the way in 
 which they ought to walk. They meet with much 
 opposition, and are constantly surrounded with 
 enemies, whom of themselves they are unable to 
 vanquish and subdue. Were they left to their own 
 guidance and strength, they might despair of ar- 
 riving at the heavenly Zion, and say, " we shall 
 one day fall by the hand of some of our enemies ;" 
 but that gracious Redeemer who has ransomed 
 them by his blood has promised to accompany them 
 in their passage through this wilderness, to guide 
 them by his wisdom, to guard them by his power, 
 to supply their wants, to strengthen them in their 
 weakness, to cheer them in the season of sorrow, 
 and to make them more than conquerors through 
 his all-sufficient grace. Yes ; he who led ancient 
 Israel through the wilderness, going before them 
 in a pillar of cloud to shade them by day, and in a 
 pillar of fire to protect them by night, is in a no less 
 
RETURNING AND COMING UNTO ZTON. 4.3.") 
 
 real though invisible manner with all his redeemed, 
 still going with them as the Captain of their sal- 
 vation, and preserving them to his kingdom and 
 glory. 
 
 But if it be thus absolutely certain that the ran- 
 somed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion. 
 in what manner, it may be asked, shall they return ? 
 This naturally leads us to the second part of the 
 inquiry; namely, in what manner the redeemed 
 shall return to Zion. They shall'return " with 
 songs and everlasting joy upon their heads." 
 
 1st. The redeemed shall return to Zion with a 
 song of victory and triumph. While the redeemed 
 remain in this world, they are engaged in a con- 
 stant conflict with the enemies of their salvation. 
 They carry on this warfare with various success. 
 Sometimes they conquer, sometimes they are van- 
 quished, and victory hangs in doubtful scale. The 
 power of their enemies, however, is gradually sub- 
 dued, and fighting under the banner of the Captain 
 of their salvation, victory shall at last declare in their 
 favour. Now, as it is usual when victory is ob- 
 tained to raise a shout of exultation, so the ran- 
 somed of the Lord shall return after all their victo- 
 ries unto the heavenly Zion, with a song of triumph, 
 claiming no merit to themselves, but ascribing all 
 the glory to the power, the skill, and grace of their 
 illustrious and invincible leader, whose arm hath 
 gotten him the victory, and whose grace deserves 
 all the praise. 
 
 2d. The redeemed shall also return to Zion with 
 n iong of complete deliverance. This is an addi- 
 tional idea of vast importance, for though an army 
 may obtain a victory and a temporary triumph, 
 yet their enemies may collect their broken forces 
 and having received fresh reinforcements may Again 
 attack and finally overcome them: but this shall 
 
436 T1IK RANSOMED OF TI1K LOUD 
 
 not be the case with the ransomed of the Lord, for 
 their enemies shall not only be thrust out, but de- 
 stroyed. . This truth may be illustrated by what 
 befel the Egyptians at the Red Sea. On their pur- 
 suing Israel through the opening which Jehovah 
 had made for their escape, the Lord caused the 
 waters to overwhelm them, and they sunk as lead 
 in the mighty deep, to rise no more, Israel, we 
 are told, on the opposite shore sang the sublime 
 song of deliverance, recorded in the 15th chapter 
 of Exodus — " We will sing unto the Lord, for he 
 hath triumphed gloriously : the horse and his rider 
 hath he thrown into the sea." With what higher 
 transports shall the ransomed of the Lord sing a 
 song of complete deliverance when all their enemies 
 shall be destroyed, and the day of their perfect re- 
 demption dawn ! 
 
 3d. The redeemed of the Lord shall return to 
 Zion with a song that shall be new and everlasting* 
 We read in the book of the Revelation, that the 
 redeemed sing a new song before the throne. While 
 in this world, they often called upon themselves, 
 and invited other saints to sing with them a new 
 song of praise, on account of some remarkable deli- 
 verance with which they had been favoured. From 
 the languor of their affections, however, or from 
 personal distress or public calamities, they were not 
 always able so to praise their God, and therefore 
 sometimes said, u how shall we sing the Lord's 
 song in this foreign land?" But when they return 
 to Zion, every complaint of this kind shall be re- 
 moved, and they shall not only have a new subject 
 of praise, complete redemption, but they shall al- 
 ways sing with new animation. They shall ever 
 be rising higher in their notes of praise, and yet 
 never reach the highest note in the scale of celestial 
 music ; for their song shall not only be new, but 
 
RETURNING AND COMING UNTO ZION. 437 
 
 eternal. While on earth, their seasons of praise 
 suffered frequent interruptions; night succeeded to 
 shorten their days of praise, and their feeble frames 
 required refreshment and repose ; but in heaven 
 their hearts shall be fixed and attuned, their bodies, 
 being spiritual and vigorous, shall never be weary, 
 and obtaining new discoveries of the wonders of re- 
 deeming love, no night shall cut short their days 
 of praise, and their song shall be new and everlast- 
 ing. 
 
 IV. Let us now proceed in the last place to 
 direct your attention to the happiness the redeemed 
 shall enjoy on their return to Zion. They shall 
 obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing 
 shall flee away. 
 
 1st. Inverting the order of our text, we ob- 
 serve, that sorrow and sighing shall Jiee away. 
 In this world we are in a sinful, and therefore in 
 a suffering condition ; and to endure our afflic- 
 tions with suitable dispositions, is an important 
 branch of christian duty ; but in the celestial 
 Zion sorrow and sighing shall be unknown. Here 
 we feel sorrow on account of bodily pain or domes- 
 tic distress — we sigh over the calamities of life — 
 over poverty and persecution — the temptations of 
 the adversary, and the hidings of our Father's coun- 
 tenance — we suffer in the afflictions of our friends, 
 and the best feelings of our nature become inlets 
 of misery. We mourn especially over the existence 
 and operation of sin in our hearts and lives, and 
 we are deeply affected when we contemplate and 
 behold around us the terrors and triumphs of death. 
 But these sorrows are only of a temporary nature, 
 and, in regard to true Christians, confined to this 
 valley of tears. When they return to Zion, they 
 shall either be forgotten, or, if remembered, shall 
 
438 THE RANSOMED OF THE LOHT) 
 
 tend to heighten the happiness they shall there 
 enjoy. As the darkness of the night is dispelled 
 by the light of the rising sun, so the darkness of 
 sorrow and the gloom of grief shall flee awav be- 
 fore the dawn of the day of glory, and the rising 
 of that sun which shall never set. There God 
 shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there 
 shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, 
 neither shall there be any more pain ; for the for- 
 mer things are passed away, and all things made 
 new. 
 
 2d. But this is not all : the ransomed of the Lord, 
 upon their return to Zion, shall not only be free 
 from sorrow and sighing, but they shall obtain joy 
 and gladness. In this world the redeemed w r ere 
 no strangers to spiritual joy and holy gladness, 
 but their joy was never full and unmingled : in 
 heaven, however, it shall be a fulness of joy and 
 unmixed delight — in that blessed world there shall 
 be nothing but joy. The sources of sorrow shall 
 be for ever shut, and the spring of pure and per- 
 petual joy shall be opened. This joy shall arise 
 from the enlargement of their faculties, and a vast 
 addition being made to their intellectual know- 
 ledge. Here their knowledge is attended with 
 much labour in the acquisition — is limited in its 
 nature, and is often blended with error, or accom- 
 panied with sorrow ; but in heaven their knowledge 
 shall be easily attained — it shall be acquired as by 
 intuition — it shall be extensive in its range, satis- 
 fying in its discoveries, and accompanied with the 
 highest joy and greatest delight. What delightful 
 views shall they obtain of the nature and perfec- 
 tions of God — of his works and ways — of the mys- 
 teries of providence, and the wonders of redemption, 
 leading them to exclaim, " Great and marvellous 
 are thy works, Lord God Almighty ; just and true 
 
