m k M 'S / 5:^ £i 03 s^ .^^ j:a. ■^2- OK THK AT PRINCETON, N. J. SAMUEL AGNEW, O K 1' II I I, A l>K I. P H I A , P A. . Pl^rin/i/Gj^J(!j>£^§^ Ij (Ulsv^ Division ^^Cj^ \ SERMON^,' BY THE REVEREND GEORGE HENRY GLASSE, M.A, SERMONS ON VARIOUS SUBJECTS; MORE PARTICULARLY ON CHRISTIAN FAITH AND HOPE, AND THE CONSOLATIONS OF RELIGION. BY GEORGE HENRY GLASSE, M. A. (late student ofch^tst-church, oxford) rector of hanwell, middlesex; and chaplain to the right honourable the earl op radnor. LONDON; PRINTED BY JOHN NICHOLS, FOR T. CADELL JUNIOR AND W.DAYIES, STRA$ID. MDCCXCVllI. TO MRS. SARAH POTT, OF DRAYTON-GREEN, NEAR HANWELL, MIDDLESEX, THE HONOURED RELICT OF PERCIVAL POTT, ESdUIRE, THESE DISCOURSES, fREACHED BEFORE HER IN THE PARISH CHURCH OF HANWELL, AND PUBLISHED SOLELY AT HER REQUEST, ARE, WITH EVERY^ SENTIMENT OF ESTEEM AND VENERATION^, HUMBLY DEDICATED, BY HER MOST OBLIGED AND MOST DEVOTED FRIEND, GEORGE HENRY GLASSE. HANWELL RECTORY, FEBRUARY 26, 1798. [ vii 3 CONTENTS. SERMON I. On the Clerical Charaften Titus ii.— 7, 8. In all thhigs jhewing thyfelf a pattern of good works: in doBrtne Jheiving uncorruptnefs, gravity^ Jinccrity^ Sound fpeechy that cannot be condemned \ that he that is of the contrary fart may be ajhamedy having no evil thing to fay of you. p. 3. (Firft printed A. D. 1794.) SERMON 11. The Creation. Genefis i, — i. In the beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth, p. 27. SER- viS Contents f SERMON IIL The Unity of God. Mark x.— 18. jlnd Jefus /aid unto hhn^ *' Why callejt thou me good? There ^' is none good but One : that /V, GOD''' (Preached on Trinity-Sunday.) SERMON IV.. The Transfiguration, Lukeix. — 29, 30, 31. And as he prayed^ the fajhion of his countenance was altered\ and his raiment %vas white and glijldring. And behold^ there talked with him two men, which were Mofes and Elias ; JVko appeared in glory ^ and /pake of his deceaje that hifJJoould accotnpUjh at Jeru- falem. p, 73. SER- Contents, IX SERMON V. The Atonement, Pfalm xxii.— I- ** My God! My God! '* Why hajl thouforfaken me ?" p. 89. (Preached on Good-Friday,) SERMON VI. The State of the Departed. Zechariah i. — -5. Tour fathers^ where are they? p. 105. SERMON VII. The Name of God glorified^ John xii. — 28. " Father^ glorify thy name r* Then came there a voice from Heavenyfayingy **/ have both glorified it^ and will glorify it again^^ p. 127. SER- Contents » SERMON VIII. The Vanity of Human Wifhes. Job vi. — 8, 9. Oh that I might have my requeji\ and that God zvould grant me the thing that I long for ^ Even that it would pleafc God to dejirey me! p. 147. SERMON IX. The jujft Judgments of God. I Kings xxi. — 29. " Seeji thou, hozv Ahab humbkth himf elf before me ? Be- caufe he humbleth himfelf before me, I %villnot bring the evil in his days, but in his fon*s days will I bring the evil upon his houfey p. 165. SERMON X. The Clofe of the Year. Ifaiah Lxiv. — 6. IFe all (fofade as a leaf p. 187. SER- Contents. xi SERMON XI. The Nature of Chriftian Faith. Hebrews xi. — i. Nozv faith ;V the fub- Jlance of things hoped for ^ the evidence ofthi?igsnotfeen. p. 209, SERMON XIL The Objea of Chriftian Faith. John xiv. — I. ^' 7"e believe in GOD', " believe alfo in meJ*^ p. 229. SERMON XIII. The Triumphs of Chriftian Faith. I John V. — 5. JVho is he that over comet b the worlds but he that believeth that fefus is the fon of God? p. 253. SERMON XIV. The Foundation of Chriftian Hope. Hebrews xiii. — 5. '' / will never leave " thee^ norforfake thee^ p. 275. Xil Contents. SERMON XV. The Promife of Chriftian Hope. Micah ii. — lo. '^ Arife ye^ and depart— ^^for this is not your reji.^^ p. 295. SERMON XVI. The Chriftian's Warfare. Job i. — 6, 7. 'Now there was a day^ when the Jons of God came to frefent them/elves bejore the Lord^ and Satan came alfo among them. And the "Lord /aid unto Satan^ *' Whence '* comeji thouf'^ Then Satan anfwered the Lord^ and faid^ " From going to ** AND FRO IN THE EARTH, AND FROM " WALKING UP ANDDOWN IN IT."p.3 I 7. SERMON XVII. The Chriftian's Defence. Pfalmxci. 2. I will fay of the Lord, *' He ** is my refuge^ and my fortrefs — my " God — in Him will I truji.'' p« 341* SER- Contents. xiii SERMON XVIII. The Chriftian's Joy. Matthew xiv. — 27. ** Be of good cheer ; *' // is I : be not afraid I'*' p. 365. SERMON. XIX. The Chriftian's Reft. Pialm iii. 5. Ilaidmedo%vncindJJepi: I awLiked^for the Lord Jujlai7ie dine. p-39i. SERMON XX. The Chriftian's Glory. Hebrews xii. — 22, 23, 24. Te are come unto Mount Sion^ and unto the city of the "Living Gody the heavenly Jerufale?7i ; and to an innumerable company of angels^ 'To the general ajfembly and Church of the firf-born^ which are written in Heaven, and to God the Judge of all^ and to the fpirits ofjuji men made perfccl^ And to Jesus, the Mediator of the new Covenant, p. 409. (Preached on All Saints' Day.) CORRECTIONS, P. 14. 1. 17, 18. r£^^ inveterate 47- 3- in the midH 54, note 2. 1.2. defcription 76, 12. declarations 96. 3- me ? 102. 12. many grievous things 104. 19. our tongue 1 12. 9- blond fliedding IJ3. 13. tbc^e hjurs 169. 13- explain away ^30- 8. this day, our Lord 262. 21. fuch an exceeding 595. 3- of his adoption 299. 21, no peace : 309. 16. hund in hcind with mifery. ERMON I. ON THE CLERICAL CHARACTER. A VISITATION-SERMON. (Firft printed, A.D. 1794.) SERMON I ON THE CLERICAL CHARACTER. TITUS ii.— 7, 8. In all things Jhewing thy f elf a pattern of good works : in doSrine Jhe^ving uncor^ ruptnefs^ gravity^ fincerity^ Sound fpeech^ that cannot be condemned ^ that he that is of the contrary part may be afhamcdy having no evil thing to fay of you, X O U have in thefe words a portrait, drawn by the hand of a mafter, which defcribes a faithful minifter of Chrift, a fteward of the myfteries of God. By this exemplar he muft regulate his life, who would do the office of an Evangelift, who B 2 would On the Clerical CharaSfer. would glorify his Father on earth, and would finifh the work given him to per- form. There needs no more to convince the Ambadadors of Jefus of the import- ance, the dignity, the deep refponfibility of their calling. The inftru6lions deli- vered by the Apoftle to his adopted fon are fo diftincl, fo explicit, that they can neither be mifconceived nor mifappre- hended. We may negleft — we may con- temn — we may difobey ; but w^hen the precept has once founded in our ear^, the plea of ignorance is taken away from us for ever. Without endeavouring, therefore, to difguift or palliate — without attempting to explain away gofpel-truths, out of a falfe and miftaken delicacy, I Ihall en- deavour to fubmit to this reverend and honoured audience my ideas of the obli- gations laid upon us, by our engagement in the fervice of religion — aware, thai: in the fuUeft fenfe of the Apoftle's words,"! *' fpeak On the Clerical Chara^kr* [ ** fpeak to them thatknowthelaw" — con- serm. Icious, that I am addrefling thofe, who, v — ^ in rank, in years, inwifdom, are far my fuperiors ; and, (withfomewhat a better apology for my prefumption), feeling as he ought to have felt, who difcourfed on military fubjefts in the prefence of Hannibal. Notwithftanding thefe difcourage- ments, the occafion of our affembly calls for reflections of this nature ; and the circumftances of the times into which we are thrown, ftamp them with a charavfter of more than common folemnity. The events, w^hich the four preceding years have brought forth, as cotinefted with the general interefts of Chriftianity, are too ftriking, and too momentous, to be filently paffed over. When the judg- ments of God are in the earth, the leflon of righteoufnefs is not merely defigned for the fufferers under thofe judgments. The fall of the backfliding Ifrael w^as B 3 meant On the Clerical Charadier. meant, by a gracious Providence, to be a warning to the treacherous Judah, When the eftablilhment of the Church of England is openly and undifguifedly attacked by thofe who have long been attempting its demolition in fecret, wc know not what may enfue ; we know not to what trials our Divine Cor- rector may think it neceflary to call us. Though it may be urged that our dangers are apparently leffened, let us not too fondly truft to the fpecious cahn. Let us not think that it is peace, fo long as the devices of anti-chriftian fedition, and her witchcrafts are fo many. The words of my text have a reference to the life, and to the do6trine of the Mi- nifters of the Gofpel ; in both of which they are dire6led to advance as nearly as poffible towards perfe6tion, for this efpe- cial reafon, that others of a contrary part may be afliamed, having no evil thing to On the Clerical CharaEier. ' to fay of perfons, whom they are prone serm. to cenfure, and ftudious to condemn. ^— >v--^ I. The fubjeft, therefore, naturally divides itfelf into three parts ; the firft of which we Ihall difmifs in filence. We fhall not detain you a moment by at- tempting to prove, that the life of a preacher of the Gofpel fhould be, as far as the infirmity of human nature will allow, exemplary. On fuch a topic difcuffion is ufelefs, and argument fuper- fiuous. If there is any truth in religion — if the word of God ftandeth fure — holinefs, which becometh his houfe and his altar, becometh likewife thofe who are called on to minifter at that altar. II. With refpedt to the do5irines en- joined us to preach, the words of the holy Apoftle feem themfelves to point out thofe particulars neceffary to be infilled on. The fervant of God is direfted in B 4 his On the Clerical Chara&er, his teaching to fhew uncorruptnefs ; gra- vity ; fincerity ; found fpeech, that can- not be condemned. His words muft be uncorrupt — not bafely adapted to the prejudices and propenfities of his au- dience. Whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, he muft fpeak boldly, as he ought to fpeak. God hath fent him on a moft important errand — to proclaim death as the retribution of fm, and eternal life for them who repent and believe in Chrift. Difinterefted in his conduct, and far removed from thofe mean and fordid principles which actuate die hireling, he mult be proof againft all the temptations of filthy lucre ; and muft be no more allured by the delufive fmile of wickednefs, than terrified by its frown. His exhortations muft be made with ^, gravity and folemnity fuita- ble to the awfulnefs of his fubjefl:. If he feels the force of the mefTage he is font to proclaim, he cannot dwell on the wonders of divine mercy, on the terrors 0« thi Clerical Chara&cr, 9 terrors of divine indignation, with cold ^^^^'^• and miferable indifference. The fire of "^ — \r^ zeal and devotion will kindle, and he will fpeak aright with his tongue. While he repeats the denunciations of God's wrath againll fin, while he invites man- kind to the privileges afforded them by redeeming love, he muff furely be warm- ed and animated by the light of di- vine truth. Of all perfons he is moft engaged to revere that word, which is, as he well knows, the very word of God. That he Ihould therefore fpeak with fincerity^ is the neceffary confequence of his behef. if he has neither maturely weighed, nor upon convi6tion embraced in his own perfon the- do6lrine3 of our holy faith, how can he prefume to en- force them upon others ? How can he attempt to win his hearers by invitations to that mercy —how^ can he alarm them by threats of that vengeance, which himfclf neither loves nor fears ? Hypo- crify, in all cafes a foul and dangerous crime. lo On the Clerical Char ader. crime, is here exhibited in its moft odious form. If there be on earth a character more completely deteftable than all others — if there be an enormity of guilt which cries to Heaven more efpe- cially for punilhment, it is that of the minifter of the Gofpel, who dares to pro- nounce with his lips thofe truths againft which hi^ heart is revolting ; and the infidel who preaches Chrift, though per- haps not fo dangerous to mankind, is petfonally involved in dehnquency of a deeper dye, than the infidel who hlaf- ph ernes him. The cafe, in fliort, ftands thus. If we are convinced of the truth of our religion, we (hall, in our do6lrine, ihtw Jincerity^^ if we are perfuaded of its importance^ we fhall fliew due gravity ; if we are fenfible of the obligations it lays on us, we fhall fhew uncorriiptnefs ; while all thefe fenti- ments, combining their influence on the mind, will caufe us to utter on every occafion On the Clerical CharaEler* i £ occafion found fpeech that cannot be con- SERM. demned. We fhall not fhrink from our ^ — v^ chriftian duty, becaufe it is the failiion- able attempt of the day to decry the or- thodox principles of our faith, and to eftablifli a fyftem of vapid, lifelefs, fpu- rious ethics in its ftead. The plenary infpiration of thofe fcriptures, by which alone the true God is revealed to man- kind — the atonement made for a guilty world — the divine nature of him who made that atonement — his incarnation, his life, his .miracles, his death, his ro- iurre£tion, his return to the glory of his Father — the divinity and attributes of the Holy Ghoft — the union of the three Perfons in one eternal Godhead; a fu- ture ftatc of punilhment among the fpi- rits of darknefs, as well as ftate of glory among the children of light ; tlie refur- re6tion of the body in the laft day ; its re-union to the foul ; and that happinefs, or mifery, to w^hich both w^ill be coa- figned, according to the fentence of a righteous 12 On the Clerical Char aBer 4 righteous Judge ; — all thefe folemn and momentous truths muft be diligently and earneftly enforced upon mankind, as the only certain bafis of virtue ; the only fure foundation on which to reft our hopes of prefent or future welfare. '' We " know," faith the beloved Apoftle, *' that the Son of God is come, and hath " given us an underftanding, that we '* may know him that is true, and we are *' in him that is true, even in his fon Je- *' fus Chrift. This is the true God, and ** eternal life. — Little children, keep " yourfelves from idols I'* On this fubjccl we may furely be par- doned for dwelling with more than com- mon earneftncfs, fince we have lived to fee the day, when a confiderable part of the once chriftian world has renounced all depeddance on a Saviour, and, virtu- ally, on a God. *' Reafon" has there its temples, its priefts, and its facrifices — bloody facrifices, and ferocious priefts ! '' O my foul, come not thou into their *' fecret : On the Clerical Char aEler, t^ **fecret: unto their affeJ^nbI3^ mine SERM. ^* honour, be not thou united !" ^ — v-— ^ They {hew their new-crcatcd faitli by their works ; bv their fruits do we know them. When our hearts fickcn over re- citals of maffacre and murder — when we iliudder at the narratives of their inge- nious cruelty, and their expeditious fyftems of deitruftion — we cannot but reverfe the famous exclamation of old, and cry out, wdth juft fentiments of in- dignation, '' Behold, how thefe infidels *^ ABHOR one another !'* III. That there are, even in this country, bufy, reftlefs, malicious adver- faries — that they have long been fecrctly meditating our deftruftion, and that, of late years, they have attempted it in a more open and decifive manner, is a truth, w^hich we muft be bhnd indeed not to acknowledge. The fpirit, w^hich at all times lurketh in the children of difobcdience, and which hath ever moulded 14 On the Clerical Char adler, SERM. moulded them to his purpofe fincc the /^ — V — ' firft-born Cain fhed the blood of an in- nocent martyr, hath in thefe latter days walked abroad with a degree of trium- phant elevation; Fatally fuccefsful elfe- where, his emiftiries atteilipted to give efFe6t to their ftratagems here. " They *' who have turned the world upfide *' down, came hither alfo." Our eccle- fiaftical and civil eftablilhment was the objeft of their avowed hoftility. Could they but have accomplifhed the over- throw of either part of our fyftem, they doubted not that the downfall of its af- fociate would fpeedily follow. Therefore did they encourage themfelves in mif- chief — therefore did they proclaim invet- terate war againft loyalty and religion, and fet up their banners for tokens. Fain would they have planted their " a- bomination that maketh defolate" amidft the ruins of thrones and altars : that tree, whofe fruit is unto profanation, and the end thereof everlafting death : that tree, Ofi the Clerical Cbara&erp 15 tree, which (like the fabled poifon-fhrub serm. of the eaftern world) caufcs all other vege- ^^-^-^ tation to langnifli and die ; which creates , a defert around its noxious trunk, and rejoices in horror and devaftation. And were the ftately pines, the glory of Le- banon, and all the trees of the foreft, to be abandoned for this ? Were they to fall, proftrate and overthrown, before it ? Above the reft, was this sacred OAK, which for fo long a period has braved the violence of winds and ftorms, was this to be rooted up, though the hills are covered with the fhadow of it, and the boughs thereof are like the goodly cedars ? Such, however, was the mifchief we had to apprehend, though they who beft knew the extent of it afFe6l to fpeak moft contemptuoufly of our apprehenfions. Even now would the meditated evil take place, did not Divine Providence watch over us for good, and, by awakening us 2 to J 6 On ihe Clerical Character, to a fenfe of our danger, difappoint the purpoie of our affailants. What means of refiftance are afforded to the minifters of Chrift, in circum- ftances like thefe ? How are we, againft whom the Ihafts are levelled with pecu- liar animofity, how are we to repel aflaults of fo threatening a nature ? Cer- tainly not by employing malice and re- venge on our part, in oppofition to the enemies of our order. The weapons of our warfare are fpiritual, and only fpi- ritual. The fervant of God muft not llrive. If he contend for the faith, it niuft be with xhtJJoield oi faith, and with the fword of the fpirit, which is the word of God. To the rage of his ad- verfaries, he muft oppofe meeknefs ; to their calumnies, innocence ; to their open perfecution, long-fufFering; to their treacherous machinations, the noble fim- plicity of truth and virtue. Thefe On the Clerical CharaSler* ^ Thefe are our beft refources ; woe unto serm. Us, if we are fo negligent, or fo unprin- ^ — ^-^ cipled, as not to avail ourfelves of them! If the preacher of the gofpel confiders himfelf as one fent, not to feed, but to devour the flock — if he confiders his pro- feffion in no higher light than as the means of fupplying his neceflities, or adminiftering to his pleafures — if he counts the duties of his office a toilfome drudgery, a tax laid upon his emolu- ments, a tafk of mere lip-labour, and difcharges thefe duties accordingly — if nothing but his habit, and fcarcely that, diftinguifhes his facerdotal chara6ler — if ia his life and converfation, his manners, his recreations, his language, he ftudi- oufly imitates the condu£l of the more gay and diflipated part of mankind— if in his doftrine, regardiefs what is truth, or whether there be any truth at all, he deals out the frigid morality he cares not to praftife, and totally ihuns to declare the counfel of God — if, while the ene- C mies 1 8 , On the Clerical Charade? . mies are at the very gate of the city, breathing war and defiance, the fortrefs fhould be thus wickedly and bafely de- ferted — what marvel, if they fliould be permitted to fweep our ecclefiaftical eftablifhment with the befom of de- ftrudlion * ? What marvel, if they fliould root up, and devour, and tri- umph, and blafpheme ? What marvel, if malice, or peryerfenefb, or indifcrimi- nating ignorance, fliould unjuftly con- found our caufe with its advocates, and fliould take occafion to revile the faith once delivered to the Saints — that faith, which was enforced and proclaimed by their do6b:ines, illuftrated and adorned by their lives, fealed and witnefled by their blood ? If this were in general the cafe, then indeed the mifchief would be incalculable, and the overflowing flood would carry all before it. But, beloved, we are perfuaded better things of the order concerning v/hich we * Ifaiah xlv. 23. fpeak. Oh the Clerical CharaBer, fpeak. Though there may be lamenta- ble inftances of guilt and corruption among thofe who have dedicated them- felves to the miniftry (as was the cafe in it's earlieil days, when the Apoftles them- felves had a traitor among their number)^ we cannot but indulge the well-grounded hope, that an almoft infinite majority of the clergy are faithful and diligent fer- vants of their bleffed Matter —that zeal, learning, piety^ and thofe graces Vv hich beft become the chriftian chara£ler, do flouriili and abound among them— that they exhibit a pattern of good works in their lives — that they are uncorrupt, grave, fmcefe, and orthodox, in their do6lrine. By thefe, under the patron- aae of a Sovereio;n whom the Church of England glories in acknowledging as its Head, and with the co-cperation of many illuftrious chara6ters among the laity, the torrent of infidelity, vice, and licentioufnefs, which would have delu- ged our country, has hitherto been not C 2 un- 20 On the Clerical Charadler. SERM. unfuccefsfuUy ftemmed — the poifoned '^ — y— ^ darts of the enemy have fallen, harnllefs and ineffeftual to the ground — the ftorm has been averted, which loured around us, and which fell in all its fury upon others. We have feen the rage of the oppreflbr jet loofe upon mankind — we have feen the judgment beginning at the houfe of God. At the commencement of thofc events which now aftonifli the world, it was the privilege of one luminous mind to trace the infant monfter to it3 horrible maturity. During the progrefs, and in the confummation of thofe events, we have all obtained convi6lion. If here the arm of the deftroying angel has been arrefted — if here the temple, the altar, and the minillers of God are ref- cued from profanation, let us not be lulled into m.orbid and lethargic repofe — ftilllefs let us afcribe to ;72m/, what is due only to mercy. Alas ! were the faith- ful On the Clerical Characler, 2 1 ful paftors, who have fallen under the daggers of affaffination, finners above all the fervants ofChrift? Far othefwife. As gold in the furnace have they been tried, and received as a burnt-offering. How- ever we may differ from them on fome important doctrinal points, we mufl be loft to a fenfe of all that is great and glorious, if we do not applaud their heroic conflancy, their unconquerable zeal, and that hope, full of immortality, which furmounted the fear of difTolution. Faithful confefTors, intrepid martyrs, they rejoiced in following the fleps of their Redeemer-— and their Church, fo- litary, and a widow, is more venerable, more lovely amidft its tears, than in all the pride and pageantry of bridal mag* nificence. With fuch a fpe6tacle as this prefent- ed before our eyes, how can we refufe to take warning ? How can we but pray, C 3 that 22 On the Clerical CharaBer. that if God Ihould think it neceffary to punifn, he would correct us in mercy, and would not ftir up the utmoft fierce- nefs of his wrath r Avert the fkroke, my brethren, as far as your own exertions can avert it. Awake to righteonfnefs and fin not; let your converiation be as be- cometh the Gofpcl of Chrift ; let yoar light fliine before men. Let the mi- nifters of truth, eftablifhed to turn the difobcdient to the wifdom of the jiift, ex- emplify by their lives the excellence of that faith, which at all times, and parti- cularly in times like the prefent, demands their unihaken allegiance. Let them take heed to themfelves and to their doctrine, for confcience- fake, and with a view to the glory of God ; not merely becaufe they are expofed to the fcrutini- zing eye of malevolence. Let them, in the fpirit and power of Elias, repair the altar of Jehovah, where it is broken ^own "^. Let them preferve, with faith- * See I Kings xviii^ 30. ful 0» the Clerical Chara^er, 23 ful affiduity, every fpark of celeftial fire that can be found among thofe hal- lowed embers, which their zeal, affilled by the Spirit of God, may fan into a flame of true and primitive piety. Thps much is not only in their power, but a part of their bounden duty. For the reft, ** It is the Lord, let him do what *' feemeth him good." If at laft the blow fhould fall upon us — if we fhould be conftrained to fufFer, as our fellow- fervants and fellow - labourers have fufFered, then let us remember, that the trial of our faith worketh patience ; that greater is He who is for us, than they who are againft us ; that blefTed are we, when we are perfecuted for righteoufnefs' fake, for our reward is great in Heaven. I^et us confider Him who endured fuch contradi6lions of finners againft himfelf, left we be wearied and faint in our minds. Through the Captain of our falvation, though we are even called upon to refift unto blood, we cannot but be finally * C 4 vic» On the Clerical Characler. viftorious. From the height of that Heaven, to which he was exalted after his fufFerings, he beholds his faithful fervants ftruggling in this world of for- rows againft the power and malice of their enemies. He beholds them, with fuch fentiments as aftuate a father, when he fends a beloved fon into the field of battle, to affert the honour of his coun- try. He beholds them, as once he faw his chofen Apoftles, driven by the winds, and tolled by the tempeft. And till He, whofe omnipotence can rule the rage of the fea, the noife of its waves, and the madnefs of the people, till He fhall in his own good time fay unto thefe furious af- failants, ''Peace, be ll:ill,"let us hear him addreffing his militant Church from the habitation of his holinefs and of his glory; *' Why are ye fearful, O ye of little " faith ? Behold, I am with you always, " even unto the end of the world. " Amen." SERMON II THE CREATION. SERMON THE CREATION, GENESIS i.— I- /;; the beginning God created the Heaven and the earth. HE Power, Wifdom, and Goodnefs of Gud, as difplayed in the formation of the world, prefent fuch an aflemblage of wonders to the eye of faith, that if the mind of man, fixed on this one vaft con- templation, ftiould without intermiflion piedi- 28 The Cy cation* ineditate thereon, the limits of our ex* iftence would be infufficient for us to comprehend, in their full perfedtion, the marvellous works of the Almighty. To fuch a fubject the Chriftian might dire6t his thoughts with new delight, and new inftruclion, and new aftonifliment, till the angel of death awakened him from his mufmgs, and fummoned him to behold the face of God. And if the work of Creation difplays fuch a boundlefs and inexhauftible trea- fure of divine knowledge, what fliall wc fay, when the Maker of the world, and of all things. it contains, exhibits himfelf to our view as its Redeemer, its Reftorer from ruin, the Author of new and fpiritual life, that life, which is the Light of men, and which flows from the fame celeftial fource ? " In the beginning was " the Word, and the Word was with '' God, and the Word was God. All 4 " ' ** things The Creation. 25 *•' thino;s were made bv him, and with- skrm. *' out him was not any thing made, that v — \^^ " was made." In the following difcourfe I fluiU en- deavour to fet before you the natural hiftory of the world — perfefl; in its crea- tion — thrown into confufion by fm — re- newed by the divme mercy in Chriil — - and now waiting the laft awful doom, when the fame God who created the elements around us, ihall, by his Al- mighty word, deftroy them — ^when the heavens and earth Ihall perifh, and ** time (hall be no more.'* Confiderations more awful and in- terefting than thefe cannot be prefented to the mind- They arrefh the attention with pre-eminent force — They avvaken terror, and they lead to extafy. The fubjedl is fo great, fo fublime, fo myf- tcrious, that it tranfcends all human ability to do it juftice. It is. the theme of 30 T*he Creation. SERM. of Angels : and it has been their theme ^— v^ fince the commencement of the world— fince the day, when " the morning " ftars firft fang together, and all the ** fons of God fhouted for joy." Pro- ftrate before the eternal throne, they worfhip Him that liveth for ever and ever, and caft their crowns before the throne, faying, *' Thou art worthy, O ** Lord, to receive glory^ and honour, *' and ^owcx^ for thou haflcreatedall things ; ^' and for thy pleafure they are, and were *^ created." We are aware that the daring voice of infidelity has prefumed even to call in queftion the fa6t recorded in my text, and to fubftitute impious and atheiftical theories in its room. May that power, which turneth the heart as the rivers of water, grant to thefe unhappy felf-de- ceivers the grace of converfion ! JVe glory in our Chriftian profeffion ; and we believe the word of God[. We believe, 5 and ^he Creation. 31" and therefore do we fpeak. ^' I ha^e not " written unto you," faith St. John to his difciples, '^ becaufe ye know not the *^ truth, but becaufe ye know it,'''' And St. Peter: '« I will not be negligent to *' put you always in remembrance of " thefe things, though ye know them^ and *' be eftabhlhed in the prefent truth." If there be any here fo unhappy, as not to be ftedfaft in the faith once delivered to the faints, let him lift up his eyes to the heavens, and look on the earth be- neath. Heaven and earth are full of the Majefty of the divine glory. Under the guidance of the word of God, by confidering the work he w^ill acknow^ ledge the Work-mafter, and will worlhip the Father everlafting. We fay, " under the guidance of the ** word of God," becaufe we know no other way, by which underftanding is given to man. Nor do we confider this as the debafement, but, on the contra- 3^ 2he Creation* ^^n.^' ^y» 3S the higheft exaltation of human ^^"'"v ' reafon. The invifible things of him are from the creation of the world clearly feen — and why ? becaufe God hathjhewed them. In this confifts the real dignity of our nature, that its powers are called forth, not by any intrinfic ability or re- fources of its own, but by the all-power- ful infpiration of the Holy Spirit, and the grace, of God, ever prefent with the oracles of truth. The Apoitle is exprefs and decifive upon this fubje6t." Through faith (which, as he elfewhere fays, com- eth by bearing) through faith we un^ derftand, that the worlds were framed by the Word of God." It is Revelation which gives us the opportunity of know- ing the Creator of the univerfe, as he would manifeft himfelf to mankind. Il- luminated by his divine aid, the fire kindles, and darknefs is turned into light. Then, in the various appearances of the heavens, in the orbs of the fun and moon, in meteors, planets, conftel- lations. The Creation. 33 lafcions, In comets and ecHpfes, lA the S£RM. fhowers and dew, ice caft out like mor- ^*--v— ^ fels, clouds brought from the ends of the carth,lightnings and thunder, winds drawn from the divine treafuries, and ftorms which fulfil the word of God — in all thefe we contemplate the marvellous works of the Moft High, himfelf greater than all, and unfearchable. We adore Him, who hath revealed to us a portion of his ways, and hath enabled us to know ** how the earth was made, and the ** operations of the elements, the begin- ^' ning, ending, and midfl: of the times, " the alterations of the turning [of the " world*] and the change of feafons, th^ ** circuits of years, and the pofitions of ** ftars — ' who hath not only given us vifual powers to behold the beauty of thefe gems of heaven, but intelle6lual * T^oirwv «^^«yai. Wifd* Vii. 1 8. The tranflators hare fubftitutcd the words [of the fun] to fupply the el- iipfii. D ability 24- The Crcatmu SERM. ability to difcover their periodical revo- ^— »v — ' lotions — to calculate, with the moft ac- curate prccifion, the times of their ap- pearance, and to afcertain the exact mo- ment, when for a while their light ihall be withdrawn. Thus is true philofophy the handmaid of true religion : and to a mind unprejudiced by the oppofitions of fcience falfely fo called, the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firma- ment fheweth his handywork. If we turn our eyes to the earth, we behold a treafurj y6f equal wonders. But here our knowledge is comparatively de- fe6live. Notvv'ithftanding all the arts, and all the induftry, and all the curiofity, and all the avarice of man, we are ftili very ignorant of the nature and proper- ties of that aftonifhing planet on which the Almighty has placed us*. Here * The diameter of. llie earth is flxited to be at the equa- tor 7940 miles ; at the;^poles 7905 . See Whitehurft's Ac- count ofthe French experiments made by order of Louis XV, theory ^he Creation. 3i theory muft be uncertain, and experi^ seRm. ment inconclufive. The only glimmer- ^^^--y— ^ ino-s of lioht afforded us are thofe which the Mofaic hiftory mcidentally impartc ; ' and with thele the refult of every invef- tigation fairly made, to the extent of human powers, has been found exa6lly to coincide*. Thence we gather, that when the Almighty Agent firfh called the world into being, it was, during the af- femblage of its component parts, in fhapelefs confufion^ or as it is otherwife called, cf)aos-^thtit the blended elements/ themfelves in a ftate of fluidity, were covered by water, and that darknefs was upon the face of the deep. Theti did the SPIRIT OF GOD "f , moving on the face of the waters, call thefe wild and jarring atoms into order, and harmony, and beauty. Then did the word of goD -j^, by whom all things were made, give his mandate, and there was light. By vir-* * See M. De Luc's Geological Letters* Compare Pfal. xxxiii. 6. D 2 tue 36 The Creation. SERM. tue of this emanation from above, fiml- v--v^ lar particles began to unite one with another — water with water — earth with earth — air with air*. On the fecond day, the expanfive firmament of heaven -f was fixed over the earth — on the third, the dry land appeared, and the ocean retired to its appropriate limits. Light and heat now gradually increafing, and being concentrated by the divine com- mand in the great luminary of heaven, the fun appeared in the firmament, a marvellous inftrument, the work of the Moft High, and ilione with its full luftre on the newly- created world. The folar and planetary fyftem received unerring laws ; upon earth the beauties of vegetation took place ; the terreflrial globe, the mighty waters, were peopled with their refpe(5live inhabitants ; man, the vicegerent of God, was made in his image, taught by his infpiration, and * See Whitehurft's Theory of the Earth, t Called by Plato T«V*5. See Parkhurll's Hebrew Lexicon^ inv. i^p*^. by The Creation. 37 by divine right invefted in his Paradife serm. with univerfal dominion. The world w^^ and its elements, nature animated and inanimate, were at peace. God faw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. Prepare now for a different recital. Mark how fin at firft deformed, and afterwards for a while deftroyed thi3 fair creation. Turn your eyes to offending man, banilhed from the favour and pre- fence of God, an exile from the delights of Eden. See death, and enmity, and defolation, introduced into the world, Purfue the melancholy enquiry, till the moment, when increafing enormities on the part of man provoked the long- threatened, long- delayed, vengeance of heaven. What alterations do we behold in the frame of nature ! Lo, ^' the foun- " tains of the greatdeep arebroken up :** the internal abyfs of waters, (rarified and dilated by the central fire) with a D3 (hock 2 8 T^he Creation. SERM. fhock mod tremendous, with an explo- ^— -v-^ fion^ beyond all idea,burfts the terreftrial globe into innumerable fragments. Waving all minute difcuffion, allow me to remark, that by the power of thefe moft mighty agents in nature, let loofe by divine juftice upon mankind, the bottom of the antediluvian fea was ele* .vated.> and the former world, witli all its inhabitants (fave thofe miraculoufly pxeferved in the ark) was plunged be- neath the waters, h thoufand proofs of this might be adduced, had we leifure to puriue the fubje6l with more minute in- veftigation. Every circumflance tends to demonftrate, that we behold and in- habit the ruin of adifmembered fabric f. ^ The craggy rock, the cavern, the pre- cipice,, quarries, mines, volc;anos, fof- fils, marine animals entombed in die iolid fubftance of ftones and marbles in ■*^ The expanfive power oi f.cam is Jo that oi gunpoivckr •nearly as 14000 to 560, or 28 to i. Whltphwji. , '^ ^ix*'** ^^^^^ ^^ l^iia-tCio, 2 Pet. ii. 5' all The Creation, 39 all parts of the world, or found in abundance on the tops of mountains at immenfe diflances from the fea, bear witncfs to this wreck of nature. Even the pebble under our feet, rounded by external force, or iliattered by violent coUlfion — even the.meaneft grain of fand has a voice, to put infidelity to filence, and difprove the impious aflertion, *' that all thuigs continue as they were *' from the beginning of the creation.'' The unbeliever on this fubjecl purpofely fliuts his eyes againft convi6lion. He cannot endure the alarming truth, that God, who once chaftifed the whole world for fin, will for fin hereafter yet more fearfully punifh it in his anger. " Of " this," as the Apoftle argues, " they *' are willingly ignoranf — they feel a dreadful intereft in concealing from themfelves, '' that by the word of God *^ the heavens were of old, and the earth, *' (landing out of the water and in the *' w^ater." They hear not that almighty D 4 voice, 40 ^he Creation* SERM. voice, fpeaking in vengeance, " where* >-v^ ** by," at whofe command, ** the world *' that then was, being overflowed with " water, perifhcd," They trembly to think, and ftrive to evade the th^ought, ** that the heavens and earth which are ^' now, are by the fame word kept in ** ftore, refer ved unto fire againft the ** day of judgement, and perdition of *' ungodly men." We, my brethren, have ourfelyes feen the day, when Atheifm was authoritatively proclaimed by thofe who trampled oi^ the ruins of a chriftian throne, and offerings were paid to the idol, Reafon, on altars once dedi- cated to Chrift. But it was a fyftem too monftrous, too horrid, to take root even in the polluted foil to which it was con- figned. The ftorm, which for a while fhook the earth, paire4 away with the daemons who excited it. They are gone, ^nd their place knoweth them no more. But Th£ Creation, 4^ But we purfue thefe fubjeds no further, serm. Other contemplations, more immediately v.-..v--^ conne£led with ourfelves, of ftill nearer import, as the concerns of the foul mufl: be more momentous than thofe of the body, are prefented to our minds. With the denunciation of temporal death, came the precious promifc of eternal life. Fallen man was commanded to lift up his head, and rejoice in heavenly mercy. The world, degenerate and de- bafed, was neverthelefs vifited by the REDEEMER, and all the ends of the earth beheld the falvation of God. Such are the benefits which faith and hope exhibit to us in the great myftery of godlinefs ; fuch is the efficacy of that precious blood, of that one perfe6l qbUtjon. When the foul of man was in a ftate of gloom and confufion, far more terrible than the primaeval chaos of nature, the voice of God was heard, fpeaking in righteouf- nefs, mighty to fave, "Let there be light ! ** Let there be liberty ! Let there be fal- *' vation ! 42 ' The Creation. sERxM. <' vation ! Deliver them from going down ^--Y^ ''tothepit — I have found a ranfom." In this view the bleffed and holy Apoftle compares the wonders of redemption with thofe of the creation. God, he fays, who commanded the light to fliine out of darknefs, hath fhined in our hearts, to give the ^* light of the know- ^' lege of the glory of God, in the face '^ of Jefus Chrift," A feparation is thus again made between light and darknefs ; between the promife of eternal life given to faith and repentance, and the juil fen- tence of death everlafting, the accurfed wages of fin, Man, formed originally in the image of the Almighty, is raifed from the deje6tion into which difobe- dience had thrown him, and is exalted *' unto the mcafure of the ftature of the " fulnefs of Chrift/* Chrift is in him ^ the hope of glory; and (if he does not fruftrate the work of grace) in fpite of all the malice of hell, he fhall hereafter be permitted to eat of the fruit of the Tree Ths Creation^ Tree of Life, which is in the midft of the Paradife of God. Take heed then, my beloved brethren, that ye forfeit not thefc exceeding great and glorious privileges ; adhere to them, as to an anchor of the foul, fure and ftedfaft. How {hall ye efcape, if ye ne- glect fo great falvation ? O do not lofe your intereft in a Redeemer's merits — do not render the blood of Chriftofnone efFe6t to your fouls ! Flee from fm, as from the face of a ferpent — give all diligence to repel its peflilential afTaults. Let zeal and devotion, let faith and love, guard your hearts againfh the approach of evil, as ftudioufly, as fuccefsfully, as the Cherubim with their flaming fwords kept the garden of Eden from the intra- fion of guilt. Take faft hold of inftruc- tion ; let it not go ; keep it, for it is your life. For 43 44 ^^^^ Creation, For lo, our God will come, and will not keep filence. There ihall go before him a confuming fire, and a mighty tempeft iliall be ftirred up round about him. He iTiall call the heavens from above, and the earth, that he may judge his people. The all - powerful voice which produced the univerfe, Ihall an-? nihilate it. I would fain engage your folemn attention ; I would fain fet before you the terrors of the Lord : but no thoughts, no words can pourtray them. Language cannot exprefs the convulfiye rtruggles of an expiring world. Imagi- nation cannot conceive the awful ma- jefly of His prefence, before whom the heavens and earth fhall flee away, and have no place — before whom the orbs of light Ihall vaniih — the moon fliall be confounded, and the fun afliamed. Hu- man nature ihrinks from the idea of that found, which fhall difturb the deep of death, and burft the recefTes of the grave : at which '' the earth Ihall be *^ utterly The Creation, 45 •' utterly broken down — the earth fhall " be clean diflblved — the earth ihall be •' moved exceedingly — the earth fliall ** reel to and fro like a drunkard, and *' fhairbe removed like a cottage ; while *' the tranfgreffion thereof fhall be heavy *' upon it, and it lliall fall, and not rife •' again." Then, O then, *'turn you to the llrong *' hold, ye prifoners of hope !" Behold the Captain of your falvation coming to deliver you. Behold him, bearing in his hand the facred banner of redemption. See him exhibit on it the fentence of death, cancelled, annulled, expiated by his all-fufficient blood. Though the day of the Lord is great and very ter- rible, and none can abide it, hear his gracious voice, proclaiming in accents of love : *' Look unto me, and be yc " faved — for mercy rejoiceth againft ** judgement." Thus, when dead in our fms, {hall we be quickened together with him: 46 The Creation* SERM. hirn : for he will forgive us all trcfpaiTes •^--v^ on our fincere repentance, '' blotting ** out the hand-writing of ordinances •' that was againft us, which was con* ** trary to us, and taking it out of the ** way, nailing it to his crofs." The heavens fliall vaniih away like fmoke, and the earth fhall wax old as a gar- ment, and they that dwell therein fhall die in like manner : but his falvation Ihall be for ever, and his righteoufnefs fliall not be aboliihed. Heaven and earth fliall pafs away, but his word fhall not pafs away : thfey fhall perifli,- but his promife remaineth. Hear that promife, and depart m peace, *' Behold, 1 create new heavens, and a new earth, faith the Lord, and the former fliall not be remembered, nor come into mind. And there fhall be no more curfe ; but the throne of God and of the Lamb fliall be therein, and his T^he Crealton, 47 his fervants fliall ferve him, and they serm. fhall reign for ever and ever. He which "^—^ ^ is in the midft of the throne fliall feed them, and fliall lead them unto living fountains of waters, and the Lord God fhall wipe away all tears from their eyes. The fun fliall be no more their light by day, neither for brightnefs fliall the moon give light unto them : but the Lord fliall be unto them an everlafl:ing light, and their God, their glory." To whom, Father, Son, and Holy Ghofl:, our great Creator, Redeemer, and Comforter, be afcribed, as is moft due, all honour, power, might, majefty, and dominion, for ever and ever. Amen, SERMON >■ . ' ■ " — ■ ' '<■ " * J" '■ ■■!■ f " - XU I . SERMON III. THE UNITY OF GOD. t ' -'' '. i.i . _ . ' I 'i'.i ' . , ,, „...Vii i PREACHED ON TRINITY-SUNDAY, E istiSuMZSsmtsiatsa SERMON III, THE UNITY OF GOD. MARK X.— 18, And Jefus fald unto him, " Why callejl thou " me good? There is none good hut One : <' that is, god:' T HERE is not, perhaps, a paflage in serm the facred writings, whereon the pride of herefy and infidelity dwells with more peculiar delight, than on the words of our bleffed Saviour which I have fele6lcd for our meditation this day : and which I have felcclcd, v»'ithout the fmalleft ap- E z prehenfion III. 5 a ' The Unity of God. SERM. lii. preh&nfion of their conveying, when fairly and deliberately examined, the in- terpretation Nvhich prejudice and fcepti- cifm is prone to affign to them. During our Lord's abode on earth, it was the favourite employment of his enemies, to feck his overthrow by means of fonie expreffion from his own lips, which might be irreconcileable with the ftriftnefs of their own eftablillicd fyftem of religion. They frequently queftioned him, and urged him to fpeak on many things ; '' laying wait for him, and en- deavouring to catch fomething out of his mouth, that they might accufe him." The Pharifees brought him a notorious delinquent, in hopes that if he con- denii^d, or acquitted, he might be found either to ufurp a power not his own, or to contradi6l the law of Mofes. The Sadducees (a fet of infidels, who, being prevented by no falutary reftric- tions, had infinuated themfelves into the facred ^hc Unity of God 53 facred office of the pricfthood), though sp:]|<.m. they denied the refurredlicn from the ^— v—^ dead, affecled to feek information on the,fubje£t as if they had actually be • lieved, while in fact they were wilfully attempting to create and not to remove difficulties, on a topic fo fublime and myflerious, *' In the 7^efurreciion^ when ''^ they rife, how fliall this be?" The Lawyers, that is, the teachers or do6lors of.the Mofaic law, to whom the people looked for guidance and information in all caufes of doubt and perplexity, de- mand of him, with a farcaftic affeftation of ignorance, " which is the great com- *' mandment of the law?" Woe unto you, Pharifees, Sadducees, Lawyers, hypocrites, how wretchedly were thofe privileges caft away, or rather how bafely were they abufed, which a God of mercy freely offered to his peculiar people ! How juftly fpake the Evange- lift of the Redeemer of mankind, " He E 3 ** carr^e 54 ^he Unity of God, SERM. i^ came unto his own, and his own re- ^>--v--^ ^' ceived him not* !" It does not pofitively appear, that the perfon to whom our Saviour addreiTed the words of my text, was an emiffary of thefe infidious opponents. On the contrary, his faith feems to have been fmcere, as far as it extended ; but weak and imperfeft in the extreme. Impreffed with a fenfe, that fome exertion on his part was necefiary to obtain the rewards of the bieffed, in that future ftate of exif- tence which he hrmly beheved, he fought information from Chrifh on this fub- je£l with the impaflioned eagernefs of hafte, with humble teftimonies of reve- rence. He cd,me^ running -f^, and kneeled •* There is no poffibility of rendering this paffage in conformity to the Greek, bul by a paraphrafe. Chrill came lU ra »5;'a, to the things which properly belonged to him — and o\ iJ»ot, his own people, received him not. t We have here a remarkable inftance of the manner of ojecrlpiion adopted by St. Mark, which as the acute and in- genious Dr. Townfon obferves^ could only be that of one who himfelf had witncfTed what he delcribed. down the Unity of God. 55 down to Jefus, and faid, *' GoodMaJiery SERM. " what Jhall I do to inherit eternal life ? ^~^^ " Thy words have brought convi6lion *' to my foul. I cannot refufe my af- ** fent to the truths thou haft revealed ; *' and I am anxioufly defirous to obtain " a part in the glories which thou haft " promifed to thofe who believe on thee. ** Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy ^^ ftatutes, and I ftiall keep it unto the " end." Alas, how lamentable is it, that fo promifing a dawn of faith ftiould be fo early and fo fatally overclouded ! The airy edifice w^aited not for the actual approach of the ftorm ; it {hivered to atoms, at the very apprehenfion of dif- ficulty, danger, and felf-denial. No fooner does our Lord make experiment of the conftancy of his once eager prof- elyte, than he departs with a figh, re- gretting that he cannot better reconcile prefcnt enjoyment with expeftations of F 4 future 5 6 "fhe Unity of God. ^^m^' f^'^^^^^ happinefs, but determined at all u«;^^ events to abide by the prefent, and to riik the future. Our blelTed Lord points out the way to efcape : the lukewarm, fpiritlefs difciple (if he defer ves the name) turns back, with fond attachment, to the world. It was impoffible to avoid ftating thefe few particulars, as connefted with the words of my text, and as conveying a very ufeful, though an alarming leflbn : " What fliall it profit a man, if he fhali '*• gain the whole world, and lofe his ** own foul ? or what fhall a man give ** in exchange for his foul ? How hardly *^ fhall they that truft in riches, enter ^^ into the kingdom of God r" But in recommending the affertion of our bleffed Sav^iour to your attention this day^ 1 have a ftill m.ore important and mor« exalted*!obje6t in view, which I fhall now endeavour to explain, with the The Unity of God. Kj the divine blefiing, to the fatisfactlon serm. of my hearers. ^ — ^ ^' There is PAone good but one — that " is, God." The propolition is ftated with a force which nothing can refift^ and with a precifion which nothing can evade, Unlefs therefore, in our creeds andconfeffions of faith, we adhere to this fixed principle fo laid down, v/e cer- tainly cannot be laid to build on the foundation of that facred legidator who uttered the memorable words before us* The Church cf England, eftabliilied on the mofb fure bafis of Chriftianity, is, in conformity to the letter and fpirit of herblelTed Mafter's do6lrine, ftriftly uni- tarian. Let not my beloved brethren be ftartlecl at the word. Let them not ilirink from a title, which is the glory ot the true believer, becaufe it has been profaned and contaminated by the ene- mies of our holy faith : becaufe innovat- ing 58 The Unity of God. ^^^:^' ing heretics have dared to ftigmatize us >--v— ^ with idolatry, and to challenge for themfelves, by a bold«^ufurpation, the name of Unitarians^ as if we had gods many, and lords many, while in fa6t we have but " one God, and his name one;" his holy, reverend, incommunicable name. The firft and leading article of our religion, (while in its clofe it invefti- gates, as nearly as may be permitted to mortals, the myfterious nature of the divine effence) at its commencement declares, with all the dignity of lan- guage which becomes the awful fubjeft, '' There is but ons living and true *' God, Everlafting, without body, *' parts, or paffions — of iniinite power, *' wifdom, and goodnefs — the Maker ** and preferver of all things both vifible " and invifible. And in this unity of *' Godhead there be three persons, of '^ o\it fubftance, power, and eternity — . '' the The Unity of God. 59 *^ the Father, the Son, and the Holy serm. Ill '' Ghost." vJ^ Can any charge then be more groffly unfounded, can any aflcrtion be more falfe or unprincipled, than that which accufes the orthodox beUevers of mul- tiplying the obje6ls of rehgious adora- tion, and *dG»ng homage to more gods than one ? On this facred day, whereon the foul ventures to approach to the threfhold of the very Holy of Holies — on which, with an eagle's eye, it pre- fumes to behold the great and almofl intolerable fplendour of the Lord God Omnipotent, the Church of wdiich we are members adores Him who hath given his fervants grace, not only " to ac- *^ knowledge the glory of the eternal *' Trinity, but in the power of the di- " vine Majeity to worfhip the Unity ;" and implores him to keep his fervants ftedfaft in this true and incorruptible faith, once delivered to the faints. That 6o The Unity of GoJ. SEiLM. Th^^t our Lord Jefus Chrift, the fe. cond perfon in the one Godhead, the everlafting Son * of the evcrlafting Fa- ther, did for us men and for our Salva- tion come down from Heaven — that, in a manner vre are utterly imable to com- prehend (while we gratefully acknow- ledge the reality of the fact) Jthe divine nature took human nature on itfelf, fo that the Godhead and manhood were perfectly joined together in one perfon, never to be divided in one Chrift, our Mediator and Redeemer, who died for oiTr fins, and who rofe again for our jufli- fication — that the Koly Ghoft, proceed- ing from the Father and Son, one very and eternal God, of one fubftance, ma- jefty, and glory in the elTence of Jehp- vah, did by his holy infpiration crown the bieffed work-*-and that thefe various influences of one divine mercy preferv^ed * For a nioft fatisfaftory irit^rprelaiion of this title 6f Mk- I^Jeffiah, the reader is referred to the ** 0;a>Dp»r«»-," of the hte excellent nnd pion,s Mr. rin\\n.rey. US ^he Unity of God. 6i lis from eternal death, and made us capa- serm. ble of the glories of Heaven — all this we ^— -^-^ ftedfaftly believe. But it is fo far from mi- litating againft the Unity of God, that while we adore the blcffed and glorious Trinity, we difciaim, and from our hearts difavow any plurality of worihip. We bow down, in humble adoration, before the One Great and rlorious name, faying, " Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty ; v/hich art, and waft, and art to come — thou art the God, even thou alo7ic — worthy to receive honour, and power,and adoration, and praife — '-thou *' art God, and there is none elfe — thou *' art the Lord, and there is none befide *' thee !'' When wc fee therefore the Saviour of the world dire6ling his inquifitive profelyte to the grand obje6l of religious adoration (the One God), we are far from Gonfidering thefe momentous truths as weakened, on v/hlch we entirely rely as the fure and certain foundation of Chrifti. 62 a he Unity of God. SERM. Chriftianity. The very man Clirift Jefus, ^— Y--^ fpeaking in his character as man, afferts that there is none good — that there is none abfolutely perfecSl — none All-wife, All-powerful, i\ll-glorious, but Jeho- vah: the Divine EfTence, whereof he partook as fully, as of the human nature which he affumed. Thus the bleffed Je- fus is '' God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God," who for us men and for our falvation came down from Heaven, and was made man. As man, he difclaims that homage, which it is meet, right, and our bounden duty, to pay to him as God. In his human ca- pacity he fays, " My Father is greater than " /." The glory of him that fitteth on th^ throne is fuperior to that of the only begotten Son of the Father, while in his embafTy of love and mercy to fallen mankind. " Ye feek to kill me," faith he to the barbarous Jews, *^ a man who hath ** told you the truth which I re- " ceived I^he Unity of God. 63 ^* ceived from God." Here again we skrm. are diftinftly to feparate the two offices '— v-^ of the Mediator ; and to confider him as addreffing his perfccutors in the charac- ter of one cloathed with mortahty, and fubjeft to that death which they thirfted to infli6t on him — a fituation, inferior indeed to that of the " King Eternal, ** Immortal, Invifible, the only wife God:" to whom (neverthelefs) when his work of mercy was over, he thought it no robbery to be equal, being the brightnefs of his glory, the exprefs image of his perfon. Still more ftriking and appofite are thofe very remarkable w^ords which conclude our Lord's folemn and aw- ful predi6lion of the day of judgment, ** Of that day and hour knoweth no " man — not even the Angels of Hea- " veu'— NOR THE SON — but the Fa- *' ther !" If there is any force in lan- guage — if words have their determi- nate meaning, an evident inferiority is here implied, indeed expreffed. Nor J let 64 "I'he Unity of GoJ. SERM. i^t the adverfary and the enemy triumph >--v^' over us for the avowal. " There is one " God — and one mediator between God " and man, the man Chrift Jefus.'* Either part of the propofition is abfo- iutely, is equally neceffary — equally ef- fential to the faith we profefs, and to the hope which we cherifti as a fledfafl: anchor of the foul. One more inftance, and one only, fhall be adduced to. prove the human nature of Chrift. I fele6t it from the intereft- ing narrative given us by the Evangelift, with moll affe6ling fimplicity, of the death, and the revival of Lazarus^ When our bleffed Saviour approached the place where the remains of his be- loved difciple were depofited — when he was about to exhibit an amazing mira- cle in the prefence of a mixed multi- tude of friends and enemies, he lifted up his eyes to Heaven in awful prepara- tion, and faid, '' Father, I thank thee « that T: he Unity of God. ^5 ** that thou haft heard me — and I knew SERM. *' that thou heareft me alwaj^s ; but be- "^--y^. *' caufe of the people which ftand by I *' faid it, that they may beheve that '^ thou haft fentme." Here Chrift, as a Son, addrelTes Jehovah as a Father ; he reprefents himfelf as one that had offered up his petitions to Heaven, and had been heard. But while, in thefe and a variety of oJ:her inftances which might be fet be- fore you, the Saviour fpeaks of himfelf as man, we are at the fame time able to produce the moft pofitive and irre- fiftible evidence, that, during his abode on earth, he as frequently, as clearly, as unambiguoufly fpoke of himfelf as God. It would be a trefpafs on your patience to bring forward all the paflages of fcrip- ture to which I allude. Yet fome of them I may be permitted to point oat, though they are, 1 truft, familiar to your ears — though they are, I humbly F hope. 66 T!he Unity of God. SERM. hope, written on your hearts. You >--v^ cannot but know on whom ye have be- lieved. You have, doubtlefs, fo learned Chrift, as to be able to give to eveiry man , that afketh you, a reafon of the hope that is in you. Thus then the incarnate God, (with reference not to his human but to his divine nature) beareth witnefs of him- felf— " I and the Father are one*. Before " Abraham was, I am. He that hath '^ feen me, hath feen the Father. Be- ** lieve me, that I am in the Father, and *^ the Father in me. All things that " the Father hath, are mine. Holy Fa- " ther, keep through thine own name *^ thofe whom thou haft given me, that *' they may be one, as we are." * 'Ey« Kj n»l>!p ^ lo-fAiv. Unum : one fuhjiance, differing in perfon. Hear *the Unity of God. 67 Hear alfo what Saint Paul faith— serm. ^' Without controverfy great is the *^ myftery of Godhnefs : God was ma-J" *^ nifefted in the fleili.'' Hear alfo what Saint John faith— *' In the beginning was the Word ; " and the Word was with God ; and the *'. Word was God : and the Word was made manifeft, and dwelt among us." We reft our evidence here ; and with it, all our future profpefts, all our hopes of endle is felicity. If we are herein found falfe witnefles of God, our preaching is vain, and your faith is alfo vain. But, as God is true, this our record of his blefled Son is alfo true. As the reafonable foiti and flefh is one man, fo God and man is one Chrift; Neither his divinity without his huma- F 2 nity, 68 The Unity of God. SERM. nity, nor his humanity without his di- V— ylw' vinity, could have conftituted the true Mefliah, God man, the Mediator of the gofpel of grace and pardon, the Angel of the covenant of peace, the Fountain of our everlafting hope, the great In- terceffor, able to reconcile all things to himfelf, whether they be things on earth, or things in heaven. Be aware of this; and when here- tics cavil, and infidels blafpheme, be *' valiant for the faith.'* Nov/ the right faith is, that we believe and confefs, that our Lord Jefus Chrilt, the Son of God, is God and man. Witnefs this good confeflion before many witnefles. Acknowledge to its full extent the fa6l announced in my text, that none is good but One, that is God. But reje£t with abhorrence the peftilent infi- nuation, that the Author of our falva- tion, though inferior to the Father as touching his manhood, was not equal 5 to The Unity of God. 69 to him with refpeft to his Godhead. As serm. man, our Saviour referred his difciple to ^—-y--^^ Jehovah as the Being in whom all goodnefs, all glory, all perfeftion cen- ters, and from whom it flows. As God, he is himfelf, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, that Being ; the obje6l of all religious adoration. And as with the heart man believeth unto righteoufnefs, and with the mouth con- feflion is made unto falvation, even fo believe with your hearts, and confefs with your mouths, *^ that the Godhead *' of the Father, of the Son, and of the ** Holy Ghoft, is all one — the glory " equal — the majefly co-eternal.'* To whom, as is mofl due, be afcribed, all honour, praife, and dominion, world without end. Amen, SERMON SERMON IV. THE TRANSFIGURATION. SERMON IV, THE TRANSFIGURATION. I^UKE ix. — 29, 30, 31. And as he prayed, thefajhlon of his courts tenance was altered ; and his raiment was white and ^lijiering* And behold^ there talked with him two men^ which were Mofes and ILlias ; }Vho appeared in glory, and f pake of his deceafe that he Jhould accompUfh at Jeru- falenh X HE flupendous event recorded in serm. my text, and its attendant circumftances, ^ — ^ cannot fail to infpire the devout foul with fpkran meditations, and to fet be- fore 74 ^'^^ Transfiguration. SERM. fore the eye of faith a portion of that V--V— ' gloi'y which fhc^ll hereafter be raore fully revealed. The fubjeft ilands nearly connected with things too fublime and awful for human inveftigation : yet we truft, that information, delight, and comfort may be obtained by confidera* tions on the transfiguration of Chrifl ; and that we may approach the bright- nefs of his prefence, without treading too prefumptuoufly on holy ground* That our blefled Saviour carne into the world, not to triumph, but to fufFer — that he was meek and lowly, in heart, in manners, in demeanour — that he re- je£ted all adventitious pomp and gran- deur, as inconfiftent with the fpiritual nature of his kingdom, what man can doubt, who reads the hiftory of his humble life ? But, as he was not only the defpifed Son of Mary, but the eter- nal and ever-bleiTed Son of God — as he who came in the form of a fervant, was ^ the ^Ih ^ransfguration. 75 the Omnipotent Monarch of Heaven, Kino; of Kinirs, and Lord of Lords — as he who gave his life a ranfom for many, was the great Author of univerfal Being, by whom all things were made, and in whom they confift, it was neceflary, for the defence and confirmation of the gof- pel, that fufEcient and credible witnefTes Ihould behold an emanation of that di- vine majefty, wherewith he had been from all eternity inverted, and which he only laid afide for the falvation of man- kind. It was neceflary, that among thofe, who were to preach him to the world, fome fhould be found, who had actually feen, as far as might be permitted to mortals, the magnificence of his glorious Godhead. More particularly was this neceflary, becaufe a fpe6lacle of a very different kind was fhortly to be prefented to their view. Their Mafl:er, their Benefactor, tjieir Friend, was foon to be taken from them SERM. IV. *»5 "The Transfguration» ^ SERM. them by feerilegious violence. The day v.— ^^ of our Saviour's life vi^as far fpent — the evening was at hand — he was about to clofe his work of mercy, and to offer up his fpotlefs foul a ranfom for fin. The hour was near in its approach, when human malice, combining with the powers of darknefs, fhould prevail againft the Redeemer of mankind. For this fevere trial it was the office of our bleffed Lord to prepare his fol- lowers — fome, by prophetic declaration of the event, and of his glorious refurrec- tion which was to enfue — others, by point* ing out to them that his kingdom was not of this world, and by exalting their hope to the regions of eternal joy — while to fome he vouchfafed more immediate vifions and revelations of God ; when he took them into an high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them ; when his face did Ihine as the fun, and his raiment was bright as the light; when He, The Transfiguration, yj He, who came not to deftroy, but to fulfil serm. IV the law and the prophets, was attended ^— ^v--^, by the immortal fplrits of the greateft of law-givers and firft of prophets — when they appeared in glory, and filled tlie beholders with extafy and with amazement. In dwelling on this awful and myfVe- rious fcenc, it is impoflible not to re- colle6t, that the departure of both Mofes and Elias from the world v/hich they now vifited as celeftial beings, was not like that of common men. Elijah, (or Elias) in a w^hirlwind of fire, was tranf- lated to the regions of glory. Mofes, after he had fulfilled his miniftry, re- figned his foul to his Creator ; but apart from all witneflfes* How he expired — where his remains were depofited — and what was the conteft between the enemy of mankind and the blefled Archangel concerning him, all this is burled in im- penetrable darknefs. However, a greater than jS "T/je Transjigurdtion. SERM. than Mofes, a greater than Elias was ^— -v-^ hei*e — and the law and the prophets did on thib occafion avouch the preeminence of the Gofpel, while Mofes and Elias, their illuftrious reprefentatives, paid homage, and made obeifance to the Meffiah. \)\ the midft of this affemblage of glory, what was the fubjecl, on which the patriarch and prophet difcoiirfed with the Son of God ? They fpake not of his eternal kingdom, his majefty, his fovereignty over all that is named in heaven and earth — they fpake not of the adoration of angels, nor of the myriads of voices which cry, '* Holy, Holy, *' Holy, Lord God of Hofts:" they fpake of his deceafe* Either to fupport and encourage the human nature of Chrift, or to praife and magnify the unbounded mercy of his divine elTenc^e, they fpake of his deceafe which he fhould accom- plifh at Jerufalem. They congratulated the The Transfgwation. yq the conqueror of Sin and Death — and perhaps they animated him to perfift in his career of vi6lory. And he, who on other occafions was ftrengthened by the miniftry of Angels, was now applauded by the Spirits of juft Men made perfect. The effe6l of this aftonifliing vifion on the minds of the mortals who were per- mitted to behold it, muft tranfcend the utmofh limits of our comprehenfion. Their joy on this difplay of their Lord's glory, feems almoft too mighty for their natures to fuftain. While they lift up their eyes to this manifeftation of the di- vine Majefty, we hear them explain, in broken accents of rapture, '' Mafler, " Mafter, it is good for us to be here" — nay they wiflh, but in vain, to prolong the ftay of their immortal guefts. '' Let us make three tabernacles — otie for thee^ and one for Mofes^ and one for EUasy Here let us dwell ; here let us abide. One day, one moment in this blefled focictv IV. 8o T'he transfiguration. SERM. fociety Is better than a thoufand years fpent in the enjoyment of all that mor- tals hold dear or defirable.'* *^ While they yet fpake, behold, a *' bright cloud over-fhadowed them — " and behold, a voice out of the cloud, " which faid, '^ This is my beloved Son, " in whom I am well pleafed — hear ye *' him !" The voice of God himfelf from Heaven bears witnefs to the Sa- viour of mankind ; and the Apoftles are confirmed in their faith by the Lord Om- nipotent, thus proclaiming the divinity of Jefus Chrifl. St. Peter, at a remote period of time, fpeaks of the efFe6t which this glorious atteflation produced on thofe who heard it : and offers it to his converts as a moft forcible argument, (What could indeed be more forcible ?) to eftablifh and ftrengthen their faith. *' For we have not followed cunningly- devifed fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord The TramJiguratloH* 8 1 Lord Jefus Chrift, but were eye-wit- nefles of his Majcfty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came fuch a voice to him from the excellent glory, "This is my " beloved Son, in whom I am well pleaf- ** ed :*' and this voice, that eame from heaven, we heard, when vv^e were with him in the holy mount.'' And now the bright cloud difappears ; the voice is paft ; the lawgiver and pro- phet return to the manfions of the bleff^d; and our Saviour gradually refumcs that form, which veiled his divinity, while he appeared on earth, and converfed with men. Yet is it probable, that forne remains of celeftial glory irradiated his features ; and that, as it happened unto Mofes, after the revelations on Sinai, fo, when our Lord came down from the mount, his countenance flione with more than mortal fplendor: for the people, who had long been waiting for him, when they beheld him " were greatly G amazed^ 82 ^he ^transfiguration. SERM. amazed^ and running to him, faluted v._,^ him." What might be the fource of their amazement we are left to conjec- ture : and furely the conje6lure is by no means improbable, that his face, which fo lately did fliine as the fun, was not al- together and in a moment diverted of its luftre. He returns to the multitude : he works a great and aftonilhing miracle, in a cafe which called for the exertion of his own power, having baffled that of his difciples : and then he imparts to thofe around him the leflbn, which it is at this time my objeft to imprint on the hearts of my chriftian brethren ** Let thefe fayings fink down into your cars : for the Son of Man fhall be betray- ed into the hands of men." As if he had faid, *' Prepare yourfelves for the fcandal of the Crofs. Be not diimayed, or fhakeu in Tthe Transfguration. 83' in your faith, when you fee your mafter SERjvf, betrayed, tormented, bafely and mall- ^^ — ^ cioufly murdered. The foundations of that hope, which I came to infpire, are laid, not in time, but in eternity — not in earth, but in the Heaven of heavens. It is impoffible that one, who doeth the miracles ye fee me do, can be otherwifc than divine. Let not your hearts be troubled : ye believe in God — believe alfo in me. And ye, my chofendifciples, to whom I have now vouchfafedaglimpfe of my glory ^ let it prepare you for tlie agony which ye fhall be called on to witnefs — and, in that awful and tremend- ous moment, remember the bright vifion on Mount Tabor V Let thefe fublime meditations increafe our Chriftian faith, and animate our hope — our faith in Him, who, though he came to vifit us in great humility, * St. Jerome fays, that It was the general tradition of \\\i day^ that our Saviour was transfigured on Mount Tahor, G z could 84. ^he Transfiguration. SERM. could thus, at his pleafure, array him- ^— v^ felf in majcfty and glory ; and our hope, that through his merits, when this mor- tal life fhali be at an end, we fhall be received into the prefence of that Al- mighty Being, with whom do live the fpirits of them that depart hence in the Lord, after they are delivered from their earthly prifons. In Chrift Jefus we behold the fulnefs of the law and of the prophets. We fee Mofes and Elias, coming from their ftate of bleffednefs to worfhip Him, through whom alone the heirs of im- mortality are made partakers of the di- vine nature, and of everlafting glory. And we feel the wifdom and the juftice of thofe divine commands : *' Let all the angels of God worfhip him : let every knee bow at the name of Jesus : let every tongue confefs that he is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. While Tibe Transfiguration, 85 While we are thus admitted, as it serm. IV were, within the veil, and behold a por- w[^ tion of the Holy of Holies — while that manifeftation of the Divine Majefty, which even its chofen witnelTes were for a time enjoined to conceal, is no\V clearly revealed unto us — how do our hearts difclaim, how do they rife fupe- rior to all the low and bafe objects of mortal ambition or defire ! And when we confider the infinite difproportion between that fcene, grand and magnifi- cent as it was, and the full glories of that heavenly kingdom which it repre- fented, how can we but fay, in the rap- ture of our hearts, " Lord, it is good for us to he THERE !" Thither let our fouls afcend, and to their habitation let theni come ! We will arife and go to our Fa- ther — for in his prefence is the fulnefs of joy, and at his right hand there is pleafure for evermore. G 2 And ^^ ^hc Transfiguration. ^^iv^' And thou, O gracious Lord, whofe .^ — \< — ' moft dearly beloved Son was manifefted that he might make us the children of God, and heirs of immortal life ; grant to us thy humble fervants, that, having this hope, we may purify ourfelves, ^ven as he is pure — that when he fhall appear again with power and great glory, we may be made like unto him in his eternal and glorious kingdom, where with thee, O Father, and thee O Holy Ghoft, he liveth and reigneth, one God blefled for ever-more : to whom be afcribed, as is moft due, all honour, power, might, majefty, and dominion, world without end. Amen. SERMON ERMON V. THE ATONEMENT. PREACHED ON GOOD-FRIDAY. G4 SERMON V, THE ATONEMENT, PSALM xxii.— I. ^'My God I My God I Why baft thou ^' fqrfaken me ?