RETURNING AND COMING UNTO ZION. 439 
 
 art thou in all thy ways : who would not fear and 
 glorify thy name? for thou only art holy. ,, Thi> 
 jov will arise from perfect purity, or being com- 
 pletely formed into a resemblance of the divine 
 image. Holiness, indeed, commenced in their hearts 
 in this world, and advanced with their progress in 
 sanctification ; but it was still imperfect, and their 
 joy, therefore, was not full. But in heaven their 
 purity shall be spotless — they shall see Christ as 
 he is ; and this perfect holiness shall be a source 
 of the purest and most sublime delight. It shall 
 diffuse through their whole souls a pleasure, of 
 which we can at present form no adequate concep- 
 tion. This joy shall arise from a course of the 
 most pleasing and delightful service. Heaven i^ 
 not the land of indolence and inactivity. Man 
 was made for action, and in a series of active ser- 
 vices his happiness must consist. The people of 
 God in heaven serve him and see his face. There 
 they shall continually behold his glory, celebrate 
 his praise, and with the greatest alacrity execute 
 his pleasure. This joy will be greatly enhanced 
 from its social nature, for it shall be enjoyed in the 
 most pleasing, dignified, and improving society. 
 As we are social creatures, much of our happine^- 
 even in this world arises from social intercourse — 
 our joys in heaven shall not be solitary, but social 
 joys. There we shall come to God, the great 
 Judge of all, the fountain of excellence and standard 
 of all perfection — to Jesus, the mediator of the new 
 covenant, who hath ransomed us by his blood, and 
 without whom there could be no hope nor heaven 
 for sinners of the human race. There we shall be 
 -ociated with an innumerable company of angels, 
 those pure benevolent spirits who performed to Dfl 
 many important services on this earth ; and there 
 we shall join the general assembly and church of 
 
440 THE RANSOMED OF THE LOUD 
 
 the first-born, congregated in the celestial world — 
 the patriarchs and prophets, the apostles and primi- 
 tive martyrs — all the great and good who have 
 lived, who now exist, or who shall appear in this 
 world before the end of time — all of one heart and 
 mind, knit together in bonds of pure affection, 
 dwelling in perfect harmony, and serving God with 
 one spirit in his temple. What joy must arise 
 from mingling with this blessed society, when the 
 joy of every individual shall be the joy of the 
 whole ! This joy will arise from perfect satisfac- 
 tion in the divine presence and fulness. We never 
 experience complete satisfaction in this world, for 
 it is not suited to our nature, and, therefore, cannot 
 impart satisfaction to our hearts. Its good things, 
 however, impose upon our imaginations, and w T e 
 are so foolish as to expect satisfying and lasting 
 delight from the objects which are vanity in their 
 nature, and vexation in their enjoyment. But the 
 complete satisfaction which w T e seek for in vain in 
 this world, the redeemed shall enjoy when they 
 enter Zion ; for thev shall be satisfied, when thev 
 
 ml f J 
 
 awake, with the Redeemer's likeness. They shall 
 enjoy so much that no void shall be left, no expec- 
 tation disappointed, for they shall be filled with all 
 the fulness of God. If they feel, as they must, a 
 desire after its continuance, even this desire shall 
 be gratified ; for we remark that the joy of which 
 the redeemed shall be put in possession shall be 
 eternal — they shall return with everlasting joy up- 
 on their heads. The joys of this world are tem- 
 porary and transient ; they are like to the crackling 
 of thorns ; they blaze for a little, but soon expire 
 in dust and darkness. But the joys of the heavenly 
 Zion are as permanent as they are pure ; for the 
 redeemed shall obtain salvation with eternal glory. 
 Were the smallest suspicion to enter into the minds 
 
RETURNING AND COMING UNTO ZION. 441 
 
 of the redeemed that their felicity at some distant 
 period might come to a termination, the thought 
 would mar their happiness, and damp their joy. 
 But such an idea can never arise in their minds, 
 for they know that it shall be eternal. When 
 millions of ages have passed away, this joy shall 
 only be beginning ; and endless ages shall roll on, 
 only to increase their happiness and heighten their 
 joy — a joy durable as their immortal souls, and 
 eternal as the throne of God, from whence it pro- 
 ceeds. 
 
 1st. From what has been said, you may inquire 
 whether or not you are the ransomed of the Lord. 
 This inquiry is of the utmost importance, and 
 ought to be conducted with much seriousness and 
 solemnity. Have you been convinced of your 
 wretched condition as guilty sinners, of your 
 spiritual bondage as the slaves of sin, and of your 
 total inability to extricate yourselves from your 
 perilous situation ? Have you been led earnestly 
 to desire deliverance through the great Redeemer? 
 Have you obtained spiritual discoveries of the 
 glory and excellence of the Redeemer, and of the 
 suitableness of the redemption which he has pur- 
 chased for sinners of our fallen race ? Have you 
 cordially embraced Christ as your Redeemer, and 
 in consequence of this experienced some degree of 
 peace and liberty? Is the power of sin in some 
 measure subdued, and being made free from it> 
 dominion, have you become the servants of righte- 
 ousness, and are you walking in newness and holi- 
 ness of life? Do you feel a sense of deep obli- 
 gation to your divine Redeemer for accomplishing 
 your redemption ? and, considering yourselves as 
 his redeemed property, are you glorifying him in 
 your bodies and spirits, which are hi>? Does the 
 love of Christ constrain vou no longer to live to 
 
442 THE RANSOMED OF THE LOUD 
 
 yourselves, but unto Him who died for you and 
 rose again ? Do you ascribe the undivided glory 
 of your redemption to Jesus Christ, and are you 
 longing for the day of your complete deliverance, 
 when, free from sin, and raised in glory, you shall 
 see him as he is, and ascribe your complete re- 
 demption to God and the Lamb for ever and ever ? 
 If you can answer these questions in the affirma- 
 tive, you have reason to conclude that you are the 
 ransomed of the Lord, and that the prediction in 
 this passage shall be fully accomplished in your 
 blessed experience : for he who has begun this good 
 work will carry it on till the day of Jesus Christ. 
 
 2d. See what suitable consolation this subject 
 affords unto the ransomed of the Lord under all 
 the sorrows and sufferings of life. The Redeemer 
 has left this world, but he has not left his people 
 comfortless in it, but has amply provided for their 
 comfort and support. In his person and sacrifice, 
 in his fulness and grace, in his precious promises, 
 and the animating prospects he sets before his peo- 
 ple, he is the consolation of Israel, and a present 
 help to them in every time of trouble. In the 
 world, indeed, they shall have tribulation ; but in 
 him they have peace. Now they may be sorrow- 
 ful ; but their sorrows are short and transitory, and 
 shall be turned into joy. Now they may mourn 
 over remaining depravity ; but their old man is 
 crucified with Christ, that the body of sin may be 
 destroyed. Now they may be called to endure 
 many hardships, to suffer many privations, and to 
 combat numerous enemies; but all their trials shall 
 work together for their good : their enemies shall 
 be vanquished, and they shall be blessed with a 
 complete victory and eternal triumph. Though 
 in this world, like their Redeemer, they may be 
 called to bear the cross, the crown of glory is pre- 
 
RETURNING AND COMING UNTO ZION. 443 
 
 pared for them, and shall be conferred on them, 
 and this shall more than compensate for all their 
 momentary sufferings. How delightful and trans- 
 porting is it to anticipate the period when the 
 redeemed of the Lord shall meet in the heavenly 
 Zion — when every eye shall be fixed on the glori- 
 ous Redeemer, and every tongue shall utter his 
 praise ! Beholding the Redeemer who washed 
 them from their sins in his blood, clothed them in 
 his righteousness, and sanctified them by his Spirit, 
 and who, through the whole of their pilgrimage, 
 proved their steadfast friend, their infallible guide 
 and almighty guardian, and who at last conducted 
 them in safety to the heavenly inheritance, and 
 placed them before his throne, with humility and 
 admiring gratitude shall they cast their crowns 
 before the throne, saying, " Worthy is the Lamb 
 that was slain to receive all glory and honour ; for 
 he has redeemed us unto God by his own blood, 
 and we shall reign with him for ever and ever." 
 