^^ X O recite thefe words is to apply SERM them. Your hearts are gone already to y^T' Mount Calvary; and you behold with the eye of faith your crucified Redeemer. Lo, the rocks are rent — the mid-day fun is plunged into obfcurity — the graves are opened— -the faints who flept in death anfe and appear — the frame of nature feels po The Atonement. SERM, feels as it were the pangs of diflb* V — ^^ lution, while its Creator fuffers. When, on the return of this facred day, or at any other feafon of devotion, we meditate on the paffion of our Lord — when we accompany the innocent Je- fus through the horrors of his ar- raignment — through his unjuft and mer- cilefs trial — when we witnefs the mock- ery and defpitefulnefs of his trium- phant enemies, the treachery, the de- fedlion, and the apoftafy of his difci- pies when we furvey the inftruments of torture — the wreath of thorns, the bloody fcourge — the ponderous crofs, under which his weakened, exhaufted nature fainted and almoft fank away— when we view him faftened to the en- gine of death — his hands and his feet transfixed with the nails — the iron enter- ing into his foul — his blefled fide pierced by wanton, officious cruelty — when we behold all this, how little do we compre- hend the extent of our Saviour's anguilh^ how ^he Atojiemcnt. 9 1 how imperfe6lly do we conceive the bit- ternefs of his cup, if we do not keep al- ways in our view the leading feature in his paffion, the woe of all woes, the ter- rors of God fet in array againft him, the wrath of his Father heavy upon him, the confummate guilt of a world, heaped upon his guiltlefs head ! This, my brethren, was the torment worfe than death — this it was, which made our blefled Saviour fo pre-emi- nently ♦* acquainted with grief." Acute, painful, exquifite, as were the fufFcrings of his body, they were fufFerings fuch as (in a variety of inftances) mere mortals, through affifting grace, had before, and have fmce, endured with conftancy — nay many who were not in poffeflion of refources like thofe of the martyr in the hour of trial, have, by ftrength of body or mind, in ancient and in modern times, furmounted them. Surely then, if death, in ever fo horrid a form, was all 92 The Atonement, SERM. all which our Lord, (a divine, a volun- ^^ — V— ^ tary victim), had to fuftain, we fhould not have heard him utter this doleful and paflionate exclamation, " My God! *' My God! why hajl thou forfaken me V But view the cafe in its true light — be- hold the Mediator between God and man, for the fins of man, fufFering in his human nature a temporary exclufion from the face of God — view him wound- ed for our offences, and bruifed for our iniquities — fee him ftricken, fmitten of God, and afflifted — think on the intole- rable burden thus laid upon him, and you will no longer wonder at the in- tenfenefs of his anp-uilli. " Is it nothins: ** to you, all ye that pafs by ? Behold *^ and fee, if there be any forrow like ** unto my forrow, which he hath done *' unto me, wherewith the Lord hath *' affli6led me, in the day of his fierce " anger." While our Redeemer could hold communication with heaven, neither the cruel ingratitude of mankind, nor the The Atonement. 93 the mifcrics of every defcriptlon which SERM. he fuftamed during his life, nor the ^ — \r^ blafphemy of the multitude in the hour of his death, nor the fcourge, nor the thorns, nor the crofs itfelf, could fhake his conftancy. But when a dark cloud was interpofed between our Lord, and the Almighty Father of Light — when he, who had long fince been for- faken by man, appeared for a while to bq. forfaken by God, then, then was the meafure of his fufFerings complete : then he fpake in the bitternefs of his foul ; he complained, for his fpirit w^as over- whelmed. With the foretafte of this unutterable woe was the heart of our Saviour filled, when he fought for fome alleviation, by communicating his fufFerings to his help- lefs, feeble, aftoni{l:ied difciples. "My ** foul is exceeding forrowful unto *' death!" — It was with a reference to this 94 ^f^f Atonement. SERM. this extremity of grief, that In the day? .^^--Tv-^ of his fiefh with ftrong crying and tears he prayed, that, if It were poffibl^, the hour might pafs from him — *• Abba, ** Father, all things are poffibleto thee ; *' take away this cup from me: never- thelefs not my will, but thine be done !'* The will of God wai done: the cup, with all its bitternefs, was drunk to the very dregs, that fo thefacrifice might be made efficient for the fins of the whole world: but during this grievous conflict an angel appeared from Heaven, ftrength- ening him. He rofe, "invigorated by thefe communications from above; he delivered himfelf, with unrefifting meeknefs, into the hands of his ene- mies. He was arraigned — he was cru- cified—he made atonement for our fins — he underwent the wrath of God— he then cried, " It is finillied. Father, into ♦* thy hands I commend my fpirit ;" and, having faid thus, he yielded up theghoft. That 3 T'he Atonement. oj That face, which had been hidden serm. from him for a feafon, beamed again v^.-^lw» with its divine effulgence on the Re- deemer of mankind, when, every pro- phecy being fulfilled, every type ac- complifhed, every fatisfaftion for the mighty debt fully difcharged, he re- figned his departing fpirit into the arms of a reconciled Father — reconciled to a world of finners, who had fome time been alienated, and enemies in their mind by wicked works, yet who now were enabled to prefent themfelves in the garments of a Saviour's righteoufnefs, holy, and unblameable, and unreprove^ble in the fight of God. Having contemplated the fufFerings of our bleffed Redeemer in this their con- fummation, let us review fome of the preparatory circumftances which led to thofe fufFerings. They will ftill more clearly explain to us the meaning of that exclamation of grief, which burft from th9 9^ The Atonement. SERM. the heart of the divine Sufferer, " My V — \^ "God! my God! why haft thou for- " fakenmel" Nothing is more certain, than that our Saviour had a perfe6l foreknowledge of every event which was to befal him. For this was he born, and for this caufe came he into the world, that he might give his life a ranfom for many. We hear thefe ftriking declarations from his own facred lips : *•* Therefore doth the Father love me, becaufe I lay down my life — no man taketh it from me ; but 1 lay it down of myfelf. Behold, we go up to Jerufalem ; and the Son of Man fhail be betrayed unto the chief priefts, and unto the fcribes, and they fhall condemn him to death, and fhall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to fcourge, and to crucify him." Though every forrow which he had to fuftain was thus prefent to his view, his love for mankind, ftrong' er than death, led him to expe6l all without The Atofiement^ 97 without regret or repining, fave the serm. horror of that moment^ when the Lord ^^.T^^ laid on him the iniquities of us all. If we confider his actions with a reference to every other torment which he endured, we find him ftedfaft and immoveable, unappalled by fufFering, and fuperior to pain : we behold him adminiftering com- fort, and healing the broken-hearted, even to the very moment of his agony. " Ye now therefore have forrow," faith he to his affli6ted difciples ; " but I v/ill fee you ag.ain, and your heart fliall re- joice, and your joy no man taketh from you." While he ftood before the tribu- nal of an unjuft judge, who thirfted for his blood, and was determined on the . perpetration of murder, he could bellow a look of pity, of affeclion, of kind remembrance, of parental remonftrance, on that wretched apoftle, who, aghaft and panic-ftruck, was heaping crime upon crime, and, to efcapea momentary danger, was preparing for himfelf long H and 98 The Jtonement. SERM. and bitter remorfe. While on the way ^ — V— ^ to his crucifixion, he mourned, not for himlelf, but for the dangers impending over a guilty and miferable people : *' Weep not for me, but weep for your- '* felves, and for your children, ye daugh- *• ters of Jerufalem." When his eyes were well-nigh clofed in death, his inex- tinguifhable filial love dire£lcd itfelf to affuage the forrows of his agonizing mother, into whofe foul the prophefied fword was then infixed ; at that moment, in accents of pious tendernefs, he confign- ed her to the care of his beloved difciple. One adl of mercy remained to be per- formed, and mark how the Saviour of ipankind accomplifhed it ! Mark how the promife of peace, and life, and pardon, was uttered by his gracious lips, and revived the foul of a contrite offender : Verily 1 foy to thee, '' This day fhalt ** thou be with me in Paradife/' We ^he AtonemetiU 99 We have fecn then that our bleffed Lord serm- became a vohintary facrifice for us men ^ — ^^ and for our falvation, that by his death he might deftroy the power of death : !)ut to be deprived of his Father's pre- fence — to exchange that unutterable glory with which he had been inverted before the foundation of the world, not only for the fcorn of men, but for the wrath of God— this was an extremity of anguifh, that not even the po^er gf Chrift himfelf in his human nature could fuftain without a ftruggle, the feverity of which no language cart adequately ex- prefs, no thought can adequately con* ceive. To excite your gratitude to your be* neficent Redeemer for bleflfings fo inef- timable — to fill your hearts with a fenfe of the divine benignity of Chrift who died for you — to infpire you with a juft abhorrence of fin, which called for fuch an expiation — to imprefs on your minds Ha a too T/je Atonement. a fenfe of the value of thofe immortal fouls, the ranfom of which could not be efFe6led but by an oblation fo precious — towarn you of the danger of difobedience, and the fenfelefs infatuation of calling away the high privilege of your redemp- tion — to remind you that it is vain for you to profefs that you love God, if you keep not his commandments — and to exhort you, as you regard your own fal- vation, to improve the time of proba- tion allotted you, and to feek after God while he may be found — all thefe obvi- ous inferences from the holy folemnity of this day, it is the conftant office of the minifter of Chrift to inculcate on its an- nual return. Butthefubjeclis inexhaufti- ble : it is infinite as the divine bounty in which it originates. And now, if there be any here, whom it has pleafed God, for wife and good reafons, to try in the furnace of afflic- tion — if there be any from whom he has 7he Aton-enient^ 10 1 has feemed to hide his blefled face, and serm. to turn away his ear, as though he re- ^^ — \^ garded not their piercing cries; let them remember, that thus, even thus, the pure and innocent Jelus was contented to fufFer, when he vifited us in great humihty. Let their wounded fpirit be cheered by the refle£lion, that the God whom they ferve will not contend for ever, will not be always wroth : he will turn again, he will have compaffion on his fervants, he will forgive all their iniquities, and call their fins into the depths of the fea ; again will he caufe his face to fliine upon them, and they fhall be faved. " Heavinefs may endure for a night" — it may even accompany them till they defcend into the dark and filent tomb — " but joy cometh in the morning." The day will dawn — the Sha- dows will fly away — the glorious light of righteoufnefs will arife upon them ; and their temporary affli6lions fhall be re- H 3 warded 102 The Atonement. SERM. '^varded by an exceeding and eternal weight -lory. Encouraged by this blefTed hope, the Chriftian prepares himfelf for the evils which may await him, and abides in hum**' ble refignation till the calamity be over-, part. He takes up his crofs, and follows the example of his Saviour— he remem- bers his Redeemer's forrows, and he is triumphant over his own. " O gloriou$ ** Captain of our falvatipn, who didft *^ firft fufFer many things, and then en- ♦• teredft into thy glory ; fanftify to us " all the pains of body, and all the ter-r ** rors of mind w^hich thou fhalt at any " time permit to fall upon us : and make ** us fo patiently to fufFer with thee here, *' that we may alfo be glorified eternally ** with thee hereafter * !" One more obfervation of the mofl: interefting nature, prefles itfelf irrefiftibly f See Hele's Devotions^ p. 304. ^be Atonement: 103 on the mind. I (hall mention It, and dif- serm. mifs you, ^*"-v--^. When our Saviour, in his bitter an- guifh, called on the Almighty with ear- ned expoftulation, he adopted the pa- thetic language of his royal anceftor, faying, ♦' My God ! my God ! why hast *' THOU FORSAKEN ME* ?" Again, when (having expiated our fins) he was about to enter into his reft, he remembered the words of the holyPfalmift : and, as I have already pointed out to you, concluded his glorious courfe by thus addreffinghisAl- mighty Father ; "into thy hands i com- mend my spirit f." O let not the force of our Lord's example be loft upon us ! Let the word of God be ever in our hearts — let us meditate therein day and night — let us conftantly fearch the fcripture for language in which we may give utterance to our prayers, and * Pfalm xj^ii. I. f Pfalm xxxi. 6. H 4 to 104 2^>^^ Atonement. to our praifes. It is very meet, right, and onr bounden duty, that we (hould at all times, and in all places, in all fituations, and on alloccafions, in health and in ficknefs, in joy and in furrow, in profperity and in adverfity, in youth and in age— that to the very latcft moment of our exiftence, as long as we retain the power of fpeech, as long 'as one tongue can perform its office, we fliould have recourfe to the fongs of Sion. They will footh the departing fpirit. They will teach it to wing its flight towards heaven. They will put it in preparation for the melody of Angels, when, in the glorious morning of the Refurreftion, our trium- phant Saviour will put a new fong into our mouths, a new thankfgiving unto Qur God. SERMON SERMON VI. THE STATE OF THE DEPARTED. SERMON VI. THE STATE OF THE PEPARTED. ZECHARIAH 1—5- Tourfatherh "^^^^^^ ^''^ *^'y ^ The anfwer to this demand of the serm. prophet is a very folemn one. " They J^ " have left the wrorld, and are now in ''their refpeflive graves, where they " {hall reft, till the trump of God fliall " fummonthem to everlafting judgement. "Tlien, ftanding before his dreadful «« tribunaj, io8 5l6^ State of the Departed. SERM. « tribunal, they fliall each receive the v--v--^ '* righteous fentence, according to that *' they have done, whether it be good *' or bad. In the mean time, they arc " in that invifiblc world, whither we *' and our children lliall follow them ; nor *' is it more certain that they once lived, *^ than that we fhall like wife die." What a variety of refle6lions are pre- fented to the foul, when we contem- plate the ages that are paft ! What ufeful and inftruclive IclTons are thus to be learned, if we will but difpofe our hearts to receive convidlion ! The fub- je6l animates, though it afFcfts us — if for a moment it lliould caft a gloom over our minds, the hope w^hich is fet before us affords us am,ple am.ends — if it places the image of death before our eyes, it directs our faith to him, who himfelf entered the dreadful lifts with the enemy of mankind, and delivered them, who through fear of death would otherwife 3 have ^he State of the Departed. have been all their life-time fubjccl unto bondage. From the queftion in my text, and the reply which faith enables us to make, I lliall dire6t your attention to the fol- lowing particulars : I. The infufficiency of human pro- jc6ls and defigns. II. The certainty of a future refurrec- tion to judgement. III. The neceflity of " leading a godly and chriftian life," if we would die the death of the righteous. Firft, Our thoughts on the approach we all are making towards the grave, fet before us in the ftrongeft light the infufficiency of thofe proje£ls which arc formed by lliort-lived, fallible mortals. ic^ (( Go no The State of the JDepartcci, SERM. « Go to now,'' faith the apoftle, ''- ye V— ^Jl-^ *^ that fay, to-day or to-morrow we will *' go into fuch a city^ and continue there a *' a year, and buy, and fell, and get gain. *' Whereas ye know not what Jhall be on *^ the THorroiv. For what is your life ? It ^^ is even a vapour, that appear eth for a " little time, and then vanijloeth away,'* The coufideration of the fhortnefs of life forbids our laying too great a ftrefs on vifionary plans of worldly advantage, left, in the midft of our defigns, we fhall be called upon to join the multitude of departed fouls, while unprepared in the greateft and moft folemn of all con- cerns. I am aware, that a fpirit of enterprlze may have its ufe — and that, as well as a criminal, there is a laudable ambition in the human mind, which ought not to be fupprefled. Let not therefore the energies of the foul be weakened ; let not the arm of honeft induftry be checked in 4 its ^be State of the Departed. 1 1 1 its exertions : but In all our aftions, in all serm. our endeavours, let us, with a due fenfe ^ — v^ of our own infirmity (creatures as we are of an hour) fubmit ourfelves and our hopes to the Author and Giver of our be- ing : If the Lord will^ we Jhall live and do this or that. We are not commanded to be idle ; but, whatfoever we do, to do it in the name of our Lord Jefus Chrift. Our beft interefts thus fecured, fhould death interrupt us in the profecution of our defigns, ftill are we the Lord's. Thofe who are departed hence in his faith and fear can never at any period be faid to have left the world before their time. Some of thefe faithful fervants of their Lord had perhaps, in the courfe of na- ture, many years of health and vigour in profpedl — but God, who had proved them and found them worthy of himfelf, in the midft of their pilgrimage deemed them ripe for glory, and configned them to the manfions of reft, and peace, and everlafting joy. Do you imagine, my brethren, 1 1 2 T'he State of the Departed. SERM. brethren, thefe glorified fpirits lament, that they have left fome projeft unac- complifhed, fome defign imperfeftly ex- ecuted on earth, when they fee the eter- nal gates of Heaven opening to receive them, and hear their Redeemer's voice, calling them to the participation of thofe bright rewards, which his own precious bood-fhedding procured for them ? Our ignorance of what is to happen to us in future affords another argument, in addition to that deduced from the Ihortnefs of human life, to check our too eager purfuits of fublunary enjoyments. How can we, under fuch circumftances, prefume to devote our time, our thoughts, our faculties, to projedls flow in their operation, uncertain in their fuccefs, and diftant in their accomplifliment ? Who knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he fpendeth as a Ihadow ? Of what is to come we all know nothing — a dark ^he State of the 'Departed, 1 15 a dark, an impenetrable veil hangs serm. over the remainder of our days. 'w-v--' Far be it from my thoughts to call in queftion the procedure of divine pro- vidence. Here, as in all his other deal- ings with mankind, our heavenly Father ordereth the concerns of his children with parental mercy. Could we know before- hand of the misfortunes that may befal us, exiftence would, in fome inftances, be an infupportable burthen : whereas hope now cafts a gleam of funfhine athwart thefe hours, which would otherwife have been paft in gloomy prefages of forrow ; many a gracious interval of ferenity ena- bles us to recover our ftrength before the tempeft is again ftirred up round about us ; and though the winds rage, the rains defcend, and the floods fwell, we truft in the mercy of our God, and abide the )iorror of the dark and cloudy day. \ ^ Again. 1 1 4 The State of the 'Departed. SERM. Again. The experience of what has '^-^^^ pafled, ihould warn and admonifh us in future. Our fathers had their plans and defigns ; they bought, they fold, they planted, they builded ; and, fo far as in. thefe occupations they ferved their gene- ration, they fulfilled the will of God : but in thefe purfuits fome of them ferved the creature more than the Creator ; they forgat God their Saviour ; they purfued unreal phantoms of vifionary grealinefs, and in the pride of their hearts exclaim- ed, '' To-morrow fhall be as this day, ^* and much more abundant." Yet now, where are they ? How are they loft in oblivion ! In the grave the ambitious and the humble, the turbulent and peaceable, lie down together, and for the moll part are heard of no more — un- lefs their aftions have obtained them a place In the recording page of hiftory, which is more frequently a regifter of human vice, and of human barbarity, than a pleafmg memorial of what- foever "The State of the Departed, 1 1 5 foever thines are true — whatfoever thing's serm. => , . ^ VI. are honeft — wliatloever things are pure, ^ — v— ' lovely, and of good report. Let us for a moment fuppofe, that thofe perfons, after whom the prophet enquires, could ftand before us : that the , multitude of departed fpirits — the cha- rafters of antiquity — our own anceftors among the number — could rife from their feveral tombs, and addrefs us : Gracious heaven, what a fermon would they preach ! 11. And rife 'they mod certainly fhall. The awful fcene is not imaginary. A day will come — we appeal to the word of God for the truth of what we fay — when ^' all that are in the grave fhall ** hear His voice," lliall ftand forth, and fhall appear before him. Wherever our fathers are now, we know that they fhall then affemble at the judgement-feat qf Chrift — whether their remains now I 2 lie J 1 6 > The State of the He farted. SERM. ije \^ xkiQ remoteft parts of the habitable world, or whether they were committed to the bofom of the deep, it matters not. Space^ as well as time^ fhall be no more. When the Son of God ihall come with power and great glory, " before hin^ ^^ ftiall be gathered all nations," Then, amidfl that oountlefs multitude, fhall we, and our children, and our fathers, await the righteous fentence which fhall pro- ceed out of his mouth. In that folemn hour, thofe decrees of Proyidence, which novv fcen-i myfterious, and which are beyond the reach of human comprehen- (ion, will appear to have been ordered by unerring Wifdom and infinite Ju- ftice ; and all mankind fhall bow dowa with humble fubmiffion before God, crying out, in accents of adoration, '' Thou art righteous, O Lord, in all f thy ways, and holy in all thy works !'* Then ihall oppreffed innocence lift up its head with joy, no longer expofed to the fury of the oppreffor. Thofe tears, which 'Tlje State of the Departed, 1 1 j which have flowed down the cheek of serm. 1 . VI. the poor and deftitute, fhall oe wiped ^— v-*^^ away for ever from their eyes — the proud enemies of God, who had their vain triumph on earth for a time, ihall know againft whom they dared to exalt themfelves— all that feemed to the mor- tal fenfe as difcord, fhall appear to have been conducive and preparatory to ever- lafting harmony. With the circumftanc^s which ihall attend on that awful day, it has pleafed God, inhiswifdom,to acquaint us, and by his divine revelation toimprefsour minds with a due fenfe of its certainty, and of its folemnity. It may, however, be re- marked, that though the terrors of the Lord are occafionally fet before our view,- the voice of infpiration, even on this momentous fubjech, rather animates our hopes, than awakens our fears. Let us: in this light confider each of the particu- lar defcriptions of ChriiVs fecond coming,' I 5 wbieli I ! 8 The State of the Departed. SKP.M. which are handed down to us hi the v^ ^1^ oracles of truth. In the firft of thefe ^ our Lord himfclf reveals to his difciples the manner of his future coming— the feparation of the wicked from the juft — the trial both of the one and the other; and their adju- dication to everlafting punilhiment, or to life eternal. Nothing can be imagined more truly awful ; nor can all the powers of eloquence come in competi- tion with its majeftic fublimity. We fee the whole world (landing before the tri- bunal — Chrift himfelf the Judge, arrayed in all the glory of the omnipotent God — heaven his throne — earth his footftool — innumerable multitudes of angels, the minifters of his judgement, and of his mercy. The fecond paflage of fcripture al- luded to, is the memorable account of * Matt. XXV. ^1, &c. the ^he State of the Departed, iig the Refurreaion, aS delivered by St. Paul ^y^^* to his Corinthian converts*. It is the ' — ^ ^- voice of comfort, of hope, of joy in the midft of forrow. It is the triumph of Faith over death and the grave. Chrift's refurrecSlion, as leading to ours — the myfterious exchange from mortality to glory, when the laft trumpet ihall found — the future incorruptible ftate of thofe, who arc n6w fleeping in Chrift — the fting of death plucked out — the power of the grave overthrown — all is fet before our eyes in fuch ftrong and lively co- lours, that our hearts echo the fong of exultation, and we are led to exclaim, with the infpired apoftle,^' Thanks be *' to God, who giveth us the vi6lory, *' through our Lord Jefus Chrift." The laft pafTage alluded to I fhall re- cite at length, requefting you, at the * I Cor. XV. ' I 4 fame 1 20 Tthe State of the Departed SERM. fame time, to keep in your minds what ♦ — v-^ has been faid, that the voice of Re- ligion is the voice of Joy. ^"^ I would " not have you to be ignorant^ brethren^ *' concerning them which are ajleep^ that ye '^ for row not^ even as others^ which have. *' no hope. For if we believe that Jefus " died and rofe again ^ even fo them alfo " which Jleep in Jefus will God bring '*• with him. For this we fay unto you by " the word of the Lord^ that we which *' are alive and remain u?itQ the coining of ' *' the Lord Jhall not prevent them which a^e *' afeep. For the Lord himfelf fhall dc^ ^^ J c end from heaven zvith ajhout^ %vith the '^ voice of the Archangel^ and with the " trump of God\ and the dead in Chriji *'^ foall rifefrji. Then zve which are alive *' and remain^ Jhall be caught up together *' with them in the clouds to meet the '' Lord in the air ; and fo fhall we ever be ** with the Lord — wherefore comfort *' ONE ANOTHER WITH THESE WORDS*." * I Their, iv. 14, Sec. %. The The State of the Departed, 121 3. The queftion then, as far as it re- serm. fpe6led our fathers, is fully anfwered. ^ — v--^ They fleep in death ; they fhall awake to judgment. But this is not a fubjc6l of barren and ufelefs fpeculation ; it has its fruit unto hohnefs, if we apply to ourfelves every particular of what has been faid. Our fathers are departed from the world. They had their feafon of pro- bation — we are at this time paffing through ours. The event which has taken place with refpe6t to them awaits all of us in our turn. '' It is appointed unto all m-en once to die." The moft confummate wifdom cannot devife any expedient to avert the fentence — ho- nours, riches, power, cannot avail to defer its accompliihment. Let us remem- ber then (and be this the inference from all that has been faid), that here we have no continuing city — that we are fubjeft to the fame immutable laws as 1 5 were 122 The State of the Departed. SERM. were our fathers — that we hold our v_^^ lives on the fame tenure by which they held theirs — that we Ihiall be called upon to leave this world, whether it is to us a world of joys or of forrows — that we Ihall join the company of departed fpi- rits ; and that our children, rifing up in our ftead, fhall, in due time, fubmit to the inevitable decree themfelves. They will probably enquire, with fome ciiri- ofity, after us, their anceftors. If our vices or follies come to their ears, our names will not efcap'e the feverity of re- proach. If our virtues have entitled us to their remembrance, a tear of pious gratitude fhall embalm our lifelefs re- mains. But motives of a fuperior xiature call upon us to live foberly, righteoufly, and godly, in this prefent world. As we employ the fpace of time allotted us here, fo (hall we be happy or miferable hereafter. The duties are plain. The rewards Ti^he State of the departed. 123 rewards propofed are glorious. The serm, dangers we have to expe6l are pointed ' — v--^ out to us by the finger of God : and we are promifed his fupport, that we may- be enabled to overcome them. While we have light, therefore, let us walk in the light, that we may be the children of the light. Let the confideration of the faortnefs and the viciffitude of hu- man life teach us to place our fure truft in the Author of our falvation, the Lord Jefus Chrift — who, having vifited the earth in great humility, and having himfelf tafted of death, is now exalted at the right hand of the throne of God. And let me befeech you, in his name, and for his fake, to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called. He is the Refurre£lion and the Life. If ye believe in him, though ye be dead, yet lliall ye live : for whofoever liveth and believeth in him Ihall never die. Though you fall, you ftall not be call down, for the Lord will uphold you with 124 ^'^^ aSV^/^^ — ^ human nature incarnate, and the divine effence from which that human nature flowed, feated in everlafting Majefty. *^ Father, glorify thy name." " I have " both glorified it, and will glorify it again,'' ♦^ — :.. 9> To enter into the full fpirit and mean- ing of thefe memorable words, we muft have recourfe to the preceding verfes, uttered by the Saviour of mankind foon after his moft fignal difplay of power, in the reftoration of Lazarus from the tomb, to which he had for three days been configned — an a6t, not only marvellous in itfelf, but prefiguring evidently the accompliihment of his often- repeated prophecy concerning his own refurrec- tion. His implacable enemies, exafpe- rated rather than convinced, by fuch a manifeft demonftration that he was fent from God, were now more refolutely bent on his deftruclion ; and to remove from The Name of God glorified. 1 29 from the eyes of the people the living witnefs of Chrift's omnipotence, they *' confnlted to put Lazarus alfo to death — " to fend him back by martyrdom to that grave, whence he had been recalled by miracle. The pafibver was at hand ; and the chief priefts determined, if Jefus affifted at its folemnities, to take fome occafion againft him which might afFe6t his life, and to find fome plaufible pretence for fheddihg the precious blood of the Lamb of God. How were their impious hopes for a time difappointed by the loud ho- fannahs of the multitude, welcoming the Lord of Life to his own holy temple, when he came to make the glory of the latter houfe greater than that of the for-* mer ! '' Perceive ye," faid the Pharifees, *' how ye prevail nothing ? behold, the " world is gone after him." SERM- VII. K Alas 130 The Name of God glorified. VII. SEKjvi. Alas, who can rely, for one fliort moment, on the liability of popular ap- plaufe ? What meant thefe loud hofan- nahs, this joyful homage to the Son of David, fo foon to be fucceeded by the favage and difcordant cry of, " Crucify " him. Crucify him !" Thus, even thus, was it in the cafe of his royal progenitor. We fee that holy patriarch triumphantly introduced into Jerufalemwithfhouting, and with the found of a trumpet : but foon, by a fad reverfe, the hearts of the men of Ifrael were after Abfalom, and ** David went up by the afcent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went bare- foot.*' Our Saviour forefaw a fimilar deftiny to himfelf. He knew that the hour was near in its approach, in which the ini- quity of a world would be laid upon his guiltlefs head. He knew what facrificc was neceirary,for man's falvation. He com- *rhe Kame of God glorified. i^i tdmprehended the extent c*f bis fufFer- SERM. ings, and he refolved to endure them; W^. With an intrepidity worthy of the caiife which infpired it, he refigned himfelf to the will of heaven. " Now is iny foul " troubled— and what fliall I fay ? Fa- " ther, fave me froni this hour ? But " for this caufe came I unto this hour. "Father, glorify thy name !" As if he had faid, " Amidft the acclamations of the multitude, even now, while they are ftiouting for joy, and hailing me as the Redeemer of Ifrael, I am prepared for all things that fhall come upon me. Human nature revolts with horror from the idea of fuch tortures ; and my foul is troubled at the contemplation of them. But whdtjhall I fay ? fhall I deprecate the fufferings, which I offered myfelf, a willing viaim, to fuftain ? Shall I, in the ' very moment when I am preparing for this mighty conteft, lofe fight of the high prize which is to be procured by it, the tleliverance of a finful world ? Sftall I K 2 have 1 21 "The Name of God glorified, SETjM. Xy^^y^ recourfe to the omnipotence of my V — ^ Father ? Shall I fly to his everlafting arms for my prote£lion, and there, at a diftance from all pofTible danger, be- hold the progrefs of the ftorm which Vv^ould then overwhelm the world in in- evitable ruin ? Not fo, O my God, be thy tender mercies fruftrated — not fo be the purpofe of thy grace difappointed ! For this caufe came I unto this hour. I came to fuffer and to die ; I came, that the warfare of all men might be aecompUihed, that their iniquity might be pardoned. Were I now to decline the momentous conflict, how fhould the divine wrath be appeafed ? how fhould the power of fin be deftroycd ? how fhould the kingdom of heaven be opened to all believers ? '' Father^ g^'^^^ify ^hy name!'' Fulfil thy gracious dcfigns — caufe the voice of falvation to be heard — accept the atonement of innocence as a ranfom for guilt. Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. Behold the Lamb for a burnt-oflfering !*' To The Name of God glorified. 133 To this efFc6l fpake the McfTuih, while serm. his heart, full of unbounded love to- ^J^^ wards mankind, prepared itfelf for the bitternefs of death. The Almighty heard, and replied. It was a reply, not made according to the accuftomed procedure of thofe communications from above, with which the Father held converfe with his Son — it was not the '' ftill fmall ^ voice,*' whereby the Saviour of men was from timxe to time animated and encou- raged to proceed in the work of mercy he had undertaken ; fuch as w^e may prefume he often heard in thofe folemn retirements, when prayer and praife to God employed him in the night-feafon. It was a full, public, decifive teftimony from the Lord God omnipotent to the Son of man. The prayer of faith reach- eth the clouds — it is heard even in " the fecret place of thunder." While the people flood in reverential filence, liften- ing to the words of their mighty pro- phet, as he called on Jehovah to glorify K 3 hi5 134 ^^^^ Name of God glorified, SERM. his holy name, I>o, a voice from heaven, ^«— -v-^ faying, " I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again." The God of Ifrael is either, as the Scripture exprefTes it, *' a God that hideth himfelf," or he is a Cod that manifefts himfelf openly, as his wifdom thinks beft for the pur- pofes of his divine Providence. And he, who had before glorified, and would hereafter glorify his name, did now, at the moment in which he fpake, fully and completely glorify it — while in no mortal accents, but in words, fuch aj^ they who indiftin6lly heard the founds imagined to be the voice of ^n angel, or the majeftic voice of thunder, he anfwer- ed the prayer of his beloved Son. To attempt at a recapitulation of thofe a6fcs, whereby the Almighty, from tlie commencement of time to the hour in which this voice was heard, had glori- fied h's holy name, is a talk, the accom- plifhment of which exceeds the tongue; of ^be Name of God glorified. 135 of men and of angels. Known unto serm. God, and unto God only, are all his ^— v^. works from the beginning of the world. Can man, by fearching, find them out ? Can he difcern them to perfedtion ? They are higher than heaven — they are deeper than the foundations of the world — the meafure of them is broader than the earth, and wider than the fea. Yet, as far as it was permitted to any mortals to comprehend his power, the highly-favoured people of Judah, be- yond all others, knew the knowledge of the Moft High. He dealt not with any nation as he had dealt with them — none, like them, were able to fpeak of his greatnefs. They had heard with their ears, and their fathers had told them, what works the Almighty had done in their days of old. In addition to the general manifeftations of divine power, which had been fhewn to all the world, they had peculiarly to record *' his mar- vellous and ftrange wonders" difplayed K 4 in 136 The 'Name of God glorified. SERM. in their behalf. The call of their fore- ^-->^ father Abraham — the bleffing promifed to his pofterity — the ftupcndous mira- cles wrought for the children of Ifrael by the arm of omnipotence during their abode in Egypt — the fame Almighty arm extended in their defence, as he led them through the deep, and through the wildernefs — his mercy exhibited in the full performance of his promife, when h^ brought his people with joy into the fertile Canaan — their inheri- tance in the land that flowed with milk and honey — their expulfion and exile from their country by reafon of fin ; and their reftoration to the hill of Sion upon their true repentance — all, all went forcibly to their hearts — all bade them, with one accord, afcribe glory to the Almighty. The voice fpake unto them, as it were from heaven, " O magnify the Lord your God, and worfliip at his holy hill — for the. Lord your God is holy.'* ^Vhilc ^he Name of God glorified, 137 While the declaration of the Almighty, ^^^^• -^' that he had glorified his name," had "--^r-^ a reference to the mighty works we have been reciting, the promife^' that he would glorify it yet again," had in view that great event, now about to be brought to its conipletion, the propitiatory fufter- ings of Jefus Chrift. The glory which would be afcribed to Jehovah by the falvation of his people, was in the di- vine foreknowledge — the atonement for fm — the triumphs of the Gofpel — the e- ftabliftiment of the kingdom of God — the Chriftian Church, fmall and inconfider- able in its beginning, but in its progrefs great, and reaching up to heaven ; by means of which, the truth, in all its pu- rity, would be revealed to the world, and faith, and knowlege, and repen- tance, and hope, would point out the way to a glorious immortality. Thus did God bear witnefs to his own difpenfa- tion ; and thus the blefled Jefus (who was made a little lower than the angels, for 138 The Name of God glorijied. for the fufFering of death) was crowned with glory and honour, that he, by the grace of God, fhould tafte death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many fons unto glory, to make the Captain of their fal- vation perfe6l through fufferings — who himfelf, at the moment when the traitor Judas went to betray him, faid, *' Now is the fon of man glorified, and God is glorified in him." The Lamb of God, to whom his Fa- ther fpake, well knew what was the im- port of the words. While the people, loft in amazement at the miraculous re- velation from heaven, faw nothing but the exaltation of Chrift, he forefaw his approaching paffion. The crofs was in his view, and the crown of thorns, which was to precede the crown of glory. He knew that he iTiould triumph — but he knew that he muft pafs through the grave '^the Na?ne of God glorified. 13.7 grave and gate of death to his glorious S£RM:. refurre£lion. In this fenfe, enter into ^ — v^.. the full meaning of the words following my text. " Jefus anfwered and faid. This voice came 7iot^ becaufe of me^ but for your Jakes,, Noi^ is the judgement of this world ; nozv Jhall the prince of this world be cafi out ; and /, if I be lifted up from the earthy will draw all men mto me. This he faid, fignifying what ^eath he fliould die." But while he thus forefaw the confli6l, he forefaw like wife the vi6lory. For the joy that w^as fet before him, he endured the crofs, defpifing the lliame. With the painful and ignominious death he was to fufFer, he blended, in his prophe- tic mind, the power and majefty of his refurre6lion— his triumphs over the ene- mies of mankind — his afcent into heaven, and his return to the kingdom of his father— the eifufion of the Holy Ghoft upon I40 ^beJSlame of God glorifiea. skraI. upon his chofen people— the radiant V — ^J-^ light of the everlafting Gofpel. He forefaw too, what in language becoming the fubjeft he often foretold, the great, the future, the conclufive de- monftration of his Almighty Power, which will hereafter moft furely be dif- played to all the world — when the Son of man fhall come from heaven to earth, in like manner, as, in the prefence of his admiring difciples, he afcended from earth to heaven : when the human na- ture of Chrift, to whom all judgement is committed, fliall pronounce Tentence ^ on the quick and dead ; and, after that laft aft of the divine filiation, Ihall be for ever abforbed in the effulgence of the glorious Godhead. The Almighty hath fa id, and fliall he not do it ? He hath fpokcn, and 111 all he not make it good ? He hath glorified his name, and he will glorify it again. For ^he 'Name of God glorified, 141 For the Lord Jefns, who was taken ^yjf^^' up in a cloud to his glory, fliall return ""— v— ^. in the clouds of heaven ; and every eye Ihtall fee him. Then will God in all things be glorified through Jefus Chrift. He will be glorified by the homage of univerfal nature, bowing before his ma- jeftic prefence. He Vvill be glorified in the diffolution of an expiring world. He wil! be glorified by all who fhall be alive in the day of his coming, and who, having never flept in death, fhall be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the laft trump. He will be glorified by that dif- play of fovereign power, which ihall reftore the fouls of men to the bodies they once inhabited, calling on the dead to arife from their graves, and in their flelli to fee God. He will be glorified in his righteous decrees, wherein all that hath been obfcure fhall be made plain, all that hath been myfterious IhalL be 4 elucidated. 142 The }4ame of God giorifea, ^y^j^^' elucidated. He will be glorified by tli6 "* — V — ^ rewards of once fufFering virtue : by the joy wherewith they who have forrowed for his fake Ihall be filled, and the com- fort wherewith they fliall be comforted. He will be glorified by the juft, though tremendous, doom, which fhall over- whelm the ungodly and impenitent : by the vindication of that power which they defpifed, of that omnipotence againlt which they madly bbafted themfelves. He will be glorified by the adoration of innumerable ans:els. He will be o;lorified by the hallelujahs of juft men made per- fect. He will be glorified in judgement — He will be glorified in mercy — He will be glorified by all that is in heaven, and all that is in earth, and all that is under the earth — and every tongue ihall confefs that Jefus Chrifl is Lord, to the glory of God the Father To whom, with the divine and co- eternal Spirit, three Perfons and one God, T[hc Name of God glorified. 14-3 God, beafcribed, as is moft due, by the ^y^^^- Church mihtant on earth, and the ^^--nt--' Church triumphant in heaven, all glory, honour, might, majefty, and dominion, from generation to generation. Amen. SERMON ■ERMON VIII. THE VANITY OF HUMAN WISHES. Nix ergo.optabunt homines ? Si conlilium vis^ Pemiittes ipfis expendere Numinibus, quid Conveniat nobis, rebufque lit utile noftris. Nam, pro jucundis, aptiffima quaeque dabunt Dii. Carior eft illis homo, quam fibi. Juv. Sat, X. 34^' S E E M O N VIII. THE VANITY OF HUMAN WISHES. JOB vi— 8, 9. Oh that i might have my requeji, and that God would grant me the thing that I long for. Even that it would pleafe God to dejlroy me : v;ij. 1 HUS fpake the main, whd was dif- skrm tinguilLed, above all other human bein"-s for his fuiferings, and for his patien?e' But he fpake it in the bitterneis of his foul— he fpake it, without duly weigh- ing its import, or the confequences" of L. 3 what i^S ^he Vanity of Human JViJhes. SERM. what he uttered. It was for this, and VIII. vs— .^^ other expreffions of the fame tendency, which hisunheard-offorrows forced from him, that he was reproved, not only by his fevere and mercilefs friends, but by the juft and impartial Elihu — by the aw- ful voice of God. Senfible of his fault, he repents in duft and afhes. " Behold, I am vile — what fliall I fay unto thee r I will lay my hand upon my mouth. Once have I fpoken, but I will not an- fwer — yea, twice — but I will proceed no further." Let it not be argued, therefore, from the example of this eminent faint of God, that, even in cafes of extreme ad- verfity aud afiliclion, it is lawful for us to murmur, or complain, or to difpute with divine Providence ; much lefs that it is permitted us to exprefs any undue anxiety to be relieved from our fufFerings by the flroke of death. We muft wait for God's own time, and, until the arrival of 7he Vanity of Unman JViJhes. . 149 VIII. of it, we muft bear the burden of our ^^^^ misfortunes, whatever they be. He who begins to willi, and to pray for diffolu- tion, is in a ftate of no inconfiderable danger : one ftep more, and he will contend for the lawfulnefs and expe- diency of haftening the time of his de- parture — another, and he will carry* his pernicious principle into effecSl, and become himfelf the executioner of ven- geance on his own wretched head. But it is not my defign to expatiate on a fubje6l, on which there can be no diffentient voice among thofe who are in poffeffion of found reafon, or of Chriftian faith. My prefent purpofe is rather to {late the vanity of human wiilies— their probable tendency — our ignorance in afking — God's all-perfe6t knowledge — and the duty incumbent on us to commit ourfclves entirely to the protection of his good Providence : while we humbly tefeech his mercy " to put away from us L 3 all 150 ^he Vanity of Human IViJhes, SEJIM. all hurtful things, and to give us thofe * — v---^ things which ma)^ be profitable fpr us, through Jefus Chrift our Lord." ^' O that I might have my requeft, ^' and that God would grant me the ^^ thing that 1 long for !" It has been the voice of frail and fhort-fighted man, from the moment of his creation to the prefent hour. Too frequently do we prefume to think ourfelyes wifer than our Maker, and better qualified to de- cide on w^hat lliall tend to our happinefs. Befides all that God has given us, we i^re itill prefumptuoufly feeking for more. Some unpoffeffed obje6t flits before our eyes, and allures us far away from the ^eal good we might enjoy. Ingenious contrivers of our own uneafinefs, we take care to fix on fomething out of otir reach — perhaps, for our greater torment^ almoft, though not altogether, in our grafp — and then we forget all the blefT- ings vouchfafed to us — we fret, and pine, T^he Vanity of Human Wijhes. 151 pine, and murmur, the froward, que- ^y^j^* rulous vi6tims of folly and impatience. ^-*v^. The fruit of the tree of knowledge was the obje6t of our firft parents' wifh- es. Not contented with that portion of wifdom which the Almighty knew to be moft conducive to their happinefs, they fought for higher endowments — fuperior illumination — knowlege, the poffeffion of which would put them on a footing of equality with the inhabitants of heaven. Inftead of granting, God forbade them . the thing they longed for. They obtained it under the agency of hell. By this difobedience, fin entered into the world, and death by fin- They gained corrup- tion as an inheritance to themfelves and their pofterity. And though the Lord was fo merciful that he forgave their mifdeeds, and deftroyed them not for ever, yet from this period their ftrength was only labour and forrow; their wifdom was foolifhnefs with God*. * Gen. iii. 5, 8. L 4 *' Give 152 7 he Va7iity of Human Wijhes.^ SERM. VIII. " Give me children, or I die," faid the wife of the Patriarch. She had her requeft ; but it pleafed God at the fame moment to deftroy her : and death went hand in hand with the boon fhe had fo paffionately foHcited *. *' Give us flefli to eat," faid the peo- ple of Ifrael, in their palTage throng) i the wildernefs. Though they were fed with Angels' food — though their heavenly Guide opened the rock of ftone, and the waters flowed out, (till we find them on all occafions lifting up their voices, not in praifes, but in mutinous complaints againft their Benefa£lor. '' Our foul " loatheth this light bread — it were good "' for us to be in Egypt!" The Author of nature heard, and he complied. An innumerable aflemblage of winged fowls was brou2:ht to the defert, to content their wayward appetite. '' But, while the meat was yet in their mouths, the heavy * Gei). XXX. I.— 'XXXV. i^. 6 wrath "the Vanity of Human Wijkes. i S3 wrath of God came upon them, and flew ^|:^j^' the wealthieft of them, and fmote down "— v— ^ the choiceft men that were in Ifrael*." *' Give us a king to reign over us !'* Thus we find them exclaiming at a fubfequent period, when, weary of the immediate fovereignty of their God, they clamoroufly demanded an earthly monarch. The divine Providence, juft- ly irritated by their ingratitude, pu- niflied them with the fevereft of all punilliments, the gratification of their defires. *' He gave them a king in his anger ;" not one whofe virtues reflected luftre on the royal chara6ler — not a fa- ther of his people — not a difpenfer of righteous judgement — not a faithful mi- nifter and vicegerent of God; but a king, calculated to make them feci the folly and impiety of their willies— a bloody, remorfelefs, facrilegious tyrant f. * Numb. xi. 4. — Pfal. Ixxviii. 30, 31, •f jSam. viii. 6.— xxii. 18, 19. When 154 The Vanity of Human JViJhes. SRRM. When the rebellious children of God viir. . r 1 1 *^ — ^r-^ had by more atrocious fins brought down on thenifelves more grievous judge- ments— when the holy temple was de- ftroyed, and the devouring flames had laid wafte the hill of Sion-— the remnant of Judah had a promife of deliverance and fafety, if they would fubmit to the prote6lion of Heaven, and abandon the defign they had formed of efcaping into Egypt. At the fame moment the voice of God, by his prophet, denounced the utmoft feverity of the divine indignation, if they perfifted in their raih and impious proje6l. " Go ye not," faith he, '' into *' Egypt ! Know certainly that ye fliall " die by the fword, by the famine, and '' by the peftilence, in the place whither ** ye defire to go, and to fojourn*," They went, and they returned no more. We have no need, however, to mul- tiply inilances from ancient times, when the cafe may now be brought home to every - Jcr. xii, 17. — xlii/ 22. 5 ^"^ The Vanity of Human Wijhcs. 155 one of us. Let us rather confider the serm. VIII. tendency of thofe wiflies we are ourfelves ^-^v — * fo anxious to frame. The firft and moft general of thefc objects of defire is Affiucnce — partly from pride, and a fpirit of luxury ; partly from a wifh to be independent on the Providence of God. We would fain be out of the reach of adverfity. But what faith the Scripture ? " Woe to him that " coveteth an evil covetoufnefs to his ^' houfe, that he may fet his neft on ^^ high, that he may be delivered from ^' the power of evil !" Alas, is there no evil but poverty to be dreaded ? Will riches tend to make us wifer or better, or more fitted for heaven ? will they pro- long our lives, or remove our cares ? Far, very far otherwife. The deep of a labouring man is fweet, whether he eat little or much ; but the abundance of the rich will not iuiFer him to fleep. Indifference to the pure and innocent enjoy- 156 TChe Vanity of Human Wijhes. SERM. enjoyments of life, a wearifome purfuit >--v-^ of fugitive pleafures, a body palled by fatiety, a mind over-worn with anxious follcitude, thefe, and fuchas thefe, are the common attendants on abundant wealth. *' When goods increafe, they are in- creafed that eat them ; and what good have the owners thereof, fave the be- holding them with their eyes r" Tower ^ and pre-eminence in rank, ftand next in order among the gorgeous trifles of this world. Often do we find the whole foul of man, that foul, formed for the contemplation of eternity, and capable of holding converfe wdth God, in a ftate of vaffalage to the tyranny of pride. — But we proceed no further in this beaten path, fo frequently trodden by them who have had occafion to invefti- gate the pafTions and propenfities of our nature. They have clearly, they have fuccefsfully demohftrated, that we can- not 7he Vanity of Human Wifldes* 157 notwith any certainty judge for ourfelves, ^y^T^* what will be moft conducive to our ''-^v^— ^, welfare. Neither riches, nor power, nor long life, nor a multitude of children, nor beauty, nor eloquence, nor fhining talents, nor diftinftions of any- kind, can of themfelves impart folid and fubftantial happinefs. All things are in the hands of Him, who ordereth the events of our lives, not fo much with a view to our immediate gratification as to our real benefit — and who knoweth, better than his fallible creatures, the things which belong to their prefent as well as their everlafting peace. Now it is this all-perfcft knowledge on the part of God, contrafted with the ignorance of man, which proves the folly and infatuation of our unqualified petitions to heaven. The objefts of our willies may be pernicious in themfelves — they may be pernicious as far as con- cerns 15S ^he Vanity of Human JViJhes. SERM. cerns us — or they may, although they ^^-v-^ appear to be intrinfically good, become the occafion of future and unfufpefted evil. In thefe cafes, the mercy of God confifts, not in granting^ but in refuftng^ the thing which we long for. The very difappointment, which may feem to us fo grievous, is the efFe6t of his fatherly goodnefs. A parent, anxious for his child, guards againft his obtaining what may be prejudicial to him, though he defire it never fo ardently. It is an a6t of cold indifference to acquiefce, where fuch ac- quiefcence may be attended with danger., It is frequently in heavy difpleafure, as we fee abundantly exemplified in the facred writings, that God conlents to the way- ward and imprudent wifhes of man. *' My people would not hear my voice, and Ifrael would not obey me, fo I gave them up to their own hearts' lufts, and let them follow their own imaginations." I^ ^he Vanity of Human Wijhes, 159 It would certainly demonftrate our serm. prudence, and it would conduce to our ^ — y--^^ happinefs in the higheft degree, if in cafes where our wifhes are fruftrated, we were calmly and difpaflionately to con- fider, whether we have any juft caufe of complaint ? whether the wifdom of God hath not in view for us effential good, amidft all this feeming evil ? whether we are competent judges of what is for our ultimate benefit, or of the fteps that may lead to it ? whether we are capa- ble of afcertaining what is good for us, even in this life, which we fpend as a fhadow ? But vain man would be wife — the primaeval caufe of his mifery ftill purfues him — vain man would be wifer than his God. Grant me my requeft, though it deftroy me ! Give me the thing that I long for, though in the day that I tafte thereof, I fhould furely die ! Are we then to make no requeft to the Almighty ? Are we not, at the entrance and i6o T^he Vanity of Human Wijhes. SERM. and at the dole of every day, to offer up VIII. our petitions to the throne of grace ? Yes, verily : and Ke, through whofe me- rits our prayers are accepted, hath taught us how to pray. By that divine model let us regulate our addrefils to heaven. Without obftinately fixing on any deter- minate obje6ls of anxious folicitation, let us refign ourfelves implicitly to our God. Let us pray, that, of his unbound- ed mercy, he would bellow on us what he knows to be rnoft for our benefit, not merely as inhabitants of this world, but as candidates for the glories of a better — ■ that he would difpofe our hearts to con- tentment and patient refignation — that in cafes where our hopes are difappoint- ed of their obje£t, he would enable us to fay, with our ever blelfed-Saviour, " Not my will, O Father, but thine, be done" — that he would grant to us fuch a meafure of earthly comforts as may enable us to pafs in peace and innocenc© through this fleeting and tranfitory * world ; 7he Vanity of Human Wijhes. ! 6 1 world ; but that, above all, he would ^^^y^* prepare us for the enjoyment of perma- ^ — v^ nent happinefs, at his own time, in his heavenly kingdom. Thither let us afpire with all the ambition of which we are capable. On this fubjecl we cannot form too ardent wiihes, we cannot offer too importunate requefts. If we afk in faith, nothing wavering, God will not caft out our prayers, nor turn his mercy from us. Whenever therefore the tumultuous waves of adverfity rage and fwell agaiuft us, or whenever we are tempted, in the hour of profperity, to form vifionary hopes that ought not to be realifed, then ^ let us give more efpecial diligence to bring into lubjeftion every thought to h e obedience of Chrift, Then let us retire from the world — from its terrors, and from its allurements — and, in the lan- guage of folemn devotion, thus pour out our fouls before our Father who feeth in fecret : M ''Othat i6z The Vanity of Unman Wtjhes. SJ:RM. <^ O that I might have my 7'equeft^ and vJ^ «< that God zvonld grant me the thing that. '' I long for ; • *' Even that it would pie afe God to pre- ^* ferve ^;^i fave me^ through his mercy in " Jefus Chrijt our Lord! Amen/* SERMON SERMONIX. THE JUST JUDGMENTS OF GOD. 1 ■ !»' M 2 SERMON [ ^65 ] SERMON IX THE JUST JUDGMENTS OF GOD. I KINGS xxL— 29. " Seejl thou^ how Abab humble th himfelf before me ? Becaufe he humbleth himfelf before me, I will not bring the evil in his days, but in his fon's days will I bring the evil upon his houfe,'^ 1 HAT it is lawful for the Almighty ser^ to do what he will with his own — that ^-i^ the God of all flefh hath an abfolute and unlimited power over the creatures M 3 which 1 66 ^he jiijl Judgments of God. SERM. which he hath made — that, as we all '^-v-—^ have finned, the divine Juftice would have been only fulfilled, were every one of us to have periilied without reco- very — thefe are folemn and momen- tous truths, interwoven with the fun- damental principles of our holy reli- gion. But, to our everlafling comfort, we are affured, that where Juftice, abftra6led from redeeming mercy, could not have failed to punifli, the love of God in Chriftinterpofed, and obliterated the fen- tence of death. Henceforth there is no condemnation to them that are in Chrift Jefus ; but, upon our true contrition and penitence, through his merits, and the fatisfa6lion of his precious blood, we are faved from the wrath to come. So that, ^ under the gofpel-covenant of propitia- tion, we can fmg both of mercy and judgment unto the Lord, and celebrate each of thefe. divine attributes, as operat- ing jointly for our Qverlafting benefit. Thus ?7j^ //^ Judgments of God. ii) Thus much I conceived it abfolutely serm. tiecefTary to premife, as the foundation "^—^^ of thofe arguments which I lliall offer on a point, where often through mor- tal weaknefs, and ftill oftener through mortal prefumption, the juftice of the Almighty has been moft rafhly and inde- cently queftioned. *' Suffer me a little, and I will Ihew you that I have to fpeak in God's behalf.'^ But let mej at the fame moment, dif- claim all idea, that the divine procedure • towards mankind does of itfeif ftand in need of vindication. *'He is a Rock, his w^ork is perfect ; for all. his ways are judgement, a God of truth, and without iniquity, juft and right is He.'* Yet, w^hile the ungodly mocketh at the counfel of God, and while they that are unlearned and unftable wreft fuch things as are hard to be underftood to their own deftru6lion, it is the earneft defire of my heart to throw fom.« light on a very obfcure and myflerious M 4 fubjea: : IX. 1 68 The juji Judgments of God. SERM. fubje6l : to remove any doubt that may have arifen in the minds of thofe who hear me : to " affert eternal Pro- *^ vidence, and juftify the ways of God " to man." You have not perhaps found it eafy to reconcile the words of my text with thofe notions which you would wilTi to entertain of that gracious and mer- ciful Being who is over all, God bleffed for ever. Ahab, king of Ifrael, having incurred the difpleafure of Heaven by many and grievous offences, and having in a fla- grant inftance cruelly feized on poffefTions which had been purchafed at the price of imiocent blood, was met by the pro- phet of God with awful denunciations of evil. Penetrated with Ihame and re» morfe, Ahab fought to make atonement for his fm, by every token of fincere and heart-felt repentance. He who defpifeth 2 not IX. The jujl judgments of God, 169 not the fighing of a contrite heart, serm. looked with an eye of favour on his fup- pliant : and a voice from Heaven ad- dreffed Ehjah in thefe remarkable words : *' Seeft thou, how Ahab humbleth ** himfelf before me ? becaufe he hum- *' bleth himfelf before me, I will not •* bring the evil in his days ; but in his *'^ foil' s days will I bring the evil upon his " houfer Thus the cafe ftands in the particular inftance we are this day to confider : to explin away which, if poiTible, would be of no avail, as the divine afTertions in the fecond commandment and elfewhere would ftill ftand in full force, ^' that God vifiteth the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation." I would therefore earneftly folicityour attention to the two following remarks, which ftand fupported by undeniable proof from holy fcripture, and which, when t 7:5 The jiijl Judgments of Godi SERM. xvhen admitted, will obviate all the dif- ^^.*-v^ ficulties that, on firft infpeftion, feem to overfhadow the fubjedl* The firft is this, T^hat tJoefe judgments^ which are recorded as inji'iEied by God on the children^ for the fake of their parents* fns^ are conjiantly^ and without any except tion^ judgments of a temporal, and not of a fpiritual nature. Nothing therefore is by any means implied; whicli tends to overthrow the affcrtion of the prophet, "The soul *-' that fmneth, it fhall die. The fon *' fhall not bear the iniquity of the fa- *' ther, neither iliall the father bear *' the iniquity of the fon : the righteouf- *' nefs of the righteous fhall be upon him, " and the wickednefs of the wicked '' fSiall be upon him." Still doth the word of God ftand fare- — as will be fully manifefted in the great Day of retribu- tion, ^^ hen the fecrets of all hearts fluall be revealed, and eyery man fhall receive ajuft The juji judgments of God, /^^ a juft recompence for that he hath done, serm, whether it be good, or bad. ^^ — .^-^ The fecond obfervation I would make is, That even thefe temporal judgeinents^ denounced againji the children of difobe- dient parents^ have very rarely been hifliciedy where the par-ties have fhewn any difpofjio7i to avert the impending fentencc^ and to fee k the favour of that God^ whom their fathers provoked by their abo?ninations. So that the denunciation of punidi- ment being that of punillimcnt merely temporal, and even this for the moft part remiffible, (if the children have not walked in the way of their forefathers, but have done that which is right in the fight of the Lord), the mercy of our companionate and tender Father appears in all its luftre, notwithftanding it hath been moll unworthily and impioufly queftioned in the prefent inftance, as in many others, when mortal man would be 172 ^hs jujl Judgments of God. SERM. be more juft than God, when a human V— V— ^ creature would be more pure than his Creator. To thefe two remarks allow me to add a third, of aftill more extenfive nature — T^hat all the forewarnings of vengeance in the facred writings^ againjl thofe who had actually offended^ do necejfarily impfyj that the perfons fo threatened continue in their fn. The predi6ted evil is not carri- ed into execution, if the wicked man turn away from the wickednefs he hath com- mitted, and do that which is lawful and right. Not that the decrees of God are thereby fruftrated, or that the word which proceeded out of his lips is rendered of none effect ; for the exprefs obje6T; of the divine threarening was, that the finner might fear, and amend. *' It may be," faith the Lord to Jeremiah, " it maybe, " that the houfe of Judah will hear all *' the evil that I purpole to do unto ** them, that they may return every man *' from The jtiji Judgments of God. 173 ** from his evil way, that I may forgive serm. *' their tranfg^effton and their fin^ To "-—^^ this we may add the memorable ex- poftulation in Ezekiel : '' Have I any *' pleafure at all in the death of him that " dieth, faith the Lord God ; and not '' that he Ihould return from his ways, ♦' and live ? Caft away from you all ** your tranfgreilions, and make you a *' new heart, and a new fpirit ; for why ^^ will ye die, O houfe of Ifrael ?" If there be any who doiiht the afler- tion, that the punifhments fpoken of as inflidled on children for the fins of their parents are merely of a temporal nature, let me intreat them to weigh well in their minds that dreadful conclufion which refultsfrom the contrary opinion — It is no other than this : " That a juft, and holy, and merciful God dooms an immortal foul to irreverfible deftruftion, on account of offences in which that f0fui had no fiiare whatever !'* An infe- rence 174 7be juft Judgments of God. SERM. rence of fuch a nature, as to make us IX. . . vJ^^ tremble, while we fpeak or hear it — and which yet cannot be done away, unlefs the pofition we have laid down is admit- ted in its full force. But what it is blafphemy even to con- ceive with refpecl to the fouls of thofe, who are threatened for the offences of their parents, we may very fafely adopt as to their bodies, their lives, or for- tunes. It mtiy have very highly pro- moted the caufe of truth and holinefs, that fome marked inftances of the ven- geance of God againft fin ftiould have been difplayed even againft the pofterity of the finner, that others, admonifhed by fuch examples, might, for their chil« drens' fake, if not for their own, take heed how they oilended. Add to this, that the Almighty hath it in his power to make fuch ample recompence in heaven to thofe, who are tried in the furnace of adverfity upon earth — the eternal weight 4 of The jujl Judgments of God, I75 of glory fo overbalances the light af- SE^^. fliclionb which endure for a moment, ^^ — v — '. that if, in thefefew and evil days, (which are but as a little moment when compar- ed with the ages of eternity) the finner's defccndant Ihould be vifited by the divine correction, he will have no canfe to murmur at the difpenfations of the Al- ipighty, if, after he hath been a little ehaftiied, he be greatly rewarded. For who fliall fay, that thefe very afflic- tions, if they were properly received, were not of themfelves the guides to happinefs — efpeeially where an erro- neous education and evil examp'e had probably hardened the feelings againft the common means of grace and falva- tjon ? The divine judgements were denoun- ced againft the family of Ahab ; and his numerous progeny actually fell by the fword. But let us not doubt, that if among them there was one, who by his regar^ 176 ' ihe jujl 'Judgments of God. SERM. regard to the laws of God had any claim K^'^ to heavenly mercy, let us not doubt that he received the end of his faith, even the falvation of his foul. We have the divine authority for faying, that the fon of the wicked Jeroboam found favour with God — and yet that young prince was then a6tually expiring in the flower of his age, and was foon followed, with tears and lamentations, to an untimely grave. Early death is by no means fent as an indication of the difpleafure of God to thofe whom he may call to him- felf, however grievous the punifhment may be to the defolate furvivors. Many, as far as themfelves are concerned, ha- ving lived a fhort time, ^fulfil a long time. Wifdom is as the grey hair unto men, and unfpotted life is as old age. Jofiah himfelf, the beloved of God, was involved in the doom pronounced againft' the family of the impious ManalTes, and perifhcd, in the meridian of life, by the fword of the Egyptian tyrant. We The juji Judgments of God. 177 We are, fecondly, to confider, that serm. thefe inflidlions of vicarious punifhment v_>^^ very unfrequently occur : never, indeed, but under circumftances of extreme atro- city. National impiety has, for the moft part, given rife to them, when the goodnefs, and forbearance, and long- fufFering of God has been raflily and fatally defpifed. But, as we have already obferved, even with refpe6t to temporal affli6tions, the divine mercy hath been pleafed in many cafes to remit the fen- tence, when they, againft whom the threatening was prounonced, have (through prayer and timely repentance) fought earneftly for the favour of God. One painful and melancholy confidera- tion, however, fuggefts itfelf to the mind. That the children of ungodly parents have themfelves been too generally dif- pofed to increafe^ rather than to lejen^ the weight of divine indignation : and, inftead of imploring the Almighty to ftay his N hand |-S The jiijl Judgments of God. SERM. hand from fmiting them, have, by their ^^ — v^ miiconducl, obftrucled all the avenues of heavenly mercy, and brought down tvv'ofold vengeance on their own heads. Can the mofh heedlefs parent endure a refleflion like this ? Can he endure the thought, that his daring impiety — his violation of the laws of God, will too probably teach his unhappy chil- dren to become tranfgreflors like him- felf, and to ruili precipitately into the abyfs of deftruction ? — fo that it had been good for them never to have beer^ born into the world, or to have been called from it in their earlieft infancy, before they became familiarized to fin ? It is, indeed, a difficult talk for thofe who have been brought up under the guidance of the wicked, to abftain from following the evil example conftantly before their eyes. We read, that " Ahaziah the fon ** of Ahab did evil in the fight of the '' Lord— 7he jujl Judgments of God. i ^6 ^* Lord— that he walked m the way of ^^-^'^^ ** his father, and in the way of his mo- Wr-^. ** thcr, and in the way of Jeroboam the *' fon of Nebat, who made Ifrael to fin '' that he ferved Baal, and worHiioped *' him ; and provoked to anger the Lord ** God of llrael, according to all that his ^'father had doner His un! appy bro- ther alfo, who, after thedeath of Ab.aziah, fate upon the throne of Ifrael, feared not to fin againft theAlmiglitvby abcminalle idolatries. The fons of Abab were per- fecutors, tyrants, and murderers *. They did not deprecate the wrath of God-^ they did not humble themfelves under his mighty hand— they added rebellion unto fin, and multiplied their offences againft the Almighty. Can we wonder then that they " were confumed in their '' own wickcdnefs r" that the threatened vengeance fell in thunders on their guilty * The expredion of Elilha concerning Jefioram is veiy iremarkable. He is called H VlH ^n FU^us Sicarii, 2 X ngs Vi. 32. N :* heads ? IX i8o The jufl Judgments of God. SERM. heads r that, provoked by their repeated enormities, the Almighty ftretched out the arm of his indignation, and deftroyed them from off the face of the earth ? I come now to the third particular offered to your confideration at the com- mencement of this difcourfe ; and, lo, a cloud of witneifes arife to confirm and illuftrate the aflertion. I mean, that all the forewarnings of judgments in Scrip- ture, however abfolutely worded, imply continuance m fin in the parties againft whom fuch vens:eance was denounced. Thus God, fpeaking by his prophet Ifaiah, tells his people, that, when they ftretched forth their hands, hewould hide his eyes from them : when they made many prayers, he would not hear. The reafon is given — Their hands were defiled with blood. But mark what immediately follows. " VVafli ye, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes ; ccafc to do evil, learn ^ to The jujl judgments of God. 1 8 1 to do well. Then thongh your fins be ^^^' as fcarlet, they fliall be white as fnow — ^--v^, though they be red like crimfon, they fhall be as wool !" Hear the teftimony of the holy pro- phet Daniel, when called on to explain to Nebuchadnezzar his mylterious dream. " They iTiall drive thee, O King, from men, and thy dwelling fhall be with the beafts of the field, till thou flialt know that the heavens do rule. Wherefore, O King Nebuchadnezzar, let my counfel be acceptable unto thee ; and break off v thy fins by righteoufnefs, and thine ini- quities by fliev/ing mercy to the poor ; if it may he a lengthe?ii?ig of thy tra?i* quillityy What could be more pofitive than the threatenings againft the antient Jerufa- lem ? Yet we find, that in the very moment of its fall, obedience on the part of Zedekiah would have arretted N 3 the 1 82 The jujl Ju(^gmsnts of God. sr.RM. the impending blovv, and faved an ^^1^ otherwise devoted city. "- Thus faith the Lord, the God of hofts, the God of Jfrael — If thou wilt afluredly go forth unto th^ King of Babylon's princes, then thy foul fhall live, and this city ihall not be burnt with fire — Obey, 1 befeech thee, the voice of the Lord which I fpeak unto thee ; fo fhall it be well unto thee, and thy foul (hall live." But the infatuated King, and his obdurate peo- ple, were equally deaf to conviction ; and the predi6led ruin took ils courfe. " Yet forty days, and nineveh SHALL BE OVERTHROWN." HoW CXprefs the tremendous declararion ! But the people believed God, and they cried mightily unto him — they tcriicd every one from his evil w^y, and from the violence th. t was in their hands. An4 God ^aw their works, that they turned from their evil way, and God repented of The jufl Judgments of God. 183 of the evil that he faid he would do unto skrm. them, and he did it not. ^ — ^-— ' Thus we fee, that, whether with re- fpe6l to a nation, or a man only, God is juftified when he fpeaketh, and clear when he judgeth. Who ihall not trem- ble at his juftice ? who fliall not blefs and adore his mercy ? I fhall fum up what has been faid in the memorable words of Elihu* ; " Hearken unto me, ye men of under- ** ftanding. Far be it from God, that he *' fhould do wickednefs, and from the *^ Almighty, that he fhould commit ini- *' quity. For the work of a man ihall he *' render unto him, and caufe every man " to find according to his ways. Yea, *' furcly, God will not do iniquity — nor '^ will the Almighty pervert judgment. * Jot) xxiiv. 