 3d. You may learn from what has been advanced 
 the grounds which the redeemed of the Lord have 
 for confidence in him, and for praising his name 
 from day to day as the God of their salvation. 
 The Lord has promised that his ransomed people 
 shall return and come to Zion, and he is faithful 
 who has promised, and they may safely rely OD his 
 fidelity. They should tru^t in the Lord, therefore, 
 for ever, for in the Lord Jehovah there is everlast- 
 ing strength. His redeemed people he hath formed 
 for himself: they shall show forth all his praise. 
 As the Lord hath redeemed Israel, therefore " sing, 
 () heavens; for the Lord hath done it: -hour, ye 
 lower part> of the earth: break forth into Singing, 
 ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein." 
 
 Let all the redeemed in heaven, or upon earth, of 
 
 !v station, or rank, or character, unite in 
 
444 THE RANSOMED OF THE LORD 
 
 grateful, joyful song of thanksgiving and of praise 
 to their redeeming Lord. " O give thanks unto the 
 Lord ; for he is good: his mercy endurethfor ever. 
 Bless the Lord, O our souls, and all that is within 
 us bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O our 
 souls, and forget not all his benefits : who forgiv- 
 eth all our iniquities ; who healeth all our diseases ; 
 who redeemeth our life from destruction, and crown- 
 eth us with loving-kindness and tender mercies." 
 By thus frequently engaging in the pleasing exer- 
 cise of praise and thankfulness to God for his re- 
 deeming mercy upon earth, we shall be trained up 
 for the delightful employment of eternal praise in 
 heaven, and for uniting with all the redeemed before 
 the throne in saying, " Thou art worthy to open 
 the book ; for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed 
 us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and 
 tongue, and people, and nation." 
 
 Lastly. From this subject you may perceive the 
 degraded and miserable condition of those who are 
 not the ransomed of the Lord. They are the 
 slaves of sin and Satan, the victims of divine 
 justice, and the heirs of condemnation. They feel 
 that they are unhappy in this world, and they fear 
 that they shall be eternally miserable in the world 
 to come. Their fears are not visionary, for while 
 they despise the Redeemer, and redemption through 
 his blood, their future destruction is inevitable. 
 Let us reverse the language of the text, and hear 
 in what appalling terms it speaks to them. You 
 are not redeemed by the Lord, and therefore you 
 shall not return and come to Zion, but remain in 
 the basest and most wretched bondage. But this 
 is not all. You shall not only lose the happiness 
 of heaven, you shall suffer the misery of hell ; your 
 bodies at death shall be consigned to the grave as 
 a prison, while your spirits shall be sent to be tor- 
 
RETURNING AND COMING UNTO ZION. 44.") 
 
 merited with other condemned spirits in the separ- 
 ate state, and after the resurrection and righteous 
 judgment, you shall go away in your souls and 
 bodies to the region of endless misery, where you 
 shall be punished with everlasting destruction, ex- 
 periencing bitter sorrow, keen remorse, and over- 
 whelming despair. Your present situation is de- 
 plorable, but, blessed be God ! it is not yet desper- 
 ate. In the mercy of God, the merits of the Re- 
 deemer, and the calls of the gospel, there is still 
 hope even for such as you, and with setting this 
 hope before you, and calling upon you instantly 
 to lay hold upon it that you may live, we shall 
 close this discourse. Zech. ix. 12 — " Turn you to 
 the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope : even to- 
 day do I declare that I will render double unto 
 you." 
 
SERMON XVII. 
 
 THE COVENANT OF GOD EVERLASTING, ORDERED 
 WELL IN ALL THINGS, AND SUKE. 
 
 2 Sam. xxiii. o. 
 
 " Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made 
 with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and 
 sure : for this is all my salvation, and all my desire." 
 
 The last words of great and distinguished person- 
 ages are heard with attention, and remembered 
 with pleasure. They make a deep impression on 
 the mind, and are seldom forgotten. The words 
 of our reading merit our attention upon several 
 accounts. They are the last words of a great and 
 good man — of a pious prince and inspired prophet ; 
 and they express a sentiment fraught with the most 
 important instruction and solid comfort unto every 
 Christian. They are introduced with a sublime and 
 suitable preface, in which we have, not only the 
 character of the inspired speaker, but likewise a 
 pleasing description of the qualities of a good 
 prince, and of the happiness which will be enjoyed 
 under his administration. A ruler must be pos- 
 sessed of the amiable qualities of piety and justice, 
 and his influence over his subjects will be benign 
 and refreshing, as that of the morning sun when it 
 arises unclouded upon the earth, or of the refresh- 
 ing rain upon the tender grass. 2 Sam. 3, 4 — " The 
 God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, 
 He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in 
 the fear of God. And he shall be as the light of 
 the morning when the sun riseth, even a morning 
 without clouds ; as the tender grass springing out 
 of the earth by clear shining after rain." In the 
 
THE COVENANT OF GOD. 447 
 
 near prospect of his dissolution David takes a seri- 
 ous review of his past life and conduct, and instead 
 of finding such a perfect righteousness as could 
 give him hope of appearing before God with confi- 
 dence, or of being justified upon account of it in 
 his sight, he beholds many instances of want of 
 conformity unto the divine law. The situation of 
 his family, and the conduct which some of his chil- 
 dren had observed, instead of affording him com- 
 fort, fills his heart with sorrow. Under such an 
 affecting view of personal and domestic guilt, the 
 soul of this good man at this solemn hour would 
 have been overwhelmed, had he not been relieved 
 by faith's view of the grace and mercy of the cove- 
 nant which the Lord had established with him. 
 This, however, dispels his fears and confirms his 
 hope, and imparts a sacred strength which affliction 
 could not shake, or death destroy. Assured of his 
 personal interest in this covenant, he rises superior 
 to every fear, he looks the last enemy in the face 
 without dismay, and triumphing over him, exclaims, 
 " Although my house be not so with God ; yet he 
 hath made with me an everlasting covenant, order- 
 ed in all things, and sure : for this is all my salva- 
 tion, and all my desire." In farther discoursing 
 from these words, it is humbly proposed, in dej> 
 dence upon divine grace, 
 
 I. To show you what we are to understand by 
 a covenant, and with whom the one in the text \ 
 made. 
 
 II. To illustrate the leading properties of this 
 covenant. 
 
 III. To show you the satisfaction and comfort 
 which believers derive from it in everv circum- 
 stance and situation of life — it is all their salva 
 
 . and all their desire. 
 
448 THE COVENANT OF GOD. 
 
 We shall then conclude with some practical 
 improvement. 
 