10^ i\, 12, 21, 23, 19. N 4 ^' For 184 ^he jujl Judgments of God. '^ For his eyes are upon the fons of men, " and he feeth all their goings. He will *« not lay upon men more than is right — '' for they are all the work of his hands.'* Now to Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, the God of truth, ofjuftice, ofholinefs, of mercy, whofe ways are not as our ways, nor whofe thoughts as our thoughts, be afcribed, as is moft due, all honour, power, might, m&jefty, and dominion, now and for evermore. xALm.en, a: E R M O N X. THE CLOSE OF THE YEAR. [ ^8; 3 S ER M.O N X- THE CLOSE OF THE YEAR. ISAIAH Ixiv. 6. PFe all do fade as a leaf. JL HE filent lapfe of time has imper- ceptibly led us onwards, and another year is departing, to return no more. It is a moment which calls for ferious and folcmn meditation. Various, and often- repeated, are the leffons which teach us the true condition of our nature : *' Day ** after day uttereth fpeech, and night ** after night iheweth knowlege.'* Ei- ther iSS The^Clpfe of the 7\>ar. SFRM. ther we are admonijfhed by fome me- v-lv — ' lancholy example of mortality — or avc are warned in our own perfons by pain and ficknefs — or we obferve the vifible effects which revolving hours produce in others — or, at all events, the expiration of one of thefe portions of time into which our lives are divided, compels us to form a juft eil:imate of our fleeting exiftence ;^ and to confefs, that when a few days are come, then we fhall go the way whence we fliall not return. My brethren, if you come hither prompted by Athenian curiofity, and defiring to ho^^x fome ne%v thing =^, you en- tertain a Vvifh, which, oil the prefent occafion, cannot be gratified. I fpeak that you do know ; and tedify that, to which the events of every year bear witnefs. Can novelty be expefted in a difcourfe ' v-c C /ill.' XVU, 21 on The Clofe of the Tear. 189 on the frailty and precarioufnefs of our s^|^^- being ? ^--v— ' Man is like a thing of nought — his time paflTeth away like a fliadow. It is fitting, therefore, that we mark the gra- dations tow^ards eternity, and fortify ourfelves, by previous exercife and dif- cipline, for that folemn event which is ordained for all the children of men. Let the momentous truth be ever prefent to our minds, that we all do fade ai a leaf Confiderations of this nature will, by the grace of God, *' turn highly to our profit, and help us forward in the right w^ay, that leadeth to everlafting life." Let us meditate on thefe things — let us give ourfelves wholly to them — let us write them on the tablet of our hearts. But, before we proceed in our enquiry, let us paufe, and make a fliort retro- fpecl. jeo *^^^ Clofe of the Tear* SERM. fpecSl. Let the various events of the now- v-Jy^ concluding year pafs in review before our eyes — the mercies and deliverances vouchfafed to us — the interpofitions of Providence in our favour — the bleflings we have enjoyed — the forrows we have fuilained- — the warnings we have receiv- ed. Who among the fons of men, after confidering the paft days of his life, will not confefs, from his own perfonal ex- perience, that the goodnefs of God en- dureth continually ? That we live— that we breathe — that we are in pofleflion of our intelle6lual powers — thefe in themfelves afford abun- dant caufe of thankfulnefs. That the earth brings forth in profufion whatever is neceffary for our fuftenancc or enjoy- ment — that an unfeen hand adminifters to us our daily bread — that we have rain from heaven, and fruitful feafons — thefe are thy bounteous gifts, O Lord ! and they demand from thine adoring crea- tures T^lje Clofe of the l^ear. 191 tures the tribute of univerfal praife. What serm. are our pretenfions to thy favour ? What ' — v— ^ works of righteoufncfs have we done, that we fliould receive fuch inceflant to- kens of thy parental love ? The cup of human life, however, cannot long remain unmixed with for- row. Some of thofe who hear me, have poflibly tailed its bitter ingredients, even to the dregs. They have fuftained the preflure of advcrfity; tliey have expe- rienced the acute or lingering pains of fickneis ; or, what is yet more griev- ous, they have fecn the ftroke of death inflicted on fome much-ioved friend, in whole fociety all their earthly delights centered, and without whom the v/orld is but as a deiolate wildernefs. To fuch mourners as theie, where we fpeak of the Ihortaeis of this tranfitory life, we hold out no connderation of terror — rather do we admmiftcr a lenient balm, and miti- gate the anguiih of the troubled foul. A Arife 02 'The Clofe of the Tear, Arife from the earth, O thou that art affli£ted, and Hft up thine head ; forrow not for the departed, as if thou wert^ without hope. They have but preceded thee in the path of immortality : thou flialt go to them, but they fliall not re- turn to thee. While we contemplate the procedure of God towards us, it is highly expedient that we reflefh like wife on our own aftions, and afk ourfelves, in what man- ner we have fulfilled the important obli- gations we owe to our God. And this is an enquiry not to be entered upon lightly, and without confideration. It demands the beft energies of our fouls. It is a queftion in which our eternal fal- vation is immediately involved. Let us review therefore, with impartial judgment, the various fins and oflTences of our lives. How ^he Cloje of the Tear. 19;} how many duties have been left un- serm. performed! How many Sabbaths have ^-^^ been profaned ! How many opportunities of partaking the Holy Communion have been neglefted ! How many diftreffed fufFerers have been difmified without re- lief ! How many calls of the divine grace have been unthankfuUy difregarded ! How many admonitions of a merciful Providence have been fuffered to pafs by tmheeded ! Or, further, how many fad and grievous fins have been a6tually committed, either to the fcandal of fo- ciety, or in a manner only lefs iliameful, becaufe more fecrct ! If God were ex- . treme to mark what is done amlfs, who amonc: the children of men Ihould abide the dreadful fentence ? But there is mercy with him ; and the beft of us have abundant need for the exercife of that mercy. We muft beware, however, that we trifle not with the heavenly gift, Icit it fhould be for ever withdrawn from us — left Vv^e fhould feel the juft indigna- O tion X. ig^ The Clofe of the Tear* sEKM. tlon of Him whom we have prefump-* tuoufly dared to offend. Swift is the courfe of thofe hours which are leading us to the grave. Frail and precarious are the moments of our exiftence. Teach thy fervants, O God, fo to number their days, that they may apply their hearts unto that wifdom which is from above. Teach them, that although they have done iniquity, yet, if they repent, and fin no more, then, through the mepits of their divine Interceflbr, they fhall live — they Ihall not die. Teach them, that this tranfient fcene is melting away like a Ihadow from before their eyes, and that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. But, above all, teach them, that, when the breath of man goeth forth, when he returns to hi^ earth, and when all his thoughts, as far as con* cern mortahty, Ihall perifh, then blelfed, and only bleffed is he, '' who hath the God of Jacob for his help, and whofe hope is in the Lord his God." . The The Cicfe of the Tear. ipS The comDarifon between human and serm. Vegetable hfe has been elegantly def- ^ — y — \ canted on by authors of the earlieil an- tiquity — it has been flated, with elo- quence and precifion, by divines and moralifts of later times — but more par- ticularly we find it illuftrated, by all the varieties of metaphor, throughout the figurative language of holy icripturev And furely no comparifon can be more appofite, no fimilitude more afFe£tingly obvious* When vou hear of infancv fent to an early grave — when you behold youth and beauty languilliing ur.der deadly ficknefs, does not the image force itfelf on your minds of a fair and blooming flower, fuddenly cut down by the pitilcfs hand of the deftroyer ? Or look around you — the world is now" wintry ; thofe leaves which fo lately flouriilied in all the perfe6lion of their richeft verdure, now lie fcattered upon the ground, O 2 faded, 196 The Clofe of the ^ettfi ^™'^^' faded, lifelefs, difcoloured, and about to mingle with their parent earth ! Let us read our deftiny in theirs — from the duft we hkewife had our origin, and thither we likewife fhall return. The parallel fo accurately drawn in my text, in its primary fignification, adapts itfelf to the natural decay of age, as typified by the falling of the withered leaf. But is it not alfo firiftly applicable to the termination of our ex- iftence at other periods ? Are there not ftorms and tempefts, which, even in the midft of fummer, deprive the trees of their luxuriant foliage, and lay proftrate on the ground the glory of the once- fmiling year ? Is there not the flow- confuming canker^? is there not the de- vouring worm, that prem.aturely deftroys 'while yet in the bloom, or even in the bud, the hope and the pride of fpring ? We are more thanjuftificd in the appli- cation of the fading leaf to death, come as T^he Clofe of the Year. 197 as it will, at any time, or in any form. ^e^^m. At whatever feafon our life is brought ^^ — v--^ to its conclufion we do moft afluredly fade as the leaf, all of us. And here I cannot but mention, as a circumftance immediately conne6led with my prefent fubje£l, the wonderful fimilarity which fubfifts betwixt the me- chanifm of the human frame and the fyftem of vegetation. More particularly in the conftru6lion of a leaf (the fymbol of our tranfitory nature), the eye of philofophy fees an infinite variety of nerves, fibres, ligaments — pores innu- merable — vefTels which convey to thofe pores perfpirable juices for their dif- charge — a fluid which preferves life throughout all the delicate contexture, and even a circulation of that fluid, cor- refpondent to that of the blood in orga- nic living bodies. But I muft not in- dulge myfelf in carrying into length a fubje6l rather curious than ufcful, any O 3 further X, 198 T'he Clofe of the 2^ear. SEiiM. further than as it teaches us to adore the Creator in his marvellous works, the refult of confammate wifdom, and of divine Omnipotence. " AH fleQi is grafs,'* faith our pro- phet, '' and all the goodlinefs thereof *' as the flower of the field." We have feen that this is the cafe in its phyfical fenfe ; let us proceed to examine its mo- ral application. We, like the plants and flowers, have our fpring, which ufhers us into life, when we burft forth in all the luxuriance of early beauty. The fummer, the high meridian of our days, next advances, when we flourilli in the full maturity of rtrength and comelinefs. Before, we are confcious of the alteration, but pro- bably not before others have perceived it, the blooming tints of youth, the ri- pened graces of manhood are gradually retiring the Cldffe of the Tear. i()() retiring from us, and we fall into our autumnal wane. One more change a- waits us, and completes the revolution of our days. Soon, very foon, are we led on by the withering hand of old age to the winter of death. And lo, when we are pafTcd away, another generation cometh in our place, to whom life h imparted on conditions exa6lly fimilar to thofe ordained to us when we entered on our portion of exiftence. In like manner, when the winter of nature is paft, a frelh fucceflion of leaves will ap- pear, and will flourifh during their ap- pointed feafon — God reneweth the face of the earth — another and another pro- geny will follow — and, as long as the world endureth, one event happeneth unto all. ** 411 fiefio waxeth old as a gar- ment \ and the covenant from the beginning is^ Thou fhalt die the death. As of the green leaves on a thick iree^ fome fall and feme grow \ fo is the generation of flejh O 4 and 2cm. The Clofe of the Tear. SERM. and blood: one come th to an end, end ano-^ ther is horn *.' If thefe things are fo (and infidelity itfelf dares not gainfay them) is it not our intereft, as well as our duty, to im- prove diligently that portion of time which is allotted to us ? Ought we not, with unremitting earneftnefs, to w^ork out our own falvation while it is yet day— while it pleafes God to continue to us our precarious being ? O let us be wife — let us underftand this — let us. confider Our approaching end i Let us not fail to remember, that there is a period, at which the parallel betwixt the rational and vegetable world ceafes,^ find holds good no longer. We fade, it is true, like the leaf; but we do not pe- riih in utter annihilation. That folemn hour, in which we fnall be called from the bofom of the earth, that folemn hour will bear witnefs to the great, the rnomcntous difference. Then our cor- ■5t l^ccleliafligus xiv. 17^ 18: ruptiblq ^he Clofe of the Tear. 201 ruptible body (hall put on incorruption, serm. and lliall be reanimated by that immor- ^ / > tal fpirit, which was infufed into man by the breath of God, when he made him " in the image of his own eternity/' Then they who deep in Chrift fhall arife from the dark recefles of the grave to the liberty and light of heaven. They fliall rejoice with joy unfpeakable and full of glory. From the defolate and dreary manfions of the tomb they Ihall pafs to their better country ; they (hall be planted in the houfe of the Lord ; they fhall flourifh in the courts of the houfe of,.their God. The convi6lion, that we are fo much nearer to our death, prelTes on us with irrefiftible force, at the conclufion of each paffing year. It challenges, it com- mands our attention. Thofe in parti- cular, who are far advanced on the jour- ney of life, muft be callous and infenfible indeed, if they negka the great duty of prepa- 202 The Clofe of the Tear. SERM, preparation. Speedily muft that hour V — ^ — » arrive, in Avhich they will be fummoned to join the number of departed fpirits, at His command, "inwhofehand is the foul of all men living, and the breath of all mankind." But is the warning voice alone directed to the aged and full of days ? Is man, at any period, in a ftate of fecurity ? Can mortals be fo prefumptuous as to rely on the long continuance of their exiftence, becaufe they are in the enjoyment of youth, and health, and vigour ? Thofe pofTeffions of which we can in one moment be depriv- ed, ought not to be trufted in for one moment. We dwell in houfes of clay. Be the rtrudlure ever fo beautiful, ever fo apparently fecure, ftill its foundation is in the duft. Boafl not thyfelf then, O vain man — boaft not thyfelf in thy tranfitory glory ; for thou knoweft not what a day may bring forth. Marvd Tihe Qofe of the Tear. 203 Marvel not, my beloved brethren, at sfrm. this train of awful ideas. To every thing ^s,-^,, — * there is a feafon, and a time to every purpofe under heaven. This is the time for folemn refieftion. Godly foriow worketh life : Godly ferioufnefs produces effefts which are likewife in their pro- portion beneficial. When the time of our departure is at hand, we iTiall not regret that we have employed fome of our better hours in meditating on, and preparing for, its approach. Bleffed is that fervant, whom his Lord, when he Cometh, fhall find watching. What if thoughts of this nature tend to banifli levity and fenfelcfs mirth ? Be it fo. " The heart is made better*." The faithful believer feels no fenfations of horror, w^hen he reflects that wc all do fade as the leaf. That melancholy which the idea of diffolution fpreads over his mind is fweetly correfted and * Ecclefi^iftes vii . 5-. foftencd 2(54 ^'^^ ^M^ ^f ^^^ Tea>\, foftened down by the bleffed hope of everlafhing life, which he claims as his inheritance through the Saviour, the Lord Jefus Chrift. Of this hope nothing can deprive him. Neither age, nor in- firmity, nor ficknefs, nor pain, nor po- verty, nor diftrefs, nor the treachery of friends, nor the fury of enemies, nor the fcorn of men, nor the malice of devils, nor death itfelf, nor the gates of hell, can finally prevail againft it. Happy are they, who, while they fo- journ in this valley of tears, are thus vifited by the Day-fpr:ng from on high. The troubles and viciffitudes of this pe- rilhable world are confidered by them as preparatory to an immutable ftate of felicity and glory. He, in whom they believed, fhall be their guide even unto death, "Jefus Chrift, the fame yefterday, *' and to-day, and for ever." Though they flee away as the fhadow that de- parteth — though they are cut off from I the ^he Clofe of the Tear. 205 the land of the living, yet is their hope skrm. full of immortality. Though their out- ^ ward man perifh, yet their inward man is renewed day by day. " The grafs ** withercth, the flower fadcth, but the *' word of the Lord endureth for ever." The Author of eternal life will keep them fafe who are^ committed to his truft. They are the children of God^ even the children of the refurrec- tion. In full afTurance of faith, let us lift up our eyes to the everlafting kingdom of our Father. In that kingdom is the throne of his majefty eftabliihed, and there it remaineth from generation to generation. There, All-Great, AU- Perfeft, AU-Bleffed, he reigneth over heaven and earth, difpofing at his plea- fure of the whole creation. There, in the effulgence of a light to which the mortal thought cannot approach, he receiveth the homage of all the celeftiai 2o6 ~-v^ — ' homage. We cannot halt between tw6 opinions. The oracles of divine truth found in our ears ; they fpeak to us, in language not to be mifunderftood, whe- ther we will hear, or whether we will forbear : *' Love not the world, neither *' the things that are in the world." The precept is clear and unequivocal : no in- genuity can evade it ; no fophiftry can explain it away, " If any man love the *' world, the love of the Father is not in ** him." We muft therefore be fully convinced^ if our fouls are not hardened againft con- viction, that the conteft to which we are called by the profeffion of our faith is a conteft of the utmoft importance — and I muft again imprefs it on your minds^ that it is a conteft, to which there cail be no dubious, no uncertain ifTue. If we do not overcome the world, the world will infallibly overcome us — there is nd % rooni ^he Triumphs of Chrifilayi Faith. 257 room for temporizing conceffions — there '^ywm. is nopoffibility of entering into treaty with ^-v— ^ our antagonift. " What agreement hath the temple of Qod with idols ? W hat con- cord hath Chrift with Behal ?" What have we to do with peace, feeing the de- lufions of this perfidious world, and its witchcrafts are fo many ? If we are endued with true Chriftian courage we fhall not defpair — we fhall not abandon *' the fuccours which rca- fon ofFereth *," becaufe we have in view the full extent of our danger. On the contrary, all our hopes increafe, and all our bed energies rife, in proportion to the difficulties we have to encounter. Let it not then in the prelent inftancc check the ardour of our exertions — let it rather add ftrength and vigour to our arm, that we find ourfelves engaged \\\ a conflicSt, from which we cannot, with* out incurring certain dcftruftion, retreat * AVifd. xvii. 12. S or 258 The Triumphs of ChrijTtan Falth.^ SERM. or recede. My chriftian brethren, there v._^^ is no alternative here — no medium be- tween ignominy and triumph. Death and life are fet before us ; the one for the punifhment of our defeat, the other for the reward of our vi£lory. Such are the terms on which we engage in this our Spiritual warfare — where we wreftle, not only againft flefh and blood, but againft principalities, againft pow-^ ers, againft the rulers of the darknefs of this world — againft every high thing that exalteth itfelf in oppofition to God — • againft every thought, which is not in fub^e6tion to the law of Chrift. In this conteft, if we do not prevail, we are undone — if our faith fails, we are feared at the boifterous tempeft — we fink in the mighty waters, and the ftream goeth over our foul. Woe therefore to them that are of faint hearts and of weak hands, who turn afide with the deluded multitude from the path of glory, and 2 wiJ Tthe Triumphs of Chnfiian Faith. 259 will not follow the Captain of their Sal- serm. vation ill that illuftrious courfe, which *— v— ^ leads to permanent and unfading joy ! '' He that faith he ahideth in Chriit '' ought himfelf alfo fo to walk, even as " HE walked/'. By this we know, that we muft tread in the footfteps of our blefled Saviour, if we would partake with him of his heavenly kingdom ; and that on our imitation (as far as mortal frailty admits) of His perfe6t example we muft depend for our improvement in grace, and our elevation to heights of virtue no otherwife attainable *. Meanv.'hile, in all our troubles, in all our fufFerings here upon earth, the purcfl: balm of comfort, the moll precious * See p. 339 of Wilberforce's " Praftical View of '' Chriftianity :" concerning which the author of thcfc difcourfes would attempt to leave his opinion on record, were he not a^are that it is a work which riles infinitely fupe.rior to all human praife : '' Qualis fit, iLLE DIES indicabit." S 2 foun- SERM XIII. 260 T'he Triumphs of Chrljilan Faith, fountain of hope, arifes from onr re- membrance, that Jefds, the Son of God, was, in his own perfon, as the fon of man, called to fuftain a fimilar conflift, and was crowned wilh the moft decifive vic- tory : '* For he himfelf went not np to joy, but firft he iutfered. pain ; he en- tered not into his glory before he was crucified. So truly our way to eter- nal joy is to fuffer here with Chrift, and our door to enter into eternal life is gladly to die with Chrift ; that we may rife again from death, and dwell with him in everlafting life *." " Thefe things have I fpcken unto you" — it is his own gracious word — '' thefe things *« have I fpoken unto you, that in me ^' ye might have peace. In the world ye " fhall have tribulation ; but be of good ^' cheer ! I have overcome the world." From the habitation of his holinefs and of his glory, our Saviour calls to us — bids us perfevere with undaunted refo- * Office for the Vifitatiou of tlie Sick. lution — T^he Trmmphs of Chrijilan Faith. 261 lution — tells us what will be the bri{j;ht skrm. meed of the conqueror. " To him that — ^ — > ^' overcometh will 1 give to eat of the *' tree of life which is in the micUi of the *' Paradife of God. He that overcometh '' fhall not be hurt by the fecond death. *' To him will 1 give to eat of the hidden *' manna— and I will give unto him the '' morning ftar. Him that overcometh ^' will I make as a pillar in the temple ^' of God. I will confels his name before *' my Father, and before his angels. To <* him that overcometh will 1 grant to " fit with me in my throne, even as I *' alio overcame, and am fet down with ^' my Father in his throne *." Shall we then, my beloved In Chrift, {hall we ihrink inglorioufly from a war- fare, in which we are animated by iuch great and precious promiics as thefe ? Do not our hearts-burn within us, while we thus hear recited the joy that is let * Sec Rev. chap, ii— iii. S o before i62 Tie Triumphs of Chrtfiian Faith. ^xm^* ^^f^^^ ^^s — while we have the unutter- >— ^v — ' abJe blifs of being afTurcd, that Chrift is in us the hope of glory ? Though our enemies are numerous and mighty — though they approach us in divers ways, and carry on their attacks in every pof-- fible direftion — though at one time they openly affault, and at another time in- fidioufly betray, yet let not our hearts be troublf:d, neither let them be afraid. We are cjad in celeftial armour, and are able to refift them. We will triumph in the name of the Lord our God. Hs will give a banner to fuch as fear him, that they may bevi6lorious hecaufe cf the truth. The Lord is our refuge, and our God is the flrength of our conjfidence. This is the viftory that overcometh the world, even our Faith, Would you enquire, of.what«<7///r^ is the faith, which leaos to meet an ex- ceeding and eternal weight of glory ? Would you afk, who is it that thus goeth I'he Triumphs of ChrijUan Faith. 26 goeth forth, conquering and to con- ''^f.km. quer ? The words of my text prefent ^^ — .^— you with a conclufive anfwcr. He is thus viftorious — he thus triumphs — who be-^ lieves that Jcjus is the Sen of God, It is the faith of ihe Christian which iup- ports him in all dangers, and carries him through all temptations. Amorg all the viciffitudes of life this faivh con- du6ls him in fafety ;" and when he w?dks through the valley of the fhadow of death it preferves him from the fear of evil. The glorious company of the apoftles — the goodly fellowlhip of the prophets — the noble army of martyrs — tnc iaints of God from the commencement of time to the prefent hour, have taken this in- vincible Ihield, and have ever been fafe under its proteftion. Knowing on whom they believed, and being perfuaded, that he was both able and willing to favc them to the uttermoft ; they chofc the good part, which no malice, no violence, could take away from them. The world S 4 wai 264 "The Triumphs ofChrtJllan Faith. ^^^^- was thus crucified unto them, and they *— -v^ unto the world. During the conti- nuance of their warfare they committed the keeping of their fouls unto their , God ; at its termination, they refigned their fpirits with confidence into the Hands of the fame faithful Creator, and moft merciful Redeemer. While we meditate on thefe things — • while we give ourielves wholly unto them, mortality feems to be fwallowed up in life. Where, at inch a moment, are earthly joys, and earthly forrows ? They are excluded. By ^\hat law ? of works? Nay, but by the law of faith. Borne on her celeftial wings, we are elevated to a region fo pure, fo uncloud- ed, fo ethereal, .that the low and va- pourifli mifts of this prefent world can- not approach to annoy us. We are re- moved for a time out of the reach of the ftorms and tempefts of life — " eternal funfliine" is beamins: on our heads— we anticipate The Triumphs of Chnftlan Faith. 265 anticipate the bleffed hour, when He sfrm. who hath overcome the Iharpnefs of .^^^ death (hall open the kingdom of heaven to all believers. Beholding, with open face, the glory of the Lord, we are changed into the fame image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. But, from contemplations like thefe, however fublime, however animating, we muft defcehd to the fcene of our cx- ifting trials. We may indeed cry out, as did the enraptured apoftle (when he faw the bright vifion on mount Tabor) *' Lord, it is good for us to be here !'* But we are to be reminded, that the crown is preceded by a conflict — that labour is preparatory to our reft — that we muft work the work of Him that hath fent us while it is day ; a work of no trivial concern ; a work which may not be laid afide and refumed at plea^ fure — that our time of probation, of dif- ficulty, ^66 Ti^ Trramp/js of Chrijlian Faiths SERM. ficulty, of warfare, is not over — ^thatwe XIII . ,v-.^^ have duties of the higheft magnitude to fulfil ; a chara6ler of infinite importance. to fuftain — that, before we are called to a participation of everlafting happinefs, we muft live the life, and we muft die the death, of the righteousr Here then we perceive, in ail its blefT- ednefs, the ineftimable value of our high caUing of God in Chrift Jefus. When the world befets us, accompanied' by its cares and anxieties, its wiles and temp- tations, its idle day-dreams of hope, its delufive phantoms of terror, when we are threatened with an impending weight w^hofe fall, coming fudden^y and aL an inftant, would crufh us to atoms, Faith and Hope Ihelter us under their wings. They avert the meditated evil, and turn it into certain and infallible good. They direct our thoughts to future and eternal joy. They call on us to behold the glory of God, and Jefus, ftanding at the right hand The Triumphs of ChrlJliaM Faith. 267 hand of God. They point out to us the serm. way in which we are (.0 walk, and the ^ work which it is our duty to perform. They enable us to poflefs our fouls in patience. ihey fultain our drooping and wearied fpirits. They wipe away all tears from our eyes- — or elfe the} teach thcle tears to flow with emotions fochaf- ftencd, with refigiiatlon fo meek, that for- row itfelf lofes all its bitt ernefs, and while wc fiill prefcrve the tendereftfenfibilitics of oi^r nature, we confccrate them, with duteous fubmiflion, on the altar of Chrift. Thefe are the glorious fruits of our holy relii^'ion — thefe are the bleffings vouchiafed to the believer in the hour of his adverfity. In comparifon with gifts thus precious, with benefits thus unfacmg, what has airy and fantaftic pleafure, what has ll-ern and gloo- my iii fidelity to beftow ? Take away our chriftian Jaith, and we are like waves of the fea, driven by the wind, and tofled. Take away our chriftian hoj^e, and 268 The Triumphs of Chrijlian Faith. SERM. and in very deed we arc of all men moft XIII v.,..^^ miferable. In the multitude of the for- rows which we have in our hearts, thy comforts alone, O bleffed Jefus, can re- frefli and fuftain the foul. Tell the poor fufrerer, that his gracious Saviour has gone in the thorny way before him — that his temporary affli6lions are a pre- lude to eternal joy— that his warfare will foon be accomplillied — that his iniqui- ties, through the mercy of God in Chrift, will be freely pardoned — and you revive his fainting'heart. Light arifes to him in the darknefs. He lifts up his head with joy, knowing, that his redemption draw^ eth nigh. Can the fenfualift, or the un- believer, fuggeft to him motives of con- folation adequate to thefe, when he is in ficknefs, in poverty, in forrow ? when his profpefts of happinefs are difap- pointed ? when his beft earthly bleiT- ings are vanifhed out of his fight ? Under thefe afflifting vifitations, will the wounded foul be capable of obtain- ing ' The Triumphs ofCbri/l'uvi Faith. 269 ing relief from cold and mctaphyfical skkm. theories, or moral efTays on the eternal '^^.^^^ fitnefs of things ? Shonld not a people feek unto their God ? Is there any name under heaven given unto man, in whom or through whom,- we can receive help, or joy, or comfort, or falvation, favc only the name of our Lord Jefus Chrift ? BlelTed Saviour, what is our hope ? Tru- ly our hope is even, truly our hope is only, in thee. To this hope, as an anchor of the foul, let us adhere ; and we fliall ftand faft for ever and ever. Let it be our conftant affociatc through our lives ; and from it, even in death, we fliall not be divided. Then — then to overcome the world, is the laft, the beft, the grcatefl: privilege of them who believe that Jclus is the Son of God. With a view to this awful confummation they direct all their condu6l— with a reference to it, every thought, every word, every action, is regulated. 270 The Triumphs of Chrijiian Faiths SERM. regulated. ' Sweet is the tranquillity of C^^ that heart, which can rely on the love of Chrift in its clofing hours, and which fhrinks not from approaching diffolution. To have furmounted this terrour — to have made an holy life thus preparatory to an happy death, is a ftate of perfec- tion, in which man is indeed little lower than an angel. How mblinie and in- terefting is the fpeftacle — how exquifite are the emotions which are ft It by thofe w^ho witnefs it, when the Chrlftian, full of years, and full of honour, having glorified the name of God on earth, and having finillied the work given hint to perform, awaits, m huly patience, the fummons of his Redeemer ! In the clofe of his life, as well as in its progrefs^ he inftruiSts, he comforts, he edifies thofe around him. His old age is like the mild radiance of an autumnal evening — calm, bright, fcrene — clear, even to the laft moments of the ^etting lun. Death is to fuch an one the entrance into life, and the The Triumphs of Chriflian Faith, zyi the ffrave is the p;ate of Heaven. He ex- si:mr. . . XIII pires, but he expires in the arms of vie- ^^ — ^ tory: nowiscomefalvation, andftrcngth, and the kingdom of the Lord, and tlie power of Chrift. The weapons of his warfare are exchanged for the bright robe of peace — a crown of hfe is fet upon his head, and forrow is turned into ever- lafting joy. Thanks be to God, who thus giveth THE VICTORY, THROUGH OUR LORD JeSUS Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye fledfaft, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forafmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. SERiMON SERMON XIV, THE FOUNDATION OF CHRISTIAN HOPE, i V5 ] SERMON XIV, THE FOUNDATION OF CHRISTIAN HOPE. HEBREWS xiii. 5. ''I will never leave thee, norforfake thee:' 1 HUS fpeaketh to his poor weak af- serm, fliaed creatures, the God of Truth, the God of Peace, the God of Hope,' the God of Comfort. He hath faid' and his word is true— he hath promifed! and there fhall be a performance of his promife— I will .never leave THEE, NOR FORSAKE THEE. This God IS our God for ever and ever: he will be our Guide, even unto death. T2 Why XfV 2 7^ y^^ Foundafton of Chrijiian Hope, SERM. Why then art thou caft down, O my K^^!^i^ foul, and why art thou difquieted within me ? Why wilt thou not put thy truft in God, and give him thanks, who is the health of thy countenance, and thy God ? Confidered in himfelf, man is the mofl pitiable object in the world. He is weak and feeble in his nature, yet is he ex- pofed to a variety pf fprrows. He is prone to evil, and befet with tempta- tions, yet is he unable to keep himfelf from faUing ; or, if he fall, he hath nq ftrength to arife. But man, under the prote£lion of God — -man, aided by the omnipotent Jehovah, is a new creature. Former things are done away : behold, all things are become new ! His weak- riefs is made flrong — his feet are uphold- en that they Ihoald not ftumble— his forrow is turned into joy. They who Ipan upon their God, and rely on His heavenly grace, are evermore defended 7he Foundation of Chnjilan Hope. ij") by his mighty power*. The tender phint, ^^w^- which would otherwife be expofed to the ^—v-^ tempeftuous blaft, or lie proftrate on the ground, fubjecl to the ftep of each paffing traveller, adheres to the majeftic oak, and finds prote£lion under its branches. By that ftrength it is fup- ported' — undfer that fhadow it is fafe. The winds have no power to rend, or the foot to crufh it. It flourifhes in peace and fecurity, lifts up its head above the reach of danger, and fuftains unhurt all the terrors of tfee florm. Let us then, my beloved brethren, apply the ineftimable bleffings of christ- ian HOPE to thole cafes of affli6lion which meet us in every path, while we fojourn upon earth — cafes, where our own refources fail us, and where man- kind are frequently unable, and more frequently unwilling, to afford us affil- tance. Chriflian hope imparts to us its fuccour under all our forrows. It lup- * Colle6t for the ^ih Suiulay after Epiphany. T 3 port^ 278 The Foundation ofChriJiian Hope. ^xrv^* ports us under misfortunes and cala« v-I^^ mities. It comforts us, when we are mourning under the moft fevere vifita- tions. It ftrengthens and fuftains us amidft the perfecutions of our enemies. It pours the balm of comfort into our minds, when they are torn by treachery and ingratitude. Like a miniftering angel, it foothes us in the hour of ficknefs. From the bed of death it fends us on our way rejoicing. In all things it makes us more than conquerors through Him who hath loved us. I. We form hopes of worldly happinefs — innocent hopes, but precarious in them- felves, for wx know not even how to wifh aright ; and precarious in their ac- complilhment, as being fubje6t to per- petual difappointments. It fometimes pleafes Gcd to blefs us in our purfuits, and to make all our goings profperous. At other times it is his heavenly will to ftrike at the root of our fondefl wiflies, c and 7he Foundation of ChrlfAa^i Hope. 279 and to lay all our vain projefts in the duft. If the Almighty, for the trial of our faith, Ihonld excrcife us with troubles, are we therefore to repine and murmur ? Are we to complain of our God, bccaufc his knowlege fruftrates the purpofes of our ignorance ? Though our hopes prove frail and vifionary — though the ob- jefts of our expeftation be as the morn- ing cloud, and as the early dew that paffeth away, yet may we rejoice in the Lord, we may glory in the God of our falvation. The abundant riches of his grace may be our portion : Avhat more then can we require ? We have free accefs to the treafures of divine mercy : how then can we lack any thing ? It is the Lord, who hath called us to our pre- fent fufFerings. It is the Lord, who can fupport us under them. It is the Lord, to whom we muft look for our delive- rance. It is the Lord — let him do what feemeth him good ! '' Be ftrong," he cries, '* and fear not — I "vuill ?iever leave thee T 4 ^^^ ne Foundation ofChriJlian Hope* ^ fake thee. In a little wrath I hid Tuct from thee for a moment, but ^■^ich everlafting kindnefs will I have mercy on thee, faith the Lord thy Re- deemer. Fear not, for thou fhalt not be afhamed : for my loving kindnefs fhall not depart from thee ; neither fhall the covenant of thy peace be removed, faith the Lord who hath mercy on thee.'* II. Again. The facred ties of nature muft, in the courfe of time, bedilTolved. Thofe conne6tions from which we derive our pureft earthly bleffmgs muft have a period. Our happinefs, and the objefts in whom it is centered, will pafs away, and be no more feen. The thought is awful ; it is replete with folici- tude : fuch is neverthelefs the unalter- able condition of our mortal nature. Either we lament the death of a friend or brother — or we go heavily, mourning for the proteftors of our infancy, the guides and guardians of our youth — or *'the XIV. ^he Foundation of Chrijllan Hope. 281 " the defire of our eyes is taken away ?krm. at a ftroke" — or we llied bitter tears over the remains of thofe to whom we had ourfelves looked for the lad folemn offices of pious duty. If any of thefc fevere and dreadful infli6tions from Heaven are upon us — if our home, once the feat of joy and gladnefs, is forlorn and defolate, with no interruption to the gloomy filence, but our own exprcfiions of agonizing forrow, are we therefore left alone ? No — w^e are not alone, be- caufe the Almighty is with us. He is the fountain of life and immortahty — he is the treafure of blifs inexhauflible and everlafting. He, in himfelf, in all his attributes, in all his difpenfations to- wards us, is unchangeable. Tlie comfort which we derive from his bleffed pre- fence cannot be taken away by any event, cannot be difturbed by any cala- mity. Nay, he is more peculiarly at hand to help us, when our hearts are bowed down with anguifh. He doth not wil- liiiiilv o * 2iz ^he Fcundaiion qfChr'iJilan Hope. SERM. linglj grieve nor affli6l the children of *w-^^^ men. When my father and my mother for^ fake me (faith David) that is, when they leave this tranfitory world, and can no longer blefs me with their parental care, then the Lord taketh me up, God is in a peculiar manner prefent, when trouble is hard at hand, and there is none to help us. He is a Father to the father- lefs — he defendeth the caufe of the wi- dow. His eyes are open to behold their grief — his ears attend to the prayers which they pour forth to him in the bit- ter nefs of their forrows. He will love them with an everlafting love; and if they truft in him they fhall not be defti- tute. Relying on God, and looking for- ward to that which is perfeft, they fuf- tain the trials of this prefent ftate of im.- perfe6lion with becoming fortitude. They hear the bleffed voice of comfort piercing the clouds, and defcending as it were from heaven, / will never leave thee nor forfake thee. Thus fuccoured, thus The Foundation of Chrijiian Hope. 283 thus encouraged, they wait patiently for ^RM. that day, which lliall reftore to them the '—v--^ bleffings of which they are only for a time deprived : and they anticipate thofe bleffings with more perfeft pleafure, be- caufe, when again reftored, they will be taken away no more. Sorrow and mourn- ing (hall then flee away ; joy and glad- nefs ftiall endure for ever and ever. III^ Are our enemies daily in hand to fwallow us up ? Are they who hate us wrongfully many in number ? Let us put on the armour of righteoufnefs — let us go forth in the ftrength of the Lord God. If the Lord be for us, who fliall prevail againft us ? God will turn his hand againft our adverfaries ; he will put them to confufion that hate us. TDuring a time, however, he may fee fit to leave us in their power— it may be his plea- fure that our enemies iliould be profpe- rous and mighty. For let not any man imagine, that he can fo dired the tcnour of 484 T^he Foundation ofChr'iJlian Hope. ^xn^^* of his life, as to efcape the envenomed *^-v — ^ lliafts of detraftion, the open attacks of maUee, the fecret fnares of treachery. Yet He who was manifefted to deftroy the works of the devil — he who came down from heaven to teach us the way thither— he who fufFered fuch contra- di£tions of finners againft himfelf — he, even our Saviour, made it the firft ob- je6l of his miffion to preach the gofpel of PEACE, «' Love your enemies — blefs them that curfe you— do good to them that hate you — and pray for them which defpitefully ufe you and perfecute you — that ye may be the children of your Fa- ther which is in heaven T* From whence then come wars and contentions ? From the prevalence of fm — from the defpite done to the Spirit of grace — from the fuggeftions of the powers of darknefs. It cannot be denied, and it muft not be difTembled, that all who would live godly in Chrift Jefus, while The Foundaiion of Chrijlian Hope. »3 5 ^vhile they continue in this prcfent world, muft fuffer periecution. Nor is it only as followers of onr bleffcd Lord that we are objeas of the malice and def- pitefulncfs of evil men. Even in mat- ters unconneacd with religion, the tongue of flander mifreprefents our con- dua— the eye of jealoufy looks w.th malignity at our fuccefs-caufelefs cen- fures are heaped upon us-refcntments are returned for our good-will : uujuk infmuations, ungrounded fufp.cions. eftrangement of affeaion, all m their turns militate againft our peace: If we are overcome by their attacks, it we tail from our own ftedfaftnefs, then the foe to human happinefs rejoiceth-then the r-dverfanes of Jehovah take occaf.on to blafpheme. But God forbid, that be- caufe iniquity abounds, our love or om- patience fhould wax cold! Godorbid that becaufe of earthly enemies we Ihould forget our heavenly Friend '. In fix at- ^laions He will deliver us; mlcvcn 286 The Foundation of Chriflian Hope. S|RM. they fhall not approach to hurt us. Ha >-v-' will redeem the fouls of his fervants Though the wicked fpeak evil of them whifper againft them, and even con- fult together to take away their life, liiU he commands them to put their truft in Him with iinftiaken confidence. " Be not afraid," faith he, « of them who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do ! Thine enemies are only fuffered to make a trial of thy faith —they can do nothing at all to hurt thee except it be permitted them from above' Truft thou in the Lord, and flay upon thy God. Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life." ' IV. But what is the envy, hatred, ma- hoc, and uncharitablenefs of our enemies when compared with the defection and ingratitude of thofe whom we have loved, of thofe whom we have entrufted with every thought of our unfufpicious hearts? This furely is a far more bitter ingredi- ent T'he FounJation of Chrijllan Hope. 287 ent in the cup of human mifery. The sfrm. royal Pfalmift mentions it as an affliftion v.-^^^ ahnoft too great for human nature to fuftain. *' It was not an open enemy that did me thisdilhonour -.for theni could have borne it : neither was it mine adverfary that did magnify himfelf againft me ; for then peradventure I might have hid myfeif from him : but it was even thou my companion, my guide, and my own familiar friend !" When we fufFcr under this compUcated woe, we can form fome faint idea of what our blefTed Saviour pndured, when he was betrayed by one Apoftle, denied by another, balcly c ' - ferted by all. Yet this he underwent for our fakes : and can we not then be co.. tent to partake of his fufFerings ? Can we not, by the affiftance of divine grac c\ be calm and patient, be meek and fub- miflive, as he was ? We are not called on to fuftain the conflidl without his ad. The Lord, even the moft mighty Cv :. hath fpoken, *' / will never leave /-. *, nor 288 * l!he Foundation of Chrljlian Hops. SERM. norforfake thee^ Can a man forget his ^^--v~' benefa6lor, his patron, his proteftor ? Yes, they may forget ; but thy Protec- tor, thy Patron, thy Benefaftor, will not forget thee. If thou faint in the day of adverfity, thy flrength is fmall. God is ftill thy Father, O Chriftian, though they whom thou haft loved be ignorant of thee — though they whom thou haft benefited acknowlege thee not, God is ftill thy Father, thy Redeemer, J^is name is from everlafting. V. '' Bleffed is he who trufteth in the Lord, and whofe hope the Lord is." We have a confli6l to fuftain ; and it will require all our confidence, all our faith, to enable us to endure it. We muft walk through the valley of the lliadow of death. If we have made God our friend, if we have remembered our Crea-^ tor in the days of our youth — have of- fered thankfgivings unto God in our profperity — hcive paid oiir vo.ws unto the Moft ^he Foundation of Chrijlhvi Hope. 289 Mod High — then, if we call upon him serm. in the time of trouble, he will hear us, v^' and we lliall praile him. But unto the ungodly faith God, " Becaufc 1 have called, and ye refufcd — I have ftretched out my hands, and ye have not regard- ed — I alfo will laugh at your calamity ; I will mock when your fear cometh — when your fear cometh as defolation, and your defl:ru6lion cometh as a whirl- wind — when diftrefs and anguilh cometh upon you I" Here then at leall it mud: be owned, that allrefources ofconfolationfail us, but fuch as are drawn from God. Philofophy cannot calm the expiring fpirit* An in- fidel is a wretched companion, when the foul is about to depart from its earthly manfion, when there is but one llep betwixt us and death. Then it is, that our hope in Chrift fuflains us under ail our forrows- — alleviates our pains — -bids us forget the troubles of the moment, becaufe they are only a pathway t^o our glory — tells us, that God is our friend, U aiid igo TLe Foundation of Chrijlian Hope, ^xfv*' ^^^ ^^^ y^o^ High God our Redeemer — ^^— v--^ that we have no danger to apprehend, no evil to fear — that He who hath made and hath fuftained us hitherto will con- tinue ftill to fupport and to deliver us — that he will never leave us^ nor forfaka us : but will make his ftrength perfeft in our weaknefsj even in our laft agonies — ' in the hour of death — in the day of judgment. "I have loved thee (faith an illuftrious faint of God) I have ferved thee, and now I come unto thee, O my Saviour ! Thou haft called unto thee thofe that labour and are heavy laden : thou haft promifed to give them reft. O bleiTed exchange, when the foul will be fummonedfrom this vain and fieeting^ world to the fociety of kindred fpirits, of angck, and juft men made perfedt, when giory and immortality will be her attendants, and her habitation the pa- lace of the King of kings I This will be a life worth dying for indeed. Thus to exift, though but in profpedl, is' joy, glad« nefs, tranfport, cxt^fy I Fired with the view The Foundation cfChriJilan Hope. 29 1 View of this tranfccndent happinefs, and st-,rm. triumphant in Chris-tian mope, how is ^ — ..— ^ it poffibie to forbear cryinj^ out, '' O De&th, why art thou fo long in coming ? why tarry the wheels of thy ehariot ?" With profpects hke thcfe, what have we to fear? What, but our own ui:- worthinefs,our ownimperfe6lion, frailty, tad infirmity — leit we fall from our itedfaftnefs, and eeafe to become fit objefts of divine mercy ? Againft a danger like this we have need of all our caution, all our moft vigilant ex- ertions; And here we muft imnlore the affiftance of our God, that he ivould profper the work of his own hands -^ that having begnu what is good in us, he would perform it unto the day of Jefus Chrift — that tic, who hath promifcd to be with us even to tlie end of the world, would keep us from falling, and prefent us faultlefs in the prefence of his glory with exceeding joy — • U 3 that. ^9 2 7/6^ Foundation of Chrijlian Hope, SERM. that, becaufe through the weakncfs of XIV. our mortal nature we can do no good thing without his continued prefence, he would " grant us the help of his gra^^.c, that in keeping his commandments we may pleafe him both in will and deed, through Jefus Chrift our Lord." Amen. SERMON XV. THE PROMISE OF CHRISTIAN HOPE. U 3 SERMON [ 295 ] SERMON XV. THE PROMISE OF CHRISTIAN HOPE. MICAH ii.— lo. ** Arife ye^ and depart— for thh is ;;—^ walkeft through the fire, thou {halt not be burned, neither fliall the flame kindle upon thee. " Take comfort, take com-' *' fort, O my people^" faith your God. While we meditate with fervent gra- titude on declarations foothing and gracious as thefe — whilft we contrafl the happinefs of a future and eter- nal ftatc of being with our temporal forrows and fufFerings, we are, for a feafon, carried *' out of the body *.'* We dwell, with fond anticipation, on the hour of our departure. A blaze of fuch unutterable glory fhines round about us, that, like the celebrated Convert^ when we v/ould open our eyes to tlic oc- currences of life, we find that they have loft their perceptive powers. But He who points out to us thefe fublime afpirations, does at the fame time direct * 1 Cor. xii. ly 3, and The Promtfe of Chrl/lian Hope, 305 and regulate their ardours. It is good ^^-.^^l- for a man, that his treafure, and his '^l^ heart, be in heaven — but it is good alfo that he tarry the Lord's leifure, and truft fubmiflively to the difpenfation of His wife Providence. "All the days of my ** appointed time," faid the great exem- plar of patience, " all the days of my *^ appointed time will I wait, till my ^' change come." But admonitions of a far different kind are perhaps more frequently neccHary. Too often, when our minds are op- prefTed with forrow, Faith, the guardian of the foul, finks into a lethargic kind of flumber, and Sin, coming hand in hand, with Mifery, cafts deadly ingre- dients into the medicinal cup, which was prepared for us to drink. While we feel, by fad experience, that " this is not our reft," we forget, what it is of theutmoit <:onfequence we fliould remember, tliat there remaineth a rdl: for the people of X 3 Ggd, x\ lo 'iT/je Promlfe of Chrljlian Hop^. SERM. God. And can we then be ignorant of the proper objecl of our hopes and de- fires ? Can we fink under the preflure of forrow, when wc might afpire after, and prepare ourfelves for, the feUcity of faints, the feciety of angels, the prefence of God ? Can we fuffer our thoughts to abide proilrate on the earth, when they might take wing, and fly up to heaven ? Why fhould we abandon our-^ felves to defpondency, when the God of hope would fill us with joy and peace in believing ? Why fhould we fuflfer our whole attention to be engrofied by the forrows and anxieties of a perifhable world ? Why fhould we not cherifh the bleflings vouchfafed to us, perform the duties enjoined by our gracious Maf- ter, and look for permanent happinefs to that blefled country whither we ^re going? r O let us fear, my beloved brethren, left, a promife being left us of entering into that The Promifc of Chrijlian Hope. 3 1 1 that reft, any of ns, through careleirnefs '^^™* or unbelief, fliould come fhort of it. Let ^ — ^. us hold faft our profeflion witliout wavering. Let us phicc our confidence and our reliance on the promifes of God. Above all, let us not, by our own wilful depravity, cancel the precious privileges of redemption, nor abandon our inefti- mable hope, for the horrible defilements of fin. When the bright profpedl of immortal glory is prefented to our view, Ihall we choofe death rather than life, and dcfperately plunge ourfelves into the abyfs of fenfuality ? Shall we, O fliame! lie grovelling amidft the pollutions of Egypt, and tafte its unhallowed meats, when we might partake of the celcftial manna, and be fed with angel's food ? Shall we obftinately linger in this waftc howling wildernefs, wherein are ferpents and fcorpions, and drought ; fuffering the river of God, which is full of water, to flow, untafted and unheeded, by us ; ;;nd defpifing the land of promifc, our X 4 heavenly J I % The PrGmife of Chriflian Hope, heavenly inheritance ? If fuch is our fatal depravity, let us at leaft open our eyes to its confequences — let us remem- ber, that the mefiage of God, by his prophet, inftead of awakening comfort in the bofom, will to us be a meffage af lamentation, and mofurning, and woe ! O terrible voice of mod jufi: judgement, when to the call, '' Arife^ and depart ^'^ fhall be annexed this tremendous fen- tence, that doom of the enemies of God, Arise ye, to receive your Father's curfe— • Depart, from the prefence of the Al- mighty. Look not towards the bright manfions of immortal glory. This is not your reft. The wicked fhall be turned into hell, and all the people that forget God. Does the heart of the finner tremble within him ? Is he appalled by a {Qnio of Confcious guilt, and by the terrors of the: wrath of God? Let him feek the face of him from whorn he hath deeply revolted The Promife tf ChnJlJan Hope. revolted — let him turn unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, imd to our God, for he will abimd«mtly par- don. Let him trull; to fhe atonement made by Chrlft, to tl>e blood of that immaculate Lamb who was flain to be the propitiation for our fins. To-day, even now, hear his voice, and harden not your hearts. For thus fpe^iketh the word of Eternal Mercy — thus fpcaketh He, who once came to fave, and who will hereafter came to judge, the world : ^^ Arife ye, and depart from the death ^' of fin, unto the life of rightcouihefs! ^' Repent, and turn yourfelvcs from all ♦* your tranfgreffions, fo iniquity fliall ^' not be your return ^ Caft away from *' you all your tranfgrefllons whereby " ye have tranfgrefled, and make you a *' new heart and a new fpirit. I have ** no pleafurp in the death of him that ^^ dieth, faith the Lord God : wherefore *' turn yourfelves, and live ye !" 4 He 3^4 "Tie Proynifc of Chrlji'tan Hope. ^Iv!^* ^^ ^""^'"^^ teftifieth thefe things faitb^ V — ^ " Surely I come quickly. Amen." Even so come, Lord Jesus ! SERMON ERMON XVI. THE CHRISTIAN'S WARFARE, SERMON [ 3^7 ] SERMON XVL THE CHRISTIAN'S WARFARE. JOB i.— 6, y. Now there was a day, when the fons of God caim to prefcnt themfches bcjorc the Lord, and Satan came alfo among them. And the Lord /aid unto Satan, <« Whence '•' come/ thour" Then Satan anf:juered the Lord, and /aid, " From going to " AND FRO IN THE EARTH, AND FROM *' WALKING UP AND DQWN IN IT." VV ITH what imprcffions of revcrcn- serm. tial awe does the foul (borne on the wings ^^^ 3i8 The Chrifiian's IVarfare. ^^^' of infpiration), fee vifions of high myf- '^— V — ^ tery, when we are introduced as it w^ere into the courts of Heaven, and partici- pate in the counfels of God ! But when we behold that great and dreadful Adverfary, whofe delight is in our mifery, whofe obje£l is our irretriev- able ruin — when wx behold him ad- mitted into the prefence of Jehovah, fearfulnefs and trembling taketh hold of us, and an horrible dread is ready to everwhelm us. Having no power of ourfelves to help ourfelves, no means whereby we may oppofe or counteract the devices of the enemy, we fliould give up all for loft — the cloud of eternal w^oe would burft over us — could we not run, as to a ftrong tower, to the proteftion of our God. If God be for us, even Satan cannot prevail againft us. He may affault our faith — he may make trial of our virtue — but the Almighty will not leave us in his hand ; the Lord will The Chn/Ijan*s Warfare. 319 will not utterly fail his people, nor for- skuTvT. fake his inherit;:nce. Thou, O blclTcd "— v--^. Jefus, art our refuge — thou alone art the ftrength of our confidence The very devils are fubjed iinio us through thy name. They know thee, who thou art, O thou Holy One of God, and they tremble at thy power. Protected by thine omni- potent arm, we fhall quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. Thy voice will fpeak com.fortably unto us, as it did to thy chofen difciples: "Behold, I give *' you power to tread on ferpents and *^ fcorpions, and on all the power of *' the enemy ; and nothing fhall by any " means hurt you." But be it remembered, that it is only the aid of God that we can conquer. Were we left to our own infufficient powers, the Deltroyer would find us an eafy prey ; the Son of wickednefs would triumph in our o\ erthrow. What then have nottheytofear,who,inn:ead of flying Y 3 to 320 7 he Chrijiian^s V/arJars. SERM. to the Almighty for fupport againfl the ^^^^ enemy of their eternal peace, add rebel- lion to tliCir fin — become confederates With the powers of darknefs, and lift up their voices aga.nft God ? What horrors are prefented to our view, when this trem ndous agency is employed for the judicial pi;ni{hnent of guilt- — when Satan himi'elf becomes an initrument in the hand of a juft God to pour down vengeance and fury on the impenitent ! " I faw the Lord," faith the intrepid prophet *, *' 1 law the Lord fittiug ou his throne, and all the hoft of heaven {landifig by him, on his right hand and on his left. And the Lord faid, " Who fhall perfuade Ahab, that he may go up and tall at Ramoth Gilead ?" And one faid on this manner, and another^ faid on that manner. And there came forth . a fplrit, and flood before the Lord, and faid, '' 1 wiil perfuade him. — for I will y^ be a lying >pirit in the mouth of all his * I Kings xxii. 19. '' pro- The Chriji}an\ IVarfare, o 21 prophets." You arc no Grangers to the sfrm. event. It was luch as might be expecl- ^— y— ' ed, where the Authoi or evl, inftead of being reftrained from hib pur; oles by the Almighty, was empower.!, was commijftoned, to deftroy. Ahab hear- kened to the fervants of Baal — he dcfpi- fed the true prophet — he fet at nought the counfel of God. For this caufe God fent him a ftrong delufion chat he might believe a lie: and he, who had often fhed man's blood, became fubjecl to the law of eternal juilice, and by man his blood was Ihed. The fa6t then is certain, and incontro- vertible, that there is, in the unieen world (the exiftence of which no one doubts, who has either the faith of a chriftian, or the common fenie of a man) a reftlefs, active, mahgnant Spirit*. * See Wilberforce, § II. 2. Y 4 A^d The Chrijlians Warfare. And it is no lefs certain, that this malignant Spirit is permitted to direct his weapons of warfare, fundry and manifold as they are, againft mankind : but in the exercife of this power he is tinder the fupreme coutroul of Almighty God, The word " Satan'* in its' original fenfe fignifies an accufer. It is of the fame meaning and import with the Greek term, from which we call our fpiritual i\dverfary " the Devil;' whom the infpired Apoltle and Evangelift dc^ fcribes under the name of " the Accufer of the brethren, which accufeth them before our God day and night." In that portion of facred hiftory which I am now fubmittino; to vour confideration, we behold him in the immediate dif« charge of his office. Envious at the felicity of an holy and blamelefs faint of God, he forms a projeft to overturn that felicity — to caft the patriarch into thg The Chrijliari s Warfare. 323 the furnace of affli£lion, in hopes that ^^,^J^^- Av i. by this means the gold might lo!'e a "" — v— ^ part of its luftre — that the pcile6l and upright man might fall from nis (led- faftnefs, and fin againft God — that, o\'er- come by the feverity of his iiifFrnngs, the candidate for immortality might be difappointed of bis mod precious hope. To this day, to this hour, the obJc£l ofx)ur enemy is the fame. Still does he feek to deprive mankind of the favour of God, and to blot their names out of the book of life. To this end, he is to the righteous a fpirit of arrog nee and preJumpU07i% raifing them to the giddy elevations of pharifaical pride, that he may call them down headlong. To the inconftant and wavering he is a fpirit of doubt and perplexity ; at his fuggeltions, . fcruples and difficulties bewilder their thoughts, and ftumbling-blocks are fet for them in every path. To the worldly- Aiinded he is a fpirit of eager and infa- tiabic 524 '^be Chrijiian's JVarJare. SERM. tiable de/ire^ eftran2:inii>; them from their XVI. ^ ^ . ^— ^, — ^ better hope by the riches and pleafures of this vain hfe. To the timid and faint- hearted he is a fpirit of terror and alurm. He reprefents the Almighty, not as tlie Father of mercies, not as the Friend and Preferver of men, but as merely an avenger to execute wrath — ah hard and auftere mafter, a cruel and revenge- ful tyrant, the foe to human happinefs. To the fallen he is a fpirit oi defpair. He calls a dark and gloomy veil over their eyes, concealing from their view, as much as poffible, the tender mercies of God our Saviour, who would not that any ihould perifh ; but that all fhould come to repentance. As the holy apoftle was in things pertaining to godlinefs, fo is Satan in works of a malicious tenden- cy : " He is all things to all men, that he may by all means gain fome." And having fucceeded in his wily ftratagems, having cauied the fmner to fall by that fin which did moft eafily befet him — when The Chrijlians IVarfare. 3^5 when man has hftened to the pcftilent ^|y^* arts of the great Seducer, and has pe- ^ rilhed in his tranigreflion — the evilfpirit will hereafter be ready, with inahgnant alacrity, to execute thofe judgments which await the impenitent offender. He, who was the means of bringing fm- ner;s to the place of torment, will then be the infcrument of inflicting on them the vengeance of that God whom they renounced, provoked, and blafphemed. This power of Satan, his hatred to mankind, his inceflant and cruel aftivity, gave rife to that folemn injunftion de- livered by the holy apoftlc with fo much earneftnefs to his converts : " Be *' fober," faith he, " be vigilant; becaufe ** your adverfary the devil, as a roaring " lion, walketh about, fceking whom he *' may devour : whom rcfifi^ f^if^J^ ^^^ «' thefoMbr Why 226 ^he Chriftian's Warfare. \\\. ' Why this principle of evil is permitted ^^ — v- — ' by Heaven to exift, and why mankind are under its dreadful influence, is a niyfter3/ known only unto God. Wc dare not, we cannot, inveftigate it. We adore in humble lubmiffion that all- gracious Providence, which, while the danger is near us, points out the remedy — bids us be refolute in the conteft ; and tells us what Will be the fearful doom of thofe who fuffer themfelves to be vanquillied by the enemy of their fouls. " The '' fame fhall drink of the wine of the " wrath of God, which is poured out *'' without meafure into the cup of his '-'- indignation; and they fhall have no ^' reit day nor night ; but the fmoke of " their torment ihall afcend up for ever *^ and ever." On the contrary, if v/c follow the example of our Saviour Chrift — if, like him, we rebuke the malignant fpirit, fay- ing, ' Get thee hence, Satan ! 1 will wor- ** ihip the Lord my God, and Him only ** will i fcrve," thenv/e are affured that the The Chrifiiaiis Warfare. 327 the devilwill leave us; andthat inhis flead serm. angels fhall come and minifter unto us. XV i, •o Of the hiftory of the immaterial world we know no more than the Spirit of God hath been pleafed to re- veal. For further information we mult wait with patience till that hour, which fliall bring to light the hidden things of darknefs, and fliall make manifeft the counfels of eternal wifdom. In the mean time we are given to underftand, that among the angels, created by God, there were feme who daringly rebelled againft the fuprcme power of Jehovah. There was war i?iHeiive?i, The Almighty, in his juft indignation, puniflied the offending fpirits for their prefamption ; difmilTed them for ever from the. habi- tations of his holinefs and of his glory, and configned them to thofe regions of woe, where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. When m.an was created in the image of God, was placed 3-S The Chriparis IVarfarc. SERM. XVI. placed in Paradife, and was in a ftate of preparation for future glories of a more exalted nature, then ,we are told, that " through envy of the devil fin entered in- to the world." The tempter then began, and purfued with fatal fuccefs, his work of deftruclion. In direft oppofition and defiance to the behefts of heaven, our firft parents liftened to the fpecious pro- mifes of the feducer. They fell, and the ruin w^as great ; for with them fell a world. Then was the curfe poured upon them and upon their children, the w^retched heirs of tranfgreffion and for- row. And we fliould have remained in a ftate of condemnation, without the poflTibility of recovery, had not the Son of God, in the fulnefs of time, by his death deftroyed him that had the power of death, even the devil, and by his refurreclion reftored to mortals the hope of everlafting life. Having "the ChrtJliarCs Warfare. 329 Having confidcred the inveterate ^™j^; enmity of Satan, and its dreadful con- ^ — /—^ . fequcnces, we find ourfelves at a lofs for words in which to exprefs our artonifli- ment and concern, that this great obje6t of a mortal's fear and deteftation, this mighty and revengeful fpirit, full of all malice and hatred, who is fuffercd by God to wage war againft the bodies and fouls of men, to caufe prefent mifery, and to inflict future punifhmcnt — that this author of fpiritual and temporal evil fhould gain fuch an aicendancy over the minds of unhappy m^ortals, that they both think and fpeak lightly of eternal woe ; diveft themfelves of thofc fenfations of horror which they ought ever to entertain on a fubjeel fo tremendous, and are even fo infatuated as to m.ake a mock at fin and mifery — nay, to connc6l ideas of frantic jefting vv^ith the name of the enemy of their fouls — with a fubje£l of all olhets the moit awful and alarming ! In 330 ^he Cbrijlian's JVaifard. SERM. In fome cafes indeed the adverfan^' XVI v-ZJ^ proceeds ftill further ; and contrives to perfuade the poor deluded finner that he may walk in fafety along the path of tranfgreffion, affuring him, that there is no truth in what has been aflerted of the exiftcnce of an evil fpirit, or of a place of future torment : that thefe are the dreams of fuperftition — the idle chimeras of enthufiafm — pjd and explo- ded fables, fit to terrify weak and bigotted minds, but unworthy of any reception among the philofophic and the wife. This is one of the rnoft artful of all the ftratagems of Satan. When the heart of man is once lulled to lleep by the opiate of unbelief, all is eafy. No ftings of confcience remain, no tortures of lelf-reproach, no fear, no falutary remorfe. The wretched offender plun- ges without fcruple into all the excefles of guilt — he follows the propenfities of his corrupt mind, and confiders not that for all thefe things God will bring Q him The Chrijllan' s Warfare. jj^l him into iudo;ment. Thus the fubtle ^^^}i^' . XVT. poifon,difguifcd by careful conceahnent, ' — v — ' penetrates unfufpcfted into the veins, and drinketh up the fpiritto its deftruc- tion. My bretliren, you are not ignorant of the devices of your adverfary. It is your bounden duty to guard with unre- mitting vigilance every inlet of your hearts. Sufpect yourfelves. Examine carefully into the ftale of your fouls* Look v/ell if there be any way of wicked- nefs in you — any unhallowed inmate lurking in your bofoms : for the malig- nant enemy, who in the days of our forefathers walked to and fro in the earth, ftill continues to purfue us with unabated fury. He faints not, neither is he weary in evil-doing. He was a deceiver from the bei>innino; of time : he will continue to deceive, till the earth is razed from its fondations. As he faid to the firft victims of his trca- Z chcrv. 33 2 1^^ Chrijiians Warfare. SERM. chery, fo faith he to us all in the hour XVI v.,.^^ of temptation, *' Ye fhall not die.'* But what faith the Almighty ? '^ The *' foul that fmneth, itjhall die." How often are the declarations of heavenly truth difregarded ! How often are the lying oracles of Satan liftened to with avidity ! Whenever your perverfe in- clinations lead you to evil, be affured that you are the immediate objedls of his accurfed defigns. When you go aftray in the paths of intemperance and uncleannefs — when you are carried away by the violence of your angry paffions, and your too ready tongue gives utter- ance to curfes and execrations — when you deceive, and flander, and defraud, and betray — when you opprefs and per- fecute your neighbour — when in any inftance you tranfgrefs the laws of the Almighty — when you profane the facred reft of the Sabbath of God, and negle6l to affemble yourfelves together in the plac-e where his honour dwellcth — when you 'The Chr'ifiion's Warfare. 333 you wilfully abftain from the Lord's stjim. table, and feparate yourfelves from your ^ — -^^ \ brethren, who come to feed on the ban- quet of that heavenly food— in all, or in any of thefe inftances of depravity, your fouls are as furely under the influence of the evil fpirit, as was the body of the poor doemoniac in the gofpel, who wandered on the mountains or amongft the tombs, naked, bleeding, frantic, defperate, crying, and cutting himfelf with ftones* But there is yet another method, whereby the enemy of mankind beguiles unftable fouls to their deftrudlion. I mean, the fatal artifice, which gives fond and flattering names to notorious vices ; thereby confounding the diftinc- tions between good and evil, and divert- ing mankind of the horror which they ought to entertain at the violation of their duty to God. The diabolical and molt lanchriftian fpirit of anger and revenge, Z 2 which 334 "The Chrtjliari s Warfare. ^xvj^* which termuiates in bloodflied and "^--v-^ murder, and fends many a wretched foul, unprepared, into the prefence of an offended God, is difguifed with the high-founding title of honour. The bafe and infamous violation of the dearefb ties by which human fociety is holden, tiesi which the Author of our being con- fecrates with bis bleffing, and on which all domeftic happinefs depends — this atrocious wickednefs is diftinguii'hed by the name of gallantry : and the crimi- nal, inftead of meeting with difcourage- nient and reprobation from the world, partakes as largely of its fmiles and its favour, as if he were a pattern of every focial virtue. That thoughtlefs and fatal diffipation, which configns to poverty and diftrefs the gamefter's inno- cent family — that extravagance, which, not content with fimple ruin, entails complicated mifery on all thofe with whom the libertine is connected, is termed a fyftcm of y/)/V/V, and gaiety. And that gloomy XVI. The Cbrijllan^ Way-far c, ooc gloomy infidelity, which tends to rob serm. us of our heavenly treal'ure, and to do away our hope of redemption through a Saviour's atonement (that hope, with- out which life is a burden, and death an infupportable torment), is by the ufages of a corrupt world celebrated as the perfedtion of wtjdoni^ liberality^ and fhilofophy. With fuch fatal fuccefs doth the Tempter go to and fro in the earth — fo triumphantly walketh he up and down in it ! The wiles of Satan are infinite in their number ; his power is great and very terrible : but the Chriftian mud not therefore confider his own fituation as defperate. He cannot be ignorant, that there is an omnipotent arm, able to check the mighty foe in the midft of his career, and to deliver the prey from his rapacity. In the holy book from whence my text is taken, wc have a proof of that fuprcme controul, by Z 3 which g^6 Ti)e Chrijiiat^s Warfare. SERM. which the adverfary is limited in the K^i^l^ execution of his purpofes. '' Hitherto Ihalt thou come," faith the voice of God, '' and no further" — here fhall thy pride and thy malignity be flayed. On him/elf lay not thme hand I and after- wards, T^ouch not his life. The myfteries of the invifible world are as yet hidden from our eyes ; but, while we are befet by many fpiritual dangers, we rejoice in a fenfe of the divine protection, and of the mimftry of thofe celeftial guardians, who, unknown and unfeen, watch over us for our good. When an hoft of men encamped againft Elilha, and the heart of his attendant was filled with terror and apprehenfion, the prophet had re- Gourfe to his God. The prayer of faith opened the eyes of the young man : he beheld, and, lo ! the mountain on which he ftood was covered with horfcs and chariots of fire, and the hea- venly hoft was feen, forming an invinci- ble rampart around his mafter. As it was '-Ilje Chrijiian's Warfare. 