 I. We are to show you what we understand by 
 a covenant, and with whom the one in the text 
 was made. A covenant is a mutual agreement be- 
 tween two or more parties, wherein they bind them- 
 selves unto each other upon certain terms. These 
 terms or conditions form the difference between a 
 covenant and an absolute promise ; for in all cove- 
 nants there must be contracting parties and mutual 
 engagements. By the covenant in the text we are 
 not to understand the covenant of royalty which 
 was established with David, and by which the 
 kingdom was secured unto his family till the 
 coming of Messiah, for he expressly says his 
 house was not so with God : neither are we to 
 understand by it the covenant of works, which was 
 broken by our great progenitor, and which work- 
 eth wrath ; but we are evidently to understand by 
 it the covenant of grace, which was originally 
 established with Christ Jesus, and in him with all 
 his people. This is emphatically styled the cove- 
 nant of grace, because it originated in the free 
 favour and sovereign goodness of God ; and some- 
 times the new covenant, because, although it was 
 laid in the councils of peace before the foundation 
 of the world, it was revealed after the first was 
 broken, and shall never be succeeded by another. 
 It must be evident to every one who reads the 
 word of God with candour and attention, that the 
 scheme of our salvation was laid in the councils of 
 heaven before it was executed; and that, in the 
 way of covenant transaction, it was settled between 
 the Father and the Son as the head and repre- 
 sentative of his people. Although the love of all 
 the persons in the Trinity is essentially and eter- 
 
THE COVENANT OF GOD. 449 
 
 nally the same, yet the first overture of mercy is 
 represented in Scripture as made by the Eternal 
 Father unto the Son. " God so loved the world 
 that he gave his only-begotten and well-beloved 
 Son, that whosoever believeth on him might not 
 perish, but have everlasting life." He it was who 
 projected the grand design — who proposed unto the 
 Son, that, upon his assuming human nature, fulfil- 
 ling all righteousness, and giving himself a sacrifice 
 for sin, he should see his seed, that the pleasure of 
 the Lord should prosper in his hands, that he should 
 be invested with mediatorial power and authority, 
 and finally raised to inconceivable glory and honour. 
 To this proposal the Son with infinite pleasure 
 accedes, saying, " Lo, I come ; to do thy will, O 
 my God, I take delight." That such an agree- 
 ment took place between the Father and Son, 
 though the manner in which it was concluded 
 cannot be fully understood or explained by us, is 
 evident from many passages in Sacred Scripture. 
 Prov. viii. 23 — " I was set up from everlasting." 
 Ps. lxxxix. 3, 4 — " I have made a covenant with 
 my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, 
 Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up 
 thy throne to all generations." As this is applied 
 unto Christ, Ileb. i. 8, it puts the matter beyond 
 all doubt. " But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, 
 O God, is for ever and ever ; a BOeptre of right- 
 eousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom." Still 
 more expressly the prophet introduces the Father 
 as declaring, Is. xlii. 0, M I the Lord have called 
 thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, 
 and will keep thee, and give thee for a eovenant 
 of the people." Hence Const is said, I Pet. i. 20, 
 to be "fore-ordained before the foundation oi the 
 world," and eternal Kfe is said to be promised, and 
 i^race given unto Christians in Christ before the 
 
 t 2 
 
450 THE COVENANT OF GOD. 
 
 world was. Tit. i. 2 — " In hope of eternal life, 
 which God, that cannot lie, promised before the 
 world began. 2 Tim. i. 9 — " Who hath saved us, 
 and called us with an holy calling, not according 
 to our works, but according to his own purpose 
 and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus be- 
 fore the world began." All the promises were 
 originally made unto him, and in him they are 
 confirmed unto his people. This is evident from 
 Gal. iii. 16, " Now to Abraham and his seed were 
 the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, 
 as of many ; but as of one, And to thy seed, which 
 is Christ." From these passages, compared and 
 examined with attention, it is evident that the 
 covenant was originally made with Christ, and in 
 him with all his people. Here, however, it may 
 be inquired, since this covenant was originally 
 made with Christ as the federal head of his people, 
 and its condition fulfilled by him in the fulness of 
 time, how come believers to have personal interest 
 in it in time, so that each of them can say upon 
 solid grounds, he hath made with me an everlasting 
 covenant. We answer, they come to have actual 
 interest in it by faith. Christ is given for a coven- 
 ant of the people, and his grace exhibited, is 
 preached unto sinners in general in the gospel. 
 The Lord is therein saying, " Ho, every one that 
 thirsteth, come ye to the waters ; come, buy wine 
 and milk without money, and without price. In- 
 cline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your 
 soul shall live ; and I will make an everlasting co- 
 venant with you, even the sure mercies of David." 
 W T hen the sinner, therefore, by the word and Spirit 
 is convinced of sin ; when he is enlightened in the 
 knowledge of Christ, and of the nature and consti- 
 tution of this covenant; when he is made willing 
 in a day of divine power to approve of it in all its 
 
THE COVENANT OF GOD. 451 
 
 parts, to accept of the grace which it exhibits, and 
 to devote himself unto the Lord, then he comes to 
 have actual and personal interest in it, and in all 
 the blessings which it secures. That this is the 
 way in which the believer comes to be interested 
 in this covenant, is abundantly evident from that 
 memorable passage in Is lvi. 4 — " But unto the 
 eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and take hold of 
 my covenant ; even unto them will I give in mine 
 house, and within my walls, a place and a name 
 better than of sons and daughters: I will give 
 them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off." 
 In this manner, believers join themselves unto the 
 Lord in a perpetual covenant. They do not make 
 a new covenant with God, promising repentance 
 and sincere obedience as its condition on their part. 
 They accept of the covenant ratified in Christ Jesu>. 
 they embrace its promises, they approve of its arti- 
 cles, they subscribe its constitution, discipline, and 
 laws, they rest upon its precious and peace-speaking 
 blood; and satisfied that it is equally calculated to 
 display the glory of God, and secure the salvation of 
 believing sinners, with joy and satisfaction they de- 
 clare that it i< all their salvation, and all their desire. 
 
 II. But this brings as to the second thingpropo— 
 ed, which was to illustrate the leading properties of 
 this covenant. 
 
 l>t. And here, inverting a little the order of 
 the text, we observe, in the first place, that it i^ 
 ordvrnl in all things. When we enter into i 
 inents of a public and complex nature, where dif- 
 
 nt inrnv>ts are to be consulted, and various 00- 
 etirrences provided for, although they may be well 
 
 ordered in some particulars, they are >eldom pro- 
 perly adjusted in every point. Such is the weak- 
 
 ne88 and imperfection of human nature, and so lit- 
 tle can our limited capacities take in or f 
 
452 THE COVENANT OF GOD. 
 
 that in transactions of this nature, men afterwards 
 often discern their imperfections and defects, and 
 see reason for correcting and amending them. This, 
 however, is not the case with the covenant of grace; 
 for it is the peculiar property of this covenant, that 
 it is well ordered in all things, and being ordered 
 with infinite wisdom, none of the parties have rea- 
 son to complain. Here there is nothing superfluous, 
 nothing defective, nothing which could be added 
 without being redundant, or taken away without 
 marring the beauty, and impairing the perfection 
 of the whole. In every respect it is well ordered, 
 especially with a view to display the glory of God, 
 and to secure the salvation of the believing sinner, 
 which were the ultimate ends for which it was es- 
 tablished. In this covenant all the perfections of 
 the divine nature are displayed in harmonious 
 lustre. Herein the infinite wisdom and boundless 
 goodness, the unspotted holiness and inviolable 
 truth, the tender mercy and inflexible justice of 
 God, shine forth with united splendour. Herein 
 the justice and mercy of God, which seemed to op- 
 pose or limit one another in their exercise, shine 
 more bright in union than they could have done 
 apart; for, as the Psalmist observes, Ps. lxxxv. 10, 
 " Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness 
 and peace have kissed each other." Herein grace 
 is exalted, and the pride of man abased — the honour 
 of the divine law supported, and obedience to it 
 secured — sin is punished, and the sinner saved — 
 God appears great and yet gracious, the just God 
 and the Saviour. When we consider this wise 
 contrivance and wonderful constitution, can we 
 help exclaiming with the Apostle, Rom. xi. 33, 
 " O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and 
 knowledge of God ! how unsearchable are his 
 judgments, and his ways past finding out!" This 
 