337 SER?.I was in the days of Elifha, fo is it now ; xvi." fo fhall it be alfo, even unto the end of "^ the world. Fear not therefore, O Chriftian ! Thou that putteft thy trufl: in the Lord, fear not ! They that are for us are more, and mightier, than thofe which are againji us. Yet muft we be aware, that the guar- dianfhip of Angels will not afford us prote6lion, if we are deficient in our own exertions. Ours is a warfare, a combat, on which more than our exift- ence depends ; in its event ftill dearer in- terefts are involved. Eternal life is the high prize of our viftory. That we may obtain it, we muft wreftle againft the principalities and powers of dark- nefs — we muft remember, that " no man that warreth entangleth himfelf with the affairs of this life" — we muft contend againft fpiritual wickednefs — we muft be fober and vigilant — we muft put on the whole armour of God. Z 4 I« XVI. 23S 'fhe Chrijlian's: Warfare. sp:rm. In this ftate of inceflant hoftility with the powers of darkneis, we muft look unto the Author and Finilher of our faith, the Captain of our falvation- He was the promifed '^' feed of the woman" who, by bruifing the ferpent's head, fliould bring redemption unto a fallen world. To efFe6t this work of mercy, he difdained not to quit for a feafou the throne of his glory. By his holy miniftr}% by his amazing miracles, the power of Satan was overthrown. Armed with the facred oracles of God, the bleffed Jefus triumphed glorioufly ; and He who was himfelf tempted, is able to fuccour them that are tempted. Through Him we fhall do great a6ls ; it is He that fhall tread down our enemies. " For this purpofe the Son of God was mani- fefted, THAT HE MIGHT DESTROY THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL.'* SERMON :tr SERMON XVII. THE CHRISTIAN'S DEFENCE. t 341 3 SERMON XVII, THE CHRISTIAN'S DEFENCE. PSALM xci. 3. / will fay of the Lord, " He is my refuge, ** and my fortrefs — my God — in Him will ''Jtrujir Wi HEN the apoftles, alarmed by sekm, the furrounding tempeft, haitily awoke *s-^ their Lord from that tranquil fleep in which they beheld him, the Saviour of mankind firfl demonllrated his fo- 3 vercign 543 T^he CbriJiMJi's Defence, ^J^}'}' vereign power over the elements by ap- ^— v^ peafmg the ftorm, and then gently re- buked his too timid followers : " Why ^' are ye fo fearful ? How is it that ye ^' have no faith V When, in another inftance, the im- patient zeal of Simon Peter had led him to an enterprize of the moft imminent danger, and he afiayed to walk upon the pathlefs waves, that he might meet his Lord, Jefus put forth his hand, and caught him as he was finking into the abyfs of waters, adding thefe remarkable words, *' O thou of little faith ^ wherefore '' didft thou doubt?" From thefe two fignal examples, and from many others w^hich might be ad- duced, it appears, that we are more apt to be afraid, in proportion as we are lefs difpofed to believe — that fear is a be- traying of the fuccours which Religion^ as well as Reofon^ oiFereth — and that a fenfe Tihe Chnjlians Defence. 24J fenfe of the divine protection is the serm. ftrongefl fupport wc can experience in ^ , * the trials and temptations of this pre- carious world. The Courage, therefore, which it in- fpires, is among the befl: privileges which Chriftianity confers upon us, as it tends to remove thofe terrors which are with- out foundation, and to fuftain us, when we are encompaflCed by real danger. '' When I am weak, then am I ftrong. " I can do all things, through Chrift, '' which ftreiigthens me. I will fay of *' the Lord, He is my hope^ and my Jlrong •*^ hold — MY God — in hiin will I trujl'" Such is the language of faith upon all occafions where the Chriftian is called on for the exertion of his fortitude. That fortitude does not confid in noify and boifterous exprefliuns of fearlefTnefs, which are far from unequivocal proofs of true courage; it does not confiH: in raflily defying all that can poflibly hap- 2 pen o 44 The Chrijliat^s Defence. XVII. SERM. pen of a dangerous nature : but it Is cool, moderate, and unaffuming ; not apt to fink into defpojidency, or to fwell with prefumption ; and thus, infpiring the believer with fentiments worthy of the hope fet before him, it bears unde- niable teftimony to the excellence, the divinity of its origin. Bleffed is he who hath the God of Jacob for his help, and whofe truft is in the Lord his God. While we reft under his defence, we may be aflured, that, without his efpecial permiffion, no evil fliall happen to us, nor fhall any plague (but for our ultimate good) come nigh our dwelling. We fhall abide under the fhadow of the Almighty. We fhall be fecure under the covert of his wings. He will give his angels charge over us, to keep us in all our ways. Thus fheltered, thus defended, we fhall not be afraid for any terror by night, I'hs Chrijiians Defence, 34^ night, nor for the arrow that flieth by '^^^^^ day. We lliall commit ourfelves chear- '^ — v--^j fully to the divine protection ; afTuredly trufting, that through the day we fhall be preierved from danger ; and that, when we lay us down in peace to take our reft, no enemy fliall be fufFered to interrupt our repofe. The good Shep- herd neither flumbereth nor fleepeth. He " keepeth watch over his flock by *' night." But the eye of the Lord is in every place ; he beholdeth th^ evil as well as the good. His omnifcience penetrates into the counfels of the wicked — there is no darknefs nor fliadow of death where they can hide themfclves from his all-pervading knowlege. Whither can they go from his fpirit, or whither can they flee from his prefcnce ? If they fay in their hearts " Who fceth us ? we are compaficd about with darknefs — what need have we to fear ?" Thefe men know not that the eyes of the Lord arc 2 46 *fhe Cbrijiian*s Defence. SERM. are ten thoufand times brighter than the XVII . v^J!^^ fun, beholding all the ways of man, and confidcring the moft fecret paths *. Nay, if the myfterious purpofe of evil is confined to one bofom, if no lip has revealed the fecret mifchief, yet the Almighty, who knows what is in man, can bring to light the hidden things of darknefs, and punifh with open infamy what has been devifed with cautious fe- crefy. God fcattereth the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He that dwelleth in heaven Ihall laugh them to fcorn — the Lord Ihall have them in de- rifion. Hence it is, that the wicked flee when no man purfueth— while the righ- teous is bold as a lion. Take a re- markable inftance of pious intrepidity, as recorded in the hiftory of holy Nehe- miah. He was employed in a moft im- portant work ; even that of rebuilding the city of Jerufalem, and reftoring the worfhip of the true God. This labour * Eccleliafticus,xxiii. i8, 19. of ^he Chrijl'ians Defence. 347 6f love, performed with the mofl: zealous ^^}}' diligence, railed againft him divers ma- ' — -. — \ licious enemies, who by every means in their power fought his deftruftion. A falfe and treacherous prophet, ap- proaching him while yet his work was unaccomplilhied, endeavoured to fhake his conftancy by communicating intelli- gence of the moft alarming nature* *' Let us naeet together," faith he, " in the houfe of God within the temple, and let us fhut the doors of the temple ; for they will come to flay thee : yea, in the night will they come to Hay thee." This meflage would have filled a weak and timid heart with confternation ; tod would have tempted one Icfs ftrong in the faith to have abandoned the talk of public duty in which he was engaged, that he might confulthis individual fafe- ty. But the holy man, whofe refuge and fortrefs was God, undauntedly replied, ** Should fuch a man as I flee ? And who is there, that, being as I am, A a would 34 S The Chriftians Defence. SERM. would enter into the temple to fave his XVII . v.-J^!lJ life ? I will not go in.'* And lo, faith Nehemiah, ** I perceived that God had not fent him, but that he pronounced this prophecy againft me ; for Sanballat and Tobiah had hired him. Therefore w^as he hired, that I fhould be afraid, and do fo, and fin, and that they might have matter againft me for an evil re- port, that they might reproach me/* Had a meffage of a fimilar nature been received by his wicked and daftardly enemies, it would, in all probability, kave had a very different efFe6t. No bolts would have been deemed fufficiently fecure, no guard fufficiently ftrong, to defend their worthlcfs perfofts from the tlireatened danger. I am far from wifliing to infinuate, that a fenfe of the divine protection fhould make us neglefil the care neceffary for our perfonal fafety. We are not to fit down in torpid i^ac^tivity, prefum-t ing ^he Chr'i[lia?i s Defence, 349 ing on afliftance from above. The skrm. watchman mult be faithful and vigilant, Ji^\iL though we know that, except the Lord keepeth the city, he waketh but in vain* It is no more improper to provide for our own fecurity in cafes of danger, becaufe God is able to protect us, than it is culpable to procure the means of fuftenance for our families, becaufe God could at his pleafure open the windows of heaven, and pour down plenty upon us, or could feed us by miracle, as he fed his prophet Elijah, or the children of Ifrael in the wilder nefs. He bath commanded us to take all meafures con- ducive to our prefervation, which are not inconfiftent with the precepts of his gofpeL It then remains for Him to crown thofe meafures with fuccefs. Without hii aid all our exertions muft be ineffc6tuaL We are to do the utmofl in our power, in full reliance on his mercy ; and are then to caft all our care upon God, knowing that he carcth for us. A a 2 When 35^ I'he ChrifltarCs Defence, ^xvii' When a company of malicious Jews /^ — V— ^ bound themfclves by an horrible oath, that they would neither eat nor drink till they had flain the apoftle of God, the watchful care of Divine Providence difappointed their dark and murderous defign. It became known (how, we enquire not) to thofe who were nearly interefted in the welfare of St. Paul, and who immediately conveyed to him the alarming intelligence. Obferve the fteps taken in confequence of this, by the fer- vant of God. He doth not difmifs the informant with a contemptuous fmile, as defying all that his enemies could de- vife or perpetrate againft him, and reft- ing his defence on God alone. He was aware that this would have been pre- fumption, and not piety. Knowing that his life was of the utmoft importance to the caufe of truth, he im.mediately pre- pares for his fafety — he procures a guard to accompany him in his flight, and is conveyed, under the wings of the Roman Eagle, XVII. " The ChnJ}ia7i i Dcfe?ice, 351 Eagle, from Jerufalcm to Caefarca. A ^}:'})}}' ftronger inftance can hardly be adduced of the propriety, the neccffity, the duty of felf-defence, and the obligation we are under to preferve, by every means in our power, that life which God hath given us for the promotion of his glory. But, while we take this neceffary care, we are to rely entirely on our heavenly Father for that blefling, on which all our exertions muft ultimately depend for fuccefs. The power which imparted life, alone can preferve it. God is the Lord, by whom we efcape death. In him therefore let us put our trult — and, when we are relcued from danger, let us not alfume to ourfelves any merit, as though by our own power or holinefswe had averted the impending calamity — but, being ftrong in the faith, let us give glory to God. How, indeed, can we arrogate to ourfelves any degree of merit ? We are weak and fhort-hghtcd Aa 3 — we 252 The Chrijliari s Defence. SERM. — we fee but a fmall portion of thofe vs,,,.^,^-^ evils which furround us— in many cafes we perceive neither the danger nor the deliverance. In a word, all good pro- ceeds from God ; and no evil can hap- pen without his permiffion. Thus, when Jefus ftood before the Roman Governor, and, feelino; all the confcious dignity of innocence, for a \yhile opened not his facred lips, Pilate cried out, '' Speakeft thou not unto me ? ^ " Knoweft thou not, that 1 have power ^' to crucify thee, and have power to '' releafe thee?" Jefus at length an- fwered, '' l^hou couldjt have no power at ^' all againjl mc^ except it were given thee ^'from above,''' In the exercife of that delegated power we fee at the firft view only oppreffed, injured, bleeding inno- cence — but, on more minute invefliga- tion, we find that thus the f^ilvation of a world \\c\s effected — that our ranfom was paid — that our iniquities were par- doned. The CbriJliarC s Defence. 353 doned. We behold the fufFerings of the ^^^^^^'J^* man Chrift Jefus doing away the fin of ' — ^^-^ many — and the mahce, even of hell it- felf, made fubfervient to the purpofes of divine mercy. The eternal Son of God was made a curfe for us, that he miglit re- deem us from the curfe of the law, and tranflate us to the bleflings of his heaven- ly kingdom. To forefee the end from the beginning • — to underftand at one view the vail feries of events, whereby all things, however apparently evil, w^ill ultimately produce and work out univerfal good — this is the prerogative of Omnifcience alone. Such knowlege is too wonderful and excellent for man — he cannot attain unto it. Here the chriftian mufl not count himfelf to have apprehended '^ ; but this one thing he may do. Dif- miffing all corrofive anxiety, and hulh- * See Flalippians iii. — 13. A a 4 ing 354 Tb^ Chrijiiaris Defence. xvn^' ^^^S ^ ^^ tumults of the foul to peace, ""— v--^ he may fay of the Lord, ''He is my God.'* The form is brief and fimple — but in jthe privilege to which it refers, what bleflings are comprifed ! In that one word of mighty efficacy, what hope, what comfort, what joy is included I While with reverence and admiration we contemplate the perfeclions of God, with tranfport unutterable w^e feel our own happy intereft in them all. While we dwell on that name, which is great, wonderful, and holy, we remember with delight that as his majefty is, fo i$ his mercy. While with hearts poffefTed by reverential awe we meditate on the divine attributes, we apply their glo- rious influence to ourfelves — we honour him, as he is God — we rejoice and are glad in him, as he is oyR God. In this relation we view in him all that the imagination can conceive or the foul defire of perfect good — all that zeal cherifhes, or religion adores — all that 2 faitJi The ChriJllarC s Defence* ^SS faith promifes, that hope expe6ts, that sfrm love can realize. We not only behold ^^ almighty power, but we behold that power ever ready to proteft and guard us — not only confummate wifdom, bat that wifdom ever ready to teach and enlighten us — not only unbounded good- pefs, but that goodnefs ever ready to be- friend and fave us. As long as the Chriftian can addreis the Author of all grace by this dear and facred appella- tion — as long as he can fay unto the Lord '* Thou art my God," he feels that his deliverance is completed, that his par- don is fealed, that his joys are hallowed, that his forrows are affuaged, that his wants are fupplicd, that his cry is heard, that his perfon is accepted, that his prayers are anfweredj and that his praife afcends to Heaven. " I will fay of the Lord, He is my refuge and myfortrefs — MY God — in him will I trujiy And 2S(> ^he Cbrijliaii's Defence. ^^yj^' And can we then think too highly, ^ — v-^ my beloved brethren, of that tranfcen- dent mercy, whereby we are enabled to come boldly to the throne of grace, and to make our boaft that God is our Father ? There was a time, in the early ages of Chrifhianity, when the difciples and converts were not permitted to ufe that prayer in which our Saviour teaches us to addrefs the Almighty as a Parent, till they had pafled through a time of previous difciplinc and probation ^. It was deemed a privilege of too high im- port for thofe whofe minds were not well informed in chriftian knowlege, and in the word of eternal life. It v/as referved for them, till, being thoroughly ac- * See this fad ftated in Bingham's ''' Originrs Ec- cleliafticae/' Book J. Chap. 4. § 7. — where the leanied author, in fupport of his aflertion, appeals to the telli- mony of St. Chryfollom f , St. Auguftin +, Theodoret§, and others. Hence the Lord's Prayer was called tv^^^ vnrcov, The Prayer of Believers. f Chryfoft. Horn. 2. in 2 Cor. t Aug. Horn. 29. i3e Verb. Apoft. § Theodor. Epit. Diy. Dogm. c, 24. quainted The Chrijlians Defence. 357 quainted with the principles of the doc- ^J?^^- trine of Chriit, they were judged worthy ^ — .^ to pafs on unto perfection. Then, re- ceived into the full communion of faints, and permitted to join in prayer with their holy brethren, they conlidered themfelves as having gained admittance into the more immediate prefence of God ; as being counted among the num- ber of his children. They prefented themfelves in tlie fan6luary of God, as heirs of the covenant of mercy, and with joy unfpcakable and full of glory they exultingly cried out, " Our Father, '' which art in heaven /" But can vv^e prcfume to call the om- nipotent Lord of Heaven by the endear- ing titles of our Father and our God, if we dare to rebel againft him, and to provoke him by our difobedience ? No. As long as we continue in fin, we muft expea, not his patronage and favour, but, what we juftly deferve, his fevere dif- 358 The Chrijlian's Defence. SERM. difpleafure. This difpleafure is often IC V T T v....,^^ mercifully iliewn in lefTer inltanc'es, be- fore it proceeds to greater and more alarming judgments. And when we fuf- fer aught, it is the confequence of our own offences, not of his want of power, or of goodnefs. *' Behold, the Lord's " hand is not fliortened that it cannot *' fave, neither his ear heavy that it can- *' not hear ; but your iniquities have *' Separated between you and your God, *' and your fins have hid his face from ** you, that he will not hear." O let us labour to have fuch an intereft with our God, that we may enjoy all the benefit, all the high privilege of his Fatherly care ! Let us lift up our hearts with our hands unto God in the heavens, and implore fuch a meafure of his grace, that we may ferve him acceptably, and, as far as is permitted to weak and imperfect mortals, may defcrve his bleffed protection ! In The Chrljian's Defence: 359 In the mean time, as he " declareth ^^y^[* *' his almighty power moft chiefly in ^ — v — \ *' fliewing mercy and pity," let us truft implicitly in Him, and rcfign ourfelves entirely to his divine Providence. Let a fcnfe of his goodnefs to us create fuch love towards him, as may be at once the eflTedl of pad mercies, and the caufe of future. " Bccanfe he hath fet his *' love upon me," faith God of his fer- vant, " therefore will I deliver him — " I will fet him up, becaufe he hath ** known my name." For the watchful eye of Heaven, which looketh on all, looketh w^th peculiar favour and loving-kindnefs onthofev»ho think on the Lord v/ith a good heart, and in fimplicity of heart leek him. He will be found of them that tempt him not, and he fheweth himfclf unto fuch as do not diftruft him ^\ Various are the terrors of the night ; and manifold are the perils of the day ; but the Chriflian * Wil'd, i. I, 2. is j6o ^he Chnjiian s Defence^ SERM. is under the protection of his God. He V — ^ faith unto the Lord, '^ Thou art my re- " fuge and my fortrefs — my God — in *' thee will I truft. I will love thee, O *' Lord, my ftrength — the Lord is my " ftrong rock and my defence, my Sa- " viour, my God, and my might, my *' buckler, the horn alfo of my faivation, " and my high tower." I fnall leave upon your minds the words of the bleffcd Pfalmift, who in the circumftances of his various life, ex- emplified (perhaps beyond all other mor- tals) the fuperintending Providence of God, and the bleffing of his heavenly fuccour : '' The Lord is my light and my fal- *^ vatlon — whom then fhall 1 fear r The *' Lord is the ftrength of my life — of ** whom then fhali I be afraid ? When " the wicked, even mine enemies and "-^ my foes, came againft me to eat up I *' my The Chriparis Defence. 361 *' my flefh, they ftumblcd, and fell. skum. *' Thoughanhoftof menwerelaidagainft ^ " me, yet fhall not my heart be afraid ; '* and though there rofe up war againfl *' me, yet will I put my truft in Him. For *' in the time of trouble he fhall hide me *' in his pavilion — in the fecret place of '* his dwelling Ihall he hide me, and let ^' me up upon a rock of ftone. There- ** fore will I offer in his tabernacle an " oblation of great joy ; I will fing, yea, '' I will fmg praifes unto the Lord T' SERMON SERMON XVIIL THE CHRISTIAN'S JOY. B b SERMON [ 3^5 ] SERMON XVIII. THE CHRISTIAN'S JOY. (t MATTHEW xiv.--27. Be of good cheer — it is J — be not «^ afraid r JN EVER was that gracious voice |^if uttered, but for the benefit, the comfort, ^^--v— ' the inftruction of its hearers. In all fituations and circumftances of hfe, but more efpecially in cafes of perplexity, of danger, of forrow, the words of Chrifl; B b 2 brini: 7 he ChriJliarCs Joy. ^i^^J- bring joy, and confolation, and hope, and peace. The unbounded love of our com- paflionate Saviour led him to weep for his perlecutors — to pray for his mur- derers. Can we wonder then, that in a peculiar manner he was interefted for thole whom he was wont to diftinguifli by the endearing appellation of *' friends" and " brethren:'* that in all their affli-v---^ the darknefs." What forrows, what fufFerings can be compared to this extremity of anguifh ? The fpirit of a man may fuftain his infir- mities, but a wounded fpirit who can bear ? For wickednefs, condemned by her own witnefs, is very timorous ; and, being preffed with confcience, always fore-cafteth grievous things. Yet is there hope, even in this cafe, O thou difcon- folate finner. Liften to the voice of thy God ! '' Come now, faith he, and let us reafon together — though your fins be as fcarlet, they iGiall be white as fnow — though they be red like crimfon, they fhall be as wool. Jesus Christ died ON THE CROSS TO SAVE SINNERS. By his death he made a full, perfeft, ancj fufficient facrifice, oblation, and fatif- faftion for the fins of the whole world. Ceafe to do evil — learn to do well — believe on the Lord Jefus Chrift with all thine heart, and be faved." Thus, ^he Chnjliafis joy. 07^ Thus (through the tender rr.crcy of ^J-^^^. our God) a fenfe of fin, if it be accom- ^^''^^^' panied with faitli and repentance, is fpeedily followed by the blefled promifes of peace and pardon. Scarcely does the offender in the bitternefs of his foul cry out, " O zvretched man that I am, who Jh all deliver me from the body of this death ?" ere he hears the voice of his compaf- fionate Saviour—" Be of good cheer— it is I— I am he that can, and will, deliver you— I, that fpeak in righteoufnefs, mighty to fave." In an inftant the tumults of his foul are appeafed ; he is filled with joy and peace in believing. " 1 THANK God, he joyfully exclaims, / thank God, through Jefus Chriji our Lordr But perhaps wd have trials of a dif- ferent nature to fuftain. Our enemies opprefs us, and have us in fubjedtion. Be it fo. Others, greater and better than we are, have been called to fimilar C c afflictions. 380 The Chrijiiafi*s Joy. SER]\r. affllcSlions. Let us refle6l how the Royal ^ — J — ' Prophetj the friend and favourite of his God, was encompaffed with an hoft of enemies — how the floods of ungodly men made him afraid ! He cried unto the Lord his God, and gat him to the Lord right humbly. He faw his danger ; he faw from whence only he could expect deliverance. " Save me, O God ! for the waters are come in even unto my Soul. O deliver me from them that hate me, and from the deep waters — let not the water flood drown me, neither let the deep fwallow me up ; and let not the pit fliut her mouth upon me." Such was his prayer ; and the God who heareth prayer gave him an anfwer of peace. And have we then no faith, no hope, no comfort in this fea of troubles, when the tempeft of perfecution and evil-working rages againft us ? If we do that which is evil, our fears are .natural, and unavoidable. " Be afraid^ O thou finner," faith the heavenly monitor, The Chr'ijllajii Joy. 381 monitor, " thou haft toriakcn thine SKinr. own mercy. Divine Juftice, of which — -,^-^ the wicked (though ignorantly and unwilhngly) are ever the minifters *, divine juftice beareth not the iwoid in vain." But if, after a full and fevcre fcrutiny (not made lightly, and after tlie manner of diffemblers) our hearts con- demn us not — if we can lift up our eyes with boldnefs to our God, and recognize his mighty arm in all that beialls us, then may we be of good cheer, and with the ear of faith may hear thefe divine words — '' I, even I, am able to calm the rage and to allay the fury of the opprefTor. I, even I, am he that comforteth thee. Who art thou, that thou ftiouldeft be afraid of a man that lliall die, and of the fon of man, who is as grafs, and forgetteft the Lord thy * rfalm xvii. ij. Seo this pallage of Scripture ad- mirably explained and illultratcd by liic reverend and learned Dr. Gooi)i;NouGn, in his Fali-Scrmon preached before tlic Iloufc of ConHnons, A. D. 1795. C c 2 Redeemer, ^82 The Chr if tan's Joy. ^^^^^' Redeemer, who maketh the waves of ^^— v^ the fea a way for the ranfomed to pafs over, who hath fet a bound to the deep waters of the proud, which they cannot pafs, neither turn again to trou- ble the earth ? Though they tofs them- ' felves, yet fliall they not prevail — though they roar, yet fliall they not pafs over their appointed limits. Comforted and fuftained by thefe blefied affurances, the Chriftian goes on his way rejoicing. Is he poor ? He is rich in faith. Is he Jick ? His heart is whole in his God. Hath h^JInned againft Heaven ? Through the merits of Chrifl imputed to him, his fins are blotted out. Is he encompaffed with ene?nies ? He has God for his friend. Stedfaftly he purfueth his way, and though ftorms and tempefts arife, yet he believes, and is preferved. When he walks through the valley of the fhadow of death, even then he fears no evil ; he is not eftranged 4 from The Chri/ilan's Jry. -3^ from his hope. Relio-lon, with a voice skrm. gracious as tiiat of the angels at the holv ^^v— ' fepulchre, never fails to fupport and animate the hearts of her children. " Fear not ye ; for I know that ye feek Je- fu\^ who was crucified''* Thofe who were thus employed, neither the darknefs of the night, nor the horrors of the tomb, nor the weaknefs of their fex, nor the danger arifing from a barbarous and hoftile band of foldiers, could bereave of their intrepidity. A voice from heaven, which fpake in thunder to their enemies, and burft the tomb, and fent the trem- bling aftonillied guards to flight, that VOICE, diverted of all its terrors, poured comfort into the afflifted hearts of the pious followers of their Lord, while thus it addreflcd them : " Fear not ye ; foryefeekjefus who zvas crucified T* Nor let this blefled admonition be loft upon us. If we feek the crucified Jefus, we Ihall likewife be devoid of all unholy C c 3 fear. 384 "The Chriji tan's Joy. x\7'n' ^^'^^^ ^^'^ ^^'^ cvtn crueified with Chrift ? "^ — v^ — ' Yet ihall we live — for if we bear about in our body the dying of the Lord Jefus, then Ihall the life alfo of Jefus be made manifeft in our body. The temporary fcparation of our Sa- viour from his difciples, and the con- fequences of that Reparation, may teach us, that it is the good pleafure of our heavenly Father to make occafional trials of the faith and piety of his fcrvants, even thofc whom he beft loveth, by feeming to withdraw his face from them. Long fmce hath the prophet fpoken of him, as dealing thus with his children : *' Verily, tkcu art a God that hidejl " ihM. O God of Ifrael, the Saviour." Bur thefc fevere, however falutary trials, are fhort in their duration. Soon do we fee our Lord approaching to our help, though obftacles prefent themfelves which perhaps appear to us utterly un- furmountablc. When the apoftles fought for help, and there was none, rather w^ould 1% ChriJl'imCs Joy. 385 would the incarnate God control all -"^J'-I^m. the creation, than permit his faithful ^— ^ fervants to peridi. Though heaven is his throne, and earth his footftool, yet his way is in the fea, and his path in the great waters, and his footftcps are not known. We fee then, that it is of the highefl: importance both to our prefent and fu- ture happinefs, that we Ihould difcern our God in the various events of life. A firm perfuafion, that his providence di- re6ls and orders all things for our ulti- mate benefit, will not only banifh fear from our hearts, but will give us a more abundant meafure of hope, and com- fort, and joy. Shall we receive good of the Lord, and fhall we not receive evil? At his word the ftormy wind arifcth — at his word it ceafeth, and there is a cahn. Why are we then fearful, but becaufc we are of little faith ? Why do wc (brink from the inevitable misfortunes Cc 4 of 3^^ rioe Chrijlian's Joy. xviir.' ^^ ^'^^' ^^^^ becaufe we do not acknow^ >-^^ — ' lege our God in the gloom of adverfity, as well as in the noon-ticle fplendour of our profperous fortune ? • In his holy gofpel he hath pointed out to us the methods by which we may feek, and rhall affuredly find, divine confola- tion. To this let us have recourfe, when we are affailed by fear, or doubt, or forrow. There fhall we hear his voice fupporting and animating us, as it did once his chofen followers. Then fhall we behold our Lord Jefus Chrift, the Author of Salvation, the fountain of hope, the fource of univerfal joy. Our hands will be lifted up in ardent fupplication, befeeching him to fhew the light of his countenance upon his fervants, and to fave us for his mercies fake : and when we make our prayer unto him he will hear us. *^ The Lord of tlofts is with us, the God of Jacob is pur refuge. Sing unto the Lord a new fong, The Chrljiians Joy. 387 fong, for he hath done marvellous thhigs. ^Ji^y^' Sing unto the Lord, praile his name, be "- telling of his falvation from day to day. God is our hope and ftrcngth ; a very prefent help in trouble. Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be re-' moved, and though the hills be carried into the midft of the fea — though the waters thereof rage and fwell — though the mountains Ihake at the tempeft of the fame. The Lord of hosts is with ySj THE God of Jacob is our refuge. SERMON SERMON XIX. THE CHRISTIAN'S REST. [ 39' ] SERMON XIX. THE CHRISTIAN'S REST. PSALM iii. 5. / /aid me down and jlept — / awaked^ for the Lord fujlahicd mc. X HE words now read to you have a gp^^^ natural, and they have a fpirituai figni- ^^• fication. They are a morning hymn for the faithful Chriftian while on earth ; and they will, on the refurre6lion-day, burft 392 T^he Chrijliaris Rejl. ^jax^* burfl from his joyful heart, after his ^— ^nt-^ filence in the grave. '' I laid me down andjlept — I awaked^ for the Lord fujiained me r My difcourfe will neceffarily follow the track thus pointed out to it. And I fhall fpeak of fleep, and of waking — of death, and of rifing again. It is much to be lamented, that man- kind in general neither feel nor acknow- lege, as they ought, the blefTmgs be- flowed upon them by the indulgent Pro- vidence of God, till his divine correction awakens them to gratitude and duty — that they know not how to appreciate the kindnefs of the Giver, till it pleafes him, by Ibme fevere, but jufL vifitation, to withdraw the gift. Amongft thefe obvious, but ill-requited mercies, I fear we may often enumerate the comforts of Health — oi Ecjje^ or exemption from pain — and of Sleeps that fealbnable re- frclhment The Chri/ltans Reji. ^93 frelliment of our weak and cxliaudcd serm. powers. Nor can there be a more evi- v,"^^^ dent proof of the mercy of our heavenly Father, than his permitting us for a time to be deprived of thefe his gracious gifts, that fo we may learn to be lefs in- fenfible of his favours when we again enjoy them. Thus, when we are brought low by ficknefs, we then bed know the incflimable value of health, and pour forth our hearts in prayer to God for its return. When we are tortured with pain, we remember the days of eafe and comfort which have been many, and wonder, that we were not more fenfible of former mer- cies vouchfafed to us. When we have paflcd a fleeplefs night, waking either through indifpofition, or anxiety, then do we confider the hours of refrefhment (hours of unheeded and unacknowleged mercy) when reft was afforded to our wearied bodies, and relaxation to the powers of the mind — when we awaked, and be- held, and our deep was fweet unto us. Let 394 27j^ Chrifiian s Rejl. SERM. XIX. Let us, however, carefully diftinguifll between the proper enjoyment, and the ungrateful abufe of any gift of God< When we fpeak of the benefits of mode- rate reji^ we muft not be mifunderftood^ as if we were recommending floth and luxury. When God gives his beloved ileep, he would have all the active powers of the foul invigorated by this precious boon — when the day has dawn- ed, and the fhadows are fled away, he would have man rife up to his work and to his labour unto the evening. And then it is his will, that, " wearied with labours and cares of the day, we Ihould come to our God for quiet and repofe, and for new fupplies of ftrength to drooping nature" — that when we have been thus refreflied, we may afterwards av/ake, better Qualified to fet forth his praifes, and to devote ourfelves to his fervice *. * Sec Bifhop Andrews's *'^ Evening Devotions," tranf-^ lated from iic original Greek by Dean Stanhope. In Ihc Chri/lidn's Reji. 395 In a grateful fenfc of our continued srrm. prcfervation, and of the tender mercies ^"^^' of God, which are renewed with every opening day, let us take the wings of the morning, and in heart and mind afcend to Heaven. Let our firft ac- cents be the accents of praife, when we find ourfelves,(by the divine goodnefs), awakened, as it were, to new life, and enabled to perform the feveral duties of the day which it has pleafed God to add to our lives. I laid me down^ and Jltpt^ faith the Pfalmift ; / awaked^ fujiai?jed by the Providence of God. Thus much for the words of my text in their literal fignification. We pro- ceed to examine them, as applicable to that fleep from which we fhall not awake, till the morning dawns that never fhall have a night— till the voice of the archangel, and the trumpet of God, fummons us from the tomb *. * 1 Thefl'. iv. 16. D d The 39 6 'The Chrlftatis Re /I. SERM. _, . . r^ , XIX. The intimate connection between ^^^"""^ fleep and death has been the theme of every writer, from the earheft period of time, who has had occafion to fpeak of either. The divine biographers in parti- cular, after having recorded the actions of any diftinguifhed characler, clofe the narrative in one and the fame fimple but interefting form of words — '' He llept with his fathers." And what comparifon can be more appofite ? what parallel can be draw n with more exa6tnefs ? The one is a deprivation of thofe powers and fa- culties, of which the other is only a cef- fation for the time. In other w^ords, lieep is a temporary death ; and death (as far as this zvorld is concerned) is a per- petual fleep. And as the faithful fervant of God clofes his eyes in (lumber, when the night cometh, trufting that the di- vine Providence will preferve him unto the morning, fo when he is called upon to leave Tlje Chrijliaji's Rejl. 397 leave the world, he clbfcs his eyes in sfrm. death, committing the guardianihip of ^' his foul to Him on whom he hath believed, and being perfuaded, that he will keep fafe that which is committed to him^ and will raife it up at the lajl day *, Let us then carry on this allufion, by enquiring into thofe caufes which tend to produce quiet and comfortable fleep ; and let us fee whether they will not all of them apply themfelves to our depar- ture from life, and whether they will not tend to make that likewife quiet and comfortable. In the firft place, he who would obtain fweet and undifturbed fleep muft be in Charity with all the world. Re- venge and malice, envy and hatred, plant thorns under the pillow ; while * 2 Tim. i. 12. D d 2 the 398 The Chrijlian's Refi. SERM. the friend of mankind, who neither XIX Vw>;^^ feareth evil from others, nor devifeth mifchief in his own heart, enjoys pure and uninterrupted repofe. In like man- ner, he, who expe6ts to awake the com- panion of Angels, muft poflefs an an- gelic difpofition w^hen he goeth to his long fleep. Love and peace fuftain the expiring foul — and direct the hopes of the dying Chriftian to thofe regions of bleflednefs, where the Angels, and Spi- rits of juft men made perfe6l, are united in bonds of everlafting Charity. A fecond requifite for bodily reft, is A calm and untroubled foul. The world and worldly thoughts, we all know, too often difturb our repofe. It is not fuffi- cient if we devote our day to this ty- rannous mafter ; he would likewife de- prive us of our flumbers. But let us once arrive at that happy ferenity, which leads us to refign all worldly concerns to the care of a good Providence, then, under The Chriftian\ ReJI, 3^^ under a fenfe of the divine prote6lion, serm. we fhall each of us cry out — '' I will lay ^—v^. me down in peace ^ and take my reji-^for it is thou^ Lord^ only^ which viakefl me dwell in fafety *. The departing Soul niuft likewife be purified from all undue attachment to mortality, if it would be prepared for a quiet refignation of itfelf into the hands of its Creator and Re- deemer. When the meflengcr of death approaches, when we behold him point- ing to the throne of Judgement, where will be then the dreams of this vain life ? All thofe things fhall pafs away like a Jha* dozVy and no trace Jhall be left by which they may he found -j-, A third caufe of quiet repofe, which perhaps, indeed, might with propriety have been placed in the firft rank, is Innocence. The mind, labouring under a fenfe of unrepented guilt, * PfaJm iv.— 8. f Wil'd v.— 9. P d 3 leeks 4^o ^he Chriftians Reji, SERM. feeks in vain for that fleep which ^v— V— ^ God is gracioufly pleafed to beftow on thofe whom he loveth. The fmner, who has fled into fociety for refuge — w^ho has ftifled by affected merriment the re- monflrances of his own heart, during the day, is now, at the folemn hour of night, left to the fevere reproaches of that inward monitor. Terrors now re- turn upon him with redoubled force. His Conscience, like the pale fpedlre, which the eye of fuperftition forms to Itfelf in the midnight hour, fcares him with vifions of horrible darknefs, and the alarm drives flumber far away from him. Or if he fleep, he is tortured by the tumultuous workings of his fancy, more fearful than the thoughts of the righteous can picture to themfelvec. Sleeping or waking, " There is no peace ^^ faith my Cody '''to the wicked.^'' They are like the troubled fea^'^ in a ftate of perpetual agitation and difquiet. Whereas, the * Ifaiah 57. — 21. ver. 20, righteou The Chrijiian's Rcjl. 401 rio-hteous p-oeth to his bed, with the dif- SFRM. ^ . ^ . XIX. pofition he lliall one day go to his grave. C-^^ — ^ His reflexions on the pall day prcfent objefts of peace and comfort to his mind — fervices, imperfect indeed, but fuch as the divine goodnefs will deign to accept. Having endeavoured to bring every thought into the obedience of Chrift — having directed his words to the ufe of edifying, and having framed all his a6lions with a view to the glory and praife of God, he reiteth in peace, firmly relying on the mercy of Heaven, Faith attends him to his repofe, and Piety is the Guardian Angel that hovers over his head. As to the refledtions of the dying finner, let the minifter of the gofpel, whole painful duty it is to at- tend him in the lad fcene of expiring nature, let the miniiler of the gofpel fpeak, and, without difguifc or paUia- tion, let him deliver a narrative, full of terror indeed, but full of inftruftion. Let him give a portrait of death, armed with D d 4 h.s 402 ^he Chrijiian^s ReJ?, SERM. his envenomed fting, and triumphing Vv-^ over his miferable vi£lim. By his own heart the finner is convifted ; by his mouth he is condemned. The night is 'eome upon him ; his work is unperform- ed. There is neither wifdom nor under- landing, nor knowlege, nor counfel, nor repentance, nor faith, nor hope,, in the grave, whither he is immediately de- fcending. Nothing but a miracle of di^ vine mercy can prevent the fentence of guiltinefs from proceeding againft him. Nothing remains, but a certain fearful looking-for of judgment and fiery indig- nation, which (hall devour the enemies of God. O that men were wife, that they would confider thefe things, that they would feek peace and reconciliation with the Almighty ! Further. No fleep can be quiet or falu- tary, if the party be not in a Hate of health. For if debauchery or intempe- rance hath impaired the conftitution, then The Chnfllan's Rejl. then the earthly body prejjcth down the Joul^^ and undifturbed reft is fought for in vain. Let us hear the fentiments of the Roman poet upon this occafion — and while we hear them, let us admire the power of Him, who at his pleafure can make truth, and virtue, and good counfel, proceed from the moft unhal- lowed lips. " The body," faith Ho- race, **burthencd with the vices of the *' preceding day, by its weight bows *' down the foul along with it, and fixes '' to the ground a portion of the breath ^' of God." Now if bodily health is indifpenfably neceffary to our tafting in all its fweetnefs the bleffing of untroubled repofe, it is equally efTcntial to the fere- nity of our clofmg hours, that we iTiould hold faft the form of found words, and adhere ftedfaftly to all things which the fervant of God fliould know and believe, to his fours health. We muft be ftrong in the faith : and Chriftianity, true, gc nu- * VViTd. ix. 15. 5 ' "^^> SF.RM, XIX. 404. ^^^^ Chrijlian'^s Rejl. SERM. ine, vital Chriftianity, muft poffefs and v_^^ animate our hearts, be our outward frame never fo feeble. " There is no " rational principle, by which a man *' can die contented, but a truft in the ^' mercy of God, through the merits of *' Jefus Chrift." Strengthened by this pious confidence we (hall reft in peace ; fuftained by the arm of our Redeemer we ihall lie down, and our fleep iTiall be fweet. The laft particular which I fliall men- tion, as conducive to reft, is Labour. Indeed the one word in fome mcafure implies the other. Reft from inaftion is an abfurdity. Now the fleep of a labouring man is fweet ; but indolence is the bane of repofe. He who is pre- paring for his grave, will in like man- ner poffefs his foul in far mere tran- quillity, if his life has been ufeful, ac- tive, and beneficent, than the felfifli, fordid wretch, whofe only occupation lias The Chrijlla7is Rep. 405 has been to confult his own cafe and pleafure, and who to thclc unworthy purluits has dedicated his time, his fa- culties, all thole noble endowments, which God hath given to man. Our blefTed Lord, in his lad dilcourl'e to his difciplcs, addreflcs his Father in terms to this efte6l : '•'I have glorified t by name upon earth— I have finished the work zvhich thou gavefi me to do^ and 7iow receive mc to ihy/e/fi-^.—ThQ dying Chriitian who f' has ferved his generation by the will of God" may, v»'ithout prefumption, ufc the fame words — and faith will repre- fent his Saviour as calling him to the glory purchafed for thofe, who have employed themfclves, with zeal and fidelity, in his fervice. The requifites then to reft, whether in our bed or in our grave, are Charity, Peace, Innocence, Health, (in one cafe bodily, in the other fpiritual), * John XV ii. — 4. and 40 6 7 he Chrijltajis Rejl. SERM. snd Labour. Allow me to add, that he ^---v--^ who commits himfelf to his repofe without offering up his prayers to the Almighty, cannot with reafon complain, if it ilionld pleafe the Almighty to withdraw his protection from him. " Sleep," faith an eminent writer, " is fo like death, ^* that I dare not truft it, without faying *' my prayers." Am I addrefling any perfon, who, from careleffnefs, indif- ference, or from any other ftill more culpable motive, lives in the habitual negle6l of this folemn» facred, indif- penfable duty ? If fo, let m.e propofe thefe queftions ferioufly to him, and let his own heart make the reply, *' What fecurity haji thou^ O man^ that *' this night thy foul will 7iot be required *' of thee ? When thou goeft to fleep, *' how canft thou tell, that thou fhalt " ever wake again ? Vv^ert thou a6lually *' on thy death-bed, wouldfl not thou *' Vvifli to clofe thy life with prayer ? ^' Wouldft thou not offer fupplication^ *' to the Almiighty, that he would receive - thy The ChriJliayC s ReJJ, 407 *' thy foul to mercy ? Wouldil; thou ^^|\^^- " not endeavour to prepare thyfclf for ^ — ^ *' that awful hour,\vhich is to uihcr thcc *' into a new and myfterious llate of *' being ? When God calleth thee, wilt *' thou not be afliamed to fay, thou hafl: *' not made thyfelf ready ? Confidcr •' earneftly, how little, in the hour of *' death, and in the day of judgment, *' fuch feigned excufes will avail before •* God V Remember what I fay, and may the Lord give you underttanding in all things ! Think not, that the offices of piety bring with them any degree of gloom or de- fpondency. Think not, that the faith- ful fervant of God (who, by prayer and the exercifes of devotion, prepares him- felf for the hour of his departure), is ex- cluded from the enjoyment of thofe blef- fings, w^hich a God of mercy hath be- fhowed on his creatures. On the con- trary, while he looks to heaven for the fulnefs 4o8 ' The Chrijiia?is Rejii SERM. fulncfs of ioy, he is fo far from bein^ a C^ *> ftranger to earthly happinefs, that he is the Ible, the exclufive, pofTeffor of it, in its unfullied purity. But ftill his loins are girded about, and his lamp is burning ; and he is himfelf as one who waiteth for his Lord, that, when he cometh and knocketh, he may open to him imme- diately. It is want of faith alone, which makes us fhrink back with horror from the thought of dilTolution. If we believe aright the words of facred truth, we mod afluredly know, that the Chriftian, who liveth in peace with God and man, dleth likewife in peace, and fleepeth quietly in his tomb, a happy candidate for immortality. For the time fhall moft afluredly come — the voice of God hath foretold it — when that departed Chriftian, nay when that his mouldered body now fleeping in the duft, fhall arife to a new life, a life not to be fucceeded again 57jc' Chr'ifilarCs Re/I. 409 again by death. Then fliall he awake, serm. XIX ' through God who callctli, through ^^^^^ Chrift who redcemeth, through the blelTed Spirit who ftrcngtheneth him. He fliall awake, lively, joyful, active, his powers invigorated and reftored, as he had been accuftomed to awake while on earth, when Peace and Devotion had given fweetnefs to his reft. As then his earlieft thoughts were addrefTed to Hea- ven, fo now he welcomes his eternal day wdth a fongof praife. "Awake, awake, O my Soul, from thy fleep. Tlie morning of the refurredlion dawns — the lliadows of mortality fly away. Lift up your heads, Oye gates — I, even I, with my brethren and companions, the redeemed of God, fliall enter in. My body, which was fown in corruption, is ralfed in incorruption. It was fown in weakucfi^ — it is raifcd in power. It was fown in diflionour — it is raifed in glory. / Id'id me do^ix:?; a7id Jl^-'pt^ I awaked— for the LordJuJIained me'^ SERMON ERMON XX. THE CHRISTIAN'S GLORY. (Preached on All-Saints'-Day.) E e SERMON [ 4X3 ] SERMON XX THE CHRISTIAlSrS GLORY, HEBREWS xii.— 22, 23, 24. Jlf are come tmio Mou7it Slo?j, and unto the cJty of the Living God^ the heavenly Jerufalem ; and to an innumerable com- pany of Angels^ To the general Afftmhly and Church of the firjl-born^ which are written in Heaven^ and to God the Judge of all, and to the fpirits of juji men made f erf efl. And to Jesus, the Mediator of the new Covenant. Jl5y faith we behold this glory, which {hall be revealed— by faith, whofe juft prerogative it is, to rcprefent the pro- E e 2 mifes 414 the Chrijlhn's Glory. ™^' ^''^-^ of God, which fliall hereafter re- V ' ceive their due completion, as even now fulfilling in behalf of his people^ and as far as intellectual enjoyments can reach, they are indeed fulfilling : while the foul dwells with rapture on that bright and glorious profpecl, whick exhibits mortality as fwallowed up of life* In the words of my text the infpired writer points out the bleffed and happ/ ftate of thofe, who, having fought a good fight, having finifhed their courfe, and having kept the faith, are admitted into the kingdom of their Father. After directing the attention of his converts ^o thofe denunciations of vengeance, pro- claimed by a God of juftice, amidft the majeftic horrors of Sinai, he procced^^ to defcribe the covenant of mercy made with us by a divine Mediator, by virtue of which we are affured, " that God hath not appointed us unto wrath, but to obtain faivation through our Lord Jefus Chrift/' ^he Chrtjllafi s Glory, ^ij Chrift." At the promulgation of the •J'^M Lww^ the earth trembled and quaked — ^-lJ-1-' the foundations alfo of the hills moved and were fliaken at the preience of God, becaufe he was wroth*. The moun- tain burned with fire — clouds and thick darknefs overfliadowed the reft of the world — a mighty tempeft was ftirred up round about — the Lord thundered out of heaven, and the highcft gave his thunder — while the found of a trumpet, waxing louder and louder, was fuccecd- ed by a voice too dreadful for the mor- tal ear to fupport ; the voice of Him, who declares himfelf to be God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a migh- ty and a terrible. At the manifeftation of the Gofpcl^ when the glory of the * ^yn v^v n^:» The nolle thf-rcof (i. e. of the thuiulcr) fhewclh con- cerning Him, that hi pojel/eth 'u.'vr.th hccaufe of iniquity \ U'C Job, xxxvl. 32. If any Hebrew MS. or printed copy au- thorized the fubftitutioa of l.t^Vl for IV") the f^-nfc would be more perfe<.t, and the conne^^ion of llic fi :.ie with chitp. xxxvi. ;2, and ch-jp. xxxvii. 1. would luvi^ evideuLlv appear. E e 3 Lord 4^6 The ChrlfilarCs Glory. SERM. Lord fhone round about thofe to whom v,^^^^ Chrift was firft revealed, an angel was fent from heaven to difpel from their minds all terror and conflernation : *' Fear not^'' faith the meflenger of love and mercy, " Fear not ; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy." A multitude of the heavenly hoft con- firmed the gracious words ; they afcribed glory to God, proclaimed Peace on earth, and announced good- will towards men. Former things then paffed away^ all things became new — and God recon- ciled a finful world unto himfelf through Chrift Jefus, who was the end of the Law, and the fulnefs of the Gofpel. '' By Him all that believe are now juftified from all things from which they could not be juftified by the law of Mofes."* Through His ail-fufficient merits, through His all-prevailing interccffion, our un- worthy fervices are accepted, our fins are blotted out, the arms of mercy are extended to repentant man. Now then we The Chnpans Glory. 4^7 we are no more ftrangcrs and foreigners, sf;rm. but fellow-citizens with the faints, and ^^^ of the houfehold of God. We arc built upon the foundation of the apoftlcs and prophets, Jesus Christ himfelf being the head corner- none. We look oh the regions of peace and glory as our own bright reverfion, our promiled inheri- tance, our haven of evcrlafting reft. Thus, though the law made nothing perfea, the bringing in of a better hope did : through which hope we draw nigh unto God *i Through faith then we have evidence \- of thofe things which mall hereafter be accomplifhcd, but which are too trani- cendently glorious for - the fenie of human fight." Through faith we fee Heaven opened. We lee Jesus, the Mediator of the m^.v covenant, crowned with majefty and honour. We be- hold an innumerable company oj angels, furrounding the throne of glory. * Hcb. vii. 19. E e 4 ^^' 4i8 TChe ChriJltatCs Glory. SRRM. xx^ * 7he fpirits of jujl men made perfeSl, the ^^""'^ general ajfeinbly and church of the Jirji-born^ whofe names are written in heaven^ fing the high praifes of God, the Judge of ally *' who hath tranflated them to the king- dom of his dear Son, in whom they have redemption, through his blood/' Through faith we hear the voice, which mtroduces us, as it were, into the man- fions of the bleffed. *' Te are come unt» Mount Sion^ the city of the living God^ THE HEAVENLY JERUSALEM.'* Such is the high prize of our calling — for the attainment of which we are di- re6led to lay afide every weight, and the fins which do fo eafily befet us, and to run with patience the race that is fet before us, looking unto Jefus, the Au- T'HOR AND Finisher OF our faith, who for our fake endured the crofs, and is now on the right-hand of the throne of God. Through him alone we obtain remiffion of our fins — we are filled with the 7 he Chrijlia7i i Glory, 419 the hope of glory — and are made parta- "^^'KM, kers c light. kers of the inheritance of the faints in ^.— ". Bleffed are they, OLord God of hofts, who fliall be called to their reft in the heavenly Jerufalem, the city of the Great King ! Bleffed are they whom thou chufeft,'' and receiveft unto thyfelf ! They fhall dwell in thy courts; and fliall be fatisfied with the pleafures of thine houfe, even of thy holy temple. Of the peculiar nature of that blefledncfs which they fliall enjoy we can form no ade- quate idea : it is not ncccffary — it is not pofliblc, thatwe fhould. Weknow \n part only ; we fee but as through a glals dark- ly *. Mortal perceptions are not equal to the comprehending immortal felicity. Hardly do we gucfs aright at things that are upon earth ; and with labour du we find the things that are before us : as for the things that are in heaven, who hath * li aWy^iai. I Cor. xiii. 12. I fcarchcd 42© ^he Chrtjlidris Glory. SERM. fearched them out ? But this we knowj C^^ that it is a ftate of perfeft, of never- ceafing happiness — happinefs^ unalloyed by forrow, unchecked by fear or folici- tude — pure and divine happinefs, wor- thy of the God who gives it, worthy of the Saviour who hath purchafed it for us by his moft precious blood. This we know ; and, believing, we rejoice with joy unl'peakable and full of glory* We prefume not, we wilhi not to enquire farther. Enough knowlege is imparted to us, to call forth our utmoft exertions, to animate our zeal, and give ardour to our obedience. Enough is imparted, to fupport us under the fufferings of this prefent life, and to raife our afFeftions from earth to heaven, where the God of glory reigneth in the midft of his faints. When we dwell in contemplations like thefe, our fouls third for God, for the living God : '' When fhall we come," (we are ready to exclaim) '' when Ihall *' we come, and appear before our God ? '' In ^he ChrijliarCs Glory, ^21 *' In his prefence is the fulnefs of joy — at skrm. ** his right-hand there is pleafurc for J!!^ " evermore.'* To what portion of their glorious re- ward the righteous * are admitted imme- diately after their diffolution, and what part of it is referved for the day of final recompence — thefe are queftions on which at becoms us not to dwell with too mi- nute inveftigation. Whither iliall we go for information on this awful fubjec', when the Holy Spirit hath veiled it in myfterious filence ? Let it fuffice us, that Gad is our God for ever and ever — that he is not only our guide unto death, but in death, and after death — that he is the God of our fathers, the God o{ Abra- * The anther hope-j il is icaFccly nccelVarv to obfcrvp, that by the word righteous, as ufed in this Ionic, he means thole, to whofe repentance, faith, and obedicnec, //•-' J^avmg righfeoufne/s of Jefus Chr'ijl is imputed : ior by Hip^. ALONE we obtain remilhon of our lin^, ujud ai^ nude par- takers of the kingdom of heaven ham, 422t The Chrijlians Glory. ^xx^* ham, of Ifaac, and of Jacob, the God ^— v-^ of the fpirits of all fleih— ^that blefled are the dead, which die in the Lord- that the fouls of the righteous, from the time that they leave their earthly taber- nacles, are in the hands of God — that though in the fight of the unwife they may feem to die, and their departure may be taken for mifery, yet they are in peace — that the great apoftle teftified his " vehement defire" to be abfent from the body, ajid to be prefent with the Lord^ — and thatjefus Chrift, the Author of life and mercy, when he was placed as a vidlim on the altar of his crofs, fpake thus to the dying penitent befide him : " This day Ibalt thou be with '^ mc in Paradife." For the reft, O Lord, we tarry thy leifure : our hearts are comforted, for we put our truft in thee* With thee do live the fpirits of them that depart hence in the Lord. With thee the fouls of the faith- ful^ after they arc delivered from ♦2Cor. V. 6. the The Chnpani Glory. 4^3 the bnrden of the fleili, are in joy .iml SER.M. felicity. Thou wilt keep them fafe tluit '^^r--' arc committed to thy charge, till tlie number of thine eka being accomplilTi- ed, they iliall have their perfect con- summation of blifs, both in body and foul, in thine eternal glory. Having defcribed the place of the ta. IT. bernacle of the Moft High, unto which the ranfomed of the Lord fliall be tranf- lated after their earthly warfare, the words of infpiration next point out %Nho ihall be their affociates. " 3> ar: comc^ to an innumerable company of angels.'* Thofe pure and holy beings, the Ions of God, the morning ftars * of heaven- thole celeftial guardians, who once, by divine appointment, watched over, iuc- coured, defended us on earth-who once, as minifters of God's good pro- vidence, were our unfeen protectors * Ser Job, xxxv;ii. 7' • « agamft 424 The Chriftiayis Glory. ^^^^^- againft unfeen dangers, encamping round >— v^ about us, and delivering us — thofe fpi- rits of love, and peace, and holinefs, who rejoiced at our converfion, and fhared our triumphs over tue powers of darknefs, fliall then bear witnefs to our admiffion into the regions of joy, and fhall welcome us as fellow-heirs of ever- lafting felicity. Here let us paufe a moment, while we refleft on the nature of this aftonifh- ing privilege. Shall we, w4io are born in fm, and the children of wrath — ihall the fallen offspring of fallen parents re- ceive fuch a meafure of heavenly grace, as to become worthy of that joy w^hich is the portion of angels? — angels, who never fmned, never fell, never by difobedience forfeited the blcffings which their Crea- tor beftow^ed on them ? Lord, what is man, that thou haft fuch refpedl unto him ; or the fon of man, that thou fo regardeft him ? — that in thine abun- c dant The Chr'ijViayi s Glory, 425 dant mercy thou haft dehvercd him from seiim. the bondage of corruption, and haft ^^ — ,'^ called him to the habitations of joy, to the fociety of angels, to the glo- rious liberty of the children of God ? Yet fuch are the wonders which thou haft wrought for us ; and for this caufe will we give thanks unto thee for ever, and lliew forth thy praiie from generation to generation. For this caufe, with angels and arch-angcls, and with all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify thy glorious name, evermore praifing thcc and faying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hofts ! Thou art worthy, O Lord, ^o receive glory, and honour, and power ! Glory be to thee, O Lord moft High I And lo, a voice proceeds from the HI. everlafting throne, which calls on the Cams of God to add their hallelujahs to the ftrainsof angels. *' Praifc your God, all ye his fcrvants, and ye that tear him, 4^6 The Chrijiians Glory, SERM. him, both fmall and great." At the vj^^^ divine mandate, the glorious company of the apoftles, the goodly fellowiliip of the prophets, the noble army of mar- tyrs, all other fervants of the once fuf- fering, but now glorified, Meffiah, fall down and worfhip Him that fitteth upon the throne, faying, " Amen ! Hallelu- " jah ! Worthy art thou, O Lord, to *' take the book, and to open the feals ** thereof ; for thou waft flain, and haft ** redeemed us to God by thy blood." And again, a voice is heard, as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, faying, " Hallelujah^ for the Lord God ojiinipotent " reigfieth I kf us be glad and rejoice^ and ^^ give honour unto Him!'' Thus doth THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND CHURCH OF THE FIRST-BORN, WHICH ARE WRIT- TEN IN HEAVEN, Ihew forth the honour of God, and make bis praifc to be glo- rious. But The Cbri/Ilan's GIor\\ j\^ij But the heirs of immortaUty arc taught skrm. to afpire to a degree of blifo, (till more J^'^ fubhmc, ftill more facred, than that IV/ Which refults from the fociety of faints and angels. They will behold the pre- fence of God in righteoufnefs. They will fee Him^ as He is. " Ye are come," faith the prophetic language of infpira- tion, "^ ye are come to God, the judge OF all;" Hete language fails — and here imagination, w^hich fliould fupply its place, fails likewife. Silent adoration^ gratitude unutterable, reverential love, thefe fill the whole foul of man, when he remembers the gracious promife, which tells him, that; if he is pure in heart, he fhall fee God *« Encouraged by this '' earnefl: of their future inheritance," the bleffed Saints of old were more than conquerors, amidft the calamities which it w^as their portion to fuftain. They had trials of cruel * Matthew, v.— 8, . .... F f mockings 428 The Chrijliatii Glory. SERM. mockings and fcourgings — of bonds and V — ^^ imprlfonment — they were ftoned— were fawn afunder — were tempted — were flain with the fword — they were deftitute, afflifted, tormented : but in all their fufferings here upon earth they cherifhed in their hearts the promife of that blefled hour, when the glory of Chrift fhould appear, and when they fhould be glad alfowith exceeding joy. They remem- bcred the words of the Lord Jefus, how, he faid, '' Father, I will that they whom thou haft given me be with mc where I am, that they may behold tha glory which thou haft given me." Sure that the divine will would have its full accomplifhment, and that the day was near in its approach, when they fhould behold the prefence of God, thty gloried in tribulation — thtj took pleafure in infir- mities, in reproaches, in diftrefies. " We know," faid one of the firft and greateft of thcfe true heroes, " we know that if our earthly houfe of this taber- I nacle The ChriJliarCs Glory. 429 ilacle were difTolved, we have a building ^^A^- of God, an houfe not made with hands, ^-—^ eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earneftiy defiring to be clothed upon with our houfe which is from Heaven*" With fuch examples as thcfe before y, his eyes, the Chriftian prefTes forward to the mark, as one that ftriveth for the maftery. He runs, not as uncertainly. He regulates all his adlions, his words, his thoughts, with reference to the confummation of all things. Mc lifts up his eyes to the everlafting hills, where the God of mercy reigileth, praying always with all prayer and i'upplication, and watching thereunto with all perfe- verance, that he may be conduced by the divine counfel while he is on earth, and that hereafter he may join that blefled fociety, where the spirits of JUST MEN MADE PERFECT are partakers of everlafting glory. Then (hall he behold ' F f 2 thofc 430 ^he Chrijlia7i s Glorju SERM. thofe great and illuftrious faints of God* XX. . . ^w-v— ^ ^^ whofe virtues he has rr.editated with dehght, whofe labours, whofe example, whofe writings, have conduced to keep, ahve his faith and piety, his zeal and devotion, hishope and charity. Then with patriarchs and prophets, apoftles, evan- gelifts, confeffors, martyrs, all thofe who have ferved their God faithfully from the beginning of time, he fhall rejoice w ith unfpeakable joy. How are our hearts comforted, how are they elevated by the thought, that we, and all thofe who have the fondeft place in our afFe6lions, fhall, if we live in the faith of God, and depart in his fear, be mod blefled to all eternity ! — that we fhall together be made partakers of the kingdom of our God, and the glory of his Chrift, who hath opened the gates of Heaven to all believers ! In what manner, and to what extent thefe hopes wull be realized. He only knows, who hath decreed that the foul (hall The Chr'ijilaiii Glory, 421 fliall one day be reunited to the body, slum.. and fliall be received into the manfions Cl^J.^ of immortality : but that they ivill be realized, who can doubt, who has ever felt the endearing ties wliich are formed by filial, parental, or conjugal love? Is it to be fuppofed, that the Almighty hath implanted in our fouls thefe ex- quifite feelings to be fo foon interrupted, fo foon, as it were, annihilated r — feelings that, inftead of the blcffing, would be the torment of our lives, did the fad thought of a total fe pa rati on from all that we delight in arifc to embitter every enjoyment ? But in the furc and certain hope of future reftoration to the beloved friends who go before us, we refign them, though not without poig- nant forrow, at leafl: without defpair. We confider them as gone on a journey, whither we ourfclves fhall ere long fol- low them — and though this temporary Reparation Ihould be fatal to the furvi- yor's earthly happinefs, yet faith antici- F f 3 pates 43^ ^^^ Chrtjltan^s Glory. ^xx^^' P^^^^ ^^^ bleffed day, when we ftiall v-^^^ meet again, to be feparated no more — when, in the prefence of that God, with whom is the fulnefs of everlafting joy, love, and doubtlefs focial love, fhall reign, without alloy, and without inter- ruption — when, in that ftate of blifs which is purchafed for us by the pre- cious blood of Chrift, and to which we fhall be guided by the Holy Ghoft, the Comforter, we fhall be reftored to the objefts of our love, once more, and for ever, VI, Laftly, it is appointed to the blefled in Heaven, to behold Jesus, the medi- ator OF THE NEW COVENANT — the Cove- nant of mercy, by which finful men were reftored to thofc privileges which they had forfeited, and to the favour of that God whom they had offended. They will behold him, on the throne of his co-eternal Father, King of kings, »nd Lord of lords. " Rejoice greatly, O daughter The Chrijliaris Glory. 433 O daughter of Zion ; (bout, O dauj^hter ^':^^\^^- of Jerufalem — Behold, thy King reign- ^^ — /— ' eth ! He is great, and clothed with Majefty ; he fitteth between the Cheru- bim ; he is encompaffed with ineffable glory." Hofannahs to the Son of God now fill the heaven of heavens. He it is, who hath purchafed this eternal in- heritance for his faints by the (bedding of his moft precious blood, the blood of the covenant. He is the door, by which they ftiall enter into that city, whofe builder and maker is God. He fliall confefs before the company of angels, and fball acknowlege as his own, all his faithful fervants, who, while they were on earth, confefled him before men. He Ihall exalt them to everlafting glory — he fhall make them equal unto the an- gels. He, w^ho is the great High Prieft of his triumphant Church, (ball bring his redeemed into the holy of hohes, and fhall prefent them faultlefs before the prefence of his Father, with exceeding F f 4 j^y- 434 fhe Cbrijlians Glory., ^xx^^' joy- He, to whofe human nature ail Sr^/-^ power was given both in heaven and earth, fhall fee his chofen fipck accepted before God, the Maker of all things, and Judge of all men, who fhall receive the fpirits of the juft— thofe fpirits whom he hath proved, apd found worthy of him- felf. The Lord Chrift Jefus (hall perfeft for ever them that are fandified ; not weighing their merits, but pardoning their offences, and clothi;ig them with the garments of his rigliteoufnefs. He ihaJl bring the ranfomed of the Lord with fongs, and v/ith everlafting joy upon their heads — he ihall condu6l them into the courts of the Lord's houfe, even into the midft of thee, O JeruXalem. But WHO Ihall afcend into the hill of the Lord ? Who ihall rife up in his holy place ? They, who have clean hands, and pure hearts — they, who by faith and patience ftrive to inherit the promiies — they, who cleanfe themfelves from 'the Chri/iian's Glory. 4j3 from all filthinefs of the fl^Oi and fpirir, sl^m, perfcaing bolinds in the fear of the ^ Lord — they, who endeavour with every power and faculty of their fouls, to fol- low the example of their Saviour, and to be made like unto him. They, who by humihty, by mcekncfs, by inno- cence, by fan'flity, by love unfeigned, approve themfelves as the diicioles of Chrift. They, who ufe the means of grace, as conuucive to tne hope of glory. They, who frame and fafliion their lives in obedience to the will of God, io that faith vvorketh witli their works, and by works their faith is made perfect. They, even they, fhall receive thebleffing fi;om the Lord, and righteoufnels from the God of their f:dvation. They ihall re- joice becaufe their names are written in heaven. These fliall afcend into the hill of the Lord. Thefe fhall rife up in his holy place. While they walked in the fteps of their Redeemer on earth, he faw them from the habitation of his holinefs, ^nd 43^ ^^^ Chrijlian's Glory. SEMI, and of his glory — he faw, and was well v-C^^ pleafed. While they fpake of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God, he hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. " They iTiall *' be mine, faith the Lord of hofts, in *^ that day when I make up my jewels ; ** and I will fpare them, as a man fpareth " his own fon that fervcth him." We fee our calling, brethren. O let us remember that the time is fhort, and that the work appointed us to perform is of inexpreflible importance — that there is but a ftep between us and death — and that at our difiblution, we fhall be configned either to the habitations of cndlefs forrow, to the fociety of devils and tormented fpirits, or to the fellow, fhip of ALJL SAINTS, to the reft which remaineth for the people of God. The / bright reward, the glorious inheritance ^ • of The ChriJlla^Cs Glory. 437 of life eternal is not offered to the rebel- ^^^^^' lions and obdurate, to the carelefs and "^ — v-^. indifferent, to the licentious and profane. Thefe follow the multitude to do evil ; they purfue the broad path which lead- eth to deftruftion : whereas ftrait is the gate, and narrow is tiie way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. They only who look for their God in holinefs^ fhall behold his power and glory — for them is laid up the crown of righteoufnefs, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, hath promifed to all them that love his appearing. We praife thee therefore, O God ; we kcknowlege thee to be the Lord. Thine is the greatnefs, and the glory, and the vi6lory and the Majefty. In thine hand s power and might, and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give ilrength unto all. All thy Saints (hall give thanks unto thee, even the fouls whom thou haft redeemed. The general alTcmbly and 4^8 ^fhd Cbrijiians Glory. and Church of the [irft-born who art written in heaven (hall worfhip thee, yea, they lliall fmg of thee, and praife thy name. " Through th(^e, O bJeiTed *' Jefus," they will rapturoufly exclaim, ** through thee we are gome to the city ** of the living God» the mount Zion, *' the heavenly Jerufalem ; for thy ^' mercy endure th for ever. Through ^^ thee we are made the companions of *' angels ; for thy mercy endureth for *' ever. Through thy mediation we are '* admitted into the prefence of God the *' Judge of all ; for thy mercy endureth *^ for ever. Through thee w^e ^re reckon- *' ed among the number of the fpirits of ** juft men made perfevSl ; for thy mercy •' endureth for ever, Thou haft fulfilled *' thy gracious promife to thy Church, *' and having llied on it the bright beams. *' of thy light during its warfare, thou '' haft at length exalted it to the light of ^.' everlafting life ; for thy mercy endur«» *^ ethfor ever. Tlierefore we will rejoice ** in the contemplation of thy glory ; we *' will The Cbrijl'uins G!jr\\ 435 " will praife thee, we will blcfs thcc, we srrm. ^' will adore thcc to all eternity." ' ' — vr— ' Let thy name, O blcfTcd Jcius, be con- feffed on earth, as it is in heaven ! for through thy name alone can we hope to obtain falvation. Of ourfclves we can do no good thing ; but we can do all things, if thou wilt (Irengthen us. Sanc- tify us, O Lord, by thy Spirit ; feed and ftrcngthen us by thy body ; ranfom us from our fins by thy blood I We truft in thee ; let us never be confounded. We come unto thee ; receive us unto thyfelf. Receive us — and *' make us to be num* bered with thy faints in glory everlail- ing!" Now to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, three divine Perfons, and one eternal God, be afcribed, as is moft due, by the Church militant on earth, and the Church triumphant in Heaven, all honour, power, adoration, and praife, nov,' , and for evermore ! Amen, FINIS. Publillied, by the flime Author, I. Contemplations ox the Sacred History, altered from the Works op Bishop Hall, in four Volumes. (i2mo.) 1793- II. The Univerfal Remedy In Time of Af- flldlion. From BiHiop Hairs Works. (i2mo.) 1796. III. KAPAKTAKOI EHI MX2NH : five, CI. Mafoni CaracSlacus, Gracco Carmine rcdditus : 'Cum Veriione Latina. (8vo.) 1781. IV. SAM^HN ArnNin^HZ. Joannis Mil- toni Samfon Agoniftes, Gracco Carmine rcd- ditus : Cum Verlione Latlnil. (8vo,) 1788. V. A Sermon preached before the Gover- nors of the Magdalcn-HofpitaL, (4to.) 1788. VI. A Sermon preached before the Guar- dians of the Afylum for Helplefs Orplians. (4to.) 1 79 1. VII. A Sermon preached In the Parilli Church of Hanwell, in behalf of the French Emigrant Clergy. (4to,) 1793. VIII. The fame, in French, publiflicd Ly defire of the Billiop of St. Pol de Leon. (8vo.) '''''■ IX. A tX. A Sermon pi'eactied in the Parifti Church of St. Martin in the Fields, at the Vi- litation of the Right Reverend Father in God, Beilby, Lord Bifhop of London. (4to.) 1794. X. A Narrative of Fadls, printed at Bruflels, fuppofed to throw Light on the Hif- tory of the Briftol-Maniac : Tranllated from the French, and infcribed to Mifs Hannah More. (i2mo.) 1786. XL Extra(5ls from the Old Verfion of the Pfahns of David, fele6led for the Uf© of thd Pariih-Church of Hanwell in the County of Middlefex. (lamo.) 3d Edition. 1791. ^