THE COVENANT OF GOD. 45.'* 
 
 covenant is also well ordered in all things for secur- 
 ing the peace, the holiness, and happiness of all 
 who by faith take hold of it. Herein is provision 
 made for every want, and a promise of assistance 
 for every duty. Are they dead in trespasses and 
 sins, and sitting in the region and shadow of death? 
 Herein is provision for their being quickened and 
 enlightened; for Christ the covenant of the people 
 is given to open blind eyes, to bring forth the 
 prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in 
 darkness out of the prison-house. Are they not 
 only unworthy of the divine favour, but unwilling 
 to receive it ? Is there a remaining principle of en- 
 mity in their hearts, and are they insufficient of 
 themselves to think a good thought, or to perform 
 any acceptable service ? Herein is provision for 
 removing these, for making them willing in a day 
 of divine power, for slaying the enmity of their 
 hearts, and for furnishing them for every good 
 word and work. There is not a duty to which a 
 believer is called, but there is some corresponding 
 promise of assistance in this well ordered covenant. 
 Thus, for instance, is he commanded to make unto 
 himself a new heart? Then it is promised, Ezek. 
 xxxvi. 26, " A new heart also will I give you, 
 and a new spirit will I put within you?' Is he 
 commanded to love the Lord with all his heart? 
 Then it is promised, Deut. xxx. 6, M I will circum- 
 cise your heart to love me, saith the Lord." Is he 
 commanded to fear the Lord his God ? Then it is 
 promised, Jer. xxxii«39, " I will give them one heart, 
 that they may fear me for ever." Is he enjoined to 
 repent of his sins, and to believe the gospel ? Then 
 he is assured that Christ is exalted to give repent- 
 ance, and that faith is the rift of God. IS he 
 commanded as an evidence of his faith and repent- 
 ance to obey the laws of God? Then it is pro- 
 
45-i THE COVENANT OF GOD. 
 
 mised, Ezek. xxxvi. 27, " 1 will put my Spirit 
 within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes." 
 Is he commanded to persevere in duty, and not to 
 depart from the Lord his God ? Then it is pro- 
 mised, Jer. xxxii. 40, " I will put my fear into 
 their hearts, and they shall not depart from me." 
 How well ordered then is this covenant in 
 all things, when to every duty there is a cor- 
 responding promise to encourage and strengthen 
 Christians to the performance of it; for these pro- 
 mises, instead of rendering the believer careless 
 and negligent, powerfully excite him to diligence 
 and activity. He works out the work of his sal- 
 vation with fear and trembling, knowing that it is 
 God who worketh in him both to will and to do of 
 his good pleasure. 
 
 2d. Another leading property of this covenant 
 is that it is sure and steadfast. All covenants and 
 engagements among men are, from the weakness 
 and wickedness of mankind, in some measure pre- 
 carious and uncertain. Unforeseen and insur- 
 mountable difficulties may arise, which may put it 
 out of their power to perform their engagements ; 
 or being mutable, the parties may prove perfidious, 
 and not fulfil the part which they have in their 
 power. Thus, among men of the highest rank, 
 who are impotent or ignorant, who are foolish or 
 treacherous, breach of promise, and the violation of 
 the most solemn public engagements, are not unfre- 
 quently experienced, involving nations in the hor- 
 rors of war and devastation. Nothing of this na- 
 ture, however, without the greatest impiety, can 
 be supposed to take place in this covenant, or with 
 God and our Saviour who is the surety of it. 
 Here there can be no room for weakness, for God 
 is almighty ; no possibility of mistake, for he is 
 omniscient; and no place for change, for he is im- 
 
TIIE COVENANT OF GOD. 4o."> 
 
 mutable. Although the simple promise of God, 
 who cannot lie, is sufficient security for the believer 
 to rest upon, yet in condescension to ourweaknt 
 and the more abundantly to show its stability, he 
 has been graciously pleased to superadd his oath. 
 Heb.vi. 17,18, "For God, willing more abundantly 
 to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability 
 of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath ; that by 
 two immutable things, in which it was impossible 
 for God to lie, we mi^ht have a strong consolation, 
 who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope 
 set before us." But here it may be said, although 
 this covenant is absolutely sure upon God's part, 
 yet how does it appear that it is equally steadfast 
 on that of the believer ? We answer, because 
 Christ Jesus is the surety of it. Heb. vii. 22 — 
 " By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better 
 iment.'' He fulfilled the condition required of 
 him, and he is now surety for his servants for 
 good. All fulness is treasured up in him as the 
 living head of his people, and out of this they shall 
 receive, and grace for grace. Were this a covenant 
 of works like the tir-t, made with weak and fallen 
 man — did bility depend upon the Christian- 
 
 adfastness, like tie first, it would be broken and 
 disannulled ; but, as the Apostle i -. and the 
 
 lervation is replete with comfort to every be- 
 liever, Rom. iv. lo'. that this covenant i> by faith. 
 " to the end that it might be snre unto all the 
 
 <1." Ail grace is in Christ Jesus, and this grace 
 shall be made sufficient for his people. They are 
 all in his hands, and intimately connected with 
 him, and none shall over pluck them our of them, 
 or be able to break that indissoluble bond by which 
 they are united to him: because be lives they shall 
 live also. Mo; Christ by hi- death has 
 
 ratified and confirmed this covenant, ho ha- 
 
456 THE COVENANT OF GOD. 
 
 it the form of a testamentary deed, and now he 
 ever lives, not only to make intercession for his 
 people, but to bestow upon them those invaluable 
 blessings which he died to purchase, and is exalted 
 to confer. Thus the covenant is possessed of the 
 utmost certainty and stability. It cannot be 
 broken or superseded, for as soon may the course 
 of nature be obstructed by human power, or the 
 seasons arrested as they revolve, as this covenant 
 may be broken or disannulled. Jer. xxxiii. 20, 21 — 
 " If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my 
 covenant of the night, and that there should not 
 be day and night in their season ; then may also 
 my covenant be broken." As the first is impossi- 
 ble, so also is the last. The promises of this cove- 
 nant are true, its mercies are sure mercies, and 
 God will keep covenant and mercy for his servants 
 for ever. 
 
 3d. This naturally leads us to remark, in the 
 third and last place, upon this branch of the sub- 
 ject, that another leading property of this covenant 
 is, that it is everlasting. Every agreement in this 
 world must have some period when it commenced, 
 and from which it is dated, and it will have a 
 period when it must expire. However long it may 
 continue, it must be commensurate with time — 
 with time it must wax old, and with time be for- 
 gotten. But when the everlasting Father enters 
 into covenant with his own Son, or when the be- 
 liever actually takes hold of this covenant by faith, 
 and is thus united to Jesus Christ, this agreement 
 and union shall stand fast for ever. The founda- 
 tions of this covenant are the love and purpose of 
 God, the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ ; 
 and as these are unchangeable, they shall continue 
 to support it for ever and ever. Built on these 
 immovable pillars, it must be permanent and eter- 
 
THE COVENANT OF GOD. 457 
 
 nal. Its days shall be as the days of heaven, and 
 its duration shall run parallel with eternity. Mer- 
 cy in this covenant shall be built for ever, and the 
 faithfulness of God in it shall endure to all genera- 
 tions. This mercy is from everlasting to everlast- 
 ing — it shall follow the believer through this weary 
 wilderness, and enter with him into the heavenly 
 Canaan. " I have loved you," says the Lord unto 
 his people, " with an everlasting love, and, there- 
 fore, with loving-kindness have I drawn you." 
 How deplorable would the situation of Christians in 
 the covenant be if the love and purpose of God to- 
 wards them were as variable as their frame of mind ; 
 if upon every involuntary failing, or lamented trans- 
 gression, this covenant was to be broken, or his 
 sovereign love removed ! It is true, upon account 
 of these transgressions, Christians may receive 
 severe chastisements ; but the covenant of their 
 peace shall not be removed, the love of their 
 Father shall not cease, nor shall the heavenly in- 
 heritance be taken from them. As this i c a truth 
 frequently and strongly asserted in Sacred Scrip- 
 ture, we cannot better illustrate and confirm it 
 than in the language of Scripture itself. Ps. 
 lxxxix. 30 — " If his children forsake my law, and 
 walk not in my judgments; if they break my 
 statutes, and keep not my commandments ; then 
 will I visit their transgression with the rod, and 
 their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless my lov- 
 ing-kindness will 1 not utterly take from him, nor 
 Buffer my faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I 
 not break, nor alter the thing that i^ gone out of 
 my lips." Is. liv. 10 — " The mountains shall de- 
 part, and the hills be removed; but my kindness 
 shall not depart from thee, neither shall the cove- 
 nant of my peace he removed, saith the Lord that 
 hath mercy on thee." Is. lv. :5 — M Incline your 
 
458 THE COVENANT OF GOD. 
 
 ear, and come unto me : hear, and your soul shall 
 live ; and I will make an everlasting covenant with 
 you, even the sure mercies of David." Ezek. xvi. 
 60, 62 — " Nevertheless, I will remember my cove- 
 nant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I 
 will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant. 
 And I will establish my covenant with thee ; and 
 thou shalt know that I am the Lord." Thus, the 
 Lord hath marked it with the seal of his power 
 and truth, — he hath commanded it for ever, and 
 for ever it shall endure. This is the source of un- 
 speakable comfort unto every Christian in this 
 passing and perishing estate. While every other 
 covenant and connection fails, this stands firm and 
 permanent. The faith of this enables him, as Paul 
 in his epistle to the Rom. viii. 38, 39, to declare, 
 " For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, 
 nor angels, nor principalities, 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." 
 
 III. This brings us forward to the third and 
 last thing proposed, namely, to show you the satis- 
 faction and comfort which believers derive from it 
 in every circumstance and situation in life. 
 
 1st. Believers derive satisfaction from this cove- 
 nant, because herein they behold a method by 
 which, in consistency with the divine perfections, 
 and the honour of the divine law and government, 
 they may be delivered from the guilt and punish- 
 ment of sin. A sense of guilt is natural to the 
 mind of man. Conscious of transgression, we feel 
 a dread of the divine displeasure, and are sensible 
 we have exposed ourselves to the righteous con- 
 demnation of the great Judge of all. Although 
 
Tin: COVENANT OF GOD. 459 
 
 all the powers and faculties of our minds are by 
 sin impaired, yet conscience, perhaps, is the least 
 corrupted of them all ; for, fallen as we are, sin at 
 first can no more be committed without a sense of 
 guilt, than natural evil can be endured without a 
 sense of pain. As pain follows any injury that is 
 done unto the body, so, remorse or a sense of guilt 
 necessarily attends the commission of iniquity. It 
 is true, indeed, although all men are sinners, and 
 are sensible that they are guilty, yet many of them, 
 especially after they have entered upon a course of 
 iniquity, are very little affected with a sense of 
 guilt. They endeavour to stifle their convictions, 
 and to drown the voice of an accusing conscience 
 in the noise and pleasures, the amusements or 
 business of life: or, if their convictions continue, 
 they study to blunt their edge, and to say peace 
 unto themselves, by relying upon the general mer- 
 cy of God : or, like the Jews of old, by the exter- 
 nal observance of the law r , instead of the sacrifice 
 of Christ, who is the end of the law for righteous- 
 ness to every one that believeth. But although 
 these refuges may satisfy for a season the superfi- 
 cial and secure, they will not be able to afford 
 relief unto the truly awakened soul. Sin, it sees, 
 is the violating of the divine law, the object of the 
 divine displeasure, and necessarily subjects the sin- 
 ner unto punishment. Although repentance undernu- 
 trition become every sinner, yet these can neither 
 make atonement for past offences, nor can they 
 insure future obedience. Their efficacy, then, is 
 to be trusted, nor, although we could perform 
 them in the most perfect manner, could we be 
 wed that they would procure our pardon, or 
 purchase our deliverance. Sorrow and repentance 
 in this world do not deliver the criminal from 
 punishment, nor prevent the natural consequent 
 
460 THE COVENANT OF GOD. 
 
 of his transgressions, and we have no assurance 
 from nature that they will do so in the world to 
 come. The truth is, that it seems to be a natural 
 and almost universal sentiment of the guilty mind, 
 that some other atonement better than we can offer 
 must be made for sin before the justice of God can 
 be satisfied, or the purity of his holiness reconciled 
 unto the returning sinner. The inquiry of the 
 guilty soul is, " Wherewithal shall I come before 
 the Lord ; and what shall I do to be saved?" This 
 is a question to which this covenant, as revealed in 
 the gospel, can alone give a satisfactory answer. 
 Accordingly, the believer who has taken hold of 
 this covenant, has had a strong conviction not only 
 of his lost estate by nature, but likewise of his 
 personal guilt. He has seen himself to be the 
 chief of sinners, and has been alarmed with the 
 wrath to come. Under the influence of his natural 
 blindness, perhaps he has tried several expedients 
 to procure relief. He may have gone through 
 many dry places seeking rest, but finding none. 
 At last his eyes have been directed to behold the 
 fountain opened by Christ for sin and for un- 
 cleanness. After he has spent all his substance 
 upon physicians of no value, he has been led to 
 the balm in Gilead, and to the mighty physician 
 there. Beholding Christ as an atoning sacrifice 
 by faith, he has come unto him, and found rest 
 unto his guilty soul. How soothing and satisfying 
 unto his heart, trembling under a sense of consci- 
 ous guilt, were these reviving words — " Whom 
 God hath set forth to be a propitiation through 
 faith in his blood ; that he might be just, and the 
 justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." " Herein 
 is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved 
 us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our 
 sins." Therefore, " if any man sin, we have an ad- 
 
THE COVENANT OF GOD. 461 
 
 vocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 
 and he is the propitiation for our sins." In the 
 obedience and expiatory sacrifice of the Son of 
 God, the believer sees the guilt of sin removed ; he 
 sees that he has redemption through his blood ; 
 the forgiveness of his sins according to the riches 
 of his grace. While he hopes, therefore, to enjoy 
 the blessings, he rests upon the blood of the coven- 
 ant, and finds it refreshing and cleansing unto his 
 guilty soul. While this blood pacifies, it purifies, 
 and introduces a serenity and satisfaction to which 
 he was formerly a stranger; for, as the Apostle ob- 
 serves, " If the blood of bulls and of goats, and 
 the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sancti- 
 fieth to the purifying of the flesh: how much more 
 shall the blood of Christ, who through the eter- 
 nal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, 
 purge your conscience from dead works, to serve 
 the living God ?" This is the blood of sprinkling, 
 and the blood of the covenant, which, applied by 
 the Spirit, speaks peace unto the guilty soul, and 
 heals the broken heart. The believer, therefore, 
 beholding it, says concerning this covenant, that 
 it is all his salvation, and all his desire. 
 
 2d. The believer derives satisfaction from thi* 
 covenant in every circumstance and situation of 
 life, because he is thereby assured of gradual de- 
 liverance from the power of sin , of progress! m 
 sancti/icatiofij and at last of perfect holiness. 
 By mii we not only become guilty; we are ah > 
 polluted and impure. While sin weakens, it de- 
 files the soul, and renders it incapable of the enjoy- 
 ment of God. The entrance of sin hafl perverted 
 the order of our faculties, weakened their native 
 vigour, and stained their original purity. Being 
 ahapen in sin, our minds and consciences are de- 
 filed, our affections are carnal and earthly; so that 
 
J Ar2 THE COVENANT OF GOD. 
 
 things temporal and trifling are chosen and pre- 
 ferred to those which are permanent and eternal. 
 This depravity has been universally felt, and 
 various and unavailing have been the methods 
 which human wisdom has devised in order to re- 
 move it. The stain of sin, however, is too deep, 
 and its pollution too inveterate and universal, to be 
 removed by any human application. This mav 
 palliate, but it can never remove the disorder. The 
 fact is, that sinners must not only be reformed, but 
 regenerated, before they can see the kingdom of 
 heaven. Thev must be created anew in Christ 
 Jesus ; they must be renewed in the spirit of their 
 minds ; new principles must be implanted, and de- 
 sires felt and discovered, before they can be quali- 
 fied to see God, or to share in the happiness which 
 flows from his fellowship and favour. Now, in 
 this covenant there is provision made for this reno- 
 vation of nature : holiness is one of its most preci- 
 ous blessings, for Christ is made of God unto them 
 sanctification. While by his blood the guilt of sin 
 is removed from the conscience, by his grace and 
 spirit sanctification is begun in the heart. Light 
 succeeds to darkness, and purity to pollution in the 
 soul. But although the principles of the divine 
 life are implanted, and the seeds of holiness sown 
 in the heart, yet, while Christians are on this side 
 the grave, they will feel a law in their members 
 w r arring against the law of their minds, and threat- 
 ening to bring them again into captivity to the 
 law of sin and death. The Canaanites are not 
 expelled all at once. They remain as thorns in 
 their sides, and are the occasion of much distress 
 and danger. Though believers have felt the re- 
 novating influence of divine grace, yet they feel 
 they are only in part renewed : the sin is de- 
 prived of its tyrannical sway — it is not entirely 
 
THE COVENANT OF GOD. 
 
 subdued — it is ever ready to collect its remaining- 
 forces, and to raise rebellion against the powers of 
 grace in the soul. The flesh lusteth against the 
 spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, and these 
 being contrary the one to the other, they cannot 
 do the things that they would. This makes them 
 often sigh in sadness, saying, " O wretched men 
 that we are, who shall deliver us from this body of 
 death?" As sin, however, is dethroned in their 
 hearts, it shall not obtain dominion over them ; on 
 the contrary, its power shall be gradually weaken- 
 ed, and at last it shall be utterly destroyed. Like 
 the house of Saul in the kingdom of Israel, it shall 
 grow weaker and weaker, and shall finally become 
 extinct ; for their old man is crucified with Christ. 
 that the body of sin may be destroyed. For thi> 
 they have the greatest security and the best provi- 
 sion, in the ordered and everlasting covenant. 
 They are assured that he who has begun will 
 carry on and perfect the good work in their souls, 
 and that for this purpose he will bless unto them 
 all the dispensations of his providence, and ordi- 
 nances of his institution. By these shall their ini- 
 quities be purged, their affections purified, and 
 they shall be more prepared for heaven and glorv. 
 •• 1 will subdue your iniquities, I will love you 
 freely." In a little, sin with all their enemies shall 
 be thrust out and destroyed, and their souls shall 
 join the spirits of the just on high. Then >in and 
 >orro\v shall be extinguished in their hearts, and 
 perfect holiness, as a beautiful rone, shall adorn 
 their natures. Now does the bell til this 
 
 secured unto him in this covenant] ami i- it any 
 wonder he says, concerning ir, that it is all his 
 salvation and all his desire. 
 
 3d, and lastly. This covenant affords satk 
 
 tion and comfort to every believer, in a- much 
 
4(U THE COVENANT OF GOD. 
 
 he has therein the surest ground of hope for the 
 enjoyment of God in the world to come. As man 
 was originally formed after the image, so he was 
 happy in the enjoyment of God ; and although 
 this image is defaced, and he is banished the ter- 
 restrial paradise, yet he is still desirous of happi- 
 ness, and wishes to re-enter the abodes of bliss. 
 Destined for eternity, he wishes to avoid everlast- 
 ing misery, and to obtain eternal happiness. It 
 is true, although all men are desirous of happiness, 
 few seek it in the path where it is alone to be 
 found ; they are vainly in quest of it in the plea- 
 sures or wealth of a present world, and therefore 
 meet with mortifying disappointment. The wicked 
 and ungodly who love sin, and hate holiness, in 
 vain desire to obtain it ; for while they continue in 
 their vicious courses, they are counteracting the 
 goodness of God, and become the destroyers of 
 their own happiness. The Christian who is in 
 covenant with God, has seen the vanity of this 
 world and the value of the next. He is acquainted 
 with the springs of real enjoyment. He has made 
 choice of God in Christ as his portion, and has 
 experienced a satisfaction which he wishes to be 
 continued and perfected. He has tasted the plea- 
 sures of devotion and communion with God, and 
 the loss of the perishing pleasures of time would 
 give him little uneasiness, were he assured of the 
 continuance and perfection of the enjoyment of 
 God. Although he has seen something of his 
 beauty, and felt his power in the sanctuary, yet he 
 earnestly desires to see and to feel more, and can- 
 not be satisfied with any thing short of seeing God 
 as he is. He, therefore, even in this world, desires 
 a better country, even an heavenly ; for this one 
 thing he desires of the Lord, and this he will seek 
 to obtain, that all days of his life he may dwell in 
 
THE COVENANT OF GOD. 465 
 
 the house of the Lord, to behold his beauty, and 
 to inquire in his temple. Is this the desire of the 
 Christian, and where can he find any solid hope for 
 its accomplishment, but in this sure and well-order- 
 ed covenant ? It is the everlasting covenant alone 
 that secures everlasting life. The incorruptible 
 inheritance is the inalienable property of every be- 
 liever comprehended in its inviolable bond. His 
 hope of glory depends, not upon his personal 
 obedience or pious deeds, but upon the purpose 
 and promise of God, the stability of the cove- 
 nant, and the infinite merit of Christ, who pur- 
 chased it by his precious blood. These are the 
 foundations upon which the Christian's hope of 
 future glory rests, — foundations firm as the strength 
 of Jehovah, and immovable as the pillars of his 
 throne. As God in this covenant has pledged 
 himself to be the Christian's God and portion, so 
 nothing can separate him from his everlasting love. 
 This opens a safe and comfortable passage through 
 death and the grave to the mansions of prepared 
 ^lorv. He knows that the ark of the covenant is 
 in the Jordan of death before him. When he ap- 
 proaches it, though it should be overflowing all its 
 banks, and appear dark and threatening, it shall 
 not destroy him. It shall gently divide, affording 
 him a safe and easy passage into the promised land. 
 This is the rod and staff which supports him ; for 
 when the union between bis soul and body i> about 
 to be broken — when he is ready to close bis eyes 
 upon all that is dear to him in this world, he knows 
 that he shall depart, not a- a Betting BUD, but Gti 
 SUA to arise and shine in a purei >kv. In the 
 moment, therefore, of dissolving nature, thij 001 
 nant supports him. With rapture he beholds 
 glory in reserve, and ready to he revealed, and 
 in the triumph of humble faith exclaims, " Al- 
 
466 THE COVENANT OF GOD. 
 
 though my heart and flesh faint and fail, yet God 
 is the strength of my heart, and my portion for 
 ever ; for this God is my God, for ever and ever ; 
 he will be my guide even unto death, and after it 
 my exceeding great reward." Say, now, what 
 more can the heart of man desire, or the soul of 
 man enjoy than is comprehended and secured unto 
 the Christian in this well-ordered and everlasting 
 covenant ? Well, therefore, may he, in every cir- 
 cumstance and situation of life, say concerning it, 
 that it is all his salvation and all his desire. 
 
 We shall therefore now conclude with some im- 
 provement of what has been delivered. 
 
 1st. From what has been said you may see the 
 astonishing condescension of God, and the amazing 
 love of Jesus Christ. As we had violated the first 
 covenant by sin, God might in justice have inflicted 
 upon us the awful penalty. But his thoughts are 
 not as our thoughts. In the midst of deserved 
 wrath he visited us with undeserved mercy. How 
 gracious and condescending in him to enter into 
 another and a better covenant with us, and how 
 gracious in our Redeemer to become the surety of 
 it, and to engage for us when he knew that the 
 undertaking would cost him his life ! This cove- 
 nant, ratified by his blood, is now established upon 
 better promises than the first, for it secures eternal 
 life unto all who believe. If it would be astonish- 
 ing condescension in any prince, through the medi- 
 ation of another, to enter into a treaty of peace 
 with his rebellious subjects, and not only to pardon 
 them, but to receive them into his favour, and to 
 raise them to higher honour than ever they had 
 enjoyed, how infinitely greater condescension in 
 God to reconcile sinners unto himself by Jesus 
 Christ, and to bestow upon them eternal life ! 
 
THE COVENANT OF GOD. 467 
 
 Behold what manner of love is this, that we 
 should be called the sons of God ! and if sons, 
 then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Jesus 
 Christ ! This is love too wonderful to express, or 
 even to conceive. 
 
 2d. From this subject let every one be led to 
 inquire, whether or not God has made this cove- 
 nant with him, or whether he has by faith taken 
 hold of it, as offered unto him in the gospel. Many 
 of you have professed to do so by taking one of 
 the seals of it into your hands. Let not this, how- 
 ever, satisfy you; for many, we are assured, will say 
 unto Christ in that day, " Lord, Lord, have we 
 not eaten and drunken in thy presence, and hast 
 thou not taught in our streets ?" To whom he will 
 declare, " Depart from me, I never knew you." 
 Inquire, therefore, with the greatest care whether 
 or not you have been enlightened in the knowledge 
 of the nature and constitution of this covenant — 
 whether or not you have cordially consented unto 
 it in all its parts, and acquiesced in that grace-ex- 
 alting scheme of salvation which it reveals. Have 
 you chosen God in Christ as your portion, and are 
 you placing your entire dependence upon the blood, 
 while you are hoping to enjoy the blessings, of the 
 covenant ? Do you cheerfully submit to its dis- 
 cipline, and are you studying to obey its lav. 
 Have you broken your covenant with sin and the 
 world, and are you now saying, What have we to 
 do any more with idols ? Are you willing to fore- 
 go every thing that stands in competition with 
 your duty, and to take up every cross which mav 
 be thrown in your way? Have you a greater de- 
 sire to be sanctified than to be great or wealth v, 
 and do you wish to be holy that you may be hap- 
 py ? Are you breathing after higher < - in 
 holiness. Forgetting things behind, are you press* 
 
468 THE COVENANT OF GOD. 
 
 ing forward to those that are before ; and are you 
 deriving your satisfaction and comfort from the 
 views of your own interest in this covenant, say- 
 ing, it is all your salvation and all your desire ? If 
 this be really your character, and these are your 
 feelings, then you have reason to conclude that 
 you have interest in it, and to rejoice in the Lord 
 your God. " Happy art thou, O Israel ; who is 
 like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord ? He 
 is the shield of thy strength, and the sword of 
 thine excellency ." 
 
 3d. While from this subject we learn the happi- 
 ness and privileges of the people of God, we may 
 also see their corresponding obligation to duty, and 
 how much they ought to guard against criminal 
 backsliding, or departing from the Lord their God. 
 Has God made a covenant with his people ? Is 
 not the engagement mutual ? Have they not, in 
 strength of covenant grace, devoted themselves 
 unto the Lord their God ? Have you not done 
 so this day in the most solemn manner ? O, there- 
 fore, beware of an evil heart of unbelief in depart- 
 ing from the Lord. You have bound yourselves 
 to be faithful unto death. Recollect the solemn 
 manner in which you did so at the table of the 
 Lord. What sighs then filled your breasts ! what 
 sorrow filled your hearts ! How did you bewail 
 past transgressions, and what tender protestations 
 did you make of future obedience ! What meltings 
 did you then experience, — what hatred did you 
 feel at sin, and love to the Saviour ! Did you not 
 call Christ your master and beloved, your deliverer, 
 your portion and all ? And will you rise from sup- 
 per and go, Judas-like, to betray your Lord ? Will 
 you basely betray the Son of Man with a kiss of pro- 
 fession? Will you violate those sacred engagements 
 made at the altar of the Lord, and in the presence 
 
THE COVENANT OF GOD. 469 
 
 of angels and of men ? No : in dependence upon 
 the grace of the covenant, be steadfast and im- 
 movable ; be humble — be self-denied ; abide in 
 Christ, and live by faith, that you may bring forth 
 much fruit. Strengthened by his grace, encounter 
 every danger ; encouraged by his example, with 
 intrepid steps tread the path of duty 5 and, ani- 
 mated with the prospect of future glory, hold on 
 your way rejoicing, even unto the end. The strug- 
 gle will be short, and the rich reward is the crown 
 of life ; for to them that overcome will he grant to 
 sit with him on his throne, even as he hath over- 
 come, and is now set down with his Father on his 
 throne. 
 
 4th, and to conclude. From what has been said 
 we may also see the sin and danger of all those 
 who despise the covenant, and impiously trample 
 its blood under foot. They are living under the 
 accumulated guilt of all their sins, subject to the 
 tyranny of their lusts and passions, and exposed 
 every moment to everlasting misery. They may 
 say in their ignorance and pride that they have 
 made a covenant with death, and that with hell 
 they are at an agreement ; but this is gross de- 
 lusion, fdr the hail and the rain shall sweep away 
 the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow 
 their hiding-place. The wrath of God, the Scrip- 
 ture assures us, abideth on them, and if they con- 
 tinue impenitent and unbelieving, it will come 
 upon them to the uttermost. In what a dreadful 
 and dangerous state are they living ! How can they 
 be happy against whom the face o( the Almighty i< 
 set? When they lie down at night they know not 
 but they may awake in misery BgaittSt the morn- 
 ing, or when they arise in the morning they know 
 not but they may lie down in sorrow before night. 
 Is not this a dreadful and alarming situation ? The 
 
470 THE COVENANT OF GOD. 
 
 only difference between them and those who have 
 died in their sins is, that these are prisoners of des- 
 pair, from w T hom hope is for ever gone, while they 
 continue prisoners of hope. Happy difference I 
 O that they would be persuaded to prize and to 
 improve it. Now is the accepted time, now is the 
 day of salvation. Listen, then, to the voice of 
 God, and to the calls of his grace. " Turn ye to 
 the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope : even to-day 
 do I declare, that I will render double unto thee. 
 Hearken unto me, ye stout-hearted, that are far 
 from righteousness : I bring near my righteous- 
 ness, and my salvation shall not tarry : and I will 
 place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory. In- 
 cline," therefore, " your ear, and come unto me : 
 hear, and your soul shall live ; and I will make an 
 everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mer- 
 cies of David." Then shall you experience the 
 satisfaction and comfort which are derived from it 
 in every situation ; for then you will be able to 
 say, in health and sickness, in prosperity and ad- 
 versity, in life and death, that it is all your salva- 
 tion and all vour desire. Amen. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 PAISLEY: 
 
 Printed by Neilson & Murr.av. 
 
J. DA VIE 
 
 Begs to intimate that he is Agent for the Scottish Bible Board, 
 and that he has always on hand a large assortment of Pulpit, 
 Family, Pocket, and School Bibles ; Testaments for Pocket 
 and School, in plain and elegant Bindings; also, a great variety 
 of very cheap Religious Books for Rewards and Sabbath 
 School Libraries. 
 
 A- J. D. has had much experience in Binding, he can assure 
 those who may employ him, that he will Bind all Books com- 
 mitted to his charge in a neat and substantial manner. 
 
 Stationery and Account Books Ruled and Bound 
 to any Pattern. 
 
 '.F.T, 
 
 Kilmarnock, June, J